How To

How To Cook Dried Pasta

September 19, 2012 by Veronica Grace 1 Comment

How To Cook Dried Pasta

Although most pasta comes with cooking instructions on the package, sometimes people over cook their pasta and some helpful pointers are in order.

It’s best to cook pasta in clean filtered water as opposed to warm or hot water for the best taste. Although hot water boils faster, it comes from your hot water heater and can taste different from cold water. Use a large glass or stainless steel pot for cooking your pasta.

Step 1: Fill up a large 4-5 quart pot with cool filtered water and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling you can add a little salt if desired. (This is personal preference, omit if you are following a low sodium diet.) Note: it is a myth that salted water boils faster, it in fact takes longer to boil. So add salt only once your water is at a rolling boil.

Step 2: Add your dried pasta and stir to make sure that it doesn’t stick.

Step 3: Start timing your pasta when the water comes back to a boil.

Step 4: Stir as necessary to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Step 5: When pasta is cooked to desired tenderness turn off heat and pour into a colander to drain. Do not rinse.

Step 6: Toss or top with sauce and serve.

Tip: Pasta will clump together if left for more than a few minutes, so use immediately or gently run a little water over it and turn it to break up the pasta clumps.

For cooking pasta that you want to bake in a casserole I suggest cooking it for only 5 minutes. Then toss with the rest of your ingredients and bake at 350F /177 C for about 20-30 minutes until heated through and the pasta is at desired tenderness.

How Much Does Dried Pasta Yield When Cooked?

1 cup of small dry pasta shapes weighs about 4 oz./113.4 g and will make 2 1/2 cups cooked.

4 oz./113.4 g pasta noodles or a 1-inch bunch will make 2 cups of cooked pasta.

5 Secrets For Making Quick And Healthy Vegan Meals At Home

September 1, 2012 by Veronica Grace 21 Comments

I want to share with you some more helpful hints on how cooking low fat vegan and plant based meals at home can fit into your schedule and help you on your way to losing weight without too much fuss. If you’re new to the lifestyle and want to reach your goals faster, check out my Low Fat Vegan Starter Kit which covers meals for breakfast, lunch AND dinner!

image credit: thesurvivorsclub.org

5 Secrets For Making Quick Healthy Meals At Home

1. Plan in advance what you will be eating (at least 5 days a week) breakfast and lunch and then 4 or 5 nights for dinner if you like.

Take a few minutes to write down some ideas for what you enjoy eating (that is healthy and nutritious) and what you think you can manage preparing for the week. It is very hard to stick to a healthy diet if you don’t do this crucial first step in figuring out your meal options.

2. Shop once a week on a weekend for all the food you will be eating throughout the week.

Know how many fruits, veggies and bags of salad you will need for the week and keep it on hand. If you have healthy items in the fridge you are more likely to eat them than if you have nothing around when you’re short on time and having hunger pangs. Also cleaning out your fridge regularly and keeping it organized will help you see not only what you have to work with but also prevent you from letting food go to waste by spoiling or freezing if it’s stuck at the back of the fridge.

3. Eat the same (or very similar) thing for breakfast and lunch during the week to keep things simple.

Studies have shown those who eat the same healthy breakfast or lunch every day have an easier time sticking to their diet plans and reaching their goal weight. Control temptation for eating on the go and grabbing takeout by planning in advance and eating meals you love every day during the week.

Breakfast ideas during the week: large fruit smoothie, large green smoothie, steel cut oats with dried fruit and nuts, fruit salad with toast and jam and/or peanut butter, fruit salad with coconut or almond yogurt (available at the health food store), fruit salad and a whole grain muffin etc. See my ‘Simply Decadent Smoothies’ recipe ebook for delicious ideas.

Lunch ideas during the week: large salad with fruit, vegetables and homemade nut based dressing (oil-free of course), steamed vegetables and/or lentils and rice with a homemade or low fat store bought sauce, baked potato with hummus and a side salad, homemade soup, stew or chili, roasted vegetable sandwich on whole grain bread with fruit, etc. See my ‘Comfort Soups To Keep YouWarm’ recipe ebook for hot lunch ideas.

4. For hot meals (or salads) do your cooking (or prepping) once or twice a week.

Make a big batch or double batch of soup, stew, casserole, curry etc. that you can easily pair with a whole grain such as rice or quinoa and a salad or veggies. For salads use large tupperware containers and portion out your lettuce and assorted veggies, dried fruit and toppings. Make a homemade dressing or find a tasty oil-free dressing you enjoy and have little containers to take with your salad each day. For delicious dinner recipes the whole family will enjoy I recommend my “Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World” recipe ebook.

5. Use cooking devices such as slow cookers or pressure cookers to save active cooking time in the kitchen.

With a slow cooker you can prep everything on a Sunday morning or afternoon and then by dinner time you will have a hot meal ready to eat and you can save any leftovers for meals throughout the rest of the week. With a pressure cooker you can easily make homemade vegetable broth, soup, or fresh beans in only a fraction of the time so you don’t have to hang around watching the stove for an hour while things cook.

The most important aspect to sticking to a healthy diet and lifestyle is planning ahead. Life can get hectic at times and we can feel rushed and make a lot of excuses for eating unhealthy snacks and meals on the go, but if you master the art of shopping in advance and learn how to make a few healthy recipes you like to eat every week you will be well on your way to success.

Just schedule yourself some time every week for shopping and preparing a few healthy recipes, a little effort in these areas can make a big difference to your health and not to mention your waistline…

I hope I’ve inspired you to take the next step and get back into the kitchen.

You can do it, I believe in you!

How To Make Perfect Vegan Smoothies And Green Smoothies Every Time

August 5, 2012 by Veronica Grace 5 Comments

How To Make Great Vegan Smoothies Every Time

Tools Necessary For Making The Best Smoothies

There are a few tools that will help you make the best tasting smoothies. The most important is obviously a good blender. I recommend using a high power blender if you are serious about making delicious smoothies regularly and if it fits your budget.

My preferred blender of choice is a VitaMix because of the superior motor, warranty and large size (64 oz.) container. I use it almost daily, some days multiple times! It’s excellent for breaking down fruits and greens into tiny particles, which results in a very smooth and creamy end product. It’s also excellent for making blended soups, (raw or cooked), homemade salad dressings, sauces, and baby food. It is the first major kitchen gadget I suggest everyone invest in, as it is by far the most used in my kitchen.

If a high-powered blender seems a little out of reach for your budget at the moment, consider doing what many others do. Forgo that weekly (or even daily) gourmet coffee or shake and save that money towards getting a blender in 6-12 months. If you save just $10 a week you will be have enough to purchase any high-powered blender you desire in less than a year. I know many of you spend much more than that each week on beverages while you’re on the go our out dining!

Check out my YouTube channel where I demonstrate how to make smoothies with my VitaMix at home.

Another high-powered blender you may consider would be a Blend-Tec, which is a little different than the Vitamix in that it has preprogrammed settings, no tamper (which I use to make Banana Icecream from frozen bananas) and a smaller container.

For now though as long as you have a blender that works you can start making these smoothies recipes. Just know that the more items you put into the blender and the harder they are to blend the longer it will take to make and you could possibly burn out the motor. So take care when adding greens and frozen fruit to a regular blender. Either chop (or rip) the ingredients into smaller pieces or let the frozen fruit thaw on the counter for 5 minutes before adding to the blender. Adding more liquid than I specify in the recipe will help too. The amount of liquid I use is what works in my VitaMix so you may need more for a regular blender to get things moving.

How To Make A Tasty Smoothie Every Time

The key to making a delicious whole food and sugar free smoothie is to use fully ripe and quality ingredients. Also you don’t have to throw a lot of things into it like some witch’s brew. I prefer to use only 2-4 ingredients to make a fruit smoothie and I generally start with a base of ripe (very spotted) bananas or ataulfo/champagne (yellow skinned) mangoes and then I add other things like ripe papaya, pineapple, berries, peaches, plums, spinach, etc. Whatever is ripe and sweet tasting can go into a great tasting smoothie.

The biggest crime at smoothie bars is probably using underripe yellow bananas or even worse yellow bananas with green still on them. Bananas contain a lot of starch and the enzymes in the bananas have to process the raw starch and convert it into natural sugars for it to taste sweet instead of sticky and pasty. To compensate they put in sugar, when it’s really not necessary.

Please see my post on How To Tell If A Banana Is Ripe for more details.

The best tip for having quality ripe produce every day for smoothies or recipes is to make sure you are buying it at least a week in advance. I always have bananas and mangoes or papayas (when in season) ripening on the counter. It generally takes 4-8 days to ripen (I’m in Canada and it’s not hot or humid right now) on the counter in cooler climates. In tropical and subtropical places fruit can ripen in 3-4 days and then be stored in the refrigerator when it’s ripe. Frozen berries or bags of pineapple or mango are great additions to a base of ripe bananas or even fresh papaya.

How To Create Your Own Green Smoothies

Creating your own green smoothie recipe is much the same as creating your own fruit smoothie with a sweet fruit as the base, and then you just add in a handful or two of your desired greens.

Please note that a green smoothie does not mean adding tough green vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, green beans, etc. A green smoothie is essentially a fruit smoothie with LEAFY greens added.

Generally speaking if you are new to green smoothies or apprehensive about trying them you should start off with a mild tasting green like baby spinach, or leaf lettuce. These can be added in quantities of a cup or two (depending on your tastes) and you should not notice much flavor from them at all. Then once you are used to that you can venture into trying new greens.

When using a leafy green that has a tough stalk like kale or Swiss chard, remove the leaf from the stem and only use the leaves. Discard the stem, or steam or add to a stir-fry later. They are harder to blend and don’t add a pleasant flavor to your green smoothie.

Generally you shouldn’t add sprouts to green smoothies, as they are quite bitter. You can add small quantities of mild sprouts like sunflower or pea shoots though if you like. But please do not add raw sprouted beans or sprouted grains to your smoothies.

You may know of some wild edibles (generally weeds that are edible) in your area, but make sure to always practice caution and be certain what plant you are eating if you pick it in the wild. For more information on wild edibles please check out Sergei Boutenko’s website.

Rotating your greens that you use in your smoothies each month is important. Try not to use the same green every week or every month. Some people can have an adverse reaction to using just baby spinach or kale in every single smoothie. Rotating your greens is something that Victoria Boutenko highly recommends. You can check out her books Green For Life and Green Smoothie Revolution.

The following greens should be added in small quantities at first so you get used to them:

Kale
Swiss Chard
Spring mix/mesclun mix
Celery
Collard greens
Dandelion greens
Mâche/corn salad
Beet greens
Turnip greens
Lambs quarters
Stinging nettle
Endive
Cactus, napal leaves
Mustard greens
Arugala/rocket
Escarole
Frisee
Radicchio
Radish tops
Wheat grass
Aloe vera
Parsley
Mint
Basil
Dill
Cilantro
Stevia
Fennel

How To Make Your Green Smoothies More Appetizing

If you want to serve green smoothies to your loved ones, or friends it might be a good idea to mask the color of the smoothie if they have never had one before. As soon as people see something green, they tend to think, “Hmm that probably doesn’t taste very good even though it’s good for me” and they may turn their nose up at it and decline.

First make sure you taste test the smoothie and use ripe fruit like banana or mango to ensure that it is naturally sweet enough. Secondly you may want to add some berries to the smoothie to hide the green color and turn it more of a blue or purple color. People seem to be more open to drinking smoothies that are red, purple or yellow and not green! And last of all you can add a pretty little garnish to your smoothie like a fresh berry, a pineapple wedge, an orange slice, or a small leafy green so that it looks pretty and presentable.

How To Select And Ripen Mangoes For Recipes and Smoothies

August 5, 2012 by Veronica Grace 2 Comments

What a ripe ataulfo mango looks like

Mangoes can be hard to understand for those new to tropical fruits. They often don’t know how to select them, when they are ripe, or know how to cut them. Generally I buy the yellow skinned ataulfo/champagne style mangoes because they don’t have a stringy flesh and are very sweet and creamy when ripe. Most people buy the Tommy green/red type mangoes. When ripe these can be good too but they are much stringier and have a larger woody core in them.

Mangoes will take 5-10 days to ripen depending on when they were picked and what kind of climate you live in. You can tell a mango is ripe when it is starting to wrinkle on the skin and get soft. (Just like an avocado gets soft to the touch when ripe.) It should not have any hard spots on it and should be slightly soft and juicy inside and not taught and rock hard. The inside colour will change from light yellow to dark yellow or orange depending on the variety. Unripe mangoes don’t make for tasty recipes, and when it doubt leave it another day or two. Even I sometimes get impatient and open a mango too early and am disappointed that it’s not at it’s peak ripeness yet.

Another tip I have to getting good mangoes is to NOT buy them at the regular grocery or mainstream grocery stores. I find that their supplies are often poor, they are picked super early and don’t always ripen properly. This is a terrible place to buy mangoes. Bananas can generally be bought anywhere and will ripen, but not mangoes or papayas. Buy your mangoes from fruit markets, farmers markets, China Town/Asian fruit markets, Indian markets, Whole Foods, health food stores or Costco. (Costco’s ataulfo mangoes are usually fine, but the red/green mangoes when bought out of season often don’t ripen so I avoid those until the spring/summer.)

If you live in tropical places or states like California, Hawaii or Florida you may be able to get mangoes at the regular grocery stores that are fine, but this is usually because they were shipped shorter distances and thus did not need to be picked so hard and unripe or gassed. If you live in the northern states, Canada or northern European countries, you’ll want to avoid the regular grocery stores for tropical fruit purchases because of their bulk suppliers and slow turn around times. Going to Asian markets, Indian markets or other whole sale places will be a better bet for fresher produce.

Backyard Vegetable Gardening And Top 10 Vegetables and Herbs To Plant In Your Garden

June 14, 2012 by Veronica Grace 21 Comments

So this past weekend I spent about 3 days setting up my new backyard garden. It was a late start as we just moved into a new place, so I bought a bunch of seedlings from the garden centre. Aren’t they cute?

First I had to weed the garden and remove last years mulch. It was a total mess! There were a few plants remaining from last year, some purple potatoes, chives, and some dill so I left them. There are two trees in the garden, but I don’t really know what they are! There’s no blossoms on them, so if they are fruit trees they are not producing this year.

It took me about 8 hours to get all the seedlings broken apart and into place. I am really not a skilled gardener. All I did was estimate the space they needed and installed them in little hills so they wouldn’t get too wet in the rainy climate we live in. I figure if it’s supposed to grow it will grow. Most things grow like crazy here because of the rain in spite of the lack of constant sun and heat.

Peas, carrots, beets, turnips, celery, kohlrabi, leeks, nobel giant spinach, arugala, chives, Brussels sprouts

Xander was happy to spend the entire day outside with me. He supervised of course and then became exhausted and took a nap… lol

I installed a ground cover because I was NOT about spend hours every week weeding. (That is the worst part about gardening) and I already have a weak lower back from 2 car accidents, so it’s really not good for it. It was a pain to insert it around plants and plant through it, but it will also probably deter the cat from thinking the garden is a giant litter box, so this another benefit! Now he just thinks it’s a runway and traipses through it…

4 varieties of tomatoes, eggplant, English cucumbers, acorn squash, zucchini, 4 varieties of basil (including a beautiful African blue basil), purple potatoes, dill, thyme, rosemary, oregano, onions

So now all my plants are in. I’ve got a little bamboo trellis I attempted to build for the acorn squash and English cucumbers. I don’t know that it’s really worth it to build a lot of garden trellises, it may be cheaper, but it took me hours and hours to figure out how and then to do it and it may or may not work/last. We will see how it goes!

Swiss chard, Rainbow chard, white potatoes, red leaf lettuce, green kale, basil, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, Thai basil, bay laurel shrub, and in the black herb container: cilantro, parsley, purple sage, tarragon, more basil, oregano, thyme

As I didn’t want to crowd the garden I put most of my herbs and lettuces in container pots I had from last year’s patio garden and a few things like cherry tomatoes, white potatoes and a mini bell pepper plant. This also deters the cat from getting on my raw edibles like lettuces and herbs! He seems to have thought the thyme in the garden was offensive enough to sprinkle on a few times… so yeah.

As you can see I still have a little more work to do, tidying up and mowing the lawn, as well as I will plant a few more containers of leaf lettuce soon. I don’t have any romaine or butter lettuce planted yet.

We aren’t getting a CSA box this summer, so I thought I would invest in having some of our own home grown vegetables and greens. There’s also a bunch of strawberry plants and blueberry and raspberry bushes by the big tree, so hopefully we will have some of those goodies too! I figure since everything was already grown as a seedling it probably means it will grow in this climate and I am so happy our backyard gets much much more sun than our little patio did previously. (I only had a 1 foot wide strip to work with before) Also what I like is not having the fridge crammed full of herbs and greens that go bad. It’s much nicer to keep it out in the garden until it’s ready to use and then you can just pick it!

I think it’s a lot of work to plant everything perfectly and coordinate everything so eat plant has the perfect amount of sun, space and fertilizer, so really I am just winging it and we’ll see what happens. I’ll add some nutrients if it needs and hopefully things will have enough sun and space. All the sun hungry plants are in the middle where we get the most sun. (Well we don’t get a lot of sun in the Vancouver area, but for some reason it’s usually nicer after 2 pm when the clouds part.)

I hope this inspires you to grow a little something, even if you haven’t done it before. I have gardened a few times, but really it was just planting seeds, watering and harvesting, nothing else!

If you have a chance to build your own garden, a really neat idea is a “Square Foot Garden” where you plant a certain number of plants in each square foot of space in a 4×4 square foot area. This leaves you enough room to be able to access all side for any weeding or harvesting. If I didn’t already have a garden built in my backyard I’d definitely use this method as it’s much much easier than creating rows or raised beds.

fromt albertahomegardening.com

For large plants like cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts etc you would plant only 1 in the centre of the square. For smaller plants like carrots you would plant up to 16 depending on what it was and how big it grows. You can find out more from http://www.squarefootgardening.org/

So what would I recommend growing in your garden if you can?

Top 10 Vegetables And Herbs To Plant In Your Garden

1. Lettuces and greens like Romaine, butter lettuce, red or green leaf lettuce, arugala, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, collard greens etc. Greens can cost $1.50-$3.50 a bunch depending where you buy them from and if they are organic, plus they take up a lot of room in the fridge. If you go through a lot of greens, it’s a good idea to plant some in the summer to at least supplement your needs and reduce your food budget and prevent spoilage by picking just what you need from the garden.

2. Thyme and Basil. Often these herbs cost $2.99 at the store (for organic) and can go to waste in the fridge as you only use a little bit for a recipe here and there. I much prefer having fresh herbs over dried ones as the flavour is much better in homemade things like soups and sauces. I plant a LOT of thyme and basil because these are my two most used herbs. Another favourite is dill (which is great in raw blended salads, salad dressings, or potato salad). These herbs can planted be in container or separate herb gardens.

3. Cilantro (Coriander) and Parsley. These herbs might or might not be cheap at your local grocery store, but I find that they don’t last very long in the fridge and tends to get slimy and are a pain to clean as there’s always some old and bad leaves in there. It’s nice to have a steady supply of cilantro and parsley which I love to use as garnishes (they make food photos even prettier) and on top of soups, salsas and ethnic cuisines like Thai, Vietnamese and Indian food.

4. Tomatoes. Tomatoes are not something I enjoy eating raw on their own, but they are invaluable to raw and vegan cuisine. They are essential for delicious marinara sauces, stews, blended raw salads, raw salad dressings, salad toppings and sandwiches. Home grown tomatoes are much tastier, sweeter and fresher than store bought. Especially if you let them ripen on the vine.

5. Peas or Green Beans. Peas and beans are great to grow as often the store bought ones are not very fresh and can be a little bit bitter or too hard. Fresh garden peas and beans are hard to match. They’re even delicious eating raw straight from the garden. I don’t usually cook mine as I eat through them quite quickly as healthy snacks and salad toppings but they’re something the whole family can enjoy! Kids especially love to munch on fresh picked garden goodies and it develops a good sense of healthy eating for them.

6. Beets and Turnips. Beets and turnips are great to grow in your garden because both the roots and the leaves are edible! Most people don’t eat the tops, but more and more veggie lovers are realizing the nutritional value of eating beet and turnip greens. There’s even more nutrition in them than the root, so don’t throw them away! They’re best eaten lightly steamed or sautéed as they can be a little strong tasting and tough to eat. The thick stems taste much better when lightly cooked as well. I love beets and turnips as they are both a starch and a green and make good use of garden space!

7. Onions, Green Onions and Leeks. Onions are something I go through like crazy, they are a staple to any homemade dish really whether it is raw or cooked as it adds a delicious flavour and aroma to the dish. If you plant onions and pick them early they will be green onions (also called scallions or spring onions) and these are great to use in raw salads, raw dressings, raw blended salads, salsas and garnishes. If you let them go to seed they will grow again next year so you’ll always have a steady supply of onions.

8. Cucumbers. Cucumbers are often fairly expensive at the store and a highly used item in raw and vegan salads, sandwiches and you can grow many varieties to be eaten fresh or to make pickles with. I even like to slice them on a mandolin and make little cucumber roll ups/sushi rolls with them. They are so beautiful and appealing as appetizers this way. Cucumbers grow on a vine and need a trellis or something to climb up onto so their fruits will not be laying on the grown and exposed to ground insects.

9. Zucchini. Zucchini is very easy to grow, provided you give it enough space. It’s a long and sprawling plant and one or two plants is all you need to get a ton of zucchini. Start picking them when they reach about a foot in size, and don’t let them grow too long or they become hard and woody inside. Young zucchinis are easy to use in salads, stir fries, Ratatouille and even make raw vegan spaghetti or fettuccine strands with.

10. Red potatoes or “new potatoes”. If you’re getting a late start you can always get potato seedlings at your garden centre, or plant some “seed” potatoes in early February or March for a spring harvest. These types of potatoes are called new potatoes because they are picked and sold immediately in the spring. They have paper thin skins and are best in salads or lightly steamed with seasonings. Fall potatoes have been grown longer and “cured” so their skins toughen up and they are able to be stored in a cool dark place through the winter. Potatoes can be grown fairly easily if you have a sunny place. They best way to grow is actually in a potato bag, as you will get many more potatoes as they can grow down as you roll up the bag and keep filling it with dirt and cover some of the leaves as they grow up. It gets a much higher yield this way than just planting in the garden. Check out potato bags here.

Other vegetables I’m growing this year are acorn squash, celery, kohlrabi, red bell pepper, eggplant, Brussels sprouts and carrots along with many other herbs like oregano, sage, tarragon, rosemary, sweet leaf and Thai basil.

What do you grow in your garden? What’s your favourite home grown vegetable?

How To Bake A Russet Potato Without Oil For Baked Jacket Potatoes

March 27, 2012 by Veronica Grace 16 Comments

Oil Free Vegan Baked Potato Hummus Salsa

Oil Free Vegan Baked Potato with Red Pepper Hummus and Salsa

Just a reminder that my Comfort Soups To Keep You Warm recipe eBook is out! I’m already getting lots of great feedback on how delicious the soup recipes are!

Today I’m going to show you how to bake healthy baked potatoes in the oven without all the oil and fat!

I think baked jacket potatoes are something that most people love or have fond memories of eating. It’s a comfort food for them and I know Dr. John McDougall is certainly very fond of them as well! Potatoes can be healthy, or unhealthy depending what you put on them though. If you’re on the McDougall Program you might be interested in baking russet potatoes regularly and without oil of course.

Or maybe you just really like having something warm and filling for dinner, either way baked russet potatoes are a good way to go for a low fat, satisfying meal or side.

The baked potato above is topped with roasted red pepper hummus (that’s oil free and low fat) and salsa and is served with a side of my Low Fat Vegan Tangy Collard Greens With Coconut Milk and Mushrooms . (It’s also delicious to pour some of the coconut cooking liquid on top of your baked potato.)

So the main reason people like to oil and salt their potato skins before baking them is because it makes the skin all crispy and taste, well salty! The other reason is that it cooks it a bit faster but it raises the temperature it cooks at. Baking in oil at such high temperatures can create carcinogens and adding excess oil to a potato skin is not the best for health.

It’s also not beneficial to your health if you load your baked potato or potato skins with bacon, cheese, butter and/or sour cream. These things are far too rich and the negative effects of these toppings outweigh all the health benefits of eating a baked potato for vitamins and fibre. If you’re watching your weight, cholesterol or salt intake, please don’t add those things to your baked potato. There are many healthier alternatives.

While leaving their rich potato toppings out won’t make it taste exactly the same, it will be healthier for you and you can dress up your potato skins with some healthy low fat vegan alternatives like:

Fat free salsa (homemade or jarred)
Tobasco sauce
Hummus (original or roasted red pepper, low fat of course. Look for oil free or make your own.)
Baked beans (homemade or canned)
Salt and Pepper
Fresh chives or green onions (scallions)
Nutritional yeast
Fat free vegan queso or “cheezy” sauce
Steamed veggies like broccoli or kale

What Potato Do I Use For Baked Potatoes?

Use the dark brown rough skinned russet potatoes you find at the grocery store. They make the best baked potatoes and are also good for mashed potatoes. Don’t use the smooth waxy skinned yellow or red potatoes for baked jacket potatoes, these are better suited for potato salad, mini roasted potatoes, steamed or boiled potatoes and used in stews and soups.

Make sure that you select russet potatoes that are about the same size so they cook at the same time. If you bake medium and large ones together the large ones will not be done when the medium ones are ready.

Should I Cover My Russet Potato In Tinfoil For Baking?

No. I have no idea why people think they should do this, much less why some grocery stores sell russet potatoes in tinfoil. Maybe if you want to barbecue them, but when you put tinfoil on it you are STEAMING the potato from the inside out and not BAKING it. So it is not going to turn out like a baked potato and be all dry and fluffy inside. It will be more watery and dense like potatoes steamed in water. Don’t do this. Bake them uncovered for best results.

How To Bake a Russet Potato Without Oil

from Comfort Foods From Around The World

Step #1: Preheat your oven to 400 F/ 205 C (375 F on a convection oven)

Step #2: Wash your russet potatoes well and cut out any “eyes” or bad spots in the potatoes.

Step #3: Use a fork and poke a lot of holes all over your potatoes. This stops them from cooking unevenly and possible exploding in the oven.

Oil Free Baked Oven Roasted Potatoes

Step #4: When your oven has come up to temperature, place them directly on the rack in the middle of the oven. Leave enough space between them that they are not touching.

Step #5: Bake your potatoes for 50-70 minutes (depending on size) and check on them between 50 and 60 minutes. Using a pot holder or oven mitt, you want to gently squeeze the potatoes and see if they give. If they seem soft all the way through to the middle they are done. If you are not sure you can cut one in half and check. If they need more time, continue to bake, or you can microwave for a few minutes more to finish them off if you’re in a hurry. (Once you know the exact cooking time for your oven and this size of potato, write it down or remember it so you don’t have to check on it and guess next time. Usually they will be done within 60-70 min).

Step #6: To fluff your potato you’re going to make a slit across the top of it, and using pot holders or oven mitts gently squeeze the bottom of the potato together (like how a crab would close it’s claws) and this will push the insides up and open it for filling. (This is something I learned when I worked in a restaurant and had to plate food.)

Step #7: Fill your potato with your (hopefully healthy and vegan) seasonings and serve.

When I bake giant potatoes like this it become a whole meal when served with a side of greens. So this makes it a really easy AND cheap vegan meal!

Time Saving Tip:

You can bake multiple potatoes and keep them for future meals in the fridge and just reheat them for a quick lunch or side dish the next night.

I know a lot of Americans like to “nuke” their raw potatoes, but I really don’t like this. They can get all hard on the bottom and be a different texture. I prefer to bake mine and only reheat if necessary and not to use the microwave to cook anything that was raw.

Oil Free Vegan Baked Potato With Baked Beans

Here’s another oil free baked potato served with homemade baked beans. The baked beans recipe will be in my upcoming “Comfort Dinner Recipes From Around The World” eBook.

What do you like putting on your oil free baked potatoes?

My TOP TEN Favorite Things To Do To Feel Better When Feeling Down, Sick Or Having a Bad Day

March 25, 2012 by Veronica Grace 2 Comments

My new recipe eBook Comfort Soups To Keep You Warm is available!

Somedays are better than others and somedays can be worse. Maybe you’re feeling under the weather, maybe you’re a little stressed out, over tired, sore from a work out or working too hard, whatever the case may be. Instead of just feeling blah and laying around like a lump on the couch or sitting in a “poor me” or foul mood, here are some things I suggest doing to feel better, de-stress, and get back to your normal happy energetic self.

“How do I feel better?” you might ask? Well here are some helpful tips for you below.

#10 Take A Day Off and Fast And/Or Sleep

If you have the flu, a viral infection, got food poisoning, or just ate too much and don’t feel well, you can benefit from skipping a meal or two, or even for a whole day and just taking it easy. You might even want to have a nap and catch up on some sleep, or if you’re feeling that awful you may even want to spend all day in bed. Fasting (abstaining from eating food) can help when you are dealing with viral infections and stomach issues. It gives your body a break from digesting food 3-5 times a day, and instead can focus on detoxing and processing any leftovers in your stomach and bowels from the day before. Also if you feel lethargic it can help to skip a meal so you can have more energy later in the day. Fasting is NOT recommended when you have a “cold” or BACTERIAL infection. Fasting actually stresses the body in a negative way when you have a bacterial infection. Your body has surrounded the bacteria and quarantined it so that it does not infect the rest of your body and give you blood poisoning. If you stop eating for a long period of time, it weakens your immune system and this bacteria can break through the protective barrier and take over and make you even sicker, or cost you your life. There have been many fasters that have died of blood poisoning when they got an infection before or during their fast and chose to ignore it. There have also been people who fasted when they had Lyme Disease and this complicated their problems and caused lasting damage to themselves. Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection as well. *Fasting for a viral infection is ok, because you are making the virus weaker by not feeding is sugar and nutrients. Bacteria are not the same as viruses, and you may need antibiotics if you have a serious infection so you need to consult a qualified health professional. If you have a cold, at the very least I recommend resting, and also eating something whether it be fresh fruit or some soup to stay hydrated and feel better.

#9. Have A “Green” Smoothie

I can honestly say I have NEVER felt worse after having a green smoothie. I have actually felt better and was really glad I had it. Now some Dr.’s like Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn might be extremely against the idea of having a smoothie (because it partially breaks down and blends the fibre) I have yet to see anyone’s health get worse, or gain weight from an occasional fat free raw green smoothie. I have a few favourites, make sure to check out my Cherry Green Smoothie & Green Smoothie FAQ, and my Blueberry Grape Green Smoothie Recipe as these are two of my favourites, and you probably have not had them before. I recommend making your own smoothies as you know what goes into them and can insure fresh greens and good tasting ripe fruit goes into it (unlike the smoothie bar). But if you’re on the go hopefully you can find a fresh fruit smoothie bar, and not something like a chain smoothie bar that uses ice-cream, sorbet, bottled fruit juice, sugar and protein powders as these are not health foods.

#8 Have A Fresh Juice

Whether you like green juice, or a fresh squeezed orange, apple, or grapefruit juice there is something for everyone. It’s best to have a green juice first thing in the morning as opposed to a fruit juice unless you have just worked out or intend to work out. As you’ve been sleeping you don’t have a high need for instant sugar in your blood stream, it’s better to have whole foods that release sugar steadily to keep you full until lunch. But if you are feeling parched, dehydrated, or sapped from a work out a fresh juice is just the thing to perk you up and help you on with your day. Check out my Kale Apple Celery Juice Recipe and Pomegranate Apple Juice Recipe here.

#7 Have A Warm Homemade Vegetable Soup

When you’re feeling under the weather with a cold, the chills, or are just plain tired of smoothies and salads, a homemade healthy vegetable soup might be just the thing you are looking for. Not only will you love it, but your family is certain to warm up to your veggie cuisine with a hearty tasty homemade soup. Check out my Mexican Black Bean Corn Soup, Clean Out The Fridge Vegetable Soup Recipe , or Dr. Fuhrman’s Anti Cancer Soup. My new recipe ebook Comfort Soups To Keep You Warm also has 30 healthy vegan soup recipes to wow your tastebuds and includes recipes from all over the world.

#6 Take A Warm/Hot Shower

If you’re feeling tired, exhausted or even run down, sometimes just having a really nice warm or hot shower will pep you up and bring you back to life. If you’re short on time, or without a bathtub this can help you feel more like yourself again. I can’t say I’ve ever felt worse after having a nice shower, and I always think man why did I procrastinate? I should have done this sooner, I feel so much better. Us girls can put things off because we tire of washing and drying our hair so frequently, but go for it, or wear a shower cap. You won’t regret it.

#5 Do Some “Yoga In Daily Life” or A Relaxing Style of Yoga

Yoga that focuses on breathing, slow movements, and stretching can help you calm your mind, de-stress and relax. You don’t have to be flexible, you don’t have to do anything a contortionist would do or any difficult poses. It’s great for people who have stick backs, bad posture or sit all day at the computer. (I would know!) I love Yoga In Daily Life, I wish I did it every day, because I always feel more relaxed, stretched out and have better circulation after. Check out http://www.yogaindailylife.com/ for more information.

#4 Do Some Cardio To Get Your Blood Pumping or Go For a Walk

Sometimes I get the “working from home blues” where you’re inside all day in the kitchen and then on the computer and you feel so cut off and isolated from people. Getting out of the office, or out of the house to get some fresh air and get your body moving will do wonders for your mood AND your circulation. If you’re the kind of person who loves to jog, or go to the gym do that. If you prefer a nice stroll gazing at the trees and smelling the fresh air, go for it!

#3 Curl Up With a Book And Enjoy Some Fiction

Reading fiction novels can help your mind relax and focus on something else for a while. I do suggest something other than horror and Stephen King novels though! Most woman enjoy reading and lament that they don’t read enough, or get enough time to themselves. With the advent of Kindles and iPads it’s easier than ever to take your book collection with you and read wherever you are. The Kindle is great for reading in all locations because of it’s E-ink technology which means it’s not back lit and can be read in direct sunlight without any glare. Kindle or Kindle Touch have really come down in price over the past few years and start as low as $79.

#2 Take A Hot Bath With/Without Epsom Salts

Epsom Salts or magnesium sulfate is a compound of magnesium sulfer and oxygen that is named after the town Epsom in Surrey, England. Epsom salts help sooth sore feet and body aches. It helps prevent your skin from wrinkling so much when you take a long soak and when it’s absorbed into your body it can reduce inflammation. It is also effective at healing and soothing outbreaks of herpes and shingles (as Wikipedia informs me). You may not notice a huge difference in your bath if you add Epsom salts, but it can make you feel a bit better if you have very sore muscles or feel achey all over.

# 1 Relaxing Or Therapeutic Massage

My absolute favourite way to feel better is of course having a massage. My top choice would be a Thai massage or a Chinese Accupressure massage. Although different in technique they work on the entire body and not just rubbing your back and tickling your skin like many Swedish massage therapists. Thai massage is done wearing a pair of loose pyjama-like pants and a light loose shirt. The therapist uses their hands and feet to stretch out the muscles in your body while you lie on a soft mat on the floor and relax. The movements are slow and you can specify your preference for pressure. The end the massage by working on your back and neck while you sit up and this is pleasant because I think it ends with the best part. Chinese Accupressure starts out with you laying face down on a table with a thin sheet over you, and the therapist uses their palms, fingers, and elbows to press and work out your muscles and tendons. It’s like being stretched on a micro level I think, and they follow the lines of your body all the way down your legs and feet to realign your muscles and tendons. It can stay like this or end with a Swedish oil massage at the end. I like this because it’s generally very inexpensive and they are very thorough getting into every nook and cranny of your muscles and getting rid of any soreness or tension. In Canada I go for Chinese Accupressure more often and in Thailand I go for Thai Massage because it’s so much more affordable there. ($5-$10/hour)

Well, I hope you enjoyed my list of suggestions and found something that will help you feel better today and give you just what you needed to get back on track and feeling like your old self again!

What’s your favourite thing to do when feeling stressed out, sore or under the weather?

How To Tell If A Fruit Is Ripe Enough To Eat – Banana, Peach, Nectarine, Pear, Kiwi, Apple, Orange and Tomato

March 21, 2012 by Veronica Grace 2 Comments

Sometimes you want to know if the fruit you are eating is actually ripe. Especially if you’re eating it raw or in a salad, you want to make sure that it’s at the peak ripeness (flavour and sweetness) and that it will taste good and not be sour, starchy, bitter or pasty and inedible.

Here I show you how to tell if your most common fruits in North America are ripe and when you want to eat them.

I couldn’t tell from my perspective what the banana would look like when I peeled it. What I meant was that the speckled spots do not mean that the banana is bruised or gone bad inside. The banana has a small discolouration from being knocked before it ripened.

Let me know what you think! Did you learn anything new?

How To Select and Cut A Ripe Pineapple Video

March 14, 2012 by Veronica Grace 22 Comments

Pineapple is something many people are often afraid to buy whole in the store. They are used to the overly sweet pineapple chunks or rings you get in a can that you grew up on as a kid. But when they start eating healthier or going vegan they might pick one up and sigh “Where do I even start with this thing? It’s so big and prickly and I don’t know how to cut it properly!”.

Not all pineapples come with instructions on how to cut it either!

Fear not, here is a video demonstration I did in my kitchen to show you how I cut a pineapple and how to tell if your pineapple is sweet and ripe.

There are many many ways to cut and serve pineapple, this is just one of them.

Want More Delicious Raw Food Recipes and Insider Tips?

Check Out My Savory Raw Dinner Recipes!

Please click below to watch my video on youtube:
How To Cut and Select A Pineapple

I don’t always cut my pineapples meticulously, but this is the way to do it if you want to get the most out of your pineapple or make it look pretty for serving.

You can also use a pineapple slicer, but honestly I’ve just found them to be so messy and sometimes they shred the pineapple and/or don’t fit the pineapple and it’s either too big or too small for your pineapple. And at the end my counter is covered in pineapple juice and it’s very sticky when it dries!

If I’m in a rush, I will basically cut off all the sides of the pineapples and instead of cutting out the eyes at an angle I will just cut straight down and shave off more of the flesh until the eyes are gone. This is a little more wasteful, but sometimes our pineapples are so big that we don’t miss the little extra bits.

You can freeze any leftover pineapple in bags in the freezer, or use in fruit salad for the next few days, or to put in smoothies.

How Do I Know If My Pineapple Is Ripe?

The best way to check if your pineapple is ripe is to turn it upside down and smell the bottom of it and see if has a fragrant smell. Often the bottom or the whole pineapple will be a yellowy golden color. Although color is not the definitive guide to telling if a pineapple is ripe, I have found that yellow pineapples seem to be a bit sweeter and less acidic than hard green pineapples. And BTW pulling a leaf from the inner section of the pineapple is NOT an indication of ripeness. That means absolutely nothing! LOL.

How To Ripen a Pineapple?

Pineapples generally take about 2 years to grow and aren’t exactly a fruit, they are a bromeliad, and they have been bred to be edible. Pineapples ripen from the bottom and don’t really ripen much more once they’re picked. BUT there is still some enzyme activity going on and you can make your pineapple a little bit sweeter. Turn your pineapple upside down on your counter for a few days and the enzymes from the bottom of the pineapple will trickle down into the top of the pineapple and it will change your pineapple and make it a bit softer and sweeter all the way through. This is a trick I just learned and I thought it was so cool I’m going to do this from now on. Softer sweeter pineapples also seem to be less acidic so they won’t hurt your tongue as much after eating a few pieces.

What do you like to do with your fresh cut pineapple?

How To Sauté and Cook Without Oil, How To Cook Fat Free and Make Fat Free Vegan Salad Dressings

March 9, 2012 by Veronica Grace 13 Comments

How To Cook Without Oil

Cooking without oil and creating oil free recipes like salad dressings is pretty easy in most cases. It’s very easy to cook without olive oil. You can steam, boil, sauté (in water or vegetable broth) or bake food all without any added oils. Oil has 120 calories per tablespoon and is 100% fat. When you’re looking to cut a few calories in your diet and give your arteries (and waistline) a little break from things like butter, olive oil, cheese, etc this is a good way to cook.

Baking/Roasting Without Olive Oil

When you’re baking in the oven, not adding oil or cooking spray will just make your dish take a little bit longer to cook, but that’s about it. You can add a little water to your roasting pan if you are worried about burning, or turn the temperature down just a little and cook it for longer. For instance, you can bake Russet potatoes in the oven at 400 F/205 C for about an hour without any oil rubbed on their skin and they will cook just fine. It’s also less carcinogenic if you avoid cooking oils at very high temperatures. I roast things like squash, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, cauliflower and more in the oven without oil. Add a little water or vegetable broth to a roasting pan if you like, or use a little balsamic vinegar and water for oil free roasted Brussels sprouts, or roast your russet potatoes dry in the oven like I show you here.

In baked goods, substitute applesauce or mashed banana for any oils. Canned pumpkin works great too in certain recipes. In my vegan baked goods I add a 1 tbsp. ground chia or flax and 2 tbsp. of water to substitute for the eggs, and then I add applesauce for the amount of oil and I find that this helps give moisture and texture to whatever I am making. My Fat-Free Two Bite Brownies and Fat-Free Pumpkin Raisin Muffins will show you how to do this.

Sautéing/Cooking Onions Without Oil

Many people think you need oil to cook with over the stove. When you’re sautéing onions or garlic in a pan you can sweat them dry over medium heat, as long as it’s non stick. Doing this for 5-6 minutes should be just fine and you won’t have a problem with anything getting stuck. If you’re going to cook them for longer then you can add a little water or vegetable broth if necessary. The better the pan, the less stick you will have though. You can also use a ceramic pan.

Check out my recipe for Home Made Vegetable Broth that I use for sautéing my onions and garlic and soups:

This is how I sauté onions dry in a pan without olive oil. This is a great method for stir fries or starting sauces.

This is what my onions look like when they are done. They were dry sautéed in a non-stick pan over medium heat for 5-6 minutes and they caramelize themselves without oil!

Here’s how to sauté onions in a pot in vegetable broth for making soups or stews. Garlic and ginger can go in too.

It’s really easy! Just add a little more broth or water if you start running out of liquid.

For Making Oil Free Vegan Salad Dressings

Use things like water, lemon or vinegar, blended fruits or cucumber for the base of the dressing to give it liquid. Then add seasonings like sugar/dates/honey/agave, salt, pepper, fresh herbs, mustard etc to create an oil free dressing. (Make sure you add only 1-2 tsps of vinegar or lemon juice to start so it’s not too tangy, and then adjust.)

The best oil-free salad dressings will have at least 3 flavours. Sweet, tangy and salty. If you just use one flavour like orange juice or vinegar over a salad it’s going to be one dimensional and not as flavourful. If you’re trying to cover a large salad and eat a lot of greens, it’s better to make a dressing that is a little more flavourful and interesting to eat.

I find ripe ataulfo mangoes (bright yellow skinned) or strawberries and orange juice make a great base for fat free raw vegan salads dressings.

For creamy vegan salad dressings you can use silken tofu as the base instead of cream or milk. (Nut butters work too, but only add 1-2 tbsp as they are much higher in fat than tofu or almond milk.)

For tangy vegan salad dressings make sure you add some lemon, sweetener and a few seasonings to your dressing to pump up the flavour.

To thicken it up you can add psyllium husk or chia gel/chia seeds (and blend it in) or add some cornstarch and water and thicken your dressing over heat on the stove. Refrigerate the rest of your salad dressings. If they are raw use within 3 days, if they are made from non raw ingredients or cooked over the stove they will last longer.

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There you have it! Cooking without oil and making oil free food is really easy! Did you think it would be complicated?