Vegan Cooking with TLC

This is the first time I'm sharing a recipe I don't actually make though I do generally help my husband make it. I plan to post a few more of his veganized specialties over time.  My husband makes this meal based on one his Mom used to make. He converted it from a non-vegan meal to a vegan meal several years ago.  It has taken us a while to get the recipe written and the process photographed for a couple of reasons. One, it can only be made during the short period of time the Lebanese zucchini is in season where we live. It doesn't really work with other types of zucchini. Two, he cooks by eye rather than measurement, so I had to write the recipe while helping him make the meal. It took a few edits, but I think it's finally ready to share.  This vegan version of Kousa & Dolmas has been a big hit when we've served it, even to our non-vegan friends and family. Kousa (Stuffed Lebanese Zucchini) & Dolmas (Stuffed Grape Leaves)   12 Lebanese Zucchini* 30-50 fres...

Cherry Blueberry Water ½ cup cherries ½ cup blueberries 60 ounces water   Place the berries in a 60-ounce* pitcher and fill pitcher with water. Let steep overnight in the refrigerator. You can refill the pitcher once or twice to get the most out of the berries depending on how quickly you drink the water.   Note: Berries can then be used in a smoothie, if desired. *I have used this recipe with everything from a 48 to a 64 ounce pitcher, but I usually use a 60 ounce. The berry flavor is a bit more intense with a 48 ounce and a little less intense with a 64. All taste good. Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links meaning if you click on those links and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you. To learn more about me and my work, please visit,  www.tlcooper.com .

How Not to Age: The Scientific Approach to Getting Healthier as You Get Older by Michael Greger, M.D., FACLM is a very long book. I read it out of curiosity about where Dr. Greger was going with it. How Not to Age took me months to read but also included a couple of pauses in reading due to a trip and personal circumstances. I reviewed How Not to Ag e on Reviews with TLC . I first became acquainted with Dr. Greger by watching his videos on nutritionfacts.org . I liked that he explained complex research in easy to digest segments that made sense and that he injected a bit of humor into his presentations of very serious analysis of the research around nutrition. I have read several of his books, own a couple of his cookbooks, and use the Daily Dozen app whenever I feel like I'm slacking off on my nutritional needs. I have discussed some of Dr. Greger's other books and website before because they have been instrumental in my journey to eat a healthy, whole food plant-based die...

In my last post, Priorities Shift in an Instant , I talked about how sometimes how the way I cook has had to change over the past few years due to life circumstances. I thought about this and decided to share a few simple recipes that one can do when facing limited capacity. Several will be recipes that require no chopping. Also, these recipes tend to be ones that can be used to save time or when one doesn't have a way to store fresh produce.   I have probably already shared a few other recipes that could also fall into this category of meals that can be made when you have a limited capacity for whatever reason.  I find it important to find ways to work with what is available to me because I don't always have the resources or the ability to do things the way I want to. It's okay to do the best you can in a given moment even if it's not the way you would normally do things.  Easy Cajun Spice and Tempeh Vegetable Pilaf (no chop version) 1 10 ounce bag frozen mixed vegetab...

 It’s amazing how easily priorities can shift in an instant. I started Vegan Cooking with TLC in 2018 and posted regularly for a couple of years. Then life brought some challenges and posting became irregular. Finally in 2022, I stopped posting for a variety of reasons, mainly I had overcommitted myself and couldn’t keep up with my own schedule. Then in the autumn of 2022, I suffered a substantial foot/ankle injury from a fall. Between caring for two cats with deteriorating health conditions and working toward healing my foot/ankle in addition to my usual responsibilities, I neglected many things during this time, including Vegan Cooking with TLC. In November 2024 just after finding out my ankle would require a second surgery to regain full use, I fell and broke my wrist in two places. I’m starting to cook again, but I still can’t chop. Cooking remains about ease and convenience. I have continued to embrace a healthy plant-based diet and have done my best to choose foods to aid hea...

As I thought about making Spelt Biscuits to share on the blog, I kept remembering my Daddy making Blackberries & Biscuits for breakfast on winter weekend mornings. He used the blackberries we'd picked and frozen during the summer. He sometimes made his own biscuits and sometimes used canned. Those blackberries tasted better than the store-bought ones I used this time. Maybe it had something to do with knowing we'd picked them ourselves. Maybe it had something to do the soil they grew in on our farm. Or maybe it's just nostalgia telling me they tasted better. Regardless, I decided to make this a two-recipe week and share both the biscuit recipe and this very simple recipe for Blackberries & Biscuits in honor of my Daddy. Blackberries & Biscuits 1 pint - 1 quart frozen blackberries 1 batch biscuits Place blackberries in a small pan . Heat over medium-low heat until soft and steaming.* Serve with biscuits.** * I think Daddy added some sugar to his when he cooked...