Too much zucchini!?!

Like every other small backyard gardener who planted zucchini I am a bit overwhelmed by all the zucchini I have grown! And I let a few get TOO BIG! Now, people say that they don't taste as good when they get big. I can't say that I agree, although the giant seeds are a bit annoying. However, those big zucchini are great for breads, cookies, cakes, fritters, etc. So here are my favorite (and creative) zucchini recipes of the summer. (Pardon the amateur pictures.) The fritters were inspired by an earlier post! A note about grated zucchini - if using in baked goods peel the skin off for a better texture.

Zucchini fritters, New Mexico Style! (above, with couscous).

1 lb of zucchini (about 2 medium sized), grated

salt

Ground black pepper

egg replacer equal to one egg

2 cloves minced or pressed garlic

1/2 onion

1/3 cup chopped roasted green chile (not for the faint of tongue! Available here or here)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 olive oil

Salt the zucchini with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Spread in a collander. Let sit a few minutes then squeeze out the excess water.

In a large bowl add the egg replacer mixture, zucchini, garlic, green chile, flour, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Mix to combine well.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook fritters in batches. Drop mounds of batter (2 Tbsp each) into the skillet. Flatten slightly. Cook, turning once, until browned, 4-6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve immediately. Cover with tofutti sour cream, spaghetti sauce (like me, a hard-core tomato lover) or make into sandwiches.

Double chocolate zucchini cookies

These cookies are surprisingly amazing - like mini chocolate cakes! They puff up big like pumpkin cookies do and have a nice texture. The original recipe was for mint cookies, in which you would just replace the chocolate chips with 1 tsp peppermint extract (or keep the chocolate chips in, as well!).

3 cups flour (unbleached, whole wheat, or a mixture)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 1/2 cups finely grated zucchini

1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate large bowl, beat the oil, sweetener, and zucchini together with a mixer. Add the dry mixture and beat until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake for about 12 minutes.

Standard zucchini bread

Note the low temperate and long cooking time. The recipe originally called for baking 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees. However, I found the bread much too moist, and so lowered the temp and upped the time, which helped immensely.

2 cups grated zucchini (about 6 zucchini, unless you let yours get way too big like me)

egg replacer for three eggs

1 cup oil

2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Lightly grease 2 bread pans. DON'T FORGET THIS STEP!!

Stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Poor the batter into the pans and bake for 70-90 minutes.

Kid approved chocolate chip bran bread

My kid is on a high fiber diet. First I tried giving her a high fiber version of the standard zucchini bread above, but she couldn't handle the rich, spicy flavor. But I knew I could adapt the recipe in a way she would like. And she loves it!

2 cups grated zucchini
egg replacer for 3 eggs

1 cup oil

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour (unbleached or white)

1 1/4 cup bran (wheat or oat, finely grind it in a food processor)

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease two bread pans. DON'T FORGET THIS STEP!

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Poor the batter into the pans and bake for 70-80 minutes.

grilled zucchini, squash, and couscous

Ok, there is a bit of repetition with the couscous and zucchini here, but I like the combination. I just wish I could find a recipe that my family liked as much as I like this one!

One large zucchini or two average ones

One large yellow crookneck squash or two average ones

one onion

a few cloves of garlic, pressed or minced

8 ounces mushrooms

olive oil

1 cup couscous

your favorite tomato sauce (I find that a basic marinara sauce works well for this recipe)

Slice the zucchini and squash into rounds slightly thicker than 1/4 inch. Coat with oil and grill or bake (at 400 for 10-20 minutes per side, turning when lightly browned).

Meanwhile, saute the onion (chopped), garlic, and mushrooms in olive oil. Cook the couscous and heat the sauce.

When the zucchini and squash are ready, stack one zucchini and one squash. Put a spoonful of the onion/mushroom/garlic mixture onto the squash, then a spoonful of couscous and a spoonful of sauce on top. You can also add a vegan Parmesan and/or a halved cherry tomato. Bake for a couple more minutes. Serve.

Vegan Restaurants in Albuquerque

Hi. I haven't blogged in forever! Not only have I been busy, but I think the warm weather has drawn me outside and away from the computer. Maybe I am only a winter blogger!

I have put a link on my site to the New Mexico Vegetarian Society which lists restaurants with options for vegetarians and vegans. But I have found a few more that aren't on their list (at least not the last time I checked). In time I hope to put a map up which marks these (maybe a less fancy site like the SuperVegan website for New York - my husband took me to NYC for our 1st anniversary a couple weeks ago and I spent a lot of time on that wonderful website).

La Salita - La Salita means "the little room," although in Spanish often ita/ito (little) can be more appropriately translated as "cute" or "of which I am fond." Either meaning works here. There are two locations of La Salita, and I prefer the one on Eubank South of Constitution on the West side of the street. The other location is on Coors South of Cottonwood Mall on the East side of the street. The Eubank location is litterally a small room without much ambiance. But the service and food are wonderful - it has a small, everyone-knows-eachother diner feeling and is often packed.

As to the food, find Rory, the hostess/owner/manager, who is short (like me!) and has black hair. She has told me that their tortillas are acceptable for vegans, as are their whole beans and I think both their chiles, but certainly the green. I special order a whole bean burrito with avocado or guacamole inside, green chile, no cheese. But they also have veggie enchiladas on their menu stuffed with calabacitas (which is corn, usually with zucchini and bell peppers) on the menu which can be ordered without cheese. The coup de grac, though, is that their sopapillas are vegan and they do not fry anything with meat in the sopa oil. Thus, one could ostensibly get a vegan stuffed sopapilla as well. I keep meaning to either sneak in a little agave nectar (sopas are often eaten with honey as a dessert) or just take an unopened bottle there and give it to them and ask them to save it for those who request it. There is nothing finer than a fresh sopa with agave nectar!

Scarpas - There are at least two locations for Scarpas - one on Eubank and Montgomery and one on Academy just East of San Mateo (there might be one on the westside as well). The people that work there let me read their pizza crust recipe and read the ingredients for their pasta - and those are both vegan! They also specially indicate vegetarian items on their menu. I want to say that I order their Pasta Julienne, but I am not sure I am getting the name right on that. Whatever it is, it is good. I also have ordered pizzas with veggies and no cheese and been very satisfied.

Green Light Bistro - I debated listing this one first, but I had to give the first shout to La Salita for their service. Green Light Bistro is a MUST-EAT for any vegan living in or visiting Albuquerque. They are all vegetarian and largely vegan! You can find vegan cakes and treats there! I had a fabulous vegan grilled vegetable sandwich when I went. Their food is fresh and tasty. I need to go one day just to have some cake, I haven't tried it yet, but it looks fantastic. It is now in the same building as Annapurna, which serves Ayervedic food (also largely vegan) so you can order off of either menu. Check out their website with mouthwatering pictures: http://www.999dine.com/nm/greenlightbistro/. Their address is: 2201 Silver SE, on the corner of Silver and Yale, South of UNM/Central. Also, the website for Annapurna is: http://www.999dine.com/nm/annapurna/.

I will write about a few more later, but there is sunshine out today, so bye for now!

A New Mexican Vegan Getaway

Need to relax? For Valentine's Day I took my husband away for the weekend. I wanted to treat him since he usually is the one who treats me. And I wanted to go somewhere warmer, since I prefer NOT to freeze and to be able to enjoy the outdoors as well. I heard of a nice spa in, yes really, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The weather was fabulous, hitting a high of mid-sixties in mid-February. Now if you aren't familiar with T or C, or haven't been there for a while, it is like an old-west ghost town meets artist community. It's a tiny town, which was originally aptly named Hot Springs, as you will find several natural hot mineral springs there.

You will also find the newly renovated Sierra Grande Lodge. The building is adobe and the decore is classic New Mexican. It is very small, somewhere around 20 rooms. The staff of the hotel are friendly and fabulous. The best part is the complementary use of the hot spring baths and the spa. My husband and I had a couple's massage by the legendary Alice and Ramone. Here's a link to another review of the Sierra Grande Lodge, praising Alice and Ramone. And what about the products used at this spa? Well the spa uses Madlyn Rose products, fabulous products made locally in New Mexico. I researched the veganinity (new word - I like it) by emailing the company - here are my email and their reply:

******************

Hello,

I read on a spa's website that your products are vegan, meaning they include no animal derived ingredients. Is that correct? If only some are vegan, which ones?

A list of common animal ingredients can be found at: http://www.caringconsumer.com/resources_ingredients_list.asp

Thank you!

Albuquerque Vegan

********************

Dear Albuquerque Vegan,

We are very aware of the "hidden" animal products which may be found in cosmetics. We have ONE product with dry honey and milk in it. It is the Almond & Oatmeal Scrub, and when it is gone, it will no longer be offered.

Everything else, all face care, hand & body lotions, hair care and other scrubs are Vegan- 100% animal product free. We are pretty sure you are referring to Aliviar Spa's website. They DO NOT carry the above mentioned scrub.

Thank you for your inquiry,
Yvonne @ Madlyn Rose

*************************

So go ahead, vegan, and indulge on that facial!

And what, pray tell, is there for a vegan to eat in ranch country, New Mexico? Well, we found a vegetarian restaurant called the White Coyote Cafe. It was fabulous, and it was easy to find vegan options on the menu, although they had no vegan desserts when I went. They don't have their own link, but here's a link to a description. Normally they are only open for lunch, but we happened to meander down to T or C on one of their monthly Gallery Hopping weekends, and so the restaurant stayed open for dinner that night. After dinner we strolled through some galleries and enjoyed a great break from our normal lives.

On our way back home we stopped and did some wildlife viewing at Bosque del Apache, a wildlife refuge right off of I-25. We did some light trail walking and saw two does, some bobcat tracks, and a huge variety of birds, cranes, and geese. It was a perfect, peaceful, relaxing way to end our little excursion.

Soft Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Enough with the healthy food! These are a frequent treat in our house. I like mine soft and chewy, so I use all brown sugar. And clearly, I like my chocolate chips with a little cookie. Although vegan chocolate chip recipes are pretty common on the web, and this recipe is just a common variation of those recipes, I enjoy these cookies so much I felt compelled to post this recipe as well. Note: when I sponteniously decide to make cookies and don't have time to let the margarine sit out and reach room temperature I put it in the microwave on power level 1 or 2 for 1 to 2 minutes and it turns out well. Enjoy!

2 3/4 c flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup earth balance margarine, room temperature

1 1/2 c brown sugar, such as wholesome foods brand

1 tsp vanilla

Ener-G egg replacer equivalent to 2 eggs

1 bag tropical source chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl mix together flour, salt, and baking soda.

In a large bowl cream together the margarine, brown sugar, vanilla and egg replacer.

Stir in the flour mixture bit by bit and mix well.

Add the chocolate chips and stir by hand.

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.

Bake 7 to 9 minutes.

Vegan Iron Boost Salad

I hate it when friends or family invite me out and, when I ask what kind of food the restaurant has or whether they have any vegan food, they respond, "They have salad." Vegans don't eat nothing but salad!!!! I love hearty, savory food. To me, salad is a side dish, not a main dish. So I generally don't eat just salad. But of course, there are exceptions. I eat this salad as a meal. It makes me feel zippy! Probably because it doesn't weigh me down and the iron helps my blood deliver oxygen to my body. As easily psychosomatically influenced as I am, I also think it helps me feel warmer when my extremities start feeling constantly cold (my nose, my hands, etc.), which I blame on poor circulation. Also, it is great if you, like me, have issues with portion control - too much of this salad this isn't quite as harmful as too much spaghetti!

I created this salad because recently a loved one was diagnosed as anemic. So I went over and made her this fabulous, iron-rich salad. She is a card carrying carnivore, but I know that some people say that vegans don't get enough iron. So I thought I would share this information and this recipe for anyone who needs a little extra iron in their diet. The spinach, peas, and chickpeas give this salad a hearty, earthy flavor. Then the hearts of palm, bell pepper, and mandarin orange slices add a whallop of zing. If you have never tried hearts of palm, the white, crescent shapes in the picture, I recommend them. They are unlike anything else I have ever tasted. I find them in a can above the olives and pickles at wild oats. I rinse them thoroughly first to get that canned water taste out of them. In the picture above you can also see little dark spots - that's balsamic vinegar because I put balsamic vinegar and oil on as a dressing. I think anything else would overpower the rest of the flavors. However, my husband enjoyed it with green goddess dressing and my daughter enjoyed it with annie's french dressing. There's usually enough for me to save some and take if for lunch for a couple of days.

As for the nutritional content, the spinach, peas, chickpeas, and surprisingly the hearts of palm are good sources of iron. The chickpeas also add a little protein. The bell peppers and mandarin are there for the vitamin C, which helps, if not is essential, for iron absorption. Also, avoid calcium in the same meal, as it reduces iron absorption.

1 bunch of spinach, rinsed and torn into bite sized shreds
1 can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen peas, cooked
1 fresh bell pepper, chopped
1 can of hearts of palm, rinsed and chopped
2 mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented

Combine all ingredients, add dressing and enjoy!

Apple Maple Bran Muffins

I am not a muffin fan. Nor am I a muffin connoisseur. So don't take my word for it when I say these muffins are acceptable - because I don't have a clue. I do like the rich and sweet flavor. I also like the moistness. But, to me, the muffins also taste the exactly the same as the gooey batter that I put in the muffin tin before baking, which manages to hold together after being cooked. So if anyone has suggestions or recipes for knock-off-your-pants-fabulous (take that however you want) vegan bran muffins (that a 5 year old would also eat) I would appreciate them.

I started experimenting with bran muffins for the sake of my 5 year old, who, well, let's just say that after a trip to the doctor I increased her fiber intake by as much as I could. I tried several types. But this recipe is the favorite so far.

2 tbsp vegan margarine
2 cups apple sauce, sweetened or unsweetened
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 apple, peeled and diced
1 cup unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups oat bran
3 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease muffin pan.

In a large saucepan heat the margarine and applesauce together over medium heat until the margarine is just melted. Remove from heat, stir in molasses and maple syrup. Set aside. Combine the dry ingredients. Add the diced apple and wet ingredients, stir quickly to moisten, and pour the batter into the muffin pan.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Peace

Sorry, today's blog is not a delightful recipe, even though I have a few that I will share as soon as I can get to it. Today is a late reflection of one of my heros: Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the many motivations behind my veganism is my love of peace. Martin Luther King, Jr. sought peace. He spoke out against the Vietnam war, and I find the things he said particularly relevant today. Here are my favorite quotes from his famous speech, Beyond Vietnam.

And as I ponder the madness of Vietnam and search within myself for ways to
understand and respond in compassion, my mind goes constantly to the people of
that peninsula. I speak now not of the soldiers of each side, not of the
ideologies of the Liberation Front, not of the junta in Saigon, but simply of
the people who have been living under the curse of war for almost three
continuous decades now. I think of them, too, because it is clear to me that
there will be no meaningful solution there until some attempt is made to know
them and hear their broken cries.

...

What do the peasants think as we ally ourselves with the landlords and as
we refuse to put any action into our many words concerning land reform? What do
they think as we test out our latest weapons on them, just as the Germans tested
out new medicine and new tortures in the concentration camps of Europe? Where
are the roots of the independent Vietnam we claim to be building? Is it among
these voiceless ones?
We have destroyed their two most cherished
institutions: the family and the village. We have destroyed their land and their
crops. We have cooperated in the crushing of the nation's only noncommunist
revolutionary political force, the unified Buddhist Church. We have supported
the enemies of the peasants of Saigon. We have corrupted their women and
children and killed their men.
Now there is little left to build on, save
bitterness. Soon the only solid physical foundations remaining will be found at
our military bases and in the concrete of the concentration camps we call
"fortified hamlets." The peasants may well wonder if we plan to build our new
Vietnam on such grounds as these. Could we blame them for such thoughts? We must
speak for them and raise the questions they cannot raise. These, too, are our
brothers.

...

At this point I should make it clear that while I have tried in these last
few minutes to give a voice to the voiceless in Vietnam and to understand the
arguments of those who are called "enemy," I am as deeply concerned about our
own troops there as anything else. For it occurs to me that what we are
submitting them to in Vietnam is not simply the brutalizing process that goes on
in any war where armies face each other and seek to destroy. We are adding
cynicism to the process of death, for they must know after a short period there
that none of the things we claim to be fighting for are really involved. Before
long they must know that their government has sent them into a struggle among
Vietnamese, and the more sophisticated surely realize that we are on the side of
the wealthy, and the secure, while we create a hell for the poor.
Somehow
this madness must cease. We must stop now. I speak as a child of God and brother
to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid
waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I
speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes
at home, and dealt death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the
world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as
one who loves America, to the leaders of our own nation: The great initiative in
this war is ours; the initiative to stop it must be ours.

. . .

A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast
of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas
and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia,
Africa, and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the
social betterment of the countries, and say, "This is not just." It will look at
our alliance with the landed gentry of South America and say, "This is not
just." The Western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others
and nothing to learn from them is not just. A true revolution of values will lay
hand on the world order and say of war, "This way of settling differences is not
just." This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our
nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate
into the veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and
bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot
be reconciled with wisdom, justice, and love. A nation that continues year after
year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift
is approaching spiritual death. [sustained applause]
America, the richest
and most powerful nation in the world, can well lead the way in this revolution
of values. There is nothing except a tragic death wish to prevent us from
reordering our priorities so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over
the pursuit of war. There is nothing to keep us from molding a recalcitrant
status quo with bruised hands until we have fashioned it into a
brotherhood.

. . .

We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent
coannihilation. We must move past indecision to action.

. . .

If we will but make the right choice, we will be able to speed up the day,
all over America and all over the world, when justice will roll down like
waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. [sustained applause]