Vegan Cooking with TLC

I first tried Dragon Fruit several years ago in Hawaii. I liked it okay but didn't think much more about it after I got home.  When I found frozen Dragon Fruit in the grocery store, I bought some. I didn't know what I was going to do with it, but I bought it. Maybe it sparked a memory of that wonderful trip. I'm not sure. I brought it home.  Eventually, I decided to try it in a smoothie. It worked well there. Then one day I grabbed it as I was getting out frozen cherries for my oats. I started to put it back and then decided to give try it with my oats. I actually found I liked it in my oats, and thus I created this recipe. Dragon Fruit Oat Groats 1 cup oat groats 2 cups hot water 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 pinch ground cloves ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 2 tablespoons dried Goji berries 2 dried bananas, cut into pieces 1 tablespoon dried barberries 2 teaspoons cacao nibs 1 cup frozen dragon fruit ½ cup froz...

This week we're exploring another infused vinegar. It probably sounds like this one would be hot but interesting the sweet tempers the heat and the heat from the chile adds a little edge to the sweetness. It's a pleasant sweet heat without being overwhelming. That said, you can adjust the heat by adding fewer chiles for less heat and more chiles for more heat. I used a red dried chile, but any dried chile will work. Cherry Chile Infused Balsamic Vinegar 1 cup cherries (frozen or fresh) 2 cups balsamic vinegar 4 dried chile peppers Place cherries and chiles in a jar .* Add balsamic vinegar.  Place in a dark place to allow to infuse. Let marinate for 1-2 months to fully infuse flavor. Longer will result in a deeper flavor profile. Strain mixture to separate cherries and chiles from the vinegar.  Pour into a bottle and label .** * I reuse old jars I have on hand, but any jar as long as it's large enough will work. ** The bottles I ordered came with a pen for writing directly ...

Over the next several months, I'm going to be sharing some infused vinegar recipes interspersed with other recipes. I got intrigued with the idea of infused vinegars many years ago, but my first attempts didn't go well. I abandoned the idea until last year. Then after deciding to incorporate more vinegar into our meals after reading How Not to Diet by Michal Greger, M.D., I started thinking about it again particularly after buying a few flavored, aka infused, vinegars. So I did a little research and tried again. This time I feel like my efforts are worth sharing. Patience is a major ingredient in getting well infused vinegars. Cherry Infused Balsamic Vinegar 1 cup cherries (frozen or fresh)  2 cups balsamic vinegar Place cherries in a jar.* Add balsamic vinegar.  Place in a dark place to allow to infuse. Let marinate for a 1-2 months to fully infuse flavor. Longer is definitely better. Strain mixture to separate cherries from the vinegar.  Pour into a bottle and label ....

This recipe was inspired by a packaged oatmeal I used to eat many years ago. I think it was called Peaches -n- Cream, but I can't remember for sure. One day I was looking in my freezer to see what fruit I had because I was a bit bored with my usual oats. I saw some peaches and that old breakfast popped into my mind. Then I saw I had some hazelnut milk left in the refrigerator, and I decided to see what would happen. My first attempt included blueberries and tasted good but wasn't what I was looking for. I removed the blueberries and played with the proportions of a few other ingredients. The result was this recipe.  I will likely share the blueberry version eventually as well. Creamy Peachy Spelt Berries 1 cup spelt berries* 2 cups hot water 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon amla powder ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom 2 tablespoons dried mulberries 2 dried bananas ¾ cup hazelnut milk** 10 ounces peaches*** 4 teaspoons fruit infuse...

We don't eat smoothies as often as we used to but do enjoy them when we do. I like to keep smoothies relatively simple but get in as many healthy ingredients as possible without sacrificing flavor. This particular smoothie really lets the cherries shine. Cherry Berry Smoothie ¼ cup almonds 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon amla powder, optional* ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom 1 teaspoon matcha (green tea powder) 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds 2 tablespoons cherry infused balsamic vinegar** 2 cups spinach*** 1 avocado 2 bananas 1 cup frozen blueberries 3 cups frozen cherries water**** Place almonds, spices, amla powder, matcha, flax seeds and vinegar in a blender.***** Blend well. Add spinach. Blend until well blended. Add avocado and bananas. Blend until well incorporated. Add frozen cherries and blueberries. Blend until smooth. If too thick, add a little water to thin to desired consistency. Pour into large mugs . Serve. Note: I use organic ingredients whe...

After reading How Not to Diet by Michael Greger, M. D. FACLM, we decided to try oat groats for breakfast. I was incredibly skeptical about how it would work. But now I actually prefer them over steel cut oats. We now eat oat groats several times a week most weeks. Very Berry Oat Groats 1 cup oat groats 2 cups hot water 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 pinch ground cloves ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 2 tablespoons dried Goji berries 2 tablespoons dried mulberries 1 tablespoon dried barberries 2 teaspoons cacao nibs 1 cup frozen blueberries 4 teaspoons fruit infused balsamic vinegar* 4 tablespoons walnuts ½ teaspoon hemp seeds Add oat groats to a pan . Add water to pan. Cover. Let soak for at least 30 minutes.** Add spices and flax seeds. Stir together. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Let cook until groats are tender, approximately 25-30 minutes depending on how long they soaked.   Add dried fruit and cacao nibs. ...

This blueberry water makes a nice, refreshing alternative when I feel bored with plain water. Granted fruit infused water doesn't allow for the fiber and other nutrients to be fully utilized by the body in the way eating whole fruit does; however, I'm okay with that because I know I'm getting all those nutrients in the other food I'm eating. And it's so easy to make! Blueberry Water   1 cup blueberries, frozen or fresh 60 ounces water*   Place the blueberries in a large pitcher and cover with water.   Let steep overnight in the refrigerator.   Refill the pitcher a few times to get the most out of the berries.   Note: Berries can then be used in a smoothie, if desired. * I use the same amount of blueberries whether I'm using a 48-ounce or 60-ounce pitcher. You just can't get as many infusions - refills of water - from the 60-ounce as the 48-ounce, generally speaking. Adjust amount of water according to the size of your pitcher.