Sunday, January 15, 2012

'Fried' Rice and Snow!

Hey everyone! I don't know about you guys, but we've barely had any snow here since a couple days ago.  Our dog is so excited that we finally got some snowy drifts! Everyone was hoping for a snow day on Friday, but since finals are coming up, no one held their breath :)
Anyways, here's some oriental recipes I've been working on the last few weeks...they're both delicious! The 'Fried Rice' is a mixture of long-grain brown rice, wild rice, veggies, and delicious Chinese seasonings...and the Mango Curry Soup is creamy, somewhat spicy, and ridiculously full of flavor.  Check them out!

I wanted a recipe with the flavors of fried rice, but didn't really want to fry anything...so I cooked the rice seperately, sauteed the veggies and seasonings, and mixed 'em together in a big bowl! Honestly, I love this recipe.  It's flavorful and sounds a lot more complicated than it is.  You just have to allow time for the rice to cook and chop your veggies!

Vegan 'Fried' Rice

1 cup long-grain brown rice
1/3 plus 1/4 cup wild rice
2 large carrots, cut into rounds
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
About 1/3 cup of diced onion--maybe 1/3, 1/2 of a medium onion
2 large cloves of garlic, pressed/minced
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
3/4 tsp. turmeric
3-5 tbsp. tamari (I use the San-J organic brand)
1/2 tsp. dried ginger powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt

First, cook the brown and wild rice in about 2  7/8 cups of water.  Bring the water to a boil, then bring it down to a simmer and cover it with a lid.  Mine had to cook for about 25 minutes until all the water was absorbed, but other people will probably have different times. 
Anyways, once your rice is done cooling, leave it to cool for a while.  Saute the onions in the olive oil in a large pan for about 2-3 minutes, then add garlic and saute as well.  (Be careful not to burn the garlic!) Add the carrots, celery, peas, tamari, ginger, turmeric, and sea salt.  Cook the vegetables all together for about five minutes, until they're soft but still a bit hard (not crunchy, but not limp).  Add to a large bowl with the rice and mix all together.  Taste, and if it needs more flavor, add some more tamari.  Enjoy!

This is so quick, creamy, and super delicious! I love this soup, and it's best served cold--I take a bag of frozen mango and let it thaw in the dehydrator for a while, then blend it while it's still cold.

Mango Curry Soup (makes enough for one big bowl of soup)

2 1/2 cups thawed or fresh mango chunks
1 heaping tablespoon Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste (can use another curry paste too)
1 tablespoon chopped yellow onion
A few good shakes of salt

Blend everything until it is super creamy.  If using fresh mango chunks, preferably chill in the fridge for a little bit before serving.  This soup is gorgeous, and can be easily doubled for more people.  I doubled it and gave everyone in my family a small bowl. 
I have lots more coming up soon! Everyone have a great week, and to high schoolers across the nation, good luck on semester exams!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Recipes to come and a delicious smoothie!

Hey! I have a TON of recipes that I've been creating lately to post, including...Spaghetti with Hearty Sauce (this is very delicious and authentic-tasting!), Tomato Cumin Wild Rice Soup, 'Fried' Rice, and more!

For now, here's a absolutely yummy smoothie I made tonight.  Unfortunately, it's a rusty red-brown color, but it is tasty and sweet, and I think that makes up for it!

Deliciously Brown Smoothie
2 cups frozen pineapple
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 ripe banana, peeled
3 cups chard (red, rainbow, or green; or you could sub with kale, spinach, or lettuce)
Optional: I added a teaspoon of bee pollen.
Add enough water to cover the frozen fruit and blend until creamy and the raspberry seeds are pulverized.  Yummy!

Have a great weekend!
Megan

Recipes

For now, here's a list of posted recipes! As I add more, I'll link to the respective pages.  For clarification, everything is vegan, and almost all is gluten-free (excepting namu shoyu).  If there's a recipe without a link, it's coming soon!

Desserts (Raw):
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Chocolate Banana Cake
Chocolate Banana Frosting
Carob Fudge
Moist Pecan Peanut Butter Brownies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Buckeye Frozen Cake
Two-Layer Cookies
Chocolate Caramel Pecan Sundae (high-raw)
Pillowy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Desserts (Baked):
Healthy Banana Bread

Side Dishes/Appetizers (raw; * is cooked):
Fruity Turkey
'Fried' Rice*

Snacks:
Peach Raspberry Almond Parfait

Soups & Salads (raw; * is cooked)
Chickpea Wild Rice Soup*
Tomato Cumin Wild Rice Soup
Honey Mustard Kale Salad
Creamy Mango Curry Soup
Vegetable Salad with Hoisin Sauce
Tomato-Rice Soup with Chickpeas*
Summer Refreshing Cucumber Salad

Beverages (all raw):
Peachy Green Tropics Smoothie
Deliciously Brown Green Smoothie
Chocolate Raspberry Shake
Secret Ingredient Summer Smoothie

Entrees (* is cooked)
The Veggie Burger that Changed My Life*

Miscellaneous
Caramel Dip

About Me!

Hi everyone! My name is Megan Sperger, and I'm an (almost) 16-year-old teenage girl living the raw/vegan life.  I eat mostly raw, but do eat cooked foods every now and then.  I love to sing, act, read, and write, and of course cook and create recipes! I try to update my blog as much as possible, but don't always post right away.  I try to live a healthy lifestyle, besides food--which includes yoga, exercising, and for me, reading the Bible :) I am also a proud Christian. 
Just for anyone out there who isn't necessarily a vegan, I am not one of those hard-core vegans who looks down upon anyone who still eats meat/dairy.  I try to live a compassionate, nonjudgmental lifestyle, and though I encourage veganism and think it's great, I won't condemn the people who don't 'convert'! :)
Lastly, I love taking food pictures, but don't have a very good camera.  So please excuse the bad quality and lighting of my pictures.  :)
Oh, and one more thing.  Sorry about the smiley usage--I seem to have a problem with overusing keyboard keys to express my emotions. :)