Cookbook Review: Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

(Photo from the Post Punk Kitchen)

I have been a big fan of Isa Chandra Moskowitz for a long time now.  Shortly after I became vegan, I bought a copy of Vegan with a Vengeance.  I loved this book from the start.  Since then, she has published many more excellent vegan cookbooks.  Her list of cookbooks include:

Vegan with a Vengeance

Veganomicon

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

Vegan Brunch

Appetite for Reduction

I don’t think I have ever made a recipe that I did not like.  Every recipe has been a hit.  Also, many of her recipes are “crowd pleasers.”  These are the recipes I choose to make when we have non-veg*n friends over for dinner.  Her Blackeyed Pea Quinoa Croquettes and mushroom gravy recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance has made its way on to our dinner table many evenings when trying to please the pickiest of our omni friends.  Her recipes are always a hit.  What I love the most about Isa’s recipes is that they are never boring.  There is always a ton of flavor in her cooking but it’s never too complicated.  So many vegan recipes can be boring and lack flavor and then others can be too complicated with hard to find ingredients.  That’s never the case with Isa’s cooking. 

I have been on my weight loss journey for over 1 ½ years now.  This means that I have to be very selective about the recipes I choose to make now.  I also have to modify recipes quite a bit now.  If there’s too much oil, margarine, sugar, etc., I have to cut it way down if not eliminate it from the recipe all together.  This can be a hassle and it can also compromise the taste of the recipe.  However, I have still been able to cook with Vegan with a Vengeance, Veganomicon and Vegan Brunch without too much difficulty.  I am so thankful for this because I love Isa’s recipes too much.  But when I found out that she would be publishing a low fat vegan cookbook, I was super excited!  At first, I thought it was just a rumor.  I didn’t want to get my hopes up and then for it to not be true.  (Yes, I am a nerd.)  But then I found out it was true!  It felt like I had to wait forever for the book to be published.  So, needless to say, I was very excited to receive my copy at the beginning of December. 

I have been working my way through different recipes, and everything I have tried has been excellent.  Full of flavor, as always.  Plus, it’s so nice to cook with recipes that call for 1-2 teaspoons of oil (if any at all) instead of 2 tablespoons.  I don’t have to modify ingredients due to them being fattening and the nutritional information is even included for each recipe.  If you watch what you eat and you are trying to make better food choices, I highly recommend Appetite for Reduction.  I can’t wait to cook more recipes from it!  Below are the recipes I have made from Appetite for Reduction.  If I have any notes on the recipes, I will include them. 

Recipes cooked:

OMG Oven-Baked Onion Rings-We have made these twice now.  They are great!  I would make sure to follow all of Isa's directions for preparing the onion rings.  Also, we use less salt and more bread crumbs than what the recipe calls for. 

Butternut Coconut Rice-Lots of flavor-this made an excellent side dish for the jerk asparagus and broiled blackened tofu. 

Jerk Asparagus-A great way to cook asparagus.  It was nice to mix it up a bit-we tend to cook our asparagus the same way every time. 

Broiled Blackened Tofu-This turned out pretty spicy.  If you can't handle much spice, I might modify the spices in the recipe a little bit. 

Tempeh Helper-We made this back when it was just a recipe posted on the Post Punk Kitchen website.  I made it without the cheesy sauce.  It still turned out delicious-very much a comfort food!

(Photo of Spinach Linguine with Edamame Pesto from the Post Punk Kitchen)

Spinach Linguine with Edamame Pesto-We also started making this recipe back when it was just posted on the Post Punk Kitchen website.  We have made this countless times.  In fact, we had basil growing in our garden this summer and decided to make several batches of this pesto and freeze it.  We still have a few batches left in the freezer and it's always a treat to eat this! 

(Photo of Quinoa, White Bean and Kale Stew from the Post Punk Kitchen)

Quinoa, White Bean and Kale Stew-This was a delicious, wintery stew.  It also makes a lot of left overs so it's a good recipe to make over the weekend and you will have it for the week ahead.  I had a bunch of collards that needed to be used, so I used collards instead of kale in this recipe. 

Smoky Tempeh & Greens Stew-I made this recipe just yesterday.  This was the first time I used smoked paprika because I was just recently able to find it.  It's been one of those spices I have been trying to find for awhile now and finally did on my trip home over the holidays.  This was a very filling stew with a lot of great flavor.  I loved it!

2010 Review and New Goals and Resolutions for 2011

*This picture was taken on a hike in Hawaii.  I NEVER do hikes when they involve ropes.  But this time I pushed myself to do it and I did.  This was where I had to stop because it got too scary for me to continue, but I did do many sets of ropes before we got to this point.*

2010 has been a great year.  I feel like I am in the best shape of my life, I am healthier than I have ever been and my self esteem and confidence is so much better.  I went on many trips to see friends, family or just for the sake of traveling and seeing new places and I also turned 30!  I challenged myself to try new things, to work harder than what I thought I could and just to genuinely care about myself and my health.  Looking back at my resolutions/goals for 2010, I feel very optimistic about what I am capable of in 2011.  Looking back, these are the resolutions I made for myself for 2010: 

Resolutions for 2010

1. Floss every day
2. Workout 5-6 days a week for at least 30 minutes
3. Scrapbook
4. Continue to make integrated health a priority (healthy food choices, exercise, sleep, leisure)
5. Continue sewing
6. Make at least 1 new recipe a week

*This picture was taken back in September on my birthday weekend.  Bicycling was one type of exercise that I incorporated into my life over the course of the past year.  It was a lot of fun riding bikes on the weekends when the weather was nice.*

Looking back at this, I feel like I had a very successful year.  The only goal that I can’t really say that I completed was scrapbooking.  I will try again this year but I am not going to make this one of my goals/resolutions.  I feel very proud that I have continued to make health a priority.  Even when life gets stressful, healthy living has become such a habit, that falling back on bad habits has not been an issue.  The only time I have fallen off the wagon is with travel.  It has been very difficult to travel and maintain the Weight Watchers program.  But instead of stressing too much about it, I just pick myself up and start right back with it the next day.  I also give myself a few days before I weigh myself because there’s no sense in getting discouraged by what I see on the scale.  However, if I give myself a week and there’s still a gain, I know I am doing something about it and I know the weight will come off so I can start losing again. 

*Jogging has been another exercise that I have started in 2010.  I swore it off after the half marathon in 2006, but after I started losing weight, I got curious about it again.  I felt like it might be easier and more enjoyable with less weight to carry around.  I wouldn't say that that jogging is my favorite form of exercise but I really do enjoy it now and I love that it's such a good calorie burner.*

Goals/Resolutions for 2011

1. Run a 5k race for an animal organization (Humane Society, SPCA, etc.)

2. Blog at least once a week (I find it motivates and encourages me when I put my thoughts in writing and really think about my weight loss journey.)

3. Learn to use my NEW camera!  (I just purchased a Canon Digital Rebel and I should be shipped to me very soon!)

4. Incorporate more upper body workouts (It was a rude awakening in Hawaii when I was trying to do easy kayaking but it was very tiring for me.)

*This picture was taken at the trailhead of the 13 mile hike that we did for my 30th birthday.  That was such a great feeling completing that hike and knowing that it was something that I wouldn't have been able to do when I turned 20.  Knowing that I am in better shape than I have ever been is such a great feeling!

What are your resolutions and goals for 2011?  What do you want to accomplish this year?  Happy New Year to you!

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Every now and then I really crave muffins.  Since I have been on the new Weight Watchers program, I haven't been baking as much.  Carb heavy foods like cake, cookies and muffins (even when made with whole wheat flour) are quite a bit higher in points.  Oh well...I was eating too much of it anyway.  But this weekend I did a little experimenting with some muffins.  Now that fruit is "free," I decided to bulk the muffins up with quite a bit of fruit.  I was really happy with the results.  I will definitely make these muffins again.

Blueberry Banana Muffins 
-1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or whole wheat flour)
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/3 cup organic zero sweetener (you could also use Stevia, Truvia or regular sugar)
-1 banana (mashed)
-1/4-1/2 cup almond milk
-1/3 cup applesauce
-1 tsp vanilla
-3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sweetener).

Mix the wet ingredients together (mashed banana, 1/4 cup almond milk, applesauce, and vanilla).

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  If muffin batter is not wet enough, add another 1/4 cup almond milk and maybe a little more applesauce.  Once wet and dry ingredients are mixed, fold in blueberries.

Put in a muffin pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Let cool and serve.

Kale Smoothie Success!

I have always been a little scared of the "green" smoothie.  I guess I thought it would taste gross or that I wouldn't be able to get it right if I made it.  But while I was in Hawaii, I tried a kale smoothie at Sweet Home Waimanalo and it was delicious.  (I ended up having 3 of them before our trip was over!)

  I knew I wanted to try and recreate this smoothie after discovering how delicious a "green" smoothie is.  So, today was my first attempt at recreating the kale smoothie and I think it was a huge success.  Another bonus is that, with fruit being zero points on the new Weight Watchers plan, the smoothie is only 1 point....what a deal!  (Plus, I count it for 3 fruit/vegetable servings and 1 "milk" serving because it has a cup of almond milk in it.

Above is a picture of my kale smoothie.  I think the trick with the kale is chopping it up and pureeing it before the other ingredients go into the blender.

Here's the recipe:

Katy's Kale Smoothie

(Serves 1-2)

-2 large leaves of kale (de-stemmed and chopped up into small pieces)

-1 cup almond milk (I buy the unsweetened kind but you can use the non-dairy milk of your choice)

-1 banana (not frozen)

-1 large handful of frozen, chopped up peaches

-1 handful of frozen strawberries

-1 packet of Truvia

-1/4 cup water (optional)

In the blender, put in the chopped up kale and 1/2 cup of the almond milk.  Puree until there are no longer pieces of kale.  It should just be a green puree.  

Then add the banana and puree until smooth.  Next, add the frozen peaches and frozen strawberries, the other 1/2 cup of almond milk and the packet of Truvia or sweetener of your choice.  Blend until smooth.  I added 1/4 cup of water to the smoothie to make it a little less thick and to help it blend a little better.  This step is completely your call.  You may like your smoothies really thick, so you can omit the water.  

Test your smoothie out with a spoon and make sure it's sweet enough and there are no chunks of kale or fruit.  Now it's ready for you to drink!  Healthy and delicious....I love it! 

Onion Project Success!

So....I am a nerd.  I own that and I even embrace it.  It's just who I am.  So this project is a little on the nerdy side, but it was a total success.  Awhile back, someone on the Weight Watchers Vegetarian Message Board mentioned prepping a bag of onions all at once and freezing them.  That way you just cry once and get it over with.  So I started doing that.  However, it still felt like a pain in the ass to me b/c it burned my eyes so bad and by the time I was finished, it was like I had just watched My Life with Michael Keaton.  So, when Rebekah asked me to pick up some goggles for her so she could swim at the gym, I decided to get some for myself to try out this little project.

Step 1:  Get some goggles

Step 2:  Get a bag of onions

Step 3:  Get other supplies ready: food processor, knife and cutting board and containers to put your onions in

Step 4:  Chop the onions into chunks, food process and put into individual containers-then freeze

That's it!  If you prepare your onions this way, it takes the hassle out of it.  You wear the goggles so you don't cry, you prep a lot of them at once and you freeze them.  You will always have onions ready to go into any recipe at any time.  Amazing!  

Making New (Healthier) Holiday Traditions

*Photo Source*

Making health and fitness a priority sometimes requires some reprogramming-especially for me.  Holidays and celebrations have always involved food (and lots of it) in my family.  I think many people who are trying to focus on being healthy are faced with this challenge.  How do you make it through the holidays and not gain weight or how do you make it through without having your progress derailed?  It’s a challenge, that is for sure.  I think food has a place in celebrations and holidays, but does it have to be the standard holiday food?  Last year, my mom bought an apple pie and I thought I would have a piece.  But I looked it up in my Weight Watchers book and it was 9 pts!  9 pts for one, yes 1, piece of pie!  Crazy and so not worth it for me. 

How do you create new holiday traditions that still capture what that holiday is about?  I am mostly thinking about Thanksgiving because it’s the holiday that’s coming up next month, it’s the holiday that typically comes along with some of the richest foods and it’s the holiday I think of as being the most food focused.  Is Thanksgiving supposed to be just about food?  I think of Thanksgiving as a holiday about gratitude, things I am thankful for.  When I think about it this way (instead of thinking about Thanksgiving dinner), I can think of many ways to celebrate this holiday.  There are so many things I am grateful for and I would love to spend a day focusing on that! 

Rebekah and I have a Thanksgiving tradition that we have been doing for several years now.  We “adopt” a turkey from Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt a Turkey project.  We give a donation and then they send us a picture of our turkey along with its biography.  We display our turkey in our house all through the holiday season.  We started this the first year we became vegan-we liked how it was symbolic for us not eating turkeys (or any other animals) anymore. 

Farm Sanctuary usually has a celebrity be the spokesperson for the Adopt a Turkey project each year.  This year, the spokesperson is Ellen Degeneres.  I am very excited about Ellen being a vegan because she is really able to get the vegan message out there with her show and just her celebrity in general. 

*Here are some possibilities for new holiday traditions/celebrations:

*Farm Sanctuary Adopt a Turkey Project

*Thanksgiving Day Hike or other outdoor adventure

*Thanksgiving Day 5k (or other race)

*Work on a craft project with your friends and family (especially if the focus of the project is what you are thankful for)

*Volunteer (I was thinking about walking dogs at the humane society on Thanksgiving Day or any other day for that matter)

*Work on making holiday recipes healthier with your family

*Think of ways to express gratitude to your loved ones

Any others?  I would love to know about a healthier, less food focused holiday tradition that you have!

2 New Product Finds!

If you have ever dieted or tried eating healthier, you know how exciting it is to find new products.  I am constantly on the prowl for new foods to incorporate into my meals, snacks, etc.  Recently I have found two new products that I think are great!  The first one, and the most exciting is Wildwood Probiotic Unsweetened Plain Soyogurt. 

The reason why I think this product is so exciting is because soy yogurt is typically pretty high in Weight Watchers pts.  When you buy the big container of this vegan yogurt, you can have a half of a cup for one pt!  I have been eating 1/2 cup with fruit and it's a great breakfast or a snack.  However, if you buy the individual size containers, most varieties are at least 2 or 3 pts.  I have also found that using vanilla or plain yogurt is great for cooking in brownies.  See my last blog entry for a recipe.  Another great perk for the Wildwood Soyogurt products is that they are organic and Wildwood is a great company.  I found my container at Earth Fare Health Food store.  It's a regional chain, but I bet that Whole Foods carries it too. 

Another product I have recently found is Silk Pure Almond milk (Unsweetened).  I was buying either Almond Breeze or Silk Pure Almond Original but then I discovered that the Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened has just 35 calories per cup.  Even if I have 2 cups of it throughout the day, that's just one WW pt.

I couldn't find an exact image of the Unsweetened box of the Silk Pure Almond, but just make sure you look for "Unsweetened" and not "Original."  The "Original" variety is great too, but it has some sugar in it which makes it 60 calories for 1 cup.  Still not bad!  The only problem with buying Silk products is that they are owned by Dean Foods which owns a lot of dairy companies and Silk brand is mostly not organic products.  So when I buy Silk, I feel like it's much less of a vegan purchase than when I buy the Whole Foods variety of almond or rice milk or when I buy Almond Breeze.  So, next time I go to Whole Foods, I am really going to spend some time searching their almond milks to see if I can find something comparable.