The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet (36 page)

Combine the oats, syrup, nuts, apple, and dates in a bowl. Add a pinch or two of salt, then pour on enough hot water to just cover the oats; don’t add too much or it will be watery. Cover the bowl with a plate or pot lid, and let the oatmeal stand until the oats have absorbed the water. Stir, and add a little more water if the oats look too dry. Let the oatmeal cool a little, and then drizzle with the flaxseed oil. Enjoy.

Whole Wheat Biscuits

These biscuits are sublime at breakfast, but can also be used as a snack or served at a lovely tea. Try them with Earth Balance butter and jam. They’re so good.

MAKES 10 BISCUITS

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

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teaspoon fine sea salt

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cup safflower oil

Approximately
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cup plain nondairy milk (more or less as needed)

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Slowly pour in the oil, mixing with a fork until the mixture is combined. It will be quite crumbly. Add the milk a little at a time, stirring with a fork. You want to use just enough milk to bring the mixture together.

Gather the dough into a ball, and place it on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough about 25 times, then smooth the dough into a ball and pat it into a
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"-thick round disk. Use a 2
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" biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass or jar to cut out biscuits, gathering the scraps and rerolling them to make a few additional biscuits. Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet. If you like the sides crispier, place them about 1" apart. For softer sides, have the biscuits touching.

Bake on the center rack for 10 to 12 minutes or until the bottoms are golden. Serve hot or warm.

Traditional English Breakfast

Having British parents, I grew up on breakfasts of toast covered with cheese, tomatoes, or baked beans. Those days aren’t entirely over; whenever we visit my parents, Christopher and my mother make this awesome vegan version of the traditional English breakfast. We also served it at our postwedding brunch!

If you like your greens sautéed, it will make the dish a little heavier but totally delectable. Spinach tastes great with garlic and lemon juice. Add vegan bacon, sausage, and hash browns to make it a royal feast!

SERVES 2

1 tomato

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Earth Balance butter

8 button mushrooms, halved

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bunch kale or spinach

1 can vegetarian Heinz baked beans (the most authentic but they contain sugar) or a healthier brand

4 slices French baguette (I like sourdough)

2 slices vegan Cheddar cheese (optional)

Preheat your broiler.

Cut the tomato in half. Sprinkle the cut surfaces with a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper, then top with a small amount of butter. Arrange the tomato halves on a baking sheet, cut sides up, and slide under the broiler for 3 to 6 minutes or until bubbly. Remove the tomato halves from the broiler, but leave the broiler on.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes or until cooked through but still firm. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat water in a steamer to boiling, then steam the greens just until tender, 4 minutes for kale and 2 minutes for spinach. While the greens cook, heat the beans in a saucepan.

Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet, and place the baking sheet under the broiler for 1 minute. Flip the bread slices, top 2 with a slice of cheese, and return to the broiler until the bread is golden and the cheese melts. Butter the other 2 pieces of toast, if you like. You should be sort of dancing between all of these steps, as you want to keep everything warm and have it all ready at the same time.

Place a piece of cheese toast and plain toast on each plate, and ladle some of the beans onto the plain toast. Add some mushrooms, kale or spinach, and a tomato half to each plate. Eat it all together. Delicious.

Crocodile Crunch

This chunky, funky festival of fruit is colorful and nutritious. It’s especially fun for kids because it includes a bright green sauce made with spirulina, which has a tendency to get all over teeth, lips, and little hands. I was first introduced to a version of this recipe by Laura and Woody Harrelson; there was a time when they made it every day for breakfast, no matter where they were in the world. Feel free to use whatever seasonal, local fruit you love.

SERVES 2

2–3 cups of bite-size pieces of fresh fruit, such as kiwifruit, strawberries, bananas, avocados, apples, pears, or mango

2 teaspoons spirulina

1
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tablespoons any nondairy milk (I use soy or hemp because they’re creamier)

2 teaspoons almond butter (for this recipe, I like to use raw)

1
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tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons shaved fresh or dried coconut

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cup kamut flake cereal

Divide the fruit into 2 serving bowls.

Use a fork to stir together the spirulina and soy milk in a small glass. Add the almond butter, and mix again. Stir in the syrup and orange juice, and give it a final stir. The sauce should be smooth and neither too thick nor too runny.

Pour the sauce over the fruit, and sprinkle with the coconut and cereal. Serve immediately.

Mom’s Granola

I think this is the greatest granola that ever lived. As a little kid, I often woke up to the smell of my mother’s granola baking in the oven. I loved it so much I could never wait for it to cool, so I’d eat it right off the pan! With a little healthy tweaking, this version’s just as good—great with any kind of nondairy milk, as a snack, or on top of a dessert. It will also last for weeks or even months stored in a glass container. Thank you, Mom!

MAKES 2 QUARTS

6 cups quick-cooking oats

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cup maple sugar

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cup wheat germ

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cup shredded coconut

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cup sunflower seeds

1 cup raisins

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to 1 cup of walnuts (optional)

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cup safflower oil

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cup maple syrup (sweetest version) or brown rice syrup (slightly milder)

1
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teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Spread the oats on a rimmed baking pan, and bake for 10 minutes. Transfer the oats to a large mixing bowl, and add the sugar, wheat germ, coconut, sunflower seeds, and raisins, or walnuts if using. Stir to mix well, then add the oil, syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix until everything is moistened.

Spread half of the mixture on each of 2 rimmed baking sheets (or bake in 2 batches), and bake for 10 minutes. Stir after 5 minutes to brown evenly.

Let the baked granola cool on the pans, then transfer it to a bowl and stir until crumbly. Store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Bread

While on vacation in Maui, Christopher and I discovered a magical place called Laulima Farms. At their stand, they sold smoothies, salads, and fresh coffee harvested from their own coffee bean crop. Their blender was powered by a bicycle, so I had to pedal for a few minutes to get my smoothie. How fun is that? We went every morning to get our treats, and this bread was my favorite. Because the Laulima Farms people have the magic touch, I think it was a tad yummier there, but what doesn’t taste better in Maui?

SERVES 8 TO 10

5 cups cooked pumpkin (fresh is best, but canned will do; see Note)

2 cups maple sugar

2 “eggs”: either 2 tablespoons flaxseeds pureed with 6 tablespoons water or 2 eggs’ worth of egg replacer

1 cup almond milk or other nut milk

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cup safflower oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups spelt flour

3 teaspoons baking soda

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

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cup grain-sweetened, nondairy chocolate or carob chips

1 cup whole macadamia nuts (save a little bit of chocolate and nuts to sprinkle on top at end, if you want)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil two 9" x 5" glass loaf pans.

Combine the pumpkin puree, sugar, “eggs,” milk, oil, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and most of the chocolate chips and nuts if reserving some to sprinkle on top. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until just combined.

Fill the prepared pans with the batter. Top with the reserved chocolate chips and nuts. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the top springs back when pressed with a finger.