Kaylee Does Farm to Table

Kaylee came over to play yesterday.  I recently downloaded an electronic cookbook for kids, Monkey Mike's Raw Food Kitchen, an Un-Cookbook for kids.  I printed out one for her house and one to plat with at our house.  It's a cute little cookbook with activities and games. It's good for a nice reading practice book too. I found a couple cute and easy recipes we could try together: Dracula's Carrot Salad with Count Your Blessings Salad Dressing and Hunky-Dory Almond Hummus.  She told me on the way to my house she had asked for gluten free treats at the school Holiday party and the librarian told her she bring some hummus.  Kaylee said she was excited about that because she had never tried hummus.  So, we made some together.  She liked it.  Even though there aren't many spices in it, she did say it was a little too spicy by itself.  Mixed with some crunch celery, carrots, and cucumber, she liked it just fine.  I warmed some pumpkin polenta and 13 bean stew I made in the morning and served it with our salad and hummus.  I was pleased she ate a two servings of the salad and hummus.  She liked the stew and pumpkin polenta, but enjoyed the salad more.  Fine with me, the salad, raw veggies, and hummus make for a complete meal.

One of the best parts of the day was when I reviewed the ingredients and realized I had all except some fresh beets.  I do still have some beets growing out in the garden so we had a little "Farm to Table" exercise.  Out to the garden we went to gather some beets.  There were some more treats out there too.  We came home with some chard, a small red cabbage, and a nice big fennel too.

 She's still a bit too small to use a chef's knife, but not too small to use a food processor.  Kaylee read all the ingredients and instructions aloud to me.  I explained what I was doing and what tools I was using when paring and pealing the vegetables.  She ran the processor and helped toss the salad arrange it all for dinner. 

 

The Dracula salad is a version of a beet and carrot salad I already make regularly in the summer.  I like this recipe, the addition of almonds and raisins makes for a variety of textures.

Dracula's Carrot Salad

1 beet
3 carrots
2 green onions
12 almonds
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves

Count Your Blessings Salad Dressing

Juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons macadamia nut oil, (we used hazelnut oil)
2 teaspoons almond butter
Teensy pinch Celtic sea salt

Hunky-Dory Almond Hummus

1 ½ cups almonds soaked in 1 ½ cups filtered water for four hours or more
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup water
Big pinch Celtic sea salt

Thanksgiving Sides - Natural & Raw

I've put butternut squash in salads, but not raw. I'll have to try this. There are a couple in my kitchen just waiting to find a home.


Vegetables for Thanksgiving, Served Natural and Raw

Raw Teriyaki Noodles

This is a recipe I found in an issue of VegNews, Sept-Oct. 2008.  I do like this magazine.  I've made lots and lots of good recipes out of this magazine.  They are stored in the kitchen with the cookbooks.  This issue had some recipes I have made over and over again.  The pages are quite tattered.   This is my version of the raw teriyaki noodles.

Raw Teriyaki Noodles

3 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil
     Sesame or hemp oil will work just as well.
2 tablespoons cold pressed pomegranate juice or red wine
2 teaspoons Shoyu
2 tablespoons miso
2 tablespoons raw agave nectar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup hemp seeds, divided
5 zucchinis
     I used a mixture of fresh zucchini, sunburst, and crookneck squash
2 red bell peppers, seeded and minced
     I used banana peppers.  They are in the mild pepper family, but long and slender and yellow in color.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, juice, shoyu, miso, agave, and ginger until well-blended.  Stir in 2 tablespoons of the hemp seed.

Using a Japanese spiralizer or vegetable peeler, make fettuccine-style noodles out of the squash.  In a large bowl, add noodles and red pepper, pour on dressing, and toss gently.  Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons hemp seeds and serve.

Live Lasagna - Fresh, Local, and In Season

I was inspired by this dish when I planted my garden last year.  I had almost everything to make this dish in my garden last year except the cashews and the garlic.  This year I have homegrown garlic too.  I Can't grow the cashews for the cheeze, but in a couple weeks, I will have most all the ingredients for this lasagna ripe and ready.   I bought some tomatoes and peppers from the local produce store for this one.  They were grown in WA, that's as local as I can get right now and in season.  I've been looking forward to tomatoes this year.  I've been pretty good about not buying them out of season. I have some tomatoes and peppers, but they aren't quite ripe yet. 

Live Lasagna

 This is a raw vegetable lasagna using fresh chard leaves, thinly sliced zucchini, portabello mushrooms, and eggplant as lasagna noodles.  I slice them lengthwise and absorb the moisture between paper towels.

Golden Zucchini slices drying

Portabello Slices drying

The cheeze is made with cashews pureed in filtered water and left in a jar overnight. The next day it's added to: diced red bell pepper, fresh basil, oregano, rosemary, cilantro, green onion, garlic, and jalepeño. It's seasoned with sea salt, shoyu, and a dash of crushed red pepper flakes.  It's creamy and zesty and makes a good cheezy filling.

The sauce is very simple, fresh tomatoes, seeded, olive oil, sea salt, shoyu, freshly ground black pepper, and fresh herbs from my garden, basil, oregano, rosemary, and parsley.  I put all but the herbs in the blender and pureed until smooth.  I stirred in the herbs and let it rest awhile.  When my tomatoes ripen, I'll make batches of this sauce and freeze it.

Once I have all three parts prepared, I put it together just like a lasagna in layers.  First the chard leaves, then the zucchini and eggplant slices, half of the cheeze, the mushroom slices, and then sauce.  I repeat this until the pan is full. 

I made some garlic toast with some garlic I roasted in the oven and a dab of olive oil.

Live Lasagna Close Up

First Cabbage from the Garden

I plucked out the first huge, firm cabbage from the garden last night and here's my version of coleslaw. It's best made a few hours before you want it, or better, the night before.  This gives the flavors a chance to blend together.

These measurements are only estimates.

3 C grated green cabbage
2 C grated red cabbage
1 C carrot, grated
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1/2 of a small pineapple, diced, about 1-2 Cup
1-2 TB garlic, minced (about four small cloves) Too much garlic is one of my food rules.
1 C organic Veganaise (like mayonnaise made with flax oil and olive oil)
2 TB Lemon Juice
1 TB Poppy seeds
1/4 C scallions - I used the long green tops of the onions from the garden
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsp sucanot (unrefined sugar)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Back to Basics - Black Beans and Raw Vegetable Salad

Every week I make a pot of beans and a very large salad so we have some healthy "fast-food" options on hand during the busy work week. This week I made a pot of black beans and a fresh, raw vegetable salad. Many of the salad items are now coming from the garden and the farmer's markets. I just love this time of year. Sun or not, the food still represents summer. When I come home some night this week, I can warm up a tortilla and some beans, add some salad, and I have a great vegetarian burrito. That's my kind of :"fast-food."




What's in the salad? Beet greens, zucchini, crookneck squash, red cabbage, red bell pepper, one large jalapeño pepper, chopped roasted fennel bulb, carrots, chopped cucumber, the juice of one orange, 2 medium avocados chopped, about half a cup of roasted pumpkin seeds, and a handful of dried currants.

Sweet Potato Au Gratin

Sweet Potato Au Gratin—Sweet Potatoes, yams, red potatoes, asparagus, red onion, non-dairy bechamel sauce topped with panko bread crumbs mixed with some parmesan cheese and oregano.

Raw Vegetable salad with many fresh vegetables and fresh peas from our garden.  :D

Black Quinoa salad with raw green beans, yellow bell pepper, walla walla onions, chili oil, and lemon juice.

Celebration Salad

I've seen this salad in many vegan and whole foods cookbooks. It's a pretty simple salad of fresh carrots and beets. What am I celebrating?  The first fresh vegetables of the season and for us in the Pacific Northwest, we are celebrating sunshine today. Nice warm sunshine.

This is the way Chef Al Chase taught me to make Celebration Salad.  I grated four small to medium red beets, one golden beet I had, and four medium carrots.  To those grated vegetables, I added the juice and zest of one orange, a little flax oil, and a little chili oil, about a tablespoon each.  I added some fresh ground Celtic sea salt and a dash of cayenne pepper.  I usually use chopped parsley, but I didn't have any so I used some fresh cilantro from the garden.  Not too much, about a tablespoon and a half.  It will settle and become juicy and flavorful after chilling overnight.  This salad definitely makes me feel like summer is coming.

Raw Veggie Salad, Beans, Spinach Potato Leek Soup, Dairy Free Strawberry Mousse

We spent a lot of time in the garden this weekend, but I did manage to get some cooking done. I made a raw veggie salad with beet greens, escarole, rainbow chard, spinach, diced carrots, zucchini, a handful of chopped cilantro, cucumber, fennel, red bell pepper, diced beets, chopped broccoli spears, diced avocado, the juice of an orange and a little golden balsamic vinegar. We took some of this out to the garden yesterday. It was very nice to take a break and have lunch outside.

I also put together a nice pot of beans. I soaked the 13 bean mixture Saturday night and Sunday morning I cooked them pretty simply. I sauteed an onion, a couple cloves of garlic, about a half cup chopped fennel, a sliced Anaheim pepper, one Serrano chili, and diced carrot. I added sea salt, fresh ground pepper, some ground allspice, 1 TB Agave, 1 TB balsamic vinegar, and dried basil. I added one can of tomato paste and the beans and covered them with water. Simmered for about an hour. They came out a little sweet and spicy. Looking forward to these this week.

While working in the garden I trimmed the spinach plants which left me with lots of fresh spinach. I also pulled out the last of the leeks we had planted last fall.  I chopped some baby Walla Walla onions I picked up at the farmers' market and sauteed them with some sesame oil, the sliced leeks, about three cloves of garlic, one sliced Serrano chili.  I added some thyme, dill, salt, and pepper. Then I added about a cup of organic vegetable broth, chopped potatoes and covered them with water.  I let these simmer until the potatoes were soft.  As it was cooking I used a potato masher to mash the potatoes that were cooked first into a creamy consistency leaving some of the potatoes a little chunky.  Then I added lots of chopped, fresh spinach, probably about four cups. This came out more like a nice stew than soup.  Very hearty and satisfying.


Fresh strawberries are starting to ripen.  We should have plenty very soon.  Still trying to perfect the dairy free strawberry mousse.  This time I blended one avocado, a cup of soaked raw cashews, 3 cups sliced strawberries, about 3/4 can of coconut milk, 1/4 cup agave, about 1/2 cup dissolved Agar, and garnished with shaved very dark chocolate. I saved some sliced strawberries to fold in the blended mixture.

Happy Monday!

Thursday and Asparagus Ginger Soup

Thursday we are usually finished with everything I have prepared over the weekend. We are down to our last serving of beans, which I took for lunch, and the salad didn't last that long. I am pretty surprised how many beans we ate this week. I made three different bean dishes and two different salads.

I started making our raw vegetable salad and pulled out all the vegetables in the fridge to make sure I am not missing anything.  It's not very pleasant to find something nice like a fennel bulb or a bag of greens that are very tired and aren't usable anymore.  While rooting through my vegetables I noticed I have a lot of Asparagus for some reason. There has been a lot available lately, it's in season in some parts of Washington. I must have gotten some at the farmer's market and then thought they had a great price at the produce store. I found about four pounds of it in the fridge.  I better do something with it or it will go bad. Must be a good day for asparagus soup.

I chopped an onion and took out some chopped celery, some carrots, and red peppers that I had put in the salad. I sauteed them in a little coconut and ginger oil, added the asparagus and some garlic, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. I threw in a little ground allspice too just because I had some already ground. Then I added a little coconut milk I had left over, about 3/4 of a cup and an equal amount of filtered water. I let that simmer a bit then added a quart of some pre-made organic cashew, carrot, ginger soup. It was a bit thin so I cut up a head of cauliflower and a couple carrots and threw them in the pot. I let that simmer for about forty minutes and then added some chopped parsley and a hand full of dried cranberries.  Asparagus soup became asparagus, cauliflower, carrot, ginger soup.

Asparagus, Cauliflower, Carrot, Ginger Soup

And the salad:   Sorrel, Red Leaf lettuce, carrots, red pepper, yellow peppers, chopped celery & fennel, cucumber, red cabbage, lambs quarters, diced Roma tomato, avocado, fresh squeezed orange juice, sunflower seeds, and some golden balsamic vinegar.

Sunday in Alabama

Took a about a four mile hike in the Monte Sano state park with Marcie, Pat, and Stephanie. The trees are wild pecan and walnut. The sun was out and warm and this is just how I love to spend Sundays.  There were lots of plants I have never seen before.

We did come across a produce store with lots of organics and items I want to use to prepare some meals this week. The owner of the store, Garden Cove Produce,  welcomed me to her lovely state. There were some things I don't see in our grocery stores such as lots of okra and as much dandelion greens as there was lettuce. I have seen dandelion greens at the farmer's market or sometimes in the specialty section of the produce section, but not sold in the quantities they do.

I made a raw vegetable salad as I would at home with at least ten different vegetables. I used a few that I had heard aren't eaten by my sister's family, avocado & beets, to name a couple. I didn't mention them in the salad until they were almost done with their second bowl. I love doing that.  I wouldn't feed anyone anything that would cause harm to them, but I do like it when people enjoy foods they thought they wouldn't like. We had a nice meal at a seafood restaurant today, but I did notice there were no vegetables on anyone's plate. Good thing we all ordered some salad. They did serve an interesting dish. My brother in law had a red fish fillet that was coated in crab meat, corn meal, and parmesean cheese before frying. I am not fond of frying, but this looks like an idea to play with for baking fish.

I took a walk around my sister's neighborhood. It's a bit different than a typical neighborhood at home. I do have to giggle a bit, most of these houses look like little mansions. This is the style of most the homes in this community. Bricks are cheap as the red clay is plentiful. Most of the homes are made of brick, lots of brick.

Cioppino & Raw Vegetable Salad

Cioppino

One of the benefits of living in the PNW is sometimes someone brings gifts from the sea. A friend brought by a couple nice crabs last evening. I knew what to do with them right away. I haven't made Cioppino in a long time. It's something I like to make for birthdays. I have never used a recipe for this so I may tell you how to cook it differently each time. This is how I made it this time. It came out awesome, just the way I like Cioppino to taste! I used the crab legs for this, the bodies will become something else. Not sure what yet.

Cioppino

1/2 - 3/4 lb white fish, I used some Alaskan Cod I had in the freezer.
1/2 lb prawns
1/2 lb small clams
Crab Legs - with shells

1 Medium to large chopped onion
3-4 celery stalks, diced
1 large bell pepper diced
1/2 fennel bulb diced
1/2 cup diced green onions
3 TB chopped parsley
1 TB crushed dried basil
1 TB crushed dried oregano
freshly ground sea salt and pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 large can organic fire roasted tomatoes.

I sauteed the vegetables in coconut oil until they were tender adding the spices while they cooked. Then I added the tomatoes and about a quart of water and the white fish. When the sauce began to boil, I put in the crab and prawns. The crab was still frozen so I raised the temp just a bit and when it began to boil again I added the clams. When the clams open, it's done. This nice meal only takes about 45 minutes to make and tastes like it took hours.

We put together our second salad for the week tonight. I was asked yesterday if I had any salad ideas because a friend is on a restricted diet and beans aren't good for her right now. She is enduring some kind of cancer therapy. I told him, I just experiment with all the vegetables. Put in anything you like. If you are unsure about the vegetable, chop them very small and try them raw. My husband eats vegetables raw he would have not eaten cooked before. Our salads have at least ten different vegetables and sometimes fruit. This one was a little different than our usual vegetables. 

Romaine, Red seedless grapes, chopped cucumber, red bell pepper, red cabbage, 2 leeks, diced fennel bulb and the feathery leaves, grated carrots (grated very large), 2 avocados, cauliflower, raw almond slices and the juice of a whole orange. I crushed the pulp and threw it in too after juicing. No dressing is needed, the avocado oils the vegetables and the vegetables blend together and add flavors to each other.

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What's for Dinner?

What a beautiful day, we had some "outside time" today. It was almost like spring in February. I even had a tank top on for a short time today, a very short time, but I did feel some warmth outside. Did a little yard cleanup and got some bulbs planted and enjoyed being outside. I planted some Ranunculus and Tigridia. Looks like the daffodils are showing their faces too. Pretty soon,there will be many colors popping up everywhere in my yard.

Last weekend I didn't get our salad made until Monday night. Even though there were plenty of healthy choices for my lunch, I did miss the raw vegetables. I couldn't wait to get home from work and make our salad Monday night.

What's in it this week?

Swiss Chard
Beets and beet greens
leeks
collard greens
chopped fennel bulb
onion sprouts
grated carrots
broccoli
avocado
roasted pumpkin seeds
dried cranberries
the juice from an orange
and a dash of balsamic vinegar and
a dash of garlic/chili flax oil

I also got to wondering if we get enough whole grains. So this weekend I sauteed some red onions with some dill, sea salt, ground pepper, coriander, and some crushed basil. Then I added some fresh broccoli and caulflower flowerettswith a diced red bell pepper. I sauteed them just until they were tender, but still crisp. Then I added some steamed whole grain brown rice. When I fluffed the rice, I added a little garlic chili flax oil. Then tossed it all together.

My beans this week are cooked with leeks and potatoes. I used the 13 bean mixture from the bulk foods. I soaked them for a few hours, seasoned them with salt, pepper, garlic, lavender, and ground dried basil. I diced the potatoes very small so that some of them dissolved creating a creamy consistency. Combined with the red lentils and peas in the bean mixture, it made a nice creamy bean soup. My beans may look the same to some of you week after week, but they are different. I think I have managed to go about six weeks at least without repeating a bean recipe. I might have done baked beans twice, but used different beans each time.

 

All of the above make a complete meal in themselves. But, if I do decide to bring home some fish or make another entree, they all make a nice sidedish.

Then I made a nice surprise this week, Vegan Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies. These could almost qualify as an energy bar; Whole Wheat Pastry flour, barley flour, sweetened with dark Agavi syrup and bananas. I toasted the walnuts myself so I know they don't have any added salt or sugar. No animal products so no cholesterol in these cookies.

Why did I make so many cookies? I am thinking I should drop by Vernie's and meet some new friends. I post my weekly menu on another forum and the members like to get together to meet once a month. I think I will check it out. Homemade cookies are always  add to a welcome greeting especially when meeting new friends.

Thought I'd share something I found in the backyard today. The groundhogs and their counterparts around the country predicted six more weeks of winter. But the new life popping up all over my yard tells me spring is coming.