Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie

Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe. This vegan pie recipe is courtesy of Ener-G Foods.

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 tbsp Ener-G Egg Replacer
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 ready-made pie crust

Preparation:

In double boiler on medium high heat, combine the egg replacer, sugar and salt. Stir with rubber spatula until thoroughly blended.

Add water, lemon juice and lemon rind. Continue stirring until smooth and thick.

When dropped from spatula, pie filling should mound. Remove from heat. Stir for 5 minutes to cool.

Pour into a vegan pie crust. Let cool thoroughly. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

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Vegan Sweet Potato Kugel

This vegetarian and vegan kugel recipe is cholesterol-free and lower in fat than a traditional kugel with eggs. This recipe is suitable for a vegetarian Passover or for a vegetarian Hanukkah.

Ingredients:

• 6 small sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
• 3 apples, peeled and grated
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup matzo meal
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1 cup water

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Use a food processor to grate the sweet potatoes and apples. Combine all ingredients together.

Gently press into a baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until lightly crisp on top.

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Vegetarian interns needed to help Nutritionfacts.org

I'm briefly interrupting my blog series about the wonders of avocados to bring you this timely little news item. Back to more avocados after this.

Ever since CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta interviewed Bill Clinton about his vegan diet, interest in medically proven benefits of a plant-based diet have hit the internet and America by storm. And one doctor who's spent decades trying to get the facts out there is having trouble keeping up with this new interest.

Dr. Michael Gregor, MD, has long promoted the health benefits of a healthy vegetarian diet and has launched a new website to consolidate and promote all the nutrition facts together in one place, aptly titled, NutritionFacts.org.

Now, Dr. Gregor is looking for a few interns to help him build up the site remotely. As one of Dr. Gregor's interns, you can work remotely, but you'll need to commit to a set length of time, and will be tasked with research, photography, data entry or grantwriting.

Considering he donates all of his profits from his books and speaking engagements to charity, I think the least I can do is help him out in his search for a few interns to help him manage his website.

I saw Dr. Gregor speak at a conference years ago, and was quite impressed by his way of presenting complicated information for us average laymen. Besides just personal health, Dr. Gregor is concerned with global public health, and has written several books and papers regarding the effects of unsanitary (and inhumane!) slaughterhouses on the health of their neighbors and other public health issues.

Link: Internships at Nutritionfacts.org

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Vegetarian Cream of Carrot Sou

A healthy and low-fat vegetarian soup recipe for cream of carrot soup using soy milk to keep this soup low-fat, dairy-free and vegan. Vegetarian cream of carrot soup is perfect for a light lunch or, serve with a vegetable salad and some bread for a light and healthy meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegan margarine
• 1 onion, chopped
• 12 carrots, sliced
• 1 potato, diced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• dash of nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp orange juice

Preparation:

Heat the vegan margarine in a large saucepan. Cook the onion for 5 minutes over low heat, or until soft. Add the carrots and potato, cover, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the broth, cover and simmer about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Puree the soup in a blender or food processor and return to the saucepan. Add the soy milk and remaining ingredients and heat until warm. Enjoy!

More Vegetarian and Vegan Soup Recipes:
Curried Split Pea and Potato Soup
Quick and Easy Tomato Rice Soup
Cool Cucumber Soup
Easy Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Vegan Cream of Asparagus Soup
Easy French Onion Soup
Cheesy Potato Soup
Basic Miso Soup Recipe
Red Pepper Gazpacho
Basic Gazpacho
Watermelon Gazpacho
Vegetarian Bean and Barley Soup
Spinach and Mascarpone Soup
Pumpkin and Coconut Soup
Vegetarian Lentil Soup
Gingered Carrot Soup
Thai Lemongrass Soup

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Like guacamole? Like tapenade? Try this olive avocado dip

Like guacamole? Like olive tapenade? Sure you do! And you're going to love this avocado and olive dip recipe, the next in my series of blog posts about fun and creative ways to enjoy avocados. It combines olives, avocados, chili peppers, green onions and fresh basil. Delightful!

Link: Olive avocado dip

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Easy Apple Cinnamon Crisp

A quick and easy recipe for apple crisp using cereal as a topping. Apple crisp can be served for breakfast or for a light and healthy dessert. For a vegan version, just be sure to use a vegan cereal brand. Quick and easy apple crisp recipe and photo courtesy the Wheat Foods Council.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 cups apples, sliced
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tbsp cold margarine
• 1 cup crushed wheat flakes cereal

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 11x7 inch baking pan.

Spread apples in pan and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 2 tablespoons water.

In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, and ground cinnamon. Cut in margarine, using a pastry blender or two forks, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cereal; mix and sprinkle over apples.

Bake for 30 minutes. Top with frozen vanilla yogurt or ice cream if desired.

Makes 8 servings of apple crisp.

Calories/Serving: 185
Nutrition: Each serving provides approximately: 185 calories; 1 g protein; 38 g carbohydrates; 3 g fiber; 5 g fat (1 g saturated); 0 mg cholesterol; 21 mcg folate; 2 mg iron; 108 mg sodium.

See also: More easy healthy dessert recieps

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Seitan

Definition: Although it is made from wheat, seitan has little in common with flour or bread. Also called “wheat meat”, “wheat gluten” or simply “gluten”, seitan becomes surprisingly similar to the look and texture of meat when cooked, making it a popular meat substitute. Seitan is also high in protein, making it a popular protein source for vegetarians. Asian restaurants often use seitan as a vegetarian mock meat, and seitan is also the base for several commercially available products such as Tofurky deli slices.

Seitan can be prepared by hand using either whole wheat flour or vital wheat gluten and is made by rinsing away the starch in the wheat, leaving a high-protein gluten behind. Although not as common as tofu, seitan is quickly gaining popularity, particularly in vegetarian restaurants, due to its ability to take on the texture and flavor of meat. Prepared seitan can be found in the refrigerated section of most health food stores.

Seitan Recipes:

• Mexican Seitan Fajitas
  
• Spicy Seitan Buffalo "Wings"
  
• Basic Barbecue Seitan
  
• Super Meaty Seitan Meat Substitute
• Barley and Seitan Pilaf
  
• Southern Fried Seitan
  
• Chinese Stir-Fry with Seitan
  
• Creole Style Seitan
  
• Zesty Barbecued Seitan
  
• Tandoori Barbecued Seitan
  
• Curried Grilled Seitan Kebabs
  
• More seitan recipes

See also: Protein Sources for Vegetarians

More:

How To Make Seitan

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Pronunciation: SAY-tahn or SAY-tan

Also Known As: wheat meat, wheat gluten, gluten, vital wheat gluten

Common Misspellings: sietan

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An homage to my favorite fruit, the humble avocado

Obviously, I love good food, or I wouldn't be writing about it all the time, and I often sing the praises of my favorite chocolate desserts, and of course, my favorite grain (quinoa, of course), but it's been a while since I waxed poetic about my favorite fruit. So great a fruit is it, that you might not even consider it a fruit. The humble avocado. So, the next few blog posts will be dedicated to extolling the virtues of avocados, and the many culinary uses it inspires, besides just everybody's favorite, guacamole.

I thought I'd start at the beginning. Before we get started exploring the many ways to enjoy avocados, we need fresh ripe avocadoe. Here's how to choose avocadoes, how to ripen avocadoes and how to cut avocados.

Check back soon for inspiring avocado ideas!

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California-style vegan fudge

Us Californians love our avocados, and we know how to use them too. Sure, everyone loves a toasted sandwich with smooth avocado slices, and who doesn't love fresh chunky homemade guacamole? But in California, when avocados are in season, we'll find a way to enjoy them any way we can. I love a touch of sea salt on a few slices as a side dish, or avocados drizzled with balsamic vinegar for a snack.

But love of avocados doesn't stop there in my native California. Nope. We've found a way to enjoy avocados with another one of nature's greatest gifts: chocolate! I'm talking about avocado fudge. It's creamy, chocolatey, vegan and delicious! Try it!

Like avocados? Check back soon for more inspiring avocado recipe ideas.

Link: Vegan avocado fudge recipe

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Lemon Poppy Seed Vegan Muffins

This is a sweet and tangy muffin recipe and full of zesty lemon flavor - just the way lemon poppy seed muffins should be! Be sure to use a vegan margarine when making this vegan lemon poppy seed muffin recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup margarine, slightly softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp Ener-G egg replacer
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• zest from one lemon
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line a muffin pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate small bowl, whisk together then lemon juice, soy milk and vanilla. Add the margarine and sugar, then add the egg replacer. Stir in the lemon zest and poppy seeds.

Gently combine the flour mixture with the soy milk and margarine mixture just until mixed.

Pour into prepared muffin pan. For extra sweet muffins, sprinkle the top of each muffin with a pinch of extra sugar.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

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Easy Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Homemade biscotti made with mini-chocolate chips. Never made homemade biscotti before? Not to worry, this biscotti recipe is simple and easy to follow. Biscotti is baked twice to get it perfectly crisp and crunchy.

Chocolate chip biscotti recipe courtesy of the Wheat Foods Council.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips. Add eggs and vanilla, stirring until blended. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead 8 to 10 times. Form dough into a log about 2-inches wide and 16-inches thick.

Place log onto baking sheet coated with non-stick spray. Bake 30 minutes; remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Place log on cutting board and with a serrated knife, cut log diagonally into 1/2 inch slices, using a sawing motion. Place slices cut side up, on baking sheet.

Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 10 minutes. Turn slices over and bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Centers will be slightly soft, but will harden as they cool. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Servings: 2 dozen

Calories/Serving: 92

Nutrition: One biscotti provides approximately: 92 calories, 2 g protein, 17 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 2 g fat (1 g saturated), 27 mg cholesterol, 19 mcg folate, 1 g iron, 109 mg sodium.

Like homemade biscotti? Scroll down for more biscotti recipes to try.

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Vegan Sweet Potato Biscuits

Vegan sweet potato biscuits are a quick and easy egg-free and dairy-free biscuit recipe using pre-cooked sweet potatoes. You could use the canned variety or, if you have any leftover, that would work too. If you've never made biscuits before, you can also watch this quick video to see how easy they can be to make. Perfect for Kwanzaa or anytime.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sweet potatoes, pre-cooked and mashed
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Mash together all the ingredients until well mixed.

Form the dough into 6-7 biscuits and place on a cookie sheet or baking pan. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until done.

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Kidney Bean and Egg Salad

Kidney Bean Salad with Eggs. An easy vegetarian bean and egg salad recipe perfect for a casual lunch, or to bring along to a picnic or barbecue. Recipe courtesy of Bush'sR Beans. Scroll down for more easy bean salad recipes and egg salad recipes to try.

Ingredients:

• 1 16 ounce can kidney beans
• 2 pieces celery, sliced
• 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 2 dill pickles, diced
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder or 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Mayonnaise or Italian dressing, to taste

Preparation:

Drain kidney beans; rinse and drain again. Combine beans with celery, egg, pickle and seasonings. Add mayonnaise or Italian dressing to your taste.

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Easy Vegetarian "Hot Wings"

If you like hot wings or buffalo wings, try this vegetarian version made from seitan! Vegetarian "hot wings" with seitan have all the same flavors as regular hot wings, so you really won't miss the meat.

See also: More vegetarian seitan recipes

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 pound seitan, torn or cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup hot sauce
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (optional)

Preparation:

Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sautee the seitan until lightly browned, stirring frequently.

Add the hot sauce, maple syrup, lime juice and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in the fresh oregano.

See also: What is seitan?

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Arsenic and chickens

Question: How does arsenic get into chickens?

Answer: Simple- its in their feed as an FDA approved and legal additive.

The more complex question may be- why? The answer? To shave a few pennies off the cost of the mass production and slaughter of chickens. According to labels on chicken feed with arsenic, the products claim “increased rate of weight gain, improved feed efficiency, and improved pigmentation.” In other words, feeding chickens arsenic allows them to grow faster so they may be slaughtered at a younger age; eat less, thus reducing production costs; and have an aesthetically appealing hue when slaughtered. (The European Union has ruled that arsenic may not be added to chicken feed.)

Perhaps the scariest thing about this excessive use of arsenic in animal feed is that all this arsenic does not just disappear- it stays in the environment. As such, even us vegetarians are not safe from the harmful effects of unsafe industrialized factory farming practices.

Previous: What is arsenic?

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Vegan pumpkin pudding

A simple and easy vegan and dairy-free pumpkin pudding recipe for Thanksgiving or anytime you've got some pureed pumpkin on hand.

This easy dessert recipe is also low calorie.

Ingredients:

• 1 15 ounce can pureed pumpkin
• 1 2/3 cup soy milk
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:

Whisk or blend together all ingredients until smooth, creamy and well combined.

Simmer over medium-low heat until thickened, about 6-8 minutes.

Transfer to individual serving cups and chill until set and firm, at least 1 1/2 hours.

Enjoy your homemade vegan pumpkin pudding!

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional information:
Calories: 122; Calories from Fat: 13
Total Fat: 1.5g; % Daily Value: 2%; Trans Fat: 0.0g
Cholesterol: 0mg; 0%
Sodium: 236mg; 10%
Total Carbohydrates: 25.6g; 9%
Dietary Fiber: 2.6g; 10%
Sugars: 14.7g
Protein: 3.0g
Vitamin A 221%, Vitamin C 5%, Calcium 6%, Iron 10%

With just 122 calories per serving, this pumpkin pudding is a low-calorie dessert.

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Seven Summer Salsas

Is summer over already? Can't be! I refuse to believe it! Well, the weather is still lovely where I am, and I'm still enjoying a bounty of summer fruits and vegetables, so I'm quite happy to live in my denial that it's still late summer, and not early fall!

Fresh summer fruit is a sweet addition to a homemade salsa recipe, so take advantage of the season and make some homemade salsa, while you still can! Try this pictured apricot salsa recipe to start with, get tropical with a sweet mango and peach salsa or get creative with a unique pineapple salsa or even a mouth-watering strawberry orange salsa. Here's seven homemade salsa recipes to enjoy. Summer or not.

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Vegan pumpkin pudding

A simple and easy vegan and dairy-free pumpkin pudding recipe for Thanksgiving or anytime you've got some pureed pumpkin on hand.

This easy dessert recipe is also low calorie.

Ingredients:

• 1 15 ounce can pureed pumpkin
• 1 2/3 cup soy milk
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:

Whisk or blend together all ingredients until smooth, creamy and well combined.

Simmer over medium-low heat until thickened, about 6-8 minutes.

Transfer to individual serving cups and chill until set and firm, at least 1 1/2 hours.

Enjoy your homemade vegan pumpkin pudding!

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional information:
Calories: 122; Calories from Fat: 13
Total Fat: 1.5g; % Daily Value: 2%; Trans Fat: 0.0g
Cholesterol: 0mg; 0%
Sodium: 236mg; 10%
Total Carbohydrates: 25.6g; 9%
Dietary Fiber: 2.6g; 10%
Sugars: 14.7g
Protein: 3.0g
Vitamin A 221%, Vitamin C 5%, Calcium 6%, Iron 10%

With just 122 calories per serving, this pumpkin pudding is a low-calorie dessert.

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Meet your wheat. Wheat berries, that is.

Wheat berries are one of those foods I really wish I had tried sooner. Regular readers will already know how much I love my quinoa, and this queen of grains will always be my favorite, but there's plenty of space in my heart (and on my plate!) for wheat berries, too. Try adding a handful to a favorite soup or chili recipe, in order to add extra fiber and nutrition, or pair it with a stir-fry as you would with rice. Here's a few wheat berry recipes to try:

• What are wheat berries?
• Wheat berry chili (pictured)
• Wheat berry and artichoke pilaf
• Wheat berry tabbouli recipe

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What is arsenic?

Question: What is arsenic?

Answer: Arsenic is a poisonous chemical often used in herbicides and pesticides and is classified as a Class 1 carcinogen, meaning it is highly toxic to humans. Other Class 1 carcinogens include asbestos, formaldehyde and hepatitis B and C viruses. According to the EPA, "arsenic has been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver, and prostate". Other side effects of consuming arsenic can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, partial paralysis and blindness.

How much is too much?

Arsenic exists not only in the bodies of animals used for foods, such as chicken, but also in the American water supply. Although some environmental exposure to arsenic may be unavoidable, as more and more Americans reduce their consumption of red meat, they are often replacing this with chicken and fish and thus exponentially increasing their consumption of arsenic at rates never before experienced.

More: How does arsenic get into chickens?

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Easy Vegan Date Macaroons

If you've got a food processor, this sugar-free vegan macaroon recipe takes just a few minutes to make, since it only has three ingredients. See also: More Sugar-free Cookie Recipes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 medium sized dates
• 1 banana
• 1 1/2 cups coconut flakes

Preparation:

Remove the pits from dates.

Place ingredients in a food processor, and process until smooth.

Depending on the size of the dates and the ripeness of the bananas, you may need to add more or less coconut to get the right consistency. Mixture should be moist, but not gooey.

Bake at 325 degrees 10-15 minutes, until done. Cookies will be soft, but should cook enough to have a golden brown bottom and hold togther well.

Note: Dates do contain a fair amount of natural sugar, but this recipe contains no refined or white sugar. Also, to be truly sugar-free, make sure the coconut flakes you are using do not have any added sugar. You may need to shop for sugar-free coconut flakes at a natural foods store.

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What is brown rice syrup?

What is brown rice syrup? Is brown rice syrup vegan? How can it be used as a sugar substitute in cooking and baking?

What is brown rice syrup?

Brown rice syrup is a vegan and gluten-free liquid sugar substitute that can be used in baking and cooking to sweeten foods with less calories and to avoid the use of refined sugar. Vegans may prefer brown rice syrup to refined sugar, which is sometimes refined using bone char from animals. With a sticky, gooey consistency similar to honey, brown rice syrup tastes very sweet, but has a flavor much different from other sweeteners, such as honey and agave nectar.

Cooking with brown rice syrup:

Lundberg Family Farms brand of brown rice syrup include instructions right on the jar for substituting sugar with brown rice syrup. They say, "To substitute sugar, use 1 1/4 cup rice syrup for one cup sugar, using 1/4 cup less of another liquid in the recipe." Try drizzling it on pancakes or waffles, instead of maple syrup, or using it to sweeten iced tea.

Is brown rice syrup healthy?

Brown rice syrup contains a few trace minerals, including magnesium, manganese, and zinc. But that doesn't make it healthy. Although it's made from brown rice and little else, it's highly refined and concentrated, making it a source of calories and carbs, as well as trace minerals. However, as far as sweeteners go, it is all-natural, nearly always organic, and probably one of the healthiest sugar substitutes available, with the exception of stevia.
See also: Nutritional and calorie information for brown rice syrup

Recipe using brown rice syrup:

• Sugar-free Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Rice Syrup
• Rice Pudding with Brown Rice Syrup
• Sugar-free chocolate pie recipe
• Sugar-free Carob Chip Cookie Recipe
• Rice Crispy Treats Recipe
• Homemade Granola Recipe with Brown Rice Syrup

View the original article here