Sep 1, 2018

"the china study cookbook" + giveaway


I am so excited to share with you the revised and expanded edition of Leanne Campbell's The China Study Cookbook [Amazon].  This whole foods, plant-based cookbook is just fantastic! The photos are brand-new, the recipes have been revised, the format is simple and clean, the food tastes great and the recipes are easy and fast!

Basically, the perfect WFPB cookbook (Whole Foods, Plant-Based eating is eating whole foods exclusively, that are only plant-based. This means no oil or any processed ingredients)! I love it and I know that it would be a great asset to a lot of people.



As usual, don't take my word for it - let's look at some pictures and then I'll share a recipe with you to try for yourself - one that is a favorite of Leanne's kids (who are now adults, but they were kids once, too). I know that if you make that dish, it will show you just how terrific the recipes in the book are.

I'm not kidding when I tell you that I really love this book;  I had to try something in almost every category!

Let's start with this salad: Ensalada Azteca. It reminded me of Native Food's salad by the same name, but this one uses no oil and I love that! The flavors are perfect and the salad was very filling. This is a main dish salad that won't leave you feeling hungry.  I roasted the corn for the salad (I had a few extra minutes, and it's worth it), but otherwise, the recipe is pictured as written.


I then moved on to salad's complement: soup. This is the Peanut Kale Soup, and while the flavors were great and the recipe was quick and easy (and I used PB2 instead of peanut butter), my version doesn't look like the photo in the book. Regardless, we loved it and ate it all.


The next logical place to go is to a sandwich! To not disappoint,  I prepared this Roasted Veggie Sub. The sub features any of a number of Savory Sandwich Spreads (Golden Garden Mayonnaise, Aioli Sauce, Chipotle Sauce), here I have chosen the Aioli Sauce.


Since school has started again for the kids and me (we are all in college), this Asian Ginger Cabbage Salad was the perfect lunchbox meal. It was great at room temperature and it is full of good carbs, vegetables and protein. I loved this one for multiple reasons.


Baking WFPB means that the flour is whole grain and there is no added processed fat, like vegan butter or oil. These Potato Rolls, made with whole wheat pastry flour, were fabulous. They were fluffy, tender and delicious. I served them with the pasta that I made next...


For the family pasta meal, I opted for the Spaghetti with Tomato Coconut Sauce, and I am so glad I did. We've been a little burned out on regular tomato sauce here, so the spin with the coconut-cilantro was just what we needed.


Finally, I couldn't not make a sweet dish! I chose something that my daughter likes: Lemon Poppy Muffins. These had just the right amount of sweetness - not too much, not too little - and they were beautifully tart from the lemons. We enjoyed these with a cup of tea. So good!


As you can see, the recipes are varied and, even if you don't believe me when I say they tasted terrific, you can at least see that they look terrific! How about you try the following recipe from The China Study Cookbook - Revised and Expanded Edition?

I chose the Dominican Rice and Beans (p 207) to share with you? Why? Because Leanne says that this was one of her kids' favorite meals! Whatever kids say they love, has to be good all around, especially when one of those favorites is healthy, to boot! The recipe is from The China Study Cookbook - Revised and Expanded Edition by Leanne Campbell, and the recipe is shared with permission. Photo is by Nicole Axworthy.

After you peruse the recipe, make sure to enter the contest to win a copy of the book! US residents only, please. Contest ends Monday at midnight, September 10, 2018. Good luck!





DOMINICAN RICE AND BEANS

MAKES 6–8 SERVINGS

My sons, now 24 and 23, were raised on a plant-based diet, and if you ask them what their favorite meal is, they both immediately respond Dominican Rice and Beans, topped with fresh salad. The secret to this meal is to top the rice and beans with fresh salad and avocados, then drizzle with lemon juice and/or rice vinegar.

Rice and Beans
¼ cup diced onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup chopped green bell peppers
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 (15-ounce) cans beans of your choice (pinto, black, red, etc.), rinsed and drained
½ cup grated butternut squash
1½ tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

Salad
2 cups sliced lettuce
2 cups sliced cabbage
¾ cup sliced cucumber
¾ cup sliced beets
1 tomato, sliced
1 large avocado, pitted and sliced
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1. In a large saucepan, sauté onions, garlic, bell peppers, and cilantro in vegetable broth over medium-high heat until onions brown.
2. Add water, beans, and squash. Bring to a low simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
3. While the beans are cooking, prepare the salad. In a large salad bowl, toss together all ingredients. Set aside.
4. Once the beans cook, add tomato paste and salt. Taste and add more salt if needed. Cook for 2–3 more minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Serve beans over rice and top with salad.



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Jun 4, 2018

easy baked vegan mac and cheese

Cat - age 4

The other day my oldest daughter and I were remembering back a few decades, when we first went vegan, when the most important thing to her was to re-create her beloved mac and cheese dish.

She and I began experimenting with what was available to us (nutritional yeast, red peppers, vegan cheese slices (you know, the waxy substance parading as cheese between two thin strips of plastic) and came up with a really simple recipe that has been lost these past decades.

Well, I dug it up from the recesses of the web and she and I fixed it up by

  • removing the oil and processed stuff, 
  • adding more flavor and 
  • making it easier to prepare - no roux or slurry. 

This is what we came up with. It is creamy and cheesy and really easy to make.

As an aside, she loves dill with mac and cheese, so it is an option in the recipe below.

Enjoy!