A Food Post

Usually, we buy Sabra hummus because in the past, we’ve never had much luck making a homemade hummus to compete with it. I may have finally found one. It’s really simple so next time I’ll add things like spinach, onions and more to give it an extra kick. The only thing to watch out for in this recipe is that it didn’t all fit in my food processor. Actually, the oil and water started leaking out the bottom because that middle thing that holds the blade is shorter than the container. So I quick threw everything into our blender—which wasn’t smart either because with denser ingredients, that tends to create an air pocket at the bottom after only one second of spinning. So basically it mixes air and you have to turn it off, remove the lid stir it up and mix for another measly second. Then repeat. And repeat and repeat. Anyway, I ended up putting it in a bowl and using a hand mixer. That sure pureed it up nicely.

My brother has been laid up with knee trouble so I’ve been spoiling him quite a bit with tasty foods. One thing I’ve been working on perfecting is a vegan omelet. I tried this recipe first but he wasn’t too keen on the basil taste or the chunks of potato. So next I winged a more traditional omelet—silken tofu with pepper, onions, (tofurky) meat and (Daiya) cheese. Once I’ve perfected it, perhaps I’ll share a recipe.

Another recipe I want to perfect is a Spinach Tofu Risotto I saw in a cook book. I followed the directions exactly but found it to be a little dry in the end. Once I get my hands on more of the ingredients, I’ll try again.

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt (inspired by this recipe.)

We had some garlic getting old, so I learned how to roast it for the first time. It seems to have really been past it prime so it didn’t work out as planned, but my Mom ended up pureeing it up for a gravy or sauce or something.

Also made was an adaptation of this Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Salad.

I can’t wait for lettuce of our own!

I’ve been seeing this Icelandic skyr yogurt on the shelf at the supermarket and finally decided to give it a try. It’s a lot like Greek yogurt.

One way I love to cook tofu is to cut it in thin slabs and crispy/brown it up in some olive oil, then you can slather it with a dressing of your choice. Here it’s with a homemade dill, celery salt and pepper Veganaise sauce. Also on the plate: roasted carrots and potatoes.

Chococadonana Smoothie

I’ve been on a bit of an avocado kick lately. In my recipe binder I had a piece of paper with a few ingredients jotted down for an avocado banana smoothie. I have no idea if I found it online or a magazine or a book. I first went with the original measurements (which resulted in a huge portion) then played around with different measurements and ingredients and came up with this.

Chococadonana Smoothie
(Chocolate Avocado Banana Smoothie)
makes a little over 2 cups

1 1/2 cups milk of choice (I use almond)
1/2 banana
1/2 very ripe avocado
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (less if you’re not a cinnamon lover)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon flax meal
sweetener of choice, to taste (sugar, agave, stevia, honey)

Blend all ingredients up in blender (I prefer an immersible hand blender) until it’s all smooth and creamy. Pour into a glass and enjoy.

Other options and suggestions:

The first and most obvious is that smoothie measurements are forgiving. Add more or less where you feel it needs.

I’m not a fan of super cold stuff (or super hot, for that matter—a friend said this might be because of my ayurvedic dosha) but if you want to and have a high power blender, add some ice. You could even add some ice-cream to make it more indulgent.

The flax meal (which is simply ground up flax seeds which you can do yourself in a coffee grinder) isn’t essential for the smoothie, so don’t worry if you don’t have any. However, you might want to look into getting some. For such tiny little things, they pack quite a punch, like omega-3s, antioxidants and fiber. I think the addition of flax meal to the smoothie also makes it thicker. Another thing to remember about flax seeds is that they are perishable and can go rancid, so keep them in the freezer.

The original recipe I have calls for 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract but I’m not a big fan of vanilla in unbaked things. But if you are, have at it.

Did you know you can freeze mashed avocados? Stock up on them when they are on sale.

We Have to Eat.

Going through my recent posts, you’d think this was some kind of amateur foodie blog. I do believe it is still a mainly sewing and craft blog, even though I haven’t sewn a single stitch since January*. I did end up getting in my studio to do a little organizing, but for some reason, I just can’t bring myself to stay for very long in the basement. Maybe it’s the beautiful weather? Maybe it’s all the tasty looking recipes I keep finding on the web. Or the fact that no matter what is going in our lives, we have to eat and many times the nourishment, comfort and even the preparation of food is important.

My brother admitted that his favorite part of Easter was always breakfast. My father was planning his usual spelt pancakes, but I said, “What about waffles?” So I pulled the Veganomicon down from the shelf and checked there first to find a recipe. Luckily they had one (also found it online here) and we had all the ingredients. And apparently they were delicious (even the omnivores gobbled them up.)

For Easter dinner there was organic ham (from a neighbor who raises pigs), Tofurky Roast, sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables, and the above roasted potatoes. Mom and I winged it, but the inspiration was found here.

I’ve been eating a lot of celery lately, mostly with hummus or homemade guacamole. However, a girl can only eat so much celery and some of it started going soft. So soup was in order. I used this as a basis (considering I don’t think I’ve ever made soup before!) but I used our immersion hand blender to grind up all the veggies, threw in a last minute cup of leftover pumpkin puree, and substituted in soy butter and almond milk.

Yesterday morning I made these pancakes. They aren’t bad, but I can’t say that I love them—great if you’re gluten free. They are plenty sweet without any maple syrup or other toppings. This morning I had a couple leftovers cold, while sitting out in the sun on the porch after watering the garden.

These on the other hand have been a huge hit here in this house. I made one recipe yesterday and they are already gone. I have a request to make another batch tomorrow. We don’t have any dried blueberries so I substituted in craisins nor do we have any pecans on hand, so I went with walnuts. They turned out great, so feel free to mix it up!

Here’s to hoping I’ll start being able to post some sewn creations for you all. I have a really pretty summer-y skirt just waiting for an elastic waist and hemming.

*I’ve knitted quite a few stitches, though!

Lately.

Last weekend my Mom helped me make vegan Rouladen (also know as Roulade.) I printed this for inspiration and followed those seitan-making instructions. There are a ton of recipes out there for Roulade(n), most using a bread stuffing of sorts. But in the German tradition, and the one we grew up with, it’s beef wrapped around a pickle, bacon, onion, lots of mustard and smothered in a gravy. So we kind of winged it—rolling them up, browning on all sides and then baking for a little while in the oven, to be sure they were cooked all the way through.
It was our first time making seitan but I doubt it will be the last.

That weekend, I also made a vegan cheesecake. Although we love this one and it turns out perfect, I thought it might be fun to try to convert this one to vegan for my brother. Unfortunately it didn’t work out too great. I’m thinking I should have fully thawed the blueberries (which I used in place of blackberries) first and also baked it a little longer.

We haven’t had much rain in a while, so when it did come down last week, we were grateful.

I have made two different rounds of coconut flour pancakes (one recipe here) as well as one of almond meal pancakes. Although I am a huge fan of everything almond, I think I prefer the coconut. I modified both to suit me but each time, I slathered them with homemade apple sauce and sprinkled with blueberries.

I was feeling a little extra blue recently, so I pulled a favorite down from the shelf and immersed myself in it for a whole day. This book was a great comfort to me in my early twenties and apparently now, too.

Back in January, I spent a couple days knitting up this hat. It was my first time knitting in the round as well as my first time doing cables. Obviously it isn’t finished. I realized I would need double pointed needles to finish it and considering I’d have to buy them, I kind of shoved the whole project aside. Maybe I’ll finish it up for next fall.

My brother and his friend decorated eggs last night.

I myself made deviled eggs for the first time. I used this recipe but I didn’t have Greek yogurt, nor did I feel like straining the yogurt to make it thicker, so I just used regular. It’s funny how I used to hate eggs as a kid, then I went vegan and didn’t eat them for a few years, and now I love them.

Today, I helped my Mom in the flower beds. Felt good to get dirty.

So, that’s some of what has been going on around here lately. This holiday weekend, we’ll be cooking a ham over the fire pit, roasting vegetables, making a Tofurkey Roast and I’m planning on making the Carrot Cake from the Moosewood Cookbook. I hope you all have great weekend.

Irish Again.

On Saint Patrick’s Day my Mom served the traditional fare of cornbeef and cabbage (the vegetarians stuck with a plate of cabbage, carrots and asparagus) and Irish Soda Bread for dessert. While we were sitting around the table laughing and chatting, we of course talked about Ireland and it came about that beyond the meal in front of us, none of us knew much about Irish cuisine. And that just wouldn’t do considering our strong Irish heritage.

Then on the following Monday, I was on Pinterest and this recipe showed up and I was very intrigued thinking it wouldn’t be hard to make vegan/vegetarian. I figured maybe it was a sign that I should try out some Irish dishes. I printed it out and quickly found a vegan Irish dessert to try as well.

It’s called Bangers and Colcannon with a Guinness Onion Gravy. Bangers are sausages and Colcannon is basically mashed potatoes with cabbage. The recipe does require quite a bit of work, but considering my Mom and I make a great team in the kitchen, it came together smoothly. We made one batch regular with bacon and sausages and another vegetarian with tempeh “bacon” and Tofurky Beer Brats. We improvised a few things. For instance, she made a make-shift sauce to replace the Worcestershire sauce since most contain anchovies, therefore making them non-vegan. Guinness is also not vegan (something about filtering it through isinglass, which comes from fish somehow?) Luckily, though, my brother and father are turning it to beer snobs and have amassed quite a collection of interesting brews and could provide us with alternate stouts. They happily offered up a bottle of Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout and a bottle of Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout (like I said, we doubled the recipe.) It was later decided that the chocolate stout was a bad move because the gravy ended up strong and bitter. My father said Guinness is much milder in flavor.

I’m still on my self-imposed low-carb, low sugar diet, so I only had a little bit of the main dish and loaded up on roasted vegetables instead.

The Irish Whiskey Cake couldn’t be easier! Though I do recommend remembering the brown sugar, otherwise you’ll find yourself panicking, pulling the cake out the oven after five minutes, stirring the half cup into the batter right in the cake pan. (True story! And it still turned out great!) You can even make it non-vegan by using cow’s butter and three eggs. We used Jameson whiskey (of course) and left over morning coffee. Both give the cake such a great flavor. I had a small bite myself and can say it is really good. So good that some at the table, despite being full, went back for seconds.

What are your favorite Irish dishes or desserts? Any suggestions?

A Food Post.

Since the beginning of February or so, I’ve been trying to improve my diet—for health reasons, not so much weight-loss ones, though obviously the latter would be a welcome bonus. I’m pretty much on a low-carb, low-sugar diet. I haven’t had a single piece of bread since then, very little added sugar and when I opt for a grain, I go for a whole grain (like quinoa or brown rice) which have more bang for their buck, nutritionally speaking.

I’ve eaten quite a few smoothies. At first, I made them from scratch: last year’s strawberries dug out of the bottom of the freezer, bananas, almond milk, yogurt, maybe a little peanut or almond butter. But then I bought a “meal replacement” because of the super protein content. It’s awfully chalky so I mix it up with a banana, water and a little cranberry fruit juice.

I’m kind of addicted to almond butter. It went very well with the few pears that made their way into the house last month.

Lots of lemon ginger tea. (I even made some from scratch at one point—very much preferred, so much spicier and flavorful than the store bought stuff! I found inspiration from this recipe and this one.)

I even tried amaranth for the first time (pictured). And oat bran (not pictured.) Both as morning hot cereals. The former isn’t that impressive but packs some punch in the protein and iron department. (Anyone have suggestions what else I can make with amaranth?) The latter however is delicious. It’s like a cross between oatmeal and cream of wheat.

These were awesome. I had a brain fart moment and misread green onions (or as I know them, scallions) to mean yellow onions. I was confused why you’d slice them thinly instead of chopping them and why you’d need two. Afterwards it clicked, but regardless, the yellow onion was great addition. I didn’t have the right cheese, so I went with Raw Sharp Cheddar. I’d like to try this version, which is baked instead of fried.

Also, this bread is pretty great. It’s flourless, so don’t go into it with hopes of it being floury and squishy. It’s a dense nut bread. And so good with a slab of butter or even cream cheese on top.

I often eat leftovers for lunch, like the brown rice, carrots and asparagus seen above. Another day it was a simple salad with slivered almonds and Parmesan cheese and a banana with almond butter.

I’ve even baked a cake for the family. It was the simple Chocolate Cupcake recipe from the staple and most used cookbook in this house Good Housekeeping’s Illustrated Cookbook. It kind of turned out crumbly (which it never did before) but everyone said it tasted great. For myself I made a batch of these. I can’t say I’m a huge fan (perhaps I put too much lemon in them?), but it’s a nice treat for myself when I crave something sweet.

I splurged on almond meal and coconut flour and hope to make myself some almond flour pancakes or coconut flour pancakes one of these mornings. Or these, which have absolutely no flour.

What about you? What have you been eating? Baking? Cooking? Any great recipes to share?

In the Kitchen – A Food Post

Over the weekend my brother and his girlfriend made the Spicy Tempeh and Broccoli Rabe from the Veganomicon. I’d never had Broccoli Rabe (I actually always thought it was a way of cooking regular broccoli, but no) and learned I’m not a fan. However, the tempeh and noodles were good.

Then on Tuesday I made the Banana Bread recipe Sarah posted on her blog, Vanilla Bean. So good. My Mom said it’s even better than what she usually makes! I made it vegan with egg replacer, soy butter, and tofutti “sour cream.” I did leave out the nuts but I think they will make it in next time!

Later that night, I couldn’t sleep so I whipped up Chickpea and Quinoa Pilaf (also from the Veganomicon.) Everyone else in this house isn’t a big fan of the chickpeas in the dish but for some reason I like them. The only thing I omitted was the coriander—first of all, I’m not sure we have any and I can’t remember if I like it.

Wednesday morning I started my day with a cup of coffee, two vitamin C and a big wedge of the Banana bread. I think today will be the same.

Have you been making or eating anything good?

Thankful.

When I asked if any of you had suggestions for veggie Thanksgiving recipes, Harmony emailed me with a ton of great links. You know how you should never go shopping when you’re really hungry, because you end up buying more than you need? Well, the same applies for recipe hunting. Don’t do it on an empty stomach. I printed almost of all of them out and vowed I’d make this one and that one, and ooh, this one too! I came to my senses and it was this one that spoke to me most. (Probably because we are all on a butternut squash kick right now.) I also remembered that I have some back issues of Vegetarian Times—including a Nov/Dec one. That’s where I found the Chestnut-Apple Stuffing recipe.

So on Wednesday my Mama helped me make a pretty awesome entrée for myself. We combined the two recipes and then mixed things up quite a bit. On the bottom is a layer of cubed butternut squash, topped with a walnut-apple-tofu stuffing. The one recipe called for a tube of soy sausage but we had some (of our new favorite, locally made) tofu in the fridge, so we cubed it up small and tossed it with a little poultry seasoning, salt, pepper and oil. And seeing as we didn’t have any chestnuts (and I’m not sure I like chestnuts) we subbed in walnuts.

There are so many things I am thankful for this year. I spent some time before the festivities here to reflect on them. They were big things and little things. Here are a few:
-My family who always support and love me, no matter what silly things I manage to do.
-Health insurance/access to medication that keeps me from slipping down the rabbit hole.
-My working body. I complain about it a lot, but really, it’s perfect.
-A warm house to call home.
-The friends who love me because they want to, not because they have to.
-A creative drive which keeps me growing and changing.
-The sweetness, charm and safety of the town I live in.
-My little studio space.
-The country I live in and the freedoms it recognizes I have a right to.
-And all of you, who always cheer me on here with your sweet comments. Thanks.

What have you been thankful for this year?

PS: Many of you commented on my hair link in my last Weekly Finds post. I doubt I’ll have the nerve to do something that extreme to my hair, however, I am sure I’ll be cutting my Rapunzel locks soon. It’s time.

My Weekend and a Giveaway.

I had a busy weekend. Most of it was spent in the studio–I made that cute top there, among other things. It was finished up with homemade pizza (I’m pretty sure we used this crust recipe) and homemade chocolate covered peanut butter balls and playing Sonic on our old Sega console.

This week, I’m offering up a craft book that was in my personal library. It’s called Contemporary Crafts and it’s by Katherine Sorrell. I’ll ship worldwide. Just leave a comment on this post for a chance to win! (Winner will be drawn at random Friday night Eastern US time.)

***Giveaway is closed!***

Curried Tofu “Chicken” Salad

Curried Tofu “Chicken” Salad
1lb extra firm tofu (drained and pressed)
1 tbspn lemon juice
2 tspns curry powder
2 tspns poultry seasoning
3/4c regular or vegan mayo
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional (but highly recommended) additions:
Celery
Onions
Grapes

This is a great introduction to tofu. No cooking required. My brother, who usually complains that I’m stingy with salt and other spices when cooking*, actually said this chicken salad is tastier than stuff we bought in the health food store.

Tofu needs to be drained and pressed. When people say “pressed” in regards to tofu, they mean setting weight on top of it to “press” the water out.

Press your tofu for at least an hour. I cut the block in half then cut each half into thirds. You get more water out when you press narrower pieces. Lay them out in a grid-like way on half a dish towel. Wrap the other half over the top. Place a small cutting board then a heavy book (like a dictionary) on top.

Cut your tofu into small cubes. The smaller the better, in my opinion. Mine were about 1/4 of an inch.

In a bowl, mix up all the ingredients. (If you’re adding any of the optional additions, be sure to cut them into small pieces.)

Serve on bread or crackers.

I adapted this from a recipe in The Giant Book of Tofu Cooking where they have you putting walnuts and raisins in. I’m not a fan of that route, but if you are, by all means, have at it. In my version, the grapes add the sweetness and the celery and onion add crunch.

(*My theory is that you can always add more later—but you can’t remove!)