Photo Challenge!

Capn Poolie is having a photo challenge. The premise of the challenge is to go into your own cupboard and find the most unappealing and/or lame-ass cheap food item there. Take a photo and post it. I'm entering these:
















How's that for lack of package design? Want to know what they are?

















Civil Defense All Purpose Survival Crackers made by the National Biscuit Company, New York, New York. How old is it? I really don't know but I can make an uneducated guess... No zip code on the can. That means they could be from 1963 or earlier. I'm sure everyone didn't start putting zip codes on their stuff the same day so it could be younger. My conclusion? Inconclusive.

I found them on the street in San Francisco about 10 years ago. They have been a door stop, an end table and toe stubber since then but I just can't bear to part with them.

What's the cheapest lame ass thing in your cupboard?

Mild Sweet Corn Salsa Raw Vegan Side Dish

Corn Salsa

1/2 cup frozen corn
1 roma tomato
1/2 med yellow onion
juice of one lime about a 1/4 cup

Pulse tomato and onion separately in processor or chop fine.
Transfer to bowl.
Add corn and lime juice
Mix well and chill for one hour or more
Drain before serving.

Raw Vegan Grilled Vegetables

Raw Vegan "Grilled" vegetables

thinly slice:
seeded yellow bell pepper
1/2 seeded jalapeno
1 seeded tomato
coat with a mix of 1 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs olive oil, sprinkle of cumin and sprinkle of dried cilantro
Put coated veges in dehydrator until they begin to soften.
Remove from dehydrator before they start to get crisp.
May be re-warmed in dehydrator in a shallow bowl before serving.
















Serve as a side dish or in wraps with spicy walnut meat.

Raw Vegan Spicy Walnut Filling

Spicy Walnut Filling:

1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 seeds from 1 jalapeno (a pinch of cayenne will do)
1 tsp soy sauce
3 cloves garlic
Pulse in Food processor until lumpy consistency is achieved. Do not over process, it should be a lumpy texture, not pasty.

Makes and excellent taco filling or salad topping.

My Raw Vegan Dinner Last Night: Enchilada Salad

@snarkyvegan on twitter linked to @tofu666 's blog where I found this Raw Vegan Enchilada recipe and modified it, thusly:
















Clockwise from 12 o'clock: Red lettuce, sliced avocado, failed tortilla chips, grilled vegetables, sauerkraut, spicy raw pickles and in the center is spicy walnut filling and mild sweet corn salsa. All over the top is cashew sour cream.

Fantastic.

I tried to wing a raw tortilla recipe but the tortilla failed so we had Enchilada Salad and used the fail as chips. It worked out deliciously, I must say. The show must go on and all that.

Today's Lunch!

That there is steamed sweet potato, ruby chard and red kale with a smattering of seitan tossed in because I need to use that stuff up!

Create Less Waste By Keeping a Paperless Kitchen

I've lived so long with out paper towels that I had to click on this link to understand what the title meant:

How to Create A Paperless Kitchen

Paperless is very natural for me. Reading this article made me realize that it's important to share how I keep my successful, paperless kitchen with others. It's important for all of us to cut down on waste in any way we can.

I don't have babies or dogs so it's much easier for us, two grown ups who really aren't very messy and one 9yo boy (who is naturally messy but certainly not a toddler, if you know what I mean).

The best tips for a paperless kitchen:

1 Have an abundant amount of cloth towels of various sizes and absorbency.

2 Have the towels and napkins in very strategic locations around the house.

3 Encourage everyone to use them. Old habits die hard

The above along with the cooperation of all household members are absolutely necessary for paperless to work.


Here are the stations of the towels:

1 Basket of kitchen towels that sub for paper towels and for drying dishes, storing greens, etc.















2 Washcloths for the dishes (no disposable sponges, either).














I buy wash cloths at Big Lots. Usually 3 for a $1 more or less. They are a great all purpose wash, wipe, dab, dry, dust, polish or use as a tissue or napkin. I usually have more in the stack than shown in this photo, they are in the dryer now.


3 Basket of cloth napkins by the main eating table within easy reach of at least two people siting at the table.














These "top shelf" cloths are used as napkins and for smaller drips at the table. For bigger messes there are more hearty towels in the middle basket and "company" napkins in the bottom (you notice there aren't many company napkins). I got ALL of those napkins at thrift stores, usually about 3 for a dollar. I keep my eyes open and buy them when I see pretty ones I like.

4 We don't use paper tissues (kleenex) either and everyone has a little pile of washcloths or hankies by their beds.















If you need a tissue and you aren't in your bedroom, go ahead and grab a napkin and when you are done with it just put it right in the laundry basket by the washer, thanks. Everyone also has a basket in their room for laundry.

Thanks for reading and please tell me your thoughts on a paperless kitchen! Be sure to read the article I linked it's got a lot of great tips.

Vegan Pizza!

I made a yeast pizza crust from the recipe on the Bob's Red Mill flour bag, but I used whole wheat flour and I add 1 tbs garlic powder (not garlic salt) to the recipe.

I rolled the crusts out super thin for a change, I usually make them thicker. Both are good :)

Crust drizzled with olive oil.















I like my home made vegan pizza sauce-less so it is topped with sliced tomatoes, basil, grilled onions, green olives, chopped seitan nuggets, chopped pickled garlic and cashew sour cream.















Bake 15 minutes at 425F, until crust is browned and crispy. Don't bake too long or the crust will be like a cracker.

Nom.

Cleaning the Property

We rent this beautiful 10 acre place with a modest 4 bdrm, 2 bath house on it.

When we moved in the house was clean enough but the property is really a mess.

The former tenants burned all their garbage. All of it. Everything. Soda cans, food cans, glass and plastic bottles, paper, plastic plastic, plastic, ohdearlookatalltheburntplastic, radios, disposable diapers, make up, nail polish, aerosol cans, lunch boxes, toys, shoes, clothes, screen doors, tools, bicycles... I could go on and on.

Everything. They just burned everything. They apparently bought into the idea that "fire cleanses all" but didn't follow through with it so nothing burned completely and there are a number of stinking piles of half burned garbage in various locations around the house.

Today we cleaned up two of them.

This is the pile next to an old trailer. This used to be the first thing you saw when you drove in the driveway.














This trailer was probably used for dump runs in the last century circa 1993 or so. That would have been before the tires went flat and the rats moved in.


This is a close up of the burnt garbage. I wish you could smell it.














This is a rat nest under the trailer.















This is the second pile that got put in the back of the pick up.














It will go to the dump on our next run.



















After.
















I feel like such a weight has been lifted. I'm so happy that I won't have to look at or smell those piles of burnt garbage any more.

We found this many car batteries. One was buried in a ditch like part of the erosion control.
















Dental Hygiene is important.
















We started the garden. Erik built a box out of old pallets about 3x8 ft. We will probably build one more and we are going to put a wire fence around the outside of the sidewalk to keep the deer out of the plants.














See the reflection of the lake in the window?




We filled the bottom of the box with lava to level it up and for better drainage.















I'm looking forward to spring, aren't you?

After all that for dinner we made vegan pizza. I got some great photos and will post them tomorrow. Now I'm going to bed!

White Bean and Avocado Fajitas Vegan Lunch or Dinner Idea

Cooked white beans seasoned with olive oil and salt
Sliced ripe avocado
1 or 2 tortillas
Put one tortilla in a medium hot, dry skillet. Fill with beans and avocado on half of the tortilla. Fold the other half over and heat about 4 minutes on each side.

Shown with sauerkraut, lemon jalapeno pickles and cashew sour cream.

Seitan Nuggets Recipe!

As promised, my Seitan Nuggets recipe.

1 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tbs sage
1 tbs garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs dulse flakes (it's a seaweed, optional. I think the salty, ocean-y flavor adds itself well to the seitan)
1 tbs olive oil
approx 1/2 cup water.

Put all ingredients in a bowl.
Stir until it all comes together.


















Knead 15 minutes or so.

It will be juicy at first but all the liquid will be absorbed.


Let the ball of dough rest while you make a broth.

Broth for steaming Seitan Nuggets

















4 cups vegetable broth or water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 rough chopped onion
1/2 beet root, chopped (optional. I just had one that needed to be used. It added a great color!)

Bring this to a boil while you cut the seitan into small pieces.

Method 1. Cut the ball in half, then in half, then in half until you have approx 24 or so balls about 2 tbs each or about the size of your thumb.














Method 2. Do it however you like, in whatever shape and size you like. I wouldn't make them much bigger than the palm of my hand but you might be braver than I.

Make them smaller than you want the finished product, they will swell when you cook them.














Put the gluten hunks in the boiling broth about ten at a time, don't over crowd them.














They will sink at first then puff up and float. Let them cook in the broth for about 30 minutes.

Remove seitan nuggets from the boiling broth and add more water to the broth. If you think it needs it, you might add a tbs or so of soy sauce to the broth for flavor. Salty stuff.

Bring broth back to a boil and add more seitan chunks. Repeat until done.

Save the amazingly tasty broth for another recipe.

Put the hot, cooked nuggets on a slanted board to drain until cool.














I press them between two clean towels to remove more liquid. I think they keep longer if they are dry.


Now you have nuggets.
















Store covered in the fridge for about a week.

I'm going to serve mine with steamed veges and rice tonight. I think I might BBQ some this weekend.
What are you going to do with your nuggets?

Sunrise This Morning

This fog came in and stayed for a few minutes.















Then it cleared up and looked like this:
















































It's currently foggy again. I'm hoping for some more sunshine later.

Another Giveaway!

Vegan Family Style is giving away a copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Published by Da Capo Press.

Part 1 How to Make the Cupcakes

• Ingredients
• Tools for taking over the world
• Troubleshooting: When bad things happen to good cupcakes
• Decorating your cupcakes

Part 2 The Recipes
Basic Cupcakes

• Golden Vanilla Cupcakes
• Your Basic Chocolate Cupcake
• Vanilla Gluten Freedom Cupcakes

Classic Cupcakes

• Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Crimson Velveteen Cupcakes with Old-Fashioned Velvet Icing
• Peanut Butter Cupcakes
• Brooklyn vs Boston Cream Pie Cakes
• Chocolate Mint Cupcakes
• Banana Split Cupcakes
• Brooklyn Brownie Cupcakes

Fancy Cupcakes

• Toasted Coconut Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream Frosting
• Chocolate Stout Cupcakes
• Lemon Macadamia Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
• Orange Pudding Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache
• Chai Latte Cupcakes
• Coconut Lime Cupcakes
• Pistachio Rosewater Cupcakes
• Tiramisu Cupcakes
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cinnamon Icing

Frostin's and Fillin's

• Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting
• Rich Chocolate Ganache Topping
• Orange Buttercream Frosting
• Brown Rice Caramel Glaze
• Coconut Pecan Fudge Frosting
• Not-Too-Sweet Blueberry Mousse
• Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

I hope I win!

Chia Seed Giveaway

Lovesveggiesandyoga.com is having a chia seed giveaway. Get on over there and enter, silly!

Fresh Chickpeas or Garbanzo Beans

Unshelled















Shelled

Today's Sunrise

Here is the view from the dining room window.

Raw Vegan Pizza

I love raw vegan pizza.

Dinner tonight was Perfect Pizza Crust topped with chopped heirloom tomatoes, mushrooms, green olives onion and topped with raw cashew cheese that I froze and grated.















Here is the crust in the dehydrator. That is enough for 2 personal pizzas or four slices.
















I put some of the cheese on a cracker and put in in the toaster oven to see if it would melt.









It did not.





Layer the ingredients. I like to put a thick layer of tomatoes on first and build up from there.


A little shredded cashew cheese and tomatoes















Mushrooms on top of that.














And keep loading it from there. I put green olives, onions and a bunch more cheese then cut it in half and we each had a slice!
















Here is the cheese before freezing
















Here is some of the cheese after freezing and grating














Just a basic cheese, nuts, nutritional yeast, salt and lemon juice in the food processor until a very smooth paste (this was like play-dough) then roll it up in a piece of wax paper and freeze until hard. Grate and sprinkle quick cuz when it melts it's play-doh again.


Anyway, that is how easy it is to make raw pizza. I hope you try it soon and I hope you take photos and share them!