Kitchen Gadget # 10: Cook Books! Part 1.

I have plenty of kitchen gadgets but I sat here thinking, "what to post about next?" I drew a blank. Why? Who knows? The baby has been in a fussy mood all day and I'm a bit spent. Moms/dads haven't you had those days before?  Yikes!

I looked around the kitchen, my eyes fell upon the cookbooks on one of my counters. Seeing as we don't, yet, have a bookshelf in our kitchen, I keep those I use often on my counter. Anyway, I looked at them and the thought occurred to me, I use those ALL the time. What better kitchen gadget, right?

So, here is a little review on some of my favorites.

My favorite vegan cookbooks (one is a baby food book which is mostly vegan):

• Eat Raw Eat Well: Douglas McNish

• Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook: Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

• Let Them Eat Vegan: Dreena Burton

• The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook: Neal Barnard & Robyn Webb

• The Engine 2 Diet: Rip Esselstyn

• The McDougall Program: John McDougall

• Blissful Bites: Christy Morgan

• Everyday Happy Herbivore: Lindsay Nixon

• The Best Homemade Baby Food on The Planet: Karin Knight & Tina Ruggiero

Eat Raw Eat well is my first raw foods cookbook. When I changed my diet to a plant-based diet I had no idea what raw foods meant. Raw food? Like salad? Sure, I like salad. Who doesn't? But, once summer hit here in the Southwest I couldn't fathom cooking inside. It was just too hot. As I kept up with my Twitter peeps I found Doug McNish, a raw foods chef. Doug's background is like many Americans, overweight, acne and migraine headaches. Of which, his doctors, treated with medications. Most doctors don't ask what your diet consists of, I know mine never do. After Culinary school Doug decided to change his lifestyle. He changed his diet, went vegan and lost more than 100 lbs over a two year period.

Inspiring! After reading all that, I continued on through the book. The "meat and potatoes," so to speak, the recipes. There are 400! 400 raw delicious recipes. The cover photo was what I wanted to try first. To be honest, I thought that was pasta on the cover and wondered how on earth pasta could be consumed raw?   This dish was actually the Pesto-Coated Carrot and Parsnip Fettuccine. What you should realize about raw foods, though, is they are not quick meals. This meal took some time to prepare and some effort but I assure you it was worth it! With lemon juice, hemp oil, hemp seeds, garlic and cilantro this light pesto dish was remarkably good. I ate a few servings and had some again for lunch the next day. I was highly impressed.

I've made several other items from this book and in all actuality I have yet to find something I haven't liked. This book has it all. How to equip your raw foods kitchen, breakfast, smoothies and juices, dips, soups, salads, sauces, mains, sides, snacks, breads and desserts. Doug certainly covers it all. He also does well at putting your mind at ease when it comes to the unknown, raw foods.

Veganomicon was my first vegan cookbook. I bought it because I liked the name. The hubby likes the humor Isa Chandra has throughout this entire book. This book is rather large with many tempting recipes. From snacks, appetizers, dips, spreads, to dressings, desserts, grains, vegetables and beans. It really does have every aspect of the vegan diet. I've tried a few of the recipes and most have been good. One, however, is my absolute favorite and makes this book worth the read! Pineapple-Cashew-Quinoa Stir-fry. This recipe is simple, fairly quick, and incredibly tasty! I love that the quinoa is cooked in pineapple juice. Such a simple yet pleasant technique.

I recently tried the Pumpkin Saag. This too was very tasty. I altered it a bit and it was wonderful. Especially with Halloween and Thanksgiving right around the corner.
This book is great! So many different areas are covered. There are so many recipes I can't wait to try more!

Let Them Eat Vegan is by far my most favorite cookbook! Without this book I'm not sure how far I would have made it in my plant-based journey. I've found so many books rely on fake meats, something I'm not fond of. Dreena relies on whole simple foods, nothing processed. That's what I love most about this book!  You can see my whole review of LTEV, here.

Dreena is the mother of 3 plant-powered kiddos, cookbook author, and genuinely compassionate lady. She's written 4 cookbooks and I'm sure there will be more. She and her daughters even produce some super videos. She seriously makes being vegan fun, easy and awesome!

I admit, I have yet to read the entire cookbook. I've read several, but with this one I couldn't wait to dive into those recipes! But, when I get some free time I will certainly read up on what Dreena has to say about tools to get the cooking job done, what you need to know before strapping that apron on, and the plant-powered pantry and kitchen buzz. I'm sure it's knowledgeable, plentiful and informative. I dove in to the recipes. From Chia Banana Muffins, Cocoa Cookie Dough Balls, any of the smoothies, to the Kale-Slaw with Curried Almond Dressing, Raw-nch Dressing, Vegveeta Dip, Beans 'n Greens Soup, and Jerk Chickpeas I've tried so many. I love them all! Mac-Oh-Geez, DJ's Hummus Salad Dressing, Winter Veg Chickpea Potpie, and Troll Cookies. These recipes are so good. Healthy, whole, fantastic. I use this book often, it's quite dirty, and I use it as inspiration to boost my own vegan kitchen.

Dreena is as sweet as sweet can be too. What better than a great cookbook? A wonderful cookbook author. If you are thinking of eating better, feeling better, and getting healthy start here!

The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Coobook is a cookbook with 125 recipes to jump-start weight loss. I didn't purchase this based on weight loss, more to add to my repertoire of vegan books. This book, written by a doctor, adds in the science behind a healthy diet, foods that fit your goals and ways to revolutionize your menu. The menu includes; breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, dips and desserts. There's even a section for entertaining. If you are looking for more than just a diet this is your book. This book gives you a lifestyle. Gives you health!

My favorite recipes include; Udon Noodle Salad, Italian Fusilli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Artichoke Hearts, Soba Noodles with Chinese Vegetables, Cassoulet, Pepper, Mushroom, Tomato, Spinach, and Garlic Pizza (my first vegan pizza!), and Quinoa Timbales. Each recipe has been excellent. Simple, feel good, healthy food. Love it!

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Barnard at a conference in town. He is a genuine guy who just wants to give everyone the opportunity to get healthy. He's a great speaker, inspirational.

Stay tuned for Part 2 to come soon. I will finish the mini reviews for the rest on my list.

My cat decided to get in on the fun too!

What are your favorite cookbooks?

Cheers and happy eating!

Kitchen Gadget # 9: Metal Mixing Bowls

There are a few (maybe more than a few) items in the kitchen that I just cannot live without. One of those items is a metal mixing bowl. I like to have at least a medium-sized bowl and a large-sized bowl on hand whenever possible.

I discovered these bowls in Culinary School. Before then I only used those of the plastic or glass/ceramic variety. Metal bowls didn't seem as readily available at stores.

When I got back from school I promptly went to the restaurant supply store and picked up a few of these bowls. They may be more accessible now days but they are far cheaper through restaurant supply. And, the good news, restaurant supply stores are generally open to the public.

I use these bowls for just about everything. Mixing large salads, tossing potatoes for roasting (with all the yummy seasonings), eggless salads, anything that needs to be marinated. All sorts of things. They are so handy.   I even throw the small one on top of boiling water to melt my chocolate. My own version of a double-broiler.

As I've mentioned before, I'm lazy in the kitchen. I like to make things as easy as possible. Sound familiar?  I hope so. I certainly don't want to be the only one.

I use garlic all the time! I've tried buying the jars of already minced garlic but after being opened for a week or so they seem to lose some of their garlicky flavor. I've tried just peeling those cloves that I need but I seem to always get tons of garlic stuck up under my nails and smell like it for days. It's also time consuming. Once I get those little suckers out of their wraps I easily press them in my garlic press. Love that kitchen gadget as well!

But, what I've discovered is how to make peeling garlic really easy!!

Break the cloves from apart, individual pieces and place them in a large metal mixing bowl. Put the medium-sized metal bowl on top and shake! Shake like there's no tomorrow.  Keep shaking!!

Great! Now, lift off that medium bowl and...

Bam! You've got freshly peeled garlic. Throw them in a bag and refrigerate for about a week or so. Easy!  I love this little trick. I use up about a head of garlic per week. The beginning of each week you'll find me shaking garlic like Shake N' Bake! ***Remember that stuff?? I do! Yuck! Ha!

Do you use metal bowls for anything in particular?

Cheers and happy eating!

Kitchen Gadget # 8: Old Fashioned Popcorn Maker

I love popcorn. I've always loved popcorn. It seemed like a family tradition to me. We ate it nearly nightly as a family treat, even the dog loved popcorn. My mom and I looked forward to the buttery goodness each time we went to the movie theater. They just made it differently. Add some salt and you've got heaven in a bucket!

For years I've eaten easy microwave popcorn. I'd buy it from Costco to secure myself, you know, so I wouldn't run out. That was often disastrous. I'd throw it in the microwave and 3 minutes later I'd have my bowl of happiness.

When I changed my diet to a healthier plant-based version I quickly realized I would miss out on my beloved popcorn. I was distraught! Microwave popcorn has butter and who eats popcorn without butter? How else would I pop my popcorn? How would I pour non-dairy butter on my popcorn without getting most of the pieces soggy?

Dilemma.

What I focused on was a neat little machine, the Old-Fashioned Popcorn Maker. With the cute wheels and the popping mechanism just like one you'd find at the movie theater I was sold. Still not very sure how I'd actually make it happen.

Of course, the first thing I did when I bought this contraption was get the manual out to make some popcorn. I added the oil it suggested, canola, and the amount of popcorn kernels. I let it do it's thing as I watched in elation. Happiness like when I was a child. I got all the popcorn out of it's warm bed and added salt. I tried it and was surprised. It was good! Not just good but so very good! No butter! Who knew?

I know you can pop popcorn without oil but tiny amount gives the whole batch such great flavor. Nothing soggy about it. BK (bonus-kid) said it's his favorite popcorn. Yay!

I love movie nights in this house! Love them. I know I can have heathy popcorn ready in about 6-7 minutes and boy is it tasty!

Popcorn tidbits:

• Air popped popcorn has fewer calories than the microwave and movie theater versions. About 30 calories per cup. That's without oil and butter.
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• 3-4 cups of this popped goodness gets you to one serving of grains. Good for you snack!
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• Popcorn is loaded with polyphenols, an antioxidant. Antioxidants help protect cells from damage. One serving of popcorn has up to 300 mg of antioxidants. That's more than fruit! 
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• Popcorn is considered the perfect snack food. But, be aware of how you prepare it. Air popped is best with fewer calories. 

The hubby finds me to be quite odd. I rarely finish my freshly popped popcorn. Why? Because I love for it to sit out for a day sometimes even two. I will eat leftover stale popcorn. It is my favorite treat!

Do you have a love for popcorn? Add any fun flavors? I often add chili powder and salt. Yum!

Cheers and happy eating!

Kitchen Gadget #7: Silicon Muffin Cups (take 2)

I'm not generally one to do much baking but on occasion I bring out the bakers hat and get to work. I don't do fancy cakes or fancy pastries. Just the good ole' fashion muffins, cookies, and breads. This past Christmas I tried my hand at sugar cookies. And, while the cookies came out fine the frosting (I thought I'd be adventurous and decorate) was not so fine. I have no idea what I did wrong, those cookies were mostly just looked at.

I'm still working on perfecting my chili recipe which means, now that the weather is cooling off a bit, a lot of chili round here.

Tonight was no exception. It was chili and rice. Yes, rice. I grew up eating chili on rice. I remember going to a restaurant, ordering chili, and being shocked when they did not bring me any rice. Doesn't everyone eat their chili on top of rice?

We headed out for a jog before dinner and as I jogged around the park my mind wondered to corn bread. I'm not a huge fan but when mixed with pumpkin I could very well jump on board.

I got home, pre-heated the oven and through some ingredients together.

Brought out my silicon muffin cups, large and small, and baked up some yummy pumpkin corn bread.

These silicon muffin cups are incredibly easy to use. Muffins pop right out when cooled, they clean up easily and they are reusable. When I got 12 of the large muffin cups I also picked up 12 mini muffin cups. I used those a lot when I made baby food for the little one. I made muffins for her on a regular basis. Great way to introduce protein and other great nutrients in a small portion size. Just right for baby. Now, she's fascinated by these little mini cups.

She loads them up with her food (tonight she loaded them with edamame) and proceeds to give it to her bear. I think she likes the vibrant colors.

I don't mind the paper cups especially when baking for a crowd or on the go but these silicon cups are so useful for just baking at home.

Pumpkin Corn Bread (Southern Style)

2 cups spelt flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 cups cornmeal
1 15 oz can organic pumpkin puree
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons flax meal
2/3 cups apple sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup almond milk

Pre-heat oven to 350º. Line your muffin pan with silicon cups (or paper cups).

In a small bowl whisk the apple cider vinegar and milk together, set aside.  In a large mixing bowl mix the dry ingredients, spelt, baking powder and soda, salt, spice, and cornmeal. In a medium bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add the milk mixture to the wet ingredients, stir. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until incorporated.

Get your hands in there, it's fun!

Fill the muffin tins about 3/4 full. I use an ice cream scoop. Bake for 20 minutes. For mini muffin cups, bake for 10-14 minutes.

Southern style muffins are less sweet, keep that in mind when you make these. I loved them! Me, the one who isn't a huge fan of corn bread.

Cheers and happy eating!

Kitchen Gadget # 6: Convection Oven

In most of the US Fall has arrived. And, although, technically it has here as well it's still quite warm during the day. Here in the Southwest temperatures don't start to drop until closer to Halloween. I remember when I was a kid the weeks leading up to Halloween were warm and delightful, so I seemed to always choose my costume accordingly. But, without fail, each year, that evening would turn cold and I'd have to cover my carefully thought out costume with a coat. I should have learned. :)

Halloween Time!

With the warm weather still holding on like a squirrel with his last acorn I decided to bring out my convection oven.

This small oven is wonderful on a hot day! My kitchen doesn't heat up and foods cook just a tad quicker. It's small which makes it great for cooking for a small bunch. Cooking for a crowd? You may need to stick with the regular oven.

What have I cooked in this tiny marvel?

Tater tots (my vice!)
Sweet potato fries
Small casserole
Small lasagna
"Meat" ball subs
Roasted peppers (it has a broiler too!)
Brussel sprouts

I've used it so much (you can tell by how dirty it is) for so many things! I don't know what I ever did without one. It also doubles as a toaster oven. Toasting bread, garlic toast, pita bread. It's all done in a snap without heating up the house.

Basically, anything you cook in your large oven you can cook in a convection oven. Of course, this would depend on the size of the food item.

Tonight I roasted some brussel sprouts. These are my newest favorite vegetable. I hated them until I roasted fresh brussels. Wow! What a difference fresh and roasted makes!  If you are like me and have sworn these puppies off, please just give them one more look.

So Much Better Than I Ever Thought Brussel Sprouts:

1-2 lbs brussel sprouts, brown ends discarded
1-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste (I like mine salty)
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Toss all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Preheat oven 400º. Line your baking sheet with foil and spray, lightly, with olive oil spray.  Place the brussel sprouts on the lined baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes. They should be brown and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Even preheating takes no time at all. Trust me, if you don't have a convection oven, they are so very worth the purchase!

Do you have a convection oven? If so, what do you love to cook in it? Do you bring it out during the warmer months?

Cheers and happy eating!

Kitchen Gadget # 5: Rice Cooker

I spent another day in the kitchen testing, testing, testing. What kitchen gadget did I use quite a bit today?

You said it, rice cooker!

I know, I know, rice is super simple to cook on the stove top. Boil some water, add rice, lid, simmer for 20 or so minutes and done. But, for some reason I absolutely love my rice cooker!

I use it all the time! This small one is my favorite of the two that I have. I have a larger rice cooker but I never seem to know when the rice will be done. Makes it more difficult to time food. The manual just gives a ball park which doesn't seem to work well for me. Their ball park and mine are so different. Besides that, I tend to make 1-1 1/2 cups of rice at a time so a little rice cooker is just what I need.

Today, while cooking for the week, I made some jasmin rice to go along side my chili and basamati for a pumpkin saag.

The good thing about my larger rice cooker is it's ability to cook brown rice. My pressure cooker does a fine job as well. But, that's for another day.

There are many different brands out there to choose from. This little Rival has worked well for years! Easy to clean. Easy to use. Holds the perfect quantity of rice.

I've made quinoa and couscous in my rice cooker as well. Couscous is so very simple. I bring the water to a boil in the rice cooker, add the couscous and the lid and let sit for about 10 minutes. Perfect every time!

This evening for dinner I went all pumpkin!

Pumpkin Saag. Slightly modified recipe out of Veganomicon.  Naan. Basamati rice. And, to make it all super, Wasatch Pumpkin Ale.  The Pumpkin Saag was so good! I'm glad I added more seasonings to it though. Started off a bit bland for my taste.

You can find the recipe here.

With the seeds, I roasted them with some chili powder and salt.

Pumpkin Seeds, spiced!

Seeds from 1 pumpkin
Water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-4 tablespoons chili powder
Salt to taste

Clean out the pumpkin. Remove all the seeds and wash well in a strainer. Place in a bowl with the other ingredients, mix well. Roast at 400º for 20-30 minutes.

This recipe was modified from one I found from a lovely blogger on Twitter, Queen of Quinoa.

Dinner was excellent!

 Do you cook anything different in your rice cooker?

Cheers and happy eating!

Kitchen Gadget # 4: Snack cup

Alright so a snack cup isn't technically a kitchen gadget but I do store it in the kitchen and it does house food. So, here goes. Today is all about the snack cup which went with us on a trip to the zoo.

*Disclaimer* I know the zoo is a sore point for many vegans. I do, truly, understand your feelings and point. But, with that said, I am a stay at home mom for a very curious little 18 month old girl. She LOVES animals more than any sweets I could ever offer. She is so curious as to what they look like, what sounds they make, and well, just seeing them. So, I've chosen to continue to take her to the zoo on the premise that she is learning many different lessons while being there. She can not only learn about each animal but will have a knowledge of what being in captivity really means. And, to be honest, it's a great way to get out into fresh air and wonder. Learn. Love.

These simple little snack cups are incredibly handy with a toddler on the move. Hard plastic bottom with two handles and a soft top for easy access to the goodies inside. Less fuss. Less mess.

My little one carries these around while we're out and about. She has a sense of independence and I know she'll be able to keep things clean. I tried Ziploc bags for a bit but she was having troubles holding the bag open with one hand while trying to grab the food with the other. Not enough dexterity. These solve that problem!

You can find these nifty little cups at any baby store or at my favorite store, Target!  They even have them on Amazon.

Today these little greatness cups headed to the zoo with us. I brought two. One had the favorite, pretzels while the other had freeze dried unsweetened fruit. Both are a big hit with the little one. Both work wonders in these little cups.

Snack cup in hand

We met a friend and her daughter at the zoo today. Z is on the right. She and J are look like sisters, it's funny. J's big brother came along too. His school is out this week for fall break. We weren't able to go away, out of town, so he settled for a trip to the zoo. I'm pretty sure he too had a good time.

The elephants were out this go around. Seeing as we go weekly there are always different things to see each time.  I love the elephant family the zoo has!

Nursing baby

J's favorite, most days, animal at the zoo is the giraffe. She loves his long neck! She signs giraffe almost all the time and has several stuffed animals at home. Today I was worried she would throw her snack cup into the area where the giraffes live. She inadvertently gave a peacock a cookie. She dropped it, the peacock went after it, after moving my little one's foot out of the way. Wow, he scared me a bit.

Hello

I'm trying out a new camera and zoom lens. I was taking a photo of the giraffe in the background when this one popped up right in front of my camera. I stepped back thinking he was way too close! Funny!

Snacks are very important for a child. Actually, snacks are great for adults too! Did you know it's best to eat small meals/snacks every two hours. I try to do that as much as I can but sometimes it's just not feasible.

Great snacks for the kiddos:
Pretzels
Veggie sticks
Crackers (Nature Made has a great sunflower basil flavor, sweet potato cinnamon is great too!)
That's It fruit bars (Whole Foods. 2-3 ingredients, that's it)
Freeze dried fruits, unsweetened (Trader Joe's)
Vegan animal crackers (check the labels some contain milk, even within one brand)

These all work great in those handy snack cups.

I think J likes that she can set those cups down in her bag and come back for more later. See, independence. She loves it.

Look! A ladybug!

I don't know what I'd do without these cups. Where were they when I was little? Such a great invention!! Sometimes while driving home from an outing I even use them to snack whatever the little one didn't finish. Moma's get hungry too!

As much as the little one seems to love dirt I will not add that to my list of great snacks for kids. Luckily, today, she just played in the dirt.

The tiger J got so excited to see! Taken by my friend Kelly. She was teaching my about my camera.

What are your favorite snacks for your kiddos?

Do you use snack cups or something else?

Cheers and happy eating!