Potato and tofu scramble

Potato and tofu scramble with spinach, onions, garlic, and peppers cooked in olive oil and garlic

Tofu "meatloaf" with brown gravy

Last night I made a sprouted tofu-based "meatloaf" for dinner. I had no idea what to expect:). Results: absolute hit with the ENTIRE family!!! Even I couldn't believe how good it was! Per my hubby (who's only a vegetarian at home...you know because he wants to eat;). "This is better than my mom's meatloaf!"

True story:)


New Old-Fashioned Tofu Loaf
(from "The Starch Solution" by John McDougall)

30 oz of firm tofu, drained well and mashed with a fork or bean masher
1-1/3 cups of quick cooking oats
3/4 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 cup of ketchup or barbecue sauce
1/3 cup of regular or reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350. Use a nonstick loaf pan, or bruch with oil.

Put the tofu into a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients,  Mix with your hand (spoon works fine:) to combine well.
Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until the top and edges are golden brown, about one hour. (*note: I baked uncovered for the first 30 minutes, and covered with foil the last 30; came out perfect).  Let cool for five minutes.

To serve, run a spatula around the sides of the pan to loosen, then invert the loaf onto a serving plate and cut into slices.

optional, top with brown gravy (recipe below), ketchup or barbecue sauce...if desired.



Brown Gravy Recipe (from "Happy Herbivore")
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour or other flour
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
pepper to taste
onion powder to taste
garlic powder to taste
salt, to taste.

1.  in a small sauce pan, whisk nutritional yeast and flour together and toast over medium heat until it smells toasty, about 4 minutes.
2.  Transfer to a medium saucepan and whisk in remaining ingredients, except salt.
3.  Bring to a boil and allow sauce to thicken as desired, and add salt.  (for an even thicker gravy, mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water and pour it into the gravy.

Joyful Eating.....Joyful Living

I received a very important reminder from a dear and beautiful friend of mine, today.   She had posted a blog article she found on how the French eat and perceive food.  http://www.naturalblaze.com/2014/02/12-lessons-about-eating-we-can-learn.html   I have to confess that over the last few months I've become very confused about food.....what's "right" what's "wrong"...what's "healthy" what's "unhealthy."    I know she won't mind, so here's what she said:

"A big key seems to be joyful eating. If we already believe a food is going to add pounds or be unhealthy when we put it in our mouth what are we telling our body. I am also a fan of "real" food vs fast or processed foods."

 And it also seems that my choice to become confused over what was once very clear to me,  has led me away from what defines "health" to me: leading a joyful, authentic life, and releasing what no longer serves; seeing beauty and feeling gratitude for each and EVERY moment (the good, the bad, and the ugly).  And MOST importantly....understanding that we choose it...ALL if it!  Own our choices!

My family is a vegetarian family....not because we think we "should" be; but because it's what resonates with us.   We enjoy our bread, cheese, eggs, and butter....along with our fruits, veggies, beans, and whole grains (and occasional desserts:). 

I can tell you when my self-induced food confliction began, a few months ago a trusted friend merely suggested that I should try gluten-free for a short term, just to see how my body responds.  (This is taken a tad out of context as this  suggestion was in response to something I sought her help with, that I still don't believe is or ever was a food/health issue....but how I chose to respond in the months following is what's important here).  When she first suggested this, we were getting ready to go on a camping trip.  The mere thought of suddenly removing bread and garden burgers and pizza, etc etc, literally made me feel resentful.
(again, I own my choices here, this is not a reflection of my dear, trusted friend).  But because I trust and respect her I started looking into why gluten free is such a big "fad" right now.   So I started reading about wheat being modified, etc etc.  Then I started hearing about the evils of casein, from other trusted "vegan" book sources, etc:

 What?  not only do I have to stop eating my wonderful breads, but now my butter and cheese (oh, and olive oil and coconut oil too)??????  Are you kidding me!   Great, so now I'm REALLY going to start "depriving" me and my family of foods that we enjoy!  I'm not talking processed junk here people!  We've always been mostly a whole-foods based family; and that has always brought us great joy!!  But because of this beautiful reminder from my friend today, I realized I'M taking the joy out of food for me and my whole family and turning it into the enemy.  What am I teaching my children!  They are upset with me because I won't buy some cheese (and deep down I was fighting this too)!
(Moderation makes me joyful:)

I'm grateful for the last few months and this seemingly simple, but profound reminder of what "food" or anything in life is truly about!  Joy!  Love! Gratitude!  Choice!  Beauty!  Freedom!  Peace!  ..... Our Blessed Journey!

And I feel like a HUGE weight, that I didn't even realize I had slowly created and was carrying, has been lifted!  These last few months have been a great exercise and opening for me!

To my friend who gave me the beautiful wake-up call.....I have so much Love and Gratitude for you.  You know me well, and you have beautiful ways of helping me to remember what I have known and lived for years!  It's time to stop listening to everyone else, and get back to listening to me and my beautiful family.  We know ourselves best!  And more importantly, we know what makes us Joyful!

We really do create our existence...with every thought we think, and every feeling we feel. 
Life is such a beautiful gift!
Enjoy each and Every Moment!

Chickpea (mock tuna) sandwiches (these are incredibly delicious!)

(I adapted from original recipes from: The Starch Solution)


Not-tuna Spread
2 cans (15 oz) of chicpeas, drained and rinsed
full amount of Tofu Mayo (see recipe below)
1/4 cup of finely chopped onion (or just use onion powder for quick version)
1/4 cup of diced kosher dill pickles (or diced celery)
1/4 cup of scallions
1 tbsp of lemon juice
a dash of sea salt
a dash of organic seasoning salt

Place chickpeas in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped, or mash with a bean masher.  Do NOT over process to a smooth consistency.  Place in a bowl, add the remaining ingrredients, and mix well.  Chill at least 1 hour; keeping for up to four days.

Serve on wraps, crackers, bread or celery

Tofu Mayonnaise
1 pkg of (12.3 oz) silken tofu, drained in a fine-mesh strainer
1.5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/8 ground white pepper

combine drained tofu, lemon juice, sugar, salt, mustard, and pepper in a food processor and process until the mixture is completely smooth (I just mash and stir:).  Transfer to an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to one week.

kale butter recipe

vegan iron sources (for my reference)

new adventures

I've mostly been a vegetarian for the last 23 years, and have not had a bite of meat for the last 15 years. Feeling the call to take it a step further and start cutting way back on dairy (I already drink almond milk, so for me it's cheese....and remember, I'm a native cheese head, so this is a leap;)

For me it's about reducing the fat intake because that's always what has worked best for me (recognizing it's not the right approach for everybody).

I'm very excited about my new cookbooks! One more from Happy Herbivore will arrive tomorrow....we've pretty much very greatly reduced our wheat intake (switching out to almond flour and very low, natural sugar intake at home)....this is my next exciting and natural healthy step.

Any changes I make for myself have to work for the whole clan:)