Food for Life – Tropical Chewies

Sugar is not good for the stomach. It causes fermentation, and this clouds the brain and brings peevishness into the disposition. . . .

“Sugar clogs the system. It hinders the working of the living machine.

“There was one case in Montcalm County, Michigan, to which I [Ellen White] will refer. The individual was a noble man. He stood six feet, and was of fine appearance. I was called to visit him in his sickness. I had previously conversed with him in regard to his manner of living. ‘I do not like the looks of your eyes,’ said I. He was eating large quantities of sugar. I asked him why he did this. He said that he had left off meat, and did not know what would supply its place as well as sugar. His food did not satisfy him, simply because his wife did not know how to cook.

“Some of you send your daughters, who have nearly grown to womanhood, to school to learn the sciences before they know how to cook, when this should be made of the first importance. Here was a woman who did not know how to cook; she had not learned how to prepare healthful food. The wife and mother was deficient in this important branch of education; and as the result, poorly cooked food not being sufficient to sustain the demands of the system, sugar was eaten immoderately, which brought on a diseased condition of the entire system. This man’s life was sacrificed unnecessarily to bad cooking. . . .

“He died a victim to poor cooking. He tried to make sugar supply the place of good cooking, and it only made matters worse.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 327, 328.

Tropical Chewies

Cream together:

1/4 cup margarine (or oil)

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup orange juice concentrate

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Slowly add:

1/2 cup crushed pineapple (drained)

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup oats

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

3/4 cup carob chips (or raisins)

Place mixture in an 11-3/4 inch x 7-1/2 inch baking pan that has been sprayed with Pam or lightly oiled. Bake at 350 degrees until browned.

Cathy Summers Timmons, a Steps to Life staff member and a member of LandMarks’ editorial staff, also serves as Director of Pacific Missionary Outreach. She may be contacted by e-mail at: cathytimmons@stepstolife.org.

Do you have a favorite vegan recipe you are willing to share with LandMarks’ readers? Send it to us with a photo of you, if available, and a two or three line bio. We will consider all submissions. Send to the address below or by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Food for Life – Eggplant Spread

Eternal life is the receiving of the living elements in the Scriptures, the doing of the will of God. This is what is meant by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God. It is the privilege of all to partake of the bread of heaven by studying the Word, and thus gain spiritual sinew and muscle.

“Each one must appropriate the blessing to his own soul, or he will not be fed. . . . You know you would not be nourished by seeing a well-spread table, and by others eating. We would starve if we did not partake of physical nourishment, and we shall lose our spiritual strength and vitality if we do not feed on spiritual bread. . . .

“The table has been spread, and Christ invites you to the feast. Shall we stand back, refusing bounties, and declaring, ‘He does not mean this for me?’ We used to sing a hymn that described a feast where a happy household gathered to partake of the bounties of the board at a kind father’s invitation. While the happy children gathered at the table, there stood a hungry beggar child at the threshold. She was invited to come in; but sadly she turned away, exclaiming, ‘I have no father there.’ Will you take this position as Jesus invites you in? Oh! if you have a Father in the courts above, I entreat you to reveal the fact. He wants to make you a partaker of His rich bounties and blessings. All who come with the confiding love of a little child will find a Father there.” The Faith I Live By, 22.

Eggplant Spread  –  This is a favorite Romanian recipe.

5 to 7 large eggplants

1 large onion, finely diced

1 medium-sized bulb garlic, finely diced

1/2 cup fresh parsley, diced

Salt to taste

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 to 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise (optional)

Bake the eggplants in the oven at 350 degrees until they are very soft (45 to 60 minutes). When cooled, remove the peels. Chop the eggplant pulp very finely, until mushy. Add onion, garlic, parsley, salt to taste, and olive oil. If the flavor seems to be too strong, add mayonnaise and mix well together. Spread on bread or toast and enjoy!

Bianca Lazor, a homemaker and mother, is an English to Romanian language translator. Originally from Romania, she now lives in Hawaii with her husband, John, and son, Joshua. She may be contacted by e-mail at: paradise7@hawaiian.net, or by telephone at: 808-965-0222.

Recipe – Anita’s Rice

1 cup unpolished brown rice

1 cup coconut milk (fresh recommended)

2 medium diced onions

2 medium diced tomatoes

1 bulb garlic

1 ½ inch piece small ginger

1 ½ tsp. salt

Bay leaves, cardamom, optional

inch turmeric and cayenne pepper-optional

Small bunch of cilantro

Small bunch of mint

½ cup olive oil or water

Saute` onions, bay leaves and cardamom in olive oil or water on medium heat. Once pinkish in color, add a little turmeric and cayenne pepper. Also add finely ground ginger and garlic paste. Keep stirring over low heat till all the ingredients are nicely cooked. Then add tomatoes with the salt, finely chopped mint and cilantro. Transfer this mixture to rice, coconut milk, and ½ cup warm water and put into a rice cooker. Cook well and serve hot with gravy, or vegetable or pea curry.

Recipe – Garden Tacos

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 cup cooked lentils

1 onion

1 bell pepper

1 cup celery

2 cups zucchini

3 cloves minced garlic

2 tsp chili-like seasoning

1 can Mexican stewed tomatoes

 

Finely chop vegetables and sauté with garlic until tender.

Add rice, lentils, and seasonings, simmering until flavors

Are absorbed. Partially fill taco shells and add your

Favorite toppings.

Recipe – Vegetarian Minestrone Soup for a Crowd

2 onions, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

4 carrots, cut in rounds

1 small cabbage, shredded

1-2 potatoes, chopped

2 cups kidney beans (canned)

4 cups stewed tomatoes

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp oregano

4 tsp basil

3 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 Tbsp dried parsley

8 cups water

Saute the first 5 ingredients in ¼ cup oil (optional, may use water) in very large stock pot. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; add 1 cup noodles or cooked rice. Boil for 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, add pesto: Mince 6 garlic cloves very fine or use press. Add 2 Tbsp. dried basil, then ¼ cup oil; mix well rubbing garlic well against side of bowl to get juices in oil.

Recipe – Catalina Dressing

¼ cup sun-dried tomato bits

1 cup hot water

½ cup olive oil (or less if desired)

½ cup lemon juice

½ cup ketchup

½ cup sweetener of your choice

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. basil

1 Tbsp. dried onion bits

Place tomatoes and water in blender and whiz 30 seconds or so. Add oil, lemon juice, ketchup, sweetener, salt and basil. Blend well. Add onion bits and blend just to mix. You can add a little more water if it is too thick. Taken from Cooking Vegetarian for Normal People, Transition to Vegan by Mindy Breckenridge.

Recipe – Basic Corn Bread or Cornmeal Muffins

1 cup flour (whole wheat pastry)

1 cup cornmeal (combination of corn flour and cornmeal)

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp Featherweight Baking Powder

¾ tsp. salt

¼ cup oil

1-2 cups soy milk (typically 1 ½ cups)

1 Tbsp honey, (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Thoroughly mix dry ingredients. In another container, thoroughly mix soy milk, oil and honey. Spray muffin tins (makes 8-10 muffins depending on size) or 8” x 8” baking dish. Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients. Stir just enough to moisten. Put into muffin tins or baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Recipe is from Blythe Hoppe who works with the Ministerial Training Course and helps with many other projects at Steps to Life.

Recipe – Oatmeal Cookies

5 cups oats

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup raisins and/or carob chips

1 cup water or soy milk

1 cup oil (can decrease or substitute with ½ applesauce)

1 cup honey/maple syrup mixture

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients. Add both mixtures together. Let sit 5-10 minutes. Drop by 1 spoonful onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Recipe – Tofu Salad Dressing

Tofu, medium firm (16 oz.)

¼ cup fresh tomato

1/8 cup water

¼ cup fresh red bell pepper

2 Tbsp. olive oil

¼ cup fresh lemon juice, to taste

½ tsp. salt, to taste

¼ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp. garlic powder

Blend the ingredients, except the lemon juice, until smooth. Pour into glass jar and gently stir in lemon juice and cover.

Recipe – Lemon Tahini Dressing

½ cup tahini

½ tsp. basil, dried

1/3 cup lemon juice

½ tsp. garlic powder

2 garlic cloves, minced (or less)

¼ tsp salt

2 Tbsp. Braggs

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Add water to desired consistency. Store refrigerated in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Note: Dressing thickens as it sits and with refrigeration.