Breakfast – Kate Goldhouse

April 18, 2014April 8, 2015

Raw Mango Berry Fruit Tart

I started writing a big long essay about Passover and making food choices that no longer enslave others, and about freedom from our addictive and unhealthful food choices. But I know you all would be likely to skip over it because this tart is just so darn pretty. Those are extremely important issues to me though, so I will be revisiting this post soon. In the meantime, here you go…

Let me just say that, believe it or not, this tart really tastes even better than it looks. Plus, it’s made entirely of whole, unprocessed ingredients–literally just fruit and nuts. It’s raw, gluten-free, oil-free, and has no added sugar. And, of course, it’s kosher for Passover.

Best. Dessert. E V E R!

Ingredients:
2 cups walnuts
1 cup pitted dates
1/4 shredded unsweetened coconut, divided
2 mangos
1/2 cup dried mango, soaked in water for at least 10 minutes
1 ripe banana
Fruit of your choice (I used baby kiwi, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries.)

Instructions:
1. Add the walnuts, dates, and half the coconut to a food processor and pulse till somewhat smooth. It doesn’t need to be as pureed as peanut butter, but it shouldn’t be too crumbly either.
2. Spread the rest of the coconut onto the bottom of a pie pan. Press the walnut-date mixture evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie pan to form the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
3. In the meantime, blend the dried and fresh mango and banana until completely smooth. Pour onto the crust and place back in the freezer for about an hour.
4. Cover with fruit and place in the fridge until ready to serve. (Depending on how long that is, there will be some variation in terms of firmness when slicing. Mine was pretty messy but it really didn’t matter because it tasted so good. You can always keep in the freezer longer and then let it de-thaw for 30-60 minutes before serving if you want it firmer.)

October 9, 2013February 14, 2015

eHow video: “Coconut Milk Tofu Quiche with Onions and Mushrooms”

People often complain that they don’t have time to make dinner every night. Well, guess what? I don’t make dinner every night! That’s right. And yet we never get take out, rarely dine out, and my husband always has a packed lunch to take to work.
How is this possible? Ladies and gentlemen, let me give you a life-saving tip: Make dishes in large enough portions that they will cover the next few days’ meals and/or can be frozen and eaten at another time. That, my friends, is how you can eat healthfully every night without having to spend all your time slaving away in the kitchen. It’s that simple!

This quiche is a perfect example of a dish that will last for multiple meals. Plus, it’s one of those special dishes that can be enjoyed at any time of day. I love preparing it for dinner and then enjoying it again the next day for breakfast and packing it up for my husband for lunch for the next few days. Because both the crust and the filling contain herbs, each bite is wonderfully aromatic and richly flavorful. Enjoy!

Crust Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups almond meal
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt

Filling Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 packages firm silken tofu
1/4 cup coconut milk (or any other nondairy milk)
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 teaspoons of your favorite herbs (i.e. basil, thyme, sage, oregano, etc.)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Crust Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375. In a medium bowl, combine the almond meal, salt, and rosemary. Add the water and stir until fully combined.
2. Gently press the dough evenly against the bottom and sides of a pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until the crust looks dry and just toasted.

Filling Instructions:
1. Slice the tofu and wrap in a few layers of paper towels to drain out the excess moisture. Set aside.
2. Saute the onions and mushrooms in balsamic vinegar until the onions are caramelized, about 10 minutes.
3. In a food processor or blender, mix the tofu, nutritional yeast, nondairy milk, and herbs till smooth.
4. Combine the tofu mixture with the sauteed mushrooms and onions and stir till fully mixed.
5. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Remove and let cool.

October 4, 2013February 11, 2015

eHow Video: “Healthy Recipe for Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Topping”

I love words. I really do. But sometimes, when something is just so good, words are not enough. They just aren’t. I could try and talk about how this cake is surprisingly low in added sugar, and that most of its sweetness comes from whole fruit. Or I could talk about how it’s very high in fiber, beta-carotene, potassium, B vitamins and omega-3’s, while also being completely free of cholesterol (and any other harmful animal products, as always). But I think you’ll get a better sense of how unbelievably outstanding this carrot cake is if I tell you that everyone who tries it for the first time eats the first few bites silently with their eyes closed.

Yes. It is *that* good.

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups oat flour

2 1/2 cups carrots, shredded

3 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup applesauce, unsweetened

1 cup pineapple, blended

1 banana, mashed

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 dash cayenne

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup raw walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 cup raisins

Frosting Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked in warm water for at least 2 hours

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup agave

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons lemon juiceInstructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix oat flour and baking soda.
3. In a larger bowl, beat the sugar, pineapple, banana, and applesauce together. Add cinnamon, cayenne, and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
4. Add the flour mixture along with the chopped walnuts and shredded coconut to the larger bowl and mix. Add the shredded carrots and raisins till fully combined.
5. Spread the batter in a nonstick pan. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. While the cake is baking, add all the frosting ingredients to a blender. Process until completely smooth. Using a spatula, scoop the frosting into a small bowl and place in the fridge to chill.
7. Once the cake has fully cooled, spread the frosting on top. Best served chilled.

July 23, 2013February 11, 2015

My eHow Video Series: Sweet Potato Puree Smoothie

Who doesn’t love sweet potatoes? They are the candy of the vegetable kingdom. And that means they are a wonderful ingredient to put in smoothies!

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Athletes and body builders ought to take note. Sweet potatoes are an incredibly rich source of carotenoids, powerful antioxidants that aid with muscle cell recovery and help promote muscle growth. This sweet potato puree smoothie makes an ideal post-workout recovery drink. I also think it’s great for breakfast, and even dessert! Watch and enjoy 🙂

Sweet Potato Puree Smoothie — powered by ehow

Ingredients:

1/3 cup pureed sweet potato (I use canned)

1 banana

3 medjool dates

your favorite plant-based milk

dash of cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Blend!

March 4, 2013April 9, 2015

Disease Prevention for Breakfast

Google image search “American breakfast” and you’ll see a pretty sorry state of affairs. You’ll see bacon strips, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, sausage, fried hash browns, fried ham, pancakes with butter, waffles with butter, toast with butter, buttered croissants, bagels with cream cheese… you get the idea. Google image search “healthy american breakfast” and you’ll see practically the same thing. You’ll get a couple more shots of orange juice (which by definition has been entirely striped of fiber) and some shots of highly refined cereal floating in bowls of dairy milk, but essentially the same thing. No greens, almost no fresh fruit, and A LOT of meat, dairy, eggs, refined flour, refined sugar, and salt.

This is absurd when diet is responsible for four out of the top five leading causes of death in America. As Dr. Mark Hyman explains, “the research clearly shows that changing how we live is a much more powerful intervention for preventing heart disease [currently the number one killer of Americans] than any medication.” The “EPIC” study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine studied 23,000 people’s adherence to 4 simple behaviors (not smoking, exercising 3.5 hours a week, eating a healthy diet [fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts seeds, and limited amounts of meat], and maintaining a healthy weight. In those adhering to these behaviors, 93% of diabetes, 81% of heart attacks, 50% of strokes, and 36% of all cancers were prevented.
We know Americans don’t want to suffer and die from these diseases; after all, we spend an exorbitant amount of our personal and national finances on prescription drugs, medical procedures, and research to treat them. So why do we continue to eat in a way that contributes to the very diseases we are spending so much money to treat? It’s as if we believe our only chance at good health is to sit around and wait for cures to be discovered. This hopelessness and helplessness leaves us completely dependent on doctors, hospitals, drug companies, and research labs–which is very nice for them and their wallets but not so nice for our health, our wallets, or the country.

Why have so many of us been led to believe we have no power over our own health? Why are too many of us still tragically unaware (as I was for so long) of the role diet plays in determining whether or not we get cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and a number of other diseases?

In hindsight, it would be way too easy for me to say, “well, the information is out there. If people really cared about their health, they wouldn’t be eating meat, dairy, and eggs.” But I don’t think it’s that simple. While, indeed, research has proven time and time again that animal products promote disease while fruits and vegetables prevent disease, not many people know this. We hear mixed messages from advertisements (“Milk. It Does a Body Good.”), from fad diets (Atkins), from our parents (who were misled by their parents), and from myths passed amongst our peers (“Humans are meant to eat animals. Look at our pointy fangs!” ). Most insidious, though, are the messages we receive from the medical industry itself which consistently plays down the power of eating for disease prevention.

Why are doctors all too eager to write us prescriptions for high cholesterol, screen us repeatedly with expensive medical equipment for cancer (which is NOT prevention, just detection), perform surgeries to unclog our hearts, or put us through chemotherapy, but they’ll rarely advise us to drastically change our diets? I find the explanation that “most people refuse to make drastic lifestyle changes” to be both patronizing and false. Perhaps some people may refuse to make changes in their diet, but we all deserve to make an informed choice. Plus, I believe most people would prefer not to spend gobs of money unnecessarily, or get their chest cut open unnecessarily, or get cancer and endure chemo unnecessarily, or DIE unnecessarily. Based on my experience, I believe plenty of people would much prefer to make dietary changes if the truth were pushed on them even half as much as prescriptions are.

Why is the link between diet and disease so rarely mentioned?

We cannot forget that the medical industry is a business. A massive business whose tentacles reach not only doctors and hospitals but also drug companies, insurance companies, research labs, universities, supply and equipment manufacturers, marketers, lobbyists, and beyond. It is like any other business in that the goal is to make a profit. Profits, grants, funding, and salaries depend on people being sick. When people are sick, the medical industry flourishes because we require its services–researching, testing, inventing, manufacturing, and administering treatments. That’s not to say that individual people go into the medical field to prey upon sick people, but the industry at large simply does not grow and succeed when the people it is meant to serve are in good health. Telling us how to prevent diseases would make us less dependent on the medical industry’s services which means less money in their pockets. (See #3 for more on this.)

But while the medical industry makes enormous sums of money pushing treatment rather than prevention, the rest of the country suffers financially. In 2006, U.S. health spending exceeded two trillion dollars, with three-fourths of that spending directed at treating chronic diseases. Almost two-thirds of that growth in spending is attributable to Americans’ worsening health habits. A 2007 study at the Harvard Medical School found that 62% of U.S. bankruptcies were a result of medical expenses.

This is complete insanity.

What do have to show for all this money we’ve spent? What has all this money accomplished in the name of human health?
Not much.

Before 1900, very few people died of heart disease. Now it is the number one killer of Americans. In the future, it’s likely that more people will die of heart disease. According to a recent report by the American Heart Association, the prevalence of heart disease is set to increase by 10% over the next 20 years.

Similarly, while research suggests that only 5-10% percent of all cancers are hereditary–meaning that 90-95% of cancers are attributable to lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, alcohol intake, sun exposure, etc–the World Health Organization expects cancer rates to increase by 50% by 2020.

And yet, we still throw money at treating diseases. For example, our government funds cardiovascular disease research over $2 billion PER YEAR even though we already know that changing lifestyle could prevent at least 90% of all heart disease. Just imagine what we could do with the massive amount of money that goes into trying to create and test drugs for diseases that already has a proven means of prevention. We could use the money to educate people about nutrition, improve access to fruits and vegetables, subsidize organic vegetable farmers, create more walking paths and bike lanes. Imagine how many fewer people would be sick, bankrupt, or prematurely dead! But the loudest voices come from the medical industry (who has spent more than FOUR TIMES the lobbying money than what the oil and gas industry spends!) and we listen and follow not only with our wallets but also our lives.

To say I find this whole system infuriating would be a major understatement. Nothing breaks my heart more than needless suffering and that is exactly what is going on here on a massive scale. Just think about it. Animals suffer and are killed unnecessarily for humans’ appetites. Humans suffer and die from diseases caused by eating the flesh and secretions of animals. In their suffering, humans seek out cures and treatments, fueling an industry that captures or breeds animals merely to infect them with diseases, overdose them on drugs, infest them with tumors, slice open their bodies, or deprive them of their most fundamental needs. Humans pay for the drugs, which often times don’t work as expected precisely because they were tested on nonhuman animals and also because drugs, surgeries and other treatments only address symptoms of disease and not the cause. We then sit around and wait for the next cure or treatment, while we get sicker and continue practicing our habits and passing them on to our children and encouraging them amongst our peers. It’s a tragic cycle that begins with suffering and ends with suffering.

In our state of suffering we excuse the horrific practice of performing drug tests and medical experiments on living animals. We claim that it is a necessary evil, that it will benefit humanity, that fewer people will have to suffer. Even if that were all true I still believe testing on anyone–human or nonhuman–without their consent is deeply wrong.* But these claims are false. If more people are getting sicker, if more people are spending more of their savings managing chronic illness, if our country is spending more money on researching and treating preventible diseases, we cannot possibly argue we are creating less suffering. Our infliction of needless suffering on animals has caused us to suffer needlessly as well.

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
-Albert Einstein

Cancer, heart attacks, diabetes, stroke and many other diseases are much easier and less expensive to prevent than to treat. That’s not to say no attention should be paid to alleviating the suffering of those already ill, but if we don’t want to bankrupt our country and our families, if we want to see fewer of our loved ones suffer and die needlessly, and if we want to be the ones in control of our own health, then I think we must give prevention more of a voice. It’s the only way to stop this madness.

Go to the US National Library of Medicine/National Institute of Health’s online search page here and search “fruits vegetables heart disease” or “fruits vegetables cancer” or “fruits vegetables” and any other major disease and the studies you’ll find say the same thing: fruits and vegetables help prevent chronic disease. (I highly recommend reading Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. I am currently reading this book for the second time and I just cannot emphasize how valuable it is.)

What would be the best thing to eat to promote good health and disease prevention for breakfast? You guessed it, fruits and vegetables! Robert and I love green breakfast smoothies because they are easy to prepare, loaded with antioxidants and phytochemicals, and so so so tasty. (Note: For those of you wary of drinking something that tastes “too green” (I get it, I used to feel this way too), rest assured that dates and bananas are a great addition to smoothies because their sweetness really masks the “green” flavor that some find difficult to adjust to initially.)

Here’s our current favorite:

Ingredients:

1 large handful of spinach

1/2 – 1 banana

1/2 apple

2 dates

1-2 scoops almond butter

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

2 cups almond or soy milk

(Other things we like to add in or swap: kale, blueberries, carrots, oats, canned pumpkin)

Instructions:

1. Mix in a blender till smooth. Drink and feel good!

* Animal research is a multi-billion dollar industry in which for-profit commercial interests have high stakes. This is one of the major reasons why the use of animals not only continues, but also is fiercely defended despite obvious limitations, angers, and the reality that it may not help our battle against human diseases, and might actually hinder it. As an example of such financial motivation for its continuance, consider for example that in 2010, The Jackson Laboratory– “a leading mammalian genetics research center– sold 2.9 million mice for a profit of $98.7 million. Investment n the procurement, handling, and upkeep of animals for labs is a highly lucrative enterprise for animal importers, breeders, dealers, cage and equipment manufacturers, feed producers, and drug companies. (See NEAVS for more information.)

Sources:

January 2, 2013February 11, 2015

Black Bean Brownies!

I know these sound a little weird, but trust me, they are THE. BEST. Because black beans have a neutral flavor they essentially function as the flour in this recipe. I’ve started eating them every day with my green breakfast smoothie.
Yes, I eat brownies every day. Don’t judge.
Besides the semi-sweet chocolate chips, these brownies have no processed sugar and are instead sweetened with dates, stevia, and a banana. Black beans are high in protein; an excellent source of folate, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and thiamin; and they are rich in dietary fiber. Unsweetened cocoa powder also provides protein, fiber, phosphorous, magnesium, and manganese as well as riboflavin, zinc, iron, potassium, and copper.
So, YEAH, I eat brownies every day.
Many of the black bean brownies recipes I’ve found use oil; however, I prefer to use water and don’t really notice a difference in texture. These brownies are more fudgey than cakie, which I like, but if you prefer cakie just add less water. I recommend using your own soaked, cooked, and drained black beans rather than canned beans to avoid excess water. (I used canned beans recently while visiting my in-laws down South and it resulted in a soupy batter. This was unfortunate as they were already skeptical enough about trying my crazy vegan brownies with beans so I was disappointed I made a batch that didn’t live up to their usual mouthwatering goodness. Arg! Regrets!!) If you refuse to heed my wise advice, then at least fully drain the liquid from the cans and maybe ease up on the amount of water you add. Also, be sure the cans say “no added salt.”
While I personally don’t want to mess with perfection, these would certainly also be good with some nuts like pecans and walnuts. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:
4 cups black beans
1 banana
15 medjool dates
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 cup unsweetened cocoa or carob powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup water
1 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips* (optional)

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a glass baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Put all the ingredients except the chocolate chips into a food processor. Pulse until creamy.
3. Spread the batter into pan and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly on top.
4. Cook for 35-45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean(-ish) after inserting. Don’t cook more than 50 minutes even if your knife comes out with batter. Just remove pan from stove and allow it to cool completely. Store in the fridge.

* Chocolate IS vegan! After all, cocoa comes from a bean. However, many lower quality chocolate companies add non-vegan ingredients like milk and milk fat. Higher quality dark chocolate chips are often vegan even if they don’t announce it on the package. They’ll be made with pure, simple ingredients: cocoa, cocoa butter, lecithin, sugar, and sometimes vanilla. So just check the back and read the ingredients. Here’s some more info from Food Empowerment Project on vegan chocolate that’s also slavery-free.

July 19, 2012February 11, 2015

July 4th Vegan Breakfast-for-Dinner!

Robert’s brother, Clint, came to visit us at our new place in Boston over July 4th and had the excellent idea to celebrate the holiday with breakfast for dinner. I loved this idea because it allowed us to serve up lots of American classics with our own stamp of independence (read: everything was vegan). Another huge plus was that all our banging around in the kitchen and chatter drowned out most of the fireworks so Gubie had his very first non-suicidal July 4th. A revolutionary evening indeed!

QUINOA CORN BREAD

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 1/4 cups cornmeal

1/3 cup spelt flour

1 tablespoon oat flour

1 tablespoon brown rice flour

1 1/4 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon unrefined sugar

1 cup soy milk

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tablespoon flax eggs (a fantastic egg substitute: place 2 parts warm water and 1 part ground flax seeds in a blender and blend at high speed for about a minute or until the mixture becomes gelatinous. Will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.)

Instructions:

1. To make the quinoa, first toast quinoa on a dry pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 18-20 minutes until quinoa is fluffy.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and get out a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the corn, cornmeal, flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix together the soy milk, maple syrup, applesauce, and flax eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir well to combine. Stir in the cooked quinoa. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

DINER-STYLE PANCAKES

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups sifted unbleached white or spelt flour (for gluten-free, use oat flour)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons unrefined sugar

3/4 teaspoons sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons flax eggs (see corn bread recipe for instructions) dissolved in 1 tablespoon soy milk

1 3/4 cups soy milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for cooking the pancakes

maple syrup (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the dissolved flax eggs, soy milk, vanilla extract, and oil. Mix ingredients from both bowls together, stirring well to combine.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat some oil. Drop large spoonfuls of batter onto the skillet, leaving room for the pancakes to expand. Cook until the bottoms are golden and bubbles are popping on the surface, about 2-3 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden. Repeat, using up all the batter.

TEMPEH BACON + HASH BROWNS + HOMEMADE KETCHUP

I used Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s tempeh bacon recipe and used the remaining marinade to saute the greens. We served our homemade ketchup with the hash browns. Here’s the recipe for the hash browns:

Ingredients:

3 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, grated

3 tablespoons canola oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

2. Add the grated potatoes in loose patties or piles, no more than a half inch think. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top. After a few minutes, check the underside for doneness. Once they are golden brown, use a large spatula to flip the patty and fry till golden brown on the other side. Repeat with all patties.

RED, WHITE, AND BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE

For this recipe I added blueberry frosting and fresh strawberries to my raw vegan cheesecake. Here’s the recipe for the frosting:

Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked overnight

1 cup water

4 tablespoons agave syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup blueberries

Instructions:

1. Pulse the cashews in a food processor until crumbly. Add the water, agave, and vanilla and blend until smooth. With the food processor running, stream the coconut oil in through the top until combined. Add blueberries and puree till smooth.

2. Spread on top of the cheesecake with a spatula before putting in the freezer as instructed.

October 24, 2011February 14, 2015

Apple Cinnamon Energy Bars

These energy bars are a staple in our house. Robert brings two to work everyday. The recipe comes from Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier, the professional ironman and triathlete. Unlike commercial energy bars which provide sugary stimulation from highly-processed ingredients, these homemade bars provide real nourishment that delivers sustainable energy. We wrap them individually and store them in the freezer. They wont freeze solid (no thawing necessary) but will maintain their chewiness so they are perfect to bring along on a hot or cold day.

Ingredients:
1 small apple, cored
1 cup dried dates
1/2 up cooked quinoa
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup hemp protein
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Instructions:
1. In a food processor, process all ingredients together to desired mushiness.
2. Shape into balls or bars. Wet hands with water while shaping to prevent sticking. Recipe yields about 12 bars.

September 18, 2011February 14, 2015

Wholehearted Granola

Can granola motivate you to get out of bed in the morning? This one sure can! Yes, it is that good. Not only will you adore the taste, but it’s packed with fiber, protein, and essential fatty acids so it’ll leave you well-nourished and well-satiated for hours. I love eating it dry while Robert usually eats it with almond milk. Either way, it’s good stuff!

Ingredients:
1 apple, diced
2 cups oats
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup hemp protein
1 cup unhulled sesame seeds
1 cup raw almonds, diced
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg 1 packet ground stevia leaf (1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup molasses

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
3. Spread on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 1 hour or until toasted. Let cool and store in the fridge.

Source: I adopted this recipe from Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier. The only part I changed was omitting the oil.

June 8, 2011April 9, 2015

Tempeh “Bacon”

My husband Robert is the sweetest and most humble person I know, but he is a huge bacon snob! He grew up in the South and ate a lot of bacon for breakfast so he holds extremely high standards. I, however, raised a lowly Jew, have standards that are basically nonexistent. So the first time I made tempeh bacon was not a positive experience. Let’s just say it ended with me in tears. However, I bravely made a second attempt, and after the longest pause in history, Robert declared with a mouthful “that’s damn good.” And guess what? Tempeh bacon will not cause you or any pigs to die! Damn good, indeed.

Ingredients:
Tempeh
Canola Oil
Tamari
Liquid Smoke
Maple Syrup

Instructions:

In the photo above, I followed the tempeh bacon recipe in the video and then used the remaining marinade to saute some cremini mushrooms. Mushrooms are great because, like tempeh, they provide a chewy texture we mistakenly think can only be found in meat. I then served the tempeh bacon and the sauteed mushrooms over a bed of baby spinach, and voila! The result is a wonderful warm salad that is as gorgeous as it is delicious.