Chili

1/4 gallon spicy V8
1 large can (24 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 large can (24 oz) kidney beans
1 can (15 -16 oz) black beans (rinse first)
1 can pinto beans
1 medium sized yellow onion
Tbsp crushed garlic
salt to taste

Sprinkle top of chili with chili Powder until top is thinly covered (Start light and add to taste)

1 box smart ground (faux beef)

add water to desired thickness

Simmer for a few hours (1-2) checking occassionally

Tahini salad dressing

¼ C rice vinegar
2/3 C raw sesame tahini
1 to 1 ½ C water (depending on desired thickness)
¼ C fresh lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp Nama Shoyu or Bragg’s
1 pitted date
1 very small pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp of fresh ginger

Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix or blender. Makes about 2 ½ cups

Variations – Try adding a bit of fresh parsley, scallions, or cumin
--From a very fuzzy photo from Aaron's Treo 650

Ty's salad dressing

2 large avacados
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of ground pepper
1-2 Tbsp honey
1 cup vinegar

I then blended it in the vita-mix and then added water until it was about the right thickness.

Enjoy.

Sol's cooking class

A few of us went to Sol's cooking seminar last Friday night. Although he underestimated the number of people coming and the amount of food to make, the stuff we did eat was awesome. I think we all liked it because the foods were made from scratch just using whole foods, the dishes were quick and easy to make, and they tasted good. Megan and I made the squash once already. We've also been eating lots more salad. It has been refreshing for us to discover/rediscover how good salads and simple dishes like the squash and sweet potato are. I made a really good dessert by taking frozen blackberries and dates, heating them up, blending them and then mixing in pecans.
Megan and I are also excited because we've started to get in a routine of buying groceries every Tuesday. We started out spending about $80 to $90 a week but are down to $55 this week since we bought much more raw fruits, vegetables, beans, and bulk foods and less processed, prepackaged meals. We are also saving lots of money because we haven't been going out to eat much.

pressure cooker

Does anyone have a pressure cooker that they recommend? What type do you have, Ty? And can you post your split pea soup recipe for the pressure cooker so Megan can make it when we get one.

Melting cheese

Wild Oats now carries Vegan gourmet melting cheese by Follow your Heart. We made pizza with the Mozzarella flavor last night. It turned out really good. I can't wait to try making quesadillas, nachos and grilled cheese sandwiches. They also carry Monterey Jack. For the nacho or cheddar cheese flavor, you'll have to order it from the website and pay $5 for the cheese plus $13 shipping. It is $3.49 at Wild Oats.

Uncle Eddie's Cookies

Dear Uncle Eddie Fans,

The good news is that I discovered in my Wild Oats wanderings tonight that Uncle Eddie’s Vegan cookies are on sale thru March 15, for the unheard of special of, buy one get one free (BOGO in the grocery world).

The bad news is that they only had 3 bags of Oatmeal Raisin in stock, no other flavors. The good news is they are expecting a new shipment on Saturday March 5, so stock up at that time.

Your eye in the vegan world,

Dad/Ron

Raw food night

Ty and Soupha's raw food night turned out awesome. Hopefully they'll post some pictures here so everyone can see what fun we had. I think Aaron and Julia are planning to have the next one at their house. I'll plan on having one at my new house after that.