Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2020

Black-ish Forest Vegan Chocolate Protein Pancakes

 Black-ish Forest Vegan Chocolate Pancakes My dear husband turned 71 today.  I am making him General Tso's tofu for dinner but also wanted to make him a delicious breakfast that would be something different from the usual smoothie and oatmeal.  It had to be vegan, low in processed sugar, and maybe kind of reflective of a favourite German food.   I know his favourite birthday cake used to be Black Forest Cake.  Way off his menu these days with his desire to be sugar-free and healthy as he trains to run another half-marathon in the Spring/Summer. So after reading over a few such chocolate pancake recipes, I made a few modifications and came up with a pancake mix that I can store as the combined dry ingredients in a jar in the fridge, and when we want these lovely pancakes again, I will just scoop out the dry mix and add in the wet mix (almond milk and apple cider vinegar), and cook them up-- easy-peasy!  So, here is the mix for 4 batches (about 16-24 pancakes): -1 1/2 cups oat flour

Review of "The Return of A Shadow" by Kunio Yamagishi

                                                                                         It seems to me that Kunio Yamagishi may have decided upon a particularly deep emotional challenge for himself as a writer of historical fiction. What if instead of writing about a lonely man who undergoes extreme emotional deprivation and finds true love and/or personal happiness in spite of that deprivation I write about a person who-- like many humans we hear about-- only experiences blurry glimpses of personal happiness through the course of his life. Would those dim hopes be enough to sustain him into natural death in old age? What are the choices in life when all your dreams evaporate?   Yes,  The Return of A Shadow  is possibly the saddest book I have read, or at least in a long time. But beautiful writing, and a likeable protagonist kept me interested and hopeful in the outcome. I believe that older adults, perhaps the age of the protagonist himself, would be most apt to read this book. W

Easy Vegan Spicy Pear Butter Recipe

A dear friend had a huge Bosc pear harvest from her tree this year-- 700 pounds!  I was one of the lucky beneficiaries.  This vegan pear butter recipe is the result of a rave on Facebook by one of my friends.  So, looking at several recipes, I have chosen what I think works to produce a silky, yummy, pretty healthy pear spread.  The word "butter" does not mean that real dairy butter is involved (in fact, no fats!) INGREDIENTS: 5 pounds of fresh Bosc pears, peeled, split, cored, roughly chopped 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger* 2 tablespoons dried ground cinnamon** 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup orange juice 1/4 cup coconut sugar pinch of salt (optional)                                                           These are common BOSC pears.                                                           You can use this recipe for other                                                              pears, such as Barlett, as well.                                                            EASY M

Barley Porridge with Dates and Walnuts

Porridge made with barley is not familiar to everyone. This sweet porridge recipe comes from the Sacred Cookbook- Forgotten Healing Recipes of the Ancients . You will find other delicious, little-known old "ethnic" recipes from all over the world in this collection. Barley Porridge Serves 2-4 INGREDIENTS: 1 1/4 cups organic barley flour 4 cups almond milk, or other milk of choice sea salt 6 large medjool dates , pitted and chopped 2/3 cups chopped walnuts 4 tablespoons raw honey (other sweetener, like maple syrup, for children under 1 year) METHOD: 1. Whisk the barley flour in the almond milk over medium heat in a medium size pot. Be sure to bring all the flour into play and stir until smooth and beginning to bubble. 2. Turn the heat down as boil begins and allow the porridge to simmer gently for about 5 minutes. (Watch to prevent burning, whisk if needed) 3. Remove from heat, salt to taste, and spoon porridge into bowls. Add the dates, walnuts and honey

Garlic-Ginger Eggplant

This delicious recipe for an Oriental dish, fried Garlic-Ginger Eggplant, is provided by my delightful Facebook friend, Rita Hinds . Here we go with Rita's recipe for Garlic-Ginger Eggplant : INGREDIENTS: 1 Eggplant 3 T. fresh ginger 3 T. Fresh garlic Green chili (I used red pepper flakes) Scallion onions 3 T. Non GMO Cornstarch 1 tsp. Organic Cane Sugar Soy sauce or Braggs Aminos Water INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Cut up eggplant in bite size pieces(put in bowl) sprinkle with salt and lemon juice. Let it sit for 15 minutes(this formula will draw out excess water) Pour out water/ rinse and pat dry with towel or paper towel. 2. Coat eggplant with cornstarch. This will depend on how much eggplant you have. 3. Fry eggplant until crispy(the cornstarch makes it crispy). Set aside. 4. Sauté onions, garlic, ginger 5. Add soy-sauce and sugar to the pan and then a little water (this will depend how much eggplant you have to cover with the sauce) then add water and some

Vegan Kuchen with Fresh Fruit Topping

Okay I will get right to the recipe, since that is what I like when I want to bake something. But while the kuchen bakes, please read the story of 'the apricot delivery' below the recipe, okay? Thanks (oh yes, and your comments are gold! I love them-- as most bloggers do-- and ask any questions too!) VEGAN KUCHEN with FRESH FRUIT TOPPING 1. Sift all the following into a large mixing bowl.  Whisk to combine well: 2 cups, 250g All-Purpose flour 2 teaspoons, 8.87g baking powder 1 teaspoon, 3.4g baking soda 1/3 teaspoon, 1.95g fine sea salt 2/3 cups, 132.57g sugar 2. Mix together the following in a 2-cup measuring cup: 3/4 cup, 184g non-dairy milk 3 tablespoons, 47.02 non-dairy yogurt 1/3 cup, 72.16g coconut oil, melted 2 tablespoons, 30g apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons, 9.86g vanilla extract 3. Add the wet ingredients (#2) to the dry ingredients (#1) and use only as many strokes as needed until batter is combined.  Over-stirring can result in a tougher te

Vegan Ice Cream and Other Frozen Treats You Can Make Yourself!

Summer is here!  In celebration of all the new vegans everywhere, and in recognition of all those who have been eating vegan for years, here is a summertime roundup of vegan ice cream and other frozen treat recipes that you can make yourself!  I have included a short ingredients list so you can do a scan and see which ones suit for you and/or your family.  Just click on the link and go directly to the recipe.   Mango-Blackberry Vegan Ice Cream Ingredients :  nondairy milk, frozen mango chunks,  starch, vanilla, maple syrup, ripe avocado, blackberry jam Blueberry Nicecream on Raspberry Chia Pudding Ingredients: Nicecream : frozen blueberries, frozen bananas Pudding : chia gel, raspberry jam, nondairy milk, maple syrup Spunky Monkey Ice Cream Ingredients: chia seeds, frozen banana, cocoa or cacao,  maple syrup, vanilla, peanut  or nut butter Maple Walnut Cashew Banana Ice Cream Sundae Ingredients: coconut milk, ripe frozen bananas,

Perfect Oregano Pesto

This is the perfect pesto for anyone who is short on the standard basil and has fresh oregano taking over the yard   But you could still use basil, or arugula, or your fave other green. Add the olive oil to your blender  And then all the other ingredients.  Salt and pepper to your preference  but I suggest you start with a 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.  Less is more  right? Spin up and store in a jar or other container with a lid in the fridge. Delicious on pasta, crackers, bread, celery sticks, quinoa, wraps. See these 3 high nutrition, gluten-free pasta suggestions HERE See 7 Things you Can Use Oregano Flowers for HERE

Endless Greens: Free Bok Choy from Spring to Fall

Baby Bok Choy  I love bok choy.  During the beginning of the COVID19 period of isolation there was an amazing amount of organic bok choy available in our local grocery and whole food stores.   Bok choy comes from the cabbage/crucifer/mustard/brassica family, and is a Chinese Cabbage (grown first in Asia), as you might be able to tell from the name.  I guess we mostly see the Cantonese version here-- the Shanghai Bok Choy is a darker green-- the one I think of has broad light green/white stems and lighter green leaves, as in the picture above.  I particularly like the dwarf versions of bok choy, called Baby Bok Choy.  Light, easy to slice and eat, and mild-tasting with lots of delicious leaves. On Instagram I ran across an account that showed several small chunks of the bases of a bok choy plant sitting in water. When I inquired if they were rooting it to plant, they told me that that don't really wait for roots to form, but that they grow leaves from the old "wound" and a

Oregano-Lemon Balm Vegan Pesto

This year I am intent on using more herbs from my small herb garden in our meals.   Oregano-- also known as wild marjoram-- lives in a couple of spots in our yard. In my current favorite reference book-- Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening by Louise Riotte -- the author states that oregano "is used the world over the world over in Italian, Mexican and Spanish dishes."  Oregano contains thymol , "a powerful antiseptic when internally or externally... The pleasant aromatic scent... is very lasting. . In the garden [oregano has] a beneficial effect on nearby plants, improving both growth and flavor." (pg. 102) MONTESSORI BABY & TOT PLAY          To learn more about these and other finely crafted Montessori Baby and Child Items,  Click ABOVE on image !   OREGANO-LEMON BALM-WALNUT PESTO Put the following in a small blender and blend until smooth:   *1 cup fresh oregano leaves *1/4 cup walnut parm OR nutritional yeast *1/4 cu

Kale-Chive Vegan Muffin

Beautiful Kale-Chive Vegan Muffin This delightful muffin is made with wheat flour (organic all-purpose) in this recipe, but I think it could be made with a gluten-free flour, and also would work with half whole wheat or other half oat flour, half whole wheat.  I can also see it done up as a sort of cake (using spelt flour) and used to mop up olive oil and basalmic vinegar-- a kind of focaccia-soda bread. It's tasty!  Savory is often the way to go.  Especially as this pandemic plays out for those of us who seemingly can't stop baking muffins and banana bread and cakes.  Savory is a nice change-up to something that seems healthier. And it goes very nicely with a lunch soup.  Or as a breakfast muffin with some melty vegan cheese on top (or avocado or tomato and fako-bako-- you get the drift). It makes 10-12 muffins, depending on the size of your muffin cups.  INGREDIENTS: 1 1/4 cup (300 ml)         non-dairy milk 1/4 cup    (60 ml)           extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon (22

Molasses-Maple-Banana Muffins with Dates and Walnuts, Gluten-free, Vegan

Molasses-Maple-Banana Muffins This most recent muffin is inspired by the molasses cookie, specifically the molasses cookie my grandma used to bake.  It was fragrant, lightly spicy, soft but chewy, and generally had dates and walnuts in it. The muffins smelled so great when they came out of the oven, but for a few minutes I thought back to the sort of sugar-gritty and oily features of those delicious molasses cookies.  I am pretty sure my grandma used white sugar (and quite a lot of it, I would imagine) and some kind of oil.  These particular muffins are free of any poured oils, and instead of a sweet white or brown sugar I used a mix of molasses and maple syrup and banana to sweeten it. Would this muffin be a flop? Then I tasted it it... and IT WAS / IS DELICIOUS.  It is uncannily like the molasses cookies of my grandma... or my memory of them... except puffier and muffin-y.   I also use the oat flour and almond flour base of my last batch of muffins on here (the lemon-fruity muffins)

Lemon-Berry Vegan, Gluten-Free Muffins

Changing Up the Recipe These lovely lemon-y gluten-free vegan muffins originate from a perfect blueberry-lemon recipe by my friend, Michelle Blackwood at Healthier Steps.  I had all the ingredients called for in the recipe except for blueberries (but I have a lot of bags of other berries in my freezer).   This is my second unique muffin recipe in the Covid19 baking season. You can see the recipe for Hemp seed Applesauce muffins here. The first batch I baked of this recipe were yummy, but because my muffin cups are large, and not the dainty, regular muffin size, instead of a dozen large muffins, I ended up with a dozen muffins that were more like puffy cookies, if you know what I mean.  Muffin tops? It so happens that my hubby and I like a fullsome muffin, one that comes close to popping over the sides, even.  And I know from past recipes, that expanding the recipe x2 usually gives me the muffin we love. As is often the case, I find a recipe for something that sounds absolutely deliciou

Hemp Seed-Applesauce Muffins

Delicious, healthy hemp seed and apple sauce muffins!  These muffins are absolutely delicious.   And healthy.  Ingredients used include spelt flour, oat flour, hemp seeds (also known as hemp nuts), maple syrup, apple sauce, cinnamon, and other items you likely have in your kitchen for baking: baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Spelt is an ancient grain, and the flour produces a nice, cakey product.  I used spelt flour to make the chocolate banana cake/bread recipes (my "COVID-19 banana bread"), recipes here .  Spelt flour is a whole food but doesn't have the sort of acidic undertones that one gets when baking with whole wheat flour. I "made" two of the ingredients in my Vitamix high-speed blender.  You might want to do the same, both to save money and to provide ingredients with no added stuff in them (such as preservatives).  I ground up some regular oat flakes to make oat flour (just used the same amount of flakes as flour called for) and blended