Meatless Meatballs Using Rice & Lentils

I got the base for this recipe from an awesome vegan cookbook called Vegan Lunch Box, but I modified it to match my own tastes.  This works really well with traditional pasta and sauce.  It's good to eat it just with sauce too.

Take:
1/2 cup rice
1/2 cup lentils

and cook them in 1 1/2 cups boiling water for 30-40 minutes.  While this is cooking, preheat the oven to 350.  After they are done and drained, dump them into a large mixing bowl and add:

1/2 cup flour
2 tsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp Italian herb seasoning

3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper

Mix this together and then add 1/4 cup water.  It should look sticky and paste-like, but if it's too dry add a little more water until it looks right.

Roll the mixture in to meatball-sized balls and place into a baking pan or onto a cookie sheet.  Brush the balls with a bit of olive oil.  Cook for about 30-35 minutes, or until browned.

January Blood Drive at Work

I know this has nothing to do with food, but I wanted to mention the blood drive we're having at my work.  Donating blood is a quick, easy thing you can do to help others where the results are immediate and directly save lives.  One of my least favorite misconception that I've heard about vegans/veganism is that by helping animals you can't help people too.  I can choose not to eat meat, but at the same time I can choose to tutor children, or work with the elderly, or donate to a humanitarian charity.  So here's a way where, no matter what you choose to eat, you can help others.  Each donation (about a pint) can save three lives and most people will at some point in their lives know someone who has needed a blood transfusion at some point in their lives.  You may help a premature baby, accident or surgery survivor, or someone who needs to receive transfusions throughout their life due to a genetic condition.

You get a free iron test, mini physical, and your blood is screened for various things.  Also I will be making vegan puppy chow and trail mix (and the red cross provides such vegan treats as juice, oreos, pretzels, nutter butters, ect), so there's delicious reasons to attend as well.  If you can't make it to this drive, there are plenty of others listed on the red cross's website so please consider going.

Sunrise Assisted Living of Lincoln Park - January 30, 2011 Schedule

Interesting Blood Donation Facts


Also I wanted to share this poem that was in the last red cross enewsletter.  I thought it was really touching.

The Gift of Life

By: Christi Mead Nielsen

Someone saved my life today.
I don't know who they are or even know their name.
I don't know if they are male or female or the color of their eyes or skin or hair.
I don't know how they make their living or what they dream of doing when they go out to play.
I don't know if they believe in God or just the kindness of strangers.
I don't know what made them open that door and leave a part of themselves inside.
I do know their priceless gift was the difference between life and death.
My life. My death.
Without their gift my husband would be without his wife, my son without his mother.
People I love would mourn a sister, a daughter, a friend.
Without their gift my dreams would have died unrealized, unshared, unexplored.
But someone saved my life today with a sacrificial gift of blood.
My family lives together whole.
I live a life of dreams I now make real.
Someone saved my life today.
I don't know who or where or why.
Whoever you are I would just like to say
Thank you.

About the Author

Christi Mead Nielsen
Christi suffered from serious heart problems for the past 12 years and consumed many blood products during her battle. Christi unfortunately passed away a few weeks ago and her husband found this poem she wrote thanking blood donors for saving her life.

Basil Tomato Toast

I made up this recipe one morning over the summer when I had an abundance of fresh basil and needed to use it up.  There's a few different ways it can be made.

2 pieces of toast
1/2 avocado (optional)
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 leaves fresh basil (or 1 tbsp dried in a pinch)
2 tbsp Italian dressing

Once the bread is toasted, if you're using avocado, cut the portion in half and spread one half on each piece of toast.  Tear up the basil leaves and sprinkle them over the bread.  Divide up the cut cherry tomatoes between the bread as well, putting them on top (if its cut side down, it sticks better).  Other types of tomato could be used, but cherry is a little sweet and the flavor works best in this recipe.  Finally, pour on the dressing.  This goes well with breakfast.

Peanut Butter in a Pinch

So last night I was trying to make some peanut butter and jelly with Steve, but we ran out of peanut butter.  We decided to make our own.  We took my food processor and some honey roasted peanuts I had on hand, and it came out really well.

Add
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

into a food processor.  Blend it until it becomes creamier and looks more like real peanut butter.  You'll probably never be able to blend it enough for it to be smooth, but if you like chunky peanut butter, it comes out pretty well.  If its too dry, or not breaking up enough, add more oil, and if its too oily, add more peanuts.  Pretty simple!

Simple Apple Cider

I wasn't sure if this was worth a post, but I had to look up Apple Cider recipes for Thanksgiving and they were all unnecessarily complicated.  I like the way my experiment turned out, so here it is.  You need a crockpot for this recipe.

1 gallon of Apple Juice
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon (cinnamon sticks would also work)
1 Tbsp vanilla

Combine all of this into a crockpot and heat.  Serve when warm.  It also smells delicious.

Ian's Pizza - Chicago

For any Chicago vegans, Ian's Pizza is doing vegan pizza by the slice (on Thursdays, starting this Thursday at 5.  Ian's Pizza is super delicious and their cheese is pretty good.  I'm pretty excited to not have to round up some friends and buy a whole pizza whenever I wanted some (plus I love getting "buy 10 get 1 free" punch cards, which maybe I can do now).  If you like vegan pizza, try to show your support and stop by.  Maybe they'll start offering it more frequently.

"Chicken Seitan Taco, pepperoni and sausage seitan, Vegan Florentine and vegan 3 veggie are all making an epic comeback featuring ingredients from Chicago Soydairy and Upton's Naturals."



Facebook Event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=115750418495051&index=1

Winter Vegetable Soup

Winter always puts me in the mood for a warm bowl of soup, so here's another soup recipe featuring some winter vegetables.  Hopefully you have a crockpot, otherwise a big soup pot will work.

Start boiling water to prepare the broth.  Using Knorr vegetable bouillon cubes works really well to create a broth, or you could use some kind of liquid broth.  I used a whole box of cubes (about 6), which equates to about 12 cups of water.  I like to boil it before I add it to the crockpot when using bouillon cubes because it helps dissolve them better/more easily.

Broth
6 Knorr vegetable bouillon cubes
12 cups water
1 tsp ginger powder
2 cloves crushed garlic/1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp pepper

After this is boiling and everything is dissolved and mixed, pour into the crock pot.

Vegetables

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 Russel potato, cubed
1/3 cup diced mushroom
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 box (about 8 oz) medium shaped pasta

Add all these things to the crockpot with the broth and allow to cook for about 35-45 minutes, or until everything is soft.  This was pretty successful at Christmas Eve.

PS.  I can't believe I kept a blog for a whole year.  I'm a bit proud of myself.