Creamy coconut parsnip rice with caramelized butternut squash: it’s the kind of recipe that sounds so exotic, so rich, and so layered. In some ways, this recipe is all of those things. What it is NOT is difficult, time consuming, or unapproachable, which exotic and layered recipes often are. In fact, the roasted squash (which could be swapped out for different ad-ons) is the most time-consuming part of this recipe. In these busy November days, with my semester heading into its closing stages, I’ve never needed recipes like this one—quick, easy, filling, and complex—more urgently.

If you’re curious about what, exactly, makes caramelized squash caramelized, it’s a good question: essentially, it is simply butternut squash that has been roasted at high temperatures with a touch of sugar and salt. The end product is covered with a sweet and salty glaze—hence the comparison to caramel. It’s one of my favorite means of preparing any winter squash, and it’s also a killer method for beets, carrots, and parsnips, the latter of which is the other star of this dish!

This meal, like many of my combo raw/cooked meals, is room temperature or just lukewarm: the parsnip rice is room temperature, and the cooked squash heats it up a bit when you mix. You can absolutely heat the whole dish gently in a sauté pan, if you’re in the mood for a warmer meal, or even steam the parsnips. You can also do as I did, and dehydrate the parsnip rice for about 10-15 minutes before you mix it with the coconut milk, salt, and other ingredients. None of these steps are necessary if you’re in a rush: they are simply means of creating a warmer plate, which I know is a priority for many of my readers as we head into winter months.

Creamy Coconut Parsnip Rice with Caramelized Butternut Squash (high raw, vegan, gluten and soy free)

Serves 2

For the caramelized squash:

2 lbs (about one small) butternut squash, peeled and diced into inch cubes
2 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp dermerara or palm sugar (date paste, maple syrup, and agave are all acceptable substitutes, but I like the traditional use of sugar here)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Toss the squash in the oil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, until squash is tender and getting brown. You can (and should) leave it in the over for a few minutes longer if you want a more caramelized effect. Set aside till you’re ready to make dinner.

For the creamy parsnip rice:

4-5 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
Juice of half a lime
2/3-3/4 cup coconut milk (full fat or low fat, but full fat is nice here)
2 tsps agave
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp curry powder (optional)

1) Place parsnip and salt in a food processor and process till the mixture resembles rice. At this point, you can dehydrate it for about 10-15 minutes to warm it up, if you so desire.

2) Transfer rice to a bowl and mix with your coconut milk, lime, agave, and cinnamon. Mix in your butternut squash, check seasoning, and dig into a fresh bowl of sweet, creamy comfort.

Note that while the squash works really well in this recipe, you can substitute a raw veggie to make it all raw, or any combination of roast or steamed veggies in place of squash. The rice here is a wonderful template for further culinary experiments!! And there’s a lot you can do with the rice, too: currants, raisins, and lime zest would be a fun place to start.

Dishes like this embody the versatility that I so embrace in cooking. Raw or cooked, complex or simple, salty or sweet: there are so many ways to customize this meal!

Anyway, before I go, apologies for having disappeared for a day. It’s hard for me to a) write my blog and b) cook things to write about on my blog when I’m gearing up for two exams. Even so, I’m always dying to get back to the keyboard when I take a hiatus, however quick: I miss you all, and our conversations.

Hope you’re having fantastic weekends.

xo

Happy Hump Day! Are we all gearing up for a long weekend? 

In keeping with yesterday’s butternut squash theme (if you hadn’t guessed, I buy the stuff in bulk), I thought I’d share the wonderful rice dinner I whipped up last night using my favorite autumn vegetable. I love winter squash so much that it tends to outshine any other ingredient in any recipe, but the star of this dish was in many ways the exotic rice I used: Madagascar pink rice from Lotus Foods. This rice, which I received in my Vida Vegan Con swag bag, has a subtle sweetness and a beautiful pink hue. I also found that it’s slightly sticky rice when cooked: not so sticky as sushi or black rice, but a little more sticky than regular ole short grain brown rice (which is what I tend to cook with). A few more fun facts about pink rice:

• Cooks in only 20 minutes
• Whole grain and heart healthy
• 3rd year transition, organic certification
• Fair trade
• Gluten and wheat free
• Nutritionally dense, milled to retain most of the wholesome bran layer

I rarely say “no” to rice that cooks in 20 minutes—what a gift! I couldn’t wait to use this new whole grain when I saw it in the swag bag, and it didn’t disappoint; I swear I could taste a hint of cinnamon in it, even though the likely reality is that I’d read that on the packaging.

This dish is not a one pot meal. It involves roasting vegetables first, whipping up a marinade for the rice, and cooking the rice on its own. But, for the incredible depth of flavor and caramelized goodness that comes from roasting, I beg you not to turn this into a one-pot meal and cook your veggies with the rice; it just won’t taste the same! Keep in mind, too, that the roasting requires no effort, and that you can do this all as you study, work, or putter around the house.

Pink Rice with Roasted Butternut Squash, Onion, and Green Peas (vegan, gluten free)

Serves 4

1 lb butternut squash, cut into small cubes
1 small onion, diced
1 small apple, diced
1 tbsp coconut oil
Sea salt and pepper
1 cup pink rice (brown or black is fine, too!)
2 cups water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsps Bragg’s or tamari
1 tsp agave
2 tsps powdered ginger
1.5 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (I use low sodium)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 heaping cup frozen green peas

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and place the squash, onion, and apple on it. Coat with coconut oil and salt and pepper to taste, and roast for 40 minutes, or until it’s all getting caramelized.

2) When you’ve got about 15 minutes left on the veggies, start the rice, either in a rice cooker or on the stovetop. Cook with the 2 cups water according to package instructions.

3) Whisk together your olive oil, tamari or Bragg’s, agave, rice vinegar, ginger, and apple cider vinegar and set aside.

4) By the time your rice cooks, the veggies should be done. As soon as the rice is ready, toss in the roast veggies and the frozen peas (you don’t even need to pre-steam them, I swear: the hot rice will cook them instantly!). Finally, add a few tablespoons of the oil/vinegar/tamari mix. I must have used about 1/4 cup, but you could definitely use more or less according to taste.

5) Serve with a hearty salad for a wonderful, savory and sweet dinner!

You really can’t go wrong with this dish. It’s absolutely delicious, the ginger gives it a little exotic flair, and in spite of the cooking steps, it comes together with very little effort. I urge you to try it the next time you’ve got some squash on your hands! And naturally, you can use a rice of your choice.

Thanks, everyone, for inquiring about the Orgo test! I will tell you that I saw a kid throw his own test into the trashcan and leave the auditorium about halfway through, and that’s a fairly accurate representation of how most of us felt. Then again, the thing about these hard science classes is that there’s always a curve, and when everyone feels as though they were just destroyed by IUPAC naming and reaction mechanisms, it’s hard not to go home with a sense of beleaguered camaraderie. What will be, will be.

And no matter what, there’s good food to come home to.

xo

Glad everyone liked the looks of my curried carrot and red grape slaw!!!

This week, temperatures plummeted for the first time since I’ve lived in DC. In a span of only a few hours, it seemed, we’d gone from swampy heat to the distinctive chill of autumn. Fall is my favorite season, and so I welcome this change , but even I was taken aback by its suddenness, which left me with a couple of critical questions:

• Should I sleep with my window open or shut?
• Should I break out my heavier fall coat now, or should I layer my lighter jacket with a sweater?
• Is it too chilly for flats?

Most importantly,

• What am I in the mood to eat?

I’m not really a seasonal eater: my food cravings are all over the place, and I’m as likely to go through a high raw phase in the dead of winter as I am to crave hot soup in the summertime. For whatever reason, the temperatures and textures my body seems to need have very little to do with the seasons. That said, I love to use seasonal produce, and autumn is the season of winter squash. I devour pumpkin, acorn, kabocha squash, and butternut squash from September onward, with relish. I’ll eat them in the summer, sure, but for whatever reason they don’t seem to have the same allure when it’s piping hot outside.

A few nights ago, I was struck by one of my first annual butternut squash cravings. The problem was that I was equally eager for something raw and cooling. I took a moment to think about what was in my fridge, and after some consideration I decided to throw together the following high-raw dinner. It was creamy, savory, and totally satisfying, and it met my simultaneous cravings for autumnal and summer produce nicely. I even went out of my comfort zone and made my typical zucchini alfredo sauce a little garlicky: it worked beautifully, and I surprised myself by loving every bit of the garlicky taste. If you’re not into garlic, simply omit or half the amount in the recipe.

Zucchini Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash and Cream Sauce (high raw, vegan, gluten free)

Serves 1

1 zucchini, spiralized
1 heaping cup butternut squash, cubed, drizzled lightly with olive oil, dusted with sea salt and pepper, and roasted at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

For the sauce:

1 ¼ cup cashews, soaked for a few hours
¾ cup water
2 small cloves garlic
1 tsp agave
1/3 cup lemon juice
¾ tsp sea salt
1 tsp miso

1) Toss zucchini and squash together.

2) To make the sauce, put the soaked cashews in your Vita-Mix or food processor along with the agave, garlic, lemon juice, sea salt, miso, and 1/3 cup water. Blend until it looks thick and creamy. With the motor running (in either the processor or the Vita), drizzle more water in until the sauce is totally smooth (if you’re using a food processor, you’ll have to stop and scrape sides occasionally) and the consistency you want.

3) Pour enough sauce over your zucchini and butternut squash to coat them generously. Serve, topped with some nutritional yeast if you like!

This dinner got served with a giant salad of massaged kale and black lentils. The following night, I used up the sauce and butternut squash by making another helping, and I added chickpeas to that bowl. Absolutely delicious.

This is a perfect example of the kind of easy, versatile, and satisfying raw dinner I love. You could modify this in countless ways by adding different kinds of beans, nuts, seeds (hemp seeds would be fantastic!) or some seared tempeh. You could also substitute any winter squash or yams for the butternut here. No matter what, this is a delectable and simple way to enjoy a high raw meal that’s touched by the flavors and textures of autumnal food.

Before I go, I wanted to share a link to an article that my friend Sarah–whom you may remember from her wonderful green recovery joint post–wrote last night about the difficulties of being a raw foods lover in a community of people who are slightly more orthodox and extreme about raw foodism than she is (or wants to be). Given that

a) many people in the raw foods community do have histories of disorderd eating habits
b) dietary guidelines prescribed by 100% raw foodists can feel restrictive, and
c) restriction tends to be triggering for people with ED histories

we have a formula for potential conflict. Raw foodism (and plant-based diet in general) often speaks powerfully to men and women with ED histories; it’s a frustrating irony that it can also evoke or trigger the same black or white, rule-oriented thinking that got us into trouble in the first place. Some might claim that people with ED pasts are simply not well suited to raw foodism. But I’d like to believe that there’s another answer out there, which is for those same people to approach the diet without orthodoxy. Enjoy yourself, maintain an inclusive diet, and find a way of enjoying raw food that feels organic and reasonable to you.

This is my advice, and it’s the essence of Sarah’s honest, thoughtful, and respectful post. Sarah works in the heart of the raw world, and I think it’s very brave of her to assert her own food needs and preferences in spite of the fact that she so obviously reveres her raw food mentors. Check it out if you have some reading time, and share your thoughts!

Till tomorrow,

xo

Thanks for sharing your weird ‘sammich ideas! I was glad you all liked the cashew/apple combo.

When you’ve been eating semi-raw for as long as I have, you start to realize that you’ve had both a raw and a cooked version of almost all of your favorite foods: soups, burgers, wraps, etc. I make sunshine burgers raw, and I make them cooked; I make hummus raw, and hummus cooked; I make noodles raw, and noodles cooked; you get the idea, right?

One of my favorite soups in the world is butternut squash and apple. I love how the sweet, starchiness of the squash is met by the tartness of apples; I love the fall flavors and spices; I love the simplicity and ease of making it. A long time ago, I shared my recipe for a raw version of butternut squash and apple soup (I don’t love root vegetables in raw form, but I don’t mind them that way when they’re blended), which is one of my favorite raw soups, period.

This past weekend, I tried my hand at a cooked version, and liked the results almost as much. Before I play a fun little game of comparison, let me share the new recipe:

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup (Vegan, gluten free, soy free if you don’t use soy milk)

(serves 2-4)

1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped (if you use pre-cut, this should be about 3 lbs)
3 apples of choice, chopped; I used Braeburn
1 very small onion, chopped
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt (+more to taste)
Black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp crushed thyme
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup coconut, soy, or rice milk

1) Place squash, apples, and onion on a large roasting tray. Drizzle coconut oil and salt and pepper over them, mix with your hands, and roast at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until they’re all soft and golden.

2) Place roasted veggies in a blender with vegetable broth, nutmeg, soy, rice, or coconut milk, and thyme. Blend, and season to taste with salt and pepper. If the soup needs more liquid, add some more, until it’s the consistency you like. I like mine nice and thick!

3) Transfer to a pot, and re-heat. Serve dusted with cinnamon.

How does this recipe stack up to my raw recipe? Good question. Let’s compare:

The Cooked

Pros:

• Depth of flavor: roasting the veggies gives this soup a deep, sweet, smoky flavor that simply can’t be found in the raw recipe.
• Mainstream appeal: this recipe is, I think, a little more familiar in flavor than my raw recipe, which is also familiar, but brighter and lighter than the norm.
• Heat: this is your go-to for a cold winter day.

Cons

• Time: roasting the vegetables takes quite a bit of time, so this isn’t a recipe you can make spontaneously, or enjoy immediately.
• Mess: roasting pans are a pain to clean.
• Sweetness: I find that roasting all of your veggies brings out the natural sugars, which means that this soup is on the sweet side. Now, I love this, and many others will, too, but if you’re cooking for someone who doesn’t appreciate sweet/savory food, you may prefer the raw version.

The Raw

Pros:

• Speed! This soup comes together in mere moments, and tastes as if you’ve simmered it for a while (well, aside from the fact that it’s not hot…you know what I mean. It tastes complete). So, even if it occurs to you to make this at the last moment, you’ll still have time for a delicious meal.
• Less mess: You’ll chop a lot, but no roasting pans to deal with. Or pots. Score.
• Brightness of flavor: you taste everything in this soup—the spices, the apple, the salt—because it’s so unbelievably fresh.

Cons:

• Temperature: while you could easily heat this soup up, it lacks the warmth (and depth of flavor) of the cooked soup. Maybe better for autumnal cravings during the summer?
• Starchiness: leaving the butternut squash raw will give the soup a slightly starchy mouthfeel. I barely notice this, but a very picky eater might. If you’re scared of that, steam the squash lightly.
• Novelty: the idea of a raw soup may freak out non-raw guests. You can either trick them, and not say a thing before you serve it (just let them be surprised), or you can opt to make a cooked version for others, and enjoy the raw version yourself.

I think that’s a pretty good summary of the soups’ strengths and weaknesses—and it speaks to some of the pros and cons of cooking vs. uncooking in general (that is, cooking is messier and slower, but often easier when you entertain; raw food can present challenges in terms of texture and novelty, but is fast and fresh). In truth, they’re both delicious meals, both worthy of dinner, depending on how much time you have and what your priorities are!

As for taste, did I have a preference? Yep. I registered a faint preference for my raw version when I tried the cooked one, but I still really, really enjoyed the cooked one. And M did too, though he noted that it was a little salty (I originally had 3/4 tsp, so I decreased it to 1/2; that should be safe, and you can add more if you want more).

In any case, butternut and apple is a match made in heaven, so I hope you try either of these soups—or both of them!—soon!

What’s your favorite soup? If it’s raw, can you imagine eating it cooked? If it’s cooked, do you think you could make a raw version?

xo

Glad you’re all into the chia hemp power pudding! I suspected you would be

If M were chiming in as I write this, he’d think of a good name for the stew I’m about to share. As you can see, the name I’ve given it is none too creative. But let that not dissuade you, readers: this is a tasty one.

When I was a normal working lady, coming home to dinner was my favorite ritual. No, I didn’t always have the luxury of a home made meal at the end of each day, but I’d say there were at least three nights each week when I could come home from the office, make a great dinner, and eat it in the quiet comfort of my little apartment. Nowadays, I get home from class anytime between 8 pm and 11 pm, so those perfect weekday meals are a thing of the past: sometimes I manage a great mid-week dinner, but more often than not I’m throwing together a salad as quickly as I know how.

As recompense for this, I spend my weekdays looking forward to my two favorite rituals: being reunited with M at the end of each week, and cooking. Friday mornings are always a high point for me, since I can wake up knowing that my day will end either with my arrival in D.C., or M’s arrival here. And amidst all of that, dinner will have to be made.

Last night, I got to D.C. after a long week of exams and counseling work. It was a perfect night for a rewarding, home cooked meal if ever there was one, but I needed that meal to be fast and easy. Pressure cooker to the rescue! As you all know, M introduced me to the wonder that is the pressure cooker early in our relationship, and life hasn’t been the same since. I know I owe you guys a tutorial, and I swear I’ll get on that, but in the meantime let me tell you about the quick and easy soup I threw together in 10 minutes with its trusty help.

Spontaneity doesn’t rank too high in my skills as a chef. I’m great at making recipes up, following them, and I’m a champ at planning: give me a dinner party or a busy week of packed lunches and I’ll have a step-by-step game plan at the ready in a moment’s time. I’m methodical and I think ahead, and I find this to be a good asset as a food blogger. What I wish I had, though, is that magical quality that truly “chefly” people seem to have: the capacity to improvise brilliantly. I’m a self-trained cook who’s proud of her progress, but boy do I wish I could simply gaze into a pantry or a grocery box and be flooded with brilliant meal ideas and flavor pairings.

Sigh. One day.

For now, I’m getting better at working spontaneously with ingredients on hand. Case in point? A soup that came from my leftover butternut squash, M’s brand new split peas, a grocery box full of kale and chard, and a cabinet stocked with spices.

Butternut Squash and Split Pea Soup (Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free)

Serves 3-4

1 lb butternut squash, chopped into small chunks or cubes
1 cup green or yellow split peas
3 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 1/2 cups water with 1/2 vegan bouillan cub, or 5 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1-2 tsps curry powder (adjust this to taste)
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a pressure cooker and bring to a low boil. Seal the cooker and cook on high pressure for 7 or 8 minutes.

Release pressure (naturally or quick release) and serve. I enjoyed my with a sprinkle of nooch on top!

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, simply bring the ingredients to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook until squash and peas are tender (45 min or so).

It was delicious on its own:

And equally excellent with some kale salad and Ezekiel toast:

What a perfect way to end the week: twin homecomings. Reunited with M and the kitchen, all’s right with the world.

What’s your favorite Friday or weekend ritual? And what sort of food goes with it?

xo

Thanks so much for the enthusiastic response to my back to school post! It was fun to watch all of you light up with enthusiasm about the student life, just as I have this week.

I’m in the middle of deciding my curriculum, and it looks like the choice is between an accelerated study track that will be rigorous, but expedite my post-bacc, and a slower course that will mean waiting for a few months before I dive into the serious work. I’m leaning toward the former, so I’m simultaneously preparing myself to kiss leisure time goodbye. I don’t know that it’ll be worse than the last year (two jobs and night school), but it’s at least equal, so my little stint as a domestic goddess is about to draw to a close. Before it does, I must properly pay tribute to the long, labor-intensive, and awesome dinners that I enjoyed with M in D.C. last week!

First up? Risotto.

I love risotto. It’s warm, carb-y, delicious, and even though it’s easy to prepare, it looks and tastes professional. It’s often my go-to for entertaining—provided there are enough people around to entertain themselves for a while while I stir—or for holidays. And in spite of how long risotto takes to prepare, I have yet to churn out a batch that was a failure. It’s as close to an error-proof dish as I’ve ever found.

Last week, I decided to combine two of my favorite things—rice and butternut squash—and create my first ever butternut squash risotto. Naturally, the pairing of two such stellar main ingredients was a success. I loved this dish, and I hope you will, too!

Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto (serves 4)

1 tbsp Earth Balance or olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 1/2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 standard box (about 29 oz) reduced-sodium vegetable broth, mixed with about 1/2 cup water
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage

1) In a medium heavy-bottom saucepan, melt Earth Balance or heat olive oil on medium heat. Add onion and squash; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring now and then, until the squash is getting tender. It should take about 10 minutes. While you do that, empty your veggie broth into a pot, and keep it heated on a low flame.

2) Add rice; stir to coat, and pan fry it a little. Add the wine next, and cook until almost all liquid has evaporated. It should take about 2 minutes.

3) Reduce heat to medium-low; add 1/2 cup hot broth mixture. Cook, stirring, until almost all liquid is absorbed. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until all liquid is absorbed and rice looks creamy before adding more. You’ll probably need 40 minutes total.

4) Stir in nooch, sage, and more salt and pepper to taste (I used about 3/4 teaspoon). Serve immediately, and hot!

Served up with simple salads, this was a perfect winter dinner. And keep in mind that, if you disregard the long prep time, this was by far the easiest dinner I made all week for me and M; all I had to do was stir.

M noted that cold leftovers were even better than the original bowl. I didn’t have a chance to test this theory, but I can believe it.

Cook’s note: one of my favorite things to do with leftover risotto is to pan fry little patties of it in a touch of olive oil. If you make this recipe and want to switch it up with the leftovers, try it!

And that, friends, is how to make a perfect and deceptively chef-like dinner on a cold winter’s night. As school fires up, I’m going to feel gratitude for every night on which I have an hour or more to cook. For now, you can look forward to a few more of last week’s highlights, including homemade pizza (dough and all) and a mystery recipe I can’t wait to share. Stay tuned!

xo

Thanks so much to those of you who read and commented on my interview at The Lunchbox Bunch yesterday. I appreciate it!

Since the Veggie Girl Power Series is all about celebrating vegan women, I thought it would be a good day to talk my friend Melisser’s wonderful new book, The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life.

Before I go any further, a full disclosure: I’m a little biased. See, months ago, Melisser wrote to me saying that she needed a nutrition expert to write a short, user-friendly section on the basics of vegan nutrition for the book, answering such questions as:

And…

Honored, I said I would be happy to oblige! My short primer on vegan nutrition, then, can be found early in the pages of The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life. In it, I offer some basic talking points (vitamin B-12, etc.). I even offer something I rarely offer on my blog: samples of what daily vegan meal plans might look like, featuring some of Melisser’s delicious recipes (NB: the reason I don’t do this on my blog is because my readers vary too much in nutrition needs for me to write prescriptively. In the case of Melisser’s book, it wasn’t hard to show readers how her recipes might fit into a balanced day of eating.):

But enough about me. My contribution is but a tiny part of this comprehensive guide to vegan living: the clothes, the beauty and skin care, the household cleaning, the DIY and craft tips, and, of course, the food. It’s also a Who’s Who of vegan women, featuring the recipe contributions and craft projects of some of the most respected vegan chefs and bloggers in the world (Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Hannah Kaminsky, Celine Steen, Julie Hasson, Kittee Berns, Kelly Peloza, and more), as well as interviews with women who are at the helm of vegan businesses. Some of my favorite interviews are with Sara Sohn, maker of the incredible Sweet & Sara vegan marshmellows:

With Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart, founder of my favorite new vegan fashion house, Vaute Couture:

And with Blythe Anne Boyd, founder of Lula’s Sweet Apothacary here in NYC:

What an inspiring group of vegan businesswomen!

It’s no great secret that the details of vegan living–from makeup to footwear–are what have proven most difficult for me. (I’ve written about it here.) Food was easy: there’s nothing I “miss” eating as a vegan, and anything I did miss at the start has faded from memory or been replaced with other foods I like. Even when I did miss certain foods, it was easy for me to say, “for the sake of animals and my own well being, it’s not a big deal to go without __________.”

Clothing, though, is a separate matter. Getting used to the idea of no longer purchasing wool, leather, and down has been very, very, very hard, and I haven’t fully gotten there. Instead, I’ve come up with various compromises: I no longer buy any new leather, wool, or down, but I’ll accept hand-me-downs and thrift store items, and I’ll also buy them used. I also haven’t thrown away my old leather boots and bags: I know it sets a poor example to wear these, but I also have a really hard time letting go of items that have served me for many years and are still wearable. It’s a struggle, and I simply haven’t resolved it for good. It’s true that throwing out shoes and bags would be financially disastrous for me: even if vegan bags and shoes are, by and large, cheaper than leather ones, they still cost money, and I can’t afford to replace my whole closet of accessories. But even as I write this, I know that a part of me is too comfortable making excuses: it’s time for me to challenge myself to be as consistently animal-conscious in my clothes shopping habits as I am in my eating habits.

That’s where Melisser’s book is such a wonderful source of inspiration! She and many of the other vegan women she features are totally savvy about vegan living in ways that go beyond food. She has shopping tips, cleaning tips, and she even runs a website, Cruelty Free Face, dedicated to animal-friendly skincare and beauty products. She’s a perfect mentor for me as I get used to the nuts and bolts of vegan living, and I can’t wait to read the Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life in full!

Of course, the first thing I did when I got the book was to gaze at the recipes. Two caught my eye immediately, and it was a lucky coincidence that I was planning on making dinner for my friend Rose that weekend. Entertaining is a great excuse to try fun new recipes! The first I tried was Melisser’s Moroccan Chickpea and Kale Tagine Over Quinoa. I added some butternut squash to it, and otherwise followed the recipe (which you’ll have to find in her book!) exactly:

Rose and I loved it!

Next, I decided to try my hand at the lovely Celine’s recipe for “Peanut Butter n’ Jelly Muffins,” which Melisser features in the book. Celine is yet another one of my favorite vegan bloggers. In fact, she’s one of the first bloggers I followed, and to this day I adore her literary sensibility, her exquisite baked goods, and her elegant photography. The recipe for the PB&J muffins is very much like the one for her regular peanut muffins, here, but instead of adding chocolate chips, you add a pocket of jam in the muffin center.

…cover them with more batter, and then bake:

The resulting muffins taste so much like peanut butter it’s uncanny, and it’s such a delightful surprise to find a little jewel of jam in the middle when you break them open:

Delicious.

Thank you, Melisser, for your book, your blogs, and for all you do for vegan girls everywhere. You set a wonderful example for all of us who are trying to live with compassion, and I’m personally lucky to have been a part of your book! I encourage all of my readers–especially those of you who, like me, are a little unsteady transitioning into a cruelty-free lifestyle–to check out The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life. It’s a great resource, and a fun read.

xo

Another wonderful set of responses! That was an important topic, and I’m so glad that it struck a chord with you. Actually, this has been a great week of blog commentary in general! I always tell people that the actual writing of a blog is really less than half of the fun: the real fun is to see what readers will respond to via comments, and how they’ll run with a conversation.

As I bid you adieu last night, I said I was off to make a half raw, half cooked dinner. This is what resulted. The inspiration for this all began last weekend, when I saw huge heads of basil at my farmer’s market. It seemed so uncanny and too good to be true: great, bright, vibrant bunches of basil in early November? (This is, I suppose, in keeping with the late heirloom tomatoes we’ve also been having.) Immediately, I bought a bunch: when I see late-growing produce at a farmer’s market, l usually pounce on the chance to enjoy the last of it before winter’s chill.

As soon as I  got home, though, I realized that I didn’t have many ideas about how to use basil in the autumn. I usually use it in summer pestos, sandwiched in between stacks of heirloom tomatoes, or as a topper for summery roast veggies (bell peppers, zucchinis, etc.). I’m really not used to eating it any other way. I’m not a 100% local and seasonal eater – I’ve blogged about this before – but I do try to obey the seasons in a broad way, and there are certain flavors, like basil, that seem so deeply tied to a particular season that I rarely use them in other ones.

Eating seasonally is good, but it’s also a shame to miss out on superb flavors at other times of the year (especially when we have slightly off calendar crops, or if we’re lucky enough to have frozen some pesto over the summer, which I wish I’d done). And if I hadn’t leaped upon those basils bunches, I’d have never have come up with the following dinner, which was a perfect marriage, not only of raw and cooked food, but also of summery and wintery flavors and textures. Who knew that butternut squash is so totally delicious when drizzled with a good, tangy pesto? Or that beets and squash are harmonious bedmates, even if the beet is likely to turn the butternut squash pink?

This dinner was facilitated by the use of M’s pressure cooker, which I am currently holding hostage in NYC. I didn’t get home from the work and the gym until 8:45 last night, and when I did I was hungry. Normally, this would be a night for salad or leftovers—taking the time to cook root veggies would be unheard of. With the pressure cooker, though, I was able to cook a small b-nut squash and two gargantuan beets in ten minutes. I cut the squash into three parts and trimmed the beets, and I put them all in about 1 cup of water in the pressure cooker. After five minutes of pressure cooking, the squash was ready; another five minutes later, the beets emerged tender. What a miraculously efficient appliance! I must have one of my own, and soon.

Regardless of how you cook your veggies for this recipe, it’s easy to assemble: just a matter of having your components (beets, squash, a batch of pesto, and a batch of cashew cream) ready to stack. Here’s how it happens:

Butternut Squash and Beet Napoleon with Pesto and Cashew Cream (serves 2)

For the pesto (yields one cup):

3 cups basil, packed
Generous 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts (pistachios are also great)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1) Combine the basil with the pine nuts and pulse a few times in a food processor till roughly mixed. Add the garlic and pulse a bit more.

2) Add the olive oil in a thin stream with the food processor motor running. You’ll want to be careful but fast, since you don’t want the mix to lose all of its texture.Stop to scrape down bowl if necessary. Add lemon, salt, and pepper to taste, and pulse once more to incorporate.

For the cashew cream (yields 1 1/4 cups):

1 ¼ cup cashews, soaked for a few hours
¾ cup water
1 tsp agave
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp sea salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1) Put the soaked cashews in your Vita-Mix or food processor along with the agave, lemon juice, sea salt, and 1/3 cup water. Blend until it looks thick and creamy.

2) With the motor running (in either the processor or the Vita), drizzle more water in until the sauce is totally smooth (if you’re using a food processor, you’ll have to stop and scrape sides occasionally) and the consistency you want.

For the stacks:

12 thick slices cooked butternut squash
12 thick slices cooked beets

To assemble:

1) Place 3 beet slices on a plate, and drizzle with a teaspoon or so of pesto.

2) Place 3 butternut squash slices on top, and drizzle with another teaspoon or so of pesto.

Layer two beets on top of that, repeat the pesto, and place two layers of squash over that.

3) For your last layer, just place one round (either squash or beet) on top, and then give the whole stack a thick drizzle of cashew cream.

I served all of this unparalleled deliciousness over a bed of arugula salad with balsamic vinaigrette. I cannot tell you how rich in flavor the dish was: pesto is so vibrant and distinctive, but somehow the cream and the sweetness of the rest of the stack compliment it in really wonderful ways. I was blown away by how tasty this dinner was:

If you’re looking for a super-fast, semi-raw dinner that doesn’t demand too much fuss, I can’t recommend this strongly enough. Winter pesto is now a brave new world for the taking, and I can’t wait to explore it more!

In honor of recent requests for more straight up nutrition info on CR, I’m adding a new “feature”: Nutritionist’s Note. In it, I’ll point out noteworthy things about the meals I share from a nutritional standpoint—either an assessment of nutrient density, a word about nutritional strengths and weaknesses, or fun trivia about what the provides. (Or all of the above.)

In this case, I’m weighing strengths and weaknesses. This meal is very rich in healthy fats, but it’s a little weak in the protein department. So, if it’s dinner, you’ll want to amp up the beans, hemp, soy, or other vegan protein sources at other meals of the day. As I always remind clients and readers, not every meal has to be the protein all star (or fat all star, or carb all star, or iron all star). But you do need to take a bird’s eye view of your day and compensate for the things you miss at certain meals in others. Capisco?

Hope you all feel inspired to put some basil to use, even now that its nearly gone. Any winter basil recipes you love? Or flavor pairings that knit one season’s flavors with another’s?

Final announcement: This is your last two days to enter to win a free health consultation with me. Check out my counseling giveaway and comment there to qualify!

xo

I have a confession to make: I have a girl crush on Laura Beck.

If you don’t know who Laura is, I suggest you get to know her NOW. She’s one of the masterminds behind Vegansaurus.com, San Fran’s totally awesome vegan lifestyle guide (New Yorkers, I think we need to get us one of these), the writer of her own random, opinionated, and shittaciously funny blog, and the webmistress over at VegWeb.com, which is just the largest vegan recipe database in the world. She’s also one of the coolest vegans I know: whip smart, hilarious, and passionate. Few vegans are more blunt, outspoken, or vocal about why veganism rocks, but Laura—like all cool vegans—also knows how to be compassionate, encouraging, and to lead by example (rather than with vitriol).

In short, she is my hero.

I’m not only saying this because Laura happens to have featured me in the latest VegWeb newsletter. Yes, I just gave you the link, but don’t be lazy: as this issue proves, the VegWeb newsletter is awesome, and you should all go sign up to receive it (at the top of the VegWeb homepage) now. After all, it’s free!

Laura and I have spoken at length about raw foodism: the myths, the stereotypes, and the realities. I’ve shared with her my rather unorthodox approach to eating raw (which you guys already know about: semi-raw, flexible, etc.), and she’s shared with me her theories about why many vegans are alienated or put off by raw foods. This theory is pretty simple, and pretty hilarious. To quote Laura in the newsletter:

“Raw food gets a bad rap. Sometimes you get slack for eating vegan, but what’s weirder than that? Eating raw. Some vegans even like to point the finger at raw foodists when people accuse them of being odd. Like, look over there! Those people are the real freaks!”

Ha! I’ll confess, this attitude isn’t one I’m too familiar with. Typically, the people who write to me are vegans who are intent on becoming raw—perhaps even too intent, too quickly! I often find myself explaining to people that, while raw foods offer us myriad benefits, “going raw” isn’t the logical extension of veganism, or some sort of special challenge for the hardcore among us. Still, I see Laura’s point: I think raw foodies are natural targets for certain unsupportive vegans who enjoy the idea of there being someone out there whose food choices are even less conventional than their own. But, as Laura points out,

“ . . . the stigma attached to raw foods is slowly being erased, bit by bit, by the fact that some of the most innovative food coming out of the kitchen isn’t even cooked! Adventerous and talented raw-food chefs like Sarma Melngailis, Ani Phyo, and Mathew Kenney are changing the way people think about raw food. Bloggers are helping forge the way, too. My personal favorite is Choosing Raw, a blog maintained by the delightful Gena Hamshaw, who also happens to be VegNews’ raw-food columnist! Not only is she a total foodie genius, she’s smart and sane, to boot.”

OK I didn’t really have to include that last bit to prove my point about how raw food is going more mainstream. But it’s not every day that I get such sweet, if undeserved, flattery. Thankfully, I get to thank Laura with a big vegan dinner in San Fran when I visit (two weeks!!). If not, I’ll just continue to tell her about my girl crush on her until she gets creeped out by me.

Laura asked me to pick a recipe from the VegWeb raw food library to feature in the newsletter. Can you guys take a guess as to what I picked?

Duh! Raw green soup. Blended salad, con avocado: simple, easy, fresh. Vintage Gena.

While we’re on the topic of girl crushes, I was super excited to see that Ms. Katie gave my tofu scramble a spin on her blog this week. It looks as though her batch came out nicely! I was also really touched to see that my former client and friend Elese commented to say that she’s been inspired by the pleasure I take in eating (Elese and I have eaten out together in Chicago). When you eat “healthy food”—and especially when you write about it—the assumption is usually that you have a joyless, functional relationship with what you eat. I have to bat down this misconception a lot; to this day, I don’t think my ex-boyfriend believes that I really enjoy eating kale (are the 184572 photos of kale salad on my blog not sufficient proof?!?). So I’m always happy when a friend notices the fact that I like food. A lot.

To tie up our themes nicely, my lunch today involved both a girl crush and a raw soup. I used gray, damp weather as an excuse to make my girl Kristen’s incredible Harvest Soup, which is hands down one of my favorite raw soups ever. With simple salad, avocado, and pureed, steamed butternut squash (yes, I was feeling autumnal), it was exactly what I craved:

Comfort food for a rainy day.

And now, the usual Sunday night catch up ensues. Before I go, tell me: do you have any blogger girl crushes? Or guy crushes? (Yes, Evan, Matt, and Ian, I am trying to embarrass you.) I would love to hear your personal blogging heroes are, and why.

xo

As you may have noticed, I’m a big fan of raw soups. This is funny, given that traditional soups were never my favorite. Or, to be more precise, any broth based soup was never my favorite: I’ve always been partial to blended soups (root vegetable soups, for instance), which is probably why the smooth and creamy textures of most raw soups please me so much.

The recipe I’m about to share is, without a doubt, my favorite raw soup. Why? Because it’s fast, simple, and sweet enough to be rightly called dessert, yet it’s totally guilt free. This soup is also loaded with enzymes, nutrients (such as beta carotene), and natural carbohydrates; I actually recommend it to my more athletic clients and friends as a great pre-workout drink in lieu of a smoothie. Best of all, this soup incorporates one of my favorite flavors: pumpkin pie.

Yes yes, I know, this is probably the least seasonal post I’ll ever write. It’s 85 degrees here in New York, the sidewalks are littered with bare shoulders, and I slept with my AC last night. But who cares? Pumpkin pie doesn’t stop tasting good in summertime. And to be fair, this recipe doesn’t really use pumpkin: it simply borrows the flavors of the classic dish.

The original recipe for this dish appears in Natalia Rose’s  Raw Food Life Force Energy. Her recipe calls for raw sweet potatoes; I usually use raw butternut squash instead, and I substitute Stevia for the original dates. The soup typically comes together in 10 minutes or less, and it never disappoints. Without further ado:

Pumpkin Pie in a Bowl (adapted from Raw Food Life Force Energy)

Serves 1 generously, 2 as a small appetizer

Ingredients:

2 cups carrot juice (fresh if possible, bottled if not)
¾ cup chopped butternut squash
¼ avocado
½-3/4 packet of stevia
Generous sprinkle of cinnamon, a small sprinkle of nutmeg, and a dash of salt

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender till smooth and creamy (and a little warm, if you like to serve soup that way).

If you don’t have a high speed blender or Vitamix, you could substitute steamed squash for raw and use a regular blender.

Here’s the bowl I devoured on Friday:

And a shot of my meal:

It’s been a hot and industrious weekend. I hope you’ve all enjoyed some early summer weather! I have some exciting posts planned for this week, including a special round up of low-sugar desserts, my musings on restaurant dining, and my very first giveaway! So stay tuned.

Finally, and on a more somber note, I want to extend my sympathy to Jenna and her family, who are mourning the loss of Jenna’s brother, John. Jenna is in the hearts and minds of so many of us in the blogging community right now, and I hope our good wishes bring her some solace.

xo