Category Archives: plant-based

Questions That I’m Asked About Eating Vegan

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling2733 in appalachian life, clean eating, clean recipes, farm living, garden time, Kentucky memories, plant-based, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , ,
Italian tofu scramble, stewed tomatoes, fresh cucumbers and Ezekiel toast.

Following a plant based/vegan diet often leads to a variety of questions. Some questions are asked more often than others. My best answer is simply that I am eating healthy for my overall health and my life. I wanted to share some of the more common questions that I’m asked, and also how I answer them. My hopes is that after you read my answers, you may be inspired to eat clean, and healthy for your overall well being.

Why did you decide to follow a vegan diet?

It was an easy transition for me. I was never a big meat eater. I became lactose intolerant as a young adult, so I had had already omitted dairy from my diet. I battled high cholesterol for years, so I had already stopped eating eggs and processed foods. I also was a border line diabetic, which intensifies my concerns about sugars and processed foods. But one thing that helped me make my mind up was reading the research about the connections between consuming animal products and cancer. So, the decision was relatively easy for me.

How long have you ate plant-based?

I slowly transitioned over a period of four years. But, have been totally plant-based for nearly four years now. I have followed a clean diet for several years and loved eating organic foods and home grown veggies. I’ve always loved fruits and vegetables of almost all varieties.

What do you eat?

I always have to hide a giggle when I’m asked this question. I simply smile and explain that I eat from a wide variety of plants including loads of home grown and or organic vegetables and wide variety of organic fruits. I love good non gmo or organic brown rice in lots of dishes. I enjoy a lot of good organic old fashioned oats in many delicious dishes. I also add organic firm tofu to my diet at least three times a week. Tofu can become almost anything from a take on scrambled eggs to imposter fish sticks! I also really like organic veggie burgers. I eat flourless breads occasionally. And I also love soups of a wide variety. I love organic nut butters! I also enjoy almost all beans and lentils. The answer to this question could go on and on forever! Oh, I almost forgot about nuts!!! I love eating walnuts, almonds, pecans, and cashews! It’s really easier to say what I don’t eat. I don’t eat meat or meat products. And, I don’t eat dairy products. I can eat anything else that I want to eat. But, I do always try to eat as clean and organic as possible!

Our garden last year. This year’s is not quite this nature yet.

Does vegan food taste good?

The taste is unreal! I love growing and incorporating fresh herbs and spices in my dishes. My husband loves some of my dishes so good that he prefers some of my dishes to traditional dishes, such as tofu scramble instead of scrambled eggs. Taste lies within the imagination of the cook! The sky is the limit on fresh and or organic spices, molasses, and agave! Creativity is the key!

Plant-based dessert! This is my apple cinnamon tea bread.

Do you miss eating meat?

This is an easy question to answer. No, I do not miss meat at all! There’s many delusions ways to substitute meat. Lentils are great as is tofu. The market also has many healthy and organic options for ground crumbles that honestly taste better than ground beef. There’s also veggie or soy grillers that make outstanding burgers as well as many other options available today. You may be surprised at the amount of foods that are available in your local grocery stores. I encourage you to to be a label reader and also to make wise choices. I prefer fresh foods over processed foods. When I buy processed, I always try to buy organic.

Vegan taco boat in an acorn squash.

Does your family eat the same food as you do?

Dietary choices, lifestyle changes, and healthy habits are a personal choice, which I respect. Our daughter follows a vegan lifestyle as well, which helps with creating new and creative dishes. My husband does not. He is a true meat lover, but consumes less than he did at one time due to gout. He does enjoy my vegan vegetable soup and my vegan chili soup. He also prefers tofu scramble to scrambled eggs.

What do you eat when others are eating meat-based dishes?

Many times I eat the sides that I prepare with our meal. I am also careful in planning and preparing healthy sides. I love to incorporate fresh vegetables such as green beans, corn, spades of all kinds, veggie pasta, steamed veggies, baked potatoes, and many other dishes. If I prepare burgers for my husband, I often eat a veggie burger. I love to air fry small Yukon gold potatoes as fries. My husband now prefers them to traditional French fries. I can honestly say that I never have to worry about not having something to eat!

One of my favorite Italian dishes!

What do you eat when you dine out?

I’ll be honest, after eating clean for a number of years, I don’t or shall I say, we don’t eat out very much. But, when we do, I can usually make a meal on a good salad and baked potato. I have also been known to take my favorite plant-based dressing with me.

Do you miss cheese?

This is another easy question to answer. No, I do not miss cheese. There is so many organic non dairy cheese options available today. Also, raw cashews can be tuned into a delicious cheese! My favorite non-dairy cheese from the grocery is pictured below. Another plus about eating non dairy cheese is that it doesn’t mess with your bowel habits! No more constipation!

One of my favorites!

How has eating plant-based improved your health?

Wow! This is one of my favorite questions to answer. My cholesterol is now in the normal range. My blood pressure now is also normal. I no longer suffer with hemorrhoids. And, I don’t have acid reflux anymore. My joints feel better and I have less inflammation in my body. This is another answer that could go on and on.

How do you substitute eggs?

My favorite method of subbing eggs for a main dish is by using extra firm tofu. You can find my recipe for tofu scramble on my webpage. For baking, I use a flax egg.

Can you lose weight eating plant-based?

If you choose your foods carefully, you can lose weight. Like any other diet or lifestyle choice, there’s healthy options and unhealthy options. For example, Oreos are vegan, but also fattening. If you fill up on lots of raw and steamed veggies and fresh fruit, while remaining physically active, and staying hydrated, you’ll see pounds decrease and also feel better about yourself and like a new person. Remember, focusing on weight loss can lead to unhappiness and often times, failure, and weight gain. Always keep your focus on living a clean and healthy lifestyle that makes slow and steady progress, which leads to an overall difference in your well-being.

Where do you buy the food you eat?

We grow a huge garden every year. So, I eat a lot of fresh vegetables in the summer and fall. I also preserve, can, and dehydrate every year, so we enjoy our homegrown vegetables and fruit all year long. I buy things we can’t grow from Kroger as they have a good organic section and offer a wide variety of meat substitute items as well. I love visiting the local farmers markets and local farms. I also grow loads of herbs for fresh herbs. I also dry them for spices. I love to order some items that I can’t find in the local stores from Amazon. I also order from the Thrive Market as well. I love their organic teas.

Early spring garden a few years ago.

Did your hair come out?

You wouldn’t believe how many times I’m asked this question. The answer is no! If anything my hair is healthier than ever. I use a good plant based organic shampoo and conditioner, which I feel has made a huge difference.

How do you get enough protein?

There’s an amazing amount of protein in plants. Also, tofu is high in protein. I also enjoy lentils, which are loaded with protein. I like to eat at least one tablespoon of organic peanut butter each day. I’ll add it to smoothies, toast, protein balls, and sometimes just a spoon of peanut butter by itself. I enjoy incorporating organic protein powder in oatmeal, baked oats, and in smoothies. My blood work has never came back with low protein, so this has never been an issue for me.

One of my favorite protein powders!

These are only a few of the many questions that I’ve been and continue to be asked. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about a vegan diet/lifestyle. Feel free to leave comments. I love to hear from my readers. For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky!

Air Fryer Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling2733 in appalachian life, clean eating, clean recipes, garden time, Kentucky memories, organic food, plant-based, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello from the mountains of Kentucky!! It’s been a while since I’ve posted. It’s been a busy semester with lots of changes and some exciting news. I’ve just finished writing a lab workbook that aligns with the textbook I wrote in 2019. It should be on the market by the end of summer.

We’ve also been working hard to get our garden planted this spring. With all the rain and some vital equipment breaking down, it’s been a journey. But, we’re in the home stretch! Now comes the hard work, but also the wonderful rewards of fresh veggies!!

Delicious baked blueberry oatmeal

I’m anxious to share one of my favorite breakfasts with you! Baked oatmeal… but not traditional baked oatmeal. I stumbled upon this delicious and very easy recipe while experimenting with ingredients and on the search for something delicious, filling, vegan, and healthy!

I like Quaker Oats because they’re Non GMO

Ingredients include:

1 tsp organic cinnamon

1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal

1-2 scoop organic vanilla protein powder

1 tsp organic ground flax

1/2 tsp organic chia seeds

2 tbs organic smooth peanut butter or preferred nut butter

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbs organic raw agave or honey

A splash of plant milk (I prefer almond milk)

1/2 cup organic blueberries

My favorite plant-based protein powder!
Add dry ingredients first and mix before adding moist ingredients.

Process:

Before you begin mixing, preheat the air fryer for five minutes. My air fryer doesn’t have a temperature gage, but would assume a moderate temperature would work. Mix all the dry ingredients. Then one by one add the most ingredients. Wash the blueberries and add them as the last ingredient. I like to mash some of the blueberries for extra flavor. The mixture will look similar to a thick cookie dough.

Mixture after mixing all ingredients

Don’t worry about having a big fancy air fryer! my larger air fryer is actually taking up space in the basement! I love this small air fryer for individual servings and servings for two! It works just as well and easier to store away when finished. Empty the mixed ingredients in the pre-heated air fryer. I alway form mine into a larger patty and bake for ten minutes. Check oatmeal at the half way mark as all air fryers vary in baking time. When the oatmeal is browned to your preference, empty the oatmeal in a plate and flake the oatmeal up with a fork. I like to add a drizzle of organic maple syrup over my oats, but that’s just my preference. I also like some type of fresh fruit on the side.

A small air fryer works well for this dish!

There’s something delicious that happens when the peanut butter and protein powder bake together. The berries are tender and burst in your mouth! This is honestly more like a dessert fruit crumble than breakfast. I’ve made this with pumpkin instead of fruit and it’s quite awesome! check out the plate! This was a recent thrift find. I automatically grabbed it when I saw it. It is identified to the plates that my mom used when we were growing up. I enjoy reflecting on the meals she prepared while eating. It’s now my favorite breakfast plate.

One of my favorite breakfasts!

I hope you enjoy this delicious, quick, easy, plant based breakfast. Feel free to leave a comment or share your version of air fried baked oatmeal. For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky!

Scrambled Tofu and Spring Daydreams

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling2733 in clean eating, clean recipes, garden time, Kentucky memories, ky author, memories, plant-based, Spiritual life, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Good morning, from the mountains of Kentucky! It’s a beautiful sun shiny Saturday morning in the mountains. The birds are whistling their good morning calls and filling the trees with beautiful spring-like music.

I’ve missed everyone! Its been a while since I’ve posted. We had a fairly mild winter in the mountains with enough snow for the grandchildren to enjoy sledding and building snowmen. I love snuggling in with a good book during winter, but the colder weather also brings out the crafty side of myself. I’ve enjoyed perfecting a few older dishes and creating a few new ones. One of my previous favorite breakfast dishes is now a new favorite! I am super excited to share with you my new and improved recipe for tofu scramble! It’s even tastier than before and tastes more like scrambled eggs, is very satisfying, and also keeps you full for hours! See the recipe beneath the image below.

Scrambled Tofu for breakfast.

Ingredients:

3 ounces of extra firm organic tofu pressed

One teaspoon of organic extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup organic vegetable broth

1 tsp of your favorite nondairy plant butter

Cup of sliced organic portobello mushrooms

Two cups of organic baby spinach

One slice of preferred nondairy cheese

Spices include: turmeric, paprika, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion salt, and black salt

Begin by warming a skillet over medium heat add the olive oil and sliced mushrooms. I like to add the vegetable broth next which allows the mushrooms to absorb the broth. Lightly season the mushrooms with salt and pepper.

While the mushrooms are sautéing, dry and press the tofu and weigh if it isn’t pre weighed. When the mushrooms appear to be moist and darkened, crumble the tofu in the pan. Add turmeric, about a teaspoon should suffice. Fluff the tofu to incorporate the turmeric, which will give it the color of eggs and also be beneficial for your bones and inflammation. Add remaining seasoning, except the black salt, which adds the eggy flavor. Reduce the heat and shred the slice of your preferred nondairy cheese. My preference is provolone. Add the spoon of nondairy butter. I enjoy Country Crock best. Add a generous sprinkle of the black salt and spinach to the scramble. You may add extra seasoning to suit your preference. Sauté until the spinach has wilted to your liking and the nondairy cheese has melted.

I enjoy the tofu scramble with Ezekiel toast lightly buttered with non dairy plant butter and fruit. You may add any breakfast side or seasoning that you enjoy. For instance, some mornings I add sautéed onions and peppers with a dash of cayenne for a Mexican dish. The possibilities are endless. I was amazed at how adding the black salt made this scrambled egg imposter a vegan delight! I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do.

I’ve also enjoyed crocheting again! With winter came several new projects. I’ve enjoyed crocheting and sharing handmade afghans and other gifts with family. I’ll share pictures of this project once it’s completed. I can’t wait to surprise a very special family member with this afghan.

A surprise gift in the making!

While the mountains slept beneath the snow and the cold temperatures surrounded our home, my laptop was ablaze with a new book! I’ve been busy writing a workbook to accompany the textbook that I wrote for my college courses. I’m happy to say that this project is in the home stretch, and will go to print before the fall reel begins. My goal is to have all edits complete before time to plant our garden, which I’m more than ready to begin.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my post this morning and will enjoy my scrambled tofu dish! I love to hear from my readers! Feel free to stop by and read other posts and enjoy new and upcoming recipes and experiences from life in the mountains. My next post will include my recipe for delicious vegan protein balls!! They really satisfy a sweet tooth with no guilt! Honestly, it’s hard to stop eating them!

Now, let’s go enjoy some sunshine and a little porch sitting! God bless from the mountains of Kentucky!

Porch sitting, planning gardens, flowered, herbs, and counting our blessings.

Canning Green Tomatoes For Frying

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling2733 in a spiritual life, appalachian life, canning, clean eating, farm living, garden time, Kentucky memories, ky author, memories, my special days, plant-based, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello from the mountains of Kentucky. Can you feel fall in the air? With the days becoming shorter and the nights getting much cooler, you can tell that fall is just around the bend. With fall also comes garden remnants. Lingering tomatoes here and there, an occasional head of kale that decides to sprout new growth, and the last nubbins of corn. We’ve had a really good tomato crop this year. We’ve ate our belly’s full, canned nearly one hundred quarts of tomato juice, an abundance of tomato sauce, and a good deal of crushed tomatoes. We’ve canned pickled tomatoes and and fried quite a few, which by the way is one of my all time favorite dishes!

A few of our tomatoes early in early summer.

A few years ago while frying a pan of fried green tomatoes memories of eating my mom’s delicious fried green tomatoes filled my thoughts. I savor those memories and enjoy the trips down memory lane. When I was growing up life in the mountains was simple, plain, and a time filled with family and always good southern cooking, With that thought, I decided that fried green tomatoes didn’t have to be a seasonal food. I wanted to enjoy them year around. So, I began the journey of trying new recipes.

I fried the tomatoes as if they were ready to eat and froze them in vacuum sealed bags. That was a great way to have access to a quick dish of deliciousness, but it wasn’t quite the same as frying them fresh. They’re good, just not as good as fresh fried tomatoes. So, moving forward, I decided to try an idea to can green tomatoes. This is what I died. While canning a batch of my grandmothers pickled tomatoes, I made up a jar of sliced tomatoes with a few preserving ingredients, sealed the jar and added them to the canner of pickled tomatoes. All I could lose was one jar of tomatoes. I was excited to see how they turned out. The rest of the story is why I’m posting about my recipe for preserving green tomatoes for frying! It was a success!

Sliced green tomatoes preserved for frying!

It’s a simple recipe. I hope you like it.

Ingredients: Green tomatoes, lemon juice, salt, and water. You’ll also need clean pint bars and a canner.

Process: Wash and sterilize jars. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to each jar. Rinse tomatoes, pat dry, and slice tomatoes. Place slices of tomatoes in pint jars leaving about a half inch for head space. Bring a tea kettle of water to a boil and using a funnel add boiling water to each jar. Don’t forget to leave about at least a half inch of space for head space. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice and 1/8 teaspoon of salt to each jar.

Wipe rim of jars and place clean and sterilized flats and rings on each jar. Place jars in a canner of water with water covering the jars by at least two inches. I use a stove top canner because I enjoy the old fashioned method of a water bath for canning. Allow water to come to a boil. Allow to jars of tomatoes process under the boiling water for 35 minutes. Remove carefully and allow to cool. Always add the date to the lid of all jars. This year, I added a 1/8 teaspoon of pickle crisp to few pint jars as an experiment. When I fry the first batch, I’ll let you know how they turn out. Experimentation is one of the best methods of learning. Feel free to check out my pickled tomato tomato juice recipes!

I hope you enjoy this method of canning and winter fried green tomatoes as much as we do! Feel free to leave comments and also check back for my new recipe of refrigerated spicy pickled grape tomatoes. I’m going to try to post that easy and delicious recipe next week. For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky!

Finding What Works

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling2733 in appalachian life, clean eating, Kentucky memories, ky author, memories, organic food, plant-based, Spiritual life, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,
Summer flowers

Hello from the mountains of Kentucky. I hope your week is off to a great start! A memory popped up on Facebook this morning reminding me of the changes that have happened in my life the past ten years. Weight loss changes, dietary choices, and health changes that have had me worried and also celebrating! I hope you enjoy learning a little more about my journey with food, weight loss, and health.

For me, weight loss was like a roller coaster ride! Many ups, many downs, unsure of what was around the next curve, and occasionally the feeling of accomplishment. Diets, like a roller coaster ride, left me with the feeling of accomplishment, but both were usually short-lived.

My journey with roller coaster diets began a long time ago, I mean a long time ago. I, like many others, would find something that worked but it always seemed to be temporary. I was always changing my diet up to try a new diet, fad, or what worked for someone else. My countless endeavors include low fat, low calorie, low carb, no bread, multiple tracking apps, multiple prepackaged diet foods, diets that famous people recommended, liquid diets, protein diets, and the list could go on and on. Were they successful? Some were and some were not. Did I lose weight? Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn’t. Did I gain the weight back? Sometimes I did and a few more pounds to boot! So when did this viscous cycle end? It stopped for me when I found what worked for me. When I found what I believed in, was passionate about, and most of all what I enjoyed!

First of all, I stopped dieting. Yes, you heard me right. I stopped dieting! I adopted a new lifestyle. My journey with fad diets and dieting period took on a new perspective and seriousness when my doctor asked me what I wanted to do. Did I want to live or did I want to die? I chose life! I prayed seriously about what I should do.

After much prayer, my journey began with clean eating. I soon learned that I could eat a wide-variety of good foods, but the food needed to be organic and with the least amount of processing and packaging as possible. I also discovered a new way to cook, new foods to try and new food foods I enjoyed. I also discovered that I could still eat, enjoy my food, and not be hungry. I could actually have dessert too! Clean dessert that is!

Clean apple bread

My journey evolved into my becoming a flexitarian, which meant the only meat I ate at that time was organic poultry, game meat, and seafood. That lifestyle eventually evolved into my becoming a vegetarian, which removed all meats from my diet. What I realized from this drastic change was that my joints slowly began to feel normal. I had less inflammation. My health was drastically improving and I felt energetic again. Did the change stop there? I was determined to regain all of my health and live a lifestyle that promotes life, not encouraged disease. No! I researched vegan lifestyles and learned that I could live happily, and even more healthy, without eggs and dairy products. My stomach felt better, my digestion was at its peak and I felt more energetic. I began to lose pounds slowly but happily.

My journey with eating vegan has evolved into whole food plant-based eating, which has really changed my life and my health. I feel that I have come full circle with my dietary choices as the whole food plant-based vegan lifestyle is truly one of the cleanest diets possible. The benefits have been tremendous! I no longer take any prescribed meds, other than the smallest dose of blood pressure meds available and expect that to be taken away at my next dr appointment. My blood panel is always good, and contrary to what many believe, my iron and protein levels are fine! Yes, you can get sufficient protein from plants! One of the most notable things that changed with this final change of roller coaster diets, is the positive impact that a plant based diet has made on my joints and gut health! I believe that good gut health is key to living a happy and healthy life! I said all of that to say this, find what works for you and what you are passionate about, not what’s popular.

A journey to remember.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about my journey with food, diets, and lifestyle choices! I’m happy to say the roller coaster of eating has come to a permanent stop. I’ve been vegan for two years and can’t imagine turning back. The benefits of plant based eating are far too beneficial! I enjoy eating again, I can maintain my weight, lose a little weight and also feel happy about what I’m eating while not feeling deprived. Feel free to leave comments. I enjoy hearing from my readers. Click follow to be notified of new posts. From the mountains of Kentucky, God bless and have a wonderful week!

Easy Vegan Creole Recipe

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling2733 in appalachian life, clean eating, clean recipes, farm living, garden time, Kentucky memories, plant-based, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Good afternoon from the mountains of Kentucky! I hope all is well in your part of the world. It’s been a roller coaster of a ride with the weather in the mountains for a few weeks. We’ve experienced a lot rain that resulted in flooding, thunderstorms, hail, and a lot of sunshine. I can’t complain, I love spring time whether it’s warm or chilly temperatures, but can do without the flooding. The warm days have been really good for my herbs! My chocolate mint already needs thinned. Strawberry mint seems to be taking over one section of the herb garden. I’ll be giving several starts off of it this year to friends and family. The chamomile is off to a great start too!

We were blessed with an abundance of produce last year and are still reaping the rewards of our veggies this year. I decided to cook Easter dinner today for my husband and myself. Last year’s green beans, corn, potatoes and spring onions are on the menu as sides! Now, if I could only figure out a way to preserve cucumbers! I’m anxious for garden time this year, because with all of the fresh produce, also comes great ingredients for new and delicious vegan recipes.

The most recent dish that I’ve made include, creole roasted veggies, with a wilted kale salad, and polenta on the side. I’ve been posting pictures of my vegan meals and tagging our daughter, who is also vegan, on Facebook. We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback, as well aroused much curiosity, and also had a lot of requests for recipes. So…here goes!

Creole Roasted Veggies Ingredients:

2 small sweet potatoes
5 small fingerling potatoes (or small potatoes of choice)
1 half of a yellow sweet onion
1 small butternut squash
6 to 8 eight baby carrots or 1 large carrot
1 hot banana pepper
1 small zucchini.
Creole seasoning
Extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Cube all of the above veggies, except the onion and pepper, into small cubes, then slice pepper and onions. Add all of the vegetables to an air fryer and drizzle very lightly with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with creole seasoning and salt and pepper. Shake the air fryer pan and sprinkle again. Roast veggies on high for twenty minutes. Check to ensure the veggies are done by piercing with a fork. I like to allow mine to caramelize a little and will allow them to roast a little longer. You can also roast the vegetable in the oven on 375 on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper for 40-45 minutes. I like to use the air fryer if I’m not going to be using the oven for another dish, especially in the summer.

Wilted Kale Salad Ingredients:

Fresh kale, extra virgin olive oil, remaining half of onion, 4-5 sliced portobello mushrooms, and a half a cup sliced grape tomatoes.

Process:

While the veggies are roasting, I heat a saucepan on top of the stove on medium heat, and add a good drizzle of olive oil. Using a pair of scissors, cut kale into pieces and add to the oil, slice four or five portobello mushrooms and add to the kale, slice the remaining half of the yellow sweet onion and add to the kale an mushrooms, slice a handful of small grape tomatoes in half and add to the skillet. Add a generous sprinkle of the creole seasoning along with black pepper and onion salt. Saute the vegetables until tender and turn the heat off.

Polenta Ingredients:

Instant polenta, non-dairy butter, unsweetened almond milk, non-dairy cheese of choice.

I also added a side of instant polenta to this dish. This is the easiest side ever! I buy polenta that’s in a roll. It has a great shelf life, and tastes great. It’s much easier to prepare than cooking polenta from scratch. To feed two people, you will need to slice four or five slices of the polenta off the role and cut it into small pieces. Add the polenta pieces to a small saucepan and add about 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk. Turn the burner on to medium low. Using the back of a fork, mash the polenta until it’s mixed with the milk and smooth. At this point add a teaspoon of non-dairy butter and season with creole seasoning and a little black pepper. I like to add a piece of no -dairy provolone cheese just before serving. Allow the cheese to melt and give it a final stir.

Serve roasted veggies, with a side of wilted kale salad, and few spoons of polenta. Sprinkle the servings with a light dusting of the creole seasoning and a drizzle of hot sauce and you’re ready for a delicious and filling dish.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Feel free to leave a comment, ask a question of just drop a greeting. If you’re just stopping by, feel free to click on follow for upcoming recipes! God bless each of you! Happy Easter!

Vegan Strawberry Salad Dressing

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling2733 in a spiritual life, appalachian life, clean eating, clean recipes, farm living, garden time, my special days, plant-based, Spiritual life, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello from the mountains of Kentucky! We had a beautiful morning filled with a mix of rain and sunshine in the mountains today. I don’t mind the rain. I love an occasional rainy day, especially a rainy summer morning. For me, rainy days are a time to catch up on chores inside the house. Chores that I pushed aside to allow for time to maintain the outside can now be completed. Rainy days are also a welcomed change as they allow me extra time to do a little baking, grade student’s assignments, and try to squeeze in some time to read. I always appreciate and enjoy my quiet morning devotional reading and time spent meditating and talking to our Heavenly Father. My day always seems to be better, less stressful, and more appreciative after bible study and prayer.

I am an avid reader and enjoy the pages of a good novel anytime, but especially on rainy days like today. I am currently reading the fourth book in the Hunger Games series. It is truly a book worthy of reading! I may post a review of it when I finish it. If you’re a fan of this series, now is the time to delve deep into the pages and enjoy the continuing saga of the Hunger Games. As much as I enjoy spending time indoors catching up on work, household chores, reading and cooking…my love for the great outdoors always seems to lure me outside.

Before enjoying a brisk morning walk this morning, I enjoyed a small bowl of Silk non-Dairy vanilla yogurt with a mix of berries and walnuts with a slice of sprouted non-flour organic sprouted Ezekiel bread with a teaspoon of avocado plant butter. It was quite tasty with a sprinkle of ground flax seed and a drizzle of agave. Eating vegan doesn’t have to be boring or tasteless.

As I enjoyed my walk after breakfast this morning, I was reminded of how much I love early summer mornings outside! Our view of the mountains never grows old. The sounds of the creek flowing and the morning farm sounds are always a soothing and welcoming sound to my ears. The gentle cooing of the doves, the low rumble of thunder, birds singing from high in the trees, and the sounds of the farm are always satisfying, soothing, and comforting and a time of peace.

I always feel abundantly blessed on quiet morning walks. I feel especially blessed when walking after a morning rain. The earth is damp, the leaves glisten with drops of rain, and our small farm seems to come alive. I love to walk, meditate, and count my blessings, while also enjoy the sounds of life in the mountains, reminiscing, and enjoying the view.

The sounds of the hens cackling from their nests assures me that there will be at least a dozen or more fresh eggs by midday. Our latest addition to our farm are guinea’s. Our son gave them to us and they’ve earned their keep through their loud alerts of arriving guests and strangers. They’re a security system who also provides tiny eggs for our family and friends. This morning their calls let me know they were awake and on guard, while the roosters chimed in with their good-morning crows.

Two of our guinea’s enjoying picking a little green

There’s something about the sound of roosters crowing that take me back to my childhood growing up in the mountains. I found myself a bit teary eyed as I thought of my grandparents who have gone home, and of all the wonderful times we enjoyed with family while growing up. Times were simple then. Evenings were spent with family and friends porch sitting laughing, talking, and sharing the events of the day. I recall early summer mornings where we spent many happy hours wading in the creek, and warm summer nights that were filled with star-gazing and dreaming of our tomorrows. Those are memories that I will forever cherish and hold close to my heart. Walking this morning was one of those mornings. One flooded with a mix of emotions, memories, and also filled with gratitude.

Our garden in mid May.

The view of our garden was a satisfying sight this morning. Hard work pays off! We worked several long hours yesterday in the garden. It was a long evening of plowing, hoeing, planting, and also picking with family. Hard work, but also a time of making memories. The smell of the freshly plowed earth still lingered heavy in the air this morning. The scent of fresh plowed sod is one of my favorite scents in the morning along with the fragrance of the honey suckle blooms. Both of these fragrances transports me back to my childhood in the mountains. Yes, mountain life is the best life.

I hope your gardens are flourishing this year! Our labor is paying off with an abundance of cabbage, kale, lettuce, onions, zucchini, squash, and cucumbers so far. I am super excited to begin picking tomatoes, digging potatoes, and also picking beans and corn in upcoming weeks.

Even though our garden is doing well right now, gardening has been an unusual journey this year. First, with the bitter cold freezes that came in the early spring also came several evenings of covering each plant in hopes of preventing freezing, and uncovering the next morning. Then came the rain…boy, did it rain…a lot! The rain didn’t harm all of our garden, but wreaked havoc on our beans, which rotted in the ground. This resulted in plowing the beans under and replanting. I am happy to report that our second planting of beans are flourishing! We fenced the long rows of beans this week and the beautiful green bean vines are already climbing the tall fence lines. Our corn has been a challenge as well this year. We are are tending our third planting, which is finally doing well.

We are accustomed to battling and discouraging deer every year from getting in our garden. We won the battle with groundhogs eating our beans a few years ago, and crows pulling our corn up last year. However, this year we were faced with a new unexpected force that destroyed two entire crops of seed corn. Just as the corn reached two or three inches tall it would disappear. Chipmunks were the culprits this year. Who knew that those cute little creatures could destroy row after row after row of corn. They maybe cute, but they can be deadly on a corn crop. Through many creative efforts of soap, peppermint essential oils, moth balls, and many other creative methods…it appears we may have finally won the war with the furry little burrowers.

I am overjoyed with our herbs this year! They are flourishing as well. I’ve enjoyed harvesting basil, and peppermint several times already this year. I am currently drying both to add to the pantry. I plan to make peppermint tea from the medley of mints that are hanging in the drying room. I love the taste and the smell of all mints. My favorite has to be chocolate mint, which is a great addition to brownies, cookies, and makes a great tea all by itself. I purchased a new mint this year, which seems to be doing great. I’ve haven’t harvested any of it yet, in effort to let it get well-established first. I found strawberry mint! I am overly excited about the possibilities that this mint has. I admit, the leaves of the plant are quite tasty and very aromatic. Yes, I’m guilty. I nibble on my herb plants sometimes as I’m watering or pruning. My plans for this mint consist of tea, cookies, bread, and also a fresh berry salad with homemade strawberry salad dressing. It’s the simple things in life that makes me happy.

Speaking of fresh veggie and berry salad, I hope you’ll enjoy my new recipe for strawberry salad dressing. I apologize for neglecting to post my recipe for this refreshing and tasty salad dressing earlier. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks with the garden, grading, and teaching this summer. I hope you and your family enjoy this simple recipe as much as we do.

With warm weather, regardless if it’s raining or the sun is shining…also comes my usual craving for crisp summer salads. I love to experiment with the veggies and herbs from our garden, and also with fresh fruit. While cleaning the refrigerator out the other day, I realized it was time to do a refrigerator cleanup in my produce drawers. What better time to create a summer salad! While foraging through the crisper drawers, I discovered an abundance of fruits and veggies that were perfect for a tasty summer salad. I found a honey crisp apple, a few ripe strawberries, a few leftover blueberries, and score…blackberries that were more than ready to be used. I added a little bib lettuce from our garden, bits of baby kale, and some baby spinach, romaine, and iceberg lettuce. I included chopped cucumbers, green onions, tomatoes, cauliflower and purple broccoli.

Now, the veggies were ready to toss, but I wanted a crunch factor for the salad, so I tossed in a few toasted walnuts. I clipped some fresh basil, peppermint, spearmint, and a few chives and tossed them in the veggies. I can’t wait to include leaves from the strawberry mint plant in my next salad. I like to use a small pair of scissors to cut the fresh herbs into small strips, which prevents a lot of bruising on the tender leaves. I once again gently tossed the fruit, herbs, and veggies to ensure a bit of everything with each bite. What a visual and colorful bounty of beautiful deliciousness!

Crisp summer berry salad with homemade strawberry dressing. 

Finally, if you’re like me, a summer berry salad is not complete without a sweet dressing. So, I decided to create my own dressing. I hope you enjoy this sweet and savory dressing on your summer salads. It’s quick, easy, and takes only a few ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 cup organic chopped strawberries
3 tablespoons of organic extra virgin olive oil 
2 tablespoons of organic balsamic vinegar 
1 teaspoon organic strawberry jam (I prefer homemade)
1 teaspoon of organic agave
1 pinch of course black pepper

Process:

Wash, drain, and chop strawberries and add to the blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blend on medium-low until smooth. Pour into a container with a lid, and chill for about thirty minutes before drizzling over your salad.

How easy was that? I added this beautiful dressing to our summer salad last week, and it was a huge hit! With the addition of a few plant-based homemade croutons, the salad was complete and absolutely delicious.

Hint: Don’t neglect toasting the walnuts before adding them to the salad. It’s amazing how much the flavor is enhanced when toasting nuts of all kinds before adding them to your favorite recipes.

Finished product…a pint of delicious vegan strawberry salad dressing!

Garden tip: If your herbs are not as green, vibrant, or bushy as you would like for them to be, don’t neglect clipping and pruning your herbs. Clipping promotes new growth. Without regular clipping and pruning your herbs will become leggy and less bushy. 

For now, I’m off to enjoy a cup of camomile herbal tea and delve deep into the next chapter of my book!

God bless from the mountains of Kentucky. Stay safe, stay close to home, and stay positive during this time of uncertainty. Feel free to leave comments or ask questions. I always enjoy reading your comments.

Making Organic Vegetable Broth. Mountain Life…Is the Best Life.

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling2733 in a spiritual life, appalachian life, canning, clean eating, farm living, Kentucky memories, organic food, plant-based, Vegan recipes and tagged with , , , , , , ,
Early June morning in the mountains.

I, like most everyone, have spent a lot of time at home since early March. I’m not going to complain about being at home. I love and believe the old cliche, there’s no place like home, especially during the spring, which is planting time for our family.

Our grandson learning to till while planting beans!

During this time of uncertainty I find myself reflecting a lot about days of my youth and also being even more thankful for my heritage. We grew up learning how to plant, harvest, and preserve. We were taught how to be frugal, make a dollar stretch, and also how to enjoy and reap the bounty that our beautiful mountains gift us with.

Our mid-May garden.

Growing up in a low socioeconomic area can be hard, but it can also be a blessing in disguise. Many years ago when the economy was unstable, I watched my family work a farm, harvest crops, reap the delicious bounty, preserve the goodness, and also sell their produce and goods.

Even during my adult years when the economy was thriving, I found it difficult to depart from our way of country living. My family has enjoyed continuing the tradition that was handed down to us from our parents and grandparents. We continue to work the land, plant a large garden, labor lovingly over the many rows of vegetables, enjoy the tasty bounty that our garden produces, and also preserve and put away for the winter and seasons to come. It was a good life the and is still a good way of living. It was and is a lot of sweat and hard work, but well worth it.

Hard work truly pays off! There’s nothing quite as tasty as fresh-picked green beans, freshly dug potatoes, and a crisp ear of golden yellow corn from the garden that you’ve worked, nurtured, and watched grow from a seed to a bounty of deliciousness. As for me and my tastebuds, a meal is not complete without a side of sliced ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, and green onions from our garden to make the dinner complete. Who needs meat? Not me! I love vegetables and fruits of all kind. But, for the meat-eaters in our family, we are blessed to keep a freezer of locally grass-fed beef readily available.

As a little girl, I remember watching my mom create savory dishes from leftovers, re-purpose leftover veggies into tasty soups, create awesome potato cakes from left over mashed potatoes, and also turn stale popcorn into delicious sweet caramel corn. During our quarantine time at home, I too, have learned a few new tricks that has made my life easier, our pantry fuller, and also our stomachs happier. I am excited to share a few ideas that I have tried and also to share a new recipe that I created for an unctuous and delicious apple tea bread. Get ready, that recipe’s coming tomorrow! For today, let’s talk about making homemade vegetable broth!

One of my favorite quarantine discoveries was learning how to make homemade vegetable broth! Let me add, delicious homemade vegetable broth. Have you ever heard the expression, waste not…want not? I grew up with that being repeated often, and have encouraged our children, and grandchildren to do the same.

Are you faced with the dilemma of what to do with leftover vegetables, vegetable peels, and scraps of veggies that’s not big enough to use? So, what do you do with all those vegetables and veggie scraps? We either feed ours to the chickens to ensure they are getting enough protein, or we add them to the compost pile. Either of the above is a great method of useful disposal, but I found myself in need of organic vegetable broth and wasn’t able to find it when many of the store shelves were emptying. So, I figured out a way to turn my veggies scraps into vegetable broth. I’m anxious for you to give this simple recipe a try!

Shopping during a pandemic can be a challenge.
Veggies being prepared for the vegetable broth.

Process: First, you will need to begin saving vegetable scraps such as celery stalks, leaves, herb stems, and bulbs. You can also save onion skins, peppers, herb leaves, leeks, onions, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, turnips, and etc. Basically, the only vegetable that you would not want to include in your broth is tomatoes due to the acidic level. You may not want to add hot peppers, unless you want your vegetable broth to be spicy. Also, do not add decaying or withered vegetables to your bag of scraps. Place your vegetable scraps in a gallon zip lock bag and keep it in the freezer until you have enough vegetables to process. I found that a full gallon bag of vegetable scraps made four full quarts of vegetable broth.

Once you have enough vegetable scraps, thaw them and add them to a stock pot of water, The water should cover the vegetables by at least three to four inches. I prefer to use filtered water or spring water rather than tap water. I used a large deep stock pot to make my broth. Add vegetables to pot, cover with water (water should be three to four inches above vegetables) allow the mixture to come to a rolling boil on medium heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium low, and allow it to gently simmer for at least an hour. Uncover and allow it to simmer fifteen more minutes on low heat. You may do a taste-test at this point. If your broth is more bland than you would like, you may add more herbs and allow to simmer for an additional ten to fifteen minutes. I added a pinch of salt to mine to add a little flavor, but this optional.

Adding spring water to the veggie scraps.

Allow the broth to cool. Once the vegetables have settled to the bottom of the pot and the broth is cooled, you may use a colander to strain the vegetable broth into a large pot or bowl. Once you’ve drained the vegetables well, they can be added to the compost pile or used for feed your fowl. Pour the broth into clean canning jars, seal with a lid, and place in the refrigerator. The broth keeps well for up to six weeks. The color of your broth will vary depending on the type and color veggies that you use. I used some red onions in my first batch of broth. It was delicious, but darker than the second batch in which I used pieces of yellow onions. Both broths tasted delicious! I think this recipe for homemade vegetable broth fits the description of, waste not want not, while also satisfying saving money, and reducing waste.

Delicious homemade organic vegetable broth!

With so much going on in our world today, from riots, protesting, people dying from COVID-19, and many losing their jobs, life can feel very unsettling. Think about it, life as we know it has literally been turned upside down. Social distancing has created a sad year for our seniors from high-school to college. Prom dresses that were carefully chosen remain in their zippered bags, and services inside the church looks much different than before. Even the process of laying loved ones to rest changed. Through it all, We are still blessed! We had the opportunity to attend church via the zoom app until we were once again able to attend church services. We had food for our family prepared from food we preserved in recent years. We’ve had time to complete some home improvement projects, while also planting our garden. I’ve also been able to teach my courses from home.

During this crazy time, I decided that life does not have to be a doom and gloom situation amidst this horrible pandemic. Also, instead of complaining and worrying, I was determined that I would search for the positive and quit watching the number of people affected by the virus, quit worrying about the economy, and watching the news so much. I decided it was time to set social media aside and dust off that book that I’ve had shelved for too long. I made time to work and improve my herb garden, expand our vegetable garden, do some deep down spring cleaning, enjoy my family, and also make sure to take time to be thankful for the wonderful things that we’re blessed with, and share our blessings with neighbors and friends. But, most of all…it was time to quit living in fear, but time to live and enjoy life!

A glimpse at my herb garden!

It feels good to be posting again. I am pumped about sharing my Apple Tea Bread recipe with you tomorrow. In upcoming posts I’ll share my crouton recipe, new pickle recipe, a ew strawberry vinaigrette dressing, and a garden tip or two. Through it all, we’ll carry on and be thankful for our blessings, health, and family…all the while finding new ways to recreate and re-purpose wonderful dishes from leftovers and what once would have gone straight to the compost pile.

Feel free to leave feedback or ask a question. New followers are welcome. I love to share ideas of organic clean eating, vegan recipes, whole food plant based ideas, and also some vegetarian recipes. I also love to share our story from the mountains of Kentucky, the mountains we call home. God bless and happy Friday.

I love to take a walk in the morning after it rains. God’s beauty is everywhere!

 

Keeping All of Those Veggies Fresh!

Posted by KyAuthorProfessorJBowling2733 in clean eating, farm living, grocery adventures, organic food, plant-based, Uncategorized and tagged with , , , , , , ,

It’s been quite some time since I last posted. I’ve been one busy professor, wife, grandmother, mother, etc. and all of the other hats that I wear. My apologies to my readers for neglecting you. However, I am back with good news! Yes, that’s right some good news. We can all use good news and a fresh break away from all of the negativity that floods our news, news feeds, and often our conversations. I like to be an uplifting and positive person who spreads cheer, hope, love, and joy as much as possible. So, today I am going to share something with you that sure brought a smile to my face, a little relaxation on my grocery budget, and also hope for all of you that love a plant-based diet and have a vast amount of veggies in your fridge!

For the majority of my adult life I have always been frustrated at how quickly the veggies in the refrigerator go bad. I was tired of throwing away peppers that had suddenly developed soft places, cucumbers that became soft and mushy, and mushrooms that were slimy. Yes, that’s right they get slimy. You know they do. All of this is especially true if you buy organic fruit and vegetables. Why, you may ask. It’s simple reasoning actually when you think about it. Organic produce hasn’t been genetically modified and are not full of unnatural preservatives. I did a little test a couple of months ago. I purchased a couple of non-organic bell peppers, which I must say was a hard thing for me to do, as I always use homegrown veggies, or organic vegetables from the grocery in off seasons. I also bought a couple organic bell peppers. I placed them both in the same vegetable bin and discovered that the organic peppers did not have the same shelf-life that the non-organic peppers had. As a matter of fact, the non-organic pepper is still in my vegetable drawer after three weeks and is still firm. Now, that was an eye opener. My analysis of the experiment is as follows; non-organic veggies last longer due to preservatives and being genetically modified, whereas organic veggies have a true shelf life because they are in their natural state, and haven’t been preserved in some manner. I also am a firm believer that organic produce is healthier and always tastes better. That’s my spill on organic produce. Now for the big reveal…

I have always been guilty of washing and drying my produce when I came home from the grocery store, and then proudly putting them in their appropriate bins in the fridge. They looked colorful and the bin was full with a lot of choices. However, the veggies just didn’t last very long. It was a struggle to either dehydrate, make stock, or try to use the veggies to prevent from throwing them away or feeding them to our farm animals. Now for the good news! What I discovered was this; when I bring produce home, I did not and I repeat, DID NOT wash it, but simply wrapped the beautiful veggies in a good quality white paper towel, the veggies had a longer fridge life! I prefer Viva paper towels as they are thicker and more absorbent.

The paper towel absorbs moisture that often collects on the produce and prevents it from spoiling as quickly. For those organic mushrooms that were always a chore to keep and or use before they went bad, I now simply line the paper bowl they come in, or use a natural basket with a white paper towel, empty the mushrooms in the container, and then cover them with another paper towel. It’s hard to believe, but I have kept organically grown mushrooms for up to three weeks this way. Now, that’s a big deal as the organic mushrooms never seemed to have a long shelf life and I was stopping several times during the week to buy more. Now, they stay dry, firm, and they don’t get slimy in a few days. They are also still fresh and delicious. Now, that is a bargain money saving tip or what?

Preparing to roll these beautiful baby cucumbers in white paper towel.

I house carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower the same way that I store my mushrooms. My vegetable drawer is not as colorful as it once was, but instead filled with odd shapes of vegetables wrapped in white paper towels. But, I know that two weeks after I put cucumbers away with each being individually wrapped, they’re still fresh and crisp!

I individually wrap each cucumber as I roll them into one big bundle. This prevents the cucumbers from touching and also ensures that the paper towels absorb the moisture from each cucumber. 

I love unwrapping vegetables and feeling the firmness of their skin, the freshness of their smell, and holding crisp firm veggies in my hands. I also love the freshness of vegetables while I am preparing them. The taste of the vegetables is still fantastic and their integrity is still top quality. One more advantage about this fabulous discovery is that the vegetable drawer remains dry and requires much less cleaning as opposed to just placing the veggies in the drawer. I know you know what I’m talking about. That veggie drawer can get nasty, but not with this really simple trick. It only takes a few minutes out of your time when putting your groceries away. It will save you a small bundle on your groceries at the register and allow you to have quality vegetables available for all of those wonderful plant-based recipes that you love cooking! Oh, I didn’t mention how delicious, fresh, and crisp that salads are after wrapping the veggies!

I hope you enjoy this wonderful bit of information and find it as useful as I did! Feel free to follow my blog, leave feedback, or comments. I look forward to posting an upcoming new favorite go to plant based soup that I am totally loving right now! I am excited for you to try my recipe for Three Bean Mexican Soup! For now, God bless, happy eating, and remember to always eat fresh and organic when possible. Until the next post God bless from the mountains of Kentucky!