My mom works insane hours, has an awful commute, and works in an area of Riverside County (*waits for a resounding “oy.”*) that she deems a food desert. Thankfully, this is a somewhat temporary placement while she finishes some public-agency projects down there. Anyhow, she tells me that the only food options close to her are fast food and Starbucks. So, I’ve been helping her devise meals that can be made in bulk ahead of time and packed easily for lunch. One of her favorite side dishes is coleslaw, but she is lactose-intolerant and hates slaws that are slimy and fatty, so I came up with a coleslaw that is delicious, dairy-free and healthy. It’s the least I can do to make up for that c-section scar I gave her :/

Vegan Coleslaw
Makes 8 cups
So fresh. So clean. So get-in-my-belly-tastic!

Ingredients

• 1 10-ounce bag shredded cabbage (I got mine from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 10-ounce bag shredded carrot (I got mine from Trader Joe’s)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/2 small or medium white/yellow onion, chopped
• 3-4 stalks celery chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup brown rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Trader Joe’s Tuscan Italian Dressing with Balsamic Vinegar (any vegan Italian dressing will do with about 50 calories per tbsp.)
• 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup

Directions

• Shake shake shake. SHAKE shake shake. Shake your bootay! Shake your bootay! (no seriously, just shake. Or mix. and you’re good to go!).
• Nutritional stats for 1-cup serving (8 total): 153.50 calories, 8.63g fat, 124.75mg sodium, 17.56g carbs, 2.75g fiber, 12.88g sugars, 2.38g protein
• Note:  You can cut the mayo in half, add a bit more vinegar and 1/2tbsp more of the dressing and you’ll save loads of calories and fat!

If you’re looking for other types of meals that are easy to compile (even for the kitchen illiterate) and good on the go, check out some of the vegan goods from Costco here. You can make a big batch of the brown rice or quinoa from Village Harvest, and place it atop a nice salad full of fresh veggies with a bit of dressing, or heat up the grains with organic frozen veggies and add a bit of low-sodium soy sauce and hoisin.

Any good ideas for other easy-to-make and easy-to-transport meals you’d like to share?

<3,

The Cranky One

Anyway! When my sister-in-law Erin asked me to come up with a dish for the vegetarians attending my niece’s second birthday party, which occurred yesterday, I was stoked! I queried my pals on Facebook to see what their fave veg dishes were and the response was overwhelmingly in favor of Indian food! So what did I make? A pasta bake! Lol. Sorry, I *love* Indian food, but the thought of spicy curry sitting out in the sun at a back-yard party full of children in 85-degree weather just didn’t feel right!   So, I turned to this month’s issue of Vegetarian Times (have they ever let me down?!) and found a pasta casserole that sounded perfectly delicious, easy to make and, well, vegan (The Cranky One likes to munch, too, ya know?). VT excerpted this recipe from Supermarket Vegan: 225 Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes for Real People in the Real World along with a few others that sounded just as delicious.  I’ll list the recipe below as it appeared in VT, however, I’ll note the changes I made below it.

Baked Ziti with Zucchini, Chickpeas, and Olives
Serves 6 / 30-minutes or fewer

Ingredients

• 8oz. ziti, rigatoni, or penne pasta
• 1/2 pound zucchini, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, with basil, garlic & oregano, juices included
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives, divided
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 2 Tbsp. Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 11×7-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Cook ziti according to package directions for al dente in large pot of boiling salted water. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Return ziti to pot, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, combine zucchini, chickpeas, tomatoes and juices, tomato puree, 2 Tbsp. olives, tomato paste, and garlic in large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken, stirring occasionally. Stir zucchini mixture into ziti, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
• Transfer ziti mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and remaining 2 tbsp. olives. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until pasta is heated through and breadcrumbs are golden brown.
• Nutritional info. per 1-cup serving: 299 calories, 5g fat, 742mg sodium, 53g carbs,  6g fiber, 11g sugars, 11g protein

I absolutely loved this recipe for both its taste and ease in making! It’s going on my top 10 list. The changes I made: Used full 13-oz box of whole-wheat penne pasta; used plain diced tomatoes and added oregano and onion powder to pan; omitted tomato puree; added 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes; used Trader Joe’s brand Panko bread crumbs instead of seasoned-bread crumbs; and topped with 1/2 cup Daiya Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds and raw tomato slices. Try it. Love it.

So, how did my niece’s birthday party turn out?







She had a blast! Her mom, dad and extended family (friends, inc.) did an amazing job pulling everything together!

I’ll close with sending out the Happy Mother’s Day love to all the wonderful mommas out there, especially my own hot-tamale-of-a-mom whose warm presence and hearty laugh I treasure every day.

How are you guys spending mother’s day? What’s your go-to dish that you bring to social gatherings?

<3,

The Cranky One

Any lifestyle change is going to, invariably, be met with intrigue…and sometimes criticism. Veganism is definitely one of those changes that might be met with concern (there’s a lot of myth that vegetarians and vegans are protein and nutrient deprived) and/or met with a scoff and the question, “well, what will you eat? Rabbit food?”

I assure you that while I do love me some rabbit food, carrots and celery yum yum, etc., I also like to feel full and to eat a variety of delicious foods. Most simply, vegans do not eat or use anything that contains animal products (so no meat, eggs, dairy, etc.). It can seem a challenge to find things without animal products when you go out to eat at non-vegan restaurants (for realz!), but making your own vegan recipes at home is a cinch!  Just start with the basics:

• Whole grains — Brown rice, whole wheat pastas, whole wheat bread (Note: Don’t fall for marketing gimmicks! “Multi-grain” and “whole wheat blend” are NOT the same as “100% whole wheat”; also read labels since some breads use eggs)
• Legumes/beans
• Vegetables

Then, if you’re feeling saucy, add:

• Tempeh — Fermented meat substitute made from whole soybeans (and sometimes whole grains, too). Has a more “rugged” and meaty texture than tofu and also higher protein.
• Tofu — A meat substitute made from a bean curd made from soy milk.
• Seitan — A meat substitute made from wheat gluten.
• Nuts — Adding chopped nuts to a salad is so cliche (yet delicious).  Add chopped nuts to everything for added protein (but still watch yer calories, yaknowwhatimean?)!
• Oils — Olive and canola are the best
• Herbs, spices — Fresh herbs and spices make a bland meat substitute go from meat mockery to meat flattery.

and:

• Soy sauce
• Marinade
• Hot sauce

and voila! you’ve got a hearty and healthy vegan meal!

Some of my vegan staples & faves include:

Fried brown rice, black beans and steamed vegetables

Sweet potato enchiladas

Strawberry bread

Thai-style stir-fried tofu

Sweet potato and asparagus quiche

Corndog minis

Homemade lemon Larabars

BBQ tofu pizza

Refried bean tacos with homemade potato chips

Lemon basil brown rice

Lentil bolognese tacos with avocado and hot sauce

Black bean and yellow and red pepper tacos

Don Lee Farms veggie patty with whole wheat pita and veggies

Miso soup and avocado rolls
[photo cred]

Whole-wheat cold pasta salad

Tofu/veggie spring rolls

Whole-wheat spaghetti
[photo cred]

Don’t worry — veganism doesn’t steal away your nostalgic foods either. You can still have PB&J and many cereals (including Puffins — my fave!), just eat the cereal with soy milk, almond milk, rice milk or whole grain drink (a mix of whole grains like brown rice and quinoa).
[photo cred]

Pissed that cheese comes from animals and not the heavens above? No worries — try a cheese substitute (but keep your expectations low, let’s be real lol).  Vegan Yum Yum has a delicious-lookin’ vegan recipe for mac and cheese here.

And, seriously, let’s not forget dessert (the most important meal of the day!   Vegan desserts just so happen to be the love of my life and nemesis of my hips. My fave vegan dessert recipes are here, here, here and here. You can also check out all dessert books by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. If you want to go out for a vegan treat, visit my fave vegan restaurant Native Foods in the LA & OC area, or visit Baby Cakes Bakery in Los Angeles, CA or NYC if you’re near there.

Food News

• Corner Bakery announces “Combos Under 600 Calories” here. 600 calories is still a lot for a sandwich (calorie counts DO NOT include the side-item the sandwich comes with), but I guess it’s better than eating a salad worth 1000 calories (jeebus — these horrific salads are everywhere, it’s shocking!). Note: Not many vegetarian options at Corner Bakery and maybe a couple vegan options if you remove the cheese…

Related Posts

• Vegetarian and Vegan Resources – Recently updated
• How to Eat Vegetarian Everywhere
• Vegan Thai Dishes

What restaurant do you think needs a healthy-foods option makeover the most? I recently went to California Pizza Kitchen and found that the only options under 500 calories were a cup of their soups.  I don’t know about you guys, but a cup of soup for a meal leaves me feeling pretty deprived and cranky as hell.

<3,

The Cranky One

I wanted to share the recipes for the vegan meals I made on Christmas. I chose Thai food a) because it’s delicious and b) because Vegetarian Times did a piece on how Thai philosophy emphasizes health by eating seasonal foods and balancing the “four basic elements of life: earth, water, wind, and fire.” I wanted a nice, hearty meal with kick and these dishes provided just that!

Stir-Fried Tofu
Recipe from Vegetarian Times, January 2010 issue

Ingredients

• 1 tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. red bean paste, or miso (I used the brown paste I had on hand from the miso soup I made for Thanksgiving)
• 1/2 tsp. white peppercorns, roasted and ground, or 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
• 1 19-oz pkg. extra-firm  silken tofu, drained and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
• 1 green onion, finely chopped (2 tbsp.)
• 1 tsp. sesame oil

Directions

• Combine soy sauce, bean paste, peppercorns, salt, cayenne, and cloves in small bowl. Set aside.
• Heat large skillet or wok over medium high heat 1 minute. Add oil, let warm 30 seconds, then add garlic. Stir-fry 6 to 7 seconds, or until garlic is pale golden. Add tofu, then add bean paste mixture and ginger. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until tofu is heated through, shaking pan or gently stirring to toss tofu in spice mixture. Stir in green onion and sesame oil. Transfer to bowls, and serve warm.
• Nutritional information per 1/2 cup serving: 115 calories, 8g fat, <1g fiber, 6g protein

Citrus Salad
Recipe from Vegetarian Times, January 2010 issue

Ingredients (Dressing)

• 2 tbsp. agave syrup
• 1 1/2 tbsp. lime or lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Ingredients (Salad)

• 2 oranges or blood oranges
• 1 grapefruit
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped arugula
• 1 shallot, peeled, thinly sliced crosswise, and loosened into strands (1/4 cup)
• 1 tbsp. coarsely chopped mint leaves
• 2 tbsp. crushed roasted peanuts or dry-roasted almond slivers, for garnish
• 1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

• To make dressing: Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Taste for balance of sweet, sour, and spicy, adjusting seasonings as necessary. Set aside.
• To make salad: Slice ends off oranges and grapefruit. Stand fruit on cutting board, and slice away skin and pith from outside with knife. Cut fruit segments from membranes, and transfer to bowl; toss lightly with arugula, shallot, and mint. Toss with dressing. Serve garnished with peanuts and sesame seeds.
• Per 1/4-cup serving: 142 calories, 3g fat, 3g fiber, 3g protein
• *Note: I changed this recipe when I made it by making it more of a green salad. I used 3 cups of arugula, one orange and half a grape fruit. I loved the taste this way and quenched my green salad craving.

Fried Brown Rice
The Cranky One’s Recipe

Ingredients

• One cup of long-grain brown rice cooked as instructed on its package
• 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 scallions chopped
• 1/2 cup diced red onions
• 1 tbsp brown rice vinegar

Directions

• Heat sesame oil, scallions and red onion in large skillet over medium heat. Once onion is slightly browned, add cooked brown rice. Once brown rice mixture is warmed, add brown rice vinegar, remove from heat and enjoy.
• Nutritional information per 1/2 cup serving: 163 calories, 6g fat, 2.3g fiber, 3g protein

What is your favorite Thai dish?

<3,

The Cranky One

The Heart-Healthiest Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World (Vegan)
Recipe from Vegetarian Times (Nov/Dec 09 Issue)

I made these for my band-mates for today’s practice and they are delicious! Perfect for even the pickiest, discriminate eater.


Ingredients

• 2 cups walnuts
• 3 tbsp. canola oil
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups oat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3 3.5-oz. bars bittersweet vegan chocolate, chopped, or 1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) vegan chocolate chips

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
• Blend walnuts in food processor 30 seconds, or until ground into fine meal. Add oil, and blend 2 to 3 minutes more, or until mixture has consistency of natural peanut butter. Transfer to bowl.
• Whisk together brown sugar and 1/2 cup water in saucepan, and bring to boil. Pour brown sugar mixture over walnut butter, add vanilla extract, and stir until no lumps remain.
• Whisk together oat flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in separate bowl. Stir oat flour mixture into walnut mixture. Cool dough 10 minutes.
• Fold oats, then chocolate chips into dough. Shape into 2-inch balls, and place on prepared baking sheets. Flatten cookies with bottom of a drinking glass dipped in water. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown. Cool 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
• Nutritional information per cookie: 173 calories, 10g total fat (3 sat.), 3g protein, 2g fiber

Coconut Macaroon Brownies
From Allrecipes here

My boyfriend loves macaroons and brownies, so when I found this recipe I was stoked! Remember that film I was “starring” in and practicing for (see post here)? Well, the boyf had it show-cased at school and I felt “directorial debut” brownies were in order! See:

They were so good that I totally “forgot” about the near 500-calories price tag for ONE. Yep, you read right. Maybe I’m a masochist who likes to bake calorie-defying morsels of heaven to surround herself with. Or maybe I really need to re-think this whole “baking shows love” mentality and bake people squash fries to celebrate special occasions. Does that sound nearly as fun? Nope, didn’t think so!

In other news, I’ve gone blond to see if I can disprove the whole “blonds have more fun” adage. If anyone can bring an extra ounce of cynicism to her life, it would be me — the cranky one.

Or maybe going blond is my way of showing, externally, that I’m ready for change. I feel like my healthy lifestyle and I need marriage counseling. I’m just not “feeling” it anymore. I want to “test the waters,” have a mid-life crisis, act out, feel that passion and excitement again. Ya hear that healthy lifestyle? It’s time to step it up! Anyone else feel their routines need some re-vamping, some counseling, a new Porsche and tiny dog with sparkle collar?

<3,

The Cranky One

• I eat what smells good
• I stop eating when I’m full
• I don’t eat food like I’m having a conversation with it – I’m always alert and distractible (but see next point)
• If I’m truly enjoying my food, I’m not afraid to fight for it
• I find pleasures in all the little things (the scents of new people, especially)
• If I want something bad enough, I’ll beg for it
• I believe moderation is balancing a short run with couch-lounging for the rest of the day
• I don’t have “body image” issues because I never look in the mirror or weigh myself.  I only care about my body in so far as it’s capable to chase birds and beat Whitey (my roomate, the cat) to treats
• I firmly believe chasing my own tail is a fun exercise

Now, on to what Annabel really wanted me to share: the recipe for Miso Soup with Sweet Potato Dumplings made on Thanksgiving (originally found here)

• 1 pound sweet potatoes — 390 calories, 0.5g fat, 13.6g fiber, 7.1g protein
• 1 tablespoon canola oil — 124 calories, 14g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped — 9 calories, 0.1g fiber, 0.4 g protein
• 1 shallot, chopped — 22 calories, 0.8g protein
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups sliced bok choy — 36 calories, 0.6g fat, 2.8g fiber, 4.2g protein
• 1 cup bean sprouts — 31 calories, 0.2g fat, 1.9g fiber, 3.2g protein
• 1 cup edamame, shelled — 254 calories, 11.5g fat, 7.6g fiber, 22.2g protein
• 12 wonton wrappers — 240 calories, 0.75g fat, 1.5g fiber, 9g protein
• 3 tablespoons white miso, plus more to taste — 75 calories, 1.5 g fat, 6g fiber, 6g protein
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced — 16 calories, 0.1g fat, 1.3g fiber, 0.9g protein
• Total Nutritional Information (4 servings): 1,197 calories, 29.25g fat, 34.8g fiber, 53.8g protein
  
• Nutritional Information Per Serving: 299.25, 7.31g fat, 8.7g fiber, 13.45g protein

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Prick holes in potatoes. Bake on a baking sheet until soft, turning once, about 1 hour. Cool, then peel and mash. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic and shallot, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add pepper flakes. Stir garlic mixture, salt and pepper into potatoes. Place bok choy, sprouts and edamame in a pot with 2 cups water and set aside. Lay 1 wonton wrapper in palm of hand. Drop a heaping tablespoon of potato mixture in the center and make a fist to gather edges. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Set dumplings on top of vegetables in pot. Bring to a boil. Cook, covered, until wrappers are translucent, 3 to 6 minutes. Divide veggies and dumplings among 4 bowls. Add 4 cups water to pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add miso, stirring until it dissolves. Divide among bowls; top with scallions.

I would recommend removing the dumplings after translucent and setting aside, then adding the 4 cups of water (or use vegetable broth if you don’t have miso paste!) while continuing to heat, not boil.  Then when serving, add the dumplings to the bowls (otherwise they begin falling apart in the pot).  If you are watching your sodium, go ahead and swap low-sodium vegetable broth for water and omit miso.

<3, The Cranky Dog

Lessons learned when shopping for the ingredients for these dishes and when making them

1. Won ton wrappers and miso paste are hard items to find.  Don’t screw around — just go straight to Whole Foods.
2. A lot of pastry dough has hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup (Pillsbury brand, for instance – go figure, right?).  Also, I never was able to find a whole wheat version.  Heidi from 101 Cookbooks recommends the Dufour brand though I did not find it at either Whole Foods or Pavilions.  I ended up going with these mini phyllo shells since they had an ingredient list I was happy with (and they’re also really cute!).
3. Miso paste is more expensive than I thought — $8! (hey, $8 is a lot when you’re a broke college student!)
4. There are a wide variety of misos.  I had to guess the right one since the recipe calls for “white miso” and that was not one of the miso designations on the varieties I encountered.  Apparently miso can be classified by taste or ingredient. Whole Foods did not appear to have a white color miso paste (now I know it’s called Shiromiso).  I ended up choosing the genmai (brown rice) miso — it has a nice rust color.  Here’s the different varieties of miso, in case you’re interested.
5. Won ton wrappers are awesome.  I got the Nasoya brand.  How have I not used these before?  I am going to make the boyf some leftover turkey and mashed potato won tons tonight and make spinach and potato won tons for myself!  I am also envisioning all sorts of dessert won tons in my future.
6. I should always start cooking well before the “eating time” given to family members.  The meal was to start at 3 p.m. and I was barely peeling the sweet potatoes at that point.  Thankfully no one was waiting on my vegetarian dishes — the turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing sufficed just fine.
7. Holiday gatherings really are a test of those demons I referred to yesterday.  In hindsight, I may have trivialized how family functions can be more of a dysfunction for someone who is recovering from disordered behaviors.  Did you catch this NYT article on some of the quandaries faced when eating with family on holidays?  I can relate to a lot of the experiences captured in the piece.  I’ll have to keep this in mind for next time!  Another thing I’m trying to keep in mind?

I’m a work of art in progress…

I think embracing how far I’ve come and yet still acknowledging the path before me is much healthier than either denying my need to evolve or dwelling on any perceived failures.  Speaking of healthy attitudes, I wish I would have passed this along to you on Wednesday — hopefully these sentiments will help you more than the guilt-based holiday eating guides out there.

In terms of my eating behavior yesterday –  I ate until I was full and then when I felt less full, I had some pumpkin cheesecake and later a slice of pumpkin pie.  No dwelling shall ensue.  No complaining.  No guilt.  Ya know why?  When I woke up this morning and checked myself out in the mirror I was still me.  I think we forget these things and think that after one day of convivial eating we’re going to wake up a different person or a person with an additional ass tacked on to her rear.  Come on now.

How was your Thanksgiving?  What was your favorite dish?  Do you ever feel the “dys” making its way in your family -functions?

p.s. Complete nutritional break-down on the dishes prepared above to be amended to this post later today.  I’ve got to get some studying done to appease the cranky one’s foreboding thoughts of paper failure!

<3, The Cranky One

Hey guys!

While my mom and I traditionally make side dishes that just so happen to have always been vegetarian, I am excited to try the following recipes to add to the mix of vegetarian options at our dinner table (there’s going to be at least 10 of us!):

• Miso Soup with Sweet Potato Dumplings (Vegan) –
  [Source]
  “This spicy soup from Shawn McClain, chef at Green Zebra in Chicago, is rich in immunity-enhancing vitamin A.”

• Simple Butternut Squash Tart (Vegetarian) — “This simple, vibrantly colored butternut squash tart recipe provides a nice amount of payoff for the minimal amount of effort that goes into it.”

For all the newly minted vegetarians like myself, here are some additional recipes and resources I’ve come across for vegetarian and/or vegan eaters.

Best Sounding Recipes — Entree Options
**Note:  A lot of entree options call for mushrooms – and I just so happen to dislike mushrooms – so when I was envisioning these dishes, I was envisioning them sans mushrooms! **

• Artichoke Spinach Lasagna (Vegetarian) — “This is a fabulous lasagna made with an artichoke and spinach mixture which has been cooked with vegetable broth, onions and garlic. The mixture is layered with lasagna noodles, pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, and topped with crumbled feta.”  Use whole-wheat to make it healthier.
• Gourmet Mushroom Risotto (Vegetarian)
• Harissa Spaghetiini (Vegan)
• Holiday Cashew Nut Loaf (Vegan) — “With a taste reminiscent of stuffing, this is perfect for a holiday buffet. Layered eggplant adds a contrasting texture to the nuts and elevates this hearty casserole to an eye-popping entrée.”
• Mushroom, Cheese & Vegetable Strudel (Vegetarian)
• Smothered Seitan Medallions with Mushroom Gravy (Vegan)
• Thanksgiving Tart (Vegan) — “Combining the most prominent flavors of the holiday season—namely savory thyme, crisp cranberries, homey spinach, and hearty chickpeas—this dish is guaranteed to satisfy.”
• Vegetable Puffs with Pastry Sheets (Vegan)
• Walnut-Stuffed Eggplant (Vegetarian)

Best Sounding Recipes — Side and Appetizer Options

• Best of Both Worlds Potatoes Anna (Vegetarian) — “If you’re torn between serving regular potatoes or sweet potatoes, try this spectacular dish, which calls for both.”
• Chilean Corn and Un-Turkey Soup (Vegan) — “This savory chowder is inspired by pastel de choclo, a Chilean corn and meat pie.”
• Curried Apple Couscous (Vegetarian)
• Curried Sweet Potato Fritters (Vegetarian) — “These Indian-inspired fritters also make great hors d’oeuvres—simply use scant 1-tablespoon dollops of the fritter mixture when cooking, and skip the bed of spinach.”
• Lucie’s Chestnut Stuffing (Vegetarian)
• Roasted Pumpkin Salad (Vegan)

Best Sounding Recipes — Dessert Options

• Apple Cobbler (Vegan)
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (Vegan)
• Pumpkin-Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake (Vegetarian) — “It took us four tries to get this recipe just right, but the result—a rich, creamy, pumpkin-flavored cheesecake laced with spice and swirled with chocolate—is truly spectacular.”
• Pumpkin Pie Wontons (Vegan) — “These dessert wontons are a great way to serve pumpkin pie individually, and won our reader recipe contest in 2001.”
• Sweet Potato Cake (Vegan) — “spiced cake with layers of fluffy, vegan buttercream”
• Toasted Pecan Toffee (Vegetarian)

Other Resources

• Check out Happy Herbivore’s vegan Thanksgiving options here
• Check out 101 Cookbooks’ Vegetarian Thanksgiving options here
• Amazing looking vegetarian and vegan recipes with puff pastry as a main ingredient — I’m especially intrigued by the chocolate walnut date tarts and vegan asparagus tart.
• The Veggie Table’s sample Thanksgiving menus (all vegetarian or vegan) here
• International Vegetarian Union’s 64 Holiday Recipes here
• Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes (some omnivore options listed) here
• The Food Network’s Thanksgiving menu here
• Tofurky has been a staple for first-time vegetarian Thanksgivings.  While I haven’t tried any of their Thanksgiving products, I have tried their Italian “sausage,” which I think tastes amazing. I have heard mixed reviews on their Tofurky turkey (actually sort of shaped like an actual turkey which I imagine is good for “transitioning” vegetarians or omnivores who are up for trying something new).  View their list of Thanksgiving products here.  Trader Joe’s is currently selling Tofurky roasts.
• Check out Whole Foods Market’s vegetarian Thanksgiving menu here
• Bonappetit Thanksgiving Slide Show of Recipes (2008) here

Any of these recipes sound good to you?  What’s on your Thanksgiving menu?

<3, The Cranky One

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cinnamon Icing
From Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Ingredients for Cupcakes

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup oil *I used canola
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup soy milk *I used organic vanilla
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions for Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
• In a medium bowl, stir together pumpkin, oil, sugar, soy milk, and vanilla.  Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt. Stir together with a fork–don’t use a hand-held mixer, as  it will make the batter gummy.  Once well combined, fold in the chocolate chips.
• Fill liners two-thirds full.  Bake for 22-24 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let fully cool before icing.

Ingredients for Cinnamon Icing

• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 1 tablespoon soy milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions for Cinnamon Icing

• Place sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Add margarine, soy milk, and vanilla and stir with a fork until smooth. Keep at room temperature until ready to use.  The mixture should look opaque and honey brown.  If it’s glistening a lot or looks too liquid, add a little extra confectioners’ sugar.

To Assemble

• Take a small plastic sandwich bag and cut out a tiny hole in one edge or fit a pastry bag with a small-holed decorating tip.  Fill the bag with icing and pipe it out Jackson Pollack-style onto the cupcakes.  You may also opt to pipe it in zig-zags, lines or swirls. Let the icing set at room temperature or refrigerate.

Nutritional Information
Calculated with Spark People’s Recipe Calculator (It’s fun to use and gives tons of data, as you’ll see below)

• 1 Cupcake w/o icing: Calories 241.3, Total Fat 11.5 g (Saturated Fat 2.0 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 2.9 g, Monounsaturated Fat 6.1 g), Cholesterol 0.0 mg, Sodium 126.6 mg, Potassium 120.7 mg, Total Carbohydrate 34.2 g, Dietary Fiber 1.9 g, Sugars 21.8 g, Protein 2.2 g, Vitamin A 111.4 %, Vitamin B-12 1.0 %, Vitamin B-6 1.4 %, Vitamin C 2.5 %, Vitamin D 0.6 %, Vitamin E 11.8 %, Calcium 6.3 %, Copper 5.3 %, Folate 6.3 %, Iron 7.8 %, Magnesium 5.0 %, Manganese 10.7 %, Niacin 4.7 %, Pantothenic Acid 2.1 %, Phosphorus 4.0 %, Riboflavin 6.1 %, Selenium 0.9 %, Thiamin 7.7 %, Zinc 1.9 % (*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs)
• One serving of cinnamon icing: 34 calories, 1.4g fat, 0.1g fiber, 0.1g protein for one serving of icing
• One cupcake with one serving cinnamon icing: 275.30 calories, 12.9g fat, 2g fiber, 2.3g protein

To see the recipe for the devil’s food cupcakes pictured above with the pumpkin cupcakes, see here.

If you’re looking for cool holiday gift options, I’d recommend the vegan cupcake recipe book that the above recipe came from.  The authors recently released a vegan cookies recipe book (Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone’s Favorite Treats) too which I’m hoping to get sometime soon! Or, bake a batch of these goodies to give as a gift (if you plan on doing so, I’ll send you my address hint hint wink wink).

In case you’re wondering, no I’m not vegan. And, frankly, I don’t have a staunch stance on the issue of vegan eating in general. If you know me at all, you know I’m kind of a relativist when it comes to food choices.  However, I do love to try new things and I think that the overarching vegan concern for the environment and ethical treatment of animals is awesome and something I align with in my own practices, in my own way.  And on that note, it’s time to stuff my face, I’m cranky!

Give-Away Round Up

• Win some MixMyGranola here — Ends 11/18
• Win some Heart Thrive and Sun Cake Energy Bars here — Ends 11/18
• Win some Somersault Snacks here — Ends 11/23 (I *love* those snacks, by the way!)

If you’re an omnivore or vegetarian, are you open to trying vegan recipes?

<3,

The Cranky One

p.s. Happy Birthday Jody! You are such a sweet and positive voice in the blogging community (and…you’re hot – ’nuff said).

Ok, so I know every one’s totally done thinking about Halloween.  Actually, I bet a lot of you are sick from Halloween and wishing to forget the parade of candy that marched down your throat (or is that just me?).  But, I want to give you a little re-cap of the brilliance that is the cranky one on holidays.  If this is any indication of how Christmas will go, we better get a jolly red suit made so I’ll actually have clothes to fit into. So, it went something like this

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(Gotta love using “light” cranberry juice as if it will offset the rest of the crap you consume w/ it, no?

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Devil’s food and pumpkin chocolate chip vegan cupcakes
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D’oh!

For all you peeps out there trying to be mindful of what you eat, here’s a little tip — drinking and desserts do not mix. Well, actually, they mix — a little too well.  So well, in fact, that you might find yourself waking up from a vodka-induced slumber, sprawled on the floor, with cupcake crumbs all over your face and fingers and a trail of crumbs leading back to the kitchen, the scene of the crime, as if you were Hansel and Gretel trying to clue your way back home. I’m just sayin’. You may forget how many cupcakes you ate while you were busy pounding vodka cranberries with your girlfriends, but the scale doesn’t forget.  It’s kinda like that “I Know What You Did Last Summer” phenomena — those damn cupcakes will come back to haunt you and make sure you remember!

I think I should raise my hand here and opt to be the poster child for smart people who do stupid things. What was I honestly thinking making not one, but TWO, types of cupcakes as an appetizer for my entree of booze?  Come on now.

As if you didn’t have your fill of sweets, the recipe for the devil’s food cupcakes my girls and I made follows:

Devils Food Vegan Cupcakes — From this post

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond or soy milk — 40 calories, 3 g fat, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein (I used almond milk)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar — 0 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (or sweetener of choice) – 580 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein
• 1/3 cup coconut oil — 626 calories, 73 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour — 455 calories, 1.3 g fat, 3.4 g fiber, 12.9 g protein
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder — 66 calories, 4 g fat, 9 g fiber, 5 g protein
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting — I used a glaze (recipe to come on a later post)
• Total nutritional information for 12 cupcakes w/o the glaze: 1767 calories, 81.3g fat, 13.4g fiber, 18.90g protein
• Per serving (1 cupcake w/o glaze) — 147.25 calories, 6.78g fat, 1.12g fiber, 1.58g protein

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with cupcake papers.
• In a small bowl, combine milk of choice and vinegar. Set aside for several minutes to allow milk to sour. After a few minutes, add sugar, oil and vanilla. Use another bowl to combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Combine wet and dry ingredient and stir until just mixed.
• Fill muffin tin until each cup is about 3/4 full. Bake cupcakes for 18 t0 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.

Recipe for the pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes to come in a later post!

Remember when I said here that I wished that I had a picture showcasing my mom’s vintage dress?  Well, it’s here.

Isn’t it gorgeous?

In other news…I know I bitch and moan a lot and always point my finger at my blog title as if to say, “hey, you know what you got yourself into!”  We all know I’m cranky, but reading about a study on negative moods here actually made me happy, which is very counterproductive given what the study postulates.  From the study: “[The researchers] found that people in bad moods were less likely to believe urban myths or rumors, and were also less likely to make decisions based on racial or religious prejudice. They were better at remembering events they’d seen, and better at persuasive writing.”  Wait, you mean to tell me that I’m actually a better person for being cranky?! Ok, so I may be extrapolating a bit much, tee-hee, but that is one study I stand behind fully   Cranky ones, unite! (but don’t enjoy uniting because then you might be more positive and, apparently, more inclined to believe in tom foolery and support inequitable conduct….;)

So…today, I began my birthday countdown!  It’s officially a week away!  I shall be turning 26 and kissing my mid-twenties away as I tread on over to the “late” twenties category.  I could throw a tantrum but that really would require too much energy, so I’ll focus instead on less cranky thoughts of birthday cake and Disneyland (where I will be next Wed.!).  Since it’s also my twin’s birthday — funny how that works — I plan on doing an ode to him next Wednesday, so stay tuned for that!

If alcohol and desserts are a major “no no” for mindful eaters, what would be a good tip to avoid it?  Locking the fridge?

What do you think about negative moods actually making you a better critical thinker? Ahh…now I understand why my professors are in perpetual “panties in a bunch” mode…it’s for the sake of instruction!

<3, The Cranky One