Day 102 & 103 Strawberry Peach Ice Cream Recipe

For a great "do ahead" meal try Bill's Enchiladas (pg 88). Normally, around 5:00pm I start thinking about what I am going to make for dinner. So, it took great self discipline to force myself to think "dinner" at 11:00 AM, but what a treat it was at 6:00pm when I came rolling in from an afternoon of errands, to smell the aroma of an already prepared dinner in my crockpot! I just heated up some extra corn tortillas and put the crockpot on the table along with leftover Cilantro Slaw (which still tasted great)

For dessert I made peach/strawberry icecream (my own invention) which was luscious.
I just put 1 cup of frozen strawberries, 1 cup of frozen peaches and 2 frozen bananas and 1/2cup of vanilla flavored almond milk in my high speed blender ( I let things thaw for about 5 minutes before hitting the switch). It made the most wonderful creamy treat. I topped each serving with 1 t.orange juice concentrate and 1T of sliced almonds. Sooo good!

So that was yesterday, Today, I slacked off. We ate out twice. After my second dissapointing meal, I have come to the conclusion that there are no longer any good restaurants, but then, maybe, I am just getting spoiled by Bill's great meals.

Tonight, I got fired up again and made Bill's Healthy Muffins (pg 161). These are check +++ muffins. I just made 1/2 the recipe and came up with 18 good sized muffins. The recipe calls for 2 lbs of nuts and 2 lbs of raisins which I decided must an error and probably should be 2 cups of each. Anyway, that is how I made them and they were perfectly delicious. I also added dried cranberries and a little maple syrup 1/3 Cup instead of the stevia. Please try this recipe. Its wonderful!

Day 101

For a nice change of pace try the Cilantro Slaw (pg 24). It is made with red cabbage and a jalapeno pepper and cilantro of course. Its a very pretty dish and would make a nice side for cookouts this weekend.

Hopefully, tomorrow I will get my herb garden all planted and for the rest of the summer fresh herbs will be at my fingertips for all Bill's great recipes.

Day 100 Recipe 86, Lentil Curry pg 110 Check ++

I was talking with a new friend tonight who is attempting to cook more healthy, vegetarian meals, but cannot find recipes where you really prepare a main dish.
She said all she can find are recipe books that tell you how to cook asparagus or broccoli or what we would call side dishes, not main courses. So, of course, I told her about "Dining with Bill Irwin".

Lentil Curry is one such main dish and it is totally satisfying. You feel like you have eaten a meal, not a bunch of vegetables. I think this is what sets Bill's book apart from all the others

I really encourage you to try the Lentil Curry. I served it over brown rice as suggeted and then I topped it with tomato chutney. It was so good. As I was preparing the dish I realized that I was out of curry powder, of all the things to be out of! Anyway, I found out online that you can make curry powder by mixing coriander, tumeric, cumin and red pepper. It worked like a charm!

Till tomorrow............

Day 98 & 99

I know this must be hard to believe, but I have just prepared another sensational salad from Bill's cookbook. I am just amazed at the recipes for their variety, taste and eye appeal. Wild Rice Cranberry Salad (pg 64) is tops in all three catagories. This would be great to bring to a summer picnic as it makes 10 to 12 good size servings.

Tomorrow will be day 100! What shall I cook ???????? It will have to be something special..................

Day 96 & 97 Here Is An Outstanding Soup Recipe

Here is a great recipe that I simply had to share with you. It is easy to make and absolutely wonderful to eat. You have try Bill's Cream of Broccoli and Potato Soup (pg 27). I think it is one of the best soups I have ever tasted. It is super healthy. Try it and let me know what you think.

Day 95 and recipes 82 & 83

Linguine with Swiss Chard Pg 118 is so good. The lemon Zest and saffron infusion give it a great flavor. It is quick to prepare and also makes a colorful presentation if you use the ruby swiss chard.

I served corn on the cob first, which I purchased at Wal Mart. It was some of the best corn I have ever tasted, young and very fresh. Then came the linguine with crusty bread followed by Bill's Fruit Pudding pg 178 for dessert, which I rated check +++. It was such a treat. I drizzled 1/2t orange juice concentrate on each serving. It looks pretty and adds to the flavor. That is a tip I learned from Bill. You could also top it with a lttle granola or just serve it plain.

How can something so healthy taste so good?..............

Day 94 Creamy Wild Rice and Asparagus Soup (check ++)

This was a wonderful soup(pg 30)and really it is a meal in a bowl. It is hardy and delicious. The men, Sam, Chris and Loren, gave me the rating, check++. KIatie and I loved it too. The color is appetizing, bright green with the black wild rice. I love Bill's method of thinkening the rice milk with cornstarch. It made it so thick and cremy. I used 2T of cornstarch and a little extra lemon. also, I used only 12 oz of rice as I felt 16 oz makes it a little too heavy. This recipe serves 5 as a full meal. We had some crusty 12 grain bread along side and we felt well satisfied.

This recipe is fairly quick to make especially if you cooked the wild rice ahead. I used Silk creamer for the cup of non-dairy cream. You can usually find it right near regular cream or half and half.

I hope you will try this one, you will be glad you did. I am constantly being amazed at how delicious some of his most simple recipes really are.

Now, what will I cook tomorrow. My son, Loren who started us on this Vegan adventure, is here for the weekend so I will have to make something really special.
Hmmm.................

Day 93

With a little help from my daughter-in-law, Katie, we were able to put two very special dishes on the table tonight: Roasted Tomato Salad pg 50 and Spinach Pie pg 143. Both dishes looked as good as they tasted. Everyone was delighted with the meal. The roasted tomatoes on the platter looked especially grand and would be great to serve to company.

I added a little lemon juice to the spinach mixture for the spinach pie which seemed to give it that little extra spark. Sam's dad was Lebanese and always added lemon to his spinach pies which were delicious.

I bought the Phyllo dough at Whole Foods. It was paper thin and as I was accidentally, tearing the third piece, Katie suggested that I hold the baby and she would love to do the layers of phyllo. Great idea! So thanks to her patient and tender hands we had a masterpiece for our main course.

With the leftover phyllo dough Katie made fruit roll ups using strawberries and black raspberries and maple syrup for filling. Then she baked them till lightly brown. They made a delicious dessert.

Tomorrow, I am making one of Bill's soups, Creamy Wild Rice Asparagus Soup....sounds good......

Day 91 & 92 Pasta with Zucchini and tomatoes, check ++

This is a really good one. I recommend using just 1 tsp of crushed red pepper instead of two. 1 tsp was hot enough for all the family gathered at the dinner table tonight. We are in Lexington visiting our new adorable grandson, Henry Quinn Francis, just one week old. Katie always sets a lovely table with flowers and candles and it made our celebration dinner very special. In addition to Chris and Katie, Philip an Loren were here. Everyone loved the fresh ingredient sauce. The tomatoes, zuchini, and basil are only cooked for a few minutes before ladling them over the warm pasta.

I hope you will try this one. Tomorrow, I will be making two special dishes: Spinach pie and Roasted Tomato Salad. Till then....

Day 90 & Recipe 77

Super Salad is the way I would describe Fruit and Cabbage Slaw (pg 33). This is a deliciously different salad. When you want a change from the green salad this is it. It doesn't have any green in it at all and yet it is jam packed with fruit and vegies.

Dr.Joel Fuhrman states in his new book, Eat to Live, that cancer is a fruit and vegetable deficiency disease. I believe it and cooking your way through "Dining with Bill Irwin" is a great way to increase your fruit and vegetable intake and enjoy the process.

I added 1/4 cup of Veganaise to the salad and thought it was even better. I use High Omega-3 Veganaise which you can get in Hannafords or in most health food stores. It tastes far better than mayonaise and has 0% cholestoral. Try it on vegie burgers, or fresh tomato slices or on avocado! Its great stuff.

I hope you are cooking along with me. I know some of you have made Bill's chili and have raved about it. Would love your comments on anything you've tried....

Day 89

Did you know that many extreme long distance runners are vegans? Please google the May 13th article in the NY Times about Scott Jurek. Many runners have found the vegan diet to be a major boost to their health and performance. You will enjoy the article.

Sorry, no cooking today. We were out for lunch and dinner!

Day 88 and Recipe 76

 

Thought you might like a photo of the Baked Onions with Nut Stuffing pg71 that I made on April 22nd. They are not only pleasing to the palate but pleasing to the eye, as well.

Tonight, we had Spring Mix and Blueberry Salad (pg 54). It is a wonderful salad and an eyecatcher as well. It can be whipped up in a jiffy and the served elegantly on glass plates.

Today, I found the last of the 13 herbs (Cilantro) that I want to grow in my herb garden. It will be so nice to have all the herbs, that Bill calls for, ready at my finger tips. I will start planting tomorrow.

Day 84-87

You probably think I have fallen off the face of the earth. Well, not quite, but we have had a steady stream of company and a new member added to the family. Our son, Chris and his precious, wife Katie had a baby boy (8lbs 8oz and 20" long) brought into their family yesterday. The name isn't pinned down yet but Mom & baby were doing so well that they came home from the birthing Center last night just hours after delivery. Congratulations Chris and Katie!

Well, confession time: I have not cooked a thing. When company comes to Maine from Wyoming they don't want tofu, they want lobster, so that is what I gave them. Now you have probably heard of Tofurky, but have you heard of Tofobster? Well, I am developing it and as soon as I get it perfected I will share it with you.

I went to a big indoor yard sale tonight and guess what I found? Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking for just $10. I could not resist. AS I perused the book tonight, I became exceedingly grateful that I am cooking Bill's recipes and not Julia's: Brown sauce over Calf's Brains, Veal Kidneys flamed in Brandy,
and Braised Sweet Breads. I get nauseated just looking at the recipes!

I did want to pass on a recommendation for the new "So Delicious Minis" icecream bars in the coconut almond flavor. They are dairy free and out of this world delicious. I found them at Shaws in the health food section.

Day 83 Island Fruit Smoothie

I got a new toy for Mother's Day! Its called a Turbo Blender. It will blend almost anything. It is an amazing machine and great way to make frozen smoothies. So this evening, I made Island Fruit Smoothies (pg 179). What a delicious way to eat your fruits and vegies. My old blender would never crunch up the ice cubes, but this one does it in 3 seconds. It is a Turboblend 4500 made by Vita Mix Corporation. Thank you Sam!

Day 81 & 82, Recipes 73 & 74 check +++

Two more great recipes today! I was in the mood for something different today. Call it a "Vegan Deprivation Mood swing". That is when you want some of the old foods you used to eat in your past, carnivorous life. Well, to be honest, I was craving potato chips! That's when I came across the recipe in Bill's book for exactly that, potato chips (pg196). You have to try them! The seasoning is perfect. Be sure to bake them the full 25 minutes. I took them out at 20 minutes as they were looking done but unfortunately, only half were crisp. The other half were deliciuos but more like home fries.

So, for lunch I cooked Black Bean Burgers, that had been frozen for a month (and still tasted great), on a WW roll with a big tomato slice, basil leaves and Veganaise. On the side, I served a big heap of potato chips. Burger and chips, nothing cures the deprivaton syndrome any faster!

I, also, made Three Berry Delight (pg 185), which is a wonderful fruit topping for crepes or pancakes. I served it over crepes stuffed with banana slices and walnuts. It was heavenly. This is a"must Try" just as much as the potato chips are. I used all fresh fruit but I am sure frozen could work also. It was amazing to me to pull out this marvelous thick fruit sauce from the oven. This is how I am making all my jams from now on. I will try some other variations and let you know how it goes...

Day 80 and recipes 71 & 72

Company tonight so two recipes were cooked! The main course was Garbanzo Bean (Chic Pea) Chili (pg 93). This was wonderful and really appreciated by our guest from St Thomas who loves well spiced natural foods. I think it is one of the best curries I've tasted. I substituted regular mustard seed for the black ones called for and used powdered cumin instead of the cumin seed and it was delicious. Just a wonderful array of flavors. Try it . You will love it.

The other dish was a dessert: Chocolate (Carob) pudding, check ++ (pg 74). You will never guess what the three ingredients are. Well, yes, Carob powder is one of them. Did you know that Carob powder is a great source of calcium? In fact, it has more calcium than milk. It has a sweet chocolate taste but 60% less calories than chocolate. It grows as a 4-6" pod on a tree and is ground into flour. It grows in the Middle East and is referred to in the Bible. It is believed to have been the pods mentioned in the story of the Prodigal Son.

Any guesses on the other two ingredients? ............ hint: no cooking necessary, raw and full of vitamins.........................?

Day 79 and Recipe 70 with a check+++ rating

Scrumptious is the only way to describe Rocky Road Ice Cream (pg 183). Forget all that expensive Tofutti fake ice cream. You can make something ten times better in your food processor or juicer and it is totally healthy. I have never found recipes like this one in any other Vegan cookbook and it is so simple. Take two peeled and frozen bananas, 1/2 cup of raw almonds or walnuts ( I used walnuts) and 1 heaping tsp of carob powder (so much better for you than chocolate and available in all health food stores) and put all in food processor or run through the juicer. It is hard to believe there is no sugar, no cream, no artificial ingredients and No Guilt!

Please try it and let me know what you think........

Day 78 Recipe for fabulous salad dressing

I simply have to give you this salad dressing recipe from Bill's book as it is so good. I initially made it to put on the Spinach, Strawberry and Hearts of Palm Salad (pg 53), but since then I have used it on other salads with fruit and greens, such as Spinach, Orange sections and almond slices. This will convince you to buy the book! (at info@billirwin.com, mention my name and get $5. off)

Combine in a small saucepan:1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 cup pure maple syrup, 2T lemon juice and 1 tsp Braggs Liquid Aminoes. Heat over medium heat until syrup dissolves, stirring frequently. Let cool. When cooled add 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 small red onion, chopped,, 2T poppy seeds, 2 tsp dry mustard and 1 tsp paprika. Whisk till blended and serve. Enjoy!

Day 77 & Recipe 69

Tonight, I decided to cook one of the shortest recipes in the book, Porcini Risotto (pg 125). I was scanning through the book to see what recipe I might have all the ingredients for and came across this one. But, alas, it called for 2 tsp of truffle flavored olive oil. I said to my daughter-in-law, "Who would ever have truffle flavored olive oil?" She said, "I do." So, I was in business and 25 minutes later the dish was done (unlike the 2 hours and 25 minutes of last night's meal). We served it with a delicious Cobb salad that Katie made.

Speaking of business and Katie, please check out her business on Etsy.com listed under Suzie Automatic. She and my son, Chris, have made some very creative stickers to decorate Apple laptop computers. They are selling like hotcakes!

Day 76 and Recipe 68

Two and a half hours and 50 ingredients later, we sat down to Ginger Grass Portobello Mushroom Caps (pg 94 &95). This is Bill's most complex recipe and also, probably, the most wonderful. Fortunately, my daughter-in-law helped me cook it and two of my four sons, Chris and Philip were here to help devour it. What a wonderful meal, not only delicious, but picturesque!

You start by making a cilantro pesto to drizzle on the plates, then you fan out 6 lightly cooked asparagus spears on top of the cilantro drizzle Next, you prepare coconut rice cakes and place on top of the asparagus. The rice cake is topped with a portobello that has been covered with a Asian baste that has 12 ingredients and Ginger lemon grass puree that has 7 ingredients. On top of that, you place a dollop of sweet and sour tomato jam that you make from 8 ingredients. The result is spectacular!

When I make it again, I will prepare some of the bastes and purees the day before. They are all delicious in their own right and could be used in other dinners. Hope you will try it. The family gave it a check ++ rating. Let me know what you think. I dare you to try it............

Day 74 & 75

Well, the big party went well with over 90 people showing up. The weather was perfect and my mother loved every minute of it. She is amazing for 98. With all the time spent on party prep I did not have time to cook a single recipe. So tomorrow, to make up for it, my daughter-in-law, Katie and I are going to make the most difficult recipe in the whole book. The recipe has 50 ingredients!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stayed tuned for a report on Ginger Grass Portobello Mushroom Caps................