brown rice pudding

here is a healthier version of this traditional dessert....

the rice
1 cup brown rice
3 cups unsweetened vanilla rice milk
1 tbs agave
1 tbs vanilla extract

the pudding
1 cup water
2 tbs agar agar
14 oz extra firm ( wild wood) sprout tofu
1 tbs vanilla extract
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tbs agave

bring the rice milk to boil add the well rinsed brown rice, reduce the heat add the agave, vanilla and stir well let it cook, even over cook a little bit. wile the rice is cooking in a small pot bring 1 cup of water to boil add the agar agar and stir until it's clear
and thick set aside to cool a bit. put the tofu, and all the other ingredients in a blender or food processor add the agar and blend until smooth put it in the fridge to cool. when the rice is done fold in the creamy tofu pudding and chill it. serve it cold with fresh fruit or for a winter version keep it warm add a pinch of cinnamon and some dried fruits like raisins or cranberries.

spring pea soup

i've been searching for the kind of peas i grew up with in hungary for a while now, they are easy to pop open and there are large crunchy sweet peas inside but you can not eat the shells. i just found out they are called french peas and are almost non existent in the us. so i opted for some fresh organic peas instead and enjoy the extra fiber the shells add and try to come as close as possible to one of my childhood favorites...

soup
1/2 onion
1 tbs earth balance vegan butter
1.5 lbs washed, cleaned and cut sugar snap peas
1 lbs carrots
4 cps of vegetable stock
6 cups of water
1/4 tsp tarragon
salt, pepper and paprika to taste
whole wheat spaetzle

melt the "butter" on medium heat and saute the onions until they became clear, then add the carrots and continue to cook for about 10 minutes stirring it frequently. Add the peas then the water and stock. Add the tarragon pepper and paprika to taste, and add the salt when the vegetables are almost done (they should be crisp and not overdone). It's always a good idea to add the salt almost at the end this way you will use less of it as the flavors will be more prominent by than. Serve with with whole wheat spaetzle.

whole wheat spaetzle.

1.5 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
2 tbs canola oil
1 tsp salt

in a large pot boil some water with a pinch of salt and 1 tbs of oil. In a bowl mix all the ingredients together and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes. When your water is boiling either use a spaetzle board or hold a large holed colander or slotted spoon over the simmering water and push the dough through the holes with a spatula or spoon. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the spaetzle floats to the surface, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Dump the spaetzle into a colander and give it a quick rinse with cool water.

Hi Fennel, it's nice to meet you!

I went to the farmers market with the dudie this morning and after a mini train ride, tasting all the sample fruits, all of a sudden he points at something, "what is this mama?" it was a white bulb with a fuzzy top... I couldn't remember the name of that vegetable it is a hmmmm.. oh it's a fennel! so he replied "I like fennel" and I thought well good for you specially that you never had it but even worse I never had it so it was time to get to know that veggie better. So once at home I googled and roasted and we had a fantastic fennel salad, some italian spicy tofu dogs, and roasted orange bell peppers poolside..

roasted fennel salad

2 medium size fennels sliced
1 medium yellow onion
canola oil
salt + pepper
1 head of green lettuce
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tbs orange cranberry (trader joe's)

dressing

1/4 olive oil
2 Tbs flax seed oil
1/4 cup orange muscat champagne vinegar
2 Tbs agave
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp tarragon
1 tsp salt

preheat oven to 375, cut the onions into quarters and place them on a baking sheet along with the sliced fennels bake for about 25 min. in the meantime put all the dressing ingredients into a blender (I used my beloved vitamix) and once the onions are done put them into the blender as well and blend until smooth. then place in the fridge to chill. put the fennel aside to let it cool try to keep it on a rack so it keeps crisp. Cut the lettuce into bite size, add the cranberries, pine nuts fennel and dressing.

my "Bible"

http://www.thechinastudy.com/about.html

Helpful tips to go vegan

http://www.nutritionmd.org/nutrition_tips/nutrition_tips_go_vegetarian/dairy_free.html