Hoppin' John Soup

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is a Southern tradition.  If you walk into any grocery store this weekend, you'll find that cans of them on display in prominent places.  Eat them, superstition tells us, and you too can enjoy a lucky and prosperous year.  Apparently, the tradition dates back to the Civil War.  When Sherman's troops marched through the South, destroying everything, including crops, they overlooked the fields of black-eyed peas.  The peas, once used to feed animals, became a primary staple in the Southern diet.  How exactly it came to be associated with the dawn of a new year does not seem to be clear. 

While I remember my mom occasionally serving black-eyed peas on New Year's Day in the name of fun and holiday tradition, I have never done so myself.  When I saw a recipe for Hoppin' John soup while paging through a Southern Living magazine at my parent's house, I thought that this weekend would be a good opportunity to try to incorporate some black-eyed peas into our diet.  Admittedly, by New Year's Day, the soup will have been entirely consumed.  Thus, we may not experience any of the luck and prosperity benefits.  However, we are absorbing the nutritional benefits.  Those little babies are really good for you!  They house high levels of potassium, iron, and fiber.  Oh, and protein.  A half cup of black-eyed peas has about 6 grams of protein. 

Without further ado, this recipe was adapted from Southern Living's Hoppin' John Soup recipe.  This soup is typically made with ham or turkey.  I added in a touch of liquid smoke to give it that smoky, meaty flavor.

Hoppin' John Soup
8 ounces dry black-eyed peas
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
1/2 - 1 tsp liquid smoke
1 bay leaf

1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
3-4 celery stalks, chopped
 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less depending on your taste preference)
3 tbs olive oil

1 sweet potato, skinned and cut into bite size cubes
3/4-1 cup carrots, chopped into bite size pieces

1 red pepper, chopped
1 small bunch collard greens, coarsely chopped
1 tbs apple cider vinegar

1) Bring first five ingredients to a boil in a large pot.  Simmer together until peas are softened, about 45 minutes.

2) Saute onion in oil for about 5 minutes, or until translucent.  Add in garlic, jalapeno peppers, and celery.  Saute for another 5 minutes.  Add cayenne and saute for 1-2 more minutes.  Take a spoonful of stock from the large pot and add to the mixture in order to deglaze the pan.  Add the sauteed mixture to the simmering black-eyed peas.  I did this after the peas had been simmering for about 30 minutes.

3) After the peas have begun to soften, add the sweet potato and carrots to the mixture.  Simmer together for another 20-30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes and carrots are softened. 

4) Add collard greens, peppers, and vinegar to the pot.  Continue simmering until greens are softened. 

Serve this soup over a cooked grain such as barley or rice. 

**If you want to ramp up the yum, serve with cornbread croutons.  Simply find a vegan cornbread recipe and prepare according to instructions.  (I recommend a recipe like THIS.  Lots of vegan recipes are complicated and require unnecessary ingredients.  This one is super simple and much like the recipe I use.)  After allowing the prepared cornbread to cool, remove from the pan and cube into large, bite-size pieces.  Spread the cubes in a single layer over a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees.  Every five minutes, stir the cubes, allowing them to toast on all sides.  Remove from oven when the cornbread has turned golden brown and has become crisp.  Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. 

Black Bean, Corn, and Couscous Salad.

I don't know about you, but there are so many evenings when I have approximately 15 minutes to make dinner.  This makes me do one of two things.  Either I throw up my hands in complete surrender and pull out the cereal boxes or I scrounge through our packaged options.  In our house, these options are limited, but, unfortunately, becoming more and more available.  Ever heard of microwavable Amy's meals?  Delicious and easy.  Relatively healthy (except for all of that sodium).  Far too expensive. 

So, if you're in a bind, here is a quick and easy option.  It is filling enough to be eaten as a main course, but would make a great side as well.

Couscous is a versatile base for many quick and nutritious meals.  It is one of the healthiest grain-based foods available.  It has a low glycemic index and, compared to pasta, is high in riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, thiamine, and pantothenic acid.  It is relatively high in dietary fiber and protein. 

Black Bean, Corn, and Couscous Salad
1 cup whole wheat Couscous
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (if none on hand, water is just fine)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn (or 1-1 1/2 cups frozen corn)
1/4-1/2 cups chopped red onion (depends on your taste buds! Green onion would be great too)
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2-3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs red wine vinegar (more or less depending on your affinity to vinegar)
2 tbs fresh lemon or lime juice
cumin to taste (approximately 1/4 - 1/2 tsp)

Bring vegetable broth to a boil.  Add couscous and remove from heat.  Cover and let sit for five minutes.

Combine black beans, corn, onion, tomato, and cilantro and add to couscous.

In a small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, lime or lemon juice, and cumin.  Pour over couscous salad and mix well.

Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Vegan Banana Almond Waffle Goodness con Bangin' Blueberry Topping

Saturday mornings are the best.  Just me, Jordan, good jams, and breakfast preparation.  Last week, it was tofu scramble, biscuits and "bacon" (fakon) gravy.  This week, it was waffles with blueberry topping, bananas and pineapple.  Oh, and a cup of Shenandoah Joe's Sumatra Blue Batak.  (I picked up some whole beans from Whole Foods yesterday.  Maybe Jordan will give you a description in his coffee blog. ;-) )

These waffles were delicious -- definitely the best I've made.  I still want to tweak the recipe a bit as they were a bit chewy.  As I made them, these are hearty.  If you're a fan of super light and fluffy waffles, these may not be for you.  The chewiness and heartiness could probably be reduced by reducing the amount of wheat flour used as well as by using half of a banana rather than a whole.  Nonetheless, they were scrumptious.

Vegan Banana Almond Waffle Goodness

2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup unbleached white flour  (Or, preferably, 1 cup whole wheat pastry four, 1/3 cup white flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/8-1/4 cup softened vegan margarine (I found that 1/8 cup was plenty, but if your waffle maker has a problem with sticking, add a bit more)
1-2 tablespoon sugar
1 (or 1/2) very ripe banana
3/4 - 1 cup almond/soy/rice milk
splash of pure almond extract
splash of pure vanilla extract (both of these to taste.  I'm big on taste, so I added about 1/8 tsp vanilla and 1/4 tsp almond)

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Cut butter into dry ingredients.

In a smaller bowl, mash banana and sugar together thoroughly.  Add milk.  (Begin with 3/4 cup.  If you feel the batter is too thick, add more milk.  This depends a lot on the ripeness of the banana -- if the banana is very soft/mushy, less milk will be needed.)  Add vanilla and almond extract and mix together.  Having some small remaining lumps of banana is fine.

Add banana mixture to dry ingredients.  The batter will be quite thick, but don't be afraid of adding that extra milk if you think its too thick.

Cook according to your waffle maker's directions.

(This batter would allow for a number of additions including chocolate chips, walnuts, figs, blueberries, strawberries, or almost anything your imagination can think up.  Just adjust the almond and vanilla flavoring accordingly.)

Bangin' Blueberry (No White Sugar-Poison) Topping
1-2 cups frozen blueberries
1/4-1/2 cup blueberry-pomegranate juice (this adds tartness and emphasizes the blueberry-ness.  Apple juice would work well too.)
1 tablespoon light agave nectar
cornstarch as needed (probably about 1 tsp or so.  I just added a little bit at a time until it was thickened)


In a small sauce pan, heat blueberries, juice, and agave over medium-low heat until blueberries have softened and the mixture is slightly bubbly.  Slowly add small amounts of cornstarch, whisking until well incorporated, until topping is thick enough for ya.

A note on the agave nectar --  I am trying to learn how to use this in place of sugar.  It has 1.3x the sweetening capability of sugar, and is significantly better for the body.  Check out this website to learn a little more about it.  Obviously, it will be biased and might suggest it is better than it is, but it is good for basic information.

Raspberry Chocolate Ganache Cake

My birthday this year was AWESOME.  It all started by dinner at a delish Indian restaurant with my girls Anna and Rachel, which was, it turns out, a decoy for the surprise party waiting for me at home.  Jordan the wonderful pulled it off beautifully, without my having a clue.  This was all on Friday, the 28th.  Saturday, the actual day commemorating my birth, we went to my parents' house for lunch (I had asked my mom to make one of my favorite casseroles) and then headed to Richmond.  We stayed in our favorite spot, the Linden Row Inn, formerly a group of row homes in which Edgar Allen Poe lived for a short time. For dinner, we hit up Ipanema, a delicious restaurant near VCU that serves up some of the most delicious vegan/vegetarian food on this side of the nation.  (I got a vegan caesar salad with grilled tofu, which is definitely worth the trip to Richmond.)  On Sunday, we hit up a local coffee shop, Lift, and then headed to the Virginia Science Museum.  For lunch, we hit up a place called Crossroads which is a coffee shop/restaurant that served mediocre vegan food.  I wouldn't recommend it to friends.

Anyway, the real reason for this post is to share my birthday cake recipe.  This year, primarily because I wanted to give it a shot, and partially because of extenuating circumstances, I made my birthday cake.  And, may I just say...It was scrumptious.

To emphasize this point, I must tell you, my grandfather ate a rather large slice of this cake.  My grandfather is a strictly steak and potatoes kind of guy and he typically refuses to eat anything which he suspects to be vegan.  He ate the entire piece and actually (grudgingly) said that it was "good."

I'm fairly new to baking, so, I stuck to the recipe I found for the most part, but I pulled from several sources.  The end result was a Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Cake.  I'm not even going to pretend it was remotely healthy.  But, hey.  It was my birthday.

Raspberry Chocolate Cake (adapted from Raspberry Blackout Cake)

1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used cake flour)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups soy milk

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup raspberry preserves (I used Nature's Own -- a balanced mixture of tart and sweet)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sugar

*Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  
*In a large bowl, combine oil, preserves, vanilla, and sugar with a mixer until the preserves and sugar are disolved.  
*Slowly add in the dry ingredients, making sure they become fully incorporated.
*Pour into lightly greased pans (this will make enough for two springform pans)
*Bake at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes.  


Chocolate Ganache Filling
1/3 cup almond milk (soy or rice milk would work fine as well)
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Ghiradelli are made without milk, there are other vegan options available as well)
2 tbs maple syrup


*In a small sauce pan, bring the almond milk to a boil.  Lower heat and add chocolate chips and maple syrup.  Mix with spatula or whisk until smooth.
*For this recipe, place in refrigerator for approximately an hour until it reaches a spreadable consistency.


Chocolate Icing
1/2 cup softened vegan margarine
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbs vanilla
2 tbs almond/soy milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder


* Mix margarine until it is smooth.  Add in other ingredients and mix thoroughly.


TO ASSEMBLE!
*Spread remaining raspberry preserves on the bottom layer of cakes.  
*Lightly spoon and spread ganache over raspberry preserves.
*Add the second layer of cake.
*Add icing!
*Top with raspberry truffles if you so desire.

confessions

I am often asked two questions about being vegan.  The first is the obvious, "What do you eat?  Do you eat eggs?  Cheese?  Milk?  CHICKEN???"  The second is, "Why?"

I have both of these questions in mind as I begin this blog.  First, I want to share delicious, simple vegan recipes that can be incorporated into anyone's diet.  Of course, vegan cooking tend to require lots of random and strange foods.  I will do my best to avoid those which are difficult to find or hard to handle.  Believe me, I get it...we are all busy and don't have hours to devote to meal preparation.

With each recipe, I will do my best to include information regarding the nutritional value of certain foods.  When we are educated about the foods we eat, wise and healthy options are more enticing.

I am a vegan (I use this term loosely, of course) for many reasons.  It is a lifestyle that reduces negative impact on the world around us.  It is a small (but quite effective) way of consuming less and freeing up resources for others to have.  I will talk more about that it later blogs.

However, I have persisted in eating vegan foods primarily because it has, without a doubt, made me healthier.  I rarely talk about my struggles with weight with anyone.  Of course, many of you have been witnesses, but it is a topic I prefer to avoid as it is a source of deep shame for me.  I am still not comfortable sharing numbers, but I will tell you that since (about three years ago) I committed to eating vegan (and for quite a while, I was very strict), I have lost in the neighborhood of 75 pounds.

Yep.  Its true.  I have lost the equivalent of an average nine year old.  (Its ok, I shudder too.)

Look, I have a family history of high blood pressure, obesity, cancer, and depression.  I have a ridiculously low tolerance for stress.  In my mid teens, I had already developed a cholesterol level that was well above what it should have been, despite having been a life-long vegetarian.  The doctors attributed this, in large part, to stress.  There came a point when I realized that I needed to change my lifestyle and to care for myself as if I was actually worth something.

I have struggled with self-worth for as long as I can remember, especially in the body image department. Losing weight has not been the cure, but the process has been one of healing.  I have (until recently, perhaps) worked hard to eat as healthfully as possible.  I have intentionally cared for myself.

Vegan food is totally free of cholesterol, typically very low in saturated fats, and rich in nutrients.  Although it is possible to be a vegan and eat unhealthfully (Oreos are vegan...), it is a much more difficult task.

My hope is not to convince anyone who reads this blog to convert to veganism.  Because I am a big proponent of community and sharing, I often cheat and consume food laden with dairy products.  When it comes to food, "everything in moderation" is a pretty good rule of thumb.  However, I do hope that some of you might try some of these foods in your homes, not simply because their vegan, but because they are healthy and wholesome.  And, of course, delicious.

The questions I began with provoke an ongoing discussion, one I intend to continue in coming posts.

Until later,  Shalom.