fromscratch

jimenez family garden burger

if you've been to my main blog lately you know that i have summer squash growing out of my eyeballs garden. not just any 'ole zucks....large ones.

2 lb. zuck

so with all the abundance that the earth is giving us...we've got to find a use for all those yummy veggies right? of course we can steam them, saute them, fry them and stir-fry them. but, when eating them almost daily gotta find some different uses.

that the kids will love, too.

mommy to the rescue...

the jimenez family garden burger is born.

squash burger with soy cheddar cheese

*abudance is the mother of invention...not just need

the recipe is pretty straight forward, not very difficult.

first. make your bread crumbs.

homemade bread crumbs

4-6 slices of bread (homemade or store bought), any variety
vegan margarine, or butter

1. toast bread to a rich golden brown. be careful not to burn, but get a nice brown.
2. butter up your toast...i like to butter both sides
3. dice up your bread crumbs in 1/4" cubes. they can be larger or smaller depending on taste and recipe.
or put them in the food processor and grind up (leave out the butter if doing it this way...add melted
butter later, if desired) *i will say that i think large bread crumbs is better for this recipe.
4. season to taste with seasonings you will be using in dish, or for this recipe leave them unseasoned. (i've
found that with this recipe the bread crumbs don't need to be seasoned...but that's my taste and opinion.

second. shred your squash.

i like to peel my zuchini first, but you can choose to not peel it. also when shredding be sure to shred down to the seeds...and skip the seeds (unless of course you like the seeds in your burger). i use the medium side of my grater.

you will need 2 cups of shredded squash. you can mix varieties or just stick to one.

third. mix ingredients.

place the squash in the bowl with the the breadcrumbs. *note, i used yellow crooked neck and zucchini.

mix it all up.

fourth. add wet ingredients and spices.

next add, melted butter, "egg" and spices.

all mixed up.

doesn't look that appetizing now, but it is. give it a taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

*note, if your using a real egg, do not add the egg until you've added the seasonings and adjusted the flavor to your liking. you don't want to get salmonella from a garden burger now do you?

fifth. make the patties.

next we are going to make the patties. this is the fun messy part. and a good thing for the kids to do.

eyeball a couple of handfuls of flour on a plate. i'd say about 1 1/2 to 2 cups. (i never measure) unless your flour comes seasoned (which none of them do) add some flavor and spices to your flour.

i add salt, pepper, a bit of seasoning salt (i like the color and flavor), and some old bay seasoning. you can also add garlic and onion salt/granules or what ever seasonings you've but in your burger.

go lite on the salt (unless you like it salty) and add a decent but not overwhelming amount of seasonings. i never measure at this stage...i just add enough so that when i mix the flour up i can still see a bit of the seasonings...a bit.

the next part of making the patties is where the mess comes in. be sure your hands are washed and to take all the jewelry off your fingers (you do know that germs collect in between rings don't you). grab a bit of the squash mixture, and shape it into a patty.

it will hold together a bit, but still be a bit fragile.

place the patty on top of the flour, and but a good sprinkling of flour on top...a *fair amount. pat it, and then pick up the patty and further form it. i also add a bit more flour as i need it while shaping it, the flour will give the patties more structure and help them to hold together better.

once it is shaped, dust off any serious excess of flour.

a couple of patties

make all patties.

sixth. bake 'em up.

grab a cookie sheet and lightly spray it with pam, or spread a thin layer of oil. you don't need much...just enough so that they don't stick...and to get them a bit crispy.

place your patties on the baking sheet...lightly spray them with pam if you have it and bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, depending on your oven. check them starting at 20 minutes, and keep an eye on them so that they are browened to your liking.

if you'd like to get a light fry, you can alternatively bake them for about 20 minutes, and then lightly fry them in a skillet with not much oil. the same amount that you put on the baking sheet...maybe a drop or two more.

enjoy!

jimenez family garden burger* recipe

2- 2 1/2 cups of shreded squash
breadcrumbs (i chop up 6 slices of toasted bread)
3 tbl. of melted margarine
1 ener-g egg replacer
seasonings to taste:
old bay (start with about a tablespoon or two)
salt
pepper
seasoning salt
spike's salt free mix
a squirt or two of fresh lemon juice

1. make the bread crumbs. toast bred, butter each side and then dice into 1/4" cubes.
2. grate the squash
3. mix the breadcrumbs, squash, melted butter and seasonings. add in the "egg"
4. shape into patties, dredge in flour, and placed on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. lightly spray the tops with oil/pam.
5. bake for 25-30 minutes.

alternatives: you can make this a bit more savory by adding in some sauted veggies. you can use onion, garlic, celery and bell pepper or any combination of. i love the sweet flavor of the squash by itself so we choose to forgo the extras and let the squash sing by itself...but i know it would be wonderful with the other add ins.

about seasoning: i don't measure seasonings when i cook, unless i'm baking or following a recipe and even then i often go off on my own. i suggest seasoning by taste. start off with a small amount, and add more until you get to the flavor that you like. also feel free to make it your own by adding and subtracting what you like and don't like.

ready for anything you can throw on it...this one is plain with just a french roll.

treat this burger like any other burger, you can top it with soy cheese (that's the way the kids like it), tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, mayo, ketchup, mustard....have fun.

we've found that the flavor of the squash is so good...we don't put much else on it...but we do have fun with the bread. we've used small italian rolls, and hawaiian sweet bread...and they both taste wonderful...however the hawaiian sweet bread rolls are out of this world...with nothing else.

hope you enjoy it...head over to nina's to see her take on it. it is a sure hit!

happy eating....

paz,

ki

* the name, "jimenez family garden burger" was coined by the little ones...they named it...after our garden since most of it comes from our garden...boy is it long to say...let's just call it jfgb for the future.

danish pastries...a daring bakers challenge

ahhh...danish pastries..truly good eats! this month our challenge was to make a danish braid and other danish pastries.

i jumped right in!

the rules where to 1. use the recipe find it here and here as written (unless dietary changes warrants a change...so i veganized it) and 2. to make another pastry with the second half of the dough.

let's jump right in...

first off, after looking over the recipe, i decided that since i wouldn't be using real eggs, i'd better figure something out for the egg part of the recipe. i consulted my pastry bible to find out what exactly were the eggs in the recipe for...because eggs are multi-taskers...and hard workers...they do a number of different things in a recipe like: leavening, flavor, color, and setting...just to name the main few. according to the book and my baking common sense, the eggs act more so as flavor and en-richers...meaning they make the pastry taste better and more rich. i mean it is a yeast dough...so it will not depend on the eggs for leavening.

with that knowledge i reasoned that i didn't need 2 eggs, and 1 would do...but of course everything else would need to be adjusted a bit...and that i would go for a soy yogurt egg (1/4 c. of soy yogurt) for flavor and richness. i ended up using the recipe inside of my book...which was pretty much the same as the one given just a little different on amounts...because of the the one egg, also there was no vanilla bean and orange flavor inside either...both of those last two were optional...so i opted out. but i did not skimp on the cardamon...expensive yes...but worth it. (get it at target...much cheaper)

so off we go!

here are some shots of different techniques that are a part of the baking process for laminated dough and all other danish pastries.

the first thing that needs to get done is proofing your yeast. when i first started yeast baking this was one of the things that got me the most...i always wish i knew what proofed yeast looked like...

proofed yeast...full of bubbles...it should look swollen.

the next phase of making laminated dough is mixing everything up...together. once you add everything, you mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened:

this is what the dough looks after about a minute or so of mixing...the dry ingredients are barely moistened

next, you mix the dough on low speed for another 4 minutes are so...until the dough is silky smooth and have cleaned the sides of the bowl...and also stick to the bottom. note that last part...stick to the bottom of the bowl. i mixed for four minutes...and it was smooth, cleaned the sides of the bowl...but no sticking...i continued for about another minute or two more...and sure enough it was sticking to the sides of the bowl:

the correct consistency.

the lesson here is to make sure your dough mixes/kneads to the right texture...watch it and you'll be able to see the subtle changes in the dough...if you walk away...or don't watch you'll miss it or pre-empt it.

next is to let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temp. note the changes:

before

after

after the 30 minutes, deflate it buy folding it in half with an oiled spatula...and let it chill in the 'fridge covered for 2-8 hours.

once it's chilled its time to make your butter package...the fun part.

take a sheet of plastic wrap...and cover it with a tablespoon of flour that you saved from the dough recipe. take your 17 tablespoons of butter...place them on the plastic wrap, wrap it up...and pound it into a 5-inch square...with a rolling pin.

the plastic covered with flour

the butter on top...

pounded and smooshed into a 5 inch square

there is no clear way to photograph the process...just remember to wrap it up in the plastic...cover the top with flour also...and pound it with a rolling pin...and smoosh with your hands.

the next step is to wrap up the butter:

begin by rolling your dough into an 8 inch square, then place your butter on top at an angle, and lightly mark around the butter square. next, remove the butter and roll out the "flaps" on the dough. lastly, replace the butter in the same spot, and package it up by folding over the flaps. make sure to seal the flaps with a little water and a little pressure. you'll refridgerate this for 30 minutes (no longer!)

after the trip in the 'fridge its time to do your first of 3 turns. remember you have to do this process 3 times.
first keeping the seam side up...roll the dough until its 7 x 16 inches. brush off the excess flour, and fold it into thirds the way you'd fold a business letter. top third down, bottom third on top of previous third. cover it with plastic and let it chill in the 'fridge for 20-40 minutes (stay within that time frame!) in the next two turns, make sure the closed or folded side is on your left.

top down...

bottom up...

there...you've "turned" your dough...and have created some layers too! now do it two more times!

after this process let the dough rest for at least 2 hours...and up to 2 days...any longer freeze it, and it'll keep for 3 months

next its time to roll out your pastry, proof it and bake it.

preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

(work with half of the dough you just made)

first get a sheet of parchment 16 x 12 inches. roll out your pastry (once you take it out of the fridge let it sit at room temp. for 15 minutes before rolling it) to 14 x 10 inches, thats lgth x wdth.

next your going to divide the dough rectangle (not literally) into thirds. the middle part will be 4 inches wide, and the two sides should be 3 inches wide. lightly mark these measurements into the dough. spread your filling, leaving a 1 inch space on the top and bottom, and then its time to braid.

after you spread your filling mark 1 inch alongside both long edges. you'll use this as your guide of cutting the braid strips.

beginning from the top down, you are going to cut out a small section out the top two sides of the dough. you should be able, when done to fold down a 1 inch flap on the top of the dough and 1 inch up on the bottom of the dough. next you are going to cut inch strips along side each long edge at an angle. *note the pictures of the shapes cut out of the top and bottom.

top notch, notice i cut from the 2 inch mark at an angle up to the 1 inch mark.

bottom notch, here i cut from the outer corner up at an angle to the 2 inch mark (from the bottom)

the cut strips

lastly we are going to braid the pastry. start by folding down and up the bottom straight edges.

next, fold over each strip, from left to right, alternating each side and sealing each strip to the last with a little bit of water and a little smush.

the final pastry all braided up...

proof it for 2 hours...and then place it in the oven, lower the temp to 375 degree and bake for 25-30 minutes.

let it cool for 20 minutes...cut into 1 inch pieces and enjoy!

whew!!!

a few pieces of a danish braid.

baked danish braid with remonce filling (which leaked out and made a "cookie")

here's a vegan remonce (almond cream filling)

3 tbl + 1/2 tsp almond paste
1/4 c. + 1 1/2 tsp sugar
4 tbl vegan margarine
1 ener-g egg, using rice milk for the water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbl + 1 1/2 tsp flour

1. in the bowl of a mixer, mix almond paste and sugar on low speed until the almond paste is broken up into small pieces. add butter and mix until incorporated, continuning on low speed. add ener-g egg (already mixed), vanilla and flour and mix until well combined.

the great thing about the remonce is that when its baked, and happens to leak out of the dough it bakes alongside of the pastry and makes a sort of florentine cookie...so don't throw away those browned baked bits...they're good!

baking vegan pastries are always a challenge, but in the end i find it almost always doable and well worth the work! stay tuned and i'll show you how to shape the danish twist (my personal favorite)

enjoy and be well...

paz,
ki

hot buttered pretzels

yummy pretzels

this recipe comes courtesy of king arthur flour and is my first "double" challenge entry in the daring bakers.

this was a wonderful and easy recipe to work with, i didn't need to do much to adapt it to our family. the changes i made? first off i made two batches, because i had a feeling 8 wouldn't be enough...especially because i was also choosing to make a cinnamon-sugar version...my only other adaptation...besides using a vegan butter.

so how did i do it?

step 1:

well the first step is to mix all the dough ingredients in the bowl of a mixer until well combined. in all the bread baking i've been doing the last few months i've learned that salt kills yeast so i first placed about half of the flour into the bowl, added the yeast, covered the yeast with the rest of the flour and then proceeded to add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl. this way the salt and yeast don't come in contact (at least in my head they don't...until its time).

this is what my dough looked like before kneading after mixing until well combined.

afterwards...knead for about 5 minutes...

dough after kneaded

the dough transforms into a smooth and soft dough with a lot of "slack" to it. i had a lot of fun passing it from one hand to another.

step 2:

flour the dough and put it into a greased bowl covered with a greased piece of plastic wrap...let it rest for 30 minutes.

this is my dough ball "before" the 30 minute rest.

this is my dough ball "after" the 30 minute rest...completely filling the bowl.

step 3:

afterwards, divide the dough into eight equal portions, make sure to lightly grease your surface and your cutting tool. for "cutting" my dough i used the side of my large off-set spatula...and it worked like a charm. according to my scale...i had equal portions of 2.4 ounces each.

"cutting" my dough

the easiest way to cut the dough i've found is to first split it in half, then split those halves in half (making four) and then splitting those four pieces in half (making 8). at this point you can start measuring the dough balls and adding and subtracting here and there as needed.

measured dough balls.

allow the pieces to rest about 5+ minutes. this is important, if the dough doesn't rest enough, when you try to roll the dough out into ropes the dough will "snap back" and not want to stretch. when this happens the dough starts to tear...and i'm not exactly sure why, but i know you don't want that.

equal portions of dough...resting

step 4:

time to get to shaping. if your area is lightly greased this shall be a fun step. roll your dough out to about 28-30 inches long. the longer i find the better...as it allows you to shape a pretzel with larger "windows," which is a good thing because as they rest/rise and then bake those nice little holes/windows will close up.

during this stage you are also instructed to do a baking soda wash. i could not for the life of me get the baking soda to disolve fully in the water...i tried and tried and it didn't work...i didn't want spatchy pretzels, not to mention when i tried dipping them it became a mess...so only two got dipped and i just forged ahead...the wash just gives them a nice browning...that i felt i could do without and also the salt. so my pretzels got shaped and placed right on the baking sheet. this is important, as i found that you don't want to move the shaped pretzels too much, if at all...they easily loose there shape.

rolling the dough:
there are two ways in my eyes to roll the dough. one way is to roll the dough on the table (make sure it is lightly greased) starting from the center out. and the second way is to hold it between your palms and roll it.

rolling it on the table...

rolling it between my palms...

after rolling it...shape it into a pretzel. this is easy to do, but hard to explain...

a shaped pretzel

the easiest thing i can tell you is that if you hold both ends of the rope,one in each hand, the middle point is the bottom "v" of the pretzel, the ends then come up as if to make a heart, wrap around each other and then "stick" down to each side of the pretzel.

next, let the pretzels rise for about 10 minutes...then bake them for about 8-9 minutes in a 500 degree (preheated) oven.

lastly...you want to really butter these babies down...use all the butter...as that is what really kicks off the flavor...if your making cinnamon/sugar, roll the buttered pretzels in the cinnamon sugar..

enjoy!

yumminess!

my love affair with mustard continues...

cinnamon sugar...

these were excellant and really easy to make...the quick rising time makes them doable even if you need them in a jiffy...they also go great with soup...ask me i know!

try em' you won't be disappointed.

happy baking!

paz,
ki

l'opera cake, vegan

almond coconut opera cake

opera cake is generally seven layers high, and include three layers of coffee soaked jaconde (almond sponge cake) with layers of coffee flavored buttercream, a layer of chocolate ganache and finally covered with a layer of chocolate glaze.

for this daring bakers challenge, we were to lighten the cake in flavor and color, by omitting the coffee and chocolate and choosing "light" flavors, such as lemon, vanilla, coconut, almond. read more about it.

my cake features a vegan almond flavored "jaconde" soaked with a simple vanilla syrup, coconut buttercream and a dusting of powdered sugar instead of a glaze.

vegan almond "jaconde"

to make the the jaconde, which is generally a sponge cake consisting of half a dozen egg whites and eggs, i turned to bryanna clark grogan's vegan lemon genoise cake. its an excellent recipe and with a few alterations it fit the bill.

here's my adaption:

vegan almond jaconde (adapted from bryanna's vegan lemon genoise cake)

* for this cake you need two full cakes. if you have two pans, prepare both pans in step 2, and while measuring the dry ingredients for the first cake, measure out the dry ingredients for the second cake in a separate large bowl. set aside. also, measure out the second set of wet ingredients and set aside. by doing this, the second cake can be made in a couple of minutes immediately after the first cake is made, poured in the prepared pans and both cakes can be baked at the same time.

2 1/2 c. plus 2 T. cake flour
1 1/2 c. white sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. plus 2 T. vegan "butter"
2 T. milk *i added a few drops of coconut flavor to this, you can use coconut milk
1 c. water
3/4 c. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract

1. preheat oven to 350. if baking two cakes, place one oven rack at upper portion of oven, and second rack in the lower middle portion of oven.

2. prepare two large jelly roll pans for baking. lightly spray the bottom with cooking spray, or grease with "butter," cover the bottom with parchment paper, letting the long edges hang over the pan. this allows for easy removal of the cake. spray/grease the parchment.

3. place all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a mixer. add the "butter," water, and 2 T. of milk. beat well. add remaining ingredients and beat an additional minute.

4. pour the batter into the prepared pan. bake for 25-30 minutes till cake test done with a toothpick and is lightly brown.

once cakes are done allow them to cool on the parchment paper on a cooling rack. the parchment allows the cakes to retain some moisture, but by placing them on the racks the cakes are still allowed to cool more quickly and throughly.

note: if you are making two cakes at a time, you want to make sure and measure two batches of the ingrediants at a time. when baking with chemical leaveners you want to get them in the oven as soon as possible for the best rise. don't skip this step it allows you to "throw" together the second cake in a flash.

while the cake is baking prepare your syrup and butter cream.

simple sugar syrup.

1/2 c. water
1/3 c. white granulated sugar
1-2 T. of flavoring * i used 1 T. of vanilla for this cake

1. place water and sugar in a small sauce pan. stir to desolve sugar.

2. cook over high heat, until it comes to a full rolling boil. stir often.

3. once mixture is boiling, remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp.

4. stir in flavoring right before syrup is to be used. *make sure mixture is cool.

vegan coconut buttercream

2 sticks of vegan "butter" (1 cup), room temp.
2 lb. bag of confectioner's sugar, plus more for thickening if needed
6-8 T. of milk
1 T. plus 1 tsp. of coconut flavoring

1. whip "butter" in mixer until fluffy, about 30 seconds.

2. add the sugar, milk, and flavor. blend on low speed until sugar is incorporated, about a minute. mix at high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy. add more milk or sugar as needed to get desired consistency.

assembling the cake

to assemble the cake, first gather all the components and make sure you have a large work space. you'll need:

1. cakes

2. syrup, cooled

3. buttercream frosting

4. powdered sugar for garnishing, or other garnish

i find the following tools helpful:

1. long serreated knife to cut cakes.

2. a ruler for measuring.

3. pastry brush for brushing on syrup

4. large off set spatula for smoothing buttercream

5. another set of hands for moving and placing cakes, or lots of large spatulas.

assembled tools. from left to right: large off set spatula, small "icing" spatula, pastry brush, sugar syrup, and coconut buttercream.

step 1.

cut the cakes. cut a 10 x 10 square, leaving a 10 x 5 rectangle out of each cake. you should have four pieces in total.

start with one large cake

four cut layers

step 2.

place one of the 10 x 10 cake squares on a piece of parchment. gently brush on sugar syrup.

first cake layer with syrup brushed on.

spread a nice thick layer of buttercream on top of the jaconde.

almond jaconde soaked w/ sugar syrup and them spread with buttercream

step 3.

in the next step we will place the two "small" rectangles side by side on top of the previous buttercream layer to make one layer.

soak these two layers like the previous layer, and spread with another thick layer of buttercream.

second layer of jaconde, syrup and buttercream

step 4.

in this step we will repeat the last two steps, this time placing the final 10x10 jaconde square on top of the previous layer of buttercream, brushing it with syrup and adding a final layer of buttercream.

final layer of jaconde, syrup and buttercream

after step 4, place the cake into the fridge for about 30 minutes or so to firm up and make cutting the cake into a clean rectangle easier.

step 5.

cut your cake into a traditional rectangle or buck tradition and cut your own shape.

nice clean layers

finishing...

to finish generally a opera cake is glazed, however, being that the cut off layers tasted perfect and were already sweet...i decided to just sprinkle with a light dusting of confectioner's sugar.

with a nice cold glass of vanilla almond milk

a beautiful finale...

for more information about the daring baker challenge, head over to my main blog.

and be sure to check out the daring bakers to see the long list of wonderful daring bakers and their interpertations.

paz,

ki

my v-day dinner

full of love pizza

toppings: love sauce, fresh basil, fresh tomatoes, vegan mozzarella cheese and vegan pepperoni.

cupid's arrow breadsticks w love sauce on the side (for dipping)

spaghetti and love sauce (okay i know i cheated and used an old picture..but i forgot to take a picture...looked exactly the same though)

chocolate chip heart cookie (i forgot to get a picture of this last night too...and when i went to snap it this morning...e had already broken it down and put it in tupperware)

i left out the edamame...

we had a wonderful vegan valentine's meal...full of love and good eats. the pizza came out sooooooo good e asked if we could make it every saturday. why not? he "got" me a wonderful pizza stone set which includes all the things to make an authentic pizza...a wooden ladle, pizza cutter, pie server, mincer, grater for parmesan cheese...just a boat load of pizza "stuff"...go get one at linens n' things (19.99) (p.s. he didn't really get it i got it...he just paid for it...wasn't happy at first cause i slipped in a silpat mat...but he said oooh what the heck its your month you can keep it all....now he's happy about it...lol)

i think i will do a pizza post soon...when we make our next pizza (probably in a few days) i got some killer recipes off of allrecipes.com all i had to do was veganize them (if that)....you'll love them and feel like a pizza star like i did.

good eats!

eat good today...

paz,

ki

sugar love cookies!

happy valentine's day!

don't you just love v-day?

i got some sugar cookie love for you today. read about my v-day plans here. and help yourself to some drool worthy cookie sweetness photo viewing while your at it over there.

i thought i'd share a sweet cookie recipe today...in case you'd like to make some cookie love yourself! this cookie recipe comes courtesy of "georgie bowers" at allrecipes.com one of the best recipe resources...period.

of course the recipe has been veganized for your eating pleasure and some other alterations done by me:

vegan sugar cookies

3 3/4 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. vegan margarine, softened
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 "vegan" eggs ( ener-g egg replacer equilavent of 2 eggs)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. coconut extract

directions:
1. mix "eggs" i like to use hot water...and whip them to they are frothy. set aside.
2. cream "butter" and sugar until light and fluffy. they should truly be lighter in color (pale yellow) and have a fluffiness to them. note: if you have a stand mixer set it to cream these ingredients while you sift together the dry ingredients, if you don't, sift the dry ingredients first, than go ahead and cream the "butter" and sugar....in separate bowls (you know that right?)
3. in a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. whisk to blend ingredients well, set aside.
4. once "butter" and sugar is creamed, beat in the "eggs." (i like to add half the eggs, beat well, and then add the other half and beat well) stir in the vanilla and coconut extract.
5. slowly add the sifted ingredients into the sugar mixture until well combined.
6. separate the dough into two disk, wrap in plastic wrap and let "chill" in the fridge. depending on your fridge temp. this could be 30 minutes to 2 hours. my fridge is really cold...so i stick it in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes and then transfer it to the fridge until i'm ready to roll.
7. preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
8. dust your rolling surface with powdered sugar and roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. cut out your shapes and transfer to baking pan. note: i find that i need to let the dough warm a bit before i can work with it really well. i knead bits of it in my hand before i start to roll. as you roll, if you notice the dough cracking apart, just push it together (it'll stick back together) and continue to roll. when the dough reaches the right temp... it shouldn't be too hard to roll...and you won't need much powedred sugar to roll it out. i also run an off-set spatula underneath the dough every few rolls to make sure it is not sicking to the board.
9. bake for 6-8 minutes, until edges are just barely brown. cool on wire racks.

sugar cookie icing, (original recipe by janice brubaker)

1 c. confectioners' sugar
2 tsp. vanilla rice milk
2 tsp. light corn syrup (plus more to thin icing as needed)
1/4 tsp almond extract, or lemon extract
assorted food colorings

directions:
1. in the bowl of a mixer, blend sugar and milk until throughly mixed. add corn syrup, extract and blend at high speed until icing is smooth and shiny. add more corn syrup as needed to thin to correct consistency. (i add it in small/medium sized drops...blend...check consistency with a spoon...until i get a steady flowing stream of the spoon)
2. separate icing into bowls and add food colorings. decorate to your hearts content! (after your cookies a very cool..you don't won't your icing to run all over the place.)

if you would like the original recipes go here for the cookies and here for the icing...have fun decorating!











are you baking yet? get going!!

have a love-filled day!

paz,
ki

vegan sunday dinner

i've been kinda quiet over here. honestly there are two reasons for this:

1. i've been getting busy in the studio lately...and,
2. i've had some not so successful cooking situations lately

and, some of my meals have included fish...for e. and okay i won't lie for me too. i'm not vegan (yet)...i'm just trying to be more veganlike.

let me see if i can recap my diet of the last week....

for our anniversary i made him some "un-fried" fried catfish, cajun rice, and cornbread....
ahh, that's when my current obsession with cornbread started.

then let's, see...on yeah, i tried to veganize a pound cake recipe for the second time, this time adding oreo crumbles to the batter. this failed...again. i really miss pound cake, but i don't really wanna eat eggs, at least not if i don't have to. i guess if i want pound cake without tofu, i'm going to have to eat eggs.

i didn't take a picture of the "cake" just insert a picture of a crumbled up mess. smile. e said it taste good though. i wouldn't let him eat it...on principle. it just didn't look good.

we also had our family favorite as of late, the old standby...breakfast for dinner. i don't know if i was present when the other three members of my family decided that we would have that at least one night a week. i'm not saying that i would of disagreed..i'd just have liked to be present.

and, we had cajun shrimp and rice and of course cornbread...

the other nights...i can't remember...however...

i made a really nice vegan sunday dinner...

we had:

red beans and rice
macaroni and "cheese"
cornbread
edamame (kids)
and a peach cobbler (that was borderline successful)

here are some pictures...

it was sooooo...good!

vegan soul food!

peach cobbler pie

no that's not an oxymoron...you see i've learned that cobbler is a desert where there is fruit on the bottom with a cake/crust like topping baked on top of that. as a child i knew peach cobbler as a pie, with the same thick peach filling inside as a cobbler. so now i'll just call it a peach cobbler pie...lol.

ironic thing is that this looks more like a cobbler than a pie..let me tell you why.

a second ago i said that this was a bit unsuccessful, well...i tried (for the first time) to make my pie crust in my new food processor. let's just say...i won't do that again.

it didn't work for me...i'll stick to doing it by hand.

the processor super processed the ingredients with only half of the water...even though i was pulsing. this made the crust waaay too flaky/crumbly...and the taste was...bland. anyway, when i went to put the top crust on top of the hot filling...it completely and utterly fell apart...a huge crumbled up mess of dough...i just laughed and decided to call it peach cobbler pie...i couldn't get past the taste of the dough, plus me and e were so full from dinner that we didn't save much room for pie...actually i didn't save much room besides a taste...he ate a huge piece...though he said he was full. men?

on another sweet note. i'm working on perfecting cornbread. when i was younger i always had the job of making the cornbread, and once i had my hand in it, i decided to depart from what grandma served up. see grandma is a traditional southern cook, and doesn't believe that cornbread should be sweet or cooked in any other pan besides her cast iron skillet.

now don't get me wrong, i love cooking cornbread in a cast iron skillet, the texture can't be beat. but um...can we sweeten it a bit...make that a lot?

so as a child i would heavily pour the sugar in, so much so that i would get a sticky glaze on top of the cornbread when it cooked up. no one ever complained...so hey, i stuck to it. (grandma would though...i never cook at grandma's house...she wouldn't have of it)

now without the eggs and the extra sugar, i'm getting a more gummy texture that i'm trying to fix. don't get me wrong, the taste is dead on...but the egg replacer and the sugar i think is altering the texture a bit...so i'm working with different ratios of flour and cornmeal to get it just right.

okay i'm rambling on too much. i'll post the recipes sometime soon...

i should have some sweet things to share in the next few days...being that chocolate love day is tommorrow and my birthday is saturday...

e already promised to make me a chocolate ding dong cake like he did for my 29th b-day...i can't wait!

i hope you've had a peaceful week...full of good eats!

paz,
ki

ummm...good eats and a little spirtual talk

thought i'd share some of my good eats from the last week...followed by a few of my thoughts.

wed., 30 jan.
smoky marinara (fromscratch) with angel hair pasta (want the recipe?)

mon.-wed. 28-30 jan.
blueberry coffee cake (fromscratch) for breakfast, snack and dessert (recipe in side bar)

sun. 27 jan.
chocolate chip cookies from the joy of vegan baking...i'll do a review soon...

sat. 26 jan., sun. 27 jan.
vegan vanilla pancakes (fromscratch)....recipe in side bar

fri.-sat. 25-26 jan.
hello kitty chocolate birthday cake (the joy of vegan baking)...read about it here...review of recipe here.

fri. 25 jan.
homemade biscuits...birthday breakfast

wed. 23 jan.
pizza style foccacia (we gotta talk about the recipe)...

wed. 23 jan.
plain foccacia...these were accompanied by a butternut-carrot soup...that was...interesting. i didn't get pics of the soup. the soup tasted good, but neither me or e cared much for the texture, it was our first time having butternut squash soup.

i think that about covers the past week...mas o menos (spanish for more or less).

we didn't get to make it to the farmer's market this past weekend, we missed riverside's sat. because of birthday happenings, and loma linda's was rained out i imagine...cause when we got there...it was empty. we did make it to clark's, loma linda...its the closest thing we have here to whole foods. they have a wonderful selection of organic produce, natural foods, supplements, the whole she-bang. i got a bit of organic fruits for the kids (apples, pineapple) and we found some other alternative foods...like
ian's allergy-free french toast sticks (for mommie), and some wheat free pasta and cereal for mommie...along with buckwheat hot cereal...and ooh of course some soy ice cream, cheese and yogurt...mostly for the kids.

i can go on and on...about vegan groceries...they make me excited...especially when they are convenience foods.

on another note, e had a talk with me about giving up chicken...his argument is that i don't/can't eat a wide variety of foods as it is, and he would like to see me keep some protein. he had a very strong argument, i told him if i did it would be a couple of servings a month, and it would have to be ethically raised, organic, hormone-free... truly free-range and locally grown. clark's has it...i questioned the associate at length and she assured me that the meat was all organic, humanly raised, local, etc.

i'm sitting on it. my reasons for becoming vegan is for health reasons first, and humane reasons secondly. i have food allergies, and eating "vegan" seems to be the safest way for me to eat. also, as i further studied buddhism this summer, i understood the voice of the meat-free advocate. but to further confuse me, i learned that even the dalai lama has an occasional serving of meat (organically grown i'm sure). one of the main principles behind buddhism is "the middle way." not being extreme to any way...would i be being extreme if i vowed a vegan life? i mean let me get real... my shoes are leather, and i can't afford vegan shoes...my bags incorporate leather....i wear and love my ugg's.

at this point, i am vowing to look at the ways that i can live more consciously. i don't know exactly the ends of what that will mean for me. i can say, that i am more conscious of what i put in my body and my family's. i support local farmers in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, and to support the local agriculture market...and also to eat seasonally...which i think is best.

i'm not perfect. i'm not ever going to be. perfect vegan?  i don't know when and if i will ever be there....but i will do my best to live consciously. i mean, i met a local bee farmer, with the most beautiful range of honey's...as passionately as he talked to me about honey, and educated my kids on bees...i don't think he would ever intentionally harm a bee. i'll be sure to grill him this weekend :p

accept me as i am...i accept you. i do my best.

hey...i've gone about a month without chicken...so i'm still doing good.

anyway...

have a peaceful day...i am...

paz,
ki

recipes....i've got recipes!

so, i decided to list the recipes on their own pages and you can now easily find and access them from the side panel...so far we've got:

• vanilla pancakes
• black eye peas
• apple pie
• coffee cake

as i get more, i will post them over there...enjoy!

paz,
ki

vegan soul food

i did it!

vegan black eye peas

i made black-eye peas...vegan/soul-food style...now bare with me here...i'm sure vegan black eye peas seems like an oxymoron...but understand something here...when black-folks make black-eye peas it usually isn't vegan. i hate to stereo-type...and i'm not...but i know i am (another oxymoron). take for example...when i was talking to my grandma last week and mentioned to her i had a craving for some black-eye peas...she started telling me how to cook it...and of course the ingredients list included salt-pork. my mom...said "you don't have to use pork...you can use sausage" hmmm....another oxymoron? technically yes and no...i could use turkey sausage...but anyway...i'm off on a tangent.

so i set out to veganize my grandma's recipe...and boy did i succeed!

i will attempt to end this post with some recipes...but bare with me...i don't measure except when baking.

along side those yummy peas...are some fried green tomatoes...too good for words.

i also baked an apple pie fromscratch with apples i got at the farmer's market (click on the link to read about it)

apple pie...fromscratch. picture courtesy of mr.e


more pie(food) porn. picture courtesy of mr.e

look at my crust...is it just me or can i get-down on shaping my crust? the more i do it...the better i get. but i won't lie...i'm not that good at the lattice top...i always have to work at it...to weave them right.

fresh biscuits monday morning...these were soooooo fluffy and good!

so i had a pretty "fruit full" weekend...all and all. lots of success. lots of cooking. well not really.

on eating beans:

this is for those of you, who are transitioning into veganism or vegitarianism like me and may not be easily able to digest beans. i too have/had this problem and i think i am on to a solution. here is what i did:

• double-soaked the beans (total of almost 48 hours) and rinsed the beans really well between the soaks and before i cooked them
• skimmed off any foam that rose to the top during the first few minutes of cooking (while bringing to a boil)
• cooked with kombu the beans become more easily digested
• take a digestive enzyme with the first bite of food...to make it easier to digest also

i hope this helps...i have been unable to eat beans and some of my other favorite veggies for a while now, i am on a mission to find a way to make them easier for my body to eat these veggies (broccoli, cabbage, onions, beans, etc.) i found that with all the tips above, i was able to eat them with very little if any discomfort what's so ever. so far...one veggie down...

okay on to the recipes:

let me start this by saying that when i cook...i don't measure. i don't really know a cook who does. i have a weird ability to be able to smell the food and know what it needs. i know sounds weird...but i do season my food by smell...and eventually by taste.

don't worry, i won't be forcing you to smell your food...not a bad idea though. but i will say that you must taste your food while your cooking it and flavor it to your liking.

seasoning tips:

• season your food in layers. season each layer (don't over do it) and that way you won't end up with bland food.
• don't depend upon salt to make your food tasty...use salt as the last bit of punch...and let the eaters control the salt at the table.
• learn your spices. learn about the different spices...what they taste like...what they do and how they will affect your food. learn which spices go together.
• read the packages. read the packages of some of your favorite foods, condiments...and see if there are any seasonings there that you may try.
• study different recipes. honestly,  i read cookbooks like novels...in bed, at night and all throughout the day. really i love cookbooks. even if i don't make the recipes from the book...i learn different flavoring combinations that i use later.
• don't be scared! what's the worse that can happen...you under season it? you over season it? it's okay...lesson learned. did you season in layers? did you taste often? did you rely to heavily on salt and pepper and over do it?
• lastly...don't double dip...unless your cooking for just yourself...don't taste directly out of the dish...it's just....not nice. use the two spoon method. use your stirring/cooking spoon to pour the food into the tasting spoon/fork. you get the point...just don't double dip...even if its just for you...its a bad habit to break.

okay off to the recipes...finally..!

ki-ki's veganized southern black eye peas

1 package of dried black eye peas
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 bell pepper
1 half strip of kombu
1-2 tbl. of liquid smoke (i use hickory)
1-2 tbl. of soy sauce
1 capful of vegan bacon bits plus more for garnishing
2 bay leaves
1-2 tsp. onion powder
1-2 tsp. garlic powder
spike *salt-free seasoning to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1. about a day an a half before you plan on eating the beans...sort through your beans get rid of any bad ones...or rocks (which i've never found...but you never know) then, completely cover the beans in a bowl with water. soak the beans overnight, or for 6-8 hours. after the initial soak, rinse peas well and start a second soaking. soak for another 8 hours...or longer if you can. after the final soaking. rinse again really well.
2. chop up the onion and bell pepper. saute in a soup pot with a little bit of canola oil until soft and translucent. i also like to season my onions and peppers with spike, salt and pepper. not a lot..just add some flavor here.
3. once the veggies are cooked, add beans and cover with water. if you want more of a soup...add lots of water...less soup/broth add less. just make sure the beans are well covered.
4. add the kombu, smoke, soy sauce, bay leaves, "bacon" bits and seasonings. bring to a rolling boil.
5. once beans begin to boil, turn heat to low and cover.
6. cook for about 3-4 hours...depending on how you like your beans. i cook mines as long as possible. stir fairly often.
7. after the first hour and a half....taste the beans and add more seasonings if you prefer. keep in mind that the bay leaves and kombu will season the broth as it cooks...so the flavor will develop over the cooking period.
8. before serving, remove the bay leaves and kombu (you can leave this if you like but not the bay leaves...they will continue to season). next taste and adjust seasonings to your liking...adding more smoke will increase the smokiness and meaty flavor...soy sauce will make it saltier...and the other seasonings will enhance their respective flavors also.
9. serve over rice...or on the side of another dish...and serve with "bacon" bits on top.

make it your own: this is a recipe you can make your own. add more or less of the onion and bell-pepper as you wish. i tend to add half or less of an onion and bell-pepper, but in the past i've done all. also, adjust the soy sauce/smoke to your liking along with the other seasonings. these are just the flavors i used...you can use them as much or as little as you like. you can also add vegan meat crumbles (make sure you season them). Have fun...and enjoy.

grandma's fried green tomatoes

green tomatoes (how every many you can get your hands on)
1 c. cornmeal
3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tbl onion and garlic powder
1-2 tsp. salt and pepper (this is to taste...i just usually eyeball it)
oil for skillet frying (i use canola)

1. slice tomatoes about 1/4 inch thick. sprinkle a pinch of salt & pepper on one side if you like...but don't dry them.
2. mix together the dry ingredients in bowl.
3. pour enough oil into a non-stick pan to halfway cover each tomato slice...not too much...we're not deep frying them and heat up your oil.
3. while waiting for your oil to be ready, place a few "wet" tomatoes in cornmeal mixture...and evenly coat both sides...don't shake off too much. try to flour them in batches...just as they are about to get fried.
4. make sure oil is hot. you know its ready when a bit of the cornmeal mixture fizzles around when dropped into the oil. carefully place the floured slices in the oil. don't over crowd them.
5. fry each side for a couple of minutes...or until golden-brown. try not to turn them more than once.
6. drain well. and serve anyway you like. these are best eaten while hot.

note: this mixture should coat about 2-3 medium sized tomatoes...if you run out...just shake a little more meal and flour into the bowl and mix well. there really isn't much need to measure...you just want a little more cornmeal than flour...a bit of sugar...and some seasonings so it don't taste like flour. i never measure...i just do like grandma says...and put some cornmeal...flour and seasonings together. now her recipe doesn't call for sugar...but then again she don't put sugar in her cornbread either...this is where i differ from grandma...i like my cornbread sweet.

so there you have it...two recipes...if you'd like the apple pie recipe that i've adapted let me know...and i'll be sure to write it up...drop me a comment (i'm desperate for comments...i ain't gone lie). and if you try any of the recipes...let me know how it comes out.

eat well...

paz,

ki