RECIPE - Vegan Ranch Dressing

Makes 1 Serving = 96 cals (approx.)

2 tsp. Low Fat Vegenaise
2 tsp. Galaxy Vegan Cream Cheese
1 tbsp. Almond milk (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp. Bragg's Cider Vinegar
Dried dill
Freshly ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl. Enjoy!

Milestones! Oh, and Potassium!

     So this week I was able to hit a few milestones in taking charge of my own health.  I've been eating a vegan diet now for just under two months and I got my cholesterol tested last week to see what sort of effect my new eating habits have had on those numbers.  I was pleasantly surprised (and a little not surprised) to learn that my cholesterol numbers had dropped significantly enough to astound my doctor's nurse (who was the one calling me with the results).  My total cholesterol dropped 54mg!!  LDL went down 35mg but my HDL also went down 13mg so I need to work on bringing up those good fats in the next couple of months.  My triglycerides also dropped 30mg.  All-in-all, I think this marks quite a wonderful amount of progress but wait, there's more!!  I also realized that I've now lost approximately 16 pounds in the almost two months that I've changed my eating habits - and that, was like icing on the cake (vegan icing, of course)!!  All of this has made my week, maybe even month!  Of course, I'm sure that it wasn't just the diet but all of this was helped along by a good amount of exercising almost every day and THAT was more difficult than changing my eating habits.
     I've been finding that this whole vegan diet was just meant to be for me.  It feels easy and the food I'm discovering is a no-brainer when it comes to making it.  No more realizing at 4pm that I forgot to take a slab of meat out of the freezer and that it won't defrost in time for dinner only to give up and announce that we'd be going out to eat!  Now, around 4pm, I'm considering what I feel like eating, go to the store to pick up whatever veggies, grains, or additives needed to make it, and dinner is done within two hours!  I tried planning and buying a week's worth of meals but I got tired of the vegetables wilting or rotting before I was able to use them.  So now, I kind-of fly by the seat of my pants everyday.  I try to make sure I have leftovers so I can eat the next day for lunch but if not, I always keep tomatoes, mixed greens, broccoli, tofu (and/or tempeh), and vegan bacon in the fridge for a quick salad or a yummy VBLT (VeganBaconLettuceTomato) sandwich.  When I make a soup or stew, I freeze half of it to use another day that I don't feel up to creating something.  It's very liberating for me!  I do plan well-rounded nutritionally dense foods for every day's meals, remembering to keep it colorful to get a good balance of vitamins and minerals.  My copy of the book "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis, RD and Vesanto Melina MS, RD is my stalwart companion in keeping up with how much of what I need to eat to keep as healthy balanced as possible...if you're also embarking on a vegan adventure, I highly (again) recommend that book!
  

     So, besides needing to raise my HDL cholesterol and lowering the rest of all that a bit more, my other challenge has been potassium intake.  I just can't seem to get enough from what I've been eating.  Now, before anyone jumps on the banana wagon (LOL!), I know bananas have a lot of potassium but I also know that a baked potato has WAY MORE potassium than a banana. I've never been a big fan of bananas but I'll eat them if I have to and potatoes (love them) are way too high in calories to eat more than once in awhile (1 banana is 110 calories & 450mg of potassium; a baked potato is 290 calories for a whopping 1081mg of potassium)!  So I've been researching other sources of potassium that I can "pepper" my meals and snacks with and I've found out some interesting things:

(According to USDA.gov website):
1) Figs.  1 fresh medium fig - 116mg potassium / 37 calories
             1 dried fig - 87mg / 21 cals

2) Canned tomato paste (unsalted).  1 cup = 2657mg / 215cals
3) White beans. 1 cup = 1004mg / 249 cals
4) Raisins (packed). 1 cup = 1236mg / 493 cals
5) Spinach, cooked (without salt). 1 cup = 839mg / 41 cals

These are just a few of the ones I looked at but there seems to be more than I thought there was.  Plus, the list made me recheck my calorie tracking software and I found out that potassium numbers are not always given (even though I know the product has potassium).  Might be that I'm getting enough and I just don't realize it.  Nonetheless, living in a very humid area and working out hard...well, let's just say that I don't bother sitting down on our couch until after I've showered :D Minerals must be replaced constantly here.  It's too bad we can't have a machine in our homes that we can test our own blood every month to check vitamin/mineral serum levels ourselves.  Wouldn't that be grand??  I'd use it just to make sure my body has what it needs to function like it's supposed to.

If you want to check out the USDA's nutrient database sorted by potassium rich foods, here's the link.  (By-the-way, animal products only start showing up on this list at 850mg of potassium, just saying.)

Don't these look yummy?!? 

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Tools

RECIPE - Vegan Samosas!

Here's my recipe for yummy vegan samosas! Enjoy!

Vegan Samosas (Serves 12)
(Note:  Prepare the tofu and marinade first.)

INGREDIENTS
For the pastry:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 cup nondairy milk (I like using coconut milk)

For the filling:
1/2 cup prepared tofu (see below for tofu marinade recipe)
2 small Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered (leave peel on for more nutrients)
1 tbsp. organic canola oil (or cold-pressed virgin olive oil)
1 small, sweet onion - chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. Thai green curry paste (or any curry paste you prefer)
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup shelled edamame
3/4 cup chopped carrots
2 tbsp. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
Make the dough:

1. Place flour & salt in a large bowl and whisk together.  Add the nondairy milk & mix with your hands until dough forms a ball (you may need to add more flour or more milk to get the right consistency).
2. On a flour covered board, knead the dough for about 1 minute then cover the ball of dough tightly and store in refrigerator while you make the filling.

 Make the filling:

1. Boil the cut-up potatoes until they're soft. When they're done, rinse them under some cold water.
2. Mash the cooked potatoes with a masher but make sure to leave a few pieces so it's not perfectly smooth.  Set aside.
3. In the same pan you used for your tofu, add the 1 tbsp of organic canola oil and warm it up at a medium-high setting.  Add the onions, garlic, curry paste, & salt.  Saute until onions are soft.
4. Now add the edamame, the carrots, and the lemon juice. Stir and let cook for about 1-3 minutes to get the edamame and carrots to be tender but not overcooked.
5. Remove veggies from heat and add to the mashed potatoes. Mix and let stand to cool for about 15-20 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit while waiting for the filling to cool.

Assemble the samosas:

1. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick canola or coconut oil.
2. Remove dough from refrigerator, flour cover your hands and roll dough into 12 one-inch balls.
3. Have a small bowl of water and a fork ready nearby.
4. On a floured surface, roll out a dough ball with a floured rolling pin into a 5-6 inch circle.
5. Put dough circle onto a separate surface and put about 2-3 tbsp of filling in the center of it.
6. Dip your finger into the bowl of water (this will take several dips) & apply water to the edges of the circle.
7. Fold the dough over (it'll look like a half moon), matching the edges, then crimp those edges with the fork (careful to not tear/poke the middle section where the filling is).
8. Place finished samosa onto a prepared cookie sheet then repeat with the other 11 dough balls.
9. Bake samosas at 425degrees F for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375degrees F, flip samosas, & then bake for another 10 minutes.
10. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool slightly (the filling will be very, very hot) before eating.

Marinade recipe for tofu:

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup extra-firm tofu, chopped into thin squares/rectangles/strips

1/2 cup organic vegetable broth

2 tbsp. Cindy's Kitchen All-Natural Mango Coconut & Pepper sauce

1 tbsp. organic canola oil

DIRECTIONS

Pour the vegetable broth into a small, sealable container and add the sauce. Combine and then add chopped tofu. Marinate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator or up to 1 day. Next, warm up the canola oil in a skillet large enough to fit all of the tofu pieces at about medium heat. Add tofu when the skillet is ready...don't stir as this will break up the tofu. Let it get nice and toasty brown and then flip the tofu pieces over to brown the other side. Remove from heat when done - pieces should be slightly crispy.

The calories are not set in stone for this because it depends on which nondairy milk, curry paste, oil, and marinade sauce that you use.  With that said, doing the recipe like I did, this is the basic nutrition information (per MyFitnessPal):
                  Calories  Carbs   Fat   Protein   MonoUns   Cholest

Total:	2102	319	47	83	18	0
Per Serving:	175	27	4	7	2	0