Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Comfort Food
I have found a less-than-healthy, but not unhealthy, delightfully-decadent comfort meal: Campbell's Tomato Soup made with almond milk and served with Farm to Market sourdough bread and Earth Balance vegan buttery spread. There isn't time to miss the Kraft processed American cheese food because you are dazzled by the deliciousness of the soup. Vegan Heaven!
This defines my problem, though: I am a wing-it eater. I eat what's convenient. I love spaghetti because I can make a ton of it, freeze it, and pull it out on a whim. The same goes for macaroni and cheese. Unfortunately I haven't found a vegan macaroni and cheese alternative. This tomato soup comes close to filling the void though. It's simple and can definitely be served up on a whim. Even without the sourdough, it's great with whatever bread is in the house.
My children and grandchildren thought I was a really good cook, and I was a good cook when it came to the standards. What I am not, is a creative cook. I don't really have that knack of knowing that if I add a touch of mustard to the dip, it will be perfection. And I certainly never got into the science of cooking. I didn't even know there was a science to cooking! That leaves me with coming up with an idea, checking it out online to see if it's been done, and if not then just giving it try.
Through accident and serendipity I have found out that almond milk is a lot better than rice milk. I made a lovely, easy batch of scalloped potatoes using unsweetened almond milk. I was able to cut the fat in half by using half the butter (Earth Balance to the rescue!). It tasted great! (Another comfort food!)
So, two alternatives to my traditional comfort foods, and I have a plan for a third: Whole Foods has a house brand, ready-to-use, whole-wheat pizza crust that's delicious, but all of the vegan cheeses I've tried have been found lacking the correct texture and taste. So my question was, how can I add the taste/feel of cheese without adding bad taste or texture? I am going to create a thick roux using almond milk and Earth Balance, along with a couple of spices, and try spooning/drizzling it on top of the pizza sauce, and then top it with all my vegan pizza favorite toppings. I like diced onions, black olives, and Field Roast Italian Sausage. I know it won't have the texture of cheese, but I'd rather have a great taste and non-offensive texture than spend life without pizza.
It's pretty rare that what I try is inedible ... Maybe not great, or even something I'd make again, but at least edible. I'll let you know what category the pizza falls into!
Speaking of comfort foods, please read Jonathan Safran Foer's book, Eating Animals. It is his journey to discover the diet he wanted to feed his children. It's amazing. You can purchase it through Amazon by following my Amazon link.
This defines my problem, though: I am a wing-it eater. I eat what's convenient. I love spaghetti because I can make a ton of it, freeze it, and pull it out on a whim. The same goes for macaroni and cheese. Unfortunately I haven't found a vegan macaroni and cheese alternative. This tomato soup comes close to filling the void though. It's simple and can definitely be served up on a whim. Even without the sourdough, it's great with whatever bread is in the house.
My children and grandchildren thought I was a really good cook, and I was a good cook when it came to the standards. What I am not, is a creative cook. I don't really have that knack of knowing that if I add a touch of mustard to the dip, it will be perfection. And I certainly never got into the science of cooking. I didn't even know there was a science to cooking! That leaves me with coming up with an idea, checking it out online to see if it's been done, and if not then just giving it try.
Through accident and serendipity I have found out that almond milk is a lot better than rice milk. I made a lovely, easy batch of scalloped potatoes using unsweetened almond milk. I was able to cut the fat in half by using half the butter (Earth Balance to the rescue!). It tasted great! (Another comfort food!)
So, two alternatives to my traditional comfort foods, and I have a plan for a third: Whole Foods has a house brand, ready-to-use, whole-wheat pizza crust that's delicious, but all of the vegan cheeses I've tried have been found lacking the correct texture and taste. So my question was, how can I add the taste/feel of cheese without adding bad taste or texture? I am going to create a thick roux using almond milk and Earth Balance, along with a couple of spices, and try spooning/drizzling it on top of the pizza sauce, and then top it with all my vegan pizza favorite toppings. I like diced onions, black olives, and Field Roast Italian Sausage. I know it won't have the texture of cheese, but I'd rather have a great taste and non-offensive texture than spend life without pizza.
It's pretty rare that what I try is inedible ... Maybe not great, or even something I'd make again, but at least edible. I'll let you know what category the pizza falls into!
Speaking of comfort foods, please read Jonathan Safran Foer's book, Eating Animals. It is his journey to discover the diet he wanted to feed his children. It's amazing. You can purchase it through Amazon by following my Amazon link.
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