Wow!! That was CRAZY!!
A vegan holiday to remember.. From Green bean casserole to tofurkies! Sushi to Sweet Potatoes! I could not have been happier about what foods I chose to eat!
Vegan Mushroom soup:
1 package of mushrooms.. (your choice)
1 medium onion
2 celery stalks
mimic cream (almond heavy cream) 1 cup or so..
earth balance vegan butter
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Water
Flour
Saute mushrooms, onions, and celery in a Bit of your earth balance, Add about a quart of water maybe a bit more if you want more mass to your soup. Add about a cup of mimic cream salt, pepper, and garlic to taste.. bring to a soft boil.. in a separate dish warm a stick of earth balance until it is liquid, then whisk in flour until it becomes goopy and sticks to your whisk. Then turn down your soup to simmer and whisk in the rue to thicken your soup! Taste and see if if needs more salt and pepper!
I NEVER follow a recipe. So I'm always altering EVERYTHING that I make. This is pretty basic and will be your base for the Green Bean Casserole! Gotta love that holiday favorite!!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
dinner for one.
STARVING! Thats how I felt when I got home today! I was up at 6 greeted by a snowstorm and a WONDERFUL husband who stayed up late shoveling the driveway so I could leave in the a.m. Got to work by 7:30 made some coffee and FULL SPEED AHEAD! The store was TRASHED! Many busy holiday shopping days piled up on top of one another finally did the store in.. I got to cleaning.. Deep cleaning. Breakfast??? Who has time for breakfast?? Coffee.. COFFEE!! Thats all I need! Thanks to the snow things were slow enough this morning to get finished with all the cleaning and stocking that needed doing! Then the place filled up! Cinnamon, tofu, rice, flour, yeast eggs..All were flying out the door! Made a quick salad for lunch. Spinach, sunflower seeds, onion, aminos, vinegar and a dash of dressing.. Then from work went to a local shop downtown and finished my Christmas list! Then to the Y for spin class with Ms. Sandy! Then to CLHA for yoga with Mr. Rohr! When I stumbled through the door this evening I was thinking tempeh! Tempeh lightly fried in coconut oil with local onions, and local cabbage! Drizzled with Liquid aminos and INHALED! Now Im nibbling some local popcorn popped in coconut oil, dusted with cracked celtic sea salt. ahhhh bliss.. Well.. the martini helps too!!
merry christmas everyone!
merry christmas everyone!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Homemade Vegan Cream Cheese!
1/2 lb Raw Cashews (I used organic)
1 tbsp. miso
Soak Cashews for at least 4 hours. (mine soaked for 8)
Drain, pulverize in the food processor or a high speed blender with your miso and enough water to keep it moving. Then dump into cheese cloth and let it drain at room temp for 2 full days. (fermentation!! YUMMY) I also pressed mine but you do not have to do that.
after two days open add some fresh cracked sea salt and enjoy on crusty homemade bread or crackers or add herbs to make a dip!! It is FANTASTIC!!
1 tbsp. miso
Soak Cashews for at least 4 hours. (mine soaked for 8)
Drain, pulverize in the food processor or a high speed blender with your miso and enough water to keep it moving. Then dump into cheese cloth and let it drain at room temp for 2 full days. (fermentation!! YUMMY) I also pressed mine but you do not have to do that.
after two days open add some fresh cracked sea salt and enjoy on crusty homemade bread or crackers or add herbs to make a dip!! It is FANTASTIC!!
stranger in a familiar land.
That is how I feel right now. With work stuffs mostly.. Maybe Im just feeling uncertain. Not sure how things are going to go. Feeling out of the loop. Feeling dispensable. Feeling unappreciated.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
too busy these days.
im feeling the pressure.. work.. remodeling.. work.. volunteering.. work..
i need a vacation.
i need a vacation.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
I woke up this morning with a MISSION! I need to make vegan alternatives for me and one of my sisters. So... I got to cooking!! (my favorite thing to do!!)
Of course Payton wanted pancakes for breakfast first!!
Vegan stuffing! I bought a bag of Arrowhead Organic Stuffing mix from the co-op, I heated 1 cup chopped local onions, and 1 cup organic celery and 1 1/5 cup of veggie broth from the soup I made last night for dinner. Saute all the veggies in olive oil, add the stock bring to a boil and add the mix. Stir it all together and let it rest for 5 min. Ill heat it up at my Dads.
I also decided that waking Christian up would be easiest with the smell of pumpkin pie baking! So.. Took some squash out of the freezer and whipped it up into pie filling.. Using coconut milk instead of egg and condensed milk. The crust I made with coconut oil, spelt flour, sea salt, vinegar and water. Should be DELICIOUS!
Ive got all my goodies ready for the pickle tray Ive been instructed to bring. With TONS of goodies from Moreys markets! (man.. i love that place). Marinated mushrooms, olives, pickles, asparagus spears, and pickled herring are just a few items that will be on our platter!
Ive also got a Field Roast thawing for my sister and I to feast on. That I will just brown on the stove top, and stick it in the oven for half an hour or so. Pretty simple and they are soooo darn tasty and moist!
Whatever your eating today, I hope you eat it with intention and gusto! Remembering where it came from. And... I hope your day is full of stories, laughs and some tears, as Im sure mine will be.
Of course Payton wanted pancakes for breakfast first!!
Vegan stuffing! I bought a bag of Arrowhead Organic Stuffing mix from the co-op, I heated 1 cup chopped local onions, and 1 cup organic celery and 1 1/5 cup of veggie broth from the soup I made last night for dinner. Saute all the veggies in olive oil, add the stock bring to a boil and add the mix. Stir it all together and let it rest for 5 min. Ill heat it up at my Dads.
I also decided that waking Christian up would be easiest with the smell of pumpkin pie baking! So.. Took some squash out of the freezer and whipped it up into pie filling.. Using coconut milk instead of egg and condensed milk. The crust I made with coconut oil, spelt flour, sea salt, vinegar and water. Should be DELICIOUS!
Ive got all my goodies ready for the pickle tray Ive been instructed to bring. With TONS of goodies from Moreys markets! (man.. i love that place). Marinated mushrooms, olives, pickles, asparagus spears, and pickled herring are just a few items that will be on our platter!
Ive also got a Field Roast thawing for my sister and I to feast on. That I will just brown on the stove top, and stick it in the oven for half an hour or so. Pretty simple and they are soooo darn tasty and moist!
Whatever your eating today, I hope you eat it with intention and gusto! Remembering where it came from. And... I hope your day is full of stories, laughs and some tears, as Im sure mine will be.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Lunch today!
I was STARVING AT WORK today.. I did not have time for Breakfast, and then by 1pm it was getting pretty serious! So.. I took a small pumpkin, a turnip, a bit of fresh ginger. I fried it up in olive oil with a shake of 5-spice powder, a pinch of salt, a dash of pepper, and a 1/4 tsp. of garlic then finished with a tablespoon of honey! IT WAS AMAZING!!! and I was stuffed! If only I had some fresh cranberries to toss in there at the end. Then it would have been PERFECT! Thank goodness we are getting a fresh batch in on Wednesday!!
Friday, November 19, 2010
holdiays..
This year does not feel as "holidayish" as past seasons for me. There are several reasons why.
One being, my grandfather (fathers, father) passed away this summer. I know that my grandfather was just a man. But to me he was magical. The way his medicine cabinet smelled (like minty balms and herbs), the oil that always stained his hands. The way he threw firewood into the fire. How much vigor he put into gathering sap in the spring to make into syrup. The way he would warn us kids not to touch the electric fence. The fact that he.. always he.. handed out the Christmas gifts. Always.. Until the end.
Second being, Christmas will not be held this year at the "too small to hold the whole family house" that he and my Grandmother lived in (her entire life, and his since they were married). It will be at the beautiful spacious and warm house that my aunt and uncle built up the field from the farmhouse. Where the family will have PLENTY of elbow room and levels to spread out and lounge in.
Third.. the kids don't trudge up the sledding hill anymore. The adults haul them up with snowmobiles.. That was half the fun. Working up the ambition to climb that beast of a hill. COME ON!!!
But really. The older I get, the more I know about consumerism, pollution and how the two are soOOO intertwined. So lighten up folks. Give the mother a break (mother earth that is) and consider getting something used for a gift. Better yet.. ASK for something used. Maybe even one of those old family heirlooms like my grandfathers medicine cabinet. That way everytime I open it. I will be reminded of him. And really.. Isn't that REALLY what is important. To know that our family will remember us when we die?
One being, my grandfather (fathers, father) passed away this summer. I know that my grandfather was just a man. But to me he was magical. The way his medicine cabinet smelled (like minty balms and herbs), the oil that always stained his hands. The way he threw firewood into the fire. How much vigor he put into gathering sap in the spring to make into syrup. The way he would warn us kids not to touch the electric fence. The fact that he.. always he.. handed out the Christmas gifts. Always.. Until the end.
Second being, Christmas will not be held this year at the "too small to hold the whole family house" that he and my Grandmother lived in (her entire life, and his since they were married). It will be at the beautiful spacious and warm house that my aunt and uncle built up the field from the farmhouse. Where the family will have PLENTY of elbow room and levels to spread out and lounge in.
Third.. the kids don't trudge up the sledding hill anymore. The adults haul them up with snowmobiles.. That was half the fun. Working up the ambition to climb that beast of a hill. COME ON!!!
But really. The older I get, the more I know about consumerism, pollution and how the two are soOOO intertwined. So lighten up folks. Give the mother a break (mother earth that is) and consider getting something used for a gift. Better yet.. ASK for something used. Maybe even one of those old family heirlooms like my grandfathers medicine cabinet. That way everytime I open it. I will be reminded of him. And really.. Isn't that REALLY what is important. To know that our family will remember us when we die?
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Tortillas!!!
Actually home before its dark outside!! So I went out and Pulled some of the kale that did not make the journey into the greenhouse for the winter.. That we will eat inside of our burritos made with homemade re-fried beans and homemade tortillas! This batch of re-fried beans is the same as the one that I posted earlier, except I used black beans! It is JUST as tasty! Tortillas are made as follows.
2 cups spelt flower
1 1/2 tsp. baking pwd.
1tsp. salt
2 tsp. oil
3/4 cup warm water
mix all together in mixing bowl and let rise for 10 min. knead into small balls and cook in a cast iron pan on med. heat! You gotta watch these guys.. they get overdone pretty quickly.. Then they tend to split on you!
GOOD LUCK!
2 cups spelt flower
1 1/2 tsp. baking pwd.
1tsp. salt
2 tsp. oil
3/4 cup warm water
mix all together in mixing bowl and let rise for 10 min. knead into small balls and cook in a cast iron pan on med. heat! You gotta watch these guys.. they get overdone pretty quickly.. Then they tend to split on you!
GOOD LUCK!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Jeeze!!
I wish I knew what time the order is coming tomorrow.... BLAH!
Enough about that though.. I was able to stop by Cattails bookstore today and pick up a copy of short stories by Mark Twain and a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring. Ive never been a Tolken fan.. To hard for me to read. (I think he is a bit too wordy). But I figured Id give it another try. Its been almost 15 years since I attempted to read The Hobbit.. And maybe my brain has evolved to absorb something a bit more wordy!
I'm scouring my brain and trying to decide what to cook this weekend for eating next week. That is how I'm having to cook these days. Major kitchen time on the weekends, so during the week its mostly "heat and eat"! I have a couple of GREAT cookbooks to page through. 660 curries, and The Shoshoni cookbook! Im sure I will find SOMETHING in those that will make good use of my bulk: lentils, chickpeas, black beans, quinoa, fava beans, rice, spelt flour, and sugar! We may not be rich.. But when I look into my pantry I feel rich.. I know that we can literally eat for months on what we have grown processed stored and bought. In addition to the bulk dry goods we also keep in the house a gallon of safflower oil, liquid aminos, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil, SALT and Peanut butter! We usually have bulk pasta on hand too. (although lately I've taken to making it from scratch).
I get a TON of satisfaction in feeding my family. Its my FAVORITE job! If I don't have lunch started right after breakfast I get CRABBY! I would rather be in my kitchen listening to the radio and Payton playing or reading than anywhere else in the WORLD! Its my zone! Get outta my way I'm in the ZONE!
Thats not to say that I do not have some flops from time to time. Just this weekend I was making a quinoa dish for myself for the week.. And it was horrible. It went to the chickens. (nice thing about chickens, they make you feel like your NEVER wasting food!)
hmmm... maybe Ill make a curry soup. Chickpeas, potatoes, tomatoes, kale, celery coconut milk and spices!! YUMMMMMMY! Oh yeah.. And SQUASH!!
Enough about that though.. I was able to stop by Cattails bookstore today and pick up a copy of short stories by Mark Twain and a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring. Ive never been a Tolken fan.. To hard for me to read. (I think he is a bit too wordy). But I figured Id give it another try. Its been almost 15 years since I attempted to read The Hobbit.. And maybe my brain has evolved to absorb something a bit more wordy!
I'm scouring my brain and trying to decide what to cook this weekend for eating next week. That is how I'm having to cook these days. Major kitchen time on the weekends, so during the week its mostly "heat and eat"! I have a couple of GREAT cookbooks to page through. 660 curries, and The Shoshoni cookbook! Im sure I will find SOMETHING in those that will make good use of my bulk: lentils, chickpeas, black beans, quinoa, fava beans, rice, spelt flour, and sugar! We may not be rich.. But when I look into my pantry I feel rich.. I know that we can literally eat for months on what we have grown processed stored and bought. In addition to the bulk dry goods we also keep in the house a gallon of safflower oil, liquid aminos, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil, SALT and Peanut butter! We usually have bulk pasta on hand too. (although lately I've taken to making it from scratch).
I get a TON of satisfaction in feeding my family. Its my FAVORITE job! If I don't have lunch started right after breakfast I get CRABBY! I would rather be in my kitchen listening to the radio and Payton playing or reading than anywhere else in the WORLD! Its my zone! Get outta my way I'm in the ZONE!
Thats not to say that I do not have some flops from time to time. Just this weekend I was making a quinoa dish for myself for the week.. And it was horrible. It went to the chickens. (nice thing about chickens, they make you feel like your NEVER wasting food!)
hmmm... maybe Ill make a curry soup. Chickpeas, potatoes, tomatoes, kale, celery coconut milk and spices!! YUMMMMMMY! Oh yeah.. And SQUASH!!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Breakfast and then some!!
THANK YOU ROBIN!! Your recipe for homemade re-fried beans has exceeded my expectations! Never again will I succumb to gnarly, over cooked, dry, burnt or otherwise inedible homemade beans of the re-fried variety!
So... here it is!
1 decent sized onion (peeled and halved)
3 cups dried pinto beans- rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno (I didn't have these so I substituted 3 dried hot chilis!!)
2 tbsp minced garlic
5 tsp. salt (only if using just water.. broth already has salt)
8 cups water
(or just 8 cups veggie or chicken broth)
1 3/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cumin
add everything to a crock pot, stir, cook on high for 8 hrs. Add more water if needed (I did not need to). Mash beans or stir and continue to cook and they will self mash!
ENJOY!!
So... here it is!
1 decent sized onion (peeled and halved)
3 cups dried pinto beans- rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno (I didn't have these so I substituted 3 dried hot chilis!!)
2 tbsp minced garlic
5 tsp. salt (only if using just water.. broth already has salt)
8 cups water
(or just 8 cups veggie or chicken broth)
1 3/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cumin
add everything to a crock pot, stir, cook on high for 8 hrs. Add more water if needed (I did not need to). Mash beans or stir and continue to cook and they will self mash!
ENJOY!!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
blog test for new website!
Just a quick test for the new launch of the co-op's new website at http://www.cwfoodcoop.com
I will be posting my favorite recipes, ideas on green living, and random thoughts about life!
I will be posting my favorite recipes, ideas on green living, and random thoughts about life!
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