Guest House Granola

This recipe makes enough granola to fill about 2 1-gallon ziplock bags. When it’s cooled, I put one bag in the fridge and the other in the freezer. That way I have a delicious, healthy, high-protein breakfast for about a whole month with just an hour of work.

Preheat the oven to 350°.
Mix the following ingredients in a large bowl.

• 5 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds
• 1 1/2 cups wheat germ
• 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 cups flaked bran (or All Bran)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups slivered almonds
• 3/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup cranberries
• 1 cup raisins

In a saucepan, mix the following.

• 3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 3/4 cup agave nectar
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 1 1/2 tsp. almond flavoring
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla flavoring

Bring the saucepan mixture to a boil for 4 minutes or until thoroughly blended. Pour it slowly over the dry ingredients. Spread granola evenly on 2-3 baking sheets.

Let toast for 5-8 minutes, bring out and turn all ingredients. Place back in the oven for 4 minutes, bring out and turn. Repeat 3 to 4 more times for 4 minutes. Place out to cool thoroughly. You can add the cranberries and raisins at this point if you prefer them uncooked.

If the granola clumps, try placing it back in the oven and toast a bit more.

A Great Way to Start the Day

I met some adorable pregnant women at the Arizona Trauma and Acute Care Consortium this week. They were very interested in how to get enough protein for their growing babies … especially not being dependent on animal products. We had a great discussion and I told them about my Guest House Granola! If you eat 1/2 cup of this granola with a couple tablespoons of soy or coconut yogurt in the morning it’s equals about 12-14 grams of pure awesome vegan protein (9-10 grams granola, 3-4 grams yogurt). I can’t think of a better way to start the day!

My grandmother and I. Do we look alike?

Typically for Christmas or Thanksgiving I make my own little dishes that I can quietly eat while everybody else eats the “main” course. This year however my mom rented a house for all our family to share in Carmel, California. It was a great way to spend Christmas … a block from the beach … with beautiful views. Yet there is always the touchy subject of food.

My family has a long tradition of making pork tamales for Christmas dinner. Of course for the last seven years I have not participated in this tradition. Instead I munch on some salad or bread and try not to make an issue about not eating the tamales. For Hispanic families, tamales are a BIG deal. My 91-year-old grandma spends days preparing the masa and then my mom and step-dad go to her house and help make a zillion tamales assembly-line style. I get that tradition is important. I absolutely do. But if I asked why the tamales have pork in them, the answer would likely be “because it’s always been done that way”.

This year I felt adamant about not being left out of our family tradition. I really wanted to learn how to make tamales from my grandma. Long before our Carmel get-together, I broached the subject of making vegan tamales with both my mom and my grandma. This caused quite the uproar. I heard many excuses about why we couldn’t make tamales at the beach house or how they just wouldn’t be good with vegetables, etc. But I pressed on. After all I am part of this family and I want to be part of our traditions. Finally, my grandma agreed to teach me how to make tamales with VEGETABLES!

My grandmother and I cooking tamales.

I was so excited, I could not wait for our cooking session! I found this great vegetarian tamale recipe from razzle dazzle recipes. It sounded delicious with edamame, corn, zucchini. We spent an afternoon cooking the vegetables and assembling the tamales. My grandma showed me exactly how to spread the masa in the corn husks, how to fold the tamales exactly right so they don’t fall apart, and how to cook them in a steamer. It’s a day I will never forget.

Now here’s the best part. When it came time for dinner, we served both the pork tamales and the vegetarian tamales. I didn’t bring out many of the veggie version because I assumed most of my other family members wouldn’t be interested. But they were! Practically everyone tried the vegan version and several asked for seconds. I couldn’t believe it! I was so happy to spend the day with my grandma and absorbing her 90+ years of experience making tamales. I’m even happier to think that perhaps I’ve changed the family tradition just enough to accommodate those of us who prefer compassionate food choices.

During this holiday season, I know it can be tough to be vegan. Remember why you have chosen to live this way. Is it for the animals, the planet or for your health? Any and all of those are great reasons to bring your vegan message to your friends and family who may not think about how their holiday traditions effect animals, the planet, and their health. How can you help others make compassionate food choices?

Cheers to making new traditions!

Black Bean and Corn Chilaquiles with Roasted Tomato and Chipotle Sauce
Serves: 8

Take this dish along to a party. You can prepare everything in advance then when you arrive ask the hostess if you can pop it into the oven for 30 minutes. Of course if you have manners you would call in advance to make sure it’s ok to use the oven.

Ingredients:

• 1 small white onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 2 lb. Roma tomatoes, halved
• 3 large cloves garlic, peeled or 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic from a jar
• 6 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch wide strips
• 2 Tbs. canola oil
• 3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, drained, 1 Tbs. sauce reserved
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups crumbled queso cotija or shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  (I like Follow Your Heart: Vegan Gourmet)
• 1/2 cup low-fat vegan sour cream
• 1 Tbs. lime juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place white onion, tomatoes, and garlic in a single layer on backing sheet. Roast 25 minutes, or until onions begin to brown and tomato skins wrinkle. Meanwhile, toss tortilla strips with oil and spread on separate baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt. Cool tortillas and vegetables 20 minutes.

Peel tomatoes and place in food processor with white onions and garlic. Add chipotles and 1 Tbs. adobo sauce; purée until smooth, and season with salt and pepper.

Spread thin layer of tomato mixture in a bottom of 1 1/2-qt. baking dish. Add tortillas in single layer. Top with black beans, corn, red onion, and cheese. Cover with remaining sauce, and bake 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Whisk together sour cream and lime juice, and drizzle over chilaquiles.

Per Serving: 296 CAL; 13 G PROT; 14.5 G TOTAL FAT (6.5 G SAT. FAT)

Makes 8-10 pancakes | Vegan | 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup (125 g) unbleadched all-purpose flour (or use 1/2 cup [65 g] all-purpose and 1/2 cup [65 g] whole wheat flour)
• 1 tablespoon (4.6 g) baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (235 ml) nondairy milk
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) canola oil or non-hydrogenated, nondairy butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) liquid sweetener, such as pure maple syrup, apple juice concentrate, or orange juice
• Additional oil or butter for cooking (optional)

Directions

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In  a separate bowl, combine the milk, oil, and sweetener.

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix just until moistened; a few lumps are okay. (Don’t overmix, or the pancakes will be tough.)

Heat a nonstick griddle or saute pan over a medium-high flame. (You may add some oil to the griddle/saute pan and heat until hot, but with a nonstick pan, you don’t even need it.)

Pour the batter onto the griddle to form circles about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter. Cook the pancakes for a couple of minutes on one side until bubbles appear on the surface. Slide a spatula under the pancake and flip it over. Cook the pancakes on the other side for another 2 minutes or so. Continue until golden brown on each side, about 4 minutes in all.

Colleen is an amazing vegan chef. For more of her recipes, check out her book The Joy of Vegan Baking and her Web site, www.compassionatecooks.com, with many vegan diet resources including an awesome podcast.

Serves 4 | Vegan | 45 minutes | 1 serving = 7 Weight Watchers points for 2 burritos

1 bunch scallions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
10 cups loosely packed fresh greens (you can use spinach, kale, collards, even mustard greens)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
generous pinch of nutmeg
3 cups lightly packed grated Almond Cheddar Style Cheese Alternative (I think Almond is the best non-dairy cheese but you can use any non-dairy cheese)
1/3 cup Tofutti (or other non-dairy) cream cheese
8 flour tortillas (7 or 8 inch)
Salsa (any kind … just to use as a topping)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

In a large skillet on medium heat, cook the scallions and garlic in the oil for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the greens and cook until the leaves are wilted and the water has evaporated. Stir in the coriander, nutmeg, non-diary cheese, and non-dairy cream cheese. Remove from heat.

To soften the tortillas so they won’t crack when you roll them, lay out the tortillas on a baking sheet and place in the oven for a minute or two.

To prepare the burritos, place about 1/2 cup of the filling on the lower half of a warm tortilla, fold the bottom up and the sides in to encase the filling, roll it up, and place seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the filling and tortillas. Brush the tops lightly with oil, cover the dish with foil, and bake until hot, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve topped with salsa.

Serves 6 | Vegan | 30 minutes | 1 serving = 9 Weight Watchers points

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium carrot, diced (3/4 cup)
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
½ red bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 Tbs. whole cumin seeds
1 bay leaf, crumbled
2 16-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained, divided
1 32-oz. container butternut squash soup, divided
1 ½ cups couscous

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Sauté carrot in oil 3 to 5 minutes, or until softened. Add onion and bell pepper, and sauté 3 to 5 minutes more, or until soft. Stir in cumin seeds and bay leaf.

2. Puree ¾ cup chickpeas and ¾ cup butternut squash soup in blender until smooth. Add to carrot mixture along with remaining chickpeas and soup. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Meanwhile, place couscous in heatproof bowl, and stir in 1 ½ cups boiling water. Cover, and let stand 3 to 5 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff couscous with fork. Divide couscous among 6 shallow bowls. Ladle chickpea stew around couscous in each bowl.

Ingredients
1/2 cup soy yogurt
2/3 cup rice milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 to 4 teaspoons matcha tea powder (can be found at Whole Foods)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line cupcake pan with liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk toether the yogurt, rice milk, vanilla, oil, and almond extract, beating well to blend in yogurt. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, matcha powder, salt, and sugar. If using rice flour it will be a little lumpy. Beat a little longer to break up any large lumps. Fill liners two-thirds full and bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted through the center of one comes out clean. Cool on racks before topping with glaze.

Great Tea Glaze
2 tablespoons margarine
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon matcha tea powder
1 to 2 tablespoons rice milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Drop of vanilla extract

Directions
1. With a fork, beat margarine to fluff, then mix in confectioner’s sugar and matcha to form a crumbly mixture. Slowly beat in 1 tablespoon rice milk, almond extract, and vanilla. If icing is too thick to spread, pour in additional rice milk a teaspoon at a time and mix till desired consistency is reached.

To Assemble
1. Use a tablespoon to pour green tea glaze into the center of each cupcake. Spread out a bit with the back of the spoon but it’s nice if you can see the green edges of the cupcake.

If you like this, you should buy the book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. You won’t regret it!