Gardening--The New Compost Pile

So...I've always been a composter, and that's probably thanks to my grandma and grandpa.  Their farm was huge, and all the vegetables they ate were grown by hand (no machines or grocery stores).  It was impressive.  I remember my grandma putting vegetable scraps in a jug that she'd carry over to the large garden area (although she often gave them to her chickens too), and I also remember grandpa putting corn stalks in a pile for composting, along with other vegetable matter.  What a great garden that was.  What was cool was their land--between the chickens (plus their eggs), the cows (plus their milk), their vegetables and fruits, and wild game--fully sustained them.  I know my grandma bought sugar, coffee, and flour, but even then, I'm sure their earnings from making Christmas wreaths and selling firewood allowed them those amenities.

Anyway, back to composting...I started composting on my own right after I got married.  I became active in environmentalism and realized that I could send less trash to the landfill if I composted all vegetable scraps.  I've gotten better at my techniques over the years, but I really like the Biointensive way of doing it. 

Your bottom layer is comprised of sticks and twigs, because they allow the air to circulate.  Then you have a layer of brown (mature dead vegetation) and then green (fresh grass trimmings, garden clippings, and kitchen scraps--immature).  Then you have a thin layer of dirt (which contains the microbes that will cook the compost into humus).  I'll keep adding to this pile, layer by layer, until it's about four feet high (although it's already starting to compress).  It's under a tree, which is recommended by this method as well.  I won't use the compost from this pile until probably next year, but I'll start a new pile once this one gets big.  I won't turn it or anything.  Again, that's because Biointensive advocates mimicking nature as much as possible.  Turning the pile would make it compost faster, but I would end up with less carbon in the compost, so it's better to let nature take its course.

If you're interested in Biointensive gardening, their website is at Ecology Action.  If you're interested in these techniques, you can buy the book How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons, which is what I'm basing all my gardening on this year.  I can't wait to see how this year's garden compares to those of the past.

Gardening--Week One

So last week I started working on my Biointensive garden.  The first thing I had to do was plot out the area.  My old garden area was not wide or long enough (though it was probably big enough in square feet).  I needed an area that was 5 by 20 feet.  So I plotted out the area (which last year was overrun with weeds).  The next thing I had to do was soak the ground for up to two hours (I did it about one hour and had to move the sprinkler several times to get it all). 

Then, two days later, I had to start loosening up the soil.  The idea with Biointensive is to disturb the soil as little as possible (like nature), so there's no turning of the soil or anything like that.  However, my dirt is hard and clay-ey, so I have a lot of work to do.  So, two days after the soak (so it's not too wet and not too dry), I had to start working the pitchfork in to start breaking up the soil.

Now, I just have to let the sun, wind, and rain continue doing the work on the land.  In about a week I'll start the double digging process.  I've already started a pretty significant compost pile, and I have an old compost pile I can draw from for this year's garden.

Vegan "Chicken" Cacciatore Recipe

"Chicken" cacciatore was a menu suggestion for the Week Fourteen menu.  Here's my version of this traditional Italian dish.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cubed seitan
• ½ cup white whole wheat flour
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp + ½ tsp pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bell pepper, diced (red or green)
• 2 cups button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 2 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 6-oz. can tomato paste
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 bay leaf

Directions:

Combine the flour, salt, and ¼ tsp pepper in a bowl. Add the seitan pieces and stir until all pieces are coated. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven and fry the seitan pieces until they are browned on all sides.

Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper and sauté for three to five minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté for another minute. Then add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, tomato paste, additional pepper, oregano, garlic salt, and bay leaf. Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Serve over cooked spaghetti.

Happy eating!

Using Holiday Leftovers: Seitan Salad Sandwich Filling Recipe

In my previous life as a meat eater, I enjoyed eating the leftover food from Thanksgiving, but I also enjoyed not having to cook much over the course of the next few days.  Even if I'd whip up something small to go along with the leftovers, the leftovers themselves were the main focus!  Turkey was the biggest leftover, and maybe that's part of why I grew to dislike eating turkey.  Even though I would only eat turkey once or twice a year, I wasn't a huge fan.  So I don't miss turkey at Thanksgiving, and I wouldn't even if I weren't vegan!

Anyway, one thing I did miss was the sandwiches I'd make.  Again, I wasn't a huge turkey fan, but I'd make a turkey salad sandwich that I absolutely loved.  A problem now, as a vegan, is that those sandwiches had two no-nos:  turkey (of course) and mayonnaise.  I didn't miss them last year, but I thought about them this year.

I had a huge spread this year, because I made a lot of the traditional foods my family loves (and there are five others in my immediate family), but I made several dishes that were exclusively vegan (like seitan roast, a recipe I found on VegWeb) and veganized many of my old dishes (like sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes).  Well, I had some seitan roast left over, as well as almost two dozen rolls.  I also had lots of celery and onions I'd bought, overanticipating how much of those I'd need in my holiday cooking, and while the onions will fare all right before I get them used up, the celery might not.  So I decided to give this recipe a shot.  Now, all this said, you obviously don't have to wait until Thanksgiving to make this tasty sandwich filling, and I don't intend to wait a year for them either--you can use any seitan you have on hand.  Now, my one dilemma is finding sweet pickle relish without high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  I looked at all the ones at my local grocery store, and even the high priced brand names had it!!!  I was very disappointed.  Guess I'll have to find a recipe for that as well.  If any of you know of a brand of sweet pickle relish that doesn't use HFCS (or if you have a great recipe), please let me know.  In the meantime, please enjoy my newest creation!

Seitan Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups seitan, cubed
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• ½ small onion, diced
• ¼ cup sweet pickle relish
• ½ cup Vegenaise (I use Grapeseed Oil Veganaise)
• ¼ chopped nuts (optional)
• Bread or rolls (toasted, if desired)

Directions:

Heat oil in skillet. Add seitan cubes and sauté over medium-high heat until it begins to brown. Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Allow the seitan mixture to cool. Meanwhile, combine celery, onion, relish, Veganaise, and nuts (if desired). Once the seitan mixture is cooled, add it to the Veganaise mixture until thoroughly combined. Spread between two slices of bread or rolls to desired thickness.

Happy eating!

Picture from Week Twelve Menu

Just a visual treat...here's a picture of Mexican Casserole served with refried beans, Spanish rice, and tortillas.

Yum!  Happy eating!

Food Pictures!

So I've been pretty lax about posting pictures lately.  Guess I'm catching up on some much-needed rest!  Anyway, I'm hoping these pictures will inspire your next vegan meal or two:

Tex-Mex Pinto Beans and Rice from Week Nine Menu

Sloppy Joes from Week Eight Menu



Happy eating!

Picture from Week Seven Menu

Well, just wanted to make you hungry and inspire your next meal:

The mashed sweet potatoes took the longest to make (an hour maybe?).  I know I'll be making those for Thanksgiving!  I cut up two sweet potatoes, boiled them until they were soft, and then mashed them with a ricer.  I threw in a tablespoon or two of Earth Balance margarine and some organic brown rice syrup and organic maple syrup.  Tasty and colorful!  The penne I boiled for less than ten minutes and the sauce only took a couple of minutes.  The salad veggies and dressing I made while the sweet potatoes cooked, and the asparagus took just a minute or so. 

The alfredo sauce wasn't exactly what I remember alfredo tasting like, but I liked it anyway.  It was really good.  Even my carnivore family liked it.  And there was a nice variety of flavors and colors on the plate.  I hope you can make this too.  Happy eating!

Gorditas

Gorditas are one of the meals on the menu for this week.  If you've never had a gordita, you're in for a real treat.

You start by making masa dough (cornmeal dough used for making taco and tostada shells) with a little flour.  Separate the dough into several balls, then press each ball into a flat shape.  Cook them lightly and then pinch the sides into a saucer shape.  Then heat a little oil in a cast-iron skillet.  Fry each gordita on one side for a few minutes, then flip it over to cook on the other side.  Cook them till they're crispy and drain on paper towels.

But you also need toppings!  My favorite is black beans, heated up, but you could cook Boca crumbles and spice them up with cumin, garlic, and chili powder, or you could use pinto beans.  Use whatever you like.

Now you need some fresh toppings, and the sky's the limit.  Chopped lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and salsa were what I used this time, but there are so many other things you can use.  Guacamole or jalapenos, cilantro, bell peppers, green onions, olives, pico de gallo instead of salsa...what are some of your favorite toppings?

You end up with a delicious, filling meal.  You've probably guessed over the last few weeks that I love Mexican food.  I'm getting hungry again!

Notes from Week One's Menu

Sunday's menu I labeled "comfort food."  My mother, who typically used to feed us a salad with every meal, once in a while fed us what I now call the "Starchy Trifecta" of pinto beans, cornbread, and fried potatoes.  I'm sure it hearkens back to her Southern roots.  I remember my grandma using up her leftover cornbread by crumbling it in a glass, dicing onion, and pouring either milk or buttermilk in the glass and drinking/eating it like a soup.  I've never been a milk lover so that was never an option for me.  Rarely did I make the pintos with hamhocks like my family always did, and since becoming vegan, I make my own version of the cornbread without eggs or milk.  That said, it's still a favorite for me and reminds me of my childhood!  I've started adding something raw and fresh (like sliced tomatoes) so I don't feel so guilty when I eat it!  I prefer to make the pintos from scratch--they taste better and have fewer additives.

For those of you unfortunate enough to have never tried huaraches, the name comes from the Spanish meaning "shoe," because the cornmeal is shaped like shoes made and worn in Mexico.  So I recommend that if you need to Google a recipe, try the phrase "eat huarache."  And just an advance warning--I will often refer you to "Chef Chloe" (Coscarelli), because she is my favorite vegan recipe creator on the Net.  And I love adding food from all over the world in my cooking, from Asian to Mexican, European to the Middle East.  I'm always looking for new flavor combinations and trying to find ways to create good tastes with plant-based products only.

Finally, just a look at last week's bruschetta suggestion:

My mouth is watering just looking at it!  Yum.  Happy eating!