Some Good Eats

You can read about my fasting failure on my other blog. Don't want to rehash it here. But I've recently had a few good, Vegan things that I wanted to share.

I purchased the Skinny Bitch Cookbook and last night tried the Curried Chickpea Fritters and Curried Roasted Cauliflower. Both where delicious! Can't wait to try a few more. The fritters did call for breadcrumbs and what I had on hand where Panko, but gluten-free crumbs could be substituted with no problem.

Also, I'd purchased Bragg's Liquid Aminos a few weeks ago and have hesitated to use it. You can look up the info on this item at their website (register & get FREE samples too!) but essentially, it's a soy sauce substitute (still made from soy, but guaranteed Non-GMO!) that is chock full of aminos every Vegetarian/Vegan needs. But the last 2 times I've used regular soy sauce, I've thought it tasted nasty...I mean nasty! Probably owing in part to it being in my fridge too long because our whole family prefers teriyaki sauce over soy.

Yet, last night I cooked up some veggie stir fry for the kids because I knew the fritters wouldn't go over well and guess what? It was delicious. I did cook in a little extra garlic with the veggies and added sesame seeds at the end to add some flavor, but the Braggs' Aminos was smooth, blended with the other flavors much better than regular soy sauce and was NOT obscenely salty! All to say, I highly recommend Braggs. (I like their nutritional yeast too.) And maybe next time I won't be such a pansy about trying something new.

Basmati Pilaf

1 c. rice
2 c. veggie broth or equivalent of veggie bouillon
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 bay leaf

Combine together in a pan with tight lid. Bring to a boil, reduce to low and cook 50 minutes.

Additional ingredients:
1 Tbsp. coconut oil*
1 c. chopped onion
1/3 c. thin sliced celery
1/4 c. raisins (optional)**
1 tsp. fine chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. soy sauce (optional- or may substitute tamari or Bragg's liquid aminos)***

When rice has about 10 minutes left, saute onion in a separate pan for 3 minutes. Add celery, raisins and spices (except soy sauce) and cook 2 minutes.
Stir into cooked rice. Add soy sauce and remove bay leaf.

Notes:
*I prefer cooking with coconut oil because of its high heat threshold and it does not oxidize when heated like other oils. But any preferred oil can be used.
**I did not add raisins to our yummy rice. I just have a thing about raisins in my food. Can't get over the idea that they belong in cookies, muffins or oatmeal and the like. But that's just my preference.
***I did not add any form of soy sauce because the rice smelled so good I didn't want to load it down with soy sauce (although this is a small amount). I left it out and my husband added just the amount of soy sauce he wanted to his portion.

This is a delicious recipe. One of my girls went back for 3 helpings!