(If you want the background info here is the post where I introduced The Great Vegan Challenge, and here is the post where we checked in with my dad half way through the challenge.)

Green Smoothies

My dad has had a green smoothie every single day since the challenge began. My smoothies are always a variation on this basic theme: chard/spinach, frozen berries, bananas, soy-milk/water, cinnamon, peanut butter, spirulina.

Dad’s Verdict: “Love them! I’m going to continue with these even after the challenge is over because they are a fantastic energy pick-me-up and keep me full till dinner.”

Spaghetti

This meal was quick and easy to make thanks to frozen soy crumbles that I found at a new grocery store here in Saudi Arabia. I mixed them with zucchini, onions, garlic, bell peppers, and made my own tomato sauce with lots of fresh herbs, and poured it all over a bed of whole grain pasta. Now, I have to confess, spaghetti is the one meal in the world that I REALLY can’t stand, so I have to trust Cody and my dad’s opinion that this was great!

Dad’s Verdict: “I like spaghetti any time, any type, and I liked this very much!”

Jambalaya

Don’t worry, there is a separate post coming soon for this recipe, it was great. I’m normally not a fan of this kind of ‘one-pot’ cooking, it always tastes muddled to me. But Cody and my father love this type of dish and kept raving about how good it was.

Dad’s Verdict: “Excellent! This is the type of food I really like – all in one pot! A great mix of ingredients and flavors.”

Shepherd’s Pie

So good! I was absolutely thrilled with how this turned out, it was so rustic and authentic and yummy. I cooked mushrooms, onions, carrots, garlic and mixed them with canned peas, canned kidney beans, and canned green beans and then made a thick gravy with a ton of spices to drown everything in. I topped all of that off with mashed potatoes, baked everything in the oven for a bit, and was rewarded with simmering, bubbly, straight from the pub style Shepherd’s Pie. Amazing.

Dad’s Verdict: “My all time favorite of all the dishes you have made for me so far. I thought I had eaten good Shepherd’s Pie but this is now the best. I really liked the mushrooms and beans in it and I liked how the potatoes were thick and a little chunky.”

Raw Cheesecake

This turned out really well! I roughly followed one of Ani Phyo’s recipes which was simply dates and macadamia nuts for the crust, and soaked cashews blended with lemon juice, vanilla, and agave nectar for the filling. The original recipe called for shredded coconut and coconut oil, but if there is one thing I hate more than spaghetti, it is coconut. So, I omitted them and it still turned out pretty good. Not as good as my double fudge raw brownies, but it hit the spot.

Dad’s Verdict: “This was so-so. The best part was the crust! Funny enough this is true about all of your pies and cakes, the crust is always excellent. Even in your pizza!”

*****

Now it is time for the big reveal. Does my dad feel better? Did he lower his blood pressure and lose weight? Did he love his foray into veganism? And will he continue?

How does he feel?

He says he feels great! Success! His energy is still through the roof, he has far more endurance when working out and recovers much quicker than before. His senses of sight and smell seem to have amplified, he says it is just incredible how much clearer and brighter everything is. He also is sleeping much better and deeper than before, and wakes up filled with energy and ready to go in the morning.

Did He Lower His Blood-Pressure?

When we started this challenge his blood pressure was a not so healthy 140/90.

Now his blood pressure is 128/79!

Amazing! What a difference. He wants you to know that both of these readings were taken at the same time of day, same location, and in the same body position, with mulitple readings taken over an hour and averaged out. So this is a difference you know is real! Isn’t that brilliant!?!?!

Did He Lose Weight?

As I mentioned in the first post this challenge was never focused on losing weight; it was an effort to become healthier and feel better. But my dad had noticed that he had gained a few pounds over the holidays and wasn’t feeling as limber and light as he usually did. When he started the challenge he weighed 198lbs.

He now weighs 190lbs! That is a weight loss of 8lbs!

The most shocking thing about all of this (and it is quite funny, too) is that at the same time my dad started this challenge he discovered a very awesome computer game called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and quickly started playing the multi-player on-line games. (It is seriously awesome, by the way.)

But, that meant that he started slacking off on his workouts to spend time at home with me and Cody while we all figured out how to play this new game. So, even though he was exercising much less than before he still managed to lose 8lbs! He says he wonders how much more he could have lost if he had kept up his regular excercise routine. Hmmm….

Will He Continue with a Vegan Diet?

My dad says the answer to this question is ‘a partial yes‘. Whereas before he was eating meat every single day, he now plans to limit it to 2 or 3 times a week at the most, and completely eliminate red meat altogether. As for dairy products he plans to remove them completely from his diet because he believes they were the main culprits responsible for the hazy, sluggish feelings he would get.

He has had a great experience with the vegan diet, loved (almost) all of the food, and feels better than ever.

*****

Mission Accomplished! This is a big victory for the vegan diet. I knew theoretically that a vegan diet was the healthiest way to eat for optimal health; I’ve read all the studies, seen all the books, but until you see a transformation like this, with the facts and numbers staring you straight in the face it never really sinks in.

How amazing this is! What a beautiful gift – to be able to transform your health, and your entire life, while eating delicious foods that are cruelty free and good for the environment too.

I’d also like to point out that not once did I make my dad any ‘diet food’. You’ve seen no salads, no measly portions, and no low-fat anything. The only thing I did was make sure it was vegan and then it was all good. I used lots of healthy fats like oils and nuts and avocados, I fried what needed to be fried and smothered in gravy the things that needed to be smothered in gravy. There was no portion control, no reducing this or limiting that, it was an all out food fest with desserts ever day. And still he feels immensely better, lowered his blood pressure, and dropped a few pounds. Isn’t veganism just phenomenal?

]]> http://thevoraciousvegan.com/2010/01/24/the-great-vegan-challenge-of-2010-conclusion/feed/ 39 http://thevoraciousvegan.com/2009/12/30/cooking-the-books-sticky-toffee-pudding/ http://thevoraciousvegan.com/2009/12/30/cooking-the-books-sticky-toffee-pudding/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:50:24 +0000 thevoraciousvegan http://thevoraciousvegan.com/?p=413 As I mentioned in my last post I was recently offered the chance to review the Sweet Utopia cookbook from Book Publishing Company. They were kind enough to send it all the way to Saudi Arabia, I was so pleased!

When I first received the book and began flipping through its colorful, glossy pages I was [...]]]> As I mentioned in my last post I was recently offered the chance to review the Sweet Utopia cookbook from Book Publishing Company. They were kind enough to send it all the way to Saudi Arabia, I was so pleased!

When I first received the book and began flipping through its colorful, glossy pages I was immediately drooling over the fantastic looking recipes, but I was also worried. They all looked pretty complex, would I be able to make them?

It might seem strange to you that I can be easily     intimidated when it comes to baking, after all, I have my own bakery. But it took me months to write all the recipes for my products and many months after that to get them to a point where I knew I could make them perfectly every time. Cooking to me is natural and easy, baking is not. So, it was with more than a bit of trepidation I began to choose the two recipes I would share with you.

It is a testament to how absolutely packed this cookbook is with fabulous dessert recipes that I couldn’t get past page 45 without already choosing the two dishes I would start with. There are 171 pages of recipes in this cookbook and I couldn’t even get halfway through before I was running to the kitchen to grab my pots and pans.

This first dish I decided to make was the Sticky Toffee Pudding on page 44 of this wonderful book.

I love this classic English dessert, the flavor of sweet butter and toffee shines through and the sticky sauce that drowns everything is so good I wanted to eat it like soup. My fears were completely erased as I put together this shockingly simple dessert. I couldn’t believe how easy everything came together!

All you have to do is mix up the batter, bake it, and then top the subtly sweet cake with an intensely rich sauce and you have a stunning, addicting dessert. And when I say addicting I mean you will be dreaming about this amazing dessert and stumbling to the kitchen at 2am for ‘just one more bite!’

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Date Mixture

2 cups chopped dates

2 cups water

Cake

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 cups powdered sugar

½ cup vegan butter substitute, at room temperature

¼ cup soy milk

1 tsp white vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar and it was fine)

Sticky Sauce

2 and ½ cups brown sugar

1 cup vegan butter

1 cup vanilla soy creamer or 1 cup plain soy creamer plus ½ tsp vanilla extract (I used vanilla soy milk and it was fine)

To Make the Date Mixture: combine the dates and water in a small saucepan and simmer until the dates soften, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool; do not drain. When cool, process in a blender or food processor until smooth. (Warning: you will want to eat this like soup. Try to resist.)

To Make the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350F and oil and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a separate large bowl, combine the sugar and vegan butter and beat with a wooden spoon until fluffy. Beat in the soymilk and vinegar. Stir in the flour mixture and date mixture and mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the cake is light brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Just a note: My batter did not pour, it was more like a dough so it needed to be pressed into the pan. Have no fear, it was just perfect and could not have been more scrumptious.)

To Make the Sauce: Combine the sugar, vegan butter, and half of the soy creamer in a medium saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil, stirring often with a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in the remaining soy creamer. If you are using plain creamer, stir in the vanilla extract. (Okay, at this point you will be unable to resist drinking this like soup. Just try to save some to pour on the cake!)

To Serve: Poke many holes in the top of the cake using a fork and pour half of the sauce over the top, allowing it to soak into the cake. Cut the cake into 3-inch squares. (This is crazy talk, cut it into huge slabs!) Keep the remaining sauce hot and spoon over the warm cake. Store leftover sauce and cake tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Note: You can prepare the Sticky Sauce a day in advance, just mix it well prior to serving as it may separate. You can also make the cake a day in advance. Before serving, warm it for 5 to 10 minutes in a preheated 350F oven. For fewer servings, you can easily cut the recipe in half and use a 9-inch square baking pan. The baking time will remain the same. (Fewer servings? Don’t do it! Just make the big portion otherwise you will regret it!)

***

If you make this cake I guarantee you will love it! Thank you to Book Publishing Company for sharing Sweet Utopia with me. Stay tuned for the next recipe from Sweet Utopia: the Ultimate Peanut Butter Cup Cake! It is so good I’m renaming Polly after it.

They also sent me a copy of The Simple Little Vegan Dog Book, a  cookbook of vegan recipes for dogs! I will be sharing some of those great recipes with you, too, so you can share them with your favorite four legged friend!

***

You only have a couple more days to enter my Zukay Live raw salad dressing giveaway for your chance to win an entire case of delicious vegan salad dressing! Get to it!