Almond Cinnamon Oatmeal

 

Almond Cinnamon Oatmeal

 

I just finished having almond oatmeal and it was delicious.  I have been vegan for over five years and I notice that I feel the best when I eat mostly raw vegan foods.  I do eat a few steamed veggies at night at times because they are a quick and healthy meal.  I have an old electric wok and I steam veggies like potatoes, cabbage, carrots, onions, and beans.  However, for all of my morning and midday meals, I eat as raw as possible.  This morning I had this wonderful oatmeal with hemp milk. The recipe is from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen. 

 

 

2 cups of oat groats, soaked overnight, and rinsed well

1/2 cup semi-soft pitted dates (I used medjool)

1 TBS ground cinnamon

2 TBS water

1/4 cup almonds

 

Put the soaked oats, dates, cinnamon, and water in a food processor and process until a texture similar to cooked oatmeal.  For a thinner consistency, add another 1/4 cup water.  (I did not do this.)

Then I added the almonds and pulsed a few times until the nuts were chopped a little bit. 

 

Makes four servings.  You can add drizzled maple syrup and any nut milk. The oatmeal should keep in the fridge for up to two days. 

 

Enjoy! 



Raw Carrot Cake

During the last year, I visited a Whole Foods store and purchased one slice of Raw Carrot Cake for $9. I loved the cake but thought the price was too high for me and decided to make my own at home.  This weekend,  I found this website and recipe.  The website is entitled  the Rawtarian.
Here is the link to her  Carrot Cake Recipe .

I only made a few changes to the site's original recipe. The purchased Raw Carrot Cake, from Whole Foods, was not dehydrated, so I decided to leave out the water and not dehydrate.  I also added a few more dates:  1  3/4 cup dates.  I used the icing she included at the bottom of the recipe, Raw Cream Cheese Icing.  I thought it was also great.  Next time, I plan to use pure maple syrup or honey in the icing to change the flavor a little for variety.

Make a carrot cake and icing for yourself using this recipe and you will be very happy with your new raw cake creation.  Thanks, Rawtarian!

Potato Burritos

Last night, we made a great dinner of Potato Burritos.

Many years ago, I bought a cookbook by John and Mary McDougall.  It is called the New McDougall Cookbook. I've had it in my kitchen for well over 15 years.  Whenever I make a recipe for the first time, I always write the date that I made it and any modifications that I used.  I had written "Great" by the recipe and I made it in 1994.  Wow... time flies.  I decided to try it again because I happened to have all of the ingredients.  This recipe book cooks with no fats or oils, which is perfect for me after gallbladder surgery.  If you want to make it, I know you won't be disappointed.

PS.  No photo is included because this recipe did not stick around long enough. :-)

Potato Burritos

6 cups Chunky Enchilada Sauce (recipe below)
12 whole wheat tortillas or 12 to 14 soft corn tortillas
3 cups of mashed potatoes (recipe below)
1 cup chopped scallion (I did not use scallions)
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed (I used canned corn, rinsed)
One 4 oz can chopped green chilies

Preheat over to 350 degrees.
Spread one cup of the sauce over the bottom of a casserole dish.  Spread a line of potatoes down the center of each tortilla and sprinkle on some corn and/or green chilies.  Roll up and place, seam-side down, in the casserole.  Repeat until all of the ingredients are used.  Pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly.

Mashed Potatoes

12 medium potatoes peeled (I used red potatoes, unpeeled)
1/4 to 1/2 cup salsa

Chop the potatoes coarsely and place them in a saucepan with water to cover.  Cook until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.  Drain off the water, reserving at least two cups.  Mash the potatoes with a small amount of water until they are creamy.  (We used a food processor and they were perfect with one cup of the potato water.) Stir in 1/2 cup salsa, if desired.  (We did.)

Chunky Enchilada Sauce

Use this sauce to make bean or vegetable enchiladas.  Use as a topping for any Mexican-style rice or potato dishes.

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup water (we used potato water)
One 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
One 4 ounce can chopped green chilies
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups potato water (or regular if you are not cooking potatoes)
1 Tablespoon soy sauce (we used Bragg's)
3 Tablespoons cornstarch

Place the onion, garlic, and water in a large saucepan.  Cook, stirring for five minutes, until onions soften.  Add the tomatoes, chilies, and the spices.  Stir.  Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes.  Add one cup of the water and the soy sauce.  Mix the cornstarch in 1/2 cup cold water.  Add to the sauce while stirring.  Cook, stirring, until thickened.

A Hummus Recipe from Veganomicon

This is my hummus that I made last night from a recipe in Veganomicon, which is one of my main recipe books. I use it all the time.  I ordered the food processor, mentioned in an earlier post, and was very excited to use it.  Having just had gallbladder surgery, I was slow in getting started, however I wanted to try something new and my son enjoys hummus.  

Here is the recipe I used, which is cut in half in size from the original, with a few little additions:

1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 cup fresh lemon juice

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/8 cup water - adjust to your preferred thickness

1/4 cup chopped black olives

The following ingredients are to be adjusted by your taste:

Cumin

Salt

Pepper

Paprika (Hungarian Smoked) preferred

(Isa's original recipe is found on pg. 67 of Veganomicon)

Place half of the chickpeas in the food processor with the olive oil and pulse several times.  Then pulse until smooth.  Add all of the remaining ingredients, remembering to scrape the sides with a spatula.  

Since I did not want to eat any oil after my surgery, I only sampled it for seasonings.  It was great.  I did add more cumin than I did originally, and a little white pepper.  My son, who had two helpings, enjoyed it.  

The photo above shows the finished Hummus in a storage bowl.  Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.