Samosadillas



From Vegan Unplugged -- the blog and the book

This recipe by Robin Robertson* sounds so good, I had to share it with you. 

...from Vegan Unplugged by Jon Robertson © 2010, Vegan Heritage Press.

1 1/2 cups cooked potatoes
1 cup finely chopped cooked cauliflower (or other cooked vegetable)
1/4 cup thawed frozen green peas
2 tablespoons canned hot or mild diced green chiles, drained
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon curry powder or paste
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
Salt and black pepper
4 large flour tortillas
1 small jar chutney

 (Note: Cooked chickpeas can be used for a portion of the potato-vegetable mixture.)

1. Mash the potatoes in a saucepan. Add the cauliflower, peas, chiles, soy sauce, curry powder, coriander, cumin (if using), and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until well combined and heat over medium heat until hot, stirring as needed, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
2. Cut the tortillas into quarters. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the filling onto each piece of tortilla. Fold one side over the filling and press lightly to flatten. Set aside. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
3. Arrange the samosadillas in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook until lightly browned and heated through, turning once, about 8 minutes total. Serve hot with chutney.

Makes 4 servings

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Vegan Unplugged is a nifty blog (and book).  I include it on my links to the right, under "good stuff."  Jon Robertson (the author) came up with the idea of "pantry cuisine" and his "Five-Day Meal Box."  Check it out:

Recipes by Robin Robertson*

Robin Robertson has a bunch of wonderful vegan cookbooks, and a great blog (and book) of her own, called Vegan Planet.  That link is also on the right under "good stuff").  All her recipes sound really yummy, but check out her latest (from March 21): "hummamole" and "olive-cado" dips...

Sated

It's weird, but after a week of this vegan diet, I feel different.  I'm feeling satisfied.  Weird.  Tonight for St. Patrick's Day we had braised purple cabbage with apples.  Yum.  Reminds me of Milwaukee. The recipe came from foodily.  So, although I've been a "fan" for some time, I'm starting to get the whole point of The Full Plate Diet.  I feel good.  Getting lots of fiber and phytonutrients, and I don't miss the other stuff I used to eat at all.  There's no struggle.  The shopping and cooking part has turned out to be easier than I thought it would be, too.  Huh.  Go figure.

I recently ordered lots of books from the library.  I love the library, especially since it has been tied to the Internet.  Anyway, I checked out some vegan cookbooks and this book a doctor urged me to read: Eat to Live.  The author recommends a large green salad before lunch and dinner.  Before anything else you eat.  So I started that tonight, too.  Eating two salads might be difficult to do daily, but I will do my best...  Salad and cabbage for dinner.  I'm feeling plenty full, don't even miss the corned beef, potatoes and green beer.  Huh.

So I had this idea... I'm going to use the Top 5 lists from The Full Plate Diet, for my core shopping list.  Cool.  Simplifies things.  Without even referring to it ahead of time, I just realized I already have the top five veggies in the house, along with the top five fruits.  Guess it's really sinking in.  On to beans, nuts & seeds, and grains.  Look out, navy beans, flax seeds, quinoa...  I'm comin' to get ya!




Quinoa with veggies

 

Feeling optimistic

I was invited to have some pizza today.  I politely refused.  My friend asked "are you still a Lenten vegan?"  Yes, I am.  Day 3.  I just had a veggie sandwich with Nayonaise.  It was good.  I am feeling a little more hopeful that this is do-able.  I got some almond milk last night.  The woman who was checking me out (my groceries, I mean) said that she and her husband drink almond milk.  I asked: "vegan?" She answered: "my husband is.  I'm trying to be..."  I wondered aloud: "have you lost any weight?"  She replied "15 pounds."  Well.  Fifteen.  My resolve to give veganism a go just got a serious boost. 

 Today, I am not only still living the vegan way of life, I'm back to tracking.  Wow, a tablespoon of Nayonaise is only one point!  That's exciting!  (We WW vegans are easily amused.)  Jeepers, with most veggies and fruits at zero points, this could really be interesting!  Hmmm... I recall a cheeseless pizza I loved, back in my omnivorian days.  It's delicious.  It's legal!  You don't even miss the cheese.  I could have it right now!  By golly, I just might do that!  I think I need to take a drive...

Try it, you'll like it!

SuZ Creamcheez

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm already having my doubts about this vegan business.  I mean, I love LOVE milk and I prefer to add half 'n' half to my coffee, and I'm fond of real omelettes with eggs and cheese, and I can't imagine a world without cream cheese!  Cream cheese: I love it on my bagel with lox, I love it in spinach dip, I love it with pepper jelly on crackers, I love it globbed on my finger.  And what about feta, pepper jack, aged cheddar, Jarlsberg, brie and cambozola? 

When I look on the labels of stuff I think is "safe," it'll have chicken broth or something that's a vegan no-no.  Yesterday, I was reading recipes for vegan cooking and they call for vegan versions of meat, cheese, mayo, and more.  When I think of a lifetime of giving up the real stuff, of never having a juicy beef burger or a fish taco or a chicken enchilada or creamed eggs on toast with those little bacon bits, I get kinda queasy and awfully anxious.  Can woman live on tempeh and tofu and beans for a lifetime?  Well, yes, I'll answer that, augmented with lots of yummy fruits, veggies, nuts, oils and grains... yes she can.  Okay, but would she want to?

Dadgummit, I'm gonna try this, as an experiment.  Not so much with the idea that I'll turn vegan for a lifetime.  But maybe I can be more vegan when this is all over, or at least approaching vegetarian.  I really don't eat enough fruits and veggies.  When I was caring for a patient in the ICU a while back, his doctor kept talking about The China Study.  He was passionate about it.  He'd say "if you only read one book, read The China Study."  He believed that diet was the main cause of disease.  Anyway, I know that if I took its message to heart, I'd probably end up being a vegan.  That much I know.  But... but...

Oh... I LOVE eggs benedict... Look, it's a kiwi! and spinach!

Viva Las Vegans

I've never given something up for Lent before, but this year, I've decided that I'm going to give up animal products in my diet for the next 40 days.  Dietary veganism.  Why?  Reading recent posts on my cupcake craze careening out of control, my Catholic friend suggested I give something up.  At this point, I need serious motivation to do something radically different in my diet.

On The Season of Lent, it's explained "In many countries, the last day before Lent (called Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Carnival, or Fasching) has become a last fling before the solemnity of Lent. For centuries, it was customary to fast by abstaining from meat during Lent, which is why some people call the festival Carnival, which is Latin for farewell to meat."

I know that Lent is also the time to take stock.  So I will, as long as it's vegetable stock.

Yesterday, I celebrated Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday") by fixing myself a chocolate chip pancake and sucking down coconut cream custard, squeezing it straight out of the corner of a plastic storage bag.  Slurp!  I guess what I need is to say farewell to sugar, and I plan to, but why not throw meat in there, too?  Especially since lately I've combined meat and sugar in a variety of selections -- orange chicken, Beijing beef, super yummy sweet spicy stuff like that. Deep fried to boot. Oy.

Heck, I'll throw in eggs, cheese, milk, and butter, too.  It beats fasting, right?

So vegan lifestyle, here I come (at least until April 23)!  Stay tuned for a lot more on veganism...