Over the past month, I’ve managed to cook more at home. In part, because a lot of the food I’d eat on the run was too expensive and not nearly as healthy as anything I could prepare from the grocery store.
I’ve been vegetarian for several years, but I’ve decided to make more vegan meals, raw food dishes, and do more juicing. I just got a new juicer to replace the one that got stolen in one of my many moves and a brand new peeler, and reading new books to help me supplement my new lease on eating. My fiance is a confirmed meat eater, but is open to trying new things. He is also hooked on fresh, frothy orange juice from oranges juiced with the seeds, pith, and pulp. We’ve been taking shifts with the cooking and juicing, and I’m hoping to plot some results here. I’ve also noticed that I feel better over the past two weeks. My stomach is more settled. I’m hoping to share some more changes here.
I also wanted to include some links to books and a recipe that I tried. Please feel free to write and let me know if you’ve tried making this:
Black-Eyed Pea & Collard Green wraps & BBQ sauce
An adapted recipe from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero
BBQ sauce
4 cloves of garlic
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/3 cup of white vinegar
1 28-oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup molasses
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. of dijon mustard (“Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?”)
2 tsp. of Liquid Smoke
Brown onions and minced garlic (or fresh from the garlic press) in oil. Saute for about 8 minutes. Then add all other ingredients except mustard and Liquid Smoke. Cook for about 30 minutes-1 hour. Then add mustard and Liquid Smoke. Adjust flavors. Puree is optional for a smoother sauce.
Wrap Ingredients
collard leaves (about two healthy looking bunches)
vegetable oil
4-8 oz. of cremini mushrooms (I used shitake mushrooms.), thick slices
1 15-oz. can of black-eyed peas, drained & rinsed
2 cups of BBQ made above
First, wash the collard greens carefully, then cut off extra stems, including if the stems are thick a couple of inches into the leaf. Pick the biggest, most-together looking greens. You’ll need about 12 of ‘em. Chop up the rest of the greens.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Carefully put your collards in the water and cover for 6 minutes. Then carefully remove with tongs. You don’t want to tear the collards! Let them cool.
Saute mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Add chopped collards, and let it cook for about 7 minutes, then add black-eyed peas. When these veggies have cooked, add 2 cups of BBQ sauce and stir thoroughly. When the veggie mixture is done, put one or two tablespoons of the mixture on the base of a cooled collard leaf, and roll carefully from the bottom up. If filling comes out, take some out and start over. It’s easier to do it with bigger leaves, but it can be done with smaller ones. After making your rolls, dress with the BBQ sauce. They’re not really wraps you can pick up and eat, so use a knife and fork. I’d suggest quinoa as a grain, but they’re pretty filling on their own. SIDENOTE: If you still have BBQ sauce left when you’re done, you can cut some cubes of firm tofu (after you’ve drained it and pressed the water out) and gently stir them into the sauce and let them soak for 30 minutes-1 hour. This is great with broccoli, carrots, and other stir-fry-friendly veggies.
I’d also like to suggest three cookbooks:
Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
