blueberry scones

vegan blueberry scones

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup quick oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 dash salt
3/4 cup vegan sugar
1/2 cup vegan butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup rice milk
1 cup frozen blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 400. Grease cookie sheet lightly with butter or oil.

2. In large bowl, add flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and dash of salt, stir. then add sugar, butter (softened), lemon juice, and rice milk and mix until just combined.

3. Stir in blueberries LAST and gently mix. Do not over mix or you’ll end up with gray/purple scones rather then golden ones.

4. Drop dough into 6-7 circular clumps on cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly brown on top.

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potatoes with mustard seeds and onions

chris and i made this dish last nite…it’s one of our faves and we haven’t had it in awhile. yum!!  it’s from a really great cookbook we have from madhur jaffrey called “flavors of india”

potatoes with mustard seeds and onions:

a few T of olive oil

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

2 T *urad dal

2-3 dried hot red chilies, broken into pieces

2 medium onions, chopped

1-1 1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1/4 - 1/2 cayenne pepper

1lb of potatoes, peeled and chopped….we have used a mix of regular and sweet potatoes and that’s tastey too.

1 medium sized tomato, chopped

a pinch of *asafetida

…….we always make this recipe with a pot of coconut rice in the rice maker…….

* from any indian grocery store

heat oil in large pan on medium high heat.  when hot, put in mustard seeds, urad dal and chilies.  stir until mustard seeds pop and the dal turns red..this will only take a minute or so.  add onions, cook til onions begin to brown on edge. add salt, turmeric, and cayenne and stir.  add potatoes, tomatoes and asafetida stir and fry for a couple minutes.  then add a cup of water and bring to a boil.  cover, turn the heat to medium and cook vigorously for 10 minutes and the water is absorbed.  you may have to adjust the heat.  remove the cover.  stir and fry the potatoes on medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes to get a rich reddish-yellow color.

this recipe is really good with salad and crusty bread too.

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sprouted kitchen..

i just stumbled upon this really cool food blog called sprouted kitchen.  it’s a husband a wife team, she does the cooking and kitchen experimenting and he is a self taught photographer.  the images are really beautiful and the food looks healthy yet delicious. yum.

Posted in good for the tum, inspired by, misc |

happy green

enjoy a bit of green. happy st. patty’s day….

some spinach and swiss chard from our garden.  either or both are great wilted, drained and splashed with balsamic vinegar and braggs amino acid.  :O)

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cheesey cheeze kale chips

so, you may have read about my craving/addiction for kale chips.  these will satisify your salty, cheese, crunchy craving if your vegan.  i finally carved out a couple hours to give these babies a whirl at home and also, use my dehydrator that chris’ mom gave us.

here’s the recipe i tried….

3 bunches of of medium sized bunches of kale.  the dinosaur kale works well because it’s curly and has a lot of nooks and crannies for the cheezey sauce to stick too.

1.5 cup of raw cashews…soaked in water for a couple hours, then drained.

6 sun-dried tomatoes  or 1 red bell pepper

1/2 cup - 3/4 cup of nutritional yeast…depending on how cheezey you like it.

a splash of braggs amino acid

juice of 1 lemon or lime

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. of paprika

1/4 tsp. of cayenne

1 cup of water….maybe a bit more…

wash kale, cut in large-ish pieces….they will shrink quite a bit in the dehydrator.

place all other ingredients in the blender/vitamix and blend til smooth. pour over kale and mix well with hands until thoroughly covered. place kale pieces on dehydrator trays  and let dry until crispy.  on my dehydrator the bottom trays were dry in 4-5 hours…but the higher trays will take longer.  continue to rotate trays until all trays are completely dry.  let cool completely and place in plastic bag for later. enjoy.

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“kale crack”

today i was working at the yoga studio where i am part of the work study program.  i donate a few hours of “labor” in trade for unlimited classes.  it’s such a great program and i feel proud to be part of it…..i’ll do anything for the yoga :O)   i was cleaning the floor to prep for the expansion grand opening and began to feel my belly crying out for something toothsome and delicious.  i just so happened to be sweeping in the cafe area, and saw on the shelf some dark green leafy packaged “substance”. the package read “quite cheesey kale chips”.  with my insatiable curiousity to try all things health food related and potentially good for you, i busted open a bag.  i have to admit my expectations were fairly low….boy, i could not have been more off the mark.  these slightly salty, nicely pungent and irresistibly crunchy dark green layers of goodness were beyond any expectation for a deep fried fat filled chip.  these were absolutely delightful, satsifying and, dare i say, utterly delicious.  as i am typing…i am craving and wishing for another bag of green delight.  so it  begins, my quest for a recipe online.  if anyone has tried making these at home and would be willing to share their recipe i would love to give it a try.  when i find time i will definitely be trying my hand at making these dehydrated, green and flavorful chips in my kitchen.  the brand i tried is from blessings alive and radiant foods.  i highly recommend them.

image via kitchen dispensary

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gingerbread cake

1 cup regular flour

1 cup spelt flour

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ginger

.5 tsp salt

.5 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup agave nectar

2/3 cup hot water + (4 T for flax seed mixture)

1/3 cup of soy butter

1 ripe mashed banana

2 heaping T of ground flax seed

preheat oven to 350. combine all dry ingredients in one bowl.  put agave nectar, molasses and hot water in another. mix well and add the rest of the of wet ingredients with molasses mixture except the flax seed. place flax seed in a bowl with the 4 T of hot water and wisk and let sit for a minute or two and then add flax mixture to molasses mixture.  add dry ingredients to molasses mixture and stir together.    spray 8 x 8 pan and flour it shaking out excess flour.  pour mixture in pan and bake away. this should take about 30-40 minutes to cook.

icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup of tofutti….soy cream cheese

2 T soy butter, melted

1/2 t vanilla

a tiny splash of soy or rice milk, better to start with less and add more as you go if you need it.

with a mixer, mix tofutti and soy butter until well blended, then add soy milk, vanilla.  let cake cook (or not) and spoon over cake. enjoy!!

i this adapted from a veganyumyum recipe.

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napa cabbage and peanut soup

this unusual soup is sure to please the palette.  sweet, pungent and spicy all in the same spoonful.  enjoy!!

chris made this last night and i was happy happy girl.  this is one of our old time faves from back in the day of shackin’ up & living in sin.  a friend of ours, caroline anderson gave chris this recipe.

ingredients:

2T olive or peanut oil

1 cup of chopped onion

1 large clove of garlic, minced

2 t grated fresh ginger

1 1/2 t of ground turmeric

1 1/2 t curry powder

1/2 t gournd cayenne pepper, or more to taste

1/2 t ground black pepper

1 t of ground coriander

6 1/2 cups of veggie stock

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes

2 -3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 cup of smooth peanut butter

3 T lemon juice

2 1/2 T of soy sauce or tamari or braggs amino acid

2 cups of napa cabbage, shredded

1/2 cup of coconut milk…..i think we normally use the whole can

roasted peanuts for garnish if you like

*note- when i make it i usually go a little heavy on all the spices just to give a bit more kick in flavor….maybe 1/2 tsp. or so more of each.

1. heat oil on medium. add onion, garlic and ginger and cook about 5 minutes. add turmeric, curry, cayenne, coriander, black pepper and cook stirring often for another couple minutes.

2. add veggie stock and bring to boil. add all potatoes and simmer over low heat until almost cooked, about 10 minutes.

3. place peanut butter in a bowl and wisk in a cup or so of the stock.  add lemon juice and soy sauce and wisk more. wisk back into large pot of soup and simmer 5 minutes.

4.. stir in cabbage and cook til tender, 3 minutes.

5. add the coconut milk and cook until heated through. bowl up and add peanuts and salt and pepper to taste.  yumyum!!!

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it’s not christmas…

it’s not christmas……..without having some peanut butter balls to celebrate.  i made an impromptu batch last night.  most pb ball recipes take quite a bit of.  time i didn’t have, but pb balls are what i needed.  i have made these every year as far back as grade school.  my best friends mom would wait til as many helping hands would be around as possible since the recipe made so much dough. this would resulting in hours of ball rolling and a chocolate dipping extravaganza.  i am not alone in my love for pb balls. they just so happen to be one of chris’ faves too.  here is the quick easy recipe i used…

1-16 oz. jar of smuckers natural peanut butter with honey, creamy

1 cup of powdered sugar

3-4 tablespoons of ground flax seed……you can’t even taste it, so go ahead. everyone needs more fiber this year with all the sugar slammin’ we’re doing.

2 T of soy butter (earth balance), room temperature

1/2 bag of dark chocolate

1 T of vegetable shortening

optional: small raw salt crystal and cayenne powder

-combine first four ingredients with your hands.

-form into balls….i like mine about the size of a nickel but 3 dimension…not flat  :O)

at this size it will make about 60 pb balls.

-melt chocolate and shortening together in microwave for 20 seconds, stirring in between, until smooth.

dip pb. balls in chocolate coating completely using a toothpick to submerge and then place on wax paper to cool.  some people recommend refrigerating the pb balls for a couple hours before dipping…..but if you don’t have the time, no worries, go ahead and dip away.  i did and it worked out fine.  sprinkle some with a few salt crystals and cayenne powder if you wish.  the salt adds such a nice texture and the cayenne is really delicious.  refrigerate til the chocolate sets up.  pull off wax paper and store in a container in the fridge. eat up. enjoy christmas :O)

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macaroni and cheeze

chris and i tried this recipe a while back for mac and cheeze (cheeze…meaning without dairy) from the veganyumyum site.   it made an ever so tasty bowl full of comfort food.  :O)  go here for the recipe…..

bowl by meredith brickell

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