Grilled Tempeh Sandwich

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As my father was grilling a juicy pork kebab, I reserved half the grill for myself and made a nice tempeh sandwich. Keeping my promise of using as many unusual ingredients as possible in the next few months, I decided to try some Daiya cheese. I tried the Jalapeno and Garlic kind. For some reason it is called a wedge, but it is simply a kind of a cream cheese. I, and my whole family, liked it. I wouldn’t say it is a “cheese” but it tastes good. Now to tempeh. It is great fried in a pan with some oil and black pepper. I decided to grill it in some marinade. It is delicious. It does not replace meat, and I would not recommend it someone who is trying to replace meat in their diet. However, tempeh works great for people who are not trying to replace the taste of meat, but are simply trying to find an alternative source of protein.

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Ingredients:

1/2 block of tempeh, cut into two

1 tbsp barbeque sauce

juice of half an orange

1/2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp Daiya cheese

1 pickle

1 ring red onion

spinach

tomato

mustard and black pepper to taste

2 pieces of pumpernickel bread

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Directions:

1. Mix the barbeque sauce, maple syrup, and orange juice in a shallow bowl.

2. Place the tempeh into the marinade for a few minutes.

3. Grill the tempeh for 4 minutes on each side.

4. Assemble the sandwich using the rest of the ingredients. I toasted the bread because I like toasty bread but it is not necessary.

5. Serve with a glass of nice red wine.

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All I have to say is: “YUM!”

In conclusion, I do not think I will be missing Daiya cheese when I live in Mongolia. The same goes for tempeh. I cannot believe I am saying this, but I do prefer tofu to tempeh. They are two different textures and tastes but tofu is better. Not that I am a great fan of tofu. I guess my point is I do not like either. Beans are better. The end.

I wish you love and understanding,

M.A.

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by thenerdynomad86 on April 14, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by thenerdynomad86 on April 14, 2013

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Stuffed Grape Leaves (vegan, gluten-free)

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I have been in Canada for almost three weeks now. I cannot describe the reverse culture-shock. There is so much of everything, people are so big, roads are so wide, and I can get whatever vegan “crazy” ingredients I can. I started one night with some Italian truffle salsa, delicious pumpernickel bread, and Greek olives. My mom then pulled out a jar of grape leaves from her (very much overstuffed with all kinds of deliciousness) pantry. I immediately decided to stuff them. Here’s what we came up with.

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Ingredients:

1 c brown rice

20 Medjool dates, soaked for 15 minutes

10 dried apricots

1/2 c pecans, soaked for 15 minutes

1/2 lemon, juiced

chopped (chiffonade) fresh mint to taste ( I used about 20 leaves)

30 grape leaves, soaked in fresh water to get rid of brine

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Directions:

1. Cook the rice according to directions. Slightly under cook the rice because it will be cooked more later.

2. Chop up the dates, apricots, as well as nuts.

3. Mix all the ingredients except for grape leaves with the rice.

4. Taste the leaves. Most of the store-bought grape leaves come in a jar covered with brine. Brine is just a salt solution. Soak the leaves and rinse them to get rid of excess salt.

5. Spread one leaf on a working surface. Cut off the stem. Place a tbsp of rice mixture at the base of the leaf. Fold the sides on top of the rice and roll/fold forward to make a nice grape leaf package. Place the rolled leaf into a pan onto the seam. Continue until the pan is full of leaf packages. Make sure they are tightly packed.

6. Fill up the pan with water until the leaf packages are covered. Steam for about 20-30 minutes, or until the packages look very tender.

7. Serve hot or cold with some lemon juice. Non-vegans can have some yoghurt on the side.

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These stuffed grape leaves turned out really well. The leaf provided some acidity, while all the dried fruit provide all the sweetness needed to balance said acidity. The nuts added some nice crunchy texture. Lemon juice finished off the dish. My family said that the yoghurt added just the perfect amount of a creamy finish.

My goal for the next few months is to use as many unusual or hard to get ingredients in my cooking as possible. The reason is simple; I will not have access to these ingredients for the next two years living in Mongolia. I am also super busy planning my wedding and getting all the things ready for the big day. Forgive me if I am not posting as many vegan http://wayfaringteacher.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1462&action=edit&message=10recipes as possible.

Try these stuffed grape leaves; you won’t regret it.

I wish you light and warm weather,

M

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by thenerdynomad86 on March 28, 2013  •  Permalink
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Leaving Korea; thoughts and conclusions.

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In five days I will be enjoying a nice Stars concert in Seoul. Six days from now I will be leaving Korea, probably forever. I have been living in Korea, on the island of Jeju for the past three years. As I sit in my nearly empty apartment surrounded by boxes to be shipped to Mongolia, I thought I’d write about my impressions of living on Jeju, some opinions, things I’ll miss about Korea, and personal growth that has taken place in my life.

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General:

1. I will miss the extremely efficient and cheap postal services. The people who work the Korean Post Service are probably super people. How can it be that the five huge boxes that I shipped on Thursday night for 30 dollars before a national holiday reach their destination near Seoul the next day?! Blows my mind.

2. Since I’ve gotten onto the topic of cheap, I’ll say that I will miss super cheap and abundant taxis. The drivers are crazy and sometimes drunk but they get you places on time and almost never for more than a 5 dollar price tag.

3. Korean society is a very isolated society. Jeju is even more so because it is a small island that is extremely proud to be its own separate culture.  While the culture is indeed interesting, this isolation spawns things like staring, pointing, and strange comments such as: “Wow, you can use chopsticks very well!” And when you try to explain that you’ve actually tried Korean food in Canada you get more confusing/ed comments in return. Jeju is  a monoculture, which means that it is very hard for some Jeju people to understand things that are not Korean. Some things come as cute surprises at times. For example, eating a sandwich with jam (instead of tomato sauce) on it, or pizza with squeeze cheese.

4. Korea is a very socially-conservative society. I find it a bit… stifling.

5. I do not like living in a beach culture.  Beach places are great to visit and spend a vacation on but to live…is another story. Generally (and I do mean generally; not always) people who love beach culture are non-committal and kind of lazy. I don’t know if it’s my big-city upbringing or what, but I enjoy a little bit of hustle and bustle in life.

School and teaching:

1. It’s OK to sleep in class because students go to private academies for extra lessons anyway. My questions is: “Why go to school at all?” I first found it maddening, then just annoying. I still don’t understand how some teachers just take this phenomenon as something that goes on in a regular classroom. I always hear that Korean students work so hard and study so much. Well maybe if they didn’t sleep in class they wouldn’t have to spend all kinds of extra hours studying.

2. Unless you speak Korean your co-workers will most likely ignore you and leave you out of important meetings and gatherings. You will be informed about something you must do the day (or sometimes an hour) before you have to do it. Oh, and don’t expect any reason behind doing something; you won’t get it. Things just must be done, that’s all.

3. Even if they hate English, Korean students will love you. You will often hear things like: “Big eyes, small face, beautiful, teacher I love you!” and other forms of adoration.

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Personal growth:

1. This is the least glamorous of all the growths in my opinion. I’ve learned how to live without stuff. Jeju is very small, so choices for anything are very limited; be it clothing, food items, or entertainment. I’ve learned how to entertain myself, keep myself busy, continue developing my own hobbies, and generally how to be happy with less. I’ve learned that stuff is mostly there to occupy our minds and to fill space where something else is missing. I’ve learned that happiness doesn’t come from things but from within ourselves. I found that if I was learning, having new experiences, and discovering things, then I was happy. Even without things with which to fill my tiny apartment.

2. By filling my time with hobbies instead of things I’ve learned how to paint (a little bit), how to play the piano, how to cook, learned a lot about nutrition, took finance, environment and chemistry courses online, as well as delved deeper into yoga and meditation. Without Jeju I would not have had the experience of being in a freaking rock band!

3. That saying: “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you about yourself.” (or something like it) is something that cemented in my head over the past three years. I feel that the friends I’ve made on Jeju chose me. It feels as though we all came to Jeju just to meet each other (and do other cool stuff.) The cool, talented people who have touched my heart on Jeju will forever stay in my mind. I am looking forward to seeing some of them in other parts of the world in the near (or far) future.

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The friends

4. I have never wanted to have the ‘regular’ life with a house and white picket fence. I can confidently say that my journey has been anything but regular and I am happy with it for now. The tiniest irking to settle down and get a house with a yard is starting to show itself but it’s just a zygote right now. It’s not even multiplying. It’s really just an egg at this moment.

Well, I am off to stuff my face with as much vegan kimchi as I can handle for the next few days. Ta-ta.

I wish you love and light, always.

M

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by thenerdynomad86 on February 17, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by thenerdynomad86 on February 17, 2013

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Addicted…to this salad dressing

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I’ve been MIA again! My life has just taken another 180 degree turn. We’re moving. We are leaving this island to move to Mongolia. That’s right. Mongolia.  But before Mongolia there will be Cambodia’s beaches, Canada’s easy access to vegan food, our wedding, and moving to the new destination.

As I mourn my oven and every glass ball jar that I sell as well as try to use up all the grains and beans we have in the house, I struggle to include vegetables in the diet. Not because I don’t want them, but because this chaos that my life is at the moment doesn’t allow for a long trip to the market. Sometimes, I’d rather have no vegetables at all than to buy them at the giant supermarket. It’s a silly reason, really. Well today I reached my veggie-deprivation limit and went out to get some greens. I’ve dreamed about a giant bowl of salad for a few days now and today this dream has become a reality. I decided to go a little bit outside of my comfort zone of a pure spinach salad and added some bok choy leaves into the mix. Not only did they add a pleasant crunch to the salad but also a little bit, just the slightest bit, of bitterness that is always so welcome in a salad. I also added some fancy-ness to the salad by sprinkling it with pomegranate seeds and mandarin bits.

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Let me tell you another short story. We go to this Indian restaurant here on Jeju quite often. The salad that this restaurant serves as a starter is out of this world. Everyone loves this salad’s dressing. It took me a while and a few taste tests to figure out how to make it and it turns out that secret is soya sauce and sugar!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp soya sauce

1.5 tsp brown sugar

5 c fresh baby spinach

4 baby bok choys, separated

seeds of one pomegranate

1 mandarin, peeled and separated into individual sections

1/4 orange bell pepper for decoration (and yumminess)

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Directions:

1. Soak the spinach and the baby bok choy in cold water for 10 minutes to get rid of dirt and grime. I prefer to soak my greens is GSE but a vinegar solution also works well for removing all kinds of gross things.

2. Prepare the dressing by mixing all the liquids together in a cup and adding sugar. Mix well.

3. Dry the greens in a  salad spinner and place in a large bowl. Cover with dressing and mix well with fingers. Garnish and enjoy!

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The giant bowl of salad is now history. It was delicious. Crunchy. Fresh. Full of chlorophyll and vitamins. I feel fueled for the rest of my day. I am ready to tackle packing up my life into boxes to be sent to Mongolia. Mongolia. How am I going to avoid eating animals there? Aren’t Mongolians the people who feed on horses and camel’s milk? So many questions!

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Questions of the week:

Have you read The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball? If so, what do you think or how do you feel about doing farming as a life-style? Would you ever give up your life and change it into a horse-drawn farming lifestyle for the sake of having good food, helping communities, and raising awareness about locally-grown food?

Yours,

Maria

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by thenerdynomad86 on January 31, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by thenerdynomad86 on January 31, 2013

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The Versatile Blogger Award

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Wow, I can’t believe it; my first blog award! Thanks so much to a wonderful woman, blogger, and friend, Angela from Untitled Adventure. Angela is one of the strongest women I came to know from my travels and I feel honored to be nominated by her. This award is for being a versatile blogger. Thanks!  I always saw other bloggers get these awards but never thought I would become one of the nominees. With this award comes the tiny bit of work.

Award Acceptance Rules

  1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and share a link to their blog.
  2. Attach the award icon to your site.
  3. Share seven random things about yourself.
  4. Nominate 15 bloggers.
  5. Inform the nominees and explain how to accept the award.

Seven random things about me

1. I used to live in Ethiopia because my dad was stationed on a super secret base there.

2. My favorite snack of all time is chips and salsa.

3. My favorite book is Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald.

4. I love French cinema.

5. The best trip I’ve ever taken was in 2011 to India. I cannot wait  to get back there!

6. I hate polyester clothes, especially shirts. There’s really no need for it. Ever.

7. My arms are too long for most tops. Life is hard.

Now onto my 15 bloggers (these are not ranked)

1. Happy Yolks has the greatest photography and writing.

2. Season With Spice is visually great and inspiring.

3. Style Bubble curates the most original fashion finds.

4. Vegan Yack Attack served as an inspiration to try veganism.

5. Chockolawtay is just cute.

6. My Amp Goes to 11 is awesome.

7. Shy Chemist is the greatest nerd.

8. Love and Lemons has an amazing kitchen.

9. The Daily HIIT is a sister site to bodyrock.tv

10. Zuzka Light is the perfect woman.

11. Oh lady cakes is just mmm.

12. Pickles and Honey is great.

13. We Heart Vintage is great too.

14. Garance Dore has impeccable style.

15. And her boyfriend Scott Schuman is awesome.

So you can tell that I’m a Science nerd who likes food and fashion. I guess that would be number 8 of  the random facts about me.

This is a great way to start the New Year! Now I am off to Bangkok and Hong Kong for some sun, fun, and work stuff.

Enjoy January and stay warm!

Maria

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by thenerdynomad86 on January 6, 2013  •  Permalink
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A Year in Review

Peace

Beautiful artwork by a talented friend. Her name is Wind Stone. You can find her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/windstone5 or email her at nniinnaa@daum.net

While I am still recovering from the incredible gluttony that happened at our house on Christmas Day, I though that instead of a recipe, I’d do a blog entry about this year.

This year was a year of transformation for me. I learned to be more content with life and to appreciate what I have; living in a  foreign country on a conservative island would do that to a person. I’ve learned to be happy and that my happiness shouldn’t depend on circumstances but on my own outlook. Anyway, here’s a quick point list of the achievements and changes that happened in my life this year.

  • I reconnected and delved deeper into yoga. I used to hate yoga and everything to do with it, and now I cannot imagine life without it. It has helped me with grounding myself and helped me to be present in the moment. Whenever I feel like things are getting stressful I get down on the mat and do a few sun salutations and warriors.
  • I tried the whole vegan thing. While I think I can do it, it has proven to be very difficult to do in Korea and with a carnivorous partner. I find it hard to live without cheese and in hindsight, I’ll probably never give it up (I’m European!!) but I will definitely try out all the vegan alternatives when I get to a place where they are available. My favorite part about exploring being vegan has been experimenting with cooking and ingredients and, kind of by default, becoming a better cook. What I do not like about being vegan is the label/stereotype that comes with it. This is why when people ask me if I am vegan, I prefer to say that I stay away from animal products as much as possible but I wouldn’t call myself a vegan.
  • I started and completed P90X! Almost forgot about that one. Not only is it a miracle that I started going to the gym regularly, but I’ve also learned quite a few things about working out and set a few goals. I’ve got my handsome fiance to thank for it! I would never see the inside of a gym if it wasn’t for him.
  • It took me 2.5 years but I did it; repaid my student loan in full (and traveled around a bit.) Now all the mad cash I make  as a teacher is mine.
  • I have taught at one of the best high schools in the city and the worst one. While I did enjoy my time with the super-achieving future female presidents and CEOs, I consider winning the hearts of bitter hopeless abandoned teenagers at the other school a great success. These kids are often orphaned or come from very poor families and get to this school by failing their entrance exams. Needless to say they don’t care about learning anything, and especially English. They just want to graduate and go straight into the workforce. On particularly bad days I was glad I was in a terrible high school in Korea and not in a terrible school in North America; there was never any fear of drugs or guns being brought into the school. That said, I’ve been told that the students speak very highly of me as their teacher and most of them were very upset to hear that I am not coming back. While I am no LouAnne Johnson, I feel pretty good about this year as a teacher.
  • Chris and I traveled to Thailand, Laos, and Japan. Japan is amazing and I can’t wait to go back. Laos is the best for relaxing and drinking incredible coffee. Thailand is a great hodge podge of culture, modernism, and street life. I loved all of these places and highly recommend them to anyone. I cannot wait to see where we’ll end up in 2013!
  • Ran 5 k consecutively for the first time and it wasn’t even that hard!
  • Decided to leave my current job and Korea for a search of a more exciting place to live (more on that later.)
  • Began meditating and now I cannot go a day without it. It is very calming. It focuses my mind and relieves stress.  It has proven hard to get into it and then continue with it, but once I learned to concentrate on a thing (a place, a sound, or your breath) it became an enjoyable experience.
  • Started this blog where I explore all the things mentioned above.
  • And, of course, survived the end of the world apocalypse.

I am sure there is one or two achievements that I am forgetting here but this is pretty much it. For 2013 I am looking forward to a new place to live, a new job, a new vision for the future, my wedding party(which is going to be amazing!) and all the things I will undoubtedly learn.

I wish you all positive energy, delicious healthy food, love, understanding, and adventures!

Love and light…always,

Maria

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by thenerdynomad86 on December 29, 2012  •  Permalink
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Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons (vegan, gluten-free)

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In Korea, there is no such thing as a Christmas break. We get only Christmas day off and nothing else. It is really hard to get into the spirit of the holidays for this reason, but we try. Christmas music has been on replay for a few weeks in the house and I’ve been baking lots of seasonal goodies. One of my favorite treats to make during Christmas is macaroons. They usually involve a lot of egg whites but this year, I’ve attempted vegan macaroons and they turned out super! I’ve stepped it up a notch and made them gluten-free as well. These macaroons are non-vegan fiance approved.

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Dry Ingredients:

1 c dry unsweetened coconut flakes

2 tbsp coconut flour

2 tbsp almond flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 c dry cranberries

Wet Ingredients:

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp freshly-squeezed mandarin juice

zest of 3 mandarins

2 tbsp coconut xylose sugar

2 tbsp coconut milk

pinch of salt

Extra:

1/2 bar of dark vegan chocolate for melting.

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Directions:

1. In a bowl mix the dry ingredients.

2. In a smaller bowl mix the wet ingredients until the sugar is dissolved.

3. Transfer the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix well with a fork. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 130 degrees Celsius. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

5. Have a bowl of water handy to make the macaroon cones. Measure out a tbsp of the macaroon mixture and use your hands and fingers to shape into cones. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Cool.

6. In a double boiler, melt half a bar of vegan chocolate. Dip the bottom of each cone into the chocolate and place the cones on their sides to cool. You may choose to place all the cones in the fridge for the chocolate to harden, or just leave them on the counter, depending on the time you have available.

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These macaroons are to be kept in a tight container in the fridge. I don’t know how long they last for in the fridge because they were immediately eaten in this house. I wrapped a few of them with a pretty bow to give as last minute gifts at the office. These are completely gluten-free and not that bad for you! So go ahead, indulge.

P.S. Almond flour is my new favorite flour. It doesn’t taste like almonds and can be used in the place of any other flour. So great! Try it; you won’t be disappointed.

Enjoy your holiday break everyone! Stay safe and warm. Peace be with you.

Love and light,

M

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by thenerdynomad86 on December 23, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by thenerdynomad86 on December 23, 2012

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Candied Coconut Ginger

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Here’s another edition of ” Fun Delicious Christmas Things to Make”. This candied ginger is so good, so throat-warming, so spicy, yet so sweet, your taste buds will be pleasantly confused. These little candies make perfect office gifts or stocking stuffers. If you’re  not a fan of coconut, just avoid it and use powdered sugar instead. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

250 g fresh ginger root

1.5 c white sugar

3 c water, twice

1/2 c fine dessicated coconut

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Directions:

Set up a cooling rack over a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

1. Peel the ginger with a spoon. Peeling ginger with  a spoon retains most of the nutrients as they are located right under the skin. Not that we’re worried about nutrients making candied ginger.

2. Slice the ginger as thinly as you can. You may even want to use a mandolin (I don’t have one, so I just sliced the ginger with a knife.)

3. Transfer all your sliced ginger to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Drain.

4. Cover the ginger with water again but this time add the sugar. Bring to a boil. Now simmer the ginger until syrup has formed and reduced by half. This may take anywhere from 45 minutes to one hour. It doesn’t need to be watched constantly but needs a stir occasionally. So go off to make cookies, or watch your favourite show (Homeland), or anything else that keeps you busy.

5. Once the syrup has reduced, drain the ginger from the syrup and lay it our on a cooling rack that has been set up. Be careful not to burn your fingers as the sugar syrup is very hot. I used chopsticks to move the ginger from the colander to the cooling rack.  Cool until ginger is room temperature.

6. Place the coconut into a glass jar that has a lid. Transfer the ginger into the jar. Shake and tumble the jar gently to cover the ginger pieces with coconut.

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This dessert can be enjoyed like candy, or chopped up and mixed into baked goods. This makes a great holiday gift. Just get some little glass jars and give it away at your office or the next Secret Santa. This ginger will last for a few months in a tight jar; just keep it a dark cool place. Don’t toss the syrup away. I dilute it with water and drink it.

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Ginger is great for the throat and nose, and we could all use a little bit of spicy feeling in our air passages in the winter. Ginger also aids digestion, so eat up this deliciously sweet and spicy dessert!

Keep coming back for more vegan holiday recipes. I am having a vegan Christmas dinner, so there will be a storm happening in the kitchen. Stick around!

Love and light,

M

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by thenerdynomad86 on December 12, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by thenerdynomad86 on December 12, 2012

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Gluten-free Lemon Squares (vegan)

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I have been MIA for about three weeks now. It’s been pretty crazy here. Chris and I went through a series of interviews for a few jobs, which in the end resulted in nothing. It’s been an emotional roller coaster. Needless to say I had no time or the will to cook anything. We’ve been surviving on simple rice and beans, and quick curries for the past few weeks. Well no more, my friends! I want to welcome you into the beginning of this year’s Christmas season! Yes, yes I know, Christmas is a day, not a season. I, however, consider the whole month of December one giant celebration of the end of the year. This is the time to wrap up the year, make some conclusions about the year passing, and, of course, write down a  whole bunch of plans and promises for the year coming. I’ve been reflecting and making plans but I’ll tell about all of this some other time. Right now, on to the lemon squares!

I love lemon in December, but traditional lemon squares are usually packed with cups of powdered sugar and butter, which makes them delicious, yes, but so bad for you! I decided to experiment with no eggs, no real sugar, and no butter. I used almonds and corn starch to thicken the filling, coconut oil for fat, and erythritol as sugar. Erythritol is my new favourite find. It is a naturally-occurring sugar alcohol which contains 95% less carbohydrates than regular sugar but is 70% as sweet! Some people say that it upsets their stomach but I haven’t  had any problems with it. Try it! Now that I know it exists there is no reason to ever use regular sugar.

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Ingredients for crust:

1 c brown rice flour

1/3 c melted coconut oil

1/2 c powdered erythritol

3 tbsp coconut cream

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Directions for crust:

Preheat the oven for 175 degrees Celsius. Line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper.

1. Mix melted oil with erythritol until erythritol is dissolved.

2. Add the flour and mix until incorporated.

3. Add the coconut cream one spoon at a time. You might not need all of it.

3. Mix until the dough comes together.

4. Press the dough into the pan and bake for 20 minutes. It should be a little under baked.

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Ingredients for filling:

3/4 almonds, soaked for 2 hours

1/3 c water

zest of 2 lemons.

juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 c)

1 c erythritol

2 tbsp brown rice flour

2 tbsp corn starch

powdered erythritol for pretty topping

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Directions for filling:

1. In a food processor, add the almonds and 1/3 c of water. Let the processor combine water and almonds until a smooth paste forms. You may need to scrape the sides a few times. It took me about 5 minutes to get the paste form. Don’t worry, you won’t make almond butter because there is water present in the mixture.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients (except for the powdered erythritol) and let the processor mix until the mixture is homogeneous.

3. Transfer  the lemon mixture on top of the crust, smooth it out, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until set.

4. Let it cool at room temperature, cut into 16 squares and transfer into an air-tight container. Chill the squares for about an hour in the fridge. Serve with powdered erythritol on top.

ls1

Well these were a giant success. They taste just like the real deal but creamier (thanks to almonds.) The crust tastes like shortbread, and the filling is to die for. They are just sweet enough to be enjoyable and not too overpowering. Next time I’ll add more lemon zest because I like my lemon squares super zingy! I used this brand of erythritol and loved the results. I’ve looked around and to my knowledge it is gluten-free but if you are aware of other information, please let me know!

Christmas baking is in full swing here in my Jeju residence. Stick around for more recipes for your vegan and gluten-free Christmas.

Enjoy this wonderful joy-filled season and don’t forget to fit in quick work outs along with indulging in sweets this holiday season.

Maria

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by thenerdynomad86 on December 3, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Food and nutrition, Uncategorized
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Posted by thenerdynomad86 on December 3, 2012

http://wayfaringteacher.com/2012/12/03/gluten-free-lemon-squares-vegan/

Vegan Creamy Spinach Mini-Pie (gluten-free option)

Let’s talk vegan comfort foods. For me, comfort foods always involve pastry. I just have a buttery carb addiction…This weekend was very cold (13 degrees Celsius,) rainy, and plain uninviting.  Some people call Jeju the “Hawaii of Korea”. I disagree. We get snow and wind…not very tropical. While I was being lazy in bed in the morning, listening to howling wind outside, I so wanted to eat something delicious, homey, and carb-y. All I had was 1 cup of whole wheat flour left, some nuts, and a lot of spinach (it’s spinach season on Jeju.)

I thought: “PIE!”, and was quickly out of bed and in the kitchen.

Vegan creamy spinach pie

Ingredients:

1 recipe of pastry dough from this post (avoid the sugar, use all whole wheat. You can alternatively use brown rice flour for gluten-free pies, but as I mentioned above, I had none. )

6 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 c almonds, soaked for 2 hours

1/2 c cashews, soaked for 2 hours

1/3 c water

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Set aside 4 mini-pie shells. Make the pie dough and let chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

1. Soak the spinach in a 1:4 ratio of vinegar:water to get rid of pesticides and fungus. Drain and chop.

2. While the spinach is soaking, add the nuts to a food processor along with 1/3 c of water and process until a smooth paste forms. You might need to scrape the sides of the food processor a few times.

3. In a deep frying pan, heat some oil and fry the onions until golden brown.

4. Add the spinach and cook until wilted.

5. As soon as the spinach is cooked, add the nut cream. Mix well.

6. Add the nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook for a few minutes. Do the taste test!

7. Roll out the pastry and fill mini-pie shells. Make sure to keep the shells in the freezer until needed.

8. Fill the shells with about 1/2 c of the creamed spinach mixture. If you have extra dough, cover the shell. If not, don’t worry about it.

9. Bake the pies in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and delicious.

So this pie was so good, that even Chris, who rolls his eyes at the mention of the words “vegan” and “baking” in the same sentence went “mmmm”. That’s right, the guy who says that nothing good can come out of baking without butter and eggs rolled his eyes with satisfaction this time. The pastry, of course, is perfect, just like before. And the nut cream…….creamy, perfectly heavy, and rich. Let’s face it, the spinach is really only there to hold the cream in the pie. This is a definite contender for vegan comfort foods or your next vegan Thanksgiving party.

Now onto the nutrition. Spinach is one of those “super foods” you always hear about.

  • Spinach is a very nutrient-dense food as it is very high in vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients (chemicals that are said to protect our systems from various cancers and other diseases.)
  • Spinach is rich in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids ( which are better absorbed by your body when they are ingested through a natural source, not as a supplement.)
  • Spinach is rich in antioxidants (they keep us young, healthy, and fight those nasty free-radical)
  • Spinach is said to have anti-inflammatory qualities
  • Spinach is SUPER rich in IRON, so eat up ladies.

I want to know what you think about the pictures today. I put a little extra effort into styling. Let me know in the comments below!

Enjoy cold weather comfort foods without guilt,

Maria

13 Comments
by thenerdynomad86 on November 12, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Food and nutrition, Life and health, Uncategorized
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by thenerdynomad86 on November 12, 2012

http://wayfaringteacher.com/2012/11/12/vegan-creamy-spinach-mini-pie-gluten-free-option/

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