Save the Chickens Vegan Roast

It's likely that the chicken really crossed the road to escape death by the executioner's ax.

Earlier I shared a recipe for Better Than Mad Cows Vegan Roast. Today's recipe is similar in terms of preparation and ingredients, but the seasonings are slightly different in order to create a flavor reminiscent of poultry, such as chicken and turkey.

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4C cashew pieces
• 2C water
• 1t salt
• 2T chicken style seasoning
• 2T white miso
• 1/4t celery salt
• 1/4C nutritional yeast flakes
• 2 1/2C vital wheat gluten flour
• 2T flour

Directions

1. Saute onion and garlic.
2. While onion and garlic are cooking, combine cashews, water, salt, nutritional yeast flakes, and seasonings (everything but the flours) in a blender.
3. Mix the flours in a large bowl.
4. When the onion mixture is ready place the mixture in the blender and blend until smooth, usually a couple of minutes.
5. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour and stir until well combined and a dough forms.
6. Shape the dough into a roll about 8 inches long.
7. Wrap the roll tightly with parchment paper and then with foil.
8. Bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours (120 minutes).
9. The roll should be firm and the internal temperature slightly less than 200 degrees.

Baked French Fries

French fries are so delicious!  Commercial restaurants such as McDonald's and Burger King reformulate their French fries from time to time in order to attract more customers.  Other restaurants highlight the fact that their fries are made from whole potatoes.  Five Guys Burgers is one of these.

The problem with French fries is contained in the name - fried.  Anything tastes more delicious when it is deep fried in oil (just ask people who eat bizarre fried stuff at state fairs).  With a little bit of effort, you can make baked fries at home, which are just as tasty and much healthier.  You don't even need to buy the prepacked fries from the frozen section at the grocery.

Serve with Homemade Tomato Ketchup or Tasty Tuesday Tequila Chili.

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients

• 6-8 medium potatoes, rinsed
• 1-2T oil
• 1/4t salt

Directions

1. Cut each potato into 4-5 slices.  Cut each slice into individual fries.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the salt and oil.
3. Add the fries to the oil mixture and stir until all fries are coated.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Transfer the fries onto the baking sheet in a single layer, ensuring that all fries are separated.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Origami Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Each week at my church, a local college supplies both students to help out this the service and also provides food for the fellowship meal.  One of the items they bring is a batch of these delicious oatmeal raisin cookies.

During a recent boring conference call at work, I folded this small origami box, made from 8 sheets of paper.  I realized that it is the right size for a small cookie gift box (holds 3 cookies).  Directions to the make the box are in my public DropBox folder.

 Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients

• 1/3C raisins
• 2 1/2C quick oats
• 2C flour
• 1C brown sugar
• 1t salt
• 1t baking soda or 2t baking powder
• 3/4C oil
• 2/3C apple sauce
• 1/3C water
• 2t vanilla

Directions

1. Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with water.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
3. Drain water from raisins.
4. Add raisins to cookie dough and stir until raisins are distributed evenly throughout the dough.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
6. Drop cookies by tablespoonful onto the baking sheet.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
8. Remove cookies from baking sheet and cool on rack.

Propaganda Classic Apple Pie

In his book Propaganda, human relations expert Edward Bernays described how businesses and government effectively use a variety of techniques to sway public opinion.  In the early 20th century, hard cider manufactured from apples was banned.  What were apple growers to do? 

Some believe that the Apple Marketing Board may have developed the slogans "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" and "As American as apple pie" to keep apples in the consciousness of the American public and thus in their shopping carts.

This recipe is easier to make than it looks like from the long list of directions below.  Basically, mix up the pie crusts, mix up the apples, and put it all together.  This pie crust seems oily when preparing it, but bakes flaky and crisp.  You don't need a food processor or fancy techniques to create this crust. 

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Pie Crust Ingredients

• 2C flour
• 2/3C olive oil
• 5T water

Apple Filling Ingredients

• 6C apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2C sugar
• 2T flour
• 1t ground cinnamon
• 1/4t salt
• 1/8t nutmeg
• 1T lemon juice

Directions

1. Place sliced apples in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.  Pour over apples.
3. Add lemon juice to apple mixture.
4. Mix well to ensure all apple slices are coated with mixture.  
5. Set the bowl of coated apples aside and prepare the pie crusts.
6. To make the pie crust, combine pic crust ingredients in a bowl and mix/knead until formed into a ball.  Divide into two pieces and reform as balls.
7. Take the first ball and roll out between sheets of wax paper.  
8. Peel off top sheet of wax paper and flip the crust over into a pie plate.  Peel off the remaining piece of wax paper.  Press the crust until it conforms to the pan.
9. Transfer the apples into the pie plate.
10. Take the second ball of dough and roll it out between two pieces of wax paper.  Peel off the top layer.
11. Flip the dough onto the apples and gently peel off the wax paper.
12. Cut off the excess dough, but leave a little bit hanging off the edge of the pie plate.
13. Form the overhanging dough into a border.  This will also ensure that the bottom and top crusts are sealed (otherwise they will separately slightly during baking).
14. Use a knife to cut slits or decorative designs into the top crust.
15. Cover the pinched border with strips of aluminum foil.
16. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.
17. Remove the strips of aluminum foil and bake an additional 20 minutes.
18. Serve with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.

Micro Batch Granola

One of my friends, Marites, has a recipe blog, Recipes from Eden.  Earlier this year she shared her recipe for granola.  Marites makes granola in large batches using 12 cups of oatmeal.  We don't eat that much granola, so needed to downsize the recipe.

One of my daughter's friends told me about TumblinBumblinCrumblinCookie, the Instragram account of Lin, a blogger in Singapore. You will be inspired by her creative photography and eloquent prose that accompanies each photo on Instagram and post on her recipe blog, SoFineWasTheMorning.

Lin's granola recipe was right-sized for my needs, and so I incorporated elements from both recipes to create the one below.  Micro Batch Granola is best served with homemade almond milk.

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees (F).
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2C rolled oats
• 2T unsweetened coconut shreds
• 2T flour
• 1/4C slivered almonds, slightly crushed
• 1/4t cinnamon
• 2T water
• 2T coconut milk (use the remaining milk to make vanilla ice cream)
• 3T brown sugar
• 1/2t vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 3/4C dried fruit (for example, raisins and craisins)

Directions

1. Combine rolled oats, coconut shreds, flour, almonds, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.  Stir to mix well.
2. Combine water, coconut milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a small bowl.  Whisk to combine.
3. Pour the liquid mixture over the dry mixture and stir until all of the dry ingredients have been coated.
4. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Spread evenly.
5. Bake at 300 degrees (F) for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  For my oven, 35 minutes was perfect.
6. Remove from the baking sheet to a large plate and mix in the fruit.
7. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Easy 3 Ingredient Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Growing up, I ate a lot of homemade ice cream. My mom made it for church socials, family events, outings to the lake, and so on. Mom had a number of recipes including her classic vanilla, rich chocolate, peach, and many others. My parents owned a White Mountain hand-crank freezer which required ice and rock salt to successfully transform a liquid mixture into delicious ice cream. Every one took a turn at the crank. The whole operation was well-supervised, because if the salty ice leaked into the canister of ice cream, the entire batch was ruined. Usually, the ice cream came out perfect and delicious for a hot summer day.

No more cranking

Today, while you can still buy White Mountain ice cream makers, the trend seems to be towards ice cream makers that are easier and more convenient to use. Many different models exist that feature a bowl with insulated sides. The bowl is placed in the freezer overnight. Because the bowl is insulated, ice and salt are not needed. Kitchen Aid makes an ice cream maker ($99) attachment for the mixers, and Oster makes an inexpensive one ($30 at Walmart).

All of my mom's ice cream recipes included copious amounts of heavy cream, whole milk, and eggs, things we typically don't eat at home. Yet, nothing still satisfies like homemade ice cream. Thanks to the miracle of the Internet, I came across this recipe which is just as delicious as more complicated recipes and only has three ingredients. Best of all, this ice cream does not crystallize in the freezer, and retains just right softness to easily scoop on to a warm brownie or as the foundation for a sundae.

Warning: Quality control needed

You may find that you need to sample the product throughout the production process - when transferring from the blender to the ice cream maker, when transferring to the freezer-safe container, and every hour until the desired consistency is reached.

 

Preparation

To achieve a better result when preparing the ice cream, place the cans of coconut milk in the refrigerator over night (or at least 4-6 hours).

Ingredients

• 2 cans unsweetened coconut milk
• 1C sugar
• 2t vanilla extract

 

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until mixed.
2. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker. Let the machine stir the ice cream for about 30 minutes.
3. Transfer to a freezer-safe container. Cover with plastic wrap (with the plastic wrap pressed against the ice cream). A foil, one-time-use, bread pan works great.
4. Place in freezer over night for best results.

This recipe makes about 1 quart of delicious homemade vanilla ice cream.

Douglas G Pratt, 2014

Vegan Bite Size Tonkatsu

Traditionally, tonkatsu is a Japanese preparation of pork where the cutlet is breaded and deep fried and served on a bed of shredded cabbage.  Using vital wheat gluten, you can achieve a vegan version which is tasty and versatile, as it can be used as an appetizer (as shown below), as an entree, or as part of another dish.  This recipe comes from my friend and chef Pat.

Ingredients

For the tonaksu

• 1C vital wheat gluten
• 1t garlic powder
• 1t onion powder
• 1C warm water
• Breadcrumbs (Italian style or Panko style)

Liquid for boiling

• 4C water
• 1/2C soy sauce

Dipping sauce for serving (optional)

• 1C mayonnaise
• 1/2C prepared mustard
• 1/2C honey

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together vital wheat gluten, garlic powder, and onion powder.
2. Add warm water and mix until a soft dough forms.  Ensure that the dry ingredients are incorporated.
3. Let the dough rest for five minutes.
4. After five minutes, cut the dough into bite size pieces.  For me, this recipe makes about 40 bite size pieces.
5. In a large pot, combine water and soy sauce.  Bring to a boil.
6. Place the bite size pieces into the boiling mixture.  Cover and return to a boil.
7. Let the bite size pieces simmer for five minutes.  Remove from the water and drain on paper towels.
8. While the pieces are drying, heat a frying pan filled with 1-inch of oil.
9. When cool enough to handle, dip each bite size in the bread crumbs and place in the frying pan.
10. Fry the bite size pieces for 3-4 minutes.
11. Remove from the fryer and drain on paper towels.
12. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, and honey.  Mix until well blended.
13. Serve tonkatsu with dipping sauce.

Note:  Vital wheat gluten is available at Publix and Kroger grocery stores as well as most health food stores.

Black Bean Burgers

Summer is a time for cookouts, lake adventures, and spending time in the great outdoors. With this delicious black bean burger you don't have to wonder what you'll eat while your friends enjoy their hamburgers and ribs.

 

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4C carrot, grated or finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2C prepared black beans, drained (reserve liquid)
• 1C brown rice, cooked
• 1C bread crumbs
• 1t salt
• 1/2t chili powder
• 1/2t ground cumin
• 1-2T liquid, as needed

Directions

1. Saute onion, pepper, carrot, and garlic.
2. In a mixing bowl, mash black beans.
3. Add brown rice and bread crumbs to black beans.
4. Stir in saute mixture and spices.
5. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are incorporated. Mixture should be sticky but not too wet.
6. Form into patties and fry over medium heat in a lightly-oiled pan, 3-4 minutes per side.

Makes 8 patties.

 

If you like this recipe, please also check out Oat Burgers, another great vegetarian burger option.

 

Douglas G Pratt, 2014

Old-Fashioned Homemade Tomato Ketchup

According to Wikipedia, the origin of ketchup begin in China. Gradually, over time, ketchup made its way west, finally reaching the Americas. As early as 1801 there were documented recipes for ketchup. Today, in the United States, the ketchup industry is dominated by Hunts and Heinz. However, homemade ketchup tastes better and uses real brown sugar, not a combination of fructose corn syrups. This recipe makes about 2 cups of ketchup.

Ingredients

• 10-12 Roma tomatoes, peeled or one 28-oz can whole tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2T olive oil
• 1T tomato paste
• 1/2C apple cider vinegar
• 1/4C brown sugar (packed)
• 1/2t salt

Directions

1. Place tomatoes (including juice if using canned tomatoes) in blender and blend until juice consistency.
2. In a 4-quart pot, saute onions in olive oil until translucent.
3. Add other ingredients to onions and mix to combine.
4. Reduce heat to simmer and cook uncovered for one hour, stirring frequently.
5. Place mixture in blender and blend until smooth.
6. Pour into a bottle and cool. An empty Snapple bottle works perfectly!

Douglas G Pratt, 2014

The Quest for a Loaf of Bread

My mother did a lot of baking of pies and cakes.  However, she did not bake bread - at least until we got a bread machine.  When bread machines were first available, it was amazing to be able to dump in the ingredients and come back 2-3 hours later and pull fresh-baked bread out of the machine.  Nothing is better than fresh bread still warm from baking.

In my opinion, you don't need a bread machine to make bread from scratch at home.  You do need a good recipe, though.  The one below is based on a "5 ingredient bread" recipe that I came across on Facebook.  I felt that a combination of flours and the addition of vital wheat gluten enhanced the recipe.

This recipe is faster to make than the other bread recipe that I posted.

To make two loaves, double the entire recipe (including the yeast).

Ingredients

• 1C hot water
• 1/3C honey
• 1pkg yeast (2.25t)
• 2C sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2C oat flour
• 1/2C whole wheat flour
• 4t vital wheat gluten
• 1t salt

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together water and honey.
2. Stir in yeast and let mixture rest for 10 minutes.
3. While yeast mixture is resting, combine flours, vital wheat gluten, and salt together in a separate bowl or the bowl of your Kitchen Aid mixer.
4. One cup at a time, add flour to yeast mixture and continue adding flour until a soft dough forms.
5. Knead for about 5 minutes.
6. Placed dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise 1 hour (see tips for ideal rising).
7. Punch down dough and knead for 2-3 minutes.
8. Place dough in an oiled loaf pan, cover with a towel, and let rise 1 hour.
9. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.  The bread is ready when the internal temperature of the loaf is 190-200 degrees.

Cream of Tomato Soup

According the Campbell's soup company, the top selling soups are chicken-noodle, cream of tomato, and cream of mushroom. These three soups consistently stay in the top ten grocery items purchased every week.

Cream of tomato soup is delicious with grilled cheese sandwiches. Cream of tomato soup can also be used as a sauce component for casseroles. With a little effort, you can quickly make this soup to use in recipes or serve simply as soup.

This particular recipe is sized especially for use in other recipes. If you plan to serve as soup, you will want to adjust the proportions. The yield is about 2 cups of soup.

Ingredients

• 2T olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1t salt
• 1t sugar
• 2T flour
• 5-6 Roma tomatoes, peeled or 1 14-oz can whole tomatoes
• 1/4C tomato paste
• 1/2C homemade almond milk

Directions

1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil.
2. Stir in salt and sugar.
3. While onion mixture is cooking, blend tomatoes until a juice consistency. Set aside.
4. Stir flour into saute mixture and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.
5. Pour tomato juice into saute mixture and add tomato paste. Stir to combine well.
6. Reduce heat to medium low and cooking for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Pour mixture into blender and add milk.
8. Blend until creamy and smooth (a couple of minutes in a Vitamix).

Oat flour

Oat flour

Take 2C of oats (quick or regular) and grind in a blender or food processor until a flour consistency is reached.  Store in a sealed container or plastic bag.

A blender will yield a finer flour while a food processor will preserve small fragments of oats for a hearty texture.

Teleportation Pineapple Smoothie

The idea of teleportation, moving from one place to another without moving through physical space, was first mention in fiction in the 1930s.  Since then, many authors and screenwriters have incorporated elements of teleportation into their work. 

Most familiar is probably the transporter room technology of Star Trek in which people stand in a designated area and then are dematerialized into energy matter and reassembled at the destination location.  Author Stephen King has written a couple of short stories using the idea of bending physical space to travel faster.  The Twilight Zone television series also used the concept of magical ports that, when passed through, would transport people to other worlds. 

Today's recipe is very simple to make but has almost the same effect as being teleported to the beach.  Making any kind of drink and drinking it from a pineapple gives you the feeling of enjoying vacation in a tropical setting.

Ingredients

• 1 whole pineapple (small to medium)
• 1/2C crushed pineapple (extracted from the whole pineapple)
• 6-8 whole strawberries, frozen
• 1 ripe banana
• 1C milk
• 1T sugar

Directions

1. Cut the top off the pineapple and set aside.
2. Hollow out the pineapple taking care not to puncture the sides or the bottom (don't want a leaky cup).
3. Take the flesh was was removed and cut away the core.  
4. Combine the strawberries, banana, and 1/2C of pineapple to the blender.
5. Add milk and sugar.
6. Blend until smooth and pour into the pineapple.
7. Add straw and drink umbrella.

Tofu egg salad that chickens will love

Egg salad is versatile because it works as a sandwich spread, spread for vegetables, and deviled eggs.  Tofu egg salad works for all of these. 

If you live in near a metropolitan area where there is an Indian grocery store, it will definitely be worth your while to stop by and pick up two items:  Indian black salt (kala namak) and an Indian curry.

Ingredients

• 16oz pack, extra firm or firm tofu, well-drained
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 1/3C vegan mayonnaise
• 3T nutritional yeast
• 1t prepared yellow mustard
• 1t curry powder
• 1t Indian Black salt

Directions

1. Place the tofu in a mixing bowl and mash well with a potato masher.
2. Add the diced celery.
3. In a small bowl, combine and mix well mayonnaise, mustard, curry powder, and nutritional yeast.
4. Pour the mayonnaise mixture into the tofu and stir until well-combined.

Emergency Mayonnaise

When I was a child, I used to watch the show Emergency!  Centered around a fire hall, every week the team would encounter a variety of critical fire and paramedic situations.  Of course, they always saved the day.

This week I had a little kitchen emergency of my own.  In making a sandwich spread recipe, I discovered that I was out of mayonnaise.  I quickly search for "vegan mayo" recipes online and found this one.  It is easy to make, and works well on sandwiches or in salads, such as potato or macaroni salad.

Ingredients

• 8 oz extra firm tofu
• 1/4C raw cashews, ground into a fine powder
• 1T lemon juice
• 1T sugar
• 1 1/2t Dijon mustard
• 1t apple cider vinegar
• 1/2t salt
• 6T extra virgin olive oil or grape seed oil

Directions

1. Rinse and squeeze the tofu to remove excess water.  Crumble the tofu in the food processor.
2. Add other ingredients to the food processor and pulse until well combined.
3. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil.  Many food processors have a small hole designed just for this.
4. Once the oil has been added, remove the mayonnaise from the food processor and transfer to a small bowl.

Second chance almond crackers

At home we use almond milk as a substitute for dairy milk.  In a previous post I shared my recipe for homemade almond milk, which is quick and easy, inexpensive, and delicious. 

Each time that I make almond, there is about a 1/2 packed cup of almond pulp left over.  At first, I just threw it away.  Then I discovered that you can use it to make crackers that work well with Guilt-free Vegan Cheese Ball.  Rather than being waste, the almond pulp has a second chance to make a tasty contribution to our kitchen table.

A online search for almond pulp crackers yields many recipes.  However, some of these require baking the crackers at low temperatures (around 150 degrees) for 20 hours.  Crackers that only include almond meal without some kind of binder - like flour - tend to be crumbly.

The recipe below is a modification of Serendipity Sesame Crackers and only requires an acceptable 30 minutes of baking time.

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients

• 1/2C packed, almond meal
• 1C whole wheat flour
• 1t salt
• 1/2C water
• 3T olive oil

Directions

1. Combine almond meal, flour, and salt.
2. Stir together and blend using a pastry cutter.  My almond pulp is moist so the consistency and blending is similar to biscuits.
3. Add oil and water and mix until a dough forms.
4. Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter and place your dough on this.  Put a second sheet of parchment paper (or wax paper) on top of the dough.
5. Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/8 inch.
6. Peel off the top parchment/wax paper and place the rolled out dough on a baking sheet.
7. Using a knife or pizza cutter, score the crackers.  I make 2-inch square crackers.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Cool reference for kitchen conversions

Below is a great reference for converting measurements. This chart is handy for those times when you may need to convert 1/3 cup to tablespoons.

 

Source:  http://sblattindesign.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/measure-up/

Flour Tortillas Like Rio Bravo Used To Make

There used to be a restaurant in Nashville called Rio Bravo.  Rio had great Tex/Mex food and made all of the tortillas in-house, fresh and warm.  Unfortunately, the Rio Bravo chain had to file for bankruptcy, so Nashville lost a great eating establishment.

It is easy to Eat At Home and make your own flour tortillas.  Unlike corn tortillas, which require mesa harina cornmeal, flour tortillas can be made with ingredients you probably already have.

The "comal" is a flat cast iron pan.  Cast iron takes a little while to heat, but retain heat for quite a while.  For my stove, I started at level 6 (on a 10-point range) and then decrease to 5 (medium) for cooking the tortillas.  No oil is required on the pan. 

Ingredients (makes eight 6-inch tortillas)

• 2C Flour
• 1t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 2T Olive oil
• 3/4C warm water

Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. Mix in oil and rub the flour with a fork or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Add the water and form into a dough.
4. Let the dough rest 10 minutes.
5. Divide into eight pieces and form into balls.
6. Let the tortilla balls rest 5 minutes.
7. While the dough is resting heat your comal or nonstick pan over medium heat.
8. Roll out the tortillas on a well-floured surface.
9. Place on an ungreased pan and heat for 45 seconds on each side.

If you like this recipe, please comment below and share on Facebook.

Irish Soda Bread

St. Patrick's Day, the primary time that Americans celebrate their Irish heritage, has already passed for this year.   However, you can enjoy a taste of the Emerald Isle any time by whipping up this quick bread.  In Europe, baking soda became available and popular in the mid 19th century.  The baking soda interacts with the acidity of the buttermilk to create the leavening action.

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Spray a baking pan with nonstick spray and coat with flour.

Ingredients

• 3/4C raisins
• 2C flour
• 3/4t baking soda
• 1/2t salt
• 1T sugar
• 2t caraway seeds
• 3/4 + 1T buttermilk
• 1T melted butter (optional)

Directions

1. Place raisins in a small sauce pan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer while preparing other ingredients.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and caraway seeds.
3. Remove raisins from stove and drain.  Add to dry ingredients.
4. Add buttermilk and stir to combine.  A soft dough will form.  
5. Place on the baking pan.  Using a large knife, score a large "x" into the top of the loaf, about an inch deep.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, until the internal temperature is 200 degrees.
7. Cool on a rack before slicing.

If you like this recipe, please leave a comment below and share on Facebook.

Serendipity Sesame Crackers

From time to time you might set out to make or do one thing and end up doing another.  Pavlov actually started out studying the digestive tracks of dogs, but soon realized that conditioning dogs to salivate when he rang a bell was much more interesting.

We wanted to make crackers with basil and sun dried tomato, but alas, had neither of those ingredients.  Instead we may these fantastic sesame/sun flower crackers that are somewhere in between sesame sticks and crackers.  These hearty crackers are the perfect accompaniment to soups and snacks. 

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients

• 1C whole wheat flour
• 1/2C rye flour
• 1t salt
• 1/2C sesame seeds
• 1/4C sunflower seeds
• 1/2C water
• 3T olive oil

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well until combined into a dough.  You may have to finish mixing with your hands.
2. Place the dough on wax paper and cover with a second sheet of wax paper.
3. Roll out to 1/8-inch thick.
4. Peel off the top sheet of wax paper.
5. Score the rolled out dough to the desired number of crackers.
6. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Never buy peanut sauce again Peanut Sauce

Thai cuisine includes dishes with a peanut sauce component. A peanut sauce is versatile as it can be used as a dressing, dipping sauce, or as part of a main dish. Additionally, you can adjust the spice and sweetness levels to your preference.

Ingredients

• 1/3C creamy peanut butter (fresh grind from Whole Foods works well)
• 1 stalk lemongrass – white bulbous part only, finely minced
• 1 fresh red chili pepper (serrano pepper) – finely minced
• 1T soy sauce
• 1/2T brown sugar
• 1T sesame oil (or vegetable oil)
• 2T lemon juice
• 2t grated fresh ginger
• 1t Sriracha chili sauce
• 3T coconut milk

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well blended. Add additional Sriracha if desired.

Douglas G Pratt, 2014

Better than mad cows vegan roast

This recipe makes a vegan roast that can used in sandwiches, casseroles, or as a main dish (served with mash potatoes, gravy, and a vegetable or two). Two ingredients in the broth - walnuts and caramelized onions - give the roast a dark, rich texture.

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4C walnuts
• 2C water
• 1t salt
• 1T beef style seasoning
• 2t paprika
• 1/4t celery salt
• 1/4C nutritional yeast flakes
• 2 1/4C vital wheat gluten flour
• 2T flour]\

Directions

1. Saute onion and garlic. This recipe is best with slightly caramelized onions.
2. While onion and garlic are cooking, combine walnuts, water, salt, nutritional yeast flakes, and seasonings (everything but the flours) in a blender.
3. Mix the flours in a large bowl.
4. When the onion mixture is ready place the mixture in the blender and blend until smooth, usually a couple of minutes.
5. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour and stir until well combined and a dough forms.
6. Shape the dough into a roll about 8 inches long.
7. Wrap the roll tightly with parchment paper and then with foil.
8. Bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours (120 minutes).
9. The roll should be firm and the internal temperature slightly less than 200 degrees.

Douglas G Pratt, 2014

Baked Donuts

While talking to a friend about homemade Twinkies she suggested that I post a recipe for homemade baked donuts.  Voila!  This recipe is easy to make.  We rarely eat sweet pastries for breakfast, so use this as a dessert instead.

Ingredients

DONUTS

• 1 1/2C flour, sifted
• 1/4C sugar
• 1 pkg. rapid rise yeast
• 1/4t salt
• pinch of nutmeg
• 2t olive oil
• 1/2C warm homemade almond milk (microwave milk for 30 seconds)

TOPPING

• 1/4C sugar
• 1t cinnamon
• 1/4C liquified coconut oil

Directions

1. Combined all ingredients and mix until a dough is formed.
2. Knead for about 5 minutes.
3. Placed the dough in a lightly-oiled bowl and let it rise for one hour or until doubled in size.
4. Roll out dough to a thickness of 1/2-inch.
5. Cut out donuts using a donut cutter or large (3-inch) and small (1 1/2-inch) biscuit cutters.
6. Place donuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Cover the donuts with a cloth and allow to rise one hour.
8. Preheat over to 375 degrees during the last 15 minutes of rising (make sure the dough is out of the oven).
9. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes.
10. Cool for 5 minutes. 
11. While donuts are cooling, combine sugar and cinnamon in a small plate.
12. Brush donuts with coconut oil and pressed into the cinnamon coating.

Guilt-Free Vegan Cheese Ball

One thing I don't like about parties is party food.  If I attend a function where there's not a real meal, but just hors d'oeuvres and snack foods, I end up eating a lot but don't feel satisfied.

This cheese ball may not satisfy all of your hunger, but at least you can eat and enjoy as much as you want.  It is made using cashews, sun dried tomatoes, and seasonings.  The cheese ball works well with bread, crackers, vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2C raw cashews (whole or pieces)
• 3T sun dried tomatoes, chopped in small pieces
• 1/4C nutritional yeast flakes
• 1t salt
• 1t onion powder
• 1/2t dry ground mustard
• 1/2t paprika
• 1/4t tumeric
• dash cayenne pepper
• 1T mellow white miso
• 1T apple cider vinegar
• 1T dry sherry (optional)
• 1/2C coconut oil (melted)
• Slivered almonds for coating.

Directions

1. Place cashews and sun dried tomatoes in a bowl and cover with boiling water.
2. While the cashews are soaking place dry ingredients (except almonds) in a small ramekin.
3. Drain the water from the cashews and tomatoes.
4. In a large food processor, place the cashews, tomatoes, and liquid ingredients (except coconut oil).
5. Pulse to blend into a paste.
6. Add dry ingredients and continue to pulse until completely smooth.
7. Gradually pour in the coconut oil.
8. Scrape the cheese into a container, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours.
9. Scrape the cheese out of the container and form into a ball.
10. Cover with slivered almonds.

Make Your Own Almond Milk

When I was a child, I had a friend, Jeremy, who lived two houses down from me.  On occasion, while we played at his house, his mom would offer me a glass of milk.  Except this wasn't regular, dairy milk - it was soy milk, made from a soy drink powder.  It was a little a funky tasting, but I liked it - probably because it was different from the dairy milk we drank at home.

Now, fast forward a few years.  My family - my wife, daughter, and I - now drink mostly almond milk and occasionally soy milk at home.  Personally, I prefer almond milk because it responds like dairy milk for cooking.  This recipe is very simple and cost-effective to make. 

 

What's in your milk?

Regardless of the commercial brand that you purchase, it contains a lot more than almonds!  Compare the ingredients for one brand to homemade.

BLUE DIAMOND ALMOND BREEZE - Original Unsweetened 
(This is what we used until I learned how to make almond milk)

HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK - Original Unsweetened

Ingredients

• 1C whole almonds plus water for soaking
• 3 1/2C purified water or spring water
• pinch, sea salt
• 1 whole vanilla bean (optional)
• 2-4 medjool dates (optional)
• 1/4t ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Soak the almonds in water for 8-12 hours.
2. Drain and rinse the almonds.
3. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend at the highest speed for 1 minute.
4. Place a nut bag in a mixing bowl.  Pour the liquid into the nut bag.  The majority of milk will simply drain into the bowl.  
5. Knead the almond pulp inside the bag until all of the liquid has been pressed out.
6. Transfer the milk to a quart-size storage bottle (preferably glass) and chill.

This milk will stay fresh for 4-5 days.

If you like this recipe, please comment below and share on Facebook.

Adult Mac and Cheese

If Macaroni & Cheese out of the box is old, try this recipe which - in the words of chef Emeril Lagasse - "kicks it up a notch."  With fresh tomatoes, a spicy kick, and rich sauce, you will not go back to powdered cheese out of a box.

In this picture:  Adult Mac & Cheese, Vegan Chicken, and a side of stir-fried kale and spinach.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients

• 5 Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced*
• 1 package bow tie pasta
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1C diced vegan chicken
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 small can, diced green chili peppers
• 1C vegan cheese sauce or 8oz. Velveeta cheese
• 1/2 t Sriracha or Tobasco sauce (optional)

Directions

1. Prepare pasta according to directions on box.
2. Saute onion.
3. While onion is cooking, combine other ingredients (except pasta) in a large bowl.
4. Drain pasta and stir into mixture.
5. Place in a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

*see How to Remove Tomato Skins

If you like this recipe, please comment below and share on Facebook.

Almond Sharp Cheese Spread

For aspiring vegans, cheese is typically the last hold out.  However, for many reasons it is better to leave milk to the cows and leave commercial food production - even for health foods.  If you can make it at home (see the tie-in to EatAtHome?) it is fresher, healthier, and simpler than most similar products for sale.

In the last few months, some of my Facebook friends have shared a link to "14 Vegan Cheeses That Will Make You Forget About the Real Thing" and "10 Vegan Cheeses That Will Knock Your Socks Off."  As a service to others, I will be making several of these cheeses and posting the results here, of course, along with the recipes.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2C ground almonds
• 1/4C lemon juice
• 1/2C water
• 3T olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1t salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Line a small bowl with three layers of cheese cloth.
3. Transfer the cheese mixture to the bowl.  
4. Put up the edges of the cheese cloth and tie with a small ribbon or secure with a rubber band.
5. Place the cheese in a strainer and set the strainer in the bowl.  See picture below.
6. Refrigerate over night.  A small amount of liquid will drain the from the cheese.
7. Remove cheese from the cheese cloth and place in an oiled and floured oven-safe bowl.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  The cheese should be golden brown and cracked across the top.
9. Remove from the baking dish.
10. Place in a serving dish. Option:  Using a fork, stir the cheese so that it appears as a creamy spread.

Pinkies - Pratt's Vegan Twinkies

In the town where I lived between the ages of 3 and 12, there were - and still are - two main industries: a college with its associated businesses and a large snack cake company, the McKee Baking Company.  McKee's primary product line is the Little Debbie Snack Cakes, including the Oatmeal Cream Pie, Swiss Roll, and other tasty treats.

The story of how O.D. McKee built an international business on snacks is a true American tale of success.  O.D. began his business by baking at home and selling the cookies from the back of his family car. 

My brother was friends with one of the McKee children.  On one trip, when my brother accompanied the family, they stopped at a convenience store for fuel, bathroom breaks, and snacks.  My brother came walking out of the store eating a Hostess Twinkie - a direct competitor to McKee!  Mrs. McKee said, "You can't eat that in the car," and he had to finish it while standing outside the car.

In the last couple of years, Hostess fell on hard times and, for a while, looked like it was going to close.  Because Twinkies are, in the the words of former president Bill Clinton, "an object of enduring American symbolism" he wanted to put a Twinkie in a national time capsule.  More recently, President Clinton has become vegan, and has vegan Twinkies shipped to him periodically.

The recipe below features a sponge cake that is light and airy.  The filling is from my recipe for 4 Layer Pudding - it is the second layer, comprised of whipped topping and cream cheese.  While it differs slightly from the actual filling (many copycat recipes exist) it is easy to make and tastes good in pudding, in Twinkies, or on the tip of your finger.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare 6 Twinkie tins using foil.  Use the directions below or watch the video tutorial.

• Take a piece of heavy duty foil that is 18 inches by 7 inches.  
• Fold both ends over the middle in thirds (like a letter).  
• Place a regular size spice bottle (for example, Spice Island) and bring up the foil on the sides of the bottle.  Fold in the foil on the ends.  Basically you are making a bathtub-looking receptacle for each Twinkie.  
• Six of these will fit in a 9x13 pan.  
• Spray tins generously with nonstick cooking spray.

Ingredients - Cake

• 3/4C + 1T almond milk
• 1t ground flax (flax meal)
• 1t apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4C flour
• 1 1/2t baking powder
• 1/2t teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2C sugar
• 2T oil
• 2t vanilla extract
• 1/4t salt
• 1/8t almond extract

Directions - Cake

1. In a small bowl, combine milk, flax, and vinegar.  Mix well and set aside.  This needs about 5 minutes to curdle, which contributes to the spongy consistency of the cakes.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda into a mixing bowl.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, oil, and extracts and stir to mix.
4. Add the milk mixture to the sugar mixture and stir to combine.
5. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and mix well.
6. Place about 1/2C of batter into each prepared Twinkie tin.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
8. Cakes should be golden brown, spring back at the touch, and an inserted toothpick should come out clean.
9. Allow cakes to cool and remove from foil tins.

Ingredients - Filling

• 8oz cream cheese, softened (20 seconds in the microwave works well)
• 1C nondairy whipped topping (aka CoolWhip) at room temperature
• 1/2C powdered (confectioner's) sugar

Directions - Filling

• Place cream cheese, whipped topping, and sugar in a bowl and mix well.  A small hand mixer will blend these well.

Assembly

• Using a wooden chopstick, poke three holes in the bottom (flat) part of each Twinkie.  Wiggle the chopstick around to make a space inside the Twinkie.  (Alternately, you can poke the chopstick - or the thin handle of a wooden spoon - through the ends.)
• Place the filling in a pastry/icing bag and squeeze into the holes, being careful not to overfill.
• You can also add "bonus" icing on top of each Twinkie, as there will be extra icing.

How to remove tomato skins in 2 minutes

• Remove the stems from the tomatoes.
• Using a sharp knife, make a small "x" on the ends of the tomatoes opposite the stem.
• Place tomatoes in a pot of vigorously boiling water for 2 minutes.  The skin will start to crack where the "x" was made.
• Immediately place into a bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water (this stops the cooking process). 
• The skins will easily slip off.

Vegan Chicken That Will Amaze You

If you aspire to a vegetarian or vegan diet, there are still times when you need a meat substitute for a recipe. A variety of commercial meat substitutes are available at most grocery stores. However, these substitutes typically contain preservatives. In keeping with the theme of this blog, it is better to eat at home.

This recipe is a simplified version of the one on Recipes From Eden.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Oil two medium bread pans.

Ingredients

• 2C prepared garbanzo beans (aka chick peas) drained and rinsed (either canned or cooked using dried beans)
• 1 1/2C water
• 1/4C soy sauce
• 3T chicken-style seasoning
• 2T nutritional yeast flakes
• 2T onion powder
• 1T garlic powder
• 2C vital wheat gluten flour (regular flour will work)
• 1t olive oil

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except flour in a blend and blend until smooth.
2. Pour blended mixture into a large mixing bowl.
3. Stir in flour until well combined.
4. Knead for about 5 minutes, until stiff. If the dough is too wet, add a little more flour.
5. Divide dough in half and place each half in an oiled bread pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
7. Remove from pans and cool on a rack.
8. Once cool, loaves will be ready to use as slices for sandwiches or diced for recipes.

If you like this recipe, please comment below and share on Facebook.

(C) 2014 Douglas G. Pratt

Douglas G Pratt, 2013

Lentil Loaf

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 7x10 baking dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 1C dried lentils
• 2T oil
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 1 carrot, chopped finely
• 1 stalk celery, chopped finely
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped finely
• 3 gloves garlic, crushed
• 1t dried thyme
• 1/2t cumin
• 1/2t chili powder
• 1/2t garlic powder
• 1/2t onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4C rolled oats
• 3T ground flax seed
• 1/3C water
• 1/2C barbeque glaze (Glaze #1 or Glaze #2)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook lentils following directions on package.  Lentils should be tender.  Drain lentils.
2. In a medium pan, saute onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper, and garlic cloves in oil until tender.
3. Add herbs and spices to vegetable mixture.
4. In a blender, puree 3/4C of cooked lentils.
5. Combine all ingredients except glaze in a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
6. Press mixture into the prepared pan.  
7. Top with glaze and bake for 45 minutes.

Barbeque Glaze 2

1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1/2C water
1/4C Worcestershire or soy sauce
2T apple cider vinegar
2T honey
1/2t black pepper
1/2t garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until blended.

Barbeque Glaze 1

3T ketchup
1T balsamic vinegar
1T maple syrup

Combine ingredients and mix until well combined.

Queso Numero Dos

Back in September, 2013, I shared a post for non-dairy queso dip.  Today's recipe is different take on non-dairy cheese dip.  Serve with chips or combine with elbow pasta for quick mac-n-cheese.

Ingredients

• 2C potatoes, diced large
• 1C carrots, diced large
• 1/2C water
• 1/3C olive oil
• 2t salt
• 1T lemon juice
• 1/2C nutritional yeast flakes
• 1/4t onion powder
• 1/4t garlic powder
• 1/4t crushed red pepper (cayenne)
• 1/2t McKay's chicken-style seasoning

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes and carrots until soft.
2. Drain cooked vegetables.
3. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.