Lots of Leafies

You know I love my greens, but when it comes to leafy veggies, like with anything else, a bit of diversification is a good thing. Above are some juice veggies that were inspired by something I saw recently from Kris Carr-- I believe hers was called "Cabbage Rose". I'm pretty sure it was not exactly this collection, but the purple cabbage instead of greens was the start of the inspiration, and I went from there. In this batch was: 1/4 purple cabbage, a whole fennel bulb with stalks and fronds, two gala apples, a big cuke, and lots of raw ginger. This batch really packed a powerful flavor punch, which I liked, but others may want to reduce the fennel and/or ginger quantities. That was before. Here's after:

 Look at that color! Isn't it "mauvelous"? This was very yum.

From the rest of the cabbage, I made some cole slaw for fish tacos I served the family the other night. The slaw was easy -- sliced thinly, the cabbage was mixed with the juice of half a lime, 2 tablespoons of veganaise, a pinch of salt and green onion. A meal like tacos is perfect for my mixed family of carnivores, a vegetarian and a vegan. Other toppings I featured besides the slaw and the fish were sour cream - dairy and not, dairy cheese, garlicky collards and chick peas, black beans and salsa. Wynne had bean tacos with cheese and salsa, and I had bean, collards-n-chick peas, slaw and salsa tacos. The guys had whatever it was they wanted. I didn't pay attention, but nothing got wasted.

The next day, the slaw tasted even better. It was a great snack on some delicious multigrain sourdough bread spread with earth balance -- mmmm.

Before I close this "diverse leafy veg" post, I want to share my favorite prepackaged salad:

Normally I prefer to get whole veggies and wash and prepare them myself, but this is great for those busy moments where not having it on hand would make our food choices less wholesome. Organic Girl Super Greens is so much better than any other mixed prepackaged salad, in my opinion. They had me at "our most nutritious salad". Seriously -- this combination, of red and green swiss chard, tat soi, arugula and spinach, is so flavorful I eat it with no dressing. Give it a try if you haven't yet. I'd show you the greens, themselves, but, ummm, I already ate them. Here's my little trick for keeping these boxed salads fresh -- after the box is opened, lay a paper towel across the top of the greens before replacing the lid and putting it back in the fridge. The towel soaks up and holds excess moisture so the greens remain perfectly dry but the air within the box is moist enough to keep the veggies fresher longer. You may have already figured this out as well.

Leafy veggies of any color rock!

The Verdict

After the hour of prep work yesterday, My juice pulp flax seed crackers took six hours in the dehydrator to become crunchy. I'm thinking twice about the carbon footprint implications of this exercise.

The result? still warm, dry and crisp, the crackers were okay, not great. With hummus they were great, but for me anything spread with hummus is great. Today, not quite as crisp anymore, the crackers were less great still, even with the hummus.

Everything we do in life has educational value. I am grateful for this experiment because I can add it to my list of things I know how to do. Will I do it again? Probably not.

I am reminded of the time I taught myself how to reupholster my sofa -- not slipcover, though I have done plenty of that too -- reupholster. I disassembled the furniture, panel by panel, and worked with tack strips, piping and hobnails. I used a crow bar, a hammer, a nail gun, a staple gun and a rubber mallet.I sewed each panel, leaving a rough edge for the next section. A couple of times I discovered I was on the wrong track, so I had to disassemble and redo it. I ultimately did a pretty good job with the sofa, but realized I could have benefited from an instructor. So, when I decided to redo my kitchen cabinets, I splurged on an $85 faux painting class. I did it right, and years later the cabinets are all still in good shape, but the whole process took five weeks. Though I saved $20,000-$30,000 doing it myself, I have discovered that time is more valuable than most sums of money. If we spend our time doing something fulfilling -- a learning experience counts here -- it is time well spent. So the crux of the issue is whether we would choose to repeat a project after the fulfillment of learning it is over.

Juice pulp flax seed cracker creation is not an experience I will repeat. My pulp will much more efficiently and appropriately feed the soil of my vegetable garden than it could ever feed me. I believe most of the nutrition left the pulp with the flavor and color, anyway. My healthy diet is a gift to myself, and as such, it should be enjoyable. Every mouthful is carefully chosen and prepared, and is so much more flavorful and pure than the junk I ate for many years. I don't want to waste a bite on something less than fabulous. I will continue to reap the benefits of making delicious juices, and I won't feel guilty about just saying no to homemade pulp crackers.

P.S. -- The topic of the nutritional value of the pulp fiber being lost in the process of juicing has come up among non-vegan friends. You vegans will understand that, unless you are eating only vegan junk food, lack of fiber is not an issue. Juicing simply allows us to pack in a much more diverse selection and quantity of vegetable nutrition than would be possible by consuming the entire vegetable. The juice is not a replacement for a well-rounded diet, it's an enhancement.

Odds-n-Ends, Food I've Been Eating

In my typically random "odds-n-ends" fashion, here's a bit of what I've been enjoying. Above is carrot, daikon and winter squash (I know, it's out of season!) from Christina Pirello's This Crazy Vegan Life. This stew is actually very bright in flavor, like sunshine. It is finished with fresh lemon juice and Italian parsley. It's light, yet sustaining, good hot or cold.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, before . . .

 . . . and after. Olive oil, salt, pepper and a tangle of fresh thyme and oregano from my herb patch (Buster hasn't yet figured how to climb into that pot, which is up off the ground, so the herbs are living the good life, unmolested!) I loved the crunchy brown parts on these sprouts. The bowl is one of the few surviving pieces I have left from my grandma Eula's everyday collection. The blue-and-white inspired me to fill in with more of the same color scheme for my own everyday. I also have her full set of fine china, but we rarely use it since we are such a rough and tumble bunch.

Collard greens sauteed with a bit of red onion, chick peas and GOBS of garlic (at least 10 cloves!) I encourage all you vegans out there to try going overboard with garlic. You'll love it! This was a full meal on its own, and I munched it for days.

Here's a shot of the above two featured dishes, along with a baked sweet potato. We've recently added a roof to our patio, which allowed me to move some furniture around and unclutter the screened porch. I've set up a small dining table out there. This was our first alfresco meal. My eyes were bigger than my stomach. I had to save a lot of this plateful, but none of it got wasted.

Homemade miso soup with daikon, onion, cabbage and tofu. This was a big batch, and I enjoyed the leftovers for several breakfasts. Having miso soup in the morning sets the tone for the day. The soup imparts a grounded, centered energy. If you ever find yourself with leftover miso soup, remember not to bring it to a boil when reheating it. Boiling kills the beneficial enzymes.

Here's a plateful of polenta with broccoli rabe, roasted peppers, onion and garlic. I LOVE broccoli rabe, also known as broccoli rape (!) and rapini. The checkout clerk tried to charge me for broccolini, another veggie which is actually a genetically modified hybrid. Broccoli rabe is more bitter than broccolini. Personally, I prefer the bitter note of this delicious vegetable. It tastes as if I've gleaned it from a meadow in Tuscany. Not only is broccolini of a less pure origin than broccoli rabe, it is also more expensive! I enjoyed the polenta for the corn that it is, but the omnivores found it to be bland to their sugar-addled taste buds.

This says summer to me -- just a homegrown tomato, veganaise, salt and pepper on good, crusty bread. This will likely be the last tomato sandwich from my garden this year. Buster easily climbs the thick stems of the heirloom vines now, and he takes the tomatoes before they have a chance to ripen. At least I still get all the grape tomatoes I want. those stems are too flimsy to hold buster's weight. I'll be buying the occasional heirloom tomato at $4.99/lb. so that I can continue to savor this late summer treat.

Stay tuned for a feature on Buster's least favorite vegetable -- the aubergine (eggplant). Aubergine is a lot more fun to say than eggplant, porridge is better than oatmeal, and polenta is better than cornmeal mush. Do you have a favorite gastronomical delight that can be elevated with loftier nomenclature? If you do, play along and share. I love expanding my vocabulary!

Cleaning Out the Crisper

Here's an example of what a vegan makes to feed herself and all the omnivores with whom she resides. I had already thrown together a tuna, noodle and cheese casserole with frozen organic mixed veggies for the omnis. In trying to get inspiration for vegan food, I opened the 'fridge and began pawing through the crisper. I was sad to find a rotten, forgotten bunch of watercress and a couple of moldy halves of lemons which I donated to the "round file" as my husband calls it (the trashcan). Pawing deeper still, I happily encountered an unopened carton of mushrooms and half a cabbage, all still in fine shape despite the fact that I couldn't really remember when I had purchased them or what I had done with the other half of the cabbage.

I am going to get organized -- I really am now that the kids are back at school. This first week was mostly a catch-up on backed-up laundry, bills and untended issues such as "maybe it's time again to consider another refi" -- 3.25% anyone?? The whole thing makes me begin to twitch, but it must be addressed. I digress . . .

This week I vow to clean out the refrigerators and pantry, and with the knowledge of what is there already, will strive to proactively plan some menus rather than just throwing what looks pretty into my shopping cart.

But the other day, prior to the big Salinas pantry clean-up, I just needed to salvage whatever still contained nutritive properties. I warmed up the rest of the sourdough bread (I know -- I've got to stop eating that white bread -- I will, this was the last bit of it!) and made two sautees -- shallot, mushroom and white bean with lots of earth balance, and cabbage and leeks with shoyu and the juice of half a lemon (fresh, not moldy!).

Beans on bread are really satisfying and shockingly delicious. That's what my main course was, with the cabbage mixture on the side, and the omnis ate the tuna casserole with my vegan food as their sides. The husband particularly liked the cabbage, which he deemed, "an investment in tomorrow," I know he means that quite literally, which is probably too much information.

After the meal, when the bread was finally all gone, I decided to reinvent the mushroom melange again.   Stay tuned to see its next incarnation. Waste not, want not!

Odds-n-Ends, Back to School Edition

Long time, no post, I know. Transitions have always been a challenge for me, creature of habit as I tend to be. With the kids at school, I am now thriving in a new routine, but it has taken me almost a week to settle into it. I'll share a bit of life in general around here during the transition.

The photo above is an example of a lazy way to make the mundane fabulous. This is just whole wheat linguine with jarred marinara, daiya "cheese"and kalamata olives, along with grape tomatoes and fresh oregano from my garden. The others ate theirs without all my chosen goodies.

Here is something tried and true: greens, grains and beans. The addition of french bread makes it vegan junk food, though.

Oops -- I forgot that nobody else at home doesn't really mean nobody else at home. I'll have to shut the door all the way if I want privacy. Otherwise Ellie's gonna get into my business.

On a night out with the man, at Sage, a restaurant/bar where we frequently order tapas with our drinks, I ordered what I usually do -- Mediterranean Crostini without the feta. It is the only thing on the menu veganizable except for a boring salad. Normally the veganized crostini is perfect bar food, but the other night someone in the kitchen must have decided to "improve" the crostini by broiling the toasts covered in feta. Grrrrr -- they thought I had only meant no additional cheese on top! How many times have I ordered the exact same thing? The photo is of the second batch of crostini after I sent the first one back. The cheese had been buried under all the yummy Mediterranean veggies, and we each had a bite or two before my husband noticed the flavor of cheese. I knew it tasted different, but I had forgotten what cheese used to taste like, I guess. Within five minutes of the accidental cheese eating, my head filled with stuffiness and confusion and I really was quite a boring girl for about an hour. Cheese steals my joie de vivre, my witty banter, my sense of humor. I just sit on the bar stool like a lump -- of cheese.

Back at home, after I had finally regained my personality, we decided to watch a concert DVD in our basement theater, and my husband did push-ups on the coffee table. Okay.

Taking a good look at my bread and pasta filled transitional days, I understand why I am feeling a bit, um, fluffy around the edges. Noticing and analyzing trends in cravings is a good way to get a read on what is going on with our bodies. I was craving carbs because of my lack of energy from the B12 deficiency. There is great news on that front, personally, though. I saw my Integrative Medicine M.D. the other day and she trained me to give my own B12 injections! I am no stranger to needles, since my mainstream MS medication is a daily subcutaneous injection, self-administered, but it had been ten years since I had done the intramuscular injections. The longer needle is a bit more of a challenge psychologically, but if one doesn't overthink it, the IM shot is a breeze. Now I can give myself B12 every two weeks! I bought a vial of B12 (30 doses) and a bunch of syringes for $94, and my labor is free. I am going to save a bundle on what it would have cost me to go in every two weeks to have my M.D. administer the shots. I love my doctor. She's always looking for a way to get what I need for less. Isn't she cool?