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Archive of ‘vegan’ category

gf, Spicy, tempeh, vegan | 0 comment

Mongolian BBQ Tempeh: GF Vegan, Allergenless Opt

Mongolian Tempeh a la Quinoa

I am so delighted to share one of the tastiest Vegan recipes I have ever eaten! It’s a vegan twist on the classic Mongolian BBQ Beef= Mongolian Tempeh stir fry. Now for all of you who just shut off when I said the word ‘vegan’, I want to assure this isn’t anything like that bland tofu dish your hippie friends brought to a potluck that made history as the worst debauchery of tofu cuisine. It’s about as far from flavorless, texture-less vegan-nightmare foods you could imagine. This dish has rich, complex flavors thanks to the spicy sauce, crispy veggies and yummy tempeh. I assure you, with all this yumminess in a bowl, you won’t miss animal-based proteins at all. And you might even like the veggies you don’t usually like when covered in this sauce. Tempeh is made from fermented whole soybeans (or other legumes!), unlike tofu which is more processed and doesn’t contain the whole bean. Tempeh takes on the flavor of sauces beautifully and has a meaty texture that you can really sink your teeth into, but is still easy to chew. Essentially, it’s the perfect protein. If you haven’t tried tempeh before, I think you will be wonderfully surprised when you have your first bite of this phenomenal dish. If you’ve tried it and disliked it, this stir fry will rekindle your love! It is so well seasoned and spicy and saucy that you won’t believe your eating something so healthy! My tummy is feeling much better lately…great enough to eat spicy things! This is the second time this week we’ve made this dish, and we made it last week too. I’m really excited about having the leftovers for dinner tomorrow. Sigh…can you tell I’m a little obsessed?!?!

I’ve broken the recipe down into steps, which follow the ingredients, and included the ingredients separately to make natural ‘faux hoisin sauce’, to enjoy with other recipes.


Tastes like heaven: soy tempeh, carrots, broccoli, snow peas, criminis, green onions on Quinoa,

This recipe was inspired by ‘Chloe’s Kitchen‘s’ recipe of Mongolia BBQ Seitan. Seitan is a wheat-based protein similar in texture to meat, and so we’ve heavily adapted this yummy to make it free of common allergens like wheat/gluten, dairy, eggs, and processed sugars (and potentially soy-free).

Chickpea tempeh w/ rice
The original recipe calls for hoisin sauce, which consists usually of soy sauce, sugar, caramel food coloring and flavoring/spices. Ick! I found a recipe for creating a delicious ‘faux-hoisin sauce‘ using nut/seed butter and soy sauce. I’ve included it in the ‘sauce’. Enjoy this healthful, spiced, delicious recipe atop brown rice or quinoa. 
Note about measuring:
soy tempeh & quinoa = magic. everytime.
I’m going to be honest. I’m not a measurer. I’m not a follow the recipe by the book sort of person. I usually actually measure vinegars and lemon juices, but for the rest, I throw in a dollop and then smell the resultant concoction. Does it need more lemon juice? I throw in a titch? It needs more Spice! In goes a little more hot sauce. That’s how I roll, partly because I’m too tired to measure everything exactly, and partly because I’m a taste-and-adjust sort of cook. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. And as long as you are relatively close to the amounts listed, you should be peachy. Learn to guestimate. It takes practice to get comfortable knowing what a 1/2 teaspoon is compared to whole!
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Mongolian BBQ Tempeh Stir Fry Recipe

A Gluten Free, Vegan Dish (potentially Soy/Nut Free, see ‘Allergen Check’ after instructions)

Serves 6-8 people (half batch = 3-4)

~heavily adapted from ‘Chloe’s Kitchen’ Cookbook~
~this is a double recipe. trust me. you will want left overs! just throw the leftovers back in the frying pan to heat them up for a snack/dinner/lunch the next day.~
This recipe comes together faster than it looks. Bring out everything in advanced…save yourself all the trips back to the fridge! Below, I’ve broken down the steps into manageable steps. The italicized ingredients are the recipe for making faux hoisin sauce, so if you can find a natural hoisin, substitute it for this made-from-scratch recipe. Use 1/2 cup of store-bought hoisin.

 Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon nut/seed butter (tahini/almond butter/sunflower butter/peanut butter)
  • 2 teaspoon agave/honey/rice syrup (or molasses => not gluten-free unless made from sorghum)
  • 1.25 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
  • a garlic clove, finely minced/microplaned
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • (optional) 1 1/3 teaspoons sesame seed oil
  • (optional) 2/3 teaspoon Chinese hot sauce (more or less to taste)
  • 1/2 cup water/tea/vegetable stock
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon agave/rice syrup/honey
  • 2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1-2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce sriracha)
  • 4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (galanagal is fantastic if you can find it)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (trust me. doesn’t taste like cookies.)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder (optional. but delicious!)
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 an onion, chopped (use 3/4 of an onion if you’re making a double batch
  • 4 cloves of garlic, or more, to taste (garlic is delicious Lyme and general bacteria fighter, so I always include a lot in my recipes!)
  • 6-8 oz mushrooms stemmed and sliced (portobello, crimini, shitake, button, brown), about 5-15 button mushrooms or baby portobellos aka crimini’s (depending on if you’re cooking a double batch, or single.)
  • 4-8 oz, snow peas, strings removed (or a good cup, cut) (depending on if you’re cooking a double batch, or single.)
  • 1 ‘block’ of tempeh, cut into thin strips (use 2 blocks if you want lots of tempeh in the leftovers!)
  •  add in any veggies you have on hand! broccoli, snap peas, snow peas, carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, frozen peas, bok choi…any vegetables work beautifully! = 4 cups or more if making a double batch!
  • 2-4 cups cooked brown rice/quinoa/etc (depending how much grain you want! and whether you’re making a double batch, or single.)
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced on bias
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2-3 tablespoons oil (for frying) – we used olive oil, just watch it to make sure its not too hot (coconut or organic canola works)

Break it down now. The method:

Sauce:

1. Whisk up 1/2 cup ‘faux hoisin sauce‘ (or naturally sweetened hoisin sauce). It will not mix well, but that’s just fine. Once it goes into the wok/fry pan you won’t notice to isn’t emulsified.

  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon nut/seed butter (tahini/almond butter/sunflower butter/peanut butter)
  • 2 teaspoon agave/honey/rice syrup (or molasses = not gluten-free unless made from sorghum)
  • 1.25 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
  • a garlic clove, finely minced/microplaned
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • (optional) 1 1/3 teaspoons sesame seed oil
  • (optional) 2/3 teaspoon Chinese hot sauce (more or less to taste)
chickpea tempeh & rice = gf, v, soy/nut free

2. Add the following ingredients to the ‘faux hoisin sauce’. Whisk, then set aside. (This Mongolian sauce is a double-recipe. If you have a lot of veggies and tempeh, use it all. If not, save some in the fridge for your next batch of Mongolian tempeh. There will be a next batch. Seriously.)

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon agave/rice syrup/honey
  • 2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1-2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce

Spice & Veggies

3. Measure out Spice Mixture, and set aside. (This Spice Mix is a double-recipe. If you have a lot of veggies and tempeh, use it all. If you love medium spiciness, use it all. If not, save some in the fridge for your next batch of Mongolian tempeh)

  • 4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (galanagal is fanastic if you can find it)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon of chinese five spice powder (optional. but delicious!)
  • 3 cloves of garlic

4. Prepare vegetables/tempeh. (don’t worry about getting the exact right amount of veggies. essentially you want about 1 cup of each veggie, and hopefully upwards of 4 different veggies. we use about 4 cups of veggies, which will cook down a lot! Variety in veggies is part of what makes this dish so nutritious and beautiful

  • 6-8 oz mushrooms stemmed and sliced (portobello, crimini, shitake, button, brown), about 5-15 button mushrooms or baby portobellos aka crimini’s (depending on if you’re cooking a double batch, or single.)
  • 4-8 oz, snow peas, strings removed (or a good cup, cut) (depending on if you’re cooking a double batch, or single.)
  • 1 ‘block’ of tempeh, cut into thin strips (use 2 blocks if you want lots of tempeh in the leftovers!)
  •  add in any veggies you have on hand! broccoli, snap peas, snow peas, carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, frozen peas, bok choi…any vegetables work beautifully! = 4 cups or more if making a double batch!
  • 1/2 an onion, chopped (use 3/4 of an onion if you’re making a double batch
  • 4 cloves of garlic, or more, to taste (garlic is delicious Lyme and general bacteria fighter, so I always include a lot in my recipes!)

Toppings:

  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced on bias
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Grain:

  • 2-4 cups cooked brown rice/quinoa/etc (depending how much grain you want!)

Directions

sizzling, steaming deliciousness
  1. Whisk faux-hoisin, water, soy sauce, sugar syrup, lemon juice and chili-garlic sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Stir fry mushrooms and seitan until lightly browned and mushrooms have released their juices. Add Spice Mixture and cook a few more minutes. 
  3. Add in harder vegetables (carrots, broccoli etc) until they begin to cook, softening a little.
  4. Add the sauce and snow peas and reduce heat to medium. Let cook until sauce has thickened, which might happen quite quickly. Remove from heat and sprinkle on top scallions and cilantro and then serve over the rice.
  5. Eat with gusto while warm. xoxo


chickpea tempeh, snap peas, crimini’s, cilantro, onions, scallions

 

Allergen Check: Want to make this recipe ‘free’ of certain allergens? Make sure you read these tips before choosing ingredients, particularly if the person you are cooking for has allergies! When I use common allergen foods that I am not personally allergic to in my own cooking, I make sure to use a clean spoon when dipping, say, into the peanut butter, and make sure that spoon either goes in my mouth :D, or directly into the sink, not into the jam jar or butter, for instance. Using clean implements is a good practice anyways.

Gluten-Free (use GF tamari, Braggs Liquid Aminos or Coconut Aminos)
Soy-Free (use Coconut Amino’s in place of soysauce, and Chickpea tempeh)
Processed Sugar Free (possibly use Stevia if trying to replace all sugars? try experimenting with little amounts of Rice Syrup, my favorite low sugar syrup, or honey)
Nut Free (use a creamy seed butter, such as Tahini (Sesame butter), or Sunflower seed butter)

arm bands, bakery, PICC line, vegan | 0 comment

Delish!

Sucks to have to do dressing changes on my PICC line, when I’m on vacation! No fair! I wish we could take a wee break and let my arm breathe, but obviously that can’t happen. The little end cap where you ‘plug-in’ a syringe wouldn’t come off yesterday, no matter how much Mum twisted. We went to a home nursing place this afternoon, and asked one of the nice nurses to help unscrew it. Thankfully they managed to get it off okay. I can’t imagine what we would have done if they couldn’t undo it. We also had yet another chance to talk to nurses about Lyme disease, an opportunity we never miss. The nurse’s sister had Lyme, so she was very understanding. I also got to show off my PICC line armbands to an appreciative audience…they thought it was a really cool idea. Maybe when I’m back home I can approach a home care centre about carrying the covers…that would be very cool, don’t you think?

Happy Vegan Food Day everyone. In honour of this very special day, we went to Kind Foods vegan/GF bakery with Gramma, and Mum of course. They were all sold out of cupcakes, but the cookies were delicious!! I also had the most amazing B.L.A.T (fake bac’un, lettuce, avocado and tomato) sandwich on fantastic wheat-free bread. The bac’un was indistinguishable from the real thing, from the texture to the taste. Sensational! Oh my. I could eat that every day, and I never really liked real bacon. WOWWOWWOW.

I have been feeling so hungry inside. It is not usual for me to feel odd sensations, or lack of, in my body, which changes as frequently as the battlefield of Lyme in my body. It is so odd to suddenly feel this way, after not wanting to eat for so long. But no complaints. I feel like gaining weight would make me feel better all-round.

carpe diem, changes, family, inner harbour, ocean, sewing, skirt, Solstice Cafe, sun, tired, trips out, vegan, write on camera | 0 comment

Reflections in a looking-glass pool

Underwater life animated on a historic building

I thought that the days of summer were truly over, but today the sky was an exhilarating riot of vivid blues, stormy grays and white. A mix of sun and clouds, with a touch of rain, and the occasional brilliant-eye-squinting ray of sunshine. Dad and I went down to the Inner Harbour, walking along one of the few paved paths in Victoria that is in a moderately tranquil location.

Regal Parliament, resting on borrowed lands

We walked along the smooth path, taking in the sights like any good tourist. It is noisy in the Inner Harbour, with the sea planes taking off towards the distant mountain, motor boats tootling around, people laughing and skateboarding, biking, dogs.

no school like zee old school

The one thing that you must listen hard to find, to separate it from the roars of city life, is the sound of the ocean, persistently lapping against the raised concrete path. I wonder what this place looked like before the shoreline was smoothed out and raised up. Were there beaches paved over, and did they use the smooth pebbles littering those ancient beaches to decorate the gray cement? A small piece of the bay is still intact, where you can see the remnants of crystal pools of green water, which carve holes in the rock-face. There are no big waves that rock into the Inner harbour any more. Not since the extension and creation of the breakwater, a few kilometers away. The water feels almost stagnant, until some boat or plane disturbs its’ surface. Just remember that this water is also full of raw sewage, one of Victoria’s very dirty secrets. Yes, that’s right, in the historic capital of this great province, our toilets flush right into the once pristine coastal waters. Pollutants don’t belong here. Not anywhere.

looking-glass pool
We strolled across the Blue Bridge, a first for me. I’ve never crossed from Esquimault to Victoria on foot or wheels. From there, Solstice Cafe, a haven of organic and homemade (many vegan!) delights, is just a few stoplights and a hill away. Steaming cups of rich cocoa, and a granola bar. Isn’t that the definition of culinary heaven? 
history unknown
I have always been fascinated by this building front on Pandora. Only the historic front remains, an eerie skeleton, a face with no body, a lid without a box. Ironically someone painted a few blue pacman on the front.  In the good old days of my freedom with strong legs and a healthy sense of adventure and liberty (always willingly accepting serendipitous situations as they arrive), I used to think to myself that the bodiless building would make an incredible picture, or a sweet backdrop for a photo-shoot. Finally, camera in hand and blue sky to boot, I captured the haunting beauty of the place on film a plastic memory card. 
I was so exhausted when we came home, although I am trying not to show it. We started my IV antibiotics a few days ago, after almost half a year without them. The medicine is caustic, and burns my heart and veins as it enters my blood stream. I feel weighed down with sickness, as though my bones are suddenly filled with lead instead of 900 mg Clindamycin.
When in sickness or pain, try chanelling your frusteration into a creative outlet. 
Don’t speak the anger in your mind and body, but instead try to look at the flipside, turn everything terrible into something good. 
An example? Today I am really suffering, and I feel like crying with the pain of the medicine going into my heart and neck. 
But someday, when I’m a doctor, and I decide to put a patient on a drug with a biting, bitter, derisive and acerbic personality, I will be able to understand their suffering. 
I am being given the power to heal, through the knowledge of suffering I am receiving. 
A further plus side is my extension tubing is 14 inches long, leaving me plenty of room to knit!
Once you start moving in a postive frame of mind, everything become lighter and warmer in my mind. I hope it can do the same for you.
I channeled my pain in sewing this afternoon. I have many incredible animal-print tees from the Sierra Club, that Dad used to bring home for me, some of which I have had since kindergarten. The sky blue and navy octopus shirt, which is too small for me and a bit faded, has just been recycled into a trendy skirt. Cut off the sleeves and neck, added a bit of denim on the sides from a pair of pants I cut off into shorts, and created a waist band from a faded black stretch shirt. I will post pictures when I have it fitted and on ma body! Should be pretty sweet once it’s done…and all recycled…how cool is that? 
<3
confusion, insomnia, Interviews, Solstice Cafe, tea, vegan | 0 comment

Running Around Town

How delicious is it to be busy while your friends slave at school? Mwahaha. But in all seriousness, I am very jealous that I am not going back to school this September. What would I give to complain about the weight of my backpack and the cost of books and the bad/late profs like the rest? Good things come to those who can be EFFing patient enough to get them!!!!

On a humorous note, by big cuz Amy showed up to school at 8:30 sharp, only to learn that school starts tomorrow. Hillarious.

Last week, dear Bonnie Henry – the BCCDC’s resident expert hypocrite, with a sickly sweet voice like Professor Umbrage – was on CBC radio, assuring the public that doctors are very knowledgeable about Lyme disease (when from her OWN statistics, it states that 6 out of 10 doctors surveyed didn’t know Lyme disease was a reportable illness). Of course, these downright lies and ignorance of their own statistics anger my mum (and I), who wrote to CBC, informing them of this error and Mrs. Henry’s falsehoods.

click the pic to enlarge CDC’s Lyme findings

Around this same time, an article about the affects of my CCSVI procedure came out in the Sooke News Mirror. CBC interviewed us both this afternoon, inquiring about the results of the Liberation procedure, and why we decided to take the risks, and responding to the controversy. It was very interesting. Hopfully it will air tmr morning…sometime after 7:30 am. Guess I’ll have to wait for zee podcast version to listen!

Out interview today was so early that we could go for lunch! We went to the Solstice cafe, an organic cafe downtown, with many vegan items. The soups are always vegan, and there were samosas too! The espresso brownie, and the GF carrot cake (both vegan) are to die for. Heaven! If you’re from Victoria, or ever visit, this is one very cool and always scrumptious stop!

Right next door to the Solstice, Sarah Kramer, vegan chef extraordinaire and cookbook author, has opened up the worlds’ smallest vegan curio shop! Clothing, toys, chocolate bars, jewelry -> all %100 vegan! We had fun browsing and chatting with the lovely Sarah. She is my vegan hero…and her cookbooks made life tasty for me again!

Our goal was to really tire me out today. I haven’t slept in 3 days, and it’s really starting to make me feel awful. My brain feel raw and numb, like a sponge that has been squeezed too forcefully. I have no idea why my insomnia has been so bad this past month…this ‘not sleeping all night’ thing has happened often. I’m not stressed or thinking about things at night, I’m not in pain I can’t handle, I’m exhausted but just can’t turn the light of my brain off. Very frusterating…but at least

~Life has a way of returning lost items for you, when you least expect. I found nail polish, a gel pen, and a piece of popcorn in the back of my chair.

bakery, cupcakes, ultrasound, vegan | 0 comment

A Sound Massage

In regards to my health, things have picked up slightly since my MRV. The ultrasound I had yesterday wasn’t too bad. But damn, these tests are specific, which equals very long in the real world. An hour ultrasound of my neck? Didn’t realize there was that much stuff to gander at in the small big of cylindrical flesh between my squishy gray matter and heart!? An ultrasound isn’t too painful, except for the devices’ contact on my skin, and the pressure. The device emits a buzzing, which I can hear in my ear, like the drone of a bee, but lower in pitch, a sound that jabs needles of sound into my bones. The gel is disgusting, and was all the way up to my temples and in my hair. At least its water-based, and comes off in the shower. It wasn’t an attractive look though, let me tell you lol. Not a very effective hair gel, at least that’s one good thing. The nice technician didn’t see anything really obvious on the ultrasound, but it isn’t as accurate as the MRV, which will give us the definitive answer soon. Hopefully sooner versus later, because at the same time I would be getting the procedure to unblock my veins, I would get a new PICCline. OH yes, no port again, let me tell you. All that’s left to bear witness to that discomfort is a 2 inch incision scar, which is fading into a pink ridge, with the liberal application of pure vitamin E.

I did get the pure pleasure of visiting a vegan, organic bakery, which only opened up a few weeks ago. “Edible Flours” was a delightful experience, and the cupcake divine. Its so nice to be able to pick up something from a bakery, something I wouldn’t bake at home, and to not have to worry about the ingredients or ask the poor barista 20 questions about the composition of the confection. Pure bliss.

I am glad all the medical-related things are over. Now I can relax, without the added stress of knowing I have more tests later on. Tomorrow, if its a nice day, we’ll go to the Dr. Sun Yet-Sen Gardens, a pristine Japanese garden paradise. I went there on school trip when I was in grade 6, and the memories of the tranquility of the lush greens, rocky pagodas, ponds and raked stone gardens remain with me. Hmm…I think a yummy green vegan gum drop would go nicely with this memory…

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