Going Totally Cruelty-free

Well, I’ve decided to completely change my diet. A radio interview with Jenny Brown on The Diane Rehm Show prompted my husband and myself to immediately go vegetarian, and as of Saturday we are eating 100% cruelty-free. For me, this means that no animals are killed or hurt for the benefit of my taste buds. This is a HUGE adjustment for me. Although I was always careful about my sources of meat, cheese, and eggs, what I didn’t understand was that organic and free-range means practically nothing when it comes to the actual treatment of the animals involved.

So, how do I interpret the concept of “cruelty-free”? Well, basically.. it’s almost vegan. My only exceptions are eggs from friends who have pet hens, and mollusks (like oysters). I may consider cheese from pet dairy cows, depending on what they go through to give milk.

I’m trying to make it easy on myself and my husband by preparing fresh foods ahead of time, and finding EASY vegan recipes. I will share my findings, recipes, and struggles with you as I go.

Here’s my first real food log – perhaps some inspiration for people who are thinking about making a similar change.

Breakfast

• Coffee with coconut milk creamer
• Peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwich with a sprinkle of hulled hemp seeds. Many breads are free of animal products – just read the labels!)
• Banana

Homemade Lunch

• Wrap with hummus, Vegenaise mixed with nutritional yeast, sliced red peppers, and lots of sprouts
• Quinoa tabbouleh
• Zucchini slaw with kalamata olives and hemp seeds

For dinner I am going to give this Chickpea Curry a try.

For dessert, Oreos dipped in soy milk. (an unhealthy, but cruelty-free, treat to keep me happy and sane)

Vegan Pumpkin Chili with “Meaty” Sweet Potato Chunks

I forgot to get a final photo before it was gobbled up – but here is one in process 🙂

I was the co-hostess of a beautiful women’s event on Saturday, and since it’s January I wanted to make a hearty stew to warm our bellies. A lot of my friends are vegetarian or vegan, and our guest of honor is allergic to gluten, so I decided that I better invent something to fit all that criteria. That’s when I came up with this amazing (if I do say so myself) chili recipe!

I actually used about double the amount of chili powder than I list in the recipe, but it was too spicy for my taste. A couple of folks who really like heat raved about the spiciness, but I suggest you start with the amounts I have below and adjust according to your preference.

Anyway, here’s my new creation! If you cook it, please let me know what you think:
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Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili with “Meaty” Sweet Potato Chunks
Makes about 3 quarts of chili

INGREDIENTS
Sweet Potato Chunks:
1 sweet potato, cubed (about the size of dice)
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp chili powder

Chili Pot:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
salt to taste
1 green or sweet red pepper, diced
1 large sweet onion, diced
4 oz mushrooms, sliced (I like mini bellas) and sautéed in 1 tsp olive oil
15 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can diced tomato
15 oz can red kidney beans or black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz canned plain pumpkin
7.5 oz  can chipotle peppers adobo sauce (using less than full can)
2 cups frozen corn
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DIRECTIONS

Baked Sweet Potato Chunks:
Mix sweet potato, oil and seasoning in a large bowl
Spread on parchment paper
Bake at 400° for 20 minutes
Use a spatula to mix / flip potato cubes
Bake for additional 10 minutes
Pull out of oven and allow potatoes to cool and firm up before adding to chili

Chili Pot:
In a large pot (at least 4 quarts) warm 1 tbsp olive oil
Add diced pepper, onion, and sprinkle of salt
Saute until peppers are softened and onion pieces become translucent (not browned)

Add sautéed mushrooms with juice
Add canned tomato, beans, and pumpkin
Chop up 2 large chipotle peppers and add to pot along with 1 tsp adobo sauce
Mix in seasoning and add salt to taste

Let simmer on low for 1 hour, stirring occasionally
Taste and adjust seasoning / spice according to your preference
Mix in frozen corn and baked sweet potato chunks

Let simmer for another 30-60 minutes

Serve warm.

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TIPS:

• This recipe turns out pretty thick, which I like… but if you prefer your chili soupier, add some tomato juice.
• Make sure you get canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce that do not have wheat flour added if gluten is an issue. I used San Marcos brand.
• As always, try to use organic items. I love Meijer Organics products and used them for my beans, tomatoes, and corn.
• I also suggest that you purchase all of your spices at Harvest Health. They are much more potent, and much cheaper than what you will find at a grocery store (about $1 per ounce).

I forgot to get a photo before it was gobbled up – but here is one in process 🙂

My Favorite Pot Roast Recipe (feat. Kingma’s Market)

Look at those gorgeous lavender flowers!

I went to Kingma’s today for the first time ever. If you have not been there, you need to go immediately. I had no idea what I had been missing out on. Kingma’s is a little grocery store on Plainfield in Grand Rapids that sells lots of local, fresh food. I noticed that they even carry organic cheese from a farm in Coopersville! They also have a massive selection of beer, wine, produce, AND delicious bulk snacks like dried fruit, nuts, and candies. I picked up some cinnamon yogurt covered pretzels (which taste like a more intense and creamy version of cinnamon toast crunch) and candied ginger slices.

The meat counter, however, is where they really shine (and why they’re a local favorite). This huge counter is full of freshly cut meats as well as tons of different types of sausages, most of which are made right there. I walked up to the counter and asked the butcher to suggest a nice cut of meat, about 2 lbs, for my pot roast. He suggested an English Cut Chuck Roast, which is gorgeous, and only cost a whopping $7! I asked him where their meats come from as he was wrapping up my beef – he told me that it all comes from a farm in Holland where there are no growth hormones used, and that all of it is farm fresh (never frozen) and all cut and/or ground freshly in the store.

So, I am just waiting for my roast to be done cooking. My mom taught me how to cook pot roast this way, but I never make it exactly the same. The ingredients are always based on what sounds good to me that day, and what is available to me organically, as I never use pesticide-sprayed produce …yuck.

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Here’s what I have done so far:

1. Sprinkle roast with salt and coarsely ground black pepper. Coat all edges with Herbs de Province from G.B. Russo. (hint: it’s the abundance of lavender that makes this mix so fantastic with beef!)
2. Warm about 3 tbsp butter in the bottom of a large dutch oven, add 3 cloves sliced garlic, and turn up to high.
3. Once it’s good and hot, but not yet browned, sear the meat  in the butter on both sides, for about 3-4 minutes per side.
4. Deglaze (with the meat in the pot) with about 1/4 cup of rich red wine like cabernet or merlot.
5. Remove pot from heat.
6. Slice up about 8 carrots, 2 onions, 6 potatoes… leave the skin on the carrots and potatoes for a hearty, rustic meal.
7. Lift the meat to put some sliced veggies underneath, and then put the other veggies around and on top of the meat. You want to fill the pot up about 2/3 full so use however many veggies you need to accomplish this.
8. Pour in 2 boxes of organic beef broth. You want the liquid to *just* cover the top of the veggies, so if you come up short go ahead and add some water, it won’t hurt a thing.
9. Cover and put in the oven at 325 degrees for an hour.
10. After an hour, mix in veggies that don’t take as long to cook (sliced portobello mushrooms and frozen organic corn in my case).
11. Put back in the oven for an hour and a half, after-which you will want to check the tenderness of the meat. You will want to keep cooking until the meat falls apart with a fork.

Recipe Invention: Cheap, Healthy, Easy

Yesterday I went to Meijer with $75 and the intention of buying as much food as possible to feed us all week (you know, in addition to the normal things that I needed to pick up; toiletries, condiments, booze…). This isn’t a lot of cash when you take into account the fact that I only buy nutritious food, mostly organic, or at least “all natural.”

When I want to make something healthy that also makes great leftovers, I like to make a big pot o’ food, like pot roast, chili, or stew. I didn’t have enough cash to buy a big chunk of beef from Harvest Health or Heffron Farms, and I have searched Meijer high and low, and have only found ONE organic meat item there. So, I wanted to figure out how to make something with with that one item; Coleman Organic sun-dried tomato & basil chicken sausage. Meijer’s meat selection might suck, but they sure do have an excellent assortment of Meijer Organics products for a fraction of the price of other organic options.

So, here’s what I bought…

• Meijer Organics canned crushed tomatoes $1.65
• Meijer Organics whole wheat penne rigate $1.99
• Meijer Organics pasta sauce $2.35
• Baby-bella mushrooms $2.99
• 2 Packs organic sausage @ $5.49 each

Total Cost $19.96 (Under $20!)

I wanted to include zucchini and peppers, but Meijer did not have them organically grown.

When I got home I realized that the mushrooms were not organic, which bummed me out. It looked like all of their mushrooms were organic, so I grabbed the baby-bellas without thinking. Next time I will get the mini-bellas which are organic and the same price per oz.  I also realized that I was probably a little low on pasta, so I added about 6 additional ounces of shells that I had in my cupboard.

Here’s what I did with it all…

• Start the water boiling to cook the pasta, and put the pasta in the pot once it is boiling. You can easily prepare the rest of your items while making the pasta.
• Slice up and brown all of the sausage. You need to use a little olive oil since chicken sausage is not fatty like pork sausage.
• Once browned, add the can of organic crushed tomatoes and let simmer on low while preparing the rest of the items.
• Slice up the mushrooms and sauté on low with butter and a little salt and pepper. The sweetness of butter complements the velvety texture of sautéed portobello mushrooms.
• Once your pasta is cooked and drained, return it back to the large pasta pot.
• Mix in the sausage, tomato sauce, and mushrooms. I put the mushroom juice from the pan in as well. Pour the whole can of spaghetti sauce in and mix it all up.
• It should be warm enough to serve.
• Top with shredded cheese if you would like.

My husband and I both loved it. After one bite, he told me to remember to make this meal often. I can’t wait to try it again when I can add more veggies from the farmers market. This big pot o’ food would serve at least 8 people, and has all of the goodness of organic chicken and tomatoes. If you can’t eat it all, you can put some into freezer bags and store it the freezer for later. If you have kids, though, I bet you won’t have any trouble getting through a whole pot. It’s a great family meal that is cheap, healthy, and easy.

Cooking with stuff around the house: Chicken Breasts

I went to Heffron Farms Market on Plainfield today and picked up 2 packs of bone-in chicken breasts. It costs about $4 for a pack of two breasts. I absolutely do not mind spending the extra money knowing that I am not getting extra hormones, and that I am getting all the good stuff that’s in a chicken who eats natural foods instead of sludge. Mostly, it is important to me that the chickens I buy are treated reasonably well and slaughtered humanely (unlike the extremely horrifying lives that Tyson and other big brand chickens live [research this online only if you are very strong – otherwise please just take my word on it and stop buying that crap]).

Sadly, there is no Harvest Health on the north end of town, so I stopped at Meijer to pick up some veggies to roast with the chicken – but Meijer’s selection of organic produce kind of sucks so all I grabbed was mushrooms and onions. Annnnddd I just remembered that I forgot to get lemons, which it a must-have with chicken in my book. Bummer.

So, lets see what I can throw together with what I have in the house. It’s recipe invention time.