Yam and Black Bean Tacos

No, trust me. They’re good. This coming from someone who eats a whole lot of the more traditional version of this dish. 

Side note: whoever invented Taco Tuesdays should win the Nobel Peace Prize.

 

 

Yam and Black Bean Tacos

3 sweet potatoes, cut into 1” cubes

2 Tb olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 Tb cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 14-oz can black beans

1 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

corn tortillas

Cilantro sour cream (see recipe below)

Heat olive oil on medium heat in sauté pan. Cook garlic for about 30 seconds, then add chopped sweet potato. Cook for five minutes, then add in black beans, cumin and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Warm corn tortillas in a dry sauté pan or in the microwave. Top tacos with fresh cilantro and cilantro sour cream.

Cilantro Sour Cream

This is pretty easy. Don’t hurt yourself.

1 cup sour cream

1 cup cilantro

Blend in food processor. Lick bowl.

Ain’t that a (Side) Kick in the Head

Apparently I’m on a sides kick. Not to worry, main dishes will make a reappearance as soon as I stop going out to eat as much. I go through cooking phases like everyone else does and sometimes having someone else cook for me is diiiivine. But new shows like TLC’s Strange Addictions (eating laundry detergent, what the…?!) or another season of The Bachelor (I’ve been watching since 2001, and so what if that makes me proud) or screaming, “Oh em gee, I can totally do that!” while watching The Amazing Race means cooking and then enjoying food at home is back on the agenda.

This dish is a healthy side dish that packs a punch from the shallots that get caramelized and then a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

 

Balsamic Green Beans and Shallots

What you’ll need (serves 3):

- 1 lbs fresh green beans

- 1 shallot, chopped

- 1 Tb olive oil

- Good balsamic vinegar *

- Salt, pepper

Directions:

1. Blanch your beans. First, bring a pot of water to a boil, throw in the green beans for about 5 minutes, then transfer them immediately into a bowl of ice water.

2. Meanwhile, sauté the chopped shallot in olive oil in a saucepan. Drain your green beans and add them to the saucepan. Toss together with salt and pepper.

3. Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with balsamic.

Calivirgin Products

* There are some pantry essentials that should be high quality. It is my firm belief that olive oil and balsamic vinegar are two of them; it can change the entire taste of your dish. While I don’t tend to promote goods on I Pray to Gouda and must emphasize that they didn't ask or pay me to do so, I stand behind Calivirgin products for olive oil and balsamic. I’m lucky enough that their products are made locally, but they are also easy to order online. Don’t trust me? Click here.

Try them out!

Life is Just a Bowl Full of Cranberries.

Some moments are sweet. Some are sour. But combined, you have a pretty good chance of maintaining a nice balance.

Holy shucks, that was sappy, no? But…shoot, I’d write that down if I were you. Before I figure out some genius already said it somewhere else.

This recipe was one I used on Thanksgiving, to give a more real food spin to the usual canned cranberry sauce. Now, I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t like that canned stuff. I ignore the fact that Ocean Spray straight up molded a berry into a gelatinous wonder, but I just can’t help it.

Whether you secretly adore the canned version, too, or simply think I’m crazy, I’d recommend you try this version this winter while they’re still in season.

P.S.: did you know these are called “bounceberries” because they bounce when ripe? I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to call them cranberries again.

 

Sugared Vanilla Bean Cranberries

- 2.5 cups sugar

- 1.5 cups water

- seeds scraped from one vanilla bean

 

1. First, you’re going to make a simple syrup. Bring your water and 2 cups of the sugar to a simmer over medium heat and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.

2. During the simple syrup making process, put your cranberries into a heatproof dish. Pour the simple syrup over the top of the berries. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

3. The next day, pulse the remaining .5 cup sugar with the vanilla bean seeds in a food processor and then transfer to a shallow dish. Use a slotted spoon or colander to strain the cranberries. Then roll the cranberries in the sugar and spread on a parchment-covered baking sheet.

4. Let set for one hour, then serve!

Homemade Granola With a Healthy Twist

I have it on good authority (mine) that you will likely never buy granola again after making your own. Not only is it easier than I'm guessing most of you think, but it's heartening to know exactly what is going into your food - and being able to pronounce it.

Granola has generally been denounced in the health food world due to most companies filling it with truckloads of sugar. The other problem is that it's expensive. Why oats covered in sugary binding agents cost so much is beyond me. But there's a skirt around the issue: Double Coconut Granola.

I made this batch as a gift for my colleague who just announced her pregnancy. Buy some Ball Jars at your local hardware store (totally inexpensive, woot!), some cute wrapping accessories and you'll be on your way to easy gifts. Or eat it yourself. Or shoot, do both and call it a day.

Double Coconut Granola
courtesy of Opera Girl

6 C. rolled oats
1 2/3 C. unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 C. honey
1/3 C. coconut oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. kosher salt

1. Heat oven to 300F.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats and shredded coconut.
3. In a small saucepan, cook honey, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt over medium heat until the mixture just begins to simmer.
4. Pour honey/oil mixture over oats and coconut flakes, and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.
5. Spread out granola on a baking sheet. Place in oven, bake for 10 minutes, then stir granola. Repeat until granola is well-toasted — this took me four stirs, or 40 minutes total cooking time.
6. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. When cooled, store in airtight containers for up to 2 weeks. Can refrigerate or freeze for longer shelf life.

Sloppy Janes

Oh, lentils. How tasteless and disgusting I once thought you were. A key player in the one and only bad recipe my father made in my youth - the dreaded lentil stew. But look at you shine now! You're a star! Everyone loves you!

Actually, I'm sad to say, dear lentils, that I'm afraid not many know your multiple personalities. For instance, I bet it will come as quite the surprise to many that their beefy sloppy joes can be transformed into vegan beauties, enjoyed even by those who cringe in fear when the word "vegan" is uttered (you should see the boyfriend's eyes widen. It makes me giggle.)

These bad girls are tasty. Sure, you may miss the beef. My goal isn't to make things that are vegan taste exactly like their meaty counterparts, but instead, when I make a vegan dish, it's to enjoy a good alternative to a favorite, with major health benefits on the side.
Here's what you'll need:

Vegan Sloppy Joes
courtesy Post Punk Kitchen

• 1 cup uncooked lentil
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 1 green pepper, diced small
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard (wet mustard)
• 4 to 6 whole grain hamburger buns.

Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.


Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup and mustard and heat through.Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld, or go ahead and eat immediately if you can't wait.

One Mean, But Clean Burrito

For the life of me, I cannot figure out what is wrong with my camera. The pictures I take turn out bright white and overexposed. Not good for food photos. If you have suggestions, please email me.

Another bummer? After a glorious 9-mile run last Saturday, I seem to have royally pissed off my IT band. Which appears to be necessary for running. Oh, and walking. Someone called me Quasimoto today. Lovingly...but still.

So while I wait for my old, exercise-driven self to come back, I'm eating even healthier than usual. I'm cutting out most dairy and pasta and sticking to fruits and vegetable bases. Luckily, with this burrito, I don't have to sacrifice taste. To vegan-ize this recipe, replace the sour cream with tofu cream.

Clean, Mean Burrito (makes 1 burrito)
adapted from The Kind Diet

Whole wheat wrap (easy to find in the tortilla section)
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup pinto beans, cooked (just use the canned ones, perfectly acceptable)
2 TB fresh cilantro
Chopped scallions, cucumber, avocado, tomatoes
1 Tsp fat free sour cream, or tofu cream

Mix ingredients and wrap 'em up. Add about 1 Tb of cheese if you want. It's that easy, it's that tasty, and it's that healthy. I served mine with a side of strawberries and raisins.

I bet you're dying to know what I'm currently chowing down for dessert. Glad you inquired! I recently made a trip to My Tea Shelf's online tea boutique to order a few ounces of loose leaf tea. Just to try out. I'm impressed! With flavors like "Sol y Luna," vanilla coconut and "Mango Marshmallow," it would be nearly impossible not to find something you like. With my "Cocoda," I'm munching on Dr. Lucy's Sugar Cookies.

"What? I Totally Paused." And I Come to a Screeching Halt for this Eggplant Chana Masala

In 1995, while sitting in my friend, Tanya's, basement on her 15th birthday, eating Sugar Daddies, flirting with the nerdy band geek who wore wingtips and watching Clueless, the last thing on my sugar-buzzed brain was that Cher Horowitz would create a vegan cookbook 13 years later.

And Alicia Silverstone has come up with a good one, at that. And biznatch looks even prettier AND younger than she did in the Aerosmith video!

I'm not Indian food's biggest fan. It lost me at yellow curry. However, this dish is wicked easy to make and the addition of cumin, garlic and eggplant, you may jump on board, too.

Eggplant Chana Masala
courtesy of The Kind Diet

1 1/2 large onions, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tb olive oil
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 eggplant, peeled and chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 (15 0z) can chickpeas, drained
1 can peeled tomatoes, drained
1 can vegetarian chili (I used Amy's)
1 handful chopped fresh cilantro

1. Saute the onions and garlic with the oil, curry powder and cumin in a large pot until onions are soft or translucent. Add eggplant, saute for five minutes longer until lightly browned.
2. Add chickpeas, tomatoes and chili, simmer for 20-30 minutes. It will reduce to a thick, stewy chana masala. Add more spice to taste and top with cilantro.

This serves roughly 3-4. Serve over brown rice with pita bread!

Brown Rice Krispie Treats: Why Didn't I Think of This?!

By now you're probably wondering if I Pray to Gouda has turned into some weird, hippie health blog. You wonder if another, "Dang, that cheesy wonder looks amazing, I can't wait to make that" dish will appear on a blog originally dedicated to my love of God's gift from cows.

Fear not. I will whip up artery-clogging life-shorteners soon enough. I mean, shoot - I ate onion rings and chocolate chip cookies for dinner tonight. (Judge not, my friend.) But - at this venture, I'm busy introducing as many healthy products and wholesome alternatives into my life so that the not-so-wholesome foods will compliment my diet rather than fully comprise it.

Ya get what I'm throwin' down, yo?

Here's my promise, though: I love food. More than a lot of people. So I'm never going to put a recipe on here that I don't find absolutely deeelicious and think you should try, too.

On that note, introduce some wholesomeness into your life via the new and improved rice krispie treat.

Brown Rice Krispie Treats
whipped up by my bud, Jennifer

3 Tb vegan margarine (such as Earth Balance) - if you don't want to go vegan, use regular butta'.

1 package Dandie's Vegan Vanilla Marshmallows (yums. I swear.)

6 cups brown rice crisps cereal (we used Barbara's. Love that lady.)

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in marshmallows. Add in rice crisps and stir until coated. Using wax paper or a greased spatula, press this mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Cool, cut and nosh.

Super-Charge Me Cookies!

Oh, they live up to their name, too. Even the boyfriend, Mr. I-Only-Love-Butter-Filled-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies agreed that they were "good for a healthy cookie."

Folks, these are just plain good, regardless of whether you're trying to be healthy or not. No butter (replaced with all-natural peanut butter and a bit of canola oil). No white sugar (used 100% maple syrup, instead). If you have kids (or if you're a kid at heart), these are an awesome alternative to a sugar and artificial ingredient-laden cookie.

The Super-Charge Me cookie is filled with nutrition: spelt flour* (the "grandfather" grain to wheat; huge source of protein, B2, manganese and a crapload of other good stuff); dried cherries, unsweetened coconut and flax. I used dark chocolate chips, but you can use carob chips or milk chocolate and then add whatever dried fruit your cute little heart desires.

Warning: you're gonna eat a whole lot o'these.

Super-Charge Me Cookies
modifed from the original at Eat, Drink and Be Vegan
Makes 11-15 cookies

1 cup quick oats
2/3 cup spelt flour
1/4 tsp (rounded) sea salt
1/8tsp cinnamon
1/8 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 dried cherries
5 Tb carob or chocolate chips (optional; or use more dried fruit, nuts, or seeds)
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup flax meal (not flax seed)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
3 tbsp peanut butter (no sugar added!)
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp organic canola oil

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a bowl, combine oats, flour, salt, cinnamon, coconut, cherries, and carob or chocolate chips, sift in baking powder, and stir until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flax meal, syrup, peanut butter butter, and vanilla and stir until well combined. Stir in oil. Add wet mixture to dry, and stir until just well combined (do not overmix). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon batter onto baking sheet evenly space apart, and lightly flatten. Bake for 13 minutes (no longer, or they will dry out). Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 1 minute (no longer), then transfer to a cooling rack.

*Spelt flour can be found at Whole Foods and Nugget Stores. Or any health food store.

Popeye Has Nothing on Me: Introducing the Green Monster

Many of you may scoff at my new 3x/week breakfast. Some of you may even get that twingey, my-lunch-is-about-to-make-a-reappearance feeling in your throat. I'm imagining, however, that if you read food blogs, you're open to trying new stuff. And by new stuff, I'm straight up talking about my latest obsession, The Green Monster.

I'm going to make you a quick promise here: YOU WON'T TASTE THE SPINACH IN THIS!

Try it. Just once. Not only do these taste great like whoa, their nutritional value is off the charts. I did the math (doozie. I need to stick to writing from here on out, peeps), and you're looking at 371 calories and 35 grams of fat, which as a breakfast in the morning will easily be burned off throughout your day. Most of the fat grams are obtained from the flax meal, but the benefits far outweigh the fat content - flax is seriously chock FULL of omega-3s and lignans (fight that cancer, baby). It has a nutty flavor that calms down the spinach and leaves your tastebuds happy.

The Original Green Monster

2 cups fresh spinach
1-1.25 cups milk (your choice of cow’s milk, soy, hemp, almond, rice, etc)
1 tablespoon flax (optional)
1 banana
frozen peaches

The order in which you place the ingredients in the blender is important! Putting in the flax and spinach first will ensure that the rest of the ingredients weigh these two superpowers down so they don't fly all over the dang place inside your blender. So stick those in first, then cut up the banana into the machine, add your milk and then your frozen fruit of choice. Blend, baby. Blend.

Side note: I used frozen peaches for my first Green Monster. This morning, I chose blueberries (wicked good.) Feel free to go crazy, as long as you either use a frozen fruit or ice. This thingamabobber tastes far better cold!

I Rule. General Tao's tofu

Have you ever had one of those moments after cooking a feast where you think, "Did I seriously just make this? In my kitchen? And it tastes this good?"

If you haven't (and dang, I really hope you have, it's better than se....wait. No it's not. But still), then try this recipe. Not only is it fabulous, it's fabulously easy. And while it is vegetarian (you can make it vegan by simply swapping the egg out for an egg substitute), I wouldn't necessarily call it healthy. The sugar kind of squelches that, but shoot, I started my day off with oat bran, sailed through lunch on a Boca burger and spinach salad and did boot camp. I'll be damned if I can't have myself a bit o'sugah!

General Tao's Tofu. (Or, as I have now donned it, Fake Out the Take Out)

1 box of firm tofu
egg substitute for 1 egg
3/4 cup cornstarch
vegetable oil for frying
3 chopped green onions
1 Tablespoon minced ginger
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2/3 cup vegetable stock
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
4 Tablespoons sugar
red pepper flakes to taste
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
steamed broccoli

Directions: Drain, dry and cut tofu into 1 inch chunks. You can freeze tofu the night before to get a more chicken-like consistency, but it isn't necessary. Mix the egg replacer as specified on the box and add an additional 3 tablespoons water. Dip tofu in egg replacer/water mixture and coat completely. Sprinkle 3/4 cup cornstarch over tofu and coat completely. Watch out that the cornstarch doesn't clump up at the bottom of the bowl.

Heat oil in pan and fry tofu pieces until golden. Drain oil.

Heat 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil in pan on medium heat. Add green onions, bell pepper, red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic, cook for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn garlic.

Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper and vinegar. Mix 2 Tablespoons water with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch and pour into mixture stirring well.

Add fried tofu and coat evenly. Serve immediately with steamed broccoli over your choice of rice.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 30 Minutes

Vegan Week, Days 4 and 5: Living La Vida Loca

I was a bit worried about Day 4's dinner. After going to great lengths to be creative with meals, I figured it was time to use simple vegan substitutions for an everyday meal.

Tacos, baby. Luscious, meaty, cheesy, crunchy tacos.

My heart fell when I realized these tacos would be "meaty," and "cheezy." But it was time to test the waters of Vegan Week.

Success! Smart Ground Mexican crumbles are pretty darn tasty and I'm not sure I'll be returning to regular meat for my tacos hereafter. But the real test would be the cheese. Fake cheese product could truly ruin a good taco. Luckily, Veggie Slices stood up to the challenge. it even melts for crying out loud!

Day 5 saw me forgetting my camera. Breakfast was oat bran (seriously, try this stuff.). Lunch was leftover risotto that I topped with fresh spinach (fresh spinach can be put into damn near anything savory and it offers up extra nutrients and fiber), soy yogurt and a Fuji apple. Followed up by a yummy Caramel Apple Spice from Starbucks. I decided those were vegan, so hopefully there aren't any milk derivatives floating around in 'em. Don't tell me if there are. Ignorance = bliss once in a while.

I drank my dinner last night. Don't judge.

Vegan Week, Day 3: This Is What Creams Are Made Of

What's the best thing to do on a cold, autumn Wednesday night? Fill a bag with fresh produce and head to your friend's house to drink wine, build a fire and read about your astonishingly correct astrological signs while making dinner.

I showed up at Jennifer's door with a bag full of asparagus, onions, celery and cashews (more on that later) and she was just getting started on an amazing BBQ "chik'n" pizza on Trader Joe's whole wheat crust. To go with it, I sauteed and simmered my cold, black little heart out on this amazing Cream of Asparagus soup from Tal Ronnen.

How do you get a cream o-anything in a vegan lifestyle? Cashews, baby. Before you turn up your omnivorous nose, try it. I triple-dog dare ya. (no dogs were harmed in the making of that sentence.

Cream of Asparagus Soup
from A Conscious Cook

Salt
3 Tb extra-virgin olive oil
1 large bunch asparagus, ends trimmed,cut into 2-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, choped
1 large onion, chopped
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 cup cashew cream*
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh baby spinach


1. Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Sprinkle bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add oil and heat for 30 seconds, being careful not to let it smoke.

2. Add asparagus, celeery and onion and saute for 6-10 minutes, until celery is just soft. Add stock and bay leaf, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add cashew cream and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf, season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Working in batches, pour soup into a food processor and puree. Add spinach to last batch and blend to smooth. Pour soup into large bowl and stir in spinach batch. Ladle into bowls.

*Cashew Cream: put 2 cups of cashews into a bowl and cover with cold water. Refrigerate overnight covered. Drain cashes and rinse under cold water. Place in blender with enough fresh cold water to cover them by an inch. Blend on high for several minutes until very smooth.

Vegan Week, Day 2

Happy Veterans Day, folks! Hopefully this day finds you not sitting in an office in front of a computer, but rather sitting here, reading I Pray to Gouda. I mean, you don't have anything else to do today, right?

Day 2 of this vegan life showed me a tempting side to life. Case in point:

My lunch at an all-staff meeting: salad, steamed veggies and bread.

The luscious, chocolatey, cream cheese-filled dessert that accompanied the other staff members' lunch.

I did not cave! Instead, I ate a Clif Z-bar, Chocolate Brownie flavor to be exact. These are almost as tasty as the Mojo bars from Clif, and the perfect size if you are searching for a sweet, midday snack. My ability to avoid those little chocolate pieces of heaven at lunch meant I needed to have a great dinner. Enter Tal Ronnen's Lemon Asparagus Risotto from his new vegan cookbook, A Conscious Cook. Stephanie and Ally put aside meat and cheese to imbibe in this vegan dinner. Thanks, girls!

Lemon Asparagus Risotto

from The Conscious Cook

Sea Salt

1 lb asparagus, cut into 1" pieces

ground black pepper

3 Tb olive oil

3 shallots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups Arborio rice

1 cup plus a splash of dry white wine

6 cups vegetable stock (optional: boil the broth with 3-4 dried porcini mushrooms. This will give it a meatier flavor)

Grated zest of 3 Meyer lemons

Juice of 2 Meyer lemons

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted.

1. Fill small pot with water. Add 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 1 minute, drain and season with salt and pepper.

2. Place large saute pan with steep sides over medium heat. Sprinkle bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add pinch of salt and rice and saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add in shallots, onions, lemon juice and wine. Saute until onions are soft.

4. Start adding in the broth, 1 cup at a time. Wait for each cup to be absorbed by the rice prior to adding the next cup. This process will take about 30 minutes (be patient, it's worth it!).

5. Add in lemon zest, a dash of salt and pepper, and top with pine nuts.

Vegan Week, Day 1

Holla! I made it through Day 1, and without a scratch. That doesn't count my raw, blistered palms from asphalt pushups in boot camp. That was a rough hour. Now I'm avoiding homework by watching Tivo'd Desperate Housewives. Don't judge.

Breakfast: Have you ever tried Oat Bran?! It's crazy awesome. If Oat Bran and oatmeal got in a scuffle in the alley behind the gymnasium, Oat Bran would totally kick oatmeal's hiney. And this combo will blow your mind with the additional bonus of tiding you over until lunch.

- Oat bran
- "Melted banana" - try this: microwave a banana for 30 seconds. It slightly caramelizes and stirs right into the Oat Bran.
- Kingslake and Crane Mahalo Granola Mix. Holy amazing. And California-made.
- Dash o'brown sugar. Or maybe 1/4 cup. Whatevs.


Lunch: this documentation is going to give you a pretty good view of my office. Especially since I tend to work through lunch.

- Pita, filled with spinach, mushrooms, snap peas, cilantro-lime hummus and Tofurkey. Hell naw to the Tofurkey. That stuff will not enter mi boca ever again.
- Wholesoy & Co. Yogurt: YES, YES, YES! I think I like this more than milk-based yogurt! It's richer and not as thick. A-ma-zing.

Snack: Nugget brand trail mix and a Starbucks VIA instant coffee. Have you tried VIA yet? It's great. Dissolves more easily. Stronger than usual instant coffees. Rock on.

Pre-boot camp snack: buy these NOW. Clif Mojo bars in Peanut Butter Pretzel.

Dinner: I totally rocked dinner! I went low-key since I'll be doing some heavy-lifting cooking for the next few days.

- Amy's Lowfat Split-pea soup. Ok, so this was the last chance I was giving Amy. I've tried several of the products and I've wanted to vomit in my mouth with each bite. This soup is dee-LI-cious.

- Salad with OrganicGirl lettuce blend (California lovin'! OrganicGirl is in Salinas), mushrooms, snap peas, cucumber and Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs.

- Sweet potato fries! Cut a sweet potato into 1/2" disks and bake at 450 degrees for 20 minuts on a baking sheet sprayed with veggie spray. Dip in sumpin'.

Today was a good day. I do not yet miss cheese, although I'm dyin' for some half and half. Is it bad I'm already looking forward to tomorrow morning's oat bran? I'm lame.

Welcome to Vegan Week 2009

Look at that veggie and fruit-packed refrigerator! And hummus. And soy mayonnaise. And Tofurkey.

Yep. It's that time again. Time for Faith to ditch anything coming from our animal friends and dive into the exciting world of veganism. If you'll remember last time, this experiment didn't go well. I was a dairy-free mess of a girl and mean (-er than usual). This year promises to go a tiny bit more smoothly due to ample research and participatory friends (who have no clue what they're getting into).

So sit back and enjoy while I hopefully survive while also showing how to enjoy plant-based cuisine in a meat-obsessed world.

Food Post from Paris: Potato Gnocchi with Thyme Vinaigrette and Lemon Cashew Cream Sauce

Paris is such a Faith city. Bustling streets, apartment buildings from the 1500s, a cozy cafe on every corner and people who are more interested in enjoying each hour of every day rather than rushing through it. I came to Paris not for the Tour de Eiffel, the Louvre or Versaille, but to experience the culture of a people who sit and enjoy an espresso or fromage with friends without worrying about tight schedules or how much money they put in the meter. And I've been able to get my full experience in this amazing French city.

So here I sit in my apartment in Les Halles, doing one of my fave things - food blogging!

This is a recipe my friend, Jennifer and I made on New Year's Eve. Jennifer is vegan, and I must say that the sound of this recipe sent a tiny shiver down my spine when I first heard of it. Amazingly, however, this gnocchi dish is phenomenal. It's a little bit of work, but fun to do and even more fun to eat.

Potato Gnocchi with Thyme Vinaigrette and Lemon Cashew Cream Sauce
Serves 2-3

For Gnocchi:

2 Russet Potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 Scant Cup Bread Flour (No salt!)

For Thyme Vinaigrette

2 Tbs Fresh Thyme, leaves only
1-2 Pinches Salt, to taste
4 Tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp White Wine Vinegar

For Lemon Cashew Cream

1 Cup Water
1 1/4 Cups Roasted, Salted Cashews (or raw)
Zest of 1 Lemon
1/2-1 tsp Lemon Juice

For the specific cooking directions, head on over to Vegan YumYum...

Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Sounds weird, doesn't it? Can't say I blame you. Eric and I were pretty wary of this idea, ourselves. A cake with no eggs? Or milk? That's just crazy. But a good friend stopped by for a Christmas Day visit and it was time to get creative. And while creativity doesn't always come easily to me, it's always a fun adventure.

And oh, SO good. This recipe was passed on to me by a friend of mine who explained it as a cake often served during the Depression era due to ingredient rationing. We Americans sometimes forget how easy we have it these days!

Put a little spice in your life and shake things up a bit. Try out this vegan and delectable recipe. Your friends will never know.

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Icing

Mix until smooth:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup strong, brewed coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla

Into the wet ingredients, fold the following:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar

Quickly mix in 2 teaspoons of vinegar and pour into a greased and floured cake pan. Bake for at least 25 minutes at 375 degrees.When the cake is cool, frost with:

Peanut Butter Frosting

Mix together at medium speed:

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup non-dairy margarine
2 cups confectioners sugar (or more if you like it sweeter)
pinch salt
4 teaspoons soy milk
1 oz dark chocolate, chopped or shaved