Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

Today's Cranberry Fact: "Cranberries are rich in polyphenolic antioxidants which protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease. The proanthocyanidins and other compounds inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol while cranberry powder has been observed to decrease the LDL cholesterol levels of animals with elevated blood cholesterol levels. The proanthocyanidins in cranberry and lowbush blueberry are known to inhibit tumor growth." http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/herbs/cranberry.php

Well, we've had our cranberry-laced breakfast, cranberry-studded dinner, and now dessert!  This is one of my favorite cakes.  Not only is it delicious and easy to make, but it gives you the feeling of being decadent when, really, it's pretty low-fat and it's made from whole wheat pastry flour.  How good can it get?

I had a bite or two of a similar cake at a local restaurant a few years ago and the memory lingered.  It took me a while to get around to making a vegan version that came "up to scratch" with what I remembered, but I'm happy with this recipe. That particular restaurant still has the cake on its menu, but they've omitted what I would consider the essential caramel sauce and instead drown it in a pile of whipped cream! You can "gild the lily" with a small dollop of vegan whipped topping or non-dairy ice cream if you like, but don't leave out the caramel sauce!

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S “DECADENT” CARAMEL-CRANBERRY-PECAN CAKE
Serves 8
This cake actually isn't that decadent, but it really seems so! This is a great choice when you want something rich, not too sweet, and special, but not chocolate.  It can be made either with fresh cranberries or dried cranberries.

THE CAKE:
Dry Mix:
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chopped lightly-toasted pecans
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped (or 2/3 cup dried cranberries, soaked in hot water and drained well)
Wet Mix:
1 cup water
3 Tbs oil
3 Tbs smooth unsweetened applesauce (TIP: Freeze canned or homemade applesauce for baking in ice cube trays and pop the cubes into zipper-lock bags-- each one is 2 tablespoons!)
1 Tbs cider vinegar
1/2 Tbs pure vanilla extract
CARAMEL SAUCE:
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. brown sugar
2 Tbs vegan butter (such as my homemade palm oil-free vegan Buttah)
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup organic vegan creamer (these are made for use in hot coffee, so less likely to curdle in hot liquid)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil an 8" square pan and line the bottom with cooking parchment cut to fit.

Whisk all of the Dry Mix ingredients, except for the pecans and cranberries, together in a medium bowl. Add the pecans and cranberries and mix briefly.

Whisk together the Wet Mix ingredients in another bowl. Pour into the Dry Mix ingredients and stir briefly, just until mixed. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes.
Cool the cake on a rack.

To make the sauce:
Bring the syrup, brown sugar, Earth Balance and salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan and boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the consistency of heavy syrup.

Remove from heat and cool a bit. Heat the creamer just until warm. Whisk into the syrup along with vanilla.

The cake can be served warm or at room temperature, but the sauce should be hot. Cut the cake into 8 triangular servings and drizzle each serving generously with some of the hot sauce. You can also serve this with a scoop of your favorite vanilla non-dairy ice cream, or a little of your favorite non-dairy whipped topping.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 485.6 calories; 33% calories from fat; 18.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 163.5mg sodium; 368.6mg potassium; 80.5g carbohydrates; 4.9g fiber; 54.1g sugar; 5.4g protein; 10.5 points.

Enjoy!

                                    Tonight's stew in the pot!

Cranberry Fact: "Helicobacter pylori is the major cause of gastric and duodenal ulcers. This bacterium penetrates the mucus lining of the gastrointestinal system and adheres to the underlying epithelial layer. Recently, it was found that a cranberry fraction disabled some strains of H. pylori so that they could not stick to the epithelial surface. Through this mechanism cranberries could help prevent ulcers. A cranberry fraction also reduces the stickiness of oral bacteria and may be useful for delaying the development of dental plaque and gum disease." http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/herbs/cranberry.php

Yesterday we started my 3-day cranberry-fest, suitably, with dried cranberries in our breakfast pancakes.  Today, it's dinner (and we actually  did have it for dinner tonight, with our friend Brenda, who is not a vegetarian, but loves my vegan stews).  I like using fruit in savory dishes, especially tart fruits.  I'm not sure exactly when I invented this stew-- it was at least three years ago-- but it was on a cold day, I know that for sure.  I remember wanting to come up with a stew with complex flavors, rich with wine, mushrooms, onions, and subtle herbs and spices.  I think the dried cranberries were an inspired addition, if I may say so myself.  They add a little edge of tartness (along with a bit of balsamic vinegar) to complement all the rich, deep flavors.  It's become one of our favorite winter stews, and definitely a favorite for winter dinner parties.

Reconstituted TVP chunks tossed with Seasoned Flour and ready to brown.

I need to add that I prefer textured soy protein chunks in stews-- I like their tender chewiness and their ability to absorb flavors. In the recipe, I have given you some possibilities for substitutes if you don't want to or can't use them, or have none available, but here's a little info.  Textured soy protein is sometimes called TSP, but is also known as the brand TVP®.  It's a low-fat, inexpensive dry product that’s useful as a meat substitute. It is not the same thing as “ hydrolyzed plant protein” or “soy isolate,” BTW. It is made from de-fatted soy flour, cooked under pressure, then extruded to make different sizes and shapes, then dried.  I use So Soya Slices, made from fat-free soy flour (not genetically modified) and that's the only ingredient.
One of the alternative suggestions in the recipe is commercial "meaty" vegan strips, "tips" or "tenders".  These products are generally made from a combination of soy and wheat proteins. Common brands are Gardein, Yves, Lightlife, Morningstar Farms, White Wave, and PC Blue Menu (Canada). They are available in natural food stores and large supermarkets, either refrigerated or frozen. Some online vegan vendors will ship them with cold packs.

Now, on to the recipe...

           Ready to eat on a nice mound of mashed potatoes.

Cranberries are one of my favorite foods and the holiday season gives me plenty of opportunities to use this tart, healthful fruit in many dishes, both sweet and savory.  I'm going to devote the next three days' posts, the remaining days of MoFo, to the cranberry and its uses, along with three of my favorite recipes using this ruby-red berry (in the case of the aforementioned recipes, it will be in the dried form).

I developed this recipe about 3 years ago when I was determined to make a light, fluffy vegan pancake that was all whole grains but didn't SCREAM whole grain.  For a holiday recipe, I added one of my favorite flavor  trios: orange, cranberry and pecans.

Some of you may know that I'm in favor of using our healthful, antioxidant-rich North American berries, such as cranberries, blueberries, blackberries and currants, instead of jumping on every passing bandwagon of exotic, supposed "super-fruit" (such as goji or acai, for instance).  I wrote a bit of a rant about this, as a matter of fact, about 4 years ago, so I'll let you read it if you like, rather than repeating myself.

But a few facts: Native Americans used cranberries for food and medicine, both raw or or cooked and sweetened with maple sugar. In addition, they used them in poultices for treating wounds, and the leaves for diarrhea and urinary disorders. Cranberries were also used to prevent scurvy.

Cranberry juice may prevent the formation of certain types of kidney stones. A glass or two of cranberry juice every day for 1 to 2 weeks will increase the acidity of the urine, and decrease the risk of a kidney stone formation. As an added bonus,cranberry juice does not contain high levels of oxalate, a substance which can promote the formation of kidney stones.

That's enough science for today-- more facts to follow in the next 2 days!  Give the pancakes a try.  They contain four different kinds of whole grain flour, a combo that makes a very light pancake.  I like to keep all of these flours together in the freezer to have at a moment's notice when we feel like having pancakes, without scrambling around to find everything.
Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S VEGAN ORANGE-CRANBERRY-PECAN MULTIGRAIN "BUTTERMILK" PANCAKES (Can be GF and SF)
Serves 8
Yield: about 32/ 3 1/2" pancakes
Light, fluffy ALL-whole-grain vegan pancakes with the added fiber and antioxidants of flax, cranberries, and pecans. You can use this recipe as a template for plain multi-grain pancakes or pancakes with other flavors, fruits and nuts or seeds.

VEGAN "BUTTERMILK":
Juice of 2 medium organic oranges + soy, hemp or nut milk added to make 2 1/2 cups
Grated zest of 2 organic medium oranges
VEGAN "EGGS":
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons golden flaxseeds, ground in a dry electric coffee/spice mill (one that is NOT used for coffee)
2 teaspoons Ener-G or Orgran No-Egg egg replacer powder
DRY INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour OR a whole grain-based GF flour mix (such as this one)
1/2 cup oat flour (or grind rolled oats to powder in a DRY blender or coffee/spice mill and then measure)
6 tablespoons corn flour (NOT cornstarch—corn flour is finely-ground cornmeal; you can grind cornmeal as for the oats above if you can’t find corn flour in a HFS)
2 tablespoons brown rice flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
ADDITIONS:
2/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/3 cup chopped pecans
WET MIX:
Vegan "Buttermilk" (above)
Vegan "Eggs" (above)
2 tablespoons oil
VARIATION: For plain pancakes or other flavors: omit the orange juice and use 2 tablespoons lemon juice plus non-dairy milk to make 2 1/2 cups). Omit the cranberries and nuts for plain pancakes, or use other dried fruits and nuts or seeds.

Step 1) Mix the juice and nondairy milk of choice and set aside. (This is the vegan "buttermilk".)

Step 2) Heat up your pancake griddle- - you can use good, heavy, large nonstick or seasoned cast iron skillet or griddle on top of the stove instead, or an electric griddle-- and spray with oil from a pump-sprayer or wipe with non-hydrogenated shortening before each batch. You may want to wait until your batter is almost finished before heating the pan/griddle on medium-high heat. Drops of water should sizzle when sprinkled on the surface if it's ready. (On the flat plate[s] of an indoor grill, use the high or "sear" setting.)

Step 3) Mix together the Dry Mix ingredients together in a medium bowl-- I use a whisk. Stir in the cranberries and pecans. Set aside.

Step 4) Mix the water, ground golden flaxseed and the egg replacer powder with a hand/immersion (stick) blender or electric hand mixer until like a thick, frothy egg white. (If you don't grind the flaxseeds first, you will have to use a regular blender or VitaMix to blend the wet mixture.)

Step 5) For the Wet Mix, combine the Vegan "Buttermilk" and the Vegan "Eggs" together briefly, and stir in the oil. Pour it into the Dry Mix. Whisk briefly just until no dry flour is visible-- it will be lumpy and quite thick.

Step 6) Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the batter onto the hot, oiled griddle and spread it out gently to a 3 1/2" circle with the back of the spoon. (I use a small gravy ladle that holds about 3 tablespoons of batter and that's perfect.) Cook until it has puffed a bit, bubbles appear in the surface and the bottoms are golden.

Carefully loosen with a spatula/pancake turner (if using a plastic one, make sure that it has a nice thin edge on it) and turn over gently. The center will rise a bit and be set, and the other side golden when done. Don't overcook the pancakes, or they fall and lose their lightness.

Serve on warm plates with Earth Balance and warm syrup (we like real maple syrup) or amber agave nectar. Yum!

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 4 pancakes): 415.0 calories; 20% calories from fat; 10.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 310.8mg sodium; 373.9mg potassium; 77.5g carbohydrates; 10.4g fiber; 3.5g sugar; 67.1g net carbs; 7.2g protein; 8.3 points.

WITHOUT THE NUTS AND DRIED FRUIT the nutrition facts are as follows: 
Nutrition (per 4 pancakes): 214.2 calories; 24% calories from fat; 5.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 309.0mg sodium; 332.3mg potassium; 36.3g carbohydrates; 6.8g fiber; 3.3g sugar; 29.5g net carbs; 6.8g protein; 4.0 points.

Enjoy!

Dori's Raw Cranberry Relish (recipe below)

We don't go to alot of parties, but yesterday we had 2 in one day-- our neighborhood Christmas get-together, and our vegan dinner party group holiday meal.  Both are potluck, so I made most of my contributions, or the components to them, on Saturday.


Herbed Mushroom Pate (UPDATE: recipe in my new book World Vegan Feast)

At 4 PM we went up the road apiece to our neighbors, Toby and Mikell, to meet and greet and eat with the neighbors in our little area of Denman Island.  It's a diverse group of interesting people of all ages, incomes and backgrounds. Unfortunately, in order to finish off my dishes for the vegan dinner party, we only had an hour!  Most of the nibblies there looked wonderful, but were not vegan.  There were some lovely roasted nuts, olives, a spicy bowl of popcorn and some aromatic mulled (local) cider, which was plenty for us, since we had a feast to attend later!  I brought my Herbed Mushroom Pate (recipe in my new book) because I got several requests for it after the last party I brought it to.  ALL of the omnis loved it and I must admit that I take pleasure in watching the reactions when I tell them  there's no meat involved!  (I made an extra one for us to enjoy at home, too-- it makes a great snack on a  rye crisp cracker, or a delicious sandwich.  I usually make more than one at a time because it freezes well.)

We rushed home to turn on the oven and roll out the fat-free vegan brioche dough (rising in the refrigerator) for my Vegan Chikn Pot Pie, which is full of somewhat unusual veggies and a sherry-laced cream gravy-- I'd made the filling the day before and the gravy that morning.  I popped those in the oven along with one of my seitan "hams" (made 2 of them on Thursday) and some pineapple chunks.  I had made the "ham" gravy that morning, along with a delicious raw cranberry relish.


Vegan Chikn Pot Pie, just out of the oven above; leftovers below 



My seitan "ham":


It was great to join with the four other couples in our vegan dinner group for great conversation, wine, and too much wonderful vegan food!


Starting the dinner with Fireweed's absolutely delicious Borscht, made with local (roasted) beets and potatoes!  In the center of the table is Sarah's scrumptious Succotash Salad, which I neglected to get a separate photo of, darn it!  It was soooo good-- full of lima beans, corn, arugula, zucchini and lots of other stuff.




Also un-photographed, I'm afraid,  was our hostess's lovely roasted potatoes and glazed, grilled eggplant slices.

Ellen brought the dessert, which included some delicious Scandinavian almond brittle, again, un-photographed, as well as:
 Homemade vegan truffles

 Ellen's refreshing raw berry pudding with vegan ice cream and a truffle on top!

Here's the recipe for the raw cranberry relish I brought.  It was given to me by Dori Harvey, a longtime subscriber of my now-defunct  newsletter, an enthusiastic vegan cook, many years ago and we loved it!  It was a hit at the dinner party, and I ate some for breakfast!



Printable Recipe

Apple and Cranberry Oat Crisp

This has been a great year for apples and pears, and those of us with friends who are generous with their bounty are busy trying to use it up in ways that will insure that it does not get lost at the bottom of the freezer! (By the way, sometimes people are downright desperate to get rid of extra fruit this year. Don’t forget your local Food Banks, food salvage, gleaning and reclamation programs, church programs, and other social agencies that feed people.)

Having already made applesauce and apple butter, and also pear sauce (make it the same way as applesauce— smooth or chunky but with some ginger —it’s good!), I was searching for some low-fat ways to use up the rest of this bounty that keeps coming my way (I’m not complaining!). I didn’t want to make pies this year because we’re trying to keep off the weight we lost earlier in the year. (But, if you want to make pie, there are a couple of yummy pies on the recipe list below.) So, #1, I made pear chutney, because we love chutney and it keeps well, plus I had everything I needed in the house already.

I’ve been asked, “What do you serve chutney with if you don’t eat meat or cheese?”. Well, curries and other Indian dishes, of course; veggie “sausages” and seitan; smoked tofu (this is a terrific combination!) or tofu cream cheese on crackers—and that’s just for starters!

And, #2, I had some cranberry sauce leftover from Canadian Thanksgiving, and I decided to mix that with an impressive amount of apples to make a very large and low-fat apple crisp, some of which could be frozen for a future desserts. Both of these recipes were hits and now I’d like to share them with you.

WISHING YOU ALL A JOYOUS HOLIDAY SEASON, AND TRUE PEACE IN THE NEW YEAR!

This will be the last blog for a week or so, as I have lots of family coming tomorrow, and then DH and I go to Vancouver for a couple of days. We're just getting together to have a good time together, eat good food, and enjoy some down time. DH and I just put the tree and lights up yesterday. Presents are only for the grandchildren-- no orgy of spending!

Here's a little gift for you-- these rolls are lovely for a holiday breakfast!


Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S ABM (OR NOT!) PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS WITH PECANS AND DRIED CRANBERRIES

These light cinnamon rolls have the goodness of pureed pumpkin swirled in with the usual cinnamon-sugar mix. The dough is easily made in your bread machine. AND there is less than 1 tsp. of vegan butter in each roll! PS: If you prefer, you can knead with a stand mixer or by hand (but don't add too much flour while kneading-- oil your hands and the kneading surface if necessary)

DOUGH
1 cup warm nondairy milk (soy milk is the best for this type of baking, as it makes a soft roll-- try nut milk if you can't eat soy)
3/4 cups warm water
2 Tbs. vegan butter, in small pieces (try my homemade palm oil-free vegan Buttah)
4 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup organic unbleached sugar
1/4 cup mashed potato flakes (can be organic)
1 tbs. salt
2 tsp. dry active baking yeast (or 1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast)
FILLING
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vegan butter, softened (try my homemade palm oil-free vegan Buttah)
1 cup solid-pack canned (unsweetened) pumpkin OR mashed, drained cooked winter squash
1 tsp. cinnamon
ADDITIONAL:
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries
GLAZE
1 cup organic powdered sugar
2 Tbs nondairy milk

TO MAKE THE DOUGH:
place the dough ingredients in your bread machine in the order given, cover and set on the dough cycle.

Meanwhile, make the filling:
Combine the brown sugar and Earth Balance well, then stir in the pumpkin and cinnamon. Set aside.

To assemble:
When the Dough Cycle is finished, remove the dough and, on lightly floured cooking parchment, roll out the dough into an 18 x 13-inch rectangle. Spread the Filling to within 1 inch of the long sides. Sprinkle with the pecans and cranberries. Roll up the dough like a jelly roll, folding the long side nearest you in and rolling away from you. Seal the edges.

With a sharp serrated knife, cut the cylinder in half, then cut each half into 12 rolls.

Place the rolls cut-side-down in a greased 10x17-inch baking pan. Cover and rise in a warm place until doubled.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the risen rolls for about 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool slightly on a rack. Mix the Glaze ingredients together and drizzle over the warm rolls. Serve warm.

Serves 24
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 218.8 calories; 26% calories from fat; 6.7g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 329.0mg sodium; 127.1mg potassium; 36.4g carbohydrates; 2.6g fiber; 7.2g sugar; 3.8g protein; 5.5 points.


Love and light,

Allow me a short rant....

It amazes me that people will pay up to $50 a bottle for some exotic-sounding tropical juice that is supposed to be loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants (and, incidentally, cure everything that ails you!), when they can go to their local grocery store or natural foods market and buy some locally-grown fruits and berries that are every bit as good for you! Or, they can even go pick wild berries for free!

The three tropical fruits that immediately come to mind (and that some companies are getting VERY rich on) are goji berry, noni, and mangosteen. The newest one on the market is acai berry from Brazil. Now, there's nothing wrong with these fruits. They are perfectly good. But why should you pay $40-50 a bottle for the juice (often sold via a multi-level marketing [pyramid] company), when it's no better than any bottled apple juice that you can buy, and certainly less healthful than local fresh fruit or homemade juice? These fruits are no doubt purchased dirt-cheap from Third World countries (Tibet, or, more likely, China, for the goji berries: Tahiti for the noni; and Southeast Asia for the mangosteen). They are then processed into juice (thereby eliminating the fiber, and using a heating process to preserve them for bottling, eliminating alot of the vitamin C and other heat-sensitive nutrients. (Click on the links in this paragraph for more info.)

So, the farmers or pickers in those Third World countries are getting ripped-off, and you are getting ripped-off by paying so much for a bottle of this stuff! The truth is that we have fruits and berries in North America that have just as many (if not more) nutrients and antioxidants as those tropical fruits! Whatever happened to "buy locally"? You can even pick many berries for free in the summer and fall and freeze, can or dry them for winter use, keeping the money in your pocket and treating yourself to some good eating as well as plentiful nutrition.

Here's an article about the new, CHEAP "super-fruit" that's been hiding in the hedgerows of Europe and North America-- black currants! (Remember Ribena?)

If you read the article at the bottom of this blog post that I wrote on antioxidants, you will see a list of the 20 foods with the highest antioxidant activity. You will notice that they are all grown in North America!

One of my favorites on that list is cranberries, which are grown in BC and many other areas in North America, and which is a cousin of the blueberry (high up on said list). You can read about the many health benefits of the cranberry here. The season for cranberry delights is coming upon us, but they are good all year round, and they are widely available, fresh, frozen, and dried (look for the UNsweetened dried ones).

So, what if you don't go for the juice, but go for the fruit or the dried fruit of these tropical fruits? Well, as far as I know, noni is not available in North American markets, and maybe just as well. Here's how the Wikipedia entry for noni fruit describes it:

"The fruit is a multiple fruit that has a pungent odor when ripening, and is hence also known as cheese fruit or even vomit fruit." It eveidently tastes so bad that it has to be cut with other fruit juices.

You can sometimes find mangosteens in markets in large cities, but, again, what about eating locally? Goji berries are generally sold dried. So why not just eat fresh North American fruits that are high in antioxidants, and dried North American fruits and berries? Dried goji berries cost from $19.95-$39.95/18 oz. online. It is not always clear whether they are organic or not, and how could you tell anyway, when they come from China? Organic dried unsweetened cranberries, on the other hand can be had for $14.25/18 oz. (tierrafarm.com), and organic dried blueberries for $14.92/18 oz. (traversebayfarms.com). Or, you could buy or pick wild or organic blueberries in the summer and dry them yourself!

Here is some info about the hype around goji berry, noni, and mangosteen juice (some are sold by companies that use pyramid schemes). I couldn't find anything on acai berry juice that wasn't from a company or website trying to sell it or get you to sell it!

Here's a Nutrition Action Newsletter pdf file article "Squeezing cash out of three 'hot' juices". (One of the juices is pomegranate, but it's quite a bit cheaper than the others [about $10 a bottle], and at least it tastes good, and can be grown in some areas of North America. Here is an article by Ralph Moss, Phd, from cancerdecisions.com, about the health benefits of pomegranate, and a warning.)

Another short article about the above. Here's a quote: "Salespeople for Tahitian Noni juice were caught on camera by a CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, claiming that the tropical juice “does miracles” for lupus, dementia, and macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness among older Americans. But no good studies have shown that noni, a lime green fruit found in tropical Asia and islands in the Pacific, has any unique benefits. A distributor was also recorded telling new recruits that the juice tastes “just like money.” No kidding—a 32-ounce bottle of Tahitian Noni juice runs $42."

The CBC program "Marketplace" featured a piece on the goji berry juice scam: watch the whole show here .


On Noni juice by Ralph Moss, PhD of The Moss Reports (Alternative cancer Treatments)


Is there more about mangosteen juice, or Xango, one name that it's sold under?  Here's another article. And here's the last bit of that article:

"Some Anti-Oxidant Rich Foods: Cheap Alternatives

Okay, now that I feel a little better to have expressed my truth about this mangosteen juice, let me give you some quick tips that these companies certainly don’t want you to know.

1- Berries — Berries are by far the one of the richest sources of antioxidants, particularly wild blueberry. I suggest having as many berries as you can. Plus they are particularly enjoyable to eat. When wild blueberries are in season, freeze them in ridiculous quantities and use them throughout the year.

2- Pomegranate Juice — Pomegranate Juice is a very high source of cancer-fighting anti-oxidants. You can either purchase fresh pomegranates and make the juice yourself, or purchase pomegranate concentrate (which is still a high source of anti-oxidants). The good thing is that even a big jug of pomegranate juice will only cost you about $7, so 5 times less than the mangosteen juice (which is made mostly with other juices). And best of all, you can find it in most health food stores.

3- Prunes — According to recent studies, prunes rank really high on the “anti-oxidant” score. Good thing, because they are also very delicious.

4- Greens — Dark green leafy vegetables are also an excellent source of anti-oxidants. But not just that. Greens contain more nutrition than any other foods!

5- Mangosteen — Finally, you can also get the health benefits of mangosteen… by trying them out fresh. They are very delicious. You can find them in many Asian markets. Even at $5 a pound, you’re still going to get a better deal than you would get on the Xango juice. And if you ever travel to Costa Rica in September, or Asia in the winter, you’ll get all of the mangosteens you can eat, at dirt cheap prices."



Unsweetened dried cranberries and cranberry juice-- other ways to enjoy cranberries


ANTIOXIDANT POWER!
by Bryanna Clark Grogan
First published in The Island Word from Courtenay, BC, and then in my Vegan Feast subscription newsletter.

I was once teaching a cooking class and meantioned the power of antioxidants to protect us from ‘free radicals”. One woman quipped, “I married one of those, and he’s not free or radical anymore!”

But, to get serious, “Free radicals”, in the case of our bodies’ internal workings, are like gangs of vandals in your body. These molecules are released when oxygen is burned along with fuel for energy in your body (so free radical production is as natural as breathing). Free radicals have at least one extra electron, which gives them a negative charge and drives them through your body, scavenging for cells with which they can react. These reactions can damage DNA and other substances in your cells. Your body’s natural defense system, ideally, should be able to cope with this. But environmental assaults on the body, such as ultraviolet radiation, tobacco smoke, the wrong kinds of fats, alcohol, injury, over-strenuous exercise, chronic disease, and environmental pollution, can overpower the body's ability to neutralize free radicals, allowing them to cause damage to the structure and function of the body's cells.

That’s where antioxidants come in.

Antioxidants are the most widely known of the phytochemicals. These antioxidant molecules exist as vitamins, minerals and other compounds, and they have a positive charge, so they can neutralize the free radicals. When you are young, your cells usually have the capacity to repair much of the damage themselves, but, as you age, the body’s ability to repair itself diminishes (sigh). So, as you age, you need more antioxidants to prevent and repair the free radical damage.

Heart disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer, autoimmune diseases, degenerative retinal damage, and stroke are only a few of the conditions which are now thought to be related to free radical damage in some way.

We shouldn't take an antioxidant pill (not there aren’t people out there trying to sell them to you!) because we haven’t even identified them all yet (it is estimated that there are about 4000)! The most studied antioxidants include vitamins C and E, betacarotene and the mineral selenium. You CAN take pills for these particular antioxidants, but recent studies are showing that—surprise, surprise!-- they are more efficacious when taken in food. And a whole lot tastier, too. So, do like the healthiest and longest-lived people in the world, the Okinawans, and eat 10 fruits and vegetables every day!

In a recent USDA study, the antioxidant levels in over 100 different foods were analyzed. Fifteen out of the top 20 ranked foods that help protect cells from the damage caused by "free radicals" are fruits or veggies. Several dried beans ranked high, as well.

The Top 20 antioxidant foods, according to a USDA ranking by antioxidant value per serving size: (notice that ALL of these foods are grown in North America and are relatively inexpensive-- some can even be picked wild)

1.) Small red beans (dried)
2.) Wild blueberries (some people say that these are #1, but every list I’ve seen list them #2)
3.) Red Kidney beans
4.) Pinto beans
5.) Blueberries (cultivated)
6.) Cranberries
7.) Artichokes (cooked)
8.) Blackberries
9.) Prunes
10.) Raspberries
11.) Strawberries
12.) Red Delicious apples
13.) Granny Smith apples.
14.) Pecans
15.) Sweet cherries
16.) Black plums
17.) Russet potatoes (cooked)
18.) Black beans (dried)
19.) Plums
20.) Gala apples

ADDENDUM:
From “Becoming Vegan” by Vesanto Melina, RD and Brenda Davis,RD, p.148)

“Cooking can alter the structure of phytochemicals, resulting in very different health effects. In some cases cooking increases the availability of phytochemicals, while in others it is reduced. For example, lycopene is better absorbed from the cooked tomatoes than from raw tomatoes. Cooking can also change phytochemicals, giving them entirely different properties. For example, when garlic is cooked in water, vinyldithiins are produced; when cooked in oil, ajoenes are formed. It looks as though we are best to include a variety of both raw and cooked foods in the diet.”

Here are some recipes on this utilizing these foods, but be sure to check the Recipe Links page for more berry, pomegranate and plum recipes, and recipes using pecans, beans, artichokes, and potatoes. There's a list of apple recipes here.

Rich Vegan Stew with Cranberries

Baked Vegan Orange French Toast with Bumbleberry Sauce

Quick and Easy, Creamy Berry Frozen "Soygurt"

Vegan "Chick'n Breasts" with Savory Blueberry Sauce

Blueberry/Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Chard and Apple Salad with Maple-Glazed Squash and Raspberry-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Eggplant Pomegranate Relish

Warm Salad of Autumn Greens with Plum Vinaigrette and Roasted Hazelnuts

Italian Plum Jam

 

Enjoy!