SO, have you ever had one of those “bowls” at an edgy/run down/vintage/or oddly decorated eatery? There are plenty of them here in the Portland area. These are the places that consider it a style statement to have ripped seats, old wallpaper surrounded by freehand paintings of what could only be visions obtained by a bad drug trip, and who take pride in collecting a hodge podge of cracked and stained coffee cups in which to poor your own coffee. Instead of putting out the welcome mat, the place is putting out this question: are you cool enough to stand the dirt?  I can only imagine the looks of shock and uneasiness on my friends faces if I were to serve them on those plates surrounded by whimsical and grotesque knick knacks covered in dust. I can almost tell by the signage and confirm by the interior “style” that I am in one of these places that just might have “bowls” as a menu item. Don’t get me wrong, I know there are a few trendy and even upscale places that serve “bowls” but in my experience this is not the norm.

As long as it is clean, and not every place like this is, the bowl is a good bet for a satisfying and healthy meal that is a little out of the ordinary.

If you are not familiar with the concept of a bowl please let me reassure you now that this has nothing to do with drugs that are currently still illegal in most states. This is a food blog, and even if one could argue that food is a drug or that that drug is food don’t worry we’re not going there.

The bowl concept is a layering of simply prepared grains, legumes, and vegetables with the addition of a flavorful sauce on top to pull it all together. And, as you probably guessed, it is served in a bowl for ease of consumption.

I have found that to do this successfully it needs to be simple. The grains are simply prepared, vegetables are steamed or very lightly sautéed, beans/lentils/tofu/ tempeh are low on seasoning. The flavor comes from the sauce- and gets this-you get to pick your own sauce! When you do this at home, it can be like taking a trip through the salad bar.

I am not going to outline here a specific recipe for the grains. All grains cook a little bit differently in terms of time and how much water or vegetable broth to add and it is best to follow directions on packaging. One of the ways I ensure mine come out perfectly cooked and not burned is to use a rice cooker- yes not just for rice anymore- rice cookers are actually pretty versatile. Here are some suggestions for grains followed by suggestions for the veggies and legumes. Mix and match to make your own combinations and top with either a commercially prepared sauce i.e. peanut sauce, curry sauce, OR with one of the sauce recipes below. I have found that although some combinations may be better than others, it is difficult to get it wrong. It all tastes good and is very healthy. I always feel completely satisfied and at the same time energized after eating a good bowl.

And if I can do this in the relative comfort of my own home with its gleaming coffee cups and unadulterated walls all the better.

Suggestions for Grains: experiment with combining them before cooking.

-Brown Rice

-Pearl Barley

-Quinoa

-Cracked wheat berries

Suggestions for Legumes:

-Red, pinto, or white beans simply cooked. If you did not prepare for this the night before then feel free to use rinsed canned beans. They work.

-Cooked lentils of all varieties

-Firm tofu grilled with a little garlic salt

-Tempeh, this comes in all kinds of flavors. Just slice, or separate the slices and grill it.

A note about tempeh: tempeh is just soybeans, slightly fermented, and found in the refrigerator section of your local grocery. It is a whole food and therefore nutritiously superior to tofu although both are soy. If you see little black, brown, or green spots on your tempeh, never fear, it is not molding. It is part of the fermentation process, it will not taste bad. Some folks think the spottier the better.

Suggestions for Vegetables:

 -Kale, bok choy, green or savoy cabbage, collard greens or any greens you can find:            These are good sliced into ribbons (stems and all) and steamed

-Mushrooms i.e. crimini, shitake, portabella or any other kind you want to try

Sautee these in a small amount of olive oil and salt

-Red pepper and onions sautéed in a small amount of olive oil

-Steamed broccoli florets

-Steamed asparagus cut into smaller lengths

-uncooked arugula (this is that lettuce that looks almost like dandy lion greens but tastes    nutty and sweet-if you have not tried it be prepared to fall in love)

The Sauces:

Cilantro pesto:

1 bunch scallions coarsely chopped

1 Bunch Cilantro

1 tsp salt

1-2 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and whirl away for several minutes, scrape down and repeat. This actually tastes better 24hrs later when the flavors become more blunted and combine together.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

3 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tbs olive oil

1 clove minced garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1tsp salt

Ground pepper to taste

Other sauce suggestions:

Commercially prepared peanut sauce, Thai curry sauce, traditional pesto. I found several locally prepared curry pastes that you add your own coconut milk to which made it much lower in fat as you can buy a “light” coconut milk, add the paste and mix. This made for great flavor with about 120 less calories per serving vs. the commercially prepared curry sauce.

Putting it all together

Layer a serving of grains, top with lentils or beans then layer on your veggies and top with about a Tbs of sauce. If using tempeh or tofu add these after the veggie layer and under the sauce.

 This is a great dish to serve at a casual dinner party or impromptu get together. So, go ahead, put out the welcome mat and serve up some bowls.

Puttanesca for sissies with creamy polenta

This week I got the idea that if you could add mascarpone cheese and butter to polenta making it the nutritional equivalent of say nachos with sour cream, that you could just as well add something nutritious that made it taste creamier and skip the stick-a-buttah effect. Those who know me have heard me use that expression when speaking of eating out at restaurants. You know, you go have this meal and it is soooo good and so filling and you wonder how they can make vegetables and potatoes and salads all taste so good. Well, I’ll tell you how – it’s called a stick-a buttah!  And if you ate the whole thing you probably ate a yes, you guessed it, a whole stick of butter.  Then you come home and try to recreate some of the things you ate but without the stick-a-buttah because you could never imagine just how much fat they used to make it taste that way, and so it didn’t taste the same and right then you reverse your resolve to eat more salads because they really can be tasty, because as you have just proven, they actually can’t. You chalk your experience at the restaurant up to good company and candlelight and put it out of your mind. I think we have all been fooled a time or two by the stick-a-buttah effect. Well, I am here to help you make it taste good without all that fat.

So, as it turns out my theory was correct, polenta is sticky enough to hold up to the incorporation of other things…in this case silken tofu which when pureed in the food processor is very creamy not to mention full of protein.

If you are not familiar with polenta it is an Italian dish from Southern Italy that uses basically a course cornmeal that is cooked up and used instead of pasta. It is usually served one of two ways, either creamy, or you can let the polenta set up and when cooled slice it up and fry or grill it. Commercially prepared polenta is available on the shelf in a tube that you can slice up and fry. Polenta is usually served with some sort of tomato sauce. This time I made a puttanesca sauce which is traditionally a bit spicy. The issue with that for my family is that we are big sissies when it comes to food that burns the mouth. I like to taste my food-I dunno, it’s just my thing I guess but when it is too hot then all I can taste is the pain. So, if you are like me and my family this sauce is for you, and if you are a big brave spice eater then you can just add more pepper flake. The dish is great served with a simple salad and you can skip the garlic bread as its very filling and so full of flavor you won’t miss a thing.

Creamy Polenta

3 Cups low sodium vegetable broth

1 Cup Polenta/coarse cornmeal

12 oz (approximately) of firm silken tofu (if not in the refrigerated section check the Asian food isle as it is shelf stable)

½ tsp salt

Coarse ground pepper to taste

Puttanesca for sissies

1 Tbs olive oil

5-6 cloves fresh garlic thinly sliced. (OK if you must use the chopped garlic in a jug from Costco then use 3 Tbs but it will not taste quite as good as with the fresh garlic)

1 Cup mixed olives- combination of Kalamata, and Green olives stuffed with pimiento or garlic

6-7 large Roma tomatoes coarsely chopped

1 Tbs capers

1 small bunch of fresh basil sliced into strips (about 6 generous Tbs)

½ tsp red chili pepper flake (1/4 tsp if you really don’t even want to taste it)

Juice from ½ a lemon

Coarsely ground pepper to taste

Make the polenta first at it takes about 25min to cook and you can make the sauce and stir the polenta once in awhile. Even when done the polenta does not get overcooked-it’s very forgiving so no worries if it has to sit awhile before the sauce is done.

Puree the silken tofu until smooth in a food processor and set aside. Bring the 3 cups of vegetable broth to a boil in a med sized pan with a heavy bottom.  Whisk in the polenta stirring constantly for a few minutes, turn the heat down and add the tofu, salt and pepper and whisk together. Cover and cook on very low heat, stirring occasionally. Don’t worry if it develops a crust on the bottom of the pan but make sure it does not burn.

You can serve this one of two ways. I like the novelty of serving it in its creamy form but if you are making it ahead or have leftovers, or just prefer it this way you can pour it into a greased loaf pain and let it set up for an hour or more in the fridge, slice it, and brown it in a lightly oiled pain on medium to medium high heat about 7min each side.

To make the sauce, heat a non-stick frying pan or other shallow pan on med low heat with a Tbs of olive oil. Add the sliced garlic, stirring occasionally until some are browning slightly. While this is cooking tear the green olives in half, adding to the pan and add the kalamata olives as well and stir. Let these cook while you chop the tomatoes. Add tomatoes, and capers, stirring occasionally. When the tomatoes are not quite cooked, i.e. they still have some form to them but have given off some of their juice add the basil, chili pepper flake, ground pepper and lemon juice. Cook for a few minutes more then remove from heat.

Pour the sauce over the polenta and prepare to make your mouth happy- even if it is a sissy mouth. Sissies gotta eat too.

My husband has been craving sweet potatoes. Not yams, mind you. The orange colored flesh of the yams is very very sweet and almost dessert like- hence it’s traditional pairing with marshmallows and brown sugar the eating of which is just hell in a hand-basket if you ask me. So, yes I am talking about the ones with light yellow flesh that are more potato like in texture but lightly sweet.

 In any case I decided we needed to do something for these sweet but oh so mild things to make it a little more exciting but with the comfort food feel. And so I made a scalloped sweet potato dish with chipotle and chilies that I think you will enjoy. The spicy smoky flavor of chipotle and the broader peppery flavor of green chilies with the sweetness of the potatoes is a delicious combination. If you use a mandoline or a food processor to thinly slice the potatoes you will save time, sanity, and be oh so proud of your uniform looking stack of potatoes to layer.

Here are some sweet potato facts you can ponder while slicing away. Sweet potatoes are relatively low in calories and have no fat. They are rich in beta-carotene, having five times the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin A in one sweet potato, as well as loaded with potassium. These nutrients help to protect against heart attack and stroke.    True yams do not contain as much Vitamin A and C as sweet potatoes.

Chipotle en adobo is chipotle peppers in a sauce that is available in a can at your local market in the Mexican section. It may seem silly to buy a whole can and use 1 Tbs but it is very spicy, I cannot even eat the peppers myself, and the can will last for months afterwards in your fridge. Hot peppers have antibacterial properties which is probably why the can lasts so long.

I have made the bread crumbs and or vegan “cheese” product optional but take note, the sauce and the potatoes are similar in color- very beige looking so for the sake of presentation alone I recommend using these.

I should tell you a little bit about the “cheese” I am recommending. It is called Daiya and it is soy and dairy free. The fantastic thing about it is that it melts and stretches like real cheese. I have pretty much eschewed all vegan cheese products until this hit the market. The protein in it is made from peas. I tell you I don’t know how you go from pea flour to cheese in your mind but it seems quite a stretch to me-a brilliant stretch that I for one am happy was made. I try not to eat very many products that are not whole foods but as far as these go this is one of the better ones to eat in my book.

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle and Green Chiles

1 med to large onion

4 med sized sweet potatoes

Sauce

4 cups soy or hemp milk

1Tbs nutritional yeast (brewers yeast)

2 Tbs whole wheat pastry flour

1 Tbs + 1tsp olive oil

1/8tsp white pepper (yes you can substitute black if you must)

1 tsp salt or more to suit you

1Tbs chipotle en adobo liquid/sauce  

2 oz green chilies (1/2 a 4oz can)

Optional Garnish

Daiya cheese

Whole grain bread crumbs

Several Tbs fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Peel and thinly slice the sweet potatoes and onion and layer half of them into a 9 x 13 inch glass or ceramic baking pan.

To make the sauce:

Pour the milk into a large batter bowl or glass measuring cup and heat for 5 minutes in the microwave ( if you are anti-microwave or don’t have one, just skip this time saving step)

Heat the olive oil on med heat in a sauce pan with a heavy bottom, add the flour and nutritional yeast and whisk for 3-5 minutes until it bubbles for awhile and smells like the flour is cooking/browning. Slowly pour in the milk, pausing after half of it is in and whisking vigorously to eliminate any lumps, pour the rest in and stir. Add the salt and pepper and whisk every minute or so until the mixture becomes thick. You do not need to boil it. Remove from heat and add the chipotle en adobo sauce and the chilies. Taste and correct the salt and if you like it spicier add more chipotle sauce.

Pour half the mixture over the potatoes and onion in the baking pan, layer the remaining potato and onion and cover with sauce. Shake and tap the pan to help distribute the sauce between the potato layers.

Cover with foil and bake for 45min before checking for doneness. The potatoes should be soft but not mushy when poked with a fork. If they are done, this is the time to remove the foil and sprinkle the daiya cheese and/or breadcrumbs on top and put the dish back in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes until melted or browned. If not done, return to the oven for another 15-20min. How fast they cook depends on how thinly they are sliced.

Serve hot with cilantro leaves for garnish.

Weekend Waffles

I had the most pleasant surprise on Christmas morning this year. My husband, who had warned me weeks in advance that he had Christmas morning breakfast covered, really pulled it off this time. Usually these pronouncements of culinary surprises pan out to be a lot of hype followed by several “good for you” but difficult to swallow items and a messy kitchen. I would smile and enthusiastically tell him, as many times as he asked, how good it was and try to only give feedback when he was ready for it. Problem there is I am none too patient and not naturally a quite person.  It’s kind of a trial at times and I know that at least some of you ladies are with me here. You are thinking of the whole “barbeque” scene- right? Well this time was really different. He surprised us by buying a new waffle maker and keeping it a secret and then making a breakfast of waffles and fruit to go on top. I have the waffle maker that my mother got from her mother. Circa 1950. I still love the looks of it it but the cast iron coating now comes off on the waffles and the hinge is off on one side- it’s kind of a house fire waiting to happen so the waffle maker alone was a great surprise to start and made me hopeful that the results would taste as good as that new machine looked. I was not disappointed. I have to say that these are the best vegan and wholegrain waffles I have ever had and the fluffy texture and golden color were undistinguishable from regular waffles made with eggs, milk, and melted butter. I am still very proud of my husband for successfully converting the recipe and making it whole grain, vegan, and without any artificial products to make up for the lack of eggs and dairy. 
Even I consider this quite a feat because waffles are such an eggy item and they really need to be light and fluffy or just what is the point anyway?

The recipe lists most ingredients as organic but of course if this is not available or affordable then of course non-organic ingredients will work just as well. Choose your own fresh or frozen fruit to put on top with maple syrup. We enjoyed the blueberries the best but have tried it since with other berries which are also very good. I suggest raspberries with lemon zest, strawberries, or marionberries.

So here is the recipe- Hope you enjoy it:

Doug’s Belgian Waffles
(for both regular and Belgian waffle makers)

1 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup organic brown rice flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder

1 ripe organic banana

1 cup organic soy milk

1 cup organic almond milk

1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1/8 cup organic maple syrup

In a medium sized bowl, whisk dry ingredients together and set aside.

In a large bowl, mash banana with a fork until creamy, add the 2 types of milk, oil, vanilla, and maple syrup and whisk until blended well.

 Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and whisk just until blended. Do not over mix. Batter should be fluffy.

Cook according to your waffle makers directions.
The batter is enough to make 4 – 5 large Belgian waffles.

Serve warm with maple syrup and fruit.

 Thanksgiving and Christmas Day have come and gone but my memories of the food, festivities, and conversations remain. Hopefully the extra pound I’ve gained over the holidays will also soon be only a memory.  If Thanksgiving and Christmas were simply a turkey (or in my case a field roast or tofurkey roast) and a salad and sweet potatoes I think we could all probably make it out OK, even with dessert afterwards if we did not overindulge too much but it’s just all those darn side dishes. The green bean casserole, the mashed potatoes, yams with brown sugar and marshmallows on top, and potato dishes of all different sorts all contribute to the tightness of the waistband. So, I wanted to give you some healthy side dishes that will help all of us to shed the holiday tire and can even be stowed away and brought out next year on the holidays to make them a little healthier.

       This Thanksgiving I was at my in-laws and my sister in law, who is Ukrainian, brought an interesting side dish. When she brought it in I thought it was a dessert- this beautiful layered thing in a glass dish with white on top and pink soaking through from underneath.  But we all discovered it was actually a layered salad with beets and carrots. I thought of all the things on the table this was probably the healthiest side dish I could eat and so I confidently heaped a big serving onto my plate and dove it. It was delicious- the beets and carrots were unseasoned, very simple and the sauce just offset them enough to add some flavor and creaminess. It was the beet juice that had bled up and down into the layers of sauce that made this beautiful pink color on top and through the layers. About halfway through my serving I asked my sister in law what the sauce was. She smirked and said, oh it’s just mayonnaise. I swallowed hard as I realized I had just eaten about ¼ Cup of mayo. Really?  I said without missing a beat. I carefully separated the bulk of the mayo from the veggies as I quietly informed my husband that we were eating mayonnaise.  It really was a great dish and I have since been plotting ways to make it into something healthy. Later in the evening someone asked what the dish is called and my sis in law prefaced by saying that normally it is made with herring fish on the bottom and then said that we have no English word for the dish but the word in Russian is like a fish covered with fur. My brother in law stepped in and said- “oh it’s fish in a fur coat!”  And indeed he was right. I researched the dish and that is the English translation of “salat shuba”. I also learned that although made all over Russia, it is claimed by the Ukrainians as their dish. Some recipes I read also included potatoes and onions as well as the fish. The reason for the descriptor of fur is the appearance of the carrots and beets which are shredded or julienned.

 So here is the low fat vegan version:

 Fish in a Fur Coat (minus the fish)

Hopefully you can find all these ingredients in organic form.

 4 med to large red beets

About a pound of large carrots (not those stubby little “baby” carrots)

 Dressing

1 brick of firm Silken Tofu

Juice of 1 lemon

1 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp Onion powder

Garnish: 1 Tbs chopped flat leaf parsely

Steam the beets and carrots whole with their skins on until they are tender when poked with a fork. After they have cooled remove the beet skins and if you prefer the carrot skins as well but I leave them on (more nutritional value). They can then be shredded or if you have a mandoline you can julienne them. I prefer the appearance of them julienned but this is not a crucial step and if given the choice of julienning them by hand with a knife or shredding I would pick up the shredder and get to it.

To make the dressing put all the ingredients except the beets and carrots into a food processor and blend on high for several minutes, scrape down the sides with a spatula and blend again.

 Now layer the salad in a small glass baking pan (about 9 x6 “), or a small glass salad bowl by starting with ½ the carrots on the bottom, followed by ½ the beets and then half the dressing. Repeat ending with the rest of the dressing on top. In order for some of the dressing to remain white I recommend putting large dollops of the dressing on top of the beets and then using a spatula to gently spread them together.  It also helps to put the salad together the same day you are going to serve it. Garnish it with the chopped parsley

Chill the salad before serving. Make a dramatic entrance with your salad so you too can enjoy some of the lime-light it will be commanding.

                                                         ********

The next side dish is a twist on Asian slaw and if you use pre-prepared slaw it is really low on labor while high in flavor. The star ingredient is fennel, usually thought of as an Italian vegetable, the licorice like flavor is similar to cilantro so blends well with the other ingredients. My husband goes ape over this one and many times we have split the bowl for dinner. If you are unfamiliar with fennel, look for the vegetable with the large white bulb and celery like stalks. You may be familiar with the seed/herb fennel which you guessed it-comes from the same plant. The flavor is similar but milder than the seed. Among the many nutritious benefits of fennel it is notably high in Calcium, Vitamin C and Iron, and has been used as a digestive aid in many cultures and so is perfect for pairing with gas producing cabbage as it can potentially offset the effects.

When slicing it up, you want to cut off a thin slice of the bottom of the bulb, then slice thinly up to where the stalks start to part. The stalks tend to be tougher and a little bitter in flavor so leave them out. If you don’t have sesame oil, you need to get some because it is some of the most intensely flavorful and fragrant oil and a little goes a long way. I would not advise substituting any other kind of oil. The same goes for the chili garlic sauce both of which you can find in the Asian section of your local grocery. If you like it really spicy you can increase the chili-garlic sauce by 1-2 more teaspoons.

Asian Fennel Salad

 6 cups of a mixture of green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots.

1 bulb of fennel thinly sliced

 Dressing

Juice of 1 large lime or 2 small ones

1 tsp salt                                                                                  

½ tsp ginger

2 tsp sesame oil

2tsp chili garlic sauce

1 Tbs agave syrup

3 Tbs fresh chopped cilantro

 Optional garnish: 1-2 Tbs chopped roasted peanuts

 Add all the ingredients of the dressing together in the bottom of the salad bowl and whisk together with a fork.

Toss the cabbage mixture and the fennel together with the dressing and serve immediately.

I hope these sides will bring comfort and joy, and good nutrition through the New Year without bringing all the empty calories.

As a note please see my comments on the mac nut crust from the previous post. It turns out that the old adage applies here: It’s as good as what you put in it. I used not rancid but not really good mac nuts either and the flavor was a lot less sweet and buttery. So, use good nuts or add more sugar.

About the tofu “cheesecake” It has a creamy pumpkiny consistency but a little less dense and heavy than pumpkin pie. I also tend to make it a little less sweet so if it is not sweet enough for you add more sugar or a few tablespoons of maple syrup.

If you are new to tofu I will tell you it is one of the most versatile of ingredients that takes on the flavor of whatever you put it with. I like to call it the chameleon food.  Truthfully I dislike the taste of it raw and unseasoned but put it with something else and viola’ you have something high in protein, low in fat and a good egg replacer that gives you a lot of moisture to boot.

When looking for tofu at your local grocery store, check the refrigerated section first and you will find the extra firm tofu. Sometimes the silken tofu is there too but if not, try the Asian food isle as silken tofu is shelf stable. Mori-nu is a good brand that I like to use. It is sometimes difficult to find OG silken tofu unless you are in a natural foods or otherwise veg-friendly store but regular tofu is easy to find in OG form.

I list the spices separately but if you are one of those people who like to use pumpkin pie spice then that is fine too- see the recipe below for the measure.

Again, you really need a food processor for this recipe but since I am at my mother in laws currently who does not have a large food processor I successfully made the filling using her Vita-Mix machine. And when I was on vacation recently I made it using a blender but did not use the extra firm tofu at all because I believe that it might not be able to cream that sufficiently. It worked in both instances but was a lot more trouble and required me to stir and stir in between running the machine.

What is Arrowroot starch/flour?  It is a starch that thickens and if you can’t find it you can just as easily use tapioca starch or corn starch (horrors!) yes, corn starch still works J

Here is the recipe:

½ recipe of Mac nut pie crust (see previous blog entry) Or your favorite crust

14 oz extra firm Tofu preferably OG

12 oz (aprox) firm silken tofu (preferably OG)

2 15 oz cans of OG Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix or filling)

2 Cups sugar

1/4 Cup Canola oil

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp allspice or cloves if you prefer

1/4 tsp nutmeg

OR instead of these spices use 1.5Tbs pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp vanilla

1tsp Molasses

½ tsp Salt

1/2 Cup arrowroot starch/flour

Canola oil spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray the sides of a spring form pan with the canola oil. Press pie crust into the bottom and about ½” up the sides. If you don’t have a spring form pan or prefer a more traditional presentation it works just as well in a pie pan. If you do that you may need another pan for leftover filling as this makes a lot of filling. You can spray ramekins or even regular cups that can tolerate the oven, with canola oil, put them in a water bath and you have breakfast in a cup waiting for you the next day.

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and process on high for several minutes, scrape down sides and process again until very smooth and creamy. Pour and scrape mixture into pan and bake in a 375 degree oven for 45min to an hour and 15 min or until filling is brown on top and does not jiggle much when you shake the pan a little.  Inserting a knife is not a good way to judge whether it is done. 

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Insert knife into side of pan and cut around to loosen. Remove sides of pan. Serve with your favorite non dairy ice cream if desired.

Happy Dessert Eating to you all and a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving,

Carolyn

Of course the holidays are a great excuse to make and eat pie. So, this recipe for crust was developed recently after many attempts over the last few years to replicate what can be done with butter and yes- lard! I must admit it is a challenge to replicate the flakey crust I used to make with these now forbidden elements however this is the best one I have made and the flavor and texture are really yummy- it tastes like shortbread to me. This crust contains macadamia nuts which I know are expensive but of course so is butter. I get mine directly from Hawaii where they are fresh and despite shipping actually less expensive. There are several places to get them but when I was baking regularly in the bakery we ordered from Lehuula Farms on the big island. www.LehuulaFarms.com  (really I have not bought stock in this company) In a pinch get them from a store that sells in bulk but smell them first to make sure the fragile oils have not gone rancid. You don’t want to pay $14.00/pd for rancid nuts.  Macadamia nuts are high in fat- high enough that you don’t need to add any other fat to this recipe.  And this is the best kind of fat you can eat. Here is a little info on the fat in mac nuts: 

First of all it’s more monounsaturated than olive oil or canola oil, the two top contenders for shelf space in the kitchens of health conscious cooks. Macadamia nut oil is 80 percent monounsaturated; olive oil is 74 percent and canola oil only 58 percent. Monounsaturated oils, authorities discovered, reduce the incidence of heart disease and high blood pressure. The more monounsaturated, the better. Indeed, eating saturated fat is a health hazard rated only slightly below smoking in the ’90s. Polyunsaturated fat won’t do, either. Monounsaturated is the fat of choice.

Second string on macadamia nut oil’s bow is its ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. These little fatty acids keep cell walls healthy, and are usually found in seafood. However, omega-3 is more important than omega-6 because omega-3 seems to reduce risks of heart disease, high blood pressure and arthritis. Macadamia nut oil is the only cooking oil with a favorable ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. Olive, for instance is 1 part omega-3 to 8 parts omega-6.

Finally, macadamia nut oil has a high smoke point. This is the temperature at which oil burns and develops an off flavor. Since macadamia nut oil smokes at an incredible 389°F it is ideal for sautéing and stir-frying. Unlike olive and canola oils, macadamia nut oil even keeps its flavor at that heat. Health Naturally says, “Macadamia nut oil also has excellent coating properties; a little goes a long way. These properties make it comparable to butter for both cooking and in recipes.”

Macadamia Nut Pie Crust: This is a bit fragile and crumbly when rolled out so I recommend pressing it into the pie pan for the bottom crust and using the remainder as a crumble on top or cut out smaller shapes with a cookie cutter and arrange on top. If you want to make this completely gluten free try subbing out the barley flour for potato or tapioca flour.

You will need a food processor for this recipe as well as many other recipes in the future.  It is a frequently used tool in my kitchen. If you are thinking of purchasing one get a 10 or 14 cup to ensure it is large enough for everything you want to make.

Macadamia Nut Crust:  makes top and bottom crust

2 Cups macadamia nuts

2 Cups brown rice flour preferably OG

1 Cup Barley flour preferably OG

2 Tbs evaporated cane juice prefer OG (this is just sugar that is not as                                                              processed)

1 tsp iodized salt

½ Cup or more of ice water

1 tsp vanilla

Put the mac nuts in the food processor and pulse it until it is course, then run it on high several times scraping the corners and sides periodically until it is as smooth as your machine will make it. It should be thick and wet like warm peanut butter. Scrape it out of the machine into a bowl and set aside. No need to wash/rinse the food processor bowl as we’re gonna use it again.

Now put the flours, sugar, and salt into the food processor and pulse to combine. Add spoonfuls of mac nut puree into the flour and pulse until pieces are pea sized. Do not over process. Add the vanilla to the ice water. Now with the machine running on low pour the ice water mixture through the food shute slowly until the mixture clumps up and forms thick dough. Stop as soon as this occurs. Again do not over process. Take the dough out and divide into two balls and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

You can roll this out but it may not come out perfect. I recommend pressing the crust into the bottom of pie pan and using the other part as a crumble on top. Or as previously mentioned roll it out and use cookie cutters to cut out smaller shapes and arrange on top.

This is a good basic apple pie recipe that can be used for other fruit pies as well such as pear or peach.

One recipe of Mac nut crust

¾ Cup evaporated cane juice, or to taste

3 Tbs whole wheat pastry flour, barley flour, or brown rice flour if GF desired

¼ tsp salt

1tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

8 Cups of thinly sliced crisp apples (try Granny Smith, Gravenstein, or Winesap)

1 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the apples and toss to coat well with the dry mixture. Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss again. Prepare the pastry shell by pressing ½ of the mixture into the pie plate. Mound the apples up and sprinkle the remaining half of pastry over the top. Bake in a 375 degree oven for at least an hour checking with fork to make sure the apples are done. If crust starts to get too brown wrap the edges with tin foil.

Serve warm with your favorite non dairy vanilla ice cream or chilled for breakfast.

Stay tuned as I will try to get my recipe for Pumpkin Tofu Cheescake to you by Wed this week so you can try it for Thanksgiving if you want.

Happy and Healthy cooking to you all,

Carolyn

OK so, my quest here is to share my journey with you into flavorful, craveable, healthy food. Every recipe you will find here will be vegan, whole grain, as low fat as possible, and contain ingredients that are highly nutritious. I promise it will taste good- really good.

If I and my family don’t love it, you won’t see it here.  I must admit, however that part of my reason for this blog is self serving because although I think and dream about food, I tend to make up recipes on the fly with ingredients I have on hand and tend also not to write them down. If nothing else this blog will serve as a written record of every winning recipe I make. I also hope, however, that it will serve to educate, support, and maybe even amuse those that are on a quest to cook and eat healthier food while not sacrificing flavor.

So – what else might you want to know about me? Nothing? Really? Oh well, I’m gonna tell you anyway. I am a registered nurse and have been for 18 years. So, this means I have a background in nutrition which is pretty useful if you want to cook healthily.  I come from a long line of good cooks.   I have always been interested in cooking, and grew up helping my mom in the kitchen and listening to my dad tell me about how “cooking is chemistry“.  Making my first meal for our family of five when I was twelve years old was a right of passage for me; I recall that it included stuffed baked chicken, salad, and banana bread for dessert. So, I have been cooking all my life and in the recent past I owned and ran a vegan whole grain bakery called Goodie Two Shoes. That was quite the experience and we plan on opening a retail location eventually. (OK end of shameless plug for my future business)

I was raised on meat and potatoes so becoming a whole grain vegan presented many culinary challenges- ones I have found both exciting and demanding of my creativity. I hope you will enjoy the fruits of these challenges and use them as inspiration to create your own versions and even your own family recipes.

I love cookbooks and recipes- but I never follow them- I use the techniques and concepts in recipes as inspiration. I then translate those techniques and concepts into my own cooking. You too, can do this from my recipes- make them your own by using ingredients that you prefer or learn a technique that you can use to transform a favorite family recipe into a healthier version that you can enjoy guilt-free.

I hope you will join me in this written journey and add your own insights, trials, and questions in the comments section. I love a food challenge so feel free to submit your requests for a healthy version of Aunt Murthy’s such and such and I will get to work.

I am now off to post the first recipes for you to enjoy before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Blessings to you all,

Carolyn