Naked Eats

Vegan Hope Breaks Through

Let’s try another excuse: “I can’t give up diet coke because it helps me stay awake and I hate water”

How many times, in the course of my work as a holistic healer, have I heard that?  I can not even begin to tell you because, honestly, I have lost count.  Nearly every person who comes to me hoping to solve their health problem sings a litany of that song. 

I will share that I also had a love affair with Coke.  I also had a love affair with M&M's.  A big, fat, beautiful love affair that somehow "sustained" me all through boarding school and right through college and also nearly killed me.

Natala, over at Vegan Hope, has written an incredible entry about Breaking Through our own self-imposed barriers to changing our diets.

Food was this thing that had a hold on me, and I did not want it to let go. That’s right, it was me not wanting it to go away. Food was my shelter, my comfort, my thing I was able to turn to when all else failed.

We all have foods that we believe we just can't LIVE without.

But what we don't realize is that it is those very same foods that are slowly going to kill us.

The most important thing to know is that there is hope, and you just happen to hold it all, and it’s all ready to be released, you just need to make that first step and be willing, and be ready to start that process of moving forward and choosing health.

Go read what Natala has to say.  She's a beautiful walking testament to what can happen when we truly love our bodies enough to no longer play a game of chance with our lives.

Scratch-N-Sniff

This post, honestly, needs to be a Scratch-N-Sniff post.  I wish such things were possible.  Why hasn't the Internet come up with that capability yet?  We're making glow in the dark monkeys and we can't make a computer screen that allows you to scratch-n-sniff?  Oh, dear.  Just imagine what the porn industry (you know the early adopters of everything!) would do with that technology? 

Okay, removing our minds and noses from places where they really should not venture, let's instead talk about the following non-recipe.  It truly is a non-recipe because I've been doing this for so long that there is no recipe for it.  But, I took pictures.  And I'm going to share with you how I make this yummy bread.  And I'm also going to share that if you're paying really close attention and perhaps an experienced vegan cook you might also just be able to concoct the very famous Clyde's Cookies from this same non-recipe.

I, again, apologize that the Internet has not yet developed a scratch-n-sniff format.  Because, seriously, that would be all kinds of awesome in this particular baking incidence.  I do everything to make this bread by checking out the consistency and by smell.  Yes, smell.  I never taste it.  Just smell it.  There's a certain aroma that tells me the mixture is "just right". 

So here goes:

You'll need the following ingredients:

Organic malt-sweetened chocolate chips
The very very very best organic vanilla extract (it MUST be real, no imitation)
Two or three very very ripe organic bananas
1/2 cup or so of organic canola oil
2 or so cups of organic pastry flour
2 or so cups of organic steel cut oats
1 cup or so of fine milled flax powder
walnuts and/or pecans
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Those are the ingredients.  Notice there's no sugar on that list?  That's right.  No sugar on that list.

So the first thing is to dump the bananas into the bowl of your mixer.  And you whip them until they're frothy.  Really frothy.  Then you add in the canola oil. 

I've never actually measured how much.  While the mixer is mixing on almost high I just drizzle the canola oil in until the bananas and canola oil mixture look the way they're supposed to look.  What is that supposed to be, you ask?  This is how it looked this time.

Now, I add in the salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Those are the only three ingredients upon which I am certain of the amounts.  One teaspoon of each.  Bing, Blam, Boom.  In they go.  The mixer goes back on high and I mix until frothy again. 

Now comes the vanilla.  Again, it's really important to use the very BEST vanilla you can buy.  I use this pretty darn expensive organic vanilla from Madagascar.  I buy it in bulk.  Directly from the supplier (yes, I'm a girl with a vanilla supplier!).  So, again, I've no idea how much.  I just pour and mix until the color, consistency and SMELL all seem right.  I will share that it is probably a lot more vanilla than you think it should be.  I took a picture, but this is where that scratch and sniff technology really would be helpful.  Because it needs to really smell far more like vanilla than banana.  It should really smell like a yummy vanilla truffle. 

Now comes the flour.  About two cups.  I say about because I just add in flour until it gets to the consistency I know is right.  Remember that you're also adding in oats and flax.  So, you don't want to soak up all the moisture with just the flour.  It should still be rather "wet" after adding in the flour.

Then mix in the oats and the flax.  Again, not sure on exact amounts.  I just add until it "looks and feels" right. 

Finally, I add in chocolate chips and the nuts.  The nuts are chopped, but not too finely.  This time I had both pecans and walnuts on hand so both went in.  As for chocolate chips, I'd say I threw in three generous handfuls.  One handful of nuts. 

Mixed it up.

Then separate evenly into two nine inch loaf pans (as shown).  No need to butter beforehand.  Just spread the batter evenly in the two pans. 

Place the pans in a preheated 350 degree oven on the center rack.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for five minutes, then remove from the pans and allow to cool completely.

Can be served immediately (warm is really delicious) or can be kept for a really long time.  I wrap these in tin foil and keep in the refrigerator.  It's amazingly delicious. Plus, it's got oats, flax and bananas and nuts!  It's delicious and healthy.  Which is why I have convinced myself it is great for breakfast.

Music while you're baking this scrumptious bread?  Well, of course, I'm quite tempted to tell you that it can only be made by listening to your most favorite bootleg that evokes the best memories of your summers spent on tour.  But I know that not all of us were lucky enough to spend our summers (and the rest of the year, too) following around a bunch of psychedelic merry pranksters.

What WAS playing while I baked this time was my good friend, Matt the Electrician.  And this song, in particular, will always, always, always make me smile.

Matt the Electrician

As an aside, I made the cookie version of this last week for my co-workers.  My co-workers who all think I'm a tad "crazy" with the vegan organic no sugar business.  But they all really enjoyed them!  And had a hard time believing that they didn't have sugar?!  And that they were healthy!

Just Say No To Take-Out

"It was take-out, it was processed food," Mrs. Obama said. "It was everything quick and easy, and we started to see that taking a toll on our health."

Hello Oprah?  Are you paying attention?  Listening? 

I hope so.

A few weeks ago, as we all know, I got my knickers all in a twist over Oprah giving away coupons on her website to KFC for a free dinner.  I understand that we have a hunger problem in the country.  I understand that the economy has a whole lot of families very stressed out and unable to make ends meet and that the idea of a free dinner from KFC was a happy thing for those folks.  I get it. 

What I did not understand was a woman with the power and influence of OPRAH not understanding that when someone with her power and influence offers a coupon for FREE FOOD on her own website she's going to literally "break" the internet and cause havoc in the streets. 

I also know that this was a marketing ploy by KFC.  They approached OPRAH and asked that she offer the coupon on her website.  I get it.  I know OPRAH didn't wake up in the middle of the night with a lightbulb over her head and hit Steadman with a pillow and say, "Hey, I know, I'll give everyone a coupon for FREE KFC because that will help the starving in America!"  Because if she did?  I know Steadman would have told her she was all kinds of crazy and to go back to sleep. 

The thing that bothered me most about the whole KFC coupon fiasco was that Oprah could have easily said NO to KFC.  She also could have also used it as an opportunity to educate America about healthy ways to eat.

Which is why when her friend, Michelle Obama, our First Lady, said this week that processed foods were bad for children and that we must address our school lunch programs, I literally jumped out of my chair and high-fived my co-workers (who all think I'm a bit insane). 

However, let's really consider the impact of what the First Lady has said. 

The First Lady says that processed foods are bad.  That fast-food is bad.  That we need to start really paying attention to the foods that we're feeding our children.  That we must start examining the school lunch programs.

I want to kiss that woman. 

I have been saying this for a long time.  That our children are our future.  That the health of our country rests with them.  We can not afford to continue to feed our children garbage.  We have a childhood obesity problem in this country that is a direct result of our relationship to and dependance upon processed foods.

It's time to stop relying on convenience.  It's time to start really thinking about the food on your plate.  It's time to start feeding your kids real food. 

I'll be sharing as many kid-friendly recipes here as I can.  Food that doesn't come from a box, from a can or from Jack or Ronald or Wendy and is fresh, fast and easy to make. 

Baker Street Stew

When I lived in London, a very long time ago, I joked that I lived on their amazing fat-laden chocolate (do you know that it has a higher fat content there...or did in the 1980's) and tea.  Oh, and plain chocolate McVities biscuits.  Oh how I adored those biscuits.  Sitting in my flat with a pot of tea and those biscuits writing dark and dreary and depressing poetry.  I was so emo and I had no idea what emo even was!

One of the dinners that my flatmates and I used to make for one another was something that I later learned was a fairly basic family meal from many European cultures.  I'm unsure who in the flat introduced this first, but we all perfected it over our time living together.  We ate it at least once a week and it was, no doubt, because the bread in London?  It's also much better.  And when you've got some left over crusty bits, those bits are just perfect for this particular dish.

Let's call this dish Baker Street Stew.  I know that's not what it probably is really called, but I lived at the Baker Street Tube stop when I learned to make it and perfected it.  It's a hearty dish and can be served on its own or I had a flatmate who enjoyed frying an egg and plopping that right on top of his dish. 

Herewith, exactly how I make it.

• 1 1/4 cups chickpeas
• 1/4 cup or so of really yummy olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and whole
• 1/2 pound fresh spinach
• 4 slices or so of just stale bread (cut into cubes)
• 1 shallot minced (about 4 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons fresh pimento diced
• splash of sherry vinegar

Sort the chickpeas to remove any "rocks" and then soak covered in water over night.  (You can cheat with this recipe and used canned garbanzo beans, and if you do, you just need to adjust the recipe for having already cooked chickpeas).

To cook the chickpeas, first drain and rinse them.  Then combine in a large heavy pot with 2 1/2 quarts of water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and allow to simmer for about two hours.  You want the beans to be tender.  You will need to keep a casual eye on the beans and every once in a while you'll want to add a 1/4 cup or so of cold water to the pot to slow down the simmer and to keep the beans "covered".  When the beans are cooked, the water should just be barely covering them.  At this point, turn off the heat and just allow the beans to sit.

Gather a heavy frying pan and over medium heat (not too hot, honestly) brown the garlic cloves.  You want to keep them whole, but it is okay to sort of "mash" them a bit as you brown them.  This infuses the oil with the garlic flavor.  Once browned, scoop out and put the garlic cloves into the mortar of your mortar and pestle.  (I hope you have a mortar and pestle.  If you do not, can I suggest that you might want to think about getting one?  They're really useful!).  Next into the oil goes the bread cubes.  Again, brown on all sides.  Just brown.  Don't toast.  When browned, put the cubes in your mortar, as well. 

Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool slightly and then in goes the minced shallots.  Saute these until just translucent and then add in the cumin seeds and paprika.  Keep stirring and it will start to resemble a roux.  Now add in the pimentos.  Keep the heat quite low and do not overcook.  End with the splash of vinegar. 

Remove all of that from the heat and set aside. 

Mash the bread cubes and garlic in your mortar and pestle into a thick paste.  It does not have to be smooth.  In fact, I usually leave a few of the bread cubes aside and just throw them into the stew whole. 

Bring the chickpeas back to a low boil and add in the fresh spinach, the garlic/bread mash, and the pimento spice mix.  Mix well to blend everything together as the spinach wilts.  It will all blend together to form a thick, yummy, stew.  You may wish to add a dash of salt and pepper to taste.

It's now ready to serve. 

Music to play while you're cooking:  Pet Shop Boys (It was London in the 80's!)

As I mentioned, one of my flatmates was insistent upon eating this with a runny fried egg served on top.  I don't like eggs (and they're certainly not vegan) so I have never had it that way. 

This meal will easily serve four very hungry twenty-somethings living on the kindness of strangers in a shared flat in London.  Often.  I made it on Monday evening with items I had on hand in the kitchen.  Also, it's cheap!  I used all organic ingredients (like always) but I am certain this meal even using all organics was under $10. 

 

Total yum.

Vegan Eggplant Curry

The first thing to know when attempting this dish is that eggplants left in ovens will explode.  When they explode they sound like a bomb going off at the house next door.  This frightens your dogs (if you happen to have dogs and if you don't have dogs, why don't you have dogs?  They're lovely animals!) and they will wander to the door wondering about the very LOUD BOOM that seems to have come from the house next door.

Only it did not come from the house next door.  It came from right inside your very own oven and opening the oven door will reveal one exploded eggplant, the contents of which are now coating all the interior surfaces of your oven with eggplant bits hanging like mistletoe from the racks.  It's quite a site, believe me.  I attempted a photo, but got only a blurry mess.  Probably for the better.

So, now that we have that bit of advice about exploding eggplants out of the way, shall we move on to how to actually make this dish?  You're all prepared now and can not claim that I did not warn you about the lurking possible dangers!

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant
1 medium size onion
4 or 5 tomatoes
ghee or oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds (brown or black)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/4 teaspoon paprika
fresh cilantro and yogurt (vegan if you're vegan and want yogurt) for garnish

Heat oven to 350F.  Pierce the eggplant all around with a fork (lest you want an exploding eggplant) and then place on the middle rack of the heated oven.  Let it bake for about 20 minutes.  It's "done" when it's wrinkly!   Take it out of the oven and set aside.

While the eggplant is cooking, you can prepare the other vegetables.  Chop the garlic and ginger.  Chop the onion into a small dice.  Chop the tomatoes into a small dice, as well, saving the juice. 

After the eggplant has been removed from the oven, take a large heavy frying pan.  Over medium heat, use either ghee (if non-vegan) or canola oil to just coat the bottom, then add in the cumin and mustard seeds.  Stir for about 30 seconds.  Before they start to "pop" add in the onions, garlic and ginger and the other spices.  Stir to coat everything well and then continue to stir until the onions are just browned.

Next you're going to want to add in your eggplant.  Cut open the eggplant and scrape out the insides.  You don't want the skin, just the cooked insides.  All of it.  It easily just slides right out and into the pan.  Smash the eggplant around with the onion and other spices.  You want to really mash it.

Now, once it is sufficiently mashed and blended with the onions and other spices, add in the tomatoes.  Again, mix and mash.  Keeping the heat at medium.  Things will be bubbling.  At this point some people like to throw in other vegetables like peas, but I don't particularly like peas in this dish so I just stick with eggplant and tomatoes.  However, feel free to experiment!

Now, some of you will be finished and ready to eat at this point.  Totally okay if you are one of those people.  However, for me, there's one more step.  The consistency is still a bit too "chunky" here for my liking, so I take 2/3 of the mixture and throw it in the Cuisinart (or blender) and puree it.  Then it gets mixed back in with the original 1/3 and allowed to simmer on the stove top for a few more minutes so all the flavors blend.

This curry is especially nice over some toasted basmati rice.  Garnished with a dollop of yogurt and some fresh cilantro.  Of course it might also be nice with some chopped cashews, too, if you've got some on hand.  Just for some crunch!

Of course, I used all organic ingredients when making this dish.  Start to finish time including the baking of the exploding eggplant was 30 minutes.  I could easily see preparing the eggplant ahead of time and having it "on hand" to throw this together in a quick 15 minutes.  Especially if doing toasted basmati rice as that takes no time at all.

Music that was playing while I exploded eggplants and made this fabulous food?  Imogen Heap's Speak for Yourself.  I can't recommend that particular album enough.  Totally fab.

Enjoy!!  And please share your variations.  I'm always interested to know what you discover.

Brilliant Beet Dip

1 lb Beets -- soft cooked, peeled
- and cut into chunks
4 oz Soft tofu -- drained
1 tb Apple cider vinegar
-(Or more, to taste)
2 tb Minced shallots
1/2 ts Dry mustard
1/2 ts Dried thyme
1/2 ts Dried tarragon

Puree ingredients (using 1 tablespoon vinegar) in a
food processor or blender until smooth. Adjust
seasonings, adding more vinegar and salt to taste.
Serve immediately or refrigerate in tightly sealed
container for up to 3 days. Makes about 2 cups.

Source: Lorna Sass, Cooking From An Ecological Kitchen

Notes from Nakedjen:

I used toasted mustard seeds instead of dried mustard (because I like that better). I used fresh tarragon instead of dried and I skipped the thyme. I also used about 1 teaspoon tumeric because for vegan things it just adds some punch and real flavor. Finally, I splashed in some fresh lemon juice at the end (to brighten the flavors) and a pinch of himalayan pink salt.   Someone sweet from London suggested freshly grated Horseradish as an addition.  I added it in tonight before mixing this in with my raw falafel salad from Omar's Raw Living Cuisine and it kicked ass!  Definitely a perfect addition!

If you're not strict about using vegan ingredients, you could easily use yogurt and/or sour cream in this recipe. I'd still use the tofu, but perhaps use half tofu, half yogurt? It would take some playing around with it.

It really is quite fantastic and I spread it on romaine lettuce leaves last night with chopped mushrooms and spinach and rolled it up. DELICIOUS. Excited to have this for lunch this week.

So as I mentioned, I ate this tonight mixed in almost like a "dressing" with my Raw Falafel Salad from Omar's Living Cuisine (one of my favourite restaurants here in Salt Lake and it's walking distance from my little bungalow, so the dogs and I took a walk and picked up dinner!) and it was total perfection.  The blend of the lovely beet flavour with the raw crunch falafel and all the other love and goodness in that salad left me completely and utterly BLISSED OUT.  I'm not joking.  I feel like I tasted nirvana. 

Grab some beets and give this dip a go.  Even if you're not a fan of beets, I bet you'll actually like it!

Naked Eats

Well, what does Naked eat?

Rechristening this particular corner of cyberspace.  I realize that my photo project became a bit of an overzealous impossible dream almost as quickly as I conjured it up.  Today, whilst walking the dogs I thought, "I talk a lot about food.  I create recipes.  I am always moaning on and on and on about the importance of diet and food and the how the choices we make affect not only our own bodies, but the body of our big blue planet, as well.

So here goes.  Of course, I'll probably still moan on and on about our diets and food choices on Nakedjen, but I'll also do my best to really share my food discoveries here.  The good, the bad, the delicious and the downright fabulous.

Because, let's face it.  I'm a girl that adores her vegetables.  I love good food.  And I can't resist passing the plate and sharing it with everyone. 

Here we go!

My Sundance Virgin

It's rare that I receive flowers. Quite rare. These arrived today from Tony. My Sundance virgin. Who isn't a virgin anymore. Ahh...isn't that a wonderful thing? It is. It really is.

All Those Tickets

Sundance is over. Life returns.

Nana's Spaghetti

If any of my family members are looking at that bowl of pasta, they're surely scratching their heads right now and wondering how on this earth I could possibly be calling that Nana's Spaghetti.  And if my Nana were still alive, she'd certainly take umbrage with my interpretation.  However, I also know she'd eat it and love every bite.

Nana's Spaghetti has been a comfort food and Sunday night tradition in our family since, well, since I was old enough to actually eat pasta and probably long before that.  Her original recipe involved taking cooked spaghetti noodles, a stick of margerine (yes MARGERINE!) and a can of tomatoes (not sauce, tomatoes) and mixing it all together.  Add some salt.  Dinner is served.

We ate this often in our family, especially on Sunday nights.  In fact, long after the Naked Sisters had grown up and left home, my sister HalfNakedRobin and I used to get together on Sunday evenings and have Nana's Spaghetti for dinner while watching the television show, Life Goes On.  It was our Sunday ritual when we both happened to find ourselves actually living in the same town.

I couldn't really abide by the use of margerine, though.  Nor could my adult taste buds really enjoy just noodles and canned tomatoes.  So, over the years, left to my own devices, Nana's Spaghetti has taken on some new ingredients...some flair! 

I still am quite religious about calling it Nana's Spaghetti, though.  That part I will not give up.  Ever.

Nana's Spaghetti

16 oz. cooked pasta of your choice.  Penne noodles work well.
1 8 oz. can organic tomatoes
2 - 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 -3 tablespoons fresh basil or tarragon or both
1/2 small red or yellow onion finely chopped
1 cup chopped mushrooms (I like using shitake)
some fresh spinach (i just throw it in, don't ask me how much!)
2 - 3 tablespoons capers
butter and olive oil

After you've cooked the pasta, set it aside.  Melt the butter (3 tablespoons ??? and an equal amount of olive oil) in the pot you've just cooked the noodles in.  Saute 1/2 the garlic.  Add in the onions and saute until translucent.  Throw in the mushrooms.  Saute until cooked and add the basil and tarragon, too.  Add in the spinach.  Cook until it is just wilted.  Now, add in the tomatoes.  The rest of the garlic.  The capers.  Cook over medium heat until it just starts to bubble.  Add the pasta back in.  Throw in some salt and pepper (to taste).  Serve. 

This serves about 4.  I think.  I don't know.  I just make it.  And eat.  And then have left overs for lunch.