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Thread: The Joy of Plant Based Cooking and Eating

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    Avalon Member Kryztian's Avatar
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    Default The Joy of Plant Based Cooking and Eating

    There are already several superb threads here on Avalon about cooking, eating and nutrition such as What’s Cooking? and All Things Vegan! I think I have some things I would like to share and say that don’t quite fit onto either of these threads about cooking and eating, especially for those of us who are trying to consume more plant based meals but are not necessarily full fledged “vegans” or “vegetarians” or even have a word that describes our diet, but are trying to reduce animals products and increase plant products in our diets.
    For me, while I was attempting to be vegan, I was not as successful when I was contemplating the health issues or the ethical problems of eating animal products, but when I realized that trying to eat mostly plant products was a fun and enjoyable challenge, and that there was much more variety in the plants kingdom than in the animal kingdom, I had much better motivation to stay plant based . Much of my inspiration came from watching internet videos (e.g. Youtube) . There are so many interesting and inspiring videos that feature plant based ideas, some by vegans and some by omnivores. Some or them I had made or cannot wait to make, and some are quite entertaining and educational to watch, but are things I will probably never attempt.

    There are lots of different dietary codes out there, define by what you do or don’t eat (e.g. “pescetarians”, “lacto-ovo vegetarians”), by preparation methods (“macrobiotic”, “raw foodist”) by religious restrictions (“kosher”, “halal”) and by dietary needs (gluten free, oil free.) While not all of these are exclusively plant based, plant-based food often makes it easier to fulfill a lot of the requirement of these different diets. When I have friends visit, I always serve mostly plant based food so that no one feels left out, and my omnivore friends have never felt they are missing out on anything.

    Whether you are just a food voyeur who likes spying on innovative chefs, or you are looking for new ideas, ingredients, and new ways to enjoy eating food, there is a world of ideas on plant based cuisine out there and the library of them is growing every day.

    Bon Appétit!

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    Default Re: The Joy of Plant Based Cooking and Eating

    Plant based milk

    The first food I ever got “addicted” to was milk. I nearly drank my parents out of house and home and my mother was not happy when a big gallon container she just bought was emptied with lightening speed. I started drinking soy milk in my 20's and when I went back to cow’s milk, I realized it had a bitter acidic taste I couldn’t stand. As new products arrived in the stores, I graduated to almond, cashew, coconut and flax milk. I cut out soy milk too, except for when my friend of mine makes me some of the most delicious home made soy milk. Just like soy milk, all the other plant based milks are so much more tasty when you make them in your own blender.

    Here are two great videos on making your own milk at home. I can’t wait to try the black sesame milk.


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    Avalon Member Kryztian's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Joy of Plant Based Cooking and Eating

    Plants based mayo is often quite pricey, but making it can be easy, economical, and gives you a fresher tasting product.

    The easiest and most common way is to make it from soy:


    and the second most popular way is to make it from cashews:


    (note, she uses miso , which is made from soy, so eliminate the miso if you want something totally soy free)

    If you want mayo that is free of soy, nuts, and has less oil in it, this is a lot more work, but probably worth it:


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    Default Re: The Joy of Plant Based Cooking and Eating

    A vegan recipe for sour cream by moi

    Ingredients
    • 2 cups organic cashews soaked for at least four hours
    • 2 cups of water
    • 6-8 capsules of probiotics (polybac brand or vegan equivalent)


    Place water in a high speed blender. Add the cashews and priobotics.

    Turn the dial of your food processor to the highest speed and use the spatula to make sure the mixture is blended until very smooth.

    Place into a container and cover with a bio-plastic film and teatowel (or just the teatowel) and leave in a warm place until the desired sourness is reached. 16 hours in summer, 24 hours in winter?

    Place in the fridge and use as necessary.

    Please note that this recipe becomes more sour over time if left in the fridge.

    You can also water this down and use it like mayo.

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    Avalon Member Kryztian's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Joy of Plant Based Cooking and Eating

    Indonesian Cole Slaw

    This zesty coleslaw really explodes with flavor. I make a big batch and it keeps in the refrigerator for several days and I never get tired of it. I adapted it from “Jane Brody’s Good Food Gourmet” cookbook where it originally appeared as “Hot Diggity Slaw”, but my partner is from Indonesia where peanuts are used in sauce, and so it acquired this name. Truth be told, I have never eaten cabbage in Indonesia, but if they did have it there, this might just be how they would make it.

    * * * * * * * * * *
    Dressing

    1/4 cup peanut butter
    1 tablespoon lime juice (or lemon)
    1 tablespoon grated gingerroot
    1 clove minced garlic
    1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
    1/4 cup water (approximate - adjust for thickness)

    Salad

    ½ head of cabbage
    2 bell pepper (any color)
    ½ large red onion (or Mayan or Vidalia onion)
    4 carrots
    1. For the dressing, mix all ingredient in a bowl, allowing the peanut butter to soften in the liquid (approx 15 minutes.) Then whisk and add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dressing has the consistency or mayonnaise.
    2. Thinly slice peppers and cabbage with a mandolin or in a food processor. Coarsely grate carrots. Chop onion and place all vegetables in a bowl. Add dressing and refrigerate for an hour. When storing, remove any liquidy dressing from the bottom and store in a jar. You can add it back on when serving.
    * * * * * * * * * *

    Variations:
    • Omit the soy sauce and add 3 tbs. Braggs animo acid and you will have a 100% raw food salad
    • Add other vegetable like celery, radishes, jicama. Finely chopped leafy greens like kale work nicely. When selected other vegetables, it's good to have a mix of different colors. I like to use contrasting colors for the bell peppers.
    • Substitute half the green cabbage with red cabbage.
    • Add 1 to 3 minced jalapeno peppers (seeds removed) to spice it up even more.
    • The original recipe calls for chopped peanuts to be added on top before service. I’ve sometimes topped it with pistachios or black sesame seeds.
    • The original recipe also calls for 2 teaspoons of sugar in the dressing. You could add a sweetener, but frankly I think it interferes with the vegetable flavor.
    • Chop tofu or tempeh into 1/4-inch or less cubes and add for a little protein.
    • Add some crunch bean sprouts and/or broccoli sprouts.
    Last edited by Kryztian; 20th April 2020 at 03:11.

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    Default Re: The Joy of Plant Based Cooking and Eating

    Vanilla smoothie

    This is a really delicious way of getting kids to eat their bananas and just in time for summer too! (All you Northern Hemisphere folk). I have discovered that the more ripe a banana is, the better it tastes. Some fruitarian folk actually let their bananas ripen until the skin turns black.

    Ingredients

    half a vanilla bean
    a slurp of coconut water
    a slurp of almond milk
    4 medium sized very ripe frozen bananas

    Method

    Ripen your bananas until the skin is dark and speckled and the bananas are really soft. Freeze. Do not skip this part of the process, otherwise you will need to add a sweetener. The softer and more ripe a banana becomes, the sweeter it becomes.

    Mix the coconut water, almond milk and vanilla bean in a high speed blender until the vanilla bean is finely blended. Take the banana's directly out of the freezer and add immediately. Blend until smooth. You may need to use your blending stick for this.
    Last edited by Constance; 20th April 2020 at 04:34.

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    Default Re: The Joy of Plant Based Cooking and Eating

    I've not tried this recipe myself but it looks interesting! And...you never have to throw away your banana peels again

    This recipe is Swedish meatballs using banana peel; credit to chef Jana for this recipe.


    Ingredients:

    For the meatless balls:
    The peels of 6 medium greenish bananas - if your bananas are riper, you peel them, then scrape out the peels' inner white part and discard it (or save it for your smoothies!)
    3 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds mixed with 6 tablespoons of water
    1 small onion that's been minced and sweat in a skillet for 5 minutes
    2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley
    1/3 cup of cornstarch or potato starch
    1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
    Salt to taste
    2 teaspoons of vegetable bouillon
    1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
    1/2 teaspoon of onion flakes (or powder)
    1/2 teaspoon of dry oregano
    1/3 teaspoon of smoked paprika
    A pinch of nutmeg
    A pinch of garam masala
    1/3 teaspoon MSG (optional)
    1/3 teaspoon black pepper
    1 teaspoon of miso paste
    Oil for frying

    For the gravy:
    40g of vegan butter
    40g of all-purpose flour
    800 ml of veggie broth with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
    Salt if needed

    Mashed potatoes, green beans and lingonberry sauce for serving, or any other vegetables or noodles of your preference​!


    Method
    Wash the banana peels thoroughly in running water, roughly chop them, then add to your food processor, pulse it 8 or 9 times, scraping the sides when needed.
    Add the processed peels to a bowl, then add all the meatless balls ingredients. Mix it to combine, make small balls, place them into a tray, cover with a cling film and put them in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and 40 minutes.
    Remove from the fridge, fry them in hot oil in medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes each side or bake them in the oven at 350℉ for 20 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
    Remove the meatless balls from the skillet or oven, place them on a cooling rack or paper towel, reserve.
    Making the Gravy:
    Add the butter to a pot and allow it to melt on medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk to combine. Keep whisking for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is golden. Add the veggie broth with the soy sauce little by little, whisking every time you pour the liquid. Taste to check if it needs extra salt.

    Variation:

    For a healthier version, omit the MSG, the oil and the gravy and bake in the oven .

    For those who don't like to cook with onion and garlic, omit those two ingredients.


    Last edited by Constance; 28th April 2020 at 22:36.

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    Default Re: The Joy of Plant Based Cooking and Eating

    nice recipes constance & kyztian.
    thanx
    :

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    Default Re: The Joy of Plant Based Cooking and Eating

    So, knowing that something like a quarantine was coming, I bought a "hill" of beans, thinking it would be great survival food if there was a crisis. Canned beans and dry beans. Now I look at my pantry and say "what am I going to do with all of them???" Well, here are some great ideas.



    As she mentions in the video, even for dried beans, the quality of the bean goes down over time. They are good to keep in the cupboard for a couple of months, but not a couple of years.

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    Default Re: The Joy of Plant Based Cooking and Eating



    In this season, every evening I have my nettle soup, a plant that grows everywhere and that is often found in gardens. With the last rains, there has been a lot of repussent. I gather the nettles near my house. I also make potato pancakes with nettles, it's delicious. There I am going to go pick some, I have almost more and there is a beautiful sun outside.


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    Default Re: The Joy of Plant Based Cooking and Eating

    Jackfruit Enchilada Casserole with Green Salsa



    This is a good dish to make ahead of time and cook at the last minute. The flavors will meld together if they sit in the refrigerator and you put this in the oven before serving.

    * * * * *

    You will need:

    Unripened Jackfruit - usually canned. Removing the liquid and rinsing with water will remove some sour flavor, although there are other sour ingredients in this recipe. In the U.S. you can find canned jackfruit at any Trader Joe's.

    Vegetables: Onion, red bell pepper, and corn add some nice color. My last batch I added okra, tomatillos, zucchini and one diced jalapeño pepper.

    Beans: Canned or soaked beans. l use one can of black beans, one can of pinto beans.

    Salsa: You can buy this in a store, but I made my own green salsa in 5 minutes in a food processor. Recipe below. Use red, green, or chipotle.

    Corn tortillas: to layer in the casserole. Cut them in half first.

    Soy cheese: Soy mozzarella, soy cheddar, or other plant based cheese.

    Toppings: Chopped fresh cilantro, diced red onion, avocado slices.


    Directions:

    • Cook the filling: In a large pan, cook the filling. First cook onions, and bell paper. Add other vegetables, the beans and the jackfruit. Add about half the salsa. Add salt to taste.

    • In a 9" x 13" (22 cm x 33 cm) dish, assemble the casserole in layers in this order:
      salsa (half of remaining), tortillas (cut in half others shapes to make a layer), filling, soy cheese, tortillas, filling, salsa (remaining), soy cheese.



      Left: how to place tortilla halves for in dish. Right: Cooking the filling. Jackfruit is on top.

    • Cover with aluminum foil, and bake in oven at 375-degrees (190 C) for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes.

    • Put on your toppings and serve.

    * * * * *

    Green Salsa

    In a food processor, add 1½ lbs. tomatillos, slice in half, half an onion, cut in a few chunks, juice of one lime and a generous amount of cilantro. Blend until you have desired sauce texture.

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