Moroccan-style Lentil & Yam Stew

December 23, 2007 – 10:29 pm

Happy November! This delicious stew is perfect for this time of year. It has a distinctive Moroccan flavor but using some ingredients that you may not find in that area. It’s best slow cooked in a tagine (also spelled tajine), slow cooker or solar oven but it can also be prepared in a pressure cooker. If using a pressure cooker or solar oven, you’ll need to decrease the amount of liquid.

Moroccan-style Lentil & Yam Stew

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs garnet yams, peeled and cut into 1-2 in chunks
  • 1 large sweet onion, cut into 1/2 inch crosswise slices
  • 1 cup French lentils*
  • 1 cup golden raisins
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 cup honey or 2T agave syrup
  • 1 tbl vegan non-hydrogenated margarine
  • 1 tbl olive oil
  • 2 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth
  • finely ground salt & pepper to taste

If using a solar oven, you’ll need to soak the French lentils overnight.

Directions

  1. Preheat the broiler.
  2. Brush the onion slices with olive oil on both sides. Place them on a baking sheet and broil, turning them until they are lightly browned on each side. Reserve.
  3. Place the lentils, garnet yams, raisins, cinnamon, ginger, honey (or agave syrup), vegan non-hydrogenated margarine, and water in a slow cooker.
  4. Place the reserved onions on top.
  5. Cook until done:
  • A couple of hours in a slow cooker on low
  • 45-70 minutes in a tagine at 350º
  • 2-3 hours in a solar oven
  • 10 minutes at high pressure in a pressure cooker, allow it to come down naturally
  1. Add salt & pepper to tast.

Serve alone or over couscous. Enjoy!

By Rebecca | Posted in Lentils, Main Dish, Pressure Cooker, Recipes, Slow Cooker, Solar Cooking, Stew, Tajine/Tagine, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Here Comes the Sun

December 16, 2007 – 6:31 pm

We had a beautiful day in the Seattle area today. Anyone who lives here will tell you that we enjoy the sun whenever we can this time of year. I celebrated by working on my homemade solar oven. It’s not something that I’ll be using often this time of year but I will use it when I can. I can’t wait to use it in the summer — bake cakes without heating up the house. :-) Solar ovens are easy and fun to make. They make great projects for kids and they’re useful when backpacking or camping in an RV not to mention at home. I plan on using my solar oven like a slow cooker: sit it outside in the morning and have a hot cooked meal when I return home in the evening. The food will be ready in 2-4 hours but it won’t burn if you leave it in longer. You can prepare the sames things in a solar oven that you would on the stove top or in the oven: pastas, soups, stews, bread, cake, cookies, pizza, etc. Temperatures in the type of solar oven I am building will get up to about 225-250º F. This is a real oven, not a toy.Some commercial solar ovens can reach temperatures as high as 425-450ºF and will cook things in the same amount of time it would take for conventional cooking. However, you may have to reposition the oven as the sun moves. You can use it as I plan to, though, but cooking times will be a little longer than a conventional oven. Two commercial solar ovens that reach high temperatures are the Sun Oven and the Tulsi Hybrid Solar Oven. The Tulsi Hybrid allows you to use solar alone, electricity alone or a combination of solar and electricity making it a year-round oven even for places like Seattle.But unless you have time constraints for cooking your food, there’s no reason not to start out with a homemade one from cardboard boxes, foil and glue (or wheat paste) and see how you like it. They are inexpensive to make and you should be able to finish a simple one in 1 hour (panel style) to 3 hours (box style). If you don’t have boxes around the house, go to to a grocery store and ask for some of theirs. Or go to an appliance store and ask for a large piece of cardboard from a refrigerator box (perfect for the panel solar ovens).

Benefits

There are many advantages and benefits to using a solar oven. Here are a several reasons directly from the solar cooking wiki:

  • Food needs little attention while cooking, leaving the cook free to attend to other matters.Scorching is very rare, so clean-up is simplified.
  • Most of the preparation for a meal can be done early in the day, so there is less last-minute fuss.
  • While food cooks in the sun, the kitchen stays cool.
  • The gentle cooking preserves flavor and aroma, so the food tastes better.
  • Foods can be preserved for out of season use at no cost in power, either by solar dehydration or, in the case of some acidic foods, by canning.
  • In some climates, the fact that a panel cooker has potential to be used at night as a chiller could be very useful in preserving some types of short-term fresh foods or leftovers.

I hope you’ll consider giving it a try. For those of you who have looms on order from Decor Accents, Inc., the shipping box makes a great box for a solar oven. You’re part way there!

More Information

For more information on solar ovens and solar cooking, check out the following resources:

By Rebecca | Posted in Environment, Health, Solar Cooking | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Sprouts

December 9, 2007 – 8:53 pm

Looking for an easy way to add organic produce to your diet during the winter? Sprout ‘em! Growing sprouts is easy, takes very little space and time and a great way to get your fresh veggies during the winter. This video is one of the easiest ways to grow sprouts.

The lids can be made or bought from your local health food store. If they don’t sell them, you can always purchase a lid from Sprout People. I use a three-tray Biosta sprouter. It holds the perfect amount of water in each try and has a large yield. The downside is that it takes up more counter space than using a jar but probably not more once you factor that you can grow three different types of sprouts at once.Sprouts are said to be the most nutrient dense food and they are highly digestible. These are two reasons why they are promoted by advocates of raw food diets. Curious about what the nutritional value of sprouts actually is? Here’s a table of some of the most common sprouts folks like to eat. Nutritional data is from the USDA.

Nutrients per 1 cup
Nutrition Info Alfalfa Mung Bean Radish Soybean Wheat
Calories 10 26 16 86 214
Protein 1.3 g 2.5 g 1.4 g 1.3 g 8.0 g
Fiber 3% DV 4% DV n/a 3% DV 4% DV
Vitamin C 5% DV 23% DV 18% DV 5% DV 5% DV
Iron 2% DV 4% DV 2% DV 2% DV 11% DV
Folate 3% DV 9% DV 9% DV 3% DV 10% DV

Safety

There are some health concerns associated with eating sprouts that can be easily avoided.

  • Toxins: Some legumes contain toxins that is reduced during the process of soaking, sprouting and cooking. If you are eating sprouted legumes raw, it’s best to limit the amount to 20 oz or less a day which is still quite a bit.
  • Phototoxic: If you each large quantities of sprouted buckwheat, you may become sensitive to light. See an article by Gilles Arbour for more information.
  • Salmonella and E. coli O157: Some people believe if you sprout your own seeds, you won’t have to deal with these issues but that’s not true. If the bacteria are present in or on seed, they can grow to high levels even under clean conditions. If this is of concern to you, do not eat the sprouts raw.
By Rebecca | Posted in Environment, Health, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Loomingitis

December 2, 2007 – 3:23 pm

It’s the bonus round! :-) I received my looms today from Decor Accents, Inc.. Sam makes the most wonderful looms! For those who are not familiar with loom knitting, it’s a form of knitting that creates fabric with the same (or similar) stitches to needle knitting but uses a loom instead. It’s great for those of us with arthritis who find it next to impossible to hold needles.I caught “loomingitis” almost 2 years ago now. As a result, I put up the site Loom Knitting Help which is an encyclopedia of loom knitting. It’s not completed yet — there’s always more to write — but I’m working on it. I’m currently writing a web application that will automatically convert needle knitting patterns to loom knitting patterns. I’ve put up directions to do this by hand but I know some would prefer to have it done automatically.If you are new to knitting, this is a great way to start. You can start out small (and cheap) with Knifty Knitters and then branch out to handmade looms like Sam Phelps makes. For those of you who like to use super bulky yarns, consider using one of the looms made by Cliff of Kiss Looms. Cliff’s looms work like Pocket Looms but he allows you to adjust the gauge from large gauge up to extra large gauge.With the cold weater arriving, I bet it would be nice to have a pair of socks to kick around in around the house. Here are some patterns to get you started. Stay tuned for more patterns. I have a baby sweater waiting to be posted as well as an adult women’s sweater. I think you’ll like the look and feel of both. Plus they’re easy to do!

By Rebecca | Posted in Knitting, Loom, Pattern | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Egg & Dairy Replacements

November 25, 2007 – 3:00 pm

When I first discovered that I was allergic to egg yolks & whites and whey, I set out to find replacements. Below are what I discovered through many different trials.

Egg Substitutes

The first thing to determine in your recipes is whether the egg is being used for binding, leavening (lift & lightness), and/or taste. Once you’ve determine that, you’ll have an easier time of determining a replacer.Here’s a table of egg replacers in baking that I’ve tried. One of my favorites is using soy lecithin. All entries below equal 1 whole egg. Other egg replacers are noted below the table.

What Where When
2 T flax seed and 3 T water. Grind the flax seed in a coffee grinder; mix the ground flax seeds with the water in a blender and blend until smooth. Baked goods Binding & Leavening
1/2 T tapioca flour, 1/2 T potato starch, 1/8 t baking powder, 1/16 t xanthan gum, 1/4 c water, and 1 t canola oil. Whisk all ingredients together. Works well in baked goods, especially ones that are light colored Binding & Leavening
2 T starch (potato, tapioca, arrowroot, corn, soy flour) and 1/4 c water. Use in baked goods Binding & Leavening
2 t baking soda and 2 T water Use in baked goods Leavening
1 t psylium seed husk and 1/4 c water. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Use in baked goods Binding & Leavening
1/4 c fruit puree (such as apple, pear, pumpkin, or bananas) and 2 t baking powder. Mix thoroughly. Use in sweet baked goods. Each will leave a specific flavor so keep that in mind when choosing which fruit you want to use. If you are not concerned about the leavening, remove the baking powder. Binding & Leavening
2 T soy lecithin (granules or liquid) and 1/4 c water. Blend well. Use in baked goods Binding & Leavening
1/4 c soy yogurt Use in baked goods Binding & Leavening
1/4 c whipped or beaten silken tofu Use in place of a large number of eggs such as for a quiche; takes on the flavor of the other ingredients Binding
3T okara and 1T water. Blend well. Use in place of large eggs such as for a quiche; use to replace eggs in baking bread, brownies, cakes and cupcakes; takes on the flavor of the other ingredients Binding
1 t Ener-G Egg Replacer and 2 T water. Mix thoroughly. Works best in crispy baked goods such as cookies Binding & Leavening
2 T water, 1 T canola oil, 2 t baking powder. Mix thoroughly Baked books Binding & Leavening
1/4 c mashed potatoes, tomato paste, or rolled oats Vegetarian “meat” loaves or anything savory Binding & taste
2-4 T water Baked goods that are flat such as cookies and pancakes Taste

Other substitutions for eggs:

  • Egg Whites: Mix 1 T agar agar powder with 1 T water, whip and chill. Whip again.

    N.B.: I’m not a fan of powdered agar agar. While it does have 5x the gelling powder of flakes & bars, it’s also highly processed and tends to leave a bad taste in the finished dish. Whenever possible, I use bars or flakes instead but I have not have much luck in that regard in replacing egg whites.

  • “Egg” Salad or Scrambled “Eggs”: Use 1/4 c cubed firm tofu or 1/4 c okara per egg in the recipe.

Dairy Substitutes

I’ve found that dairy substitutes are much easier to make than egg.

What With When
Butter or Margarine Flax oil —OR— Udo’s Oil —OR— Nut butters —OR— Apple sauce —OR— Earth Balance Whenever butter is called for except for Udo’s Oil which should not be heated
Buttermilk 1 T lemon juice or apple cider vinegar1 c plain warm soy or rice milk —OR— 1 c plain soy yogurt—OR—1 3/4 T cream of tartar1 c plain soy milk Any time buttermilk is called for in a recipe
Cheddar, shredded Vegan Gourmet brand “cheeses” Whenever you need cheese to melt. No other vegan cheese melts like Vegan Gourmet.
Cottage Cheese Crumbled Firm or Extra Firm Tofu or use Okara In lasagnes and other dishes
Mayonnaise Vegenaise if you prefer mayonnaise; Nayonaise if you prefer Miracle Whip Whenever mayonnaise is called for in a recipe
Milk Plain soy, rice or nut milk Any time milk is called for in a recipe
Mozzarella, shredded Vegan Gourmet brand “cheeses” Whenever you need cheese to melt. No other vegan cheese melts like Vegan Gourmet.
Ricotta Cheese Crumbled Firm or Extra Firm Tofu or use Okara In lasagnes and other dishes
Shortening Earth Balance shortening Whenever shortening is called for in a recipe
Sour Cream Tofutti Sour Cream —OR— Soy yogurt —OR— process 3/4 c silken tofu or okara, 2T lemon juice, 3T canola oil, 2t brown rice vinegar, and 3/4 t salt in a food processor until smooth Any time sour cream is called for in a recipe
Yogurt Soy yogurt Any time yogurt is called for in a recipe

This post has also been made into a separate page on BlueDogBlog.com. It’s a question that I’m frequently asked by both vegans and people with allergies so I wanted to make it as easy as possible to find.

By Rebecca | Posted in Bake, Cheeze, Health, Nut Milk, Oat Milk, Okara, Recipes, Rice Milk, Soymilk, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

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