Tabouleh salads with macadamia's, apple Eve's pudding..PHOTOS ONLY

The completed Eve's pudding, I confess, I weakened and added blackberries from last summer, as I love the flavor of apples and blackberries

The completed apricot-macadamia nut couscous tabouleh

Granny Smith apples simmering in concentrated apple juice, no added sugar

Miso soup side view

Macadamia, dried apricot, raisins, base for one of the taboueh couscous salads..dressing is orange-lemon olive oil

Base for the tomato, scallion, zucchini, cucumber, raisin couscous tabouleh salad same dressing as above

The vegetable couscous tabouleh

Cabbage, beet and carrot slaw for both the couscous tabouleh salads

The most Delicious Vegan!...Global Cuisine re-worked

Someone asked me last week the difference between a vegan and vegetarian lifestyle?
 Veganism  is a strict dietary regime of all plant based foods, they eat nothing derived from anything with a pulse, nor any shellfish nor clams,oysters, mussels etc.
No dairy.. (milks, eggs,  cheese, butter : solid nor clarified).
They DO eat lots of  unprocessed grains, legumes, nuts, sea vegetables, root and plant vegetables and fruit, and given the correct cooking treatments, Vegan dishes can be as tasty and as filling as their vegetarian counterparts, it just takes a little more effort, time and imagination.
Today and tomorrow I am creating a mainly vegan menu, the only things that are vegetarian are the Vegetable Cottage Pie ( Shepherd's pie), and the Eve's pudding, fresh caramelized apples with a vanilla sponge cake topping.
I enjoy compound salads...the ones that eat like a meal, and I am making 2 couscous based, "Tabouleh" type ones;
A chopped raw vegetable ( tomato, cucumber, scallions),parsley, cooked chickpeas, with a citrus dressing and a cabbage slaw

A chopped dried apricots, parsley, chopped raw macadamia nuts, parsley,cooked chickpeas, raisins, cumin, turmeric, fresh mint and cabbage slaw.

A black bean and dried tomato ( own dried from last summer) dip with whole wheat pita bread

The soups are:
 Mixed vegetable with basil-pumpkin seed pesto ( no cheese)

Miso with sea vegetables ( kombu kelp  and fresh vegetables)


Entrees
Sloppy Joes...This is a very American dish.
 Usually made with ground meat, I am using bulgur wheat and tempeh (fermented soy and flax seeds, fermented in a block), in a tomato-chili sauce..cooked well then spooned onto own made poppy seed-oat bread rolls...These small rolls have a denser texture so they soak up the sauce well.
The trick with the tempeh is to break into small pieces and cook in boiling salted water for 10 mins..drain then rinse and cool and it breaks up into "grains", which in a sauce, behaves like ground meat.
Fermented soy is the only way the human body can break down  & absorb all the nutrients from the beans...when eating fresh edamame or even drinking soy milk, 80% of all nutrition is lost.
(Tempeh, miso paste and brewed soy sauce are good)  

Falafal Po'Boys another American classic usually (deli meats & cheese on a bread roll) given an vegan twist with garlic and chickpea fritters served with a very lenmony-tahini sauce again with whole wheat pita breads, sliced tomatoes & scallions.

A wonderful  pomegranate molasses infused lentil and chickpea stew with brown rice ( cumin, turmeric, garlic, carrots, sweet potatoes, celery) Middle East inspired.


British classic with a California twist... Cottage pie with vegetables and topped with mashed yams & cheese


Own grown sprouts and a fermented pro-biotic called spiralinalak, made from fermented rye berries.

For dessert a Vanilla sponge topped Eve's pudding, with caramelized Granny Smith apples.

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The tempeh before cooking in boiling salted water for 20 mins, then broken up

The tempeh cooking

Direct from India..Kashmir Red Chili powder, very spicy!

cooked chickpeas with turmeric & bay laurel

The bread roll dough

the crumbled tempeh to be added to the chili mix

Previous 2 the vegetable soup topped with basil-pumpkin seed pesto

Side view of the Sloppy Joe mix packed

The basil-pumpkin seed pesto for the soup

The Sloppy Joe mix packed

Falafal mix

breads proving

Seasonal Fruit in January in USA

We are all told constantly to eat what is seasonal but it is never explained what IS seasonal. Just because it is on our store and market shelves does not mean it is locally grown or imported.
Here are some lists that may help:

These are fruit that are at their seasonal best in USA during the months of Jan & Feb.
all citrus.is at it's peak, naval oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, limes,mandarins, lemons, Ugly fruit;
Apples ( cold storage), pears,(cold storage) avocado's, bananas, coconuts, some table grapes (cold storage), papayas, pineapples, plantains, rhubarb.

So forget about the strawberries until spring

Photos only: Eggplant Parmesan, baked polenta, eggplant-basil rolls

Previous 3..the eggplant Parmesan..eggplant slices are steamed first, cuts down on oil..then layered with Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella, one layer of sour cream & grated nutmeg, one layer of fresh basil leaves..to be baked at client's home

Green beans with pine nuts and red onion, with cannellini beans

Corn polenta with cheese, butter and thyme to be baked at client's home

Sliced salted and washed eggplants, baked not fried

Topped with own made basil-spinach pesto

eggplants rolled

to be heated at client's home..very delicious

Eggplant rolls topped with grated Parmesan for delivery

The green olive and spinach breads are out of the oven..photos only

previous 2 before baking and 4 hour prove at room temp.