Recipe: Vegetable Upside-Down Casserole (Vegan)

From The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas.

Ingredients:
• 3 to 4 cups cut-up vegetables of your choice (ex. carrots, zucchini, peas)
• 2 tablespoons light olive oil
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup low-fat soy yogurt
• 3/4 cup Rice Milk original flavor
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup nondairy cheese (I use Daiya cheddar shreds)

Directions:
1. Saute the vegetables in olive oil until just tender (if using carrots, be sure to cut into thin slices to help them get tender.) Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly oil a shallow round 2-quart casserole or a 9- by 13-inch baking pan.

3. Combine the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add the yogurt, milk, and vegetable oil. Stir together until well mixed.

4. Pour the vegetables into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the cheese, then pour the batter evenly over the vegetables, gently smoothing it out with a spatula.

5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden and firm. Let stand for about 10 minutes, then cut into wedges or squares to serve.

A Life Connected

Brought to you by NonviolenceUnited.org

A 12-minute uplifting, positive video about the power of making Vegan choices.

Every day you are invited to make choices. Live your values. Change the world.

Music: Challengers by The New Pornographers

Yes I know it was late
We were greeting the sun
Before long
And you live with someone
I live with somebody too
Leave it there
For safe keeping
One of the west village in plains
That was the custom
Come dawn

On the walls of the day
In the shade of the sun
We wrote down
Another vision of us
We were the challengers of
The unknown
"Be safe" you say
Whatever the mess you are you mind okay
That is the custom
On down

Na-na na-na na-na na-na na-na
Na-na na-na na-na na-na na-na...

Until I see you around
Until we clear the accounts
Leave it there
Leave it to us
We are the challengers of
The unknown

Oh-la, oh-la, oh-la, oh-la
Oh-la, oh-la, oh-la, oh-la

Gratitude Journal

Today I am thankful for...

• Gathering at the grocery store (lots of stuff to cook with)


• Home sweet home

• Avocado


• Farm Sanctuary (I booked our stay in New York for September!)

Recipe: Vegan Lemon Bars

Vegan Lemon Bar recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick Goudreau


Cooking Tips: Allow the lemon bars to cool completely before serving - custard firms up more as it cools.

Crust Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup non-hydrogenated, nondairy butter, at room temperature (I use Earth Balance)
  
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
  

Filling Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup silken tofu
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Zest (wispy shaved-off skin from lemon) from 2 lemons (learn how to zest a lemon on this youtube video)
  
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (Use real lemons, preferably organic, and if you don't have a lemon juicer borrow or buy one)
  
• 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x8-inch baking pan with canola oil and sprinkle with just a light dusting of all-purpose flour.

To make the crust, in the bowl of your electric stand mixer, or with an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour, and beat until the dough just comes together. Press into the bottom of your prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

To make the filling, in a food processor or blender, add the tofu and blend until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and blend until nice and smooth. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, flour, and cornstarch. Pour the filling over the baked shortbread crust and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the filling is set. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

To serve, cut into squares or bars and dust with the sifted confectioners’ sugar. Wait until you’re just about to serve the bars before you sprinkle them with the confectioners’ sugar. Otherwise it will soak into the bars and you’ll miss out on the pretty presentation.

Vegan Baking Demystified from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau on Vimeo.

What would you do?

The following is an excerpt from Thanking The Monkey: Rethinking The Way We Treat Animals by Karen Dawn

What would you do if your neighbor kept her puppy permanently caged, never letting him out to exercise or relieve himself? And what if that cage was a narrow crate and the puppy was chained by the neck so he could not turn around or even lie down with his legs outstretched? You’d probably call the police and have her charged with animal cruelty. That’s how the vast majority of veal calves are treated. It’s legal for precisely that reason – legal because it is done to the vast majority and is therefore considered standard treatment. Standard agricultural practices are exempt from the anticruelty statutes of most states.

Veal calves are the waste product of the dairy industry. A day or two after birth they are taken from their mothers and placed in crates. They are fed an iron-deficient diet to make them anemic so their flesh will stay the pretty light color so enjoyed by gourmands…One veal-production magazine warned its readers, “Keep all iron out of reach of your calves.” Even iron nails cannot be used in stalls, as the calves will lick at them and ruin the light color of their flesh.

When veal calves are slaughtered at sixteen weeks they are often too sick to walk. One out of every ten veal calves dies in confinement.

If you feel mentally and emotionally prepared, Farm Sanctuary offers images of the reality of veal calves and dairy cows for your viewing.

Recipe: Cabbage and Potatoes (Vegan)

Cabbage and Potatoes

Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons vegan butter (I use Earth Balance Natural Spread)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced and sliced
• 1 white onion, diced OR 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 head cabbage, shredded
• 1.5-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar OR Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1) Add vegan butter and olive oil to a medium sized pot and allow to melt. Add potatoes to the pot and allow to become golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.

2) Add onion, salt, and pepper, mixing to combine. After the onions have become translucent, add the shredded cabbage. The cabbage will begin to wilt. As it does this, add the red wine vinegar and the lager and/or water. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Note: If you feel, add more vegan butter or olive oil as the cabbage begins to wilt. Stir during this process and mix it with the onion and potato.

Makes: 6 to 8 servings, Preparation time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 40 minutes

Recipe originally from vegweb.com

Learn more ways to eat cabbage at vegancoach.com

Music: Do You Really Wanna Know

Papercuts, Do You Really Wanna Know

Recipe: Zucchini Bread (Vegan)

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
• 2 cups zucchini, grated
• 2 cups sugar
• Egg replacer for 3 eggs (see instructions on your egg replacer box)
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the zucchini with the sugar, egg replacer, vegetable oil, and vanilla.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Grease two 9"x5"x3" pans with cooking spray and put half of the mixture in each pan.

3. Bake for approximately one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean.

The bread freezes very well if you want to save some for later. It's delicious!

Makes: 2 loaves, Preparation time: 30 minutes, Cooking time: 1 hour

Recipe from vegweb.com