How to Cut an Onion

I often find peace while playing with my food.  Cynthia explain this very well.

Pine and Macadamia Nut Stuffed Squash Flowers

Yesterday morning I couldn't help but gather a few squash flowers for dinner.  I have to be careful not to take too many because I want the squash to grow.  So, I took just a couple flowers from all the squash in the garden:  zucchini, delicata, pumpkin, crookneck, acorn, and butternut.  I am amazed how all the flowers from the various varieties of  of squash all look the same.  I don't get to see them blooming too much as I usually get out to the garden in the late afternoon and they've mostly closed up by then.  Yesterday morning they were all standing up and showing their beauty. I can and do pick them occasionally and have a raw flower snack in the garden. I didn't know they were so delightful until last year when I heard about cooking them. If you haven't tried your squash flowers, I think you should.  It surprised me how much a flower can taste like a fresh zucchini.  Be sure to be careful when cleaning them and always look inside before eating them in the garden.  I have brought home some guests like bumblebees and cucumber beetles.

I made a nut cheese for some raw zucchini ravioli from a Vegan Fusion Recipe.  It's from the The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw.  I made the Turnip and Pine Nut Ravioli, page 230, substituting fresh zucchini for the ravioli. I thought the cheese would also make a lovely cheese filling for my flowers.  I squeezed about 1 tsp of cheese into the bottom of a cleaned flower with my handy tool and dipped in a mixture of ground flax seeds and non-dairy milk, then dredged in a little flour and cornmeal, and gently sautéed in hot grape seed oil with a fresh sprig each of fresh thyme and rosemary.  A small teaspoon works well for stuffing the flowers, that's what I used last year.

Pine & Macadamia Nut Cheese
      The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw.

1 cup pine nuts soaked at least 2 hours
2 cups macadamia nuts, soaked at least 2 hours **
1 TB fresh rosemary, minced
4 tsp fresh parsley, minced
4 tsp fresh thyme, minced
2 TB nutritional yeast
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 TB apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup rejuvelac or filtered water, as needed

**Other nuts may be substituted such as: cashews, Brazil nuts, or almonds.

Rinse pine nuts and macadamia nuts, and drain well for at least 10 minutes.  Place in a food processor fitted with an S blade, and process on high speed for about 10 seconds.

Add rosemary, parsley, thyme, nutritional yeast, salt, black pepper, and apple cider vinegar.  Blend on high speed for about 20 seconds while adding rejuvelac through the top until a smooth, cheesy consistency is reached. 

Squash Flowers, stuffed with pine and macadamia nut cheese, dipped in a mixture of ground flax seeds and hemp milk, then dredged in a little flour and cornmeal, and gently sautéed in grape seed oil with a fresh sprig each of fresh thyme and rosemary.

Tofu Piccata

I came across this recipe by way of a Facebook post from a vegetarian page, Vegweb.com.  I had some super firm tofu I needed to use.  I was introduced to the super firm tofu at the Vegan Fusion workshop I attended a couple weeks ago.  It's very nice as it can be made into cutlets and and is very easy to work with. I made some coconut crusted tofu cutlets and took some to work the other day.   One of my co-workers who tried it said it reminded her of chicken.  It's that dense.

The recipe called for linguine pasta, but I used zucchini instead. The first one from our garden this year. I made noodles with my spiralizer and marinated them in a little olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt.  I warmed them in the dehydrator just before serving.  I just happened to have some capers. My friend, Felicia, purchased a couple jars on sale and gave one to me. Thanks Felicia. I didn't have any parsley, but I did flavor the sauce with fresh thyme.  That prompted me to plant a few more parsley plants in the garden.  I shouldn't be out of any herb. We steamed some of the artichokes we picked Monday.  A very nice, somewhat homegrown, vegan meal. 

Tofu Piccata

4 to 6 ounces linguine pasta (I used raw marinated zucchini noodles)
10 ounces extra firm tofu (super firm tofu worked really well)
Sea salt and ground pepper
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons vegan margarine, divided
1/4 cup white wine
Juice of one lemon (about 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
2 tablespoons capers
4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley


1.  Press the tofu between paper towels for 10 minutes to remove excess liquid.  Cut into four 1/8" slices.  Salt and pepper each side.  Dredge in the flour.

2.  Cook Linguine according to directions.  Or, use zucchini noodles marinated in olive oil and lemon juice for about 20 minutes.

3.  Heat a pan to medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon vegan margarine.  Add the tofu slices and cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden.  Remove from the pan.

4.  De-glaze the pan with the white wine.  Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the capers, stirring to remove any cooked-on bits from the pan.  Remove from the heat.  Add half of the parsley and remaining 1 tablespoon vegan butter, stirring until melted.

5.  Top the linguine with the tofu and drizzle the sauce over.  Sprinkle the remaining parsley over and around the plate.  Enjoy!

Vegan Fusion Workshop

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a two day Vegan Fusion workshop with Mark Reinfeld, co-author of one of my favorite vegan cookbooks, Vegan World Fusion Cuisine.  I've been using this cookbook for about six years now and was delighted to learn from the creator of these recipes.  I met quite a few very nice people.  My friend Vickie came along so we rode to Portland together and talked about what we learned all the way home. It was a fun and worthwhile weekend.  She's a bit new to vegan cooking and it was fun to see her get excited about all the wonderful vegan choices available.

I haven't been writing this blog very long, but you could probably search Vegan World Fusion in my blog and find quite a few dishes I've made using the recipes either in whole or as a part of a meal.  One of the best points I thought he made during the class:  He teaches his students to find base recipes for soups, sauces, and desserts and add or substitute ingredients to get the desired taste you want. I've often done that as I usually start my cooking by going to the farmer's market and the produce store and let the available ingredients decide what we are eating. I look for ideas online and many times substitute an ingredient for something I have on hand.

Mark is a delightful teacher, patient, and knowledgeable.  He's got a great attitude about cooking, "There are no mistakes in the kitchen." he says.  "If you don't have the ingredient, substitute."  "If you happen to cook the rice a little too long, it's toasted now."  "If you think it's not the way you want it to be, adjust something." That's the way I cook everything. I look forward to learning more from him.  I am going to take the ten day class online and, hopefully, next year get around to taking his three day class to become a certified vegan cooking instructor. I'd love to share what I know with others.  I think this way of eating is not only easy, once you get the hang of it, it's colorful as well as tasty. 



One of the great things I've learned about vegan cooking is that many of the dishes are raw, prepared using a food processor or blender, and usually contain few ingredients making them quick and easy to prepare.  I've learned a lot about pre-preparation of my ingredients and have been cooking this way long enough, I can find a nice recipe and have most the ingredients to prepare it.  During the weekend we were able to prepare and eat all of this:


Day 1
Sun-Dried Tomato Flax Crackers witjh Cashew Cheese
Raw Carrot Ginger Soup
Coconut spinach Rice
Macadamia Nut Crusted Tofu with Golden Gravy
Organic Mixed Greens with Toasted Pecan Vinaigrette
Chocolate Dream Pie

Day 2
Mushrooms Stuffed with Spinach Paté
Creamy Broccoli Bisque
Raw Pesto Pasta Puttanesca
Coconut Curry Tempeh over Quino Pilaf
Raw Chocolate Mousse with Macadamia Cream

Mark is in Europe now teaching classes and gathering ideas to finish his "Taste of Europe" vegan cookbook soon to be published.  He has also written The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw.  I've recently been playing with this book and it's full of very easy and tasty recipes complete with nutritional information for each one.  I've already made a few things, only having the book about two weeks.  One of my favorites so far has been the Raw Nachos with Nacho Cheese Dip.  It's very close to the nachos served at the Blossoming Lotus in Portland, also created with the help of Mr. Reinfeld.  If you're in Portland, Oregon, check it out sometime.  You won't be disappointed.

Almond Butter Madeleines

 
I told you I was going to make some Madeleines today.  Up until about a week ago, I had never heard of them.  Apparently they are a little cake with quite a long history.

"Some sources, including the New Oxford American Dictionary, say madeleines may have been named for a 19th century pastry cook, Madeleine Paulmier, but other sources have it that Madeleine Paulmier was a cook in the 18th century for Stanisław Leszczyński, whose son-in-law, Louis XV of France, named them for her. The Larousse Gastronomique offers two conflicting versions of the history of the madeleine.^"

They're pretty easy.  I tried them first using a recipe from Cook Almost Anything.  The first time I made them, I followed the recipe pretty closely.  This time I substituted Almond butter for the butter, date sugar for the brown sugar, and sucanat for the white sugar.  They came out pretty nice.  I think I'll try another batch or two this weekend using some egg substitutes to get a vegan version.  These look like a nice treat to take to work Monday, it is Valentines Day, a good day for bringing treats.  OK, any day is a good day to bring treats. 8-)

Almond Butter Madeleines

adapted from a recipe by Cook Almost Anything

1/2 cup ground raw pistachios or raw almonds
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, this time I used spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sucanat slightly ground in the food processor
1/3 cup date sugar
3/4 cup almond butter
about 2 TB vegan margarine
2 eggs

Combine vegan margarine and almond butter together and warm just to melt.  Set aside to cool.

Sift together the ground pistachios or almonds,  flour and baking powder and set to one side.

Place the eggs, sugars into the bowl of a food processor and process until combined. Add in the sifted flour mixture and pulse to amalgamate. With the motor running, slowly pour in the cooled, melted butter - stop as soon as it has been mixed through.

Spoon out the batter into a sealable container and store in the fridge to rest - from a few hours to overnight.

Lightly oil and flour the madeleine molds and carefully spoon in the batter to two-thirds fill each cavity. Bake in a preheated oven, 350°,  for about 10-15 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Allow to cool slightly in the tray before dislodging them. Let them cool completely, ridge side up, on a wire rack.

Finish off with a dusting of icing sugar before serving.

Dairy Free Dark Cherry Almond Fudge Ice Cream

Had some fun with the ice cream maker. I made a dairy free vanilla ice cream mixture with dark sweet cherries, roasted almonds, and fudge.

I thawed a quart of dark sweet cherries I froze while in season, roasted and chopped some almonds, and made a fudge sauce with agave and organic cocoa. I drained the cherries when thawed and added the cherry juice to the ice cream mixture. When the ice cream was just about frozen, I added the cherries and the roasted almonds. Just before I put it in the freezer I folded in the fudge sauce.

Dairy Free Vanilla Ice Cream

Begin by making a substitute for condensed milk.

Condensed Milk Substitute

1/3 cup thick coconut milk (The cream at the top of the can)
1/3 cup maple syrup or agave
1 TB melted coconut butter

Whip all above ingredients together and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Vanilla base for ice cream

3 TB egg replacer
9 TB filtered water
3/4 cup sucanat
Remaining can of coconut milk from condensed milk substitute
Condensed milk substitute (above)
1 pint coconut milk coffee creamer
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 TB vanilla extract or the seeds from a whole vanilla bean.

In a large mixing bowl whisk 3 TB egg replacer with 9 TB filtered water until thoroughly mixed and fluffy. Add the condensed milk substitute. Add 3/4 cup sucanat (or brown sugar) and again mix thoroughly. Add the rest of the can of coconut milk and 1 pint of coconut creamer, 1/2 tsp sea salt and the vanilla. Chill mixture for about four hours before freezing according to the directions for your ice cream freezer.

Sweet Dark Cherries

Wild Rice and Pecan Pancakes

While sitting in the waiting room of the jail in St. Helens, of all places, there was a Bon Appetit magazine.  I picked it up and started looking at the recipes. I noticed a recipe that looked really good for wild rice pancakes.  What was I thinking?  I went to the window and knocked on the bullet proof glass and asked the receptionist if she would copy it for me.  To my surprise, she did it. I slid it through the little bank drawer you use to give them your ID.  She sent it back with a copy of the page for me.

The recipe is really called Buttermilk Wild Rice Pancakes, but I took out the buttermilk and egg. Although the recipe said they make a great accompaniment to any meat.  I found them a very good main course.

Buttermilk Wild Rice Pancakes

3 cups water
2/3 cup wild rice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour (I used WW pastry flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used 1/2 cup oat milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
1 egg or egg replacer for a vegan pancake
1 tablespoon whipping cream (I used coconut milk creamer)
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
11/2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon olive oil

Combine 3 cups water, 2/3 cup wild rice and 1 teaspoon salt in medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until wild rice is tender, about 40 minutes.  Drain well.  cool to room temperature. I made it the night before.

Mix sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground black pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl.  Whisk buttermilk, egg and 1 tablespoon whipping cream in small bowl to blend.  Add to four mixture and stir until well blended.  Mix in cooked wild rice, chopped pecans, and finely chopped shallot.

Cooking in heated olive oil as you would regular pancakes, until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side.

We enjoyed them with the roasted roots I made this weekend.

Da Kine No-Bake Chocolate Cookies ~ Vegan

This is an EZ no-bake recipe for Chocolate Cookies from The Vegan World Fuisine Cuisine cookbook, one of my most favorite vegan cookbooks.   They are full of chewy good things like chocolate, pecans, raisins, and coconut.

Da Kine No Bake Chocolate Cookies

2 C Chocolate or Carob chips, vegan
1/2 C Raisins
1/4 C Pecans or macadamia nuts, toasted
1/2 C Coconut flakes, toasted
1/4 C Almond or peanut butter
2 TB Maple Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla extract, alcohol free
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of Cardamom powder

Place chocolate chips in double boiler on medium high heat until chips are melted, stirring frequently.  Place in a large bowl.  Set aside 1/4 C of the toasted coconut to sprinkle on top of cookies.  Add remaining ingredients to the melted chocolate and mix well.  Shape cookies and place on a parchment paper lined or well oiled baking sheet.  Top with remaining 1/4 C coconut.  Refrigerate until cool.

Not much cooking involved here.

Whole Spelt Berries with Grilled Butternut Squash

I wanted to make something with wheat berries this weekend and I had a nice butternut squash on the kitchen table that I thought would be nice to use.  This is what I came up with. 

Spelt Berries with Grilled Butternut Squash, Pineapple, & Water Chestnuts

I soaked about a cup and a half of whole spelt berries overnight.  I then sauteed a chopped onion in olive oil, sea salt, ground pepper, and ginger until tender. I added the berries and let them brown a little bit. Then I added three cups water and simmered until tender, about 45 minutes.  While that was cooking I chopped and grilled a butternut squash until it was browned and tender in about a tablespoon of coconut oil. I added that to the undrained spelt berries, with some chopped green onions, chopped fresh pineapple, a small can of sliced water chestnuts I had in the cupboard, and a handful of Italian parsley. I made it when I got up this morning and it made a very good warm late breakfast.  My husband said the fresh pineapple would appeal to anyone with a sweet tooth.

African Stew - Vegan

I made a spanikopita for the potluck and I use chickpeas in that recipe. I cooked up a whole pound, so I had some left over beans to use. I made some veggie burgers with them and some African stew.

African Stew

From Becoming Vegetarian,
by Brenda Davis, RD and Vesanto Melina, MS, RD

4 cups vegetable stock or water
1 onion, chopped
2 cups peeled, diced yams or sweet potatoes
1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas
1 cup brown rice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 cups chopped collards or kale
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tamari or Bragg Liquid Aminos
chili sauce to taste

Heat 2 tablespoons of the stock in a large pot. Add the onion and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, adding more stock if necessary. Add the remaining stock, yams, chickpeas, rice, and salt; simmer for 45 minutes. In a small bowl, blend the peanut butter with 1/2 cup of liquid from the stew to make a smooth paste. Stir into the stew along with the collards and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, pepper, and tamari; add chili sauce to taste.

Tepary Beans & Zucchini Orzo

One of my holiday gifts this year was a basket of heirloom beans. This weekend I cooked up the Tepary beans. Tepary Beans are a little larger than a lentil, but plump up like a bean.  I just made a simple bean pot. Sauteed garlic, onions, chopped red bell pepper, simmered in low sodium vegetable broth.  I think I threw in some thyme, basil, a couple tablespoons raspberry balsamic vinegar, and a tablespoon of pumpkin honey.

The Orzo is a variation of a recipe in a book I've been reading this year, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. There are recipes at the end of many chapters and lots of good gardening and food preserving information in it.  There's even a whole day planned out canning chutney, barbecue sauce, relish, and tomato sauce.  The directions even tell you to invite a friend for that day.  Heads up Morgaine.  The chutney and relish recipes look good. I was looking for a recipe I'd tried last summer and came across this easy Zucchini and orzo.  I've had half a box of orzo sitting on my counter looking for a home for about a month.

They talk about the end of the summer when the gardens are overflowing with zucchini. People who don't ordinarily lock their doors make sure they are locked because someone might drop off a bag of vegetables it they don't.  That didn't happen this year in our area, hope it's better this year. They have lots of recipes to hide the zucchini so the family doesn't know how much they are eating. This my version of one called "Disappearing Zucchini Orzo". 

Prepare 8 oz. Orzo
1 chopped red onion
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves chopped garlic, or to taste
2 large zucchini, grated (I used a couple very large yellow zucchini)
2 large carrots, grated
Olive oil for saute
Thyme
Oregano
1/4 cup vegan cheddar cheese
1/4 cup vegan mozzarella cheese

Saute zucchini, pepper, and carrots briefly with chopped onion and garlic until lightly golden.  Add spices to zucchini mixtue, stir thoroughly and remove from heat.  Combine with cheese and cooked orzo, salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm or cold.

Warm, Creamy, Comforting, Mac & Cheeze

This is the Veg News signature recipe, Macaroni & Cheese .  It's been called the best mac & cheese on the planet.  It's pretty darn close, if it's not.  The cheese sauce is made with cashews and simmered vegetables.  This is really good.  I made some last night.  This is an easy recipe and I usually have most of the ingredients on hand. We we had such a busy day, it was late and we were tired. We ate a lot more than we should have. I wanted to have some of this for our meals this week, so I made another batch today.

Vegan Macaroni & Cheese
By Allison Rivers Samson

    * 4 quarts water
    * 1 tablespoon sea salt
    * 8 ounces macaroni
    * 4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces
    * 2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
    * 2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped
    * 1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped
    * 1/4 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
    * 1/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped
    * 1 cup water
    * 1/4 cup raw cashews (soak the cashews in water for about an hour)
    * 2 teaspoons sea salt
    * 1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
    * 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    * 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
    * 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    * 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
    * 1/4 teaspoon paprika

What You Do:

   1. In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

   2. In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoons margarine to a medium-fine texture. Set aside.

   3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.

   4. In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 cup margarine, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth.

   5. In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated. Spread mixture into a 9 x 12 casserole dish, sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown. I sprinkled some dried sage on top after it came out of the oven

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

A friend, who has been getting to know more about plant based eating, put together a peanut butter pie. We communicate on another forum and sometimes she posts ideas for us to try. Here's my version of Peanut Butter Pie.  I used a coconut pecan crust, but you could use a flaky pie crust or a mixture of almonds, dates, and coconut since it's not a baked pie.  My husband chose the crust.  I asked him what he thought would be good and he wanted one of the nut-crusts. It's a very easy recipe with very few ingredients. 

Although mine is not gluten free, the crust recipe is from the Gluten Free Goddess Blog. The crust is from her gluten-free pumpkin pie with pralines.

First, make the crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1 cup flaked unsweetened organic coconut
1 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup all purpose gluten-free flour blend (I used spelt flour)
1/2 cup organic light brown sugar (I used organic sucanat)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)

Place all of the dry ingredients into a food processor bowl and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Add in the vegan butter and pulse several times in short bursts until the crumbs are moist and begin to fall away from the sides of the bowl.

Dump the crumbs into the cake pan and spread them evenly. Using your fingers gently press the crumbs across the bottom and up the sides- about 2/3 of the way up.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 7 minutes- to set.

Remove the pan and set aside.

Then the pie. I found this very easy recipe for Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie:

    * 1 container tofu, silken or firm (approx 12 oz)
    * 1/2 cup chocolate chips (check the ingredients if you're vegan)
    * 1/2 cup freshly ground peanut butter
    * 2 tbsp non dairy milk
    * 1 pre-made pie crust

Preparation:

Melt the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring frequently to ensure the chocolate doesn't burn. You can use a double boiler if you have one.

Once the chocolate is melted, blend together the peanut butter, silken tofu, chocolate and soy milk in blender until smooth and creamy, adding a bit more soy milk if necessary. Pour into pie crust and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.

It set nicely.  Next time I will double the filling recipe, it didn't fill the 9" pie pan quite enough.  I added a top layer with some cashew coconut cream:  about a 1/3 cup raw cashews (soaked in water for an hour or more), 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar, the creme from a can of coconut milk, and the seeds from one vanilla bean blended until smooth and creamy.

I' guessing its probably a high calorie treat, but this is a whole grain, low sugar, high protein dessert.  The tofu and nuts give it healthy fats and protein.  I think I could eat a piece of this as lunch.

Sunrise Brunch ~ Vegan "Eggs" Benedict

We went up the hill to catch a sunrise this morning.  On the way back I thought it would be fun to go out to breakfast. It was only about 8:00 a.m. as we headed down toward home.  Then we got to thinking that there really isn't much around to get the kind of Sunday breakfast we'd want to eat.  We also had quite a few layers of clothes on this morning since we left the house before sunrise. It really wouldn't be comfortable in a warm place. I had seen a vegan eggs Benedict recipe before and it looked pretty good, so I thought I'd try that when we got home. We stopped by the store and grabbed some WW English muffins and some vegan kielbasa sausages.

I found a nice recipe that I used as a guide for the "egg" portion. I whisked together:  ¼ cup safflower oil and ¼ cup golden balsamic vinegar with ¼ tsp. sea salt and 1 tsp. tumeric, a dash of black pepper and poured that on tofu slices and baked them at 450° for 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes cooking time.

Then, I sliced the vegan kielbasa very thin and grilled that in a little avocado oil.  I poured about a tablespoon of troufle balsamic oil after they had browned a bit, creating a nice glaze. I picked up the troufle oil in a liquidation store.  Amazing what goodies you can find if you visit those stores once in awhile.

I made the hollandaise sauce with vegan margarine, a little flour, coconut milk, and non dairy milk. I let that simmer until it got thick then added the juice of a lemon and about ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper.

We decided we couldn't have had a better Sunday morning breakfast unless we drove to Portland.

Lemon Pudding Cake - The Process

 

I made this Lemon Pudding Cake from the Vegan Dad's Cookbook again so I could get some pictures of the cake in process.  It's the strangest looking cake I think I've put in the oven. If I had not been experimenting with so many things I would have no confidence that this would come out as pretty and tasty as it did.  This cake looks like dishwater in the cake pan when it's put in the oven.

It's a simple cake and made with few ingredients.  First I started with simple batter: whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, (I used a zero calorie, low glycemic, natural sweetener this time, Erythritol.  Erythritol has not been found to affect blood sugar or insulin levels and has a zero glycemic index.), baking powder, baking soda, a dash of salt, 1/2 cup non dairy milk, 2 TB sunflower oil, 1 TB lemon zest and 1 TB orange zest, and the juice of 1 lemon.

Then I whisked together 1 cup of the Erythritol, use the same quantity as the sugar required, and 1/4 cup flour and sprinkled that evenly on the batter. Then poured 1 cup boiling water mixed with the juice of 2 lemons on top of that.  It looks so strange, like dishwater going into the oven. 

See the layers:

In 40 minutes it looks like cake with a wonderful lemon pudding on the bottom and bubbling up the sides.

It's great warm with homemade coconut milk vanilla ice cream.

Making Memories - Holiday Baking

The winter is not complete without a holiday baking day.  Two or three years ago Kaylee and I had our first holiday baking day together, she was three or four.  She still remembers it and told everyone about our big day coming up this year.  She remembered making gingerbread men and a gingerbread house together.  We made sugar cookies in all different shapes.  This year she's six and able to help more and ask many more questions.  That's what we did last weekend.  Went out to Rachel's house and created wonderful treats all day. I packed up my kitchen, bringing everything I thought we could run out of or would want to play with.  Rachel lives in a beautiful, small island community on the river.  There's a store, but if they have what we would want, it would probably cost more than I'd like. She was ready for us. There were gingerbread men ready to come out of the oven when we arrived, the house smelled like Christmas. Rachel was up early making dough and getting out her collection of supplies and decorations.

I am not sure how many different things we made, we played in the kitchen and made new memories all day.  There were gingerbread men, thumbprint cookies, sugar cookies, shortbread moons, almond cookies, cheerful crispy rice treats, and homemade marshmallow wreaths.  We worked well together in her small space, not getting in each others' way was easy.  Both Rachel and I are at home in the kitchen and know how to move as we prepped, mixed, cleaned up as we went, and wrapped the final treats. We both like to cook with real food ingredients. We use our traditional grandmother's recipes omitting the dairy and eggs where we can, using natural unrefined sweeteners. Kaylee and Grandpa were great Sous chefs, taking on tasks as we needed them.  They wrapped most of the treats individually to be made into holiday gifts later.  Grandpa played with his new camera and caught the moments of the day.

~Peace~

Chai Spice Tea

Chai Spice Tea

 One of my favorite Chai Recipes. It's a warm spicy brew to warm the insides on a cold winter day.

Chai Spice Tea

2 quarts cold water

1 TB Star Anise
1 TB allspice pods
3-5 TB cardamon pods

Grind the above in a coffee grinder.

After grinding add:

The zest of a whole orange
3 fingers ginger, peeled and rough chopped

Put the all above in a large pot and boil for 5 minutes.

Add a little more than 1/3 c sweetener.  I used 3 dried Stevia Leaves (I grew Stevia this year.) and 3 TB of black tea leaves.

Strain through cheesecloth and cool. Serve in a cup with 50% non dairy milk and 50% tea. Enjoy!

A Yummy Vegan Pink Mess

Or, Dairy Free Strawberry Cream pie with Peaches, Cashew Coconut Creme, and Brazil Nut & Coconut Crust

This was a great idea in my head. But by being shy on the Agar because I didn't want it to gel too much, I didn't use quite enough so I didn't get that layered look I wanted. I'm still working with Agar trying to get the right amount for the desired texture. After the first piece was cut this beautiful pie became a big delicious pink mess.  I'll try again, practice is yummy.

The crust is a mixture of 1 cup raw Brazil nuts, soaked for 2-4 hours, 1 cup shredded or flaked coconut, 1/2 cup spelt flour, 1/2 cup sucanot, 2 tsp. cinnamon, and about 5 TB vegan margarine. Mix in the food processor until it becomes a coarse dough.  Press on the bottom and sides of a springform pan and bake at 350° for about 7- 10 minutes.

When the crust was cooled, I added a layer of my canned peaches and a layer of sliced strawberries, frozen right after they were picked in July.

The strawberry filling: I blended 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 2-4 hours, about 2 cups strawberries, 2 TB Agave, and a bit of coconut milk.  I added about 3/4 cup hot water and 3/4 TB Agar flakes, until they were dissolved, to the strawberry mixture, blended a little more, and poured it on top of the layers of fruit. (I should use the whole cup next time.) I poured the filling on top of the fruit.

The topping: Cashew coconut cream with a mixture of 1/4 cup hot water and 1/4 TB of agar flakes.  This chilled for about an hour.  The topping came out with a really nice texture and gelled nicely.  The strawberry portion could have used a little more agar, but this is really a tasty mess. 

Dairy Free Cranberry Orange Bread

I like homemade cranberry sauce, but since I am the only one who will eat it, I decided to make bread out of the fresh cranberries I had.  Everybody at home likes them baked.

Dairy Free Cranberry Orange Bread

2 cups spelt flour
3/4 cup agave
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons safflower oil
grated zest of orange peel from one orange, about 1-2 tablespoons
1 1/2 tablespoons egg replacer
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, rough chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Bake at 350° for about 50 minutes.

Cute Turkey Cookies

Kaylee & I played with our food today.

A friend sent this to me in an email this week as a suggestion of something fun to do with Kaylee.  We both enjoyed it.  A tasty project with Grandma and Kaylee.