Spicy Tofu Scramble

Eggs were the last animal products I gave up before becoming completely vegan, and there are times when I do miss the fluffy texture on my breakfast plate…But tofu scrambles are a delicious animal-free way to enjoy a traditional favorite. I think what made me take the final step into fully embracing a plant-based diet was a visit to the Farm Sanctuary in Acton, California. I got to pet pigs, cuddle with calves and walk among turkeys, ducks and chickens. While admiring the landscape and enjoying how wonderful it was to see these beautiful animals free from the horrors of the industrial farming industry, I got a sharp prick in my left leg. I looked down to see a mother hen pecking at my ankle and in that moment I heard a little voice in my head that said “don’t eat my eggs!” Call me crazy but I think she was trying to tell me something, and from that day I haven’t eaten any since! Here is a great recipe for a yummy egg-free breakfast that has plenty of protein, iron, fiber and flavor!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 package of firm tofu (drained and pressed)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup chopped brown or yellow onion
1/4 cup shredded carrot
2 handfuls of chopped spinach
1/2 cup diced or shredded zuchini
salt and pepper
1 tbs olive oil
cilantro for garnish (optional)
1 tbs nutritional yeast (optional)

For this recipe you can use any seasonal veggies you like such as bell peppers for a mexi-scramble or spinach, onion and mushroom. Turmeric, a powerful spice from Asia, adds a beautiful yellow-orange color to the tofu. The active ingredient curcumin found in turmeric has been shown to help prevent and treat cancer by shrinking tumors and kill cells that mutate into cancer and a whole host of other health benefits.

DIRECTIONS
Saute onions and garlic in olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat for a few minutes add veggies and saute a few min more. Add cumin, turmeric salt and pepper stir until veggies are covered in spices. Take drained tofu and crumble into pan, don’t worry about big pieces you can break them up with your wooden spoon or spatula. Cook all ingredients over high heat and add nutritional yeast if using until tofu is cooked through (about 5-7 min) serve on toast or tortillas with cilantro and green onion or your favorite salsa. Enjoy!

Super Raw Wrap!

There is something about eating a giant green leaf that triggers my imagination into thinking I am a forest dwelling creature of some kind, feasting on abundant plants
as I roam the jungle…

Collard leaves make wonderful vibrant wraps. The thick leaves are plyable yet strong so you can pack them full of all kinds of good stuff. I made a raw sunflower seed pate to go in these but you can put in what ever you want. I like the rainbow effect so I use lots of different colored veggies and of course you can’t go wrong with avocado!

INGREDIENTS
sunflower pate
1 cup soaked raw sunflower seeds (1-2 hours or overnight)
1 garlic clove
1-2 tsp lemon juice
handful of chopped parsley or cilantro
1/2 cup water
1-2 tsp Braggs Liquid aminos to taste

wrap
1 collard leaf stem removed and thinned (see illustration)
shredded carrot
sliced cucumber
sliced avocado
sunflower pate
salad greens
red or yellow bell pepper
fresh cilantro
olive oil and vinegar
dash of salt and pepper

dipping sauce
1-2 spoonfuls of tahini
lemon juice
warm water to thin

DIRECTIONS
To make sunflower pate, drain seeds and place in a food processor. In a measuring cup add water, lemon juice and Braggs Liquid Aminos. Add parsley and garlic to the food processor and slowly add water mixture until creamy scraping sides with rubber spatula as needed.

To make wrap lay out your collard leaf and trim stem. Be sure to thin the thick portion of the stem so it is flat like the rest of the leaf, this will help it roll up easier. Add fillings to bottom half of the wrap. I put cucumber, bell pepper and carrots first then add greens, drizzled with a little olive oil and vinegar and s & p.  Then add pate, cilantro and avo and roll it up. Adding a little tahini to edge of wrap leaf before rolling up helps it stay closed. Mix your dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl and enjoy!

Eating raw food is less acidic and has an alkalizing effect, which can protect against cancer and other imbalances in the body. The nutrients in raw plant-based meals are easily absorbed and require less energy to digest than cooked foods that can make us feel sluggish. Collards are considered a super food offering an abundance of vitamins A, C and K and minerals including folate, calcium, manganese and iron. The sunflower pate has lots of protein and very little fat.

Health is Wealth my dear readers! Many blessings  -Chef B 

Monsanto in Our Backyard

As an active participant in the Label GMOs (genetically modified organisms) initiative I am saddened to learn that Monsanto the mega seed corporation has taken over Seminis in Oxnard. I not only fear that many of the surrounding agricultural areas will submit to the pressures of growing genetically modified foods, but also for the health people who work at the plant, in the fields and in the surrounding area in general.

It can be easy to dismiss some of the dangers
of industrialized farming with all of its toxic chemical uses in the form of pesticides, artificial fertilizers and herbicides. The idea that it doesn’t affect us or that it is somewhere else far, far away is simply untrue. The truth is that it does affect each and every one of us; though it is not immediately obvious. It is a slow process that can manifest in weakened immune systems trough exposure and ingestion of the foods grown in this way. This can eventually make us more vulnerable to  disease. According to the research done by Institute for Responsible Technology, since the mid 90s there have been many studies that link GMOs to a rise in allergies, genetic disorders, Down Syndrome, ADD and a whole host of other neurological, behavioral and digestive problems.

It makes sense when you think about it. Pesticides are made to attack the nervous system of insects and herbicides are made to kill living organisms. Hey aren’t we are living organisms with nervous systems too?! More recently, scientists have genetically engineered seeds that actually grow into plants and vegetables that have the pesticides inside the DNA of the plant itself. There has been very little research to show how this will affect human health and the companies that do the studies are the same ones selling the seeds. You can imagine that they are probably not going to publish something that can interfere with the profitability of their products.

In my opinion the ever-shrinking number of food companies and distributors are playing a deadly game with human health and the health of this planet by continuing to experiment with Franken-foods and the use of deadly poisons that are known to cause cancer. I only hope that enough people sign the petition get these foods labeled so we can at least know what we are eating.

The best thing you can do to help local farmers shift to more eco-friendly, sustainable practices is to request it. Ask your local growers at your farmers market where they get their seeds from, if they use pesticides and try to buy organic whenever possible. Better yet grow your own food or support a local community garden. We as humans need to re-connect with our role as stewards of the Earth, for what we do to it we inevitably do to ourselves. I know I’m not the only one who believes that it is basic right to have access to safe, healthy food that is free of carcinogens and toxins.

I will be doing a talk and art slide show at the Foster Library Topping Room on March 25^th at 3 pm titled Compassionate Eating GMOs and YOU! This is a free event with topics that include the dangers of industrialized agriculture, GMOs and how we can protect ourselves from disease with food medicine. Hope to see you there!

Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

There are some interesting specimens of the veggie kingdom that may not immediately lend themselves to an inspiring meal idea. Spaghetti squash is one of those. It’s thick yellow rind and elongated pumpkin-like shape is inviting but can also be intimidating. Here’s a delicious recipe inspired my one of the members of the Ventura County Vegans. It’s almost like a stroganoff but with less carbs and the mushrooms offer a savory meaty texture. You could also use large slices of Portobello mushroom as a substitute for meat strips that traditionally go in this recipe. You can get lots of fresh herbs from the farmers market for very reasonable prices and they are usually more fresh than the ones purchased at the supermarket. This  dish goes great with garlic bread and a salad garnish.  You can also roast the seeds in a little olive oil and salt.

INGREDIENTS
1 spaghetti squash
2 packages of crimini or white button mushrooms sliced
(or 2 Portobello mushrooms sliced)
1/2 cup of yellow or brown onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tbs fresh oregano chopped
1 tbs fresh parsley chopped + some for garnish
1 tbs fresh thyme chopped
1/2 cup plain almond milk
2 tbs vegan butter
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Take a sharp knife and cut your
spaghetti squash in half and lay
it cut side down on a baking sheet. Add a little water to the baking sheet (about a quarter-inch) and poke some holes in the squash rind with a fork (don’t worry you won’t hurt it). Bake at 375 for about 30 min or until soft. While it bakes you can prepare the creamy  shroom sauce. Saute onions and garlic using 1 tbs of the vegan butter for about 5-10 min. Add mushrooms and salt. (The salt will cause the mushrooms to release their moisture.) Add the herbs, and be sure to save a little bit of the chopped parsley and the rest of the vegan butter. Continue sauteing until the mushrooms are fully cooked and herbs are fragrant. Add almond milk and let simmer for 5 min then remove from heat. Carefully remove squash from oven  and scoop out the inside with a fork. It should be stringy like strands of spaghetti. Make individual servings on plates and top with mushroom cream sauce. You can add some fresh ground pepper and freshly chopped parsley for garnish, ENJOY!

Eating locally grown, organic, plant-based meals is good for the planet, good for your body and reduces the needless suffering of animals. Thank-you for making Compassionate Eating part of your healthy lifestyle! Blessings.
-Chef B 

Vegan Spinach & Mushroom Quiche

In my quest to eat less animal products I decided to make a vegan version of one of my favorite breakfast foods. Quiche is notorious for being a little on the decadent side, but this recipe packs all the flavor with a lot less fat and cholesterol.  Many brands of eggs often market their product as being “free-range” or “cage-free”, and even organic eggs may have some inhumane practices involving the egg production. Most often the hens are kept in large, dark crowded sheds with very little room to move around.

Though they are not in cages their lives are usually a far cry from the artistic depictions of old-fashioned farms on the packaging. If you do eat eggs try to buy local and if possible visit the farm and see how the animals are being treated for yourself.  In the meantime you can give this veggie spin on an old classic a try. Your taste buds, your conscious and your heart will be in a good place. You can use spinach or any other dark leafy green for this recipe. This yummy pie is loaded with iron and protein. Mushrooms offer a rich source of riboflavin, niacin, and selenium which is a powerful anti-oxidant and cancer fighter.

INGREDIENTS
crust:
1 cup organic flour
pinch of salt
3 tbs cold water
6 tbs vegan butter (I use organic Earth Balance)
filling:
1 package of firm tofu
2-3 tbs brewers yeast
1 package of crimini or white button mushrooms sliced
2-3 cups fresh spinach or 1 cup frozen
1/2 cup chopped red or brown onion
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil for pan and pie dish

DIRECTIONS
This pie is great to make the night before so you can wake up to your favorite cup of tea and relax with a healthy, nourishing meal to start your day with. 

In a medium bowl add flour and salt and stir then add the butter. Work it into the flour with your fingers until it looks like bread crumbs and there are no big chunks of butter left. Add the water and work the dough into a ball kneading for about 5 min on a floured surface. Put the dough ball back in the bowl and let chill in the fridge.

Meanwhile drain your tofu and crumble into a food processor or high speed blender and blend until smooth. Add brewers yeast and a pinch of salt to taste and blend a bit more.

In a medium pan saute your onions, spinach and mushrooms for 5-7 min in a little olive oil. Add a little pinch of salt and some fresh ground pepper.

Then take your dough out of the fridge and with a rolling pin a roll out your crust on a lightly floured surface. Carefully lift into a lightly greased pie pan and roll/tuck in any extra around the edges. I use a fork to press in along the edge for that fancy crusty look.

Pour in some of your tofu mixture and the add most of the spinach and mushrooms. Add a little more tofu mixture and spread evenly to fill in all the spaces in the pie crust. Add the last of the spinach and mushrooms and smooth top with a spatula or butter knife. Bake at 375 for 25-30 min. Tofu should fluff up nicely and get a nice golden color from the brewers yeast which adds a rich almost cheesy flavor. Serve warm or re-heat the next day.

Remember to use organic ingredients whenever possible. This keeps harmful pesitcides out of our precious earth’s natural resources and our spiritual temples (our bodies). It also helps protect you from consuming genetically modified foods that can be hazardous to your health and the health of the planet. Blessings!

Codex Alimentarius: A Recipe for Disaster

www.healthfreedomusa.org

Published in the Ventura Breeze Jan 25, 2012 Vol. 3, No. 11 
There are many times throughout the day that I am reminded to be in gratitude. When I wake up I am grateful for my health and the ability to move without pain. When I sit down to enjoy a beautiful, wholesome, organic meal, I am so thankful that I have nutritious food to eat when there are so many who go hungry. In the evening when I sip my pituitary tea from Ema’s Herbs and relax my mind from a busy day, I am so glad I have access to natural plant medicine and the freedom to live a healthy lifestyle.
But what if we didn’t have access to these basic things. What if it was illegal to purchase healing plants and minerals from our local health food stores? What if our food was slowly being modified and regulations where being put into place that could undermine our right to be healthy and take away our ability to choose alternative forms of healing. This would mean that holistic healers like Ema could be shut down for “prescribing” tea, yoga and vitamin supplements.

My dear readers this is exactly what is going on behind the veil of distractions fed to us by the corporate media. You probably haven’t heard of Codex Alimentarious. Basically it is a set of rules and regulations on everything that can legally be put into your mouth, (with the exception of pharmaceuticals but we’ll get to that in a minute) put together by the World Trade Organization to criminalize natural health, vitamins and herbs. Under the Codex vitamins and minerals are declared dangerous toxins that we need to be protected from. I know it sounds crazy but its true.

If the United States officially adopts these guidelines then we have basically signed away our freedom to live healthy lives. If our food slowly becomes less nutritious and is mandated to have pesticides, hormones and antibiotics injected or sprayed onto them then we will begin to succumb to nutrient deficient diseases. Many of these illnesses are already affecting in our society. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity are all preventable diseases. These conditions, especially cancer is the most profitable ailment ever known in history. We are allowed to eat toxins and poisons that are making us sick, while big pharmaceutical companies get rich “treating” us.

The thought that this could be happening in my own country still blows my mind, but there are some pretty evil forces at work. The source of Codex Alimentarius goes back to the president of IG Farben, (who by the way was convicted of crimes against humanity after World War II). His chemical and pharmaceutical company was responsible for bringing us cyclon B, which was used in gas chambers of Nazi death camps. Upon release from jail he and some of his buddies from the UN came up with the idea of controlling the world by controlling the food supply and created the trade commission Codex Alimentarius in 1962 that was to be fully implemented by 2009.

Thankfully this has not happened yet because there are a few small groups working to prevent this, but more people need to become aware that this is going on. I’m a firm believer in food medicine, I myself have not been sick in years since switching to a plant-based diet. I have heard countless stories from friends and associates who have had incredible results just from changing their eating habits. A woman from my meetup group lost over 20 pounds, no longer has debilitating migraines and has radiant clear skin. One of my spiritual teachers in Ojai told me she got her elderly mother off of 20 different types of pills (over the course of a few years and under the care of a doctor) just by switching her to an organic vegan diet. No wonder big pharma doesn’t want us to eat our organic vegetables. Don’t let your freedoms slip away folks you have the right to be happy and healthy!

Homemade Veggie Burger Patties

These patties are yummy and versatile. I make a big batch and freeze some of them to enjoy later so I don’t have to do all the prep work each time. You can enjoy them with some gains and veggies on the side or use them in actual burgers with some whole wheat rolls and all the fixin’s. They are also good in pitas with a little soy yogurt, humus and cucumber. You can even roll them into “neat” balls and put them into spaghetti! Any way you dish them up you are sure to enjoy them. The grain in the picture under the asparagus is the amazingly nutritious amaranth! (more on this ancient seed/grain below) Making your own veggie patties from scratch helps to avoid any processed food ingredients, preservatives and high sodium content. Makes about 10-12 patties. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups cooked lentils
1 cup cooked amaranth
1 cooked yam
1 zucchini shredded
1 carrot shredded
1 brown onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
handful of chopped parsley
handful of chopped cilantro
1-2 cups chopped greens (spinach, chard or kale)
Salt and pepper
1 tbs soy sauce or tamari or Braggs Liquid aminos

DIRECTIONS
Cook lentils (drain them well) and amaranth according to package directions, you can also purchase cooked vacuum packed lentils at some stores. In a medium pan saute onions and garlic cook for 5-7 min then add greens cook for a few min more than add shredded zucchini and carrot. Add salt and pepper and soy sauce tamari or braggs and set aside. In a large bowl mash lentils until a nice paste forms then add cooked yam, amaranth, the onions and veggies you just cooked, cilantro, parsley and mix well. Form patties with your hands and fry them gently over medium heat for 5-7 min each side.

These can also be baked on a greased baking sheet for about 20 min. You can freeze these patties in a sealed container just be sure to put pieces of waxed paper in between them so you can grab as many as you want without them all sticking together. Blessings of health and abundance dear ones!

Amaranth is a widespread grain used in ancient Mesoamerica since very early times for its value as staple food by the Aztecs, Incas and Mayas. Amaranth contains large amounts of dietary fiber, iron, and calcium as well as other vitamins and minerals. Amaranth also has naturally high amounts of lysine, methionine and cysteine combined with a fine balance of amino acids making it an excellent source of high quality, balanced protein, yay!