Palak Dal

I love Indian food. It may be one of my favorite types of foods. 

Palak means spinach. Dal refers to thick lentil-based stews. So together, they become a lentil-based stew with lots of spinach. I can't think of many things that could be more healthful for you than this dish, with its spices, spinach, lentils, brown basmati rice, and tomatoes. 

I used red lentils. Since lentils are really still a new world to me and maybe are for you too, here's a picture of my red lentils so that you know what you're looking for at the grocery store.

Palak Dal

Serves: 2-4

Time: 45 minutes, 15 minutes active

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 tablespoons grated ginger

1 jalapeno, not seeded because you're tough, minced

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon tumeric

2 cups red lentils 

6 cups veggie broth

1 pound spinach

1 large tomato, diced

1 medium eggplant, diced

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup non-dairy unsweetened creamer

Freshly cooked brown basmati rice, for serving

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeno. Saute until translucent. Add curry, garam masala, cumin, cardamom, and tumeric and saute for 30 seconds. Add water and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until lentils they are soft (this took about 20 minutes I believe, but the package suggested up to 45 minutes so leave extra time in case they take longer). 

Once lentils are cooked, stir in spinach, tomato, eggplant, cilantro, and soy creamer. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the eggplant is cooked through. 

Serve over rice.

Cheers!

Coffee Sometimes Leads to Inspiration, But Today Has Been a Bust.

Oh magnanimous enthusiasm in a cup.... I was depending on you to help me finish my letter of inquiry and begin my grad school admissions essay today. So far, you have only helped me succeed at publishing your photograph online while I apparently should have been in a job interview that I thought had been rescheduled for Friday.

My one accomplishment was running five 7 1/2 minute miles, but that was no thanks to you Soy Latte.

C'est la vie. You were beautiful AND delicious, and I suppose that is enough.

Top of the afternoon to ya.

Lavender Hearts for Your Valentine

When I was fifteen years old, I made these cookies for my high school sweetheart. They weren't vegan then, and neither was I, but clearly I was willing to experiment a lot with my food. I mean, how many fifteen year-olds are willing to try making a cookie with dried lavender in it? 

Lavender just seems like such a bizarre ingredient, don't you think? Well, these are some very unique cookies, to be sure. But they are so sweet and flaky and are perfect for February, because the smell and taste of the flowers really touches that little part of your soul that is retaining hope that spring is just around the corner. I would say these cookies begin the transition from the heavy and dark baked goods of winter, you know, pumpkin bread and ginger cookies, the type of foods that remind you of golden leaves and heaps of snow on the ground and that make you feel warm inside. These cookies make me think of little green buds on the tips of tree branches and daffodils and tulips peeking up through cracks in the concrete. Just like a big orange slab of spiced pumpkin bread can send you into hibernation under a mountain of blankets next to a big fireplace, these cookies wake you up out of your hibernation so that you can sit in that warm pocket of air just behind every sunny window and watch the water drip off of the icicles on the other side of the pane.

Ok. Enough imagery. I made these cookies for my sweetheart, every year, until we graduated highschool, and I remember making them several years in college too. I don't remember where I found the original recipe, but I used to keep a little notebook where I wrote down all of my favorite recipes. These cookies are in that notebook next to my other old favorites, such as the Guadalajara Burger, Beef Bulgogi (Korean BBQ), Om Rice with pork, my veggie chile recipe, too many recipes with shrimp, and one loner recipe for marinated tofu with bok choy. I clearly was willing to try anything at that time in my life- not only things with the name Bulgogi, but anything vegan or vegetarian (despite the fact that at this point in my life I scorned vegetarians and especially vegans). So, yes, I was eating tofu long before becoming a vegetarian, albeit alone, because my sweetheart used to have a soy allergy. Its actually really good stuff if you are just willing to have an open mind about it! But anyways...

I was looking through this notebook a few weeks ago, and came across this recipe again. Now that I've married my high school sweetheart, I figure, what better time to bring back these sentimental cookies than our tenth Valentine's Day together? There was only one thing standing in my way. This recipe isn't vegan. Luckily though, since it's a shortbread cookie with no egg, veganizing these cookies was a piece of cake! They came out exactly the way I remember them. All I had to do was sub in some Earth Balance Vegan Buttery sticks, which by the way, taste more like butter than butter itself. 

As far as the lavender goes, you need to try and find culinary lavender. I'm not positive, but if it doesn't say culinary on it, it might have things added to it that are not really intended for humans to eat. It can be difficult to find. After thoroughly searching the herbs and spices at Whole Foods, I couldn't find it. I asked someone for help and after he was gone for about 10 minutes, returned with a bottle of culinary lavender, but I have no idea where in the store it came from! If you can't find it right away just ask for help. 

Lavender Hearts

1/2 cup Earth Balance Vegan Buttery sticks

1/4 cup sugar + extra for dusting

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dried lavender

1/4 cup water

Cream the margarine and sugar together until fluffy (this is what will make the finished cookies have lots of flaky layers so don't skip!).

Stir in flour, salt, and lavender and mix until thoroughly combined. If you cannot form a coherent ball of dough, add water one tablespoon at a time, and combine (I only needed 2 tablespoons of water before mine formed a dough ball). 

Form dough into a disc and refrigerate for 15 minutes

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Roll dough until about 3/8 inch thick and use a little heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out as many hearts as you can.  Place on a greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with extra sugar, pressing the sugar gently into each cookie. 

Bake for 8 minutes, or until the edges turn a golden brown. 

Cheers!!

Seitan Pot Pie!

It appears my new obsession is savory pies! I really didn't like Chicken Pot Pie as a child, and have had the most "Pot Pies" after becoming vegan, but I tried to make this pie as classic as possible. 

Something that I have found as a vegan and also when I was a vegetarian, is that you associate certain flavors with certain meats, for example: sage or rosemary with chicken. When you use sage or rosemary in a vegan recipe, it is reminiscent enough of the food that used to be there and is really satisfying. That being said, this pie makes use of sage, thyme, marjoram, and mustard, as well as a lot of wine, which, coincidentally is really important to vegan cooking!

This meal is also REALLY filling. You will not. I repeat- You will NOT feel like you just ate something vegan. I have been told by people who briefly tried vegetarianism that they just couldn't "get full" and that they had to go back to eating meat. I had a similar feeling when I became vegan, that is, until I relearned how to cook. Becoming vegan and learning how to cook this way has been really rewarding and has rekindled my interest in cooking, period. This recipe is is a product of that journey, so I hope you enjoy it!

Seitan Pot Pie

Makes: 6 servings

Time: 1 hour

Crust

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cornmeal 

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks (12 tablespoons), chopped

2/3 cup water

Filling

1 tablespoon buttery sticks

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup flour

2 teaspoons mustard powder
1 lb seitan, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 medium red potatoes, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

2 medium sized carrots, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup white wine

3/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas

In a large bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt. Throw in the "butter" and mix with two forks, a pastry mixer, or your two hands, until it resembles coarse sand. Drizzle 1/3 cup water over the mixture and then mix. If a coherent ball of dough does not form, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough coalesces into a ball. Press into a disc, and keep in fridge while making the filling. 

Preheat the oven to 375º.

To make the filling, heat the oil and margarine in a large skillet or dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add the flour and mustard powder, and whisk while browning the flour. Once the flour has come to a deep golden color add the onions, potatoes, seitan, celery, and carrots and stir until the vegetables become translucent. Add the garlic and herbs; stir for about a minute. Add the peas, corn, wine and broth to deglaze the pan, and bring to a boil. Once the liquid has thickened slightly, remove the pan from heat and season with salt and pepper. 

Pour the filling into a 2 quart square baking dish (or any dish where the filling sits about 2 inches thick). Roll the dough out into the shape that corresponds with your pan such that the perimeter extends about two inches beyond the edge of your dish in every direction. Place the dough on top of the filling, centering it on the pan, and then roll the edges upwards and over along all the sides into the pan, to give the crust a thick, raised edge. Push this edge downwards along the edges of the pan into the filling. This is nice because despite the fact that there is no crust on the bottom, the outer edge of the pie has a little bit. With a knife pierce the top of the pie several times to allow steam to escape. 

Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove and enjoy.

Cheers!

Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King with Vegan Cookies

"Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?'
Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?'
Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?'
But Conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?'
And there comes a point when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right."


Today we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King. An inspirational speaker, philosopher, and foremost a beacon of compassion and reason, his life of nonviolent action and pursuit to end discrimination has become a road map for those who concern themselves with issues of social justice. His life was one of service to others, and if there is something that we should be reminded of today, it is that we should take it upon ourselves to always be moving towards a more just society. We cannot simply wait for change to happen, we must, in the words of Gandhi, one of King's inspirations, "Be the change we want to see in the world."


Live it out. Though the path may not always be clear, and there will be forks and switchbacks and steep hills, there is, without question, a cause that needs you and your willingness to exercise your passion and compassion. So, what is it that you are passionate about? Is it finding a way to provide a safety net for inner city youths? Is it volunteering at a soup kitchen? Is it adopting an abandoned pet? Is it pursuing a career working with victims of domestic abuse? What are your skills? How can you use your skills to improve the world?


Perhaps the answer is obvious, or perhaps it needs a bit of thought. For me it has taken years of thought. And, as things pan out, I have found that the humble impact I hope to have on the world, is to alleviate the suffering caused to animals throughout the world, and especially in the food industry.


It is only by assessing the world with a truly open mind and questioning all the things we do, the things we take as a given, that we can spot the injustices in the world. We should remind ourselves that there were times throughout history where it was accepted that women could not vote and that certain people could be kept as slaves. Truly, it is the people who fought for the perpetuation of such iniquities that have been wiped from the annals of history. It is the people who fought for justice and compassion who we remember as heroes. There is no glory in defending the status quo simply because it is comfortable and familiar.


So ask yourself: is your stance safe, politic, and popular? Or is it your stance because your conscience tells you it is right?


Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King, for your passion and love that shed so much light into the world.


And finally, may I just make a quick plug for veganism and vegetarianism as a part of the social justice movement rather than a fanatical and extreme group fighting for some esoteric and isolated cause?  Just for the record, Dr. King's late wife Coretta Scott King and his son Dexter Scott King both adopted veganism. Dexter has said that he considers veganism to be the "logical extension" of his father's philosophy. 


So, what better way to celebrate today than with some vegan cookies? I've decided that to document the variety and versatility evident in the exciting array of vegan cookies, I should try a different cookie recipe every week. I'm going to work my way through Isa Chandra Moscowitz's and Terry Hope Romero's book "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar." I'm starting from the beginning and working my way right to the end. Unfortunately, the first recipe was chocolate chip cookies, and they disappeared before I had a chance to photograph them. It was shocking. They looked like chocolate chip cookies though, so you don't have to stretch your imagination too much! The other unfortunate thing about this is that I'm not going to be posting the recipes. Clearly, posting every recipe from this book may entail negative circumstances if ever the right person found out about it. So, you may have to buy the book.... But, the upside is its not a big investment, just $11.70 on Amazon.


Anyways, recipe numero dos was Carrot Cake Cookies with Lemon Glaze or something to that effect. They're just a tad more original and unique than "Chocolate Chip Cookies" and are made with a host of spices, as well as carrots, walnuts, shredded coconut, and craisins (the recipe called for raisins but I just don't like them). They were really good, but I wouldn't say that they are as satisfying as a chocolate chip cookie. They're just not as indulgent, I suppose you could say. But they are quite good and are disappearing quickly. They go nicely with a cup of rooibos tea and a cold, dark New England day. The carrot cake and coconut confer the slim glimmer of hope that Spring is just around the corner.

Ready to enjoy!!

And... Why are these cookies good for you?

Well in the general "amount of fat and sugar" category? They are not better than any other cookie. 

BUT 

They don't have any butter so they have a reduced amount of saturated fat compared to cookies made with butter.

They don't have the cholesterol associated with eggs.

Carrots have vitamin A.

Walnuts have vitamin B6, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids.

My Fall Chili recipe

It’s time for Meatless Monday! And I’ve just the recipe for this  beautiful fall evening. It’s a recipe that I’ve actually been making since long before I even considered going vegetarian. It’ll warm your bones and feed your soul!

Vegetarian Chile 

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 jalapenos, one that has been deseeded, minced (If you are wimpy use one deseeded jalapeno)

1 Tbsp oregano

2 Tbsp chile powder

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1 bay leaf

1 28oz can diced tomatoes

2 cups vegetable broth

1 15oz can pinto beans, rinsed

1 15oz can black beans, rinsed

1 15oz can kidney beans, rinsed

1/2 cup couscous

Any toppings you like- Daiya Cheddar cheese, vegan sour cream, avocado, diced scallions, etc.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven.

Add vegetables and saute until translucent.  Add spices and saute until fragrant. Add beans, broth, and tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Add couscous and simmer 5 more minutes. Serve and top with whatever you like!

Day 2. Sunday Football and Authentic New Mexican Nachos

My parents have come to visit us, all the way from the 505. To greet them, the Northeast gave them a snow storm.  Now there is snow outside, and there's sure to be ice out tonight as well. Halloween is actually the holiday we'll be celebrating tomorrow, not thanksgiving! The wind has been intense, and extra cold, but they managed to take the subway all the way out to our house today. Not only that, but they brought with them about 5 pounds of frozen, authentic, NM green chile. No, not the neon green stuff that comes in cans. The dark green stuff that smalls like autumn and that takes you about twenty minutes to remove the seeds.

It was a day of watching football (me, not so much) and drinking beer, and eating nachos. See, vegans still manage to have fun.

My Dad actually appeared to really like these. Woot!
FYI, when I make things up, there's usually no quantities, so while I'm including the recipe, add however much makes you happy.

In these nachos we have:

• Chips
• Daiya chedder cheese (right next to the cheese and butter at Whole Foods, vegan, tasty, no nutritional value whatsoever)
• Canned pinto beans
• Diced tomatoes
• Diced Fakin' Bacon (made from tempeh, comes in little strips, sold next to the tofu and other vegan/vegetarian foods at Whole Foods)
• Diced New Mexico green chile (sorry New Englanders, just sub pickled jalapenos)
• Diced green onion

Put everything besides green onions on a plate. Microwave or broil until cheese is melted and everything is heated through. Top with onions. Things that could make it even better would be: vegan sour cream (by Tofutti, next to the regular cream cheese) and guacamole (make it yourself). 

Now, after such a lazy day, its time to curl up and go to sleep with the heater on and the wind howling outside. Goodnight!

Day 1. A Day in the Life of a Vegan

Welcome to my blog. I am glad that the fact that "Bourbon" was in the title overcame the fact that "Vegan" was too, and that you decided to risk it and check it out!

What is this blog about? Well, it's about, "vegan" and "bourbon" as well as the many other enjoyable things vegan in the world. I hope to provide some useful information to all of you, as well as document things I eat. These things may or may not be my original creations, but my goal is to convince you that the things I eat are consistently tastier than the things you eat, you carnivore. If I made something up myself or have found it free on the web elsewhere, I'll pass on the recipe to you! If not, I'll direct you to the genius who came up with it, so that you can pay them for their hard work and creativity. If I find an awesome vegan restaurant, or a restaurant that likes to appease vegans, I'll show you what I ate and where I found it! If I find something lovely to wear that only pretends to have been made out of the living (pleather!) I'll tell you all about it. 

So that's what I hope to do here. At least just open the discussion between carnivores, ovo-lacto-vegetarians, pescatarians, and, my fellow vegans. I'd like to convince you all that you should become a vegan, like, tonight if that's at all possible. But, realistically I couldn't even be convinced that quickly. It's taken me nearly three years to get to this point. Regardless, it can at least eek its way into your life, meal by meal, and you'll be all the better for it I'm sure. However, I'm also sure you didn't come here to listen to my inspirational words of vegan wisdom. I'm pretty sure you're here, because you wanna know exactly what it's like to be the sort of nut-job that would become a vegan. If thats you, keep reading.

I didn't do it of my own accord. In fact, it is my husband's fault, almost entirely. While we had been vegetarian-ish for two-ish years and had just read Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals, you could say that I was not yet fully committed to the idea. Nonetheless, it was his turn to do the grocery shopping that week. He came home with soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, hemp milk, tofu, nutritional yeast (yeah, I thought exactly what you are right now), and diaya (ditto on that as well). I guffawed, but I dove in anyways. Fast-forward a month and I was in for the long-haul. Oddly, I fell in love with it. Not without hiccups though. Once in my excitement upon learning that focaccia is vegan (as are most yeast-based breads) I came home from the grocery store only to realize that I bought focaccia that had cheese, like, all over it. 

Since then, people have rolled their eyes at me, or been extremely concerned about me and my eminent malnourishment, or gotten overtly angry at me, or asked me if I still eat tomatoes (yes, this really happened), while others have gone way out of their way to accommodate me and hear me out. It is an interesting thing, to suddenly not be able to eat at virtually any restaurant. Or that you have to check every label. It really brings to light just how much our society relies on animals. You can't escape it. Anywhere. The weird thing is that it doesn't appear to be necessary. I definitely thought it was impossible, probably until a month or two in. But despite that, my One Year Veganniversary will be in January, and it surprises even myself to approach that date. I never imagined living la vida vegan, especially, for anything longer than a week at most. So I am even more surprised that I want to continue down this path. I suppose it surprises me that there is not even a question in my mind about that. 

Anyways. I love being a vegan the most when I'm doing my grocery shopping, or cooking my dinner, drinking my soy latte, eating at a vegan restaurant, etc. I don't like it when I'm making people uncomfortable, or coming over to their house for dinner and they are panicking, or when I'm turning down food that's been prepared because I'm too cool for cruel. I didn't become this sort of wacko because I wanted to inconvenience and alienate absolutely everyone I love. Although this may appear to be the case. I did it because I don't think animals should be tortured and because one day I realized the irony behind loving pets and eating things that could be pets or who could outsmart the animals we call pets.

But, I've made concessions. I've realized that you can't tromp around being unrelenting and self-righteous, to the point that you could pass for a Catholic nun (although with more than a few different opinions, and, no-offense). Some of you may beg to differ, but I am trying. My guess is that no one became a vegan because they had to learn to cook an entire vegan meal for some snarky vegan guest. But, if said guest agrees to be less of a hassle in exchange for sharing some of their vegan treats, perhaps they can lure some unsuspecting bystanders to the dark side. So, if I'm coming over for your dinner party, don't freak out. No, there's no way I am going to eat meat, but I'm not going to turn my nose up at the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting that you worked on all day. It took me months to learn how to cook as a vegan, you shouldn't have to learn how to, in a day, for one persnickety guest. However, I will arrive at your house with a host of scrumptious vegan goodies, and similarly to the witch in Hanzel and Gretel, I will try to lure you into the veganbread house, in hopes that you ask for a recipe. After all, its not about my personal purity, its about doing something good for animals. Because they're fantastic.

So, I love being vegan. I love that I can feel like I did something good for the world despite the fact that I didn't get dressed, hell, I barely got out of bed, and I spent the entire day in front of the tv, or knitting, or sewing etc. etc. Well, at least no one had to die, or bear babies all damn day, so that I could be an overgrown potato. 

Somethings are easy. Like the fact that unless you're eating mayo, cream cheese, or butter with a spoon, you're not going to notice the difference between them and their veganified alter-egos. Vegan baking is usually indiscernible from conventional baking. It takes the same amount of effort too! Well, I suppose I never was one to use boxed baking kits though. If you like a hint of coconut, vegan ice cream is gonna rock your sox (red OR white). If you love pasta, store bought pasta is already vegan. Done. Bagels are vegan. Done. Tortillas are vegan. Done. Chips, salsa, and guacamole: all vegan. Done. Somethings are hard. Like making faux ricotta. And making seitan (see "What the heck is that?"). You spend more time cooking, because nothing is prepared for you at the store, or at the restaurant down the street. 

But, you definitely are more connected to your food. And I feel like I appreciate food in a way I never did before. It's as if someone told you food was gonna taste like cardboard for the rest of your life. And you come to terms with that. It'll be fine. You'll trudge through anyways, without cupcakes, milkshakes, and enchiladas. Food as you know it will be reduced to spinach, no dressing. For. Ever. (Yes, this is what I expected when I became vegan). And then, you sneakily figure out how to make all those things that you once enjoyed. And you make them taste good, sometimes better, and they're all guilt free and what-not. You'll be giddy. Guaranteed. 

And it's fun too! It's like constantly being a kitchen magician. "Look ma! No eggs!" The best is when you have unsuspecting victims, who don't know you as a vegan. Take, for example, my Italian aunt-in-law who complemented me on my delicious lasagna I made for her. After "vegan" came up in the conversation, she turned and asked if I had made an exception for cheese tonight. I turned to her and told her that she had just consumed certified-vegan lasagna. Can you say "best compliment ever?"

Ultimately, what I hope to accomplish here is to convince many of you and likely only a few of you, that, besides being a nut-job, I'm really onto something here. This stuff is delicious. I hope you stick around and check back to see what I'm having next week! For now I'll just leave you with a picture of the Pumpkin Cake with Pecan Streusel that I baked up last night.  

Cheers!!