Veganism for a day.

If you are Michelle Williams, life is an audition even when it is called by another name. Michelle is making her Broadway debut as Sally Bowles in Cabaret.  She got the job only after Emma Stone dropped out, a good substitute.
So, when Maria said, "on Sunday, I am going vegan for one day," I was shocked, shocked!
Not really, I have been playing the vegan card for a while.
You can't persuade anyone to become vegan, for a couple of good reasons: it's a losing battle, and two, it's far from certain that a diet with no animal products is best for everyone.
As the the economy gets tighter on our pocket-book, you can however, easily adopt a part-time vegan diet. In the process, you will improve your health.
It was the situation of Matt Bittman, a NYT columnist and author of Vegan After 6. He suggest a flexible vegan diet that suits your lifestyle. "The emphasis is on changing the proportions on what's in your diet.Then everything else kind of follows that," noted Bittman.
So if you want to have a sort of personal food policy that is going to improve your health, reduce your carbon footprint, probably make you feel better' this is the way to think about it.
There is a difference to adding a little cream to your coffee and having two cheeseburgers and a shake.
Science says, that we should be eating more foods from the plant kingdom and less processed food and fewer animal products.
Now,  you don't have to do the one day diet. A good adaptation of the Mediterranean diet, or a diet that stresses vegetables rather than animal products are worthy substitutes. Remember, we were once hunters and gathers!
Plant-based meals are more than vegetables, of course. I have a pantry filled with nuts, grains, legumes, pastas, oils and vinegars. In the coming weeks, I am set to produce a number of dishes that don't ruffle a single animal's feather, hide or fin!!!
So off to the front burner for a Vegetable Wellington, Quinoa Salad, Chick peas and Date Tagine, Cranberry Lattice Pie and Vegetable Chile...please feel free to substitute.

Labels!

Here is how they try to entice you. Don't fall for these pick up lines.

Sugar-free: it means the food contains less than .5 grams of sugar per serving- but the serving may be small.

Natural: this term has a positive perception, but no formal definition when applied to  products that don't contain meat and eggs. Sugar is natural! Other meaningless buzzwords to be aware of : "simple" and "wholesome."They are all marketing-speak.

Low-fat: Sure, a product may have 3 grams of fat or less per serving, but it could also be high in sugar, sodium and calories. Very often when one ingredient is missing, manufactures add something else to make up for it.

Reduced sugar vs low sugar: "The reduced sugar tag" means a product has 25% less sugar than the regular version. By contrast, the "low sugar" label,  which is often seen on jams and cookies, has no standards definition.

My Family Circle Chili goes Slow!

I adapted this slow cook item at my dental office that said, "do me"! Since I am using my crock to it fullest, (three to four times a week) why not?

2 T olive oil
2 lg onions, chopped
2 T sofrito
1 package sazon
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 butternut squash seeded, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 green pepper
1/2 sweet red, orange, and yellow peppers, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 14.5 oz stewed tomatoes
4 tsp ancho chili powder
2 tsp cumin,
1 tsp salt
2 15 ozs black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese
 2 scallions, sliced

In a skillet, saute onions, sofrito, and sazon for 4 minutes in olive oil
Add green pepper, squash cook 2 minutes
Add garlic, jalapeno, chili for 1 minute
Pour into crock and add tomatoes, cumin, salt
Cover and cook on high for five hours
Add beans and sweet red and yellow peppers during the last 30 minutes
To serve, stir in cilantro. Top with cheese and scallions.

Risotto Cakes

                              Pan Fried Risotto Cakes
2 T butter
4 T oliver oil, divided
3 leeks, (white and pale section only), wash, drain and thinly sliced
2 cups butter squash, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 cups Arborio rice
1 T sage, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
 5 cups warm chicken stock
1/2 cup plus 2T grated parmesan cheese
     salt and pepper
     zest and juice of a lemon
1 cup flour, 2 eggs, 1 cup panko

On a baking sheet, drizzle squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Put in a 400 degree oven and roast till tender, stirring occasionally, 35 mins.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter in a heavy bottom sauce pan.
Add leeks, saute till soft but not brown.
Add rice and sage and stir to combine. cook one minute on medium heat.
Add wine and cook until absorbed about two minutes, stirring frequently.
Add 1/2 cup stock, stirring, let simmer until absorbed before adding more stock.
It should take 4 to 5 cups of stock. Rice will get creamy, will take about 20 minutes.
Turn off heat, add squash, salt, pepper, zest, juice and cheese stir.
Cool an hour or two. Shape into oval patties with spoons.
Roll in seasoned flour lightly to coat, then in beaten eggs and panko
Fry until golden brownDrain on paper towel
Serve hot, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and chives.

Risotto is a Spring Thing!

 Risotto is a food for all seasons. Yet, nothing says spring like a good risotto accented with butternut squash,  or a bunch of asparagus tips. You can also make good use of all those strawberries by adding a pint to your shallots/onions at the start. Save a couple to garnish at the end.
Most risottos start with what will call the base. Saute onions in butter, add rice (Arborio or short grain, they absorb the flavors of the liquid in the recipe perfectly), add wine, and add stock in increments till evaporated.
Risottos take more careful cooking than other rice dishes, as a warm liquid is added gradually. It should be cooked 'al dente' and this takes longer than long grain rice. It is finished and served with a good parmesan cheese.
The following recipe is adapted from the City Kitchen, NYT. Essentially, they are made from a well seasoned risotto that is cooked ahead and allowed to cool. The cooked risotto is scooped and formed into balls. Dipped in flour, eggs and panko and fried. Serve with a green salad. If using a vegetable broth instead of a meat stock, it can be the vegetation option on your table.

       

Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries

                                    I have a great Oatmeal cookie product but this is special:

3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 c orange liqueur
1 1/2 all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, soften
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 light brown sugar
1 egg
2 t orange zest
1 t vanilla extract
1 cup old fashion oats
4 ozs. white chocolate,chopped

In a small bowl, combine cranberries and liqueur. let stand overnight. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven 350
Whisk flour, baking soda, powder and salt set aside.
Beat butter at medium speed until fluffy; gradually add sugars.
Beat in egg, orange zest,and vanilla.
Add flour mixture and beat at low speed just until combined.
Stir in oats, chocolate, and cranberries.
Drop dough by tablespoon, two inches apart, on parchment lined sheets.
Bake in batches, 10-12 minutes as they begin to brown
Cool on sheets 5 minutes.
Transfer to wire rack and cool.
about 3 dozens

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries

                                 Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries

1 bag of sprouts, halved (about 1 pound)
1 T canola oil plus 1 t divided
2 T sugar
2T water
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 T fish sauce
1 t chili-garlic sauce

Roast sprouts in 425 degree oven in half sheet pan, drizzled with 1T oil
Bake 30 minutes cut side down, till tender.
In sauce pan, bring sugar and water to a boil stirring constantly, over med high heat.
Remove from stove, add cranberries let stand 10 mins.
Whisk fish sauce, chili sauce and teaspoon canola oil in a large bowl.
Stir in cranberry mixture.
Add roasted sprouts to cranberry mixture and toss to coat.