Persimmon-Apple Sauce November 15, 2009
Posted by a-k in fruit, gluten free, recipe.5 comments
When I got home today I knew I had to do something with the bag of persimmons that wasn’t going to last much longer in the fridge. I started throwing a couple things in a saucepan, and this ultra delicious Persimmon-Apple Sauce was created. It’s perfectly sweet without added sugar and has a hint of spice, vanilla and lemon zest.
Use ripe, soft persimmons and your favorite kind of apple (I used one of my last Honeycrisps). You can eat this as you would regular apple sauce, heated or cold, topped with some non-dairy milk and cinnamon, or as a topping or an oil sub in baking (I’m working on those last two options tomorrow!). Whatever you decide, this is a simple and flavorful recipe should you happen across a bunch of persimmons in your travels – try your local Asian market for better prices than the regular grocery store – or just halve this recipe.
Persimmon-Apple Sauce
3-4 c ripe persimmons, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large apple, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
10 cardamom pods
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp fresh lemon zestPut the persimmons, apple, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods in a large saucepan over low heat. Cover, checking and stirring occasionally, until very soft and broken down, about 45-60 minutes. Remove from heat and extract all those cardamom pods (count ‘em!) and your cinnamon stick, then stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. Cool, then puree in a food processor or blender until desired smoothness. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.
Raw Coconut and Persimmon Parfait (and giving gluten a rest) November 8, 2009
Posted by a-k in coconut, dessert, farmer's market, fruit, gluten free, raw, recipe, wellness.18 comments
Well, after VeganMoFo, it feels like I dropped off the planet a bit. For a week, anyway 
This past week has been really stressful, and I’ve been having a hard time making food in general, much less blogging about it. But things are on the upswing (I hope).
Early for me on a day off, I got up to meet my friend Courtney for a late-season trip to the farmer’s market. It’s incredibly small now, mostly empty stalls with a few tables here and there. Things are shifting into holiday mode already with pine bundles and fanciful branches and autumn bouquets. Minnesota’s growing season, while bountiful, is certainly short. However, I still managed to come away with a delicious haul of locally grown brussels sprouts, organic dinosaur kale, and a whole peck of Honeycrisp apples, the latter being only $10 for seconds (I still love the unloved, not-perfect-looking produce). You better believe there’s gonna be some good eats happening with all of that!
While the majority of my produce from the farmer’s market is locally grown, there are times I can’t pass up a good deal at one of the produce reseller’s tables. The Minneapolis Farmer’s Market is a little odd in that it allows non-local produce to be sold, although I’ve been told that they aren’t allowed to sell specific produce that would compete with the local growing season (during corn or tomato season, for example). It’s also pretty obvious that pineapples or bananas just don’t grow up here naturally, nor do cardboard produce boxes bearing various corporate labels “fool” anyone with a bit of common sense, so it’s always obvious where the resellers are located. Today there seemed to be an abundance of persimmons, and though I haven’t used this gorgeous fruit much, it seemed like a good time to try something out.
Hence was born this Raw Coconut and Persimmon Parfait (using a young coconut I got for free from work), which is both fresh and a little tropical enough for the sunny fall days we’ve had this weekend, and just rich enough to be comforting in that autumnal kind of way. After a fairly exhaustive search of my cookbook collection, I found only two recipes that called for persimmons, and both were raw. Neither one fit exactly with what I had on hand in the moment I wanted to create something, so I fused them together a bit, though it’s primarily based on the Star Lotus Persimmon Parfait from Vegan Fusion World Cuisine. If you’re not interested in giving young coconuts a try, you can use non-dairy yogurt or a nut-based cream in place of the coconut cream. If you are, and haven’t ever opened a young coconut before, check out this link which has some step-by-step instructions.
The persimmon layer is sweetened with some dates and flavored with cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and lemon zest, while the coconut cream is as simple as you can get, although you might add some agave nectar if the natural sweetness isn’t enough for you. I made everything in a food processor, but if you have a high-speed blender feel free to use it to make it perfectly smooth and creamy… though while eating it I was feeling way too into the flavors to notice my “cream” had a few smalls bits of coconut meat in it.
Because I don’t (yet?) own everything I could possibly desire for serving food, like parfait glasses, I used a martini glass. There was plenty for one serving plus some leftover, but you might want to increase the persimmon layer amounts slightly if you’re hoping to serve two more amply. Top it with anything you like! The goji berries, cacao nibs, and shredded coconut I pulled out of my cupboards and freezer for a bit of color and crunch.
Raw Coconut and Persimmon Parfaits (serves 1-2)
1/2 lb. persimmons, quartered and peeled
1 tsp lemon zest
5 chopped dates, soaked in water if too dry
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
pinch nutmeg
1-2 tablespoons raw almond butter
meat from one young coconut
1/4-1/2 c coconut water, to reach desired consistency
agave nectar, to taste (optional)
shredded coconut, fresh fruit, goji berries, chopped nuts and/or cacao nibs to garnish
Add persimmons, dates, lemon zest, and spices to food processor and process until broken down and fairly smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Add the almond butter and process again until fully incorporated. Place in a small bowl and set aside.
Rinse out food processor bowl and add coconut meat and coconut water, starting with 1/4 cup. Process until smooth, adding additional coconut water to achieve desired consistency (you don’t want it too runny, or you won’t be able to layer your parfait). Taste and add agave nectar if desired.
Layer into parfait, martini, or wine glasses, alternating the persimmon mixture with the coconut cream. Chill in the fridge if desired, or sprinkle straight away with toppings and serve with a spoon.
One thing that’s going to be different around here is that I’m giving up gluten for a month. I’m not going to get into all the details, but it is for health reasons, and I’ll be exploring different ways to satisfy both my sweet and savory tooths without wheat, spelt, kamut, barley, or rye. I feel pretty excited about it actually! I’m particularly excited to test out this recipe for a GF, tofu-free vegan pumpkin pie as part of my Friendsgiving spread. And finding a good recipe for GF bread so I don’t have to spend $6 at the co-op on a frozen loaf that while delicious and wonderfully bread-like is pretty darn expensive. Hooray gluten-free!
VeganMoFo: Recent Raw Treats October 29, 2009
Posted by a-k in ani phyo, dessert, raw, reviews, veganmofo.13 comments
Raw Strawberry Macaroons from Ani’s Raw Food Desserts.
I’m making a bunch of recipes from Ani’s Raw Food Desserts this week to write up a review for Jae Steele’s blog. So far, just about everything has been Pretty Tasty. Strawberries are one of my favorite foods, so the smell and taste of these macaroons makes me all sorts of happy.
I also made some Almond Frangipane Kream this morning. This is my least favorite so far on account of the texture and bland flavor, but it still makes a bowl of Honeycrisp apple slices a little extra special (not that Honeycrisps need specialing up, mind you!). I’ll have to see if I can repurpose the cream somehow.
Last but not least, some Orange Fig Cookies, which are supposed to have lemon but I was out of lemons. These are extra decadent what with the cashew nuts and cashew butter in them, but the bit of fig sweetness and the hint of orange zest make them feel lighter. Yummy yum yum!
There will be a more overall review of the book as a whole on Domestic Affair, which I’ll point you to whenever it happens over the next couple months, but the general recommendation here is yes.
VeganMoFo: Favorite Things October 29, 2009
Posted by a-k in veganmofo.6 comments
I’ll actually be heading out of town for the weekend starting Friday night, so I’m trying to push out some posts before that happens. I am so busy, I wish I didn’t have to sleep at night! This post is a random list of favorite food and food-related things:
- Thai young coconuts They’re satisfying to crack open (in fact, I got a cheap, huge butcher’s knife from an Asian market just for this task), though sometimes a bit difficult. I love drinking the coconut water, and scraping out the flesh with a spoon — the taste of fresh coconut can’t be beat! Plus, it makes a great base for raw sauces and dressings.
- Worn wooden spoons I have two spoons in my cooking utensil basket, one short, one long. They’re almost blackened at the spoon’s end from scraping up lovely caramelized veggies, tinted from tomato and red wine sauces, and overall soft and scuffed. That’s love, right? There’s just something so satisfying about stirring with a wooden spoon that makes me feel more connected to my food and to the wonderfulness of trees.
- Fresh berries While summer berry season is officially over, I was a lucky recipient of several free pints of organic raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries over the past week and I was reminded how good they are eaten straight up, or smashed between raw bread, or added to a smoothie. The smell and taste of raspberries, especially, is an intense olfactory trigger for summers spent with my sister and grandparents in Sweden. Swedes love berries, so much in fact that you can buy aseptic packages of berry compotes and soups all year round! I always loved the forest berries compote (skogsbärskräm), and blueberry soup (blåbärssoppa) with a drizzle of cream. Not a berry, but they also have rose hip soup (nyponsoppa), which I’ve never been able to track down in the US. It’s something I always have to have when I visit, and the powdered mix you can find at IKEA or wherever is just not the same as the stuff that comes in a carton.
- Raw tahini I started using this when I got more into raw foods, and it’s such a nice alternative to nut butters and even it’s roasted cousin. My favorite brand by far is Living Tree Community Foods, which is often more expensive than others, but worth every delicious penny. Aside from raw food preparations, I’ve really been into spreading it on toasted spelt bread with grainy French mustard and raw sauerkraut.
- A sharp chef’s knife I prepare almost everything I make with the same knife. I learned my lesson that money is far better spent on one or two good-quality multi-purpose knives than a knifeblock full of mediocre, often useless ones. I especially like having a deep blade so that my hand never gets pushed onto the cutting board by the handle – good for both mincing herbs and dicing veggies. Knives like this used to intimidate me, but once I started using one, my life and knife skills changed dramatically. While I should invest the handful of dollars into getting it sharpened every once in awhile, I’ve found a steel to come in handy for now.
- Music to cook to I’ve pondered making a whole post about this, because I feel like the right music can really influence the speed and mood of my cooking. I often listen to NPR or the local community radio station as well, but some of my favorite artists and musical styles to listen to while making food are: Yma Sumac and exotica lounge, the B-52’s, a Roaring 20s compilation or Billie Holiday, Sleater-Kinney, and Queen. Random, yes. I like a little dancing when I’m cooking, whether it be just a little foot-tapping or shakin’ it over to the cupboard to grab some quinoa. In fact, I think cooking has made me a more confident dancer outside of the kitchen, since I can now handle some shimmying without any alcohol consumption!
- Vintage dishes I had really good intentions of making this a mofo post in itself as well, but life got in the way again. I replaced all my very cute but very plastic mixing bowls a couple years ago with a set of Pyrex nesting bowls that come in varying shades of avocado green (it’s totes hot). Now I can wash my mixing bowls sparkling clean in a jiffy, they never have a lingering smell of garlic, and the sizes are just perfect! I’m also amassing a modest collection of serving and casserole dishes, my favorites being from the Catherineholm line. Again, my grandparents played a vital role in my fondness for midcentury Scandinavian dishes, for they still own an intact original Gustavsberg Berså coffee/tea set that I could only dream to aspire to now that part of the line has been rereleased.
Back tomorrow with more pictures, I promise! (Including of the raw strawberry macaroons that are in the dehydrator and currently making my home smell delicious.)
VeganMoFo: Vegan Haggis – A Story October 28, 2009
Posted by a-k in recipe, veganmofo.23 comments
If you know what true haggis is, you know why I’m not going to go into a description of it and then try to justify the need for a vegan version or if you can even call it haggis when it’s vegan. And if you don’t know what it is, I’m sparing you the horrible details of Scotland’s national dish which has a mass-produced vegetarian (vegan) version on the market that was initially developed on a dare and now, I’ve heard, makes up 25% of the one of the major haggis producers sales.
Why do I know about haggis? As college student recently done with my freshman year, I was struggling to figure out who I was and why I loved/hated boys (not for the usual reasons, turns out I was gay!) and didn’t have a family to go home to on holidays. So I made the semi-rash decision to go backpacking on my own in the UK and Ireland and Sweden for 7 weeks (7 weeks!), where I saw all manner of amazing sights, learned a lot about myself (like living out of a backpack for that amount of time is lonely and wearing), and completely, utterly fell in love with Scotland. I was vegetarian at the time, so I’ve never actually eaten the haggis, though I distinctly remember surviving largely on digestive biscuits with Scottish cheddar for a large portion of my bus and train travel around the country.
I loved Scotland so much I decided I had to study abroad there, and ended up spending a term there one year later at the Glasgow School of Art, back when I was an interior design student. A friend of mine from Minnesota was studying in London and he came up to visit Scotland. We traveled to Glencoe and hiked in the forests and hills and stayed in an old youth hostel, where we cooked our dinner in the large communal kitchen, and he had decided to buy canned haggis, which really isn’t very traditional either. But it seemed pretty harmless in that form. Last year when I went to visit my sister I got to try McSween’s veggie haggis as well as a mind-blowingly amazing homemade version at a small restaurant on the Isle of Skye. I knew I someday wanted to make it at home – really, it’s just oats and protein and some veggies with fairly minimal seasoning. But there aren’t a ton of recipes online, and many of them use tvp or veggie grounds, and I wanted to make a soy-free version (my version can also be made gluten-free, if you have gf oat products at hand).
This is my first attempt, and I think I’d like to change a few things about it for the future, as I think it could make a really great Thanksgiving entree with some sage and things. It’s very filling, simple and savory, though a bit mild — a rich and/or tangy sauce akin to what I made for it really jazzes it up. Traditional Scottish seasoning is a bit of a joke amongst people “in the know” as it were… usually you get a laugh and a recommendation for salt and pepper. I added some cloves and nutmeg, and deglazed the pan with a little bit of whisky to add a little more Scottishness and depth, but that’s optional. This makes a hearty loaf (rather than a more traditional wrapped or encased dish, as I didn’t want to deal with any potential failures there), so feel free to halve it if you try it out. Mix up the nuts and root veggies for different variations, or add different seasonings — it’s almost like that mix and match vegan loaf website. Using a food processor for each of the steps reduces the amount of fine hand chopping a
I’m not including a sauce recipe because I didn’t really measure anything and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. But what I did was throw a handful of ground cherries into a small pot with half a bottle of red wine, a few black peppercorns, and a big splash of balsamic vinegar, and cooked it down while the loaf was baking. It was really yummy, though a tart cranberry sauce or other red wine-based sauce would do equally well. Without further ado, I give you soy-free, gluten-free (option) vegan haggis…
Vegan Haggis (makes one large loaf)
1/2 c brown lentils, cooked in 1 1/2 c water, and mashed or pureed
1 15 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed, drained, and mashed or pureed
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c steel cut oats (can be gf)
1 c rolled oats (can be gf)
3/4 c finely chopped mixed nuts (I used walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts)
3/4 lb. onions, diced
1 1/2 c root vegetables, finely chopped (I used carrots and sunchokes)
1/2 lb. mushrooms, finely chopped
1 vegan bullion cube (a vegan “beef” bullion works nicely here)
1/2-1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp Scottish whisky (optional)
Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or other pot large enough to hold the oat, nut, and vegetable mixture. Add the oats and nuts and toast until fragrant, then add the onions and cook until tender and starting to brown. Stir in the root vegetables and mushrooms and cook, stirring to prevent sticking, until soft and reduced in volume. Break up the bullion cube into the mixture, then season with pepper, cloves, nutmeg and salt, adjusting to taste. Deglaze the pan with whisky (or water) and combine with the kidney and lentils in a large mixing bowl.
While the mixture is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 and lightly oil a loaf pan. Fill the pan with the mixture and press in, smoothing the top. Cover tightly and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until baked through (it may be slightly crumbly when you cut it). Serve hot with sauce or gravy, and mashed potatoes (or turnips!) and cabbage.
VeganMoFo: Odds and Ends October 26, 2009
Posted by a-k in ani phyo, baking, burgers and patties, chocolate, cookbooks, dessert, raw, reviews, sammiches and wraps, test recipes, veganmofo, zine.13 comments
Last night my ladyfriend came into the kitchen and said, “I wish we had brownies.” I said, “I can make some!” and I did. Of course I reached for Sweet Freedom and discovered that I had all the ingredients for a half-batch of the Ultra Fudgy Brownies… even half an avocado! which makes up some of the delightful fat in this relatively low-fat brownie. Umm, I’ve mentioned before that I’ve never been a big chocolate fan, and therefore have little to no idea what a brownie should taste or feel like, but this really satisfied me and my lady (who claimed it was “like a really delicious low-fat brownie”)! And really, could it get much sexier than that rich and decadent chocolate yumminess up there, with hardly any guilt? For reals. It’s inspiring me to use avocado more in baked goods.
I’ve also been perusing Ani Phyo’s new dessert book more in preparation for a review I’m working on for Domestic Affair. Although most of the recipes don’t require a dehydrator (as in her first book), I wanted to try out this Breakfast Toast recipe, which does. I’ve just finished the last piece today, having eaten it plain or as a raw “PB&J” with almond butter and fresh berries. Does making a PB&J raw really require a recipe? Probably not, but then I would never had tried out this tasty buckwheat, flax, sesame, raisin “bread”! Here with some organic blueberries I got for free:
And my personal favorite, with organic raspberries (also free!):
I’ve also slowly been materializing some recipes for the next zine, including one for Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Porridge. It’s in need of a little tweaking, but super filling and tasty all the same. I brought some leftovers to work the other day:
I’ve got another post with a recipe coming up later tonight, or perhaps tomorrow afternoon (I feel like a slacker compared to some of you daily mofo-ers!) for some Vegan Haggis Loaf I made today, topped with a sauce I made from Farmer’s Market ground cherries, red wine, and peppercorns. I’d do it in this post, but I’m running out of time before I must dash off to my evening class about native tree species in Minnesota. Therefore I leave you with a picture of Jes’s delicious Tempeh Tube Sausage patties which I made for brunch yesterday, along with steamed broccoli and roasted sunchokes… these are awesome and inspire me to concoct all sorts of tasty vegan burgers, including one which I will be bringing along on our camping trip up north this weekend (yes, I said up north, and yes, we are probably insane):
VeganMoFo: Sweet Freedom Review! October 23, 2009
Posted by a-k in Sweet Freedom, baking, reviews.12 comments
Digging into a Pear Ginger Muffin
I’ve been sitting on this for far too long, because this is a really, really amazing cookbook. Imagine a world where vegan desserts have no refined sugar, no margarine, no wheat … and everything tastes AWESOME. You don’t need to imagine it, actually, for you need look no further than Ricki Heller’s Sweet Freedom: Desserts You’ll Love Without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy, or Refined Sugar!
You may already know Ricki through her Diet Dessert and Dogs website, where her wittiness, entertaining posts and friendliness is evident. When I first starting baking (or raw un-baking, too) from this book, I kept emailing Ricki recipe by recipe; “OMG, this tastes so good!” or “Are we long-lost taste twins? I <3 cardamom + carob together!” Case in point, my very first recipe from Sweet Freedom (which contains the aforementioned flavor combo), Carob Date Pancakes:
I don’t make a lot of breakfast foods like pancakes because I have so few mornings in which to make a breakfast for two (or more), but it wasn’t just me rejoicing in the yum-factor of this recipe. I still remember my girlfriend standing by and sneaking bites off the stack of pancakes and telling me “I’m eating this because it’s good!” So good, in fact, that I brought the recipe along to make for our cabin trip over the summer, where it received equally rave reviews.
One recipe I was really excited to try out was for (gluten-free) Soy Free, Sugar Free Coconut Whipped “Cream,“ which you see on top of fresh fruit above. This stuff is awesome! It also illustrates Ricki’s dedication to perfecting a recipe – the directions are easy to follow and places where you can or can’t substitute ingredients is very clear, as they are in all of the recipes I tried. If I had occasion to make a cake, I plan to use this in place of buttercream or icing… it’s pipeable, people! Also great atop Carrot Snack Cake, which introduced me to the concept of an afternoon-/after-school-appropriate treat that’s moist, soft, and not-too-sweet (which is how I like most of my desserts at any time of day):
These are nicely spiced, and a little bit of lemon zest further livens up the flavor. Plus, it has carrots in it, so a little extra healthy, am I right? In fact, if you’ve ever wanted to experiment with some other less common veggies in your desserts, Sweet Freedom offers up Tomato Spice Cake and Chocolate Mystery Cupcakes (containing spinach!) for your culinarily adventurous side.
Another thing I love about this cookbook is that there are raw dessert recipes in it. I made the Raw Frosted Apricot Pecan Bars, and felt very lucky that my ladyfriend shies away from anything labeled “raw,” since it meant I got to eat the whole thing! Again, the magic of citrus zest (this time orange) makes these bars really stand out and taste decadently alive. I was feeling fancy the day I made these and made a pattern in the vanilla-scented, date-sweetened coconut frosting:
So far I’ve only tried one cookie recipe (because cookies in my house means I eat too many), the Carrot Raisin Oatmeal Cookies, which unfortunately contained one of the three errors that slipped past the editors for the first printing of the book (these corrections to the first edition can be found here). So cookies I did not get, but a tasty cookie crumble perfect-for-ice-cream-topping I did
And last, but far from least, I present to you Pear Ginger Muffins, which use pear puree instead of chunks of pear, so that lovely sweet flavor gets to be savored in each and every delicious bite. Seriously, these taste more decadent than they are, and I forced myself to freeze most of them after wolfing down 3 in one sitting…
The lowdown: If you’re looking to clean up your dessert habits, or you’ve already done that and are looking for some new ideas, I highly recommend Sweet Freedom. Allergy-friendly recipe symbols (for corn-, gluten-, nut-, and soy-free) are indicated for all recipes. While all of the recipes are wheat-free, most of the baked goods recipes for cookies, cakes, muffins and such are not gluten-free, so that might be a consideration if you have a gluten sensitivity (but there are plenty of frostings, icings, puddings, and raw treats which are gluten-free, yay!). If you want a super glossy, color-photographs-on-every-page kinda cookbook, this probably isn’t for you, but as much as I’m a sucker for pretty pictures in my cookbooks, I’d take great and delicious recipes over glamour anyday. There are several black and white photos throughout the book, and 18 full-color photographs in the center insert. The directions are clear, easy-to-follow, and include informative introductions and notes about the background, possible substitutions, and/or potential uses for each recipe. I’ve had a great time making and eating all of these, and this is definitely the first book I grab when I’m jonesing for something sweet! Ricki is a really gifted baker full of inspired ideas and this cookbook would be a wonderful treat for your birthday or the holidays.
BONUS! Ricki is offering a holiday sale special on Sweet Freedom via her blog, check out the details here. Woohoo!
Check out the Sweet Freedom Flickr group for more yummy photos of tasty treats!
VeganMoFo: Field Trip and Buddy Baking October 20, 2009
Posted by a-k in baking, scones, travel, veganmofo.9 comments
Wow, I disappeared there for awhile didn’t I? Apparently I don’t have good time management now that I have homework and social plans. And today I have not much to show for it, either! But I’m hoping for better things later this week.
On Saturday I joined a bunch of older folks in Duluth for our first MN Master Naturalists field trip. We watched the raptor migration and looked at plants and tried to find a beaver lodge. Social situations with strangers make me a little nervous, so I’m always happy to have food on hand I got to use my new tiffin and To-Go Ware utensil set from Herbivore, and sat on a hillside munching away on some roasted chickpeas with red pepper slices
as well as a sandwich on GF bread with avocado, stoneground mustard, savory baked tofu, more red peppers, and baby romaine. Yum! Also, the tiffin is awesome! If you’re looking for a new lunchbox that’s earth-friendly, you should definitely consider one of these… bamboo utensils are now my favorite kind!
I also had the opportunity this weekend to meet up with Kim from the Affairs of Living blog and learn a little bit about gluten-free vegan baking. Kim has been diagnosed with a really ridiculous amount of food allergies PLUS she’s avoiding sugar and wheat because of candida issues. If she were me, I’d probably be tempted to sulk and feel sorry for myself all the time. But she is so far from that — she bakes and cooks and shares tons of recipes on her blog, including two in particular that I’d really like to try very soon, Apple Raisin Cupcakes with Raisin Cashew Frosting and Rhubarb Cashew Cookies. She’s also into natural and holistic health and shares so much of her personal experiences through her blog. And she’s really just as nice, friendly, and exuberant as she sounds on-screen! I am glad we decided to finally meet up for dinner a few weeks ago, and to bake something together this past Sunday.
She tells a much better version of our story over on her blog, so I’ll point you in that direction, but we tried to bake up a batch of savory squash scones with caramelized onions and fresh rosemary, chives, and sage. Delicious, eh? Well, they tasted delicious, but unfortunately the texture left something to be desired — they stuck to the roofs of our mouths in a bit of an unpleasant way. I didn’t even get a very pretty picture of them, but here’s proof that we created them:
That crackly texture is really pretty, isn’t it? We decided next time we get together we’re just going to cook something before we attempt baking again.
Many other things in the works, though life is getting in the way these days…I’ll be back soon!
VeganMoFo: Blueberry Oat Groat Shake October 16, 2009
Posted by a-k in breakfast, drinks, veganmofo.13 comments
A quick post today, as I have a little bit of time to squeeze this in before weekend madness ensues (involving cleaning, making snacks for and hosting a feminist film screening tonight, a field trip to Duluth for my Master Naturalist course tomorrow, homework, farmer’s market with an avid vegan blog follower, and my first vegan-gf afternoon of baking with Kim of the Affairs of Living blog!).
Most days I’m a smoothie girl, and 95% of the time it’s a green smoothie. But sometimes I really want a filling, hearty shake instead. This is great for breakfast or after a good workout where, if you’re like me, you feel like eating everything in sight. It makes use of sprouted oat groats, but you can also use just soaked oat groats (or, I’d imagine, some rolled oats or oat granola if you don’t care about it being raw/sprouted). Sprouted foods are full of nutrients and sprouted grains are said to be easier to digest, which sounds pretty good to me!
To sprout: soak oat groats 8 hours or overnight in filtered water. Drain and rinse them, and set them over a mixing bowl in a fine mesh colander or nut milk bag. Rinse and drain 2-3 times a day until little tails form on the groats. If you’re not using them all right away, keep the remainder in the fridge… I sprouted a cup of groats which resulted in about 2 – 2 1/2 c sprouted groats, and used what didn’t go into the shake to make oat milk!
I also included some extras in my shake (hemp protein powder for an extra boost, an evening primrose/flax oil blend for some EFAs and hormone balancing properties, and acidophilus powder for some healthy intestinal flora) which aren’t essential but made it more nutritious since I felt a little bit guilty about ditching my greens that morning. Oat groats are naturally a little sweet and the banana I used was pretty ripe so I didn’t add any extra sweetener like dates or agave, but you may like to. The result is like drinking a delicious, healthy, creamy blueberry oatmeal!
Blueberry Oat Groat Shake (serves 1):
1/2 c sprouted oat groats
1 banana, fresh or frozen, peeled and broken into chunks
1 c blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 c almond or other non-dairy milk
scoop hemp protein (optional)
dash cinnamon
1 tbsp evening primrose/flax oil (optional)
1/4 tsp acidophilus powder (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a blender and process till smooth. (You may need to add a little extra liquid if using frozen fruit and/or depending on the strength of your blender.) Drink up!
VeganMoFo: Another Terry Tester! (Sorta.) October 14, 2009
Posted by a-k in mexican food, test recipes, veganmofo.8 comments
Today I made a sort-of Terry test recipe: Whole Spelt* Chia Tortillas. (*Really it’s supposed to be whole wheat.) Feeling pretty comfortable with my corn tortilla-making abilities, I’ve always wanted to tackle it’s burrito- and quesadilla-appropriate cousin. Lucky for us testers, Terry posted a flour tortilla recipe, and not just a flour tortilla recipe, but a whole wheat and chia seed tortilla recipe! I only ever have spelt flour in the cupboard these days, so I tried that out for kicks. And let me tell you: yum! They’re soft, rustic and flavorful, and are surprisingly light with a delightful chia seed crunch. If you’ve never had spelt tortillas, they’re a little more fragile than their wheat counterparts, but their flavor is out of this world. I’ve only ever seen white spelt tortillas, too, so that made this project extra exciting for me (woohoo whole grains!). To utilize it I made a quesadilla with spiced roasted pumpkin puree, kale, and kidney beans, topped with a relish-salsa concoction made from aji amarillo, onions, red peppers, and cilantro. Grilled in the cast iron pan and gobbled up by me for dinner tonight!
Tomorrow or Thursday I’m hoping to tackle the tweaking of the cornbread recipe, but I’m starting my Minnesota Master Naturalist evening course** tomorrow night and I don’t know how much time I’ll have on my hands. (**Yes, I’m a big geek. The course covers the Northwoods/Great Lakes biome.) Also stay tuned for a long overdue review of Ricki’s dessert cookbook Sweet Freedom this week! It’s gonna be great!
