Here is a pictorial of how I make kale chips.

Here I have washed the kale and let it drain.

Then I destem the kale. Lacinato kale you remove the stem by pulling and tearing the kale leaf from the stem. With curly kale, which has a larger, fuller leaf, I find it easier to use a sharp knife and cut the leaf from the stem and then tear the leaf into smaller bite size pieces.

Once I have the kale ready to be coated I make my flavor dressing. Using the recipe I linked to above. I place everything but the hemp seeds in the high speed blender and blend until smooth. I taste the dressing to make sure it tastes the way I want. Add more seasonings if needed and mix briefly.

I usually have two large bowls full of kale pieces and divide the flavor dressing in half, pouring half in one bowl and the rest in the other. This is where you get your hands dirty (well make sure your hands are clean and remove your watch and any rings) spread the dressing to coat the kale using a massaging motion with you fingers. Keep massaging and rotating the kale from the bottom of the bowl to the top so that all the kale is evenly coated.  I love to taste the kale to make sure it tastes the way I want it to.  Don’t be afraid to taste it. It tastes so good, you can enjoy it as a kale salad and make what you don’t eat into chips.

Once the kale is evenly coated spread the kale out in a single layer onto a teflex lined dehydrator tray and I leave one tray space between trays. I usually end up with 4 -5 trays.

I can eat all of this in less than one week. A habit that is good for me.

You can make chips with collard greens. There are many different kinds of veggie chips, zucchini and sweet potato are a few of the veggies that make tasty chips.

Enjoy cooking and the food you create!

Have some fun with your animals friends!

Here are a few things I like to make myself:

Raw crackers- Are so good and fun to make. Who knew you could take a red pepper, some onion, garlic, celery, sundried tomatoes and blend them in a high speed blender. Add this to some ground flax seed and seasonings, spread onto a teflex sheet and dehydrate for 24 hours. Et viola c’est fait – you have crackers. Here I have pizza flax crackers spread out on a teflex sheet ready to go in the dehydrator.

Raw Pizza Crackers spread out on a teflex lined tray.

I used a recipe from “Transitioning to Living Cuisine” by Rene Oswald.

Crackers being slid into the dehydrator.

You don’t need a dehydrator, you can use a cookie sheet and an oven. I use the dehydrator to get the added nutrition by eating the unbaked cracker.

Raw Granola – Another fave of mine is to make granola. I have posted about making raw granola before and you can read about it here. I made this one using a recipe from Rene Oswald’s recipe book- Raw Apple Granola. It has lots of apples, buckwheat , almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and coconut. This granola is great by itself or paired with your favorite nutmilk (which is very easy to make yourself ) or non-dairy milk.

Raw Cookies – I have a favorite I make from Kristen’s Raw, her chocolate crunch hazelnut macaroons – recipe here. I like to eat these right out of the freezer. They are soooo goood!

Here are the chocolate beauties. Heaven on a plate.

Here is another cookie I make walnut chocolate chip cookie from Rene’s recipe book I mentioned above.

These are really simple to make. They are sweetened with apple and dates, and you get a great crunch from the buckwheat, walnuts and of course cacao nibs. I like these crunchy, but they are just as good as a soft cookie.

I saw a recipe in Chef Frank Giglio’s new recipe book “Raw for All” for a raw biscotti. I love biscotti and now I can have my raw and biscotti too! This book has so many recipes I want to try. The chai tea, sprouted grain pancakes, beet and celery root slaw, quinoa tabbouleh, the sunflower herb hummus, beet pesto and the list goes on.  I will give you a review coming up in one of my posts. For now here is a demo of one of his recipes for you to watch and try out from the Renegade Health Show, brought to you by Kevin and Annmarie Gianni. I am definitely going to try make this recipe! Enjoy!

Enjoy cooking and the food you create!

Have some fun with your animals friends!

]]> http://www.nieko.com/korirunsdogs/2009/10/21/diy-and-why-i-like-to-make-my-own-vegan-mofo-2009/feed/ 0 http://www.nieko.com/korirunsdogs/2009/10/19/sometimes-you-just-need-mac-n-cheese-vegan-of-course-vegan-mofo-2009/ http://www.nieko.com/korirunsdogs/2009/10/19/sometimes-you-just-need-mac-n-cheese-vegan-of-course-vegan-mofo-2009/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:54:23 +0000 admin http://www.nieko.com/korirunsdogs/?p=455 This weekend I had a request from the oldest TD to make mac ‘n cheese for dinner. She didn’t care about what we had with it, just as long as there was mac ‘n cheese. After all she is a teenager and that is what they like to eat. So, to compromise, I refuse to [...]]]> This weekend I had a request from the oldest TD to make mac ‘n cheese for dinner. She didn’t care about what we had with it, just as long as there was mac ‘n cheese. After all she is a teenager and that is what they like to eat. So, to compromise, I refuse to make the other kind you buy; I made a vegan version that the TD’s really enjoy.

I have a recipe a rely on from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook: Delicious Dairy-Free Cheeses and Classicby Jo Stepaniak. I use her “Amazing Mac ‘N Cheeze Sauce”. It is very creamy, thick and cheese-like. It has some olive oil, you can use non-dairy milk substitute or water. The non-dairy adds to the creaminess of the sauce. If you’re counting calories, then you can use water and the taste is still very good. I like to use gluten-free noodles, either made of brown rice or corn blended with quinoa. Hodgson Mills, Tinkyada are two brands I like and I have been told by friends that Trader Joe’s has its own brand too (we don’t have a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods). Gluten-free pasta is becoming more common place in that I can purchase this at my local grocery store. So things are improving for gluten/wheat allergy sufferers and those that just want a change.

Vegan Mac 'N Cheeze with Brussels Sprouts

Just a note, I doubled the cheeze sauce recipe so the TD’s had leftovers they could take it to school for lunch (a few lunches actually).

The Brussels sprouts I had picked up from our Farm to Folk group. I simply, washed, trimmed and cut in half. Placed on a heavy cookie sheet lightly sprayed with olive oil. Then I drizzled some olive oil over the sprouts, sprinkled a little sea salt and cracked some fresh pepper. Placed them in a preheated oven at 375ºF. I let them bake for about 25 min. They were brown, but not over cooked. Yeh! (I dislike over cooked b sprouts, reminds me of when I was a kid and I was forced to eat mushy sprouts.)  Then I placed them in a bowl, drizzled some balsamic vinegar over them, tossed and served. Very Tasty! You really should try these, people that don’t like them, usually enjoy them roasted.

Close up of the green lovelies.

Enjoy cooking and the food you create!

Have some fun with your animals friends!

]]> http://www.nieko.com/korirunsdogs/2009/10/19/sometimes-you-just-need-mac-n-cheese-vegan-of-course-vegan-mofo-2009/feed/ 2 http://www.nieko.com/korirunsdogs/2009/10/16/love-my-green-smoothies-for-breakfast/ http://www.nieko.com/korirunsdogs/2009/10/16/love-my-green-smoothies-for-breakfast/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:19:11 +0000 admin http://www.nieko.com/korirunsdogs/?p=442 After my run with the dogs, I really enjoy making a smoothie for breakfast. It just hits the spot. I need some hydration, plus its brimming with vitamins, minerals, fiber, complex carbohydrates, and protein. What more could a girl want?

Here is my latest creation, but with so many smoothie [...]]]> After my run with the dogs, I really enjoy making a smoothie for breakfast. It just hits the spot. I need some hydration, plus its brimming with vitamins, minerals, fiber, complex carbohydrates, and protein. What more could a girl want?

Here is my latest creation, but with so many smoothie recipes out there I am sure someone has made a version like it some where. I use organic fruit and vegetables that I purchase through my local organic produce buying group that was organized by this lovely individual Joanna from Promoting the Raw Food Diet While Debunking the Myths. I wash everything ahead of time and store all my greens in green storage bags which extends the storage life. If you are interested in finding out more about setting up your own organic buying group or just curious you can read about it here.

Kori's Green Smoothie II

Kori’s Green Smoothie II

2 really ripe bananas broken into 1″ pieces

1 large stalk of celery chopped into 1″ pieces

1 very large curly kale stalk, destemed

1 lemon – juiced

1 lime – juiced

1 1″ piece of ginger (peeled if not organic)

6 Valencia oranges (peeled)

8 chunks of frozen pineapple (1 – 1/2″ slices of pineapple)

1 cup frozen blueberries

1/4 tsp of green stevia (or sweetner of your choice)

dash of cayenne pepper (if you like)

Add the first 7 ingredients to a high speed blender container and blend on high until smooth (10 -20 sec). Next add the pineapple and blend again until smooth. And finally add the blueberries, stevia and caynenne pepper and blend until smooth. Now Enjoy! Makes 4 servings (8cups) or two very large servings. Store what you don’t drink in the fridge in a air tight container (for example a glass jar) and enjoy later. Will keep for 2days. But optimum nutrition is best if consumed immediately or with in 24 hours.

Kori's Green Smoothie II

If you are really short on time in the morning you can always make this the night before and store it in the fridge. Your breakfast is taken care of.

Enjoy cooking and the food you create!

Have some fun with your animals friends!

So, when I hear the “I don’t feel so well” or “I have a really sore throat” I shelve my dinner ideas for another day and make a hearty soup with bread. Nothing feels as good to me than a nice hot bowl of soup. It soothes my head and my makes my stomach happy too.

One soup I like and make frequently (even when we are perfectly healthy) is vegetable barley soup. To me it is the vegan version of chicken noodle soup. Soothes you when you’re not feeling well, like a warm blanket or a big hug. Simply put – comfort food.

Barley Soup

From Meatless Cooking by Jean Paré. Part of the Company’s Coming series.

Makes 8 cups. ~6 servings.

6 cups water

2 tbsp instant vegetable stock mix

1/3 cup pearl or pot barley

1-14oz canned diced tomatoes with juice

11/2 cup chopped onion

2/3 cup chopped celery

1 cup grated carrot

1 cup grated potato

1/2 cup grated turnip

1 tbsp tamari sauce

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp agave

Chopped parsley or chives, for garnish if you like.

Combine first 13 ingredients in a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Stir. Heat to boiling. Cover and boil slowly for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Garnish if you like and serve.

Barley Soup

This goes great with a nice crusty bread or biscuits, like these from Happy Vegan Face gluten-free buttermilk biscuits, recipe here. And you will notice she also has a wonderful gravy recipe that you could make and have biscuits and gravy plus this soup. Talk about comfort food. Wow!

Vegan Gluten-free Buttermilk Biscuits

I felt supercharged yesterday, so I tried the “gluten-be-gone” homestyle chocolate chip cookie recipe from this post by Dreena Burton’s a contributor to True/Slant. She is also author of three of my favorite vegan cookbooks, The Everyday Vegan, Vive le Vegan!: Simple, Delectable Recipes for the Everyday Vegan Family, and Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating. And she her blog is eat drink & be vegan.

"Gluten-Be-Gone" Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies

So I made these cookies. The recipe called for amaranth flour. I only had amaranth grain and my trusty coffee grinder. The little grinder did its best, but it wasn’t as fine as I would have liked. But I made the cookies anyway. They taste great! Very much like a chocolate chip cookie, but look a little funny. Not as mouth watering as Dreena’s cookies, but like I said very chocolate chip cookie like – Yummy! Next time I will use amaranth flour!

More picts:

Enjoy cooking and the food you create!

Have fun with your animal friends!

My genetic make up is not stellar and I felt the need to hedge the odds in my favor. (Longevity genes I do not possess.) Having watched loved ones die from cancer, I wanted to do everything I could to reduce the odds. So, upon reading this book, I went out and purchased the second book. Skinny Bitch in the Kitch: Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!) both books by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. After reading these two books I changed my view of eating and have not looked back since.

As a consequence of the change in my diet, the family also changed the way they ate. I couldn’t control everything they put in their mouths, but a good percentage as I feel it is important for me to provide healthy meals for my two TD’s and TG. I was an okay cook, but I had to learn the basics. What to substitute and when.  I did a lot of reading and research finding a wealth of information from many wonderful bloggers out there. I learned all about putting together quick meals, how to make a “cheese sauce” that isn’t made of cheese or cheese substitute that tasted great and was better for me and my family. I also found great recipes for delicious cookies, muffins, pastries, breads, quick breads, frosting, well you get the picture. Basically everything I ate before, but better.

I really have fun in the kitchen – getting the TD’s involved in cooking and baking as a family. They really like the vegan food we have. Although they still eat dairy and products with eggs, I feel better knowing that 90% of the time they are eating vegan. I get a kick out of making desserts and taking them to potlucks and have people amazed that it has no eggs or dairy. How could I do this?!! And I always reply that it is really a lot easier than you think.

Eating out is still an issue for me. Sometimes, I think my TG gets annoyed with me and the way I eat. I always hear, “Just pick something and please don’t let it be the salad.” He hates that, but there really isn’t anything else on the menu to eat. Let’s face it, where I live there are very few places that a vegan can eat at – have more than salad or bean burrito with out cheese.  We have a few Thai restaurant that do have vegetarian and vegan choices. There are no pizza establishments that offer vegan pizza or the option of vegan cheese. There is only one coffee shop that offers vegan baked goods and that is 45 miles away.  So, I would rather eat at home. I can prepare food that tastes much better than anything I can find at the local restaurants.  I truly enjoy cooking and baking, making wonderful meals and treats for family and friends.

Here are a few pictures of some of the lovely desserts I have made over this past year. It’s easy to change peoples minds when the food looks and tastes SOOOOO GOOD!

Enjoy cooking and the food you create!

Have fun with your animal friends!

]]> http://www.nieko.com/korirunsdogs/2009/10/08/we-all-have-a-story-and-this-is-mine-vegan-mofo-2009/feed/ 3 http://www.nieko.com/korirunsdogs/2009/10/07/vegan-borscht-and-biscuits-vegan-mofo-2009/ http://www.nieko.com/korirunsdogs/2009/10/07/vegan-borscht-and-biscuits-vegan-mofo-2009/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:14:21 +0000 admin http://www.nieko.com/korirunsdogs/?p=339 I was presented with a wonderful dinner by my oldest TD. She had decided she wanted to make borscht. She then set out and perused the menage of vegan cookbooks I have. I will touch on this later in the post, but keep it in the back of your mind. She found two [...]]]> I was presented with a wonderful dinner by my oldest TD. She had decided she wanted to make borscht. She then set out and perused the menage of vegan cookbooks I have. I will touch on this later in the post, but keep it in the back of your mind. She found two really good recipes and then narrowed it down to one. Then she thought she needed something to go with the soup. Bread is usually something she enjoys, but she wasn’t feeling that brave to try and make bread on her own. She’s watched me a make bread, but as of yet she has not tried it herself. So, instead she decided to make biscuits. She looked through more vegan cookbooks and settled on another recipe.

The Borscht recipe she liked was from Giant Book Of Tofu Cooking: 350 Delicious & Healthful Recipes by K. Lee Evans and Chris Rawkin. The soup was wonderful with beets, carrots, potatoes, red onions and tofu (you don’t need to add the tofu, but the TD’s and TG all like it so we left it in). Flavored with dill and caraway seeds, then topped with green onions and vegan sour cream. She decided to leave it like a vegetable soup and not puree it. The soup is simple to make, the hardest part is peeling and cubing the vegetables. Then everything is put in the pot covered with water and simmered until the veggies are tender. I think that sweet potato and butternut squash would really be tasty in this as well. All-in-all a wonderful soup made by a very special girl.

The biscuits were drop biscuits from The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks’ Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. My TD made these and found them to be very easy to make. The recipe uses canola or melted vegan butter substitute. The biscuits were light and tender. Her first time making biscuits and they were a huge success! TG loved them and requested that she get up Sunday mornings and make them for breakfast. I don’t see that happening, after all she is a teenager and she loves to sleep in.

Now back to the cookbooks. There is no better time than now to learn about vegan cooking and vegan food. There are so many wonderful blogs to read that are teeming with advice, recipes, product reviews, how-to’s and much, much more. Also, there are so many vegan cookbooks about any topic you can imagine from vegan cooking to baking, entertaining, vegan living and so on. You can find vegan cookbooks for all kinds of international cooking (Indian, Chinese, Thia, Mexican, Latino, Italian etc.) and if you have allergies, books for gluten-free vegan cooking/baking, no sugar or alternative sweeteners. There is a least one if not two new vegan cookbooks released every month.

Here is a brief list of just a few of the amazing vegan cookbooks recently released and some tried and true books I frequently use*:

Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra*
Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining and Everyday by Lauren Ulm
The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet by Alicia Silverstone
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule by Isa Chandra*
The Vegan Table: 200 Unforgettable Recipes for Entertaining Every Guest at Every Occasion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau*
The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks’ Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau*
Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For–From Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes by Isa Chandra*
Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier
The 30-Minute Vegan: Over 175 Quick, Delicious, and Healthy Recipes for Everyday Cooking by Mark Reinfeld*
The Gluten-Free Vegan: 150 Delicious Gluten-Free, Animal-Free Recipes by Susan O’brien*
Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food: 65 Everyday Meal Ideas for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner with Over 150 Great-tasting, Down-home Recipes by Alicia C. Simpson*
Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons by Nava Atlas*
The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes: Amazing Cookies, Cakes, Muffins, Pies, Brownies and Breads by Kris Holechek
The Vegan Scoop: 150 Recipes for Dairy-Free Ice Cream that Tastes Better Than the “Real” Thing by Wheeler del Torro
Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating by Dreena Burton*
The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook: Delicious Dairy-Free Cheeses and Classic “Uncheese” Dishes by Jo Stepaniak*
Vegan Lunch Box: 130 Amazing, Animal-Free Lunches Kids and Grown-Ups Will Love! by Jennifer McCann
The Indian Vegan Kitchen: More Than 150 Quick and Healthy Homestyle Recipes by Madhu Gadia
Lick It! Creamy Dreamy Vegan Ice Creams Your Mouth Will Love by Cathe Olsen
1,000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson
Vegan Express by Nava Atlas*
La Dolce Vegan!: Vegan Livin’ Made Easy by Sarah Kramer*
How It All Vegan!: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet by Sarah Kramer*
The Fiber for Life Cookbook by Bryanna Clark Grogan
More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally by Fran Costigan*
The Almost No-Fat Cookbook: Everyday Vegetarian Recipes by Bryanna Clark Grogan*
The Accidental Vegan by Devra Gartenstein*
The Almost No-Fat Holiday Cookbook: Festive Vegetarian Recipes by Bryanna Clark Grogan*
Vive le Vegan!: Simple, Delectable Recipes for the Everyday Vegan Family by Dreena Burton*
Get It Ripe: A Fresh Take on Vegan Cooking and Living by Jae Steele*
Sweet Freedom: Desserts You’ll Love without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar by Ricki Heller
BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York’s Most Talked-About Bakery by Erin McKenna

This is just the short list. There are so many great books now, and all the recipes work. I have yet to have one not turn out. The meals are delicious and the baked goods are so good no one will know that they are vegan. You can make gourmet meals to entertain or find books that have quick 30 min or less meals. All great tasting and good for you.

This year has been one the best years for vegan and vegan raw enthusiasts. In my next post, I will give a short list of some of the new vegan raw books and some staple raw books I like. Raw is becoming more main stream, I even find raw recipes or raw alternatives to recipes in vegan cookbooks now. Life is truly good!

Emma in hanging out with the family.

Emma one of my canine pals and running mates, in her favorite spot.

Enjoy cooking and the food you create!

Have some fun with your animal friends!