Some new recipes

On Sunday I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon in the kitchen (and the evening watching the Steelers!). I've gotten much more confident experimenting with recipes and I LOVE the results.

First, I made vegetable soup. This was nothing new for me, but I've been very nutrient-conscious especially after adopting a vegan lifestyle. So, for my soup, I used the following organic ingredients: vegetable stock, canned tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, celery, green and red bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, onion, collard greens, and garlic. This isn't much different from what I've made in the past, with the exception of adding collard greens. I'm really pleased with this decision - I need to be eating leafy greens in order to get iron, and collard greens are hardier than spinach and hold up nicely in the soup.

I was a little more nervous about my experimental baking. Baked goods tend to require a specific recipe, as things like flour or baking soda are usually needed in exact amounts. I went a little crazy and decided to make what I guess you could call a banana nut bread. I used the following ingredients, mostly organic: 2 ripe bananas, a cup of applesauce, a handful of blueberries, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, a small handful of brown sugar, a bit of vegetable oil (and used this to grease the pan), peanuts, sunflower seeds, baking powder, baking soda, about 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour, about a half cup of flaxseed meal, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon. I wasn't particularly careful in any of my measurements, and I baked the bread for about an hour at 350 without any high expectations. It turned out delicious! I'm pleased with this recipe for several reasons. First, peanuts and sunflower seeds are complementary proteins, and taste great. Likewise, flaxseed meal contains all the essential GOOD fats, and not the bad ones! Finally, I used small amounts of sugar and oil to keep it healthy, and the fruits and spices make it moist and delicious. I'm so thrilled this worked out so well and I can't wait to keep experimenting!