Spanikopitas Vegan Style

My lesson for the day is to increase energy, and to let go of energy suckers. The goal is to increase my sense of peace, and to close the door on old aquaintances (whether people, or habits)that drains me of my life force.

Today, I needed some energy. So, I tried to make some vegan spanikopita. They were delicious, but I do not have the triangle thing down. After about the third one I folded wrong, and just started folding them any direction that took my fancy.

I love spanikopita. What is better that spinach and cheese encrusted in light and flaky dough? Being a vegan, I cannot get them from my usually haunts; no one makes spanikopita without dairy. Make sure to season in layers., so I created this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of spinach (note: make sure the spinach is washed to removed dirt and grit. It sucks to put gritty spinach in my)

juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

1 onion

1 chopped clove of garlic

1 cup of chopped mushrooms

9 sheets of filo dough

½ cup of olive oil

¼ cup of white flour

¼ cup of plain almond milk (note: you can also use soy milk, rice milk, or a milk substitute of your choosing)

¼ cup of white wine

5 slices of vegan mozzarella cheese (optional)

Steps to prepare:
1. Sauté spinach with lemon juice until spinach wilts. Make sure to season spinach with salt & pepper to taste.
2. Strain all of the juice from the spinach and put to the side
3. Pour ¼ cup of olive oil in sauté pan heat.
4. Place chopped mushroom in with the oil olive, season to taste with salt & pepper, sauté until the mushrooms get some color on them.
5. Add the onion and the garlic, season with salt & pepper to taste, and sauté until onions and garlic are transparent.
6. Add flour, almond milk, spinach and wine stir. This makes a creamy sauce.
7. Place spinach filling in a food processor and blitz a few seconds.
8. Get 9 sheets of filo dough, and place them between two wet towels, so they don’t dry out. Paper towels are a bad idea. I learned that the hard way. The filo sheets will stick to the paper towels.
9. Brush one filo sheet with olive oil, place spinach filling on filo sheet, fold into to triangle, or a packet, or whatever you can do. Then add vegan mozzarella cheese to five of them.
10. Place it on a parchment lined sheet pan and repeat steps 8 and 9.
11. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes, or until golden brown, and remove from oven and serve (recipe makes 9).

Watermelon Coolie

I am just writing because I need to write. I am doing this for eating vegan. That has been my mantra the last few days. Since, I last wrote I have walked and stretched everyday. Yeah Cole! I am increasing the exercise. Basically, I am lazy and I rather stay in bed watching television. My thoughts were resistant to exercise, and I kept telling myself that I think of better things to do. A question popped in my mind, “Can you?” I went on a thought twist like this: I am not working. I am not going to school.

Finally, I came to the conclusion that eating vegan, exercising and writing is my summer job. It is the only way that I can accept the exercise. That being said, I swam the last five days. I went to the gym three times for cardio dance/salsa.

I’m still going blender mad. I am making Watermelon Coolies; a beverage that is truly refreshing. I like to have the Watermelon coolie after the gym. It is cold with a flavor of extrawater. On my first try, I blended ice, watermelon, pineapple, lime juice, and a splash of orange juice. The orange juice over powered the drink and gave it sharp pre-taste. If there are after- tastes then can’t there be pre-tastes? The lesson is to omit the orange juice.

My second attempt making Watermelon Coolies, I blended a shit load of ice, a bunch of watermelon, a lot of fresh pineapple chunks, and the juice of one lime. I blitzed the shit out of that fruit. The resulting liquid was so cold and delicious. I drank one glass right there, and then I filled my glass up again. I gave the rest to my brother.

I don’t have a picture to share. I was so excited that I could not get it together to take a picture. I just wanted that watermelon juice in my belly.

Vegan Sushi Rolls

I started making sushi rolls in January. When I went to the Japanese store to get the burdock, I asked to woman who works there if she can recommend items to put in my sushi rolls. She told me that she really doesn’t make sushi at home. She and her husband go out for sushi. She made some vain suggestions then showed me the sushi she had waiting in the glass refrigerator. She kind of made me feel stupid for wanting to make my own sushi. I made my rolls, and they were pretty darn good, but I was haunted by the Japanese store lady. I kept hearing her say, “Oh, I, we really don’t make sushi, Japanese go out for sushi.” I felt like there is something wrong with my sushi. I had to get to a Japanese restaurant where I will have REAL vegan sushi rolls.

I went to Misaki’s, a Japanese restaurant on Monday. This was the first time that I have gone there since I became a vegan. I did not know what to order. Usually, I’d take a box 13, which is the grilled salmon, California rolls, tempura vegetables, rice, soup, and salad. In the lunch box section of the menu, there was not a vegetarian choice. Everything contained some type of animal whether cow, chicken, or fish.

I sat at the bar. I usually sit at a table. I was not comfortable. The space at the bar was small, and I do not like having my back to the door. The waitress seemed impatient and rushed me to order. When I asked if there were vegetarian options for items on the menu, she could not answer my questions. I should have had her come back, but I felt rushed. I wanted to order the fried tofu, a salad, soup, cucumber/avocado rolls, and rice. I had the taste for the tempura vegetables, and I asked the waitress about them, then the guy behind the counter (the sushi maker guy) said, “Get the tempura vegetables, it has rice and soup. So, I ordered the tempura vegetables and cucumber/avocado rolls.

The rolls were okay. I did not like sitting in front of the guy making my lunch. I could not relax and enjoy my lunch. I wish the rolls had more spice to them, they were rather flavorless. In rolls with fish, the flavor comes from the fish. When the rolls do not contain fish, the vegetables must be flavorful, and there must to be some type of spice or herb.

Vegan food does not have to be boring and bland. Vegan food requires imagination on the part of the cook. It takes more effort than just putting vegetation on a plate. Nutrition and flavor are important. As a vegan, I want to be satisfied after I eat a meal. I don’t want to pay $20 for lunch and still feel hungry. I want food to taste and look good.

The tempura vegetables were greasy and tasteless. All I could taste was oil. The serving size was enormous. There was no way, I was going to eat a big ass plate of fried tasteless vegetables. I ate two pieces and that was it. I got my check. I put $2 in the tip bowl and paid my bill. The hostess asked if I liked my lunch. I said, “No, not really.” I left.

The Misaki encounter had me thinking all week about sushi rolls. I can make rolls that have more flavor than the Misaki rolls. I have made rolls that are delicious. You’re probably thinking, “Now, she is going to ask me to make sushi rolls, is this chick nuts because I don’t have a bamboo mat, I cannot roll, and I’d rather buy sushi.” You do not need a bamboo mat to make sushi rolls. Take a clean dry cutting board, lay down a sheet of cling wrap then place a paper towel on top of the cling wrap. Now you have your rolling surface.

I decide to make rolls yesterday. Check out the recipe.

Vegan Sushi Rolls
Ingredients:
3 cups of cooked brown rice
Seasoned Rice vinegar
Black sesame seeds
Sesame seed oil
Agave nectar
Nanami Togarashi (usually contains chili pepper, orange peel, black sesame seed, white sesame seed, Japanese pepper, ginger, seaweed)
Wasabi powder (mix to paste by adding water)
1 pk of burdock
1 cucumber sliced length wise
Sliced pickled ginger
Mushrooms
1 avocado

4 sheets of nori

Step to prepare:

The trick to making rolls is having all the ingredients prepared and ready before beginning to roll. I am not going to give exact measurements for the seasonings, just add a little at a time, and taste it to see if you like it. Use your taste buds to determine how much vinegar you needs. Use your eyes to add the sesame seeds. Remember to go easy on the sesame seed oil because it is strong and can overpower your rice, so start with a little (a capful) and go from there.

1. Mix your rice with some black sesame seeds, sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar, and a squish of agave nectar, and divide the rice into four sections, so there is enough rice for each nori sheet.
2. Toast your nori sheets over the burner on low heat to keep from getting burned. The toasting takes just a few seconds.
3. Spread a bed of rice over a nori sheet, but do not spread the rice to the ends of the nori sheet. Now sprinkle the rice with Nanami Togarashi, this is hot, so sprinkle to your taste.
4. On the bed of rice, lay down some cucumber, avocado, mushrooms, ginger, three sprigs of burdock, (note: make sure that there is enough vegetables for each roll. You can also mix and match the vegetables.)
5. Put some wasabi on the tip of your finger and run it on the rice bed next to the vegetables (note: wasabi is strong, so use it to taste)
6. Roll the nori sheet with the bed of rice and vegetables.
7. Make sure the seam side is down and cut into six pieces.
8. Repeat steps 3 and 7 with each of your nori sheets. This recipe makes 24 Cole Rolls.

BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE

One of the problems I have encountered on this vegan road is breakfast. What do I eat for breakfast as a vegan? Before becoming vegan, I would usually eat a breakfast that contained some type of animal product whether dairy or meat. Generally, I ate some combination of the following eggs, cheese, and butter. On rare occasions, I would eat bacon, or sausage. Before, I can tell you the food choices I make for breakast. I have to explain my opinion on using tofu as a substitute for dairy because my view of tofu is the basis for the composition of my recipes. If you want to know what I have tried, what I like, and what I despise then read on.

Tofu scramble is absolutely ghastly! Fresh tofu is fine in Asian dishes, but when tofu is disguised, or used to substitute for an actually diary ingredient such as eggs, or ricotta cheese, it stinks. I can detect a back note similar to the taste of penicillin. It does not matter how tofu is chopped, blended, flavored, roasted, or toasted; I can always identify the penicillin taste. If I am eating tofu, I like to have it as the star of the dish. I do not try to disguise its flavor or appearance, and that makes tofu delicious to me.

This morning, I had a strawberry, banana smoothie for breakfast. I am adding more fruit into my diet. I’ve read that fruit is good for the eyes. We are all looking to die in good health, so I’m starting my day with a fruit smoothie. One thing I notice about drinking a smoothie is that it is an easy way to consume a large quantity for fruit—three servings of fruit per blender. After drinking a couple classes of breakfast smoothie, I feel energized. I also like how it makes my breath smell--sweet. Lately, I am all about smell. Check out my recipe for BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE.


Breakfast Smoothie:
1 cup of ice
1 cup of blueberries
1 cup of strawberries
1 banana
1cup of almond milk
½ cup of orange juice
Add all ingredients together in a blender, then consume. This recipe serves two. If you want it creamier, add more bananas. If you want it juicier, add more orange juice and almond milk. This recipe is adjustable to your tastes. Notice, it does not have soft tofu in it. If you use frozen berries, omit the ice.

I know that I have lost weight, but I am still fat. It is like my fat lost weight. I must have been really huge. I don’t have that many pictures of myself from the last three years. I did not want to see how fat I had gotten. Now, I move better. My ankles do not hurt. I can cross my legs.

It has been a year since I started actively pursuing weight loss. I am walking on a regular basis. I stopped drinking beer. I started consuming more fruits and vegetables. Sounds idyllic, but there are aspects of myself that I really need to work on if I want to rid myself of the excess weight. I need to organize my thoughts and communicate them clear and concisely. I need to have a work ethic by designating a particular time of day to write or to read, and not watching television. I need to watch less television. I need to get to the gym five days a week for the cardio dance classes.

Vegan Meat Options

The Tofurky (say that ten times fast) Italian Sausage is pretty good. The only thing I have made with it is stuffed bell peppers. I'd like to try it in spaghetti, but I don't eat that much pasta for one reason. Pasta makes it almost impossible for me to take a pooh. I'll be constipated for days. I have bought some whole wheat pasta, but I have not tried it yet

Boca Burgers are great for when I want to eat fast. I just pop them in the microwave put them on a whole wheat bun (make sure to use Veganaise) with some lettuce, tomato, and sprouts; I'm ready to eat. They also taste great, a smokey flavor like the Boca Burgers have been grilled. These are also great to use instead of vegan crumble, which I do not like. If I am making tacos or a Shepard's pie, I use these. The flavor and texture are consistent with meat.

Tofurky Deli Slices, It is great from sandwiches. When I first tried this product, I thought it was going to suck, but to my surprise Tofurky Deli Slices are delicious.

Smart Bacon is amazing. it actually taste like bacon with a similar texture. I always have it in the refrigerator. Smart bacon is great for breakfast, great for BLTs, great for adding flavor to recipes. One thing to watch out for with many of the vegetarian bacon is that some are not vegan. It is important to read the label. Often times they have eggs or some type of dairy in them. One product that I know is not vegan is the Morningstar bacon product.

Another tip for buy vegan products is to look for the V. If a package has a V on it that is the vegan label. It should be displayed prominently on the front of the packaging.

How to do Vegan at Baja Fresh

Side salad with guacamole and no cheese

Beans and Rice with grilled vegetables on too

My lunch

For a fast and healthy vegan meal, I like to go to Baja Fresh. I live in California and there are several locations all over the state, check their website for locations in your state. I find Baja Fresh a better option for me than Taco Bell. I like fresh food, not processed salty items, which is what Taco Bell serves. The price is right at Baja Fresh, especially if you are a broke student like me, and you tend to get enough for two meals.
This is how I order
To get the meal the way I like it without any problem. I order the side salad without cheese and tortilla strips. Then I add guacamole (which I order separately), and the chopped cilantro (from the salsa bar) on top of the salad.

I order the beans & rice plate with a side of grilled vegetables (onion, red & green bell peppers); I have the grilled vegetables placed on top of my bean& rice plate. Also, I order corn tortillas

I fill my cup with water (I like the Baja Fresh plastic cup; it has a straw, and a top that prevents spillage). I also get salsas and pickled chilies from the salsa bar (it has an assortment of salsas, chopped cilantro, chilies, limes, and pico de gallo).