Garlic Vegan "Chili Cheese Fries"

It is entirely possible to eat really terrible food and still be a vegan. Studies show that vegans live 11 years longer (on average) than an omnivore (vegetarians live 7 years longer), and have radically lower rates of obesity, coronary heart disease, cancer, and hypertension. However, Oreos are vegan, and those are not healthy. Also in the "I can't believe it's vegan" section (link below) there are Krispy Kreme fruit pies, most of Duncan Hines products, Jello Pudding, most semi-sweet and dark chocolates, potato chips, french fries (except from McDonalds, where everything is fried in beef fat), etc. So, it is TOTALLY possible to be a fat, unhealthy vegan.

I am very sensitive to my diet. If I eat something with too much salt (like olives) or any wheat gluten in it I wake up with a puffy puffy face and 10 lbs of water weight. If I eat something really processed, I usually sleep 12+ hours that night. I just do not tolerate a lot of foods. This may have to do with food allergies. I also am type A blood, which I hear is the most "intolerant" blood type to most foods and also to any form of stress. Who knows. Anyhow, these are my version of "unhealthy but still healthy garlic chili cheese fries". They are baked and most of the ingredients are minimally processed. :)

You can use the potatoes in the frozen section and just bake them, but you can also cut your own potatoes and soak them in water for about 10 minutes prior to putting them in the oven. This makes them soft inside and crispy outside. These then had the "god cheese" Daiya vegan cheese made from the Cassava (wild yam) root mixed with yummy red beans. The red beans were cooked with a can of rotel tomatoes, sauteed onions/green peppers/garlic/green chilies, and olive oil. Then, on the very very top was a garlic sauce made from garlic and cilantro chopped up very fine and sauteed with olive oil. We obviously applied hot sauce very liberally. The Daiya cheese, when prepared like this, is literally indistinguishable from a random cheddar cheese. Yum. Totally quenched my craving for something unhealthy. :)

Sage, lemon, walnut wild rice and the BEST guacamole I have ever made!

This was the BEST guacamole I have ever made! Usually I am stuck between Jay (who hates tomatoes and likes his guac very smooth) and myself (I like my guac with lots of chunks and lots of tomatoes!), but this was a pleaser for both of us! It was lots of lemon juice, garlic salt, a ton of tiny heirloom tomatoes, cilantro, lots of cumin, and cayenne. Oh yum. I cut apart some corn tortillas and fried them in coconut oil. ) :) Coconut oil has gotten a bad rap in the past, but it is now a staple in many health food enthusiasts diets. For me, when I add a little coconut oil to my smoothie in the AM I have a TON of energy and a huge increase in body temperature (which reflects metabolism).

Here is some research on coconut oil: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_oil)

*A single-blind randomized controlled trial on children with pneumonia at the Philippine Children's Medical Center found that coconut oil accelerated the normalization of respiratory rate and resolution of crackles.^[23]
*A randomized double-blind clinical trial with women exhibiting obesity found that supplementation with coconut oil promoted a reduction in obesity without causing dyslipidemia.<sup>[24]


 Coconut oil also doesn't leave a coconut taste on foods when you fry with it, it is very "light" tasting and yummy!</sup> 

^{Wild rice is another EXCELLENT food to eat. Many many cultures consider wild rice to be a sacred food, and its nutritional importance is definitely backed up by research. It is also not technically a rice, it is a grass. It is high in protein and also the amino acid lysine.  It is also high in potassium, phosphorus, thiamine, riboflavin, magnesium and niacin. It is also, in my opinion, the most tasty rice-type food! This wild rice was cooked with lemon, olive oil, sage, walnuts, baby portabellos and sea salt. I topped it off with some avocado :)} 

<sup>This was this REALLY yummy salad I had for lunch today. It was two kinds of kale (one of them was purple! I had never seen this type of kale and I'm not sure what it is called :), and a ton of these wonderful heirloom tomatoes with tahini roasted sunflower seeds and almonds, a ton of nutritional yeast, olive oil, salt, and apple cider vinegar. I eat some sort of rendition of this salad every day. Kale is VERY healthy for you, and if you don't feel like eating it raw you can make KALE CHIPS with it! I capitalize the KALE CHIPS because they are so wonderful! Just take the kale, toss it in olive oil and whatever else you like (I use oil, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, and seasalt) and bake them until they are crispy.  They turn into little addictive chips and they are SO GOOD! Kale is a known as one of those "super anti-cancer" veggies because of its high amount of phytonutrients, along with brussel sprouts and cabbage. It also has potassium, beta-carotene, iron, maganese, LOTS of calcium, and vitamin C. 

Nutritional yeast is also VERY healthy. It is a yummy inactive yeast (so it won't cause candida). It is often used by vegans because it has this "cheesy" flavor. I am addicted to the stuff. Here is a breakdown of the nutritional facts for nutritional yeast, it is pretty incredible so if you are concerned with "mind blowing syndrome" I would not read the following:</sup> 
In ONLY ONE TBS of nutritional yeast there is:

Carbohydrates: 2% DV*
Fat: 1% DV
Sodium: 0mg
Protein: 8g (for me, that is about 20% of my Daily Value (DV))
Fiber: 16% DV
Calcium: 1% DV
Iron: 3% DV
Thiamin: 640% DV
Riboflavin: 565% DV
Niacin: 280% DV
Vitamin B6: 480% DV
Folic Acid: 60% DV
Vitamin B12: 133% DV
Biotin: 7% DV
Zinc: 21% DV
Selenium: 32% DV
Copper: 6% DV
Manganese: 5% 

<sup>In fact, it has so many vitamins prisoners of war have actually used "home grown" nutritional yeast to prevent vitamin deficiency.


You may also wonder where I have been since I haven't posted in a while. I'm going to blame world of warcraft, although I am working on my thesis and also working full time in the ED. :) Here is my photo of what has happened to my computer since WOW came back into Jay's life:</sup> 

Creamy Almond, Raisin, and Red Banana Quinoa Breakfast

So...I am currently at work and unable to upload pictures, but I wanted to tell you about my AMAZING breakfast I brought to work! Last night I made a big pot of a grain called Quinoa. I was introduced to this grain by my friend, Jessica, although I think it is more of a pseudograin than a true grain. The "grain" part is technically a seed...and a VERY healthy healthy seed!  Quinoa was the primary crop of the Incas prior to their colonization, and they held it in very high regards....they considered it to be a "God" grain, and this emphasis on spirtuality and the food made their conquerors uncomfortable....so they made them start growing wheat and maize instead. :(  It is much much better than corn or wheat, since it has a very high protein count for a grain (18% protein!) and it contains a balanced set of amino acids for human consumption, unlike wheat, rice, or corn. It has a ton of magnesium, iron, and fiber too!
Quinoa is so nutritious and complete it is currently "being considered as a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights!" It is also gluten free. Many people have allergies to wheat gluten but very few symptoms other than general fatigue or muscle aches...some people even find they get dark circles under their eyes when they eat wheat.
Anyhow, last night I made a big pot of quinoa (it is easier to make than a pot of rice...super super easy) and put it in a container in the fridge. Quinoa is a real chameleon....you can literally make it into so many different dishes...but this AM I decided I wanted something soothing and sweet. I heated up my quinoa with almond milk, then added red bananas, raisins, almonds, and sweet dark agave nectar. It was great! Tommorrow I am going to mix my quinoa with cashew cream, fresh berries, and agave nectar. Yum.
Quinoa is very versatile though. Sometimes I mix it with lemon, olive oil, garlic, cilantro, and green onions or chives, or you can do grape tomatoes, olives, cucumber, lemon, olive oil and red wine vinegar. :)
Update: Here is the picture of the quinoa! :)

We did not have a very good meal tonight, in my opinion. I attempted to make a "mushroom meatloaf" that was much tastier in my imagination than it was in reality. :( Boo. I will attempt to remake this, but maybe not with mushrooms, or at least as many. It was overkill on those shroomies and I love them, so that is saying something. :(

So, instead, I decided to post what I WISH we had for dinner. This was a meal we had a long time ago. Both of us LOVE tomato soup, so we had some fire roasted tomato soup with a walnut cream, fresh cilantro, and homemade bread crumbs sauteed in olive oil. We also had a mixed green salad with walnuts, apples, red onions, and an apple cider vinaigrette. Oh Yum. Much much better than a mushroom meatloaf!

OMGosh BEST BURGER EVER!

SO, I already posted today, I know! However, I just had the BEST burger of my whole life and just had to share! I picked up the "Wild Wood Organics Sproutofu Southwest Veggie Burger" and they are incredible! Here are the wonderful little goodies in a Rudi Whole Wheat Bun with tomatoes, vegenaise, spinach, and bean sprouts.

I do not even think pictures can show how AMAZING these were in my mouth! I ate one in about two minutes and want another one so bad I may drive 30 minutes to get more. Oh YUM to the 100th power.

Here is a sweet picture of Mr. Jay and sweet Gracie. Awww. Helps my new cravings.

Peanut and Spicy Chili Noodles and Stuffed Collard Greens

Oh these noodles were so good! I had a terrible craving for something like this all day long and luckily we had everything we needed to make it in the house! :)

I took about 1/2 cup peanut oil and heated it in a pan with cayenne, salt/pepper, and cashews. Then I added a small cabbage (minced), chopped white onion, 4 Tbs of chili sauce, 3 Tbs. sesame chili oil, 3 Tbs Peanut butter, and 1/2 cup soy sauce with 2 cups of vegetable broth. Then I added seven cloves of garlic and 1 Tbs ginger (both crushed). I let this simmer for about 20 minutes. For the noodles you boil a pot of water and when it is bubbly add in the Udon noodles for about 8 minutes. Drain the noodles and add your sauce concoction. If you don't like cabbage you can add zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, eggplant, carrots, etc. I kind of wish I had added more veggies! :) Top with green onions. This totally satisfied my craving!

Now onto the stuffed collard greens. I found these big, beautiful, sturdy greens at the store and just HAD to buy them and try them out. I really love spinach and kale (but hate mustard greens), and so I figured they would be yummy in olive oil, lemon and garlic steamed. BUT THEN I found an idea on fatfreevegan.com to STUFF these greens with yummies and then saute them/bake them! What a great idea!!!

These are stuffed with the McMillan taco sauce (garlic, olive oil, soy meat, can of diced tomatoes, can of green chiles diced, onion, green pepper all sauteed for about 1 hour on the stove) and brown rice. I then steam sauteed them in a little olive oil, lemon, and garlic for about 1 hour. NOM NOM NOM! :)

This is my little baby Lulu. I dressed her up like this and then I sang Matchmaker from Fiddler on the Roof. What a cutie!

Kalamata Olive Red Wine Garlic Spaghetti Sauce (kind of) and a Spinach Basil Chopped Salad

I personally do not like spaghetti noodles, so when I make a red sauce it always goes on these elbow noodles. Yum! Plus, the sauce sits in the noodle so you get more of it! You will want it with this sauce.

I got a giant frying pan out (don't use teflon! It is banned in Canada and I think also the entire European Union because it emits toxic gases that kills birds and small animals, plus it gets into your food!).  I saute a ton of crushed garlic in olive oil and then add at least one can of diced tomatoes. You can use fresh tomatoes also, you just have to boil them and then immediately put them into an ice bath in order to get their little skins off. Anyhow, saute the tomatoes in the garlic and olive oil and add the spices you want to use. I used oregano, tarragon, salt, pepper, and more fresh garlic. Then add in kalamata olives (pitted). Once it is almost done, add walnut cream (recipe below) or a cashew cream and a little bit of red wine.  This makes the tomato sauce really creamy and gives it a lot more depth. Mix in the noodles (after you have boiled them al dente) and cook the noodles for about 1 minute in the sauce. We served this with a sourdough baguette with some earth balance vegan butter (it is made of olive oil and tastes just like butter!).

Cashew cream or walnut cream are easy to make, but you can always purchase them from your local health food store or buy them online. A great store online is veganessentials.com. To make a nut cream (that you can use in your coffee, as a whipped topping, or in recipes like this), you just take raw, unsalted cashews (or other nuts, macadamias are great for a sweet recipe), and soak them overnight in the fridge covered in water. The next morning, put them in your blender or food processor with new fresh cold water that covers them by one inch. Blend. The finer blend you get, the better. You can adjust how creamy you want the sauce by how much water you put in, if you put in a lot of water you can actually make a cashew milk and if you put in just a little water you will get a sour cream consistency sauce (which is great with a little brown sugar and vanilla mixed in and topped over berries). People forget that nuts are just amazing little vehicles for creamy yummy fat....but a good kind of fat (unlike dairy cream). I would mess around with creating your own nut butter/cream/milk/sauce at home. Also, if you want you can take this mixture and add probiotics (just like the ones you may take in pill form) and make your own cheese at home out of nuts!

When I was in California for school back in 2000, I used to eat this amazing chopped salad at this wonderful restaurant called Tutti's in Montecito. OMG. Normal salad has such big chunks of things that you only get one or two tastes on every spoonful, but a chopped salad can combine many many tastes in each bite! The other nice thing about a chopped salad is you just put the whole veggies right into a food processor...you don't have to chop them all up into tiny bite sized portions! So easy! This is what was in my salad:

Spinach
Cucumbers
Tiny Tomatoes
Avocado
Apple Cider Vinegar
Olive oil
Cayenne Pepper
Salt and freshly ground Pepper
Handful of Basil
Lemon Juice

Yum! So many veggies and so easy to incorporate them all into one dish! :)