The Condiment Chronicles :: Vegan Mayo De-Classified

The word is out. The mystery is solved. The myth de-bunked. You CAN make delicious mayo at home, cheap, without bothering any hens! (graphic)

Who knew it was this easy? Vegan Epicurean knew!

After reading the article with the original recipe about what she did, Here's what I did:

I went to BigLots and got a $2 bottle of canola oil, so this was REALLY cheap. I used one cup of oil (50c) and a 1/2 cup of soy milk ($3.50 for a 1/2 gallon, even cheaper when I make the soymilk myself) and the price of the spices and salt. That isn't very expensive to make over a cup of mayo.

Vegan Mayonnaise on the Cheap!

1 1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup plain soy milk (very slightly sweet so I left out the sweetener called for in the original recipe)

1/4 tsp vinegar

1 tbs lemon juice 

1/2 tsp salt

Put all in blender with whatever seasonings you want (I used 1/2 tsp dried mustard but you should adjust the salt, sweetness and tartness to your personal taste. It's only as good as you spice it)

If you have a high speed blender you should be able to whip this up in about 30 seconds. With a regular blender, you may have to mix longer.

Makes about a cup and a half of mayo

Scrape the mayo into a jar with a tight lid and store in the fridge. 

I will let you know how long it stores sometime in the future! It should last as long as the milk is good and when it's mixed with vinegar, salt and oil I think the milk should last a while in the fridge. We'll see. Let me know if you find out first!

RAW! Cabbage Kale and Broccoli Coleslaw

So pretty and so tasty.
















Cabbage Kale Broccoli Coleslaw

1 c shredded green cabbage
1/2 c chopped curly kale
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
1 tbs olive oil
Juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp organic cane sugar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Pinch of salt (optional)

Makes two cups, enough for 4 sides or two entrees.

Vegan Dinner Last Night Roasted Eggplant over Pasta with Morel Mushroom Cream Sauce

This is what we ended up eating for dinner last night:













Roasted eggplant with morel mushroom sauce over pasta with a lovely green salad sporting fresh tomato and basil.



Here is the technical stuff if you are so inclined.


Roasted Eggplant
Preheat oven to 400F

Peel and slice an eggplant, lay the slices on a board.
Sprinkle some salt all over the top and put a towel on top of all the slices.
Put a cutting board on top and a heavy bowl full of water on top.
Let it rest for an hour or so then put sliced onion on top of the eggplant, cover with a kitchen towel, weight and let rest for 1 more hour.
This process draws some of the liquid out of the eggplant and begins the cooking process. It is optional, you can just roast fresh eggplant.

Oil a cookie sheet with olive oil and lay your eggplant and onion slices on the pan.
Spread a light layer of oil on the vegetables.
Bake in 400F oven for about 12 minutes until eggplant and onions start to get brown at the tips.
Remove from oven and turn vegetables over.
Drizzle with olive oil or add a tbs of water to the pan if you think they look a little dry.
Bake an additional 20 min or until the veges are tender.


Morel Mushroom in a Cashew Cream Sauce

1 med yellow onion chopped fine
4 cloves garlic chopped fine
1 tbs olive oil

.5 oz dried morel mushrooms soaked in 1 cup water for 20 min.
1/2 cup fresh basil
Salt to taste.

4 tbs dry cashews soaked in clear water.

Coarsely chop mushrooms and save soak water for making cashew cream :)
Saute onion and garlic in oil until they are a caramelized.
Add chopped, soaked morels and chopped basil to onions and let them cook a bit. Add a tbs of water if it seems to dry.

















Once mushrooms and basil are cooked, add cashew cream made from mushroom water and cashews in blender and blend until very smooth. The smoother, the better.
Add cashew cream to veges and stir until thickened. Add more water if you find the sauce gets too thick.

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.

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.

Brussel's Snacks

I love Brussel's Sprouts! I buy more than I will use and store them the same way I store leafy greens, but I don't take off the individual leaves, just store them whole, wrapped in a towel. Right? because taking off each leaf would be silly.
















Slice a pound or so of Brussels sprouts in half. I used about 3 cups here.

Put them in a large bowl with 1 tbs olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and a couple of grinds from the pepper grinder (or whatever seasonings you like). Stir well so all the sprouts are coated evenly.















Spread the sprouts on dehydrator try and dehydrate at 118F for approx 4 hours. The longer you dehydrate the crisper they will be. I like mine wilted, but not crispy.















These will keep in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer up to a month or more. They are a delicious snack or you can use them in cooked recipes.

Making RAW Pickles: Spicy Garlic Mixed Vege Pickle Recipe!

I harvested the last of the jalapenos today. Even the little green one. What to do with all those jalapenos?


Why, make Raw Pickles, of course!














The longer it sits, the better the pickles taste, but if you start this recipe at 7am it can be ready for dinner at 6pm.

Spicy Garlic Mixed Vegetable Pickles

Ingredients:

2 med Cukes sliced into 3/4" coins,
1 med carrot sliced into thick matchsticks,
5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in thick slices,
6 red and 1 green jalapeno, chopped,
1 yellow bell pepper, cut in strips,
2 tsp salt,
one fresh lemon, juiced.

Instructions:

Cut up enough veges to fill a wide mouth, lidded Mason jar.
Pour the veges from the jar into a large bowl.
Add salt.
Stir occasionally. Liquid will start to collect at the bottom of the bowl.
Keep stirring occasionally for about an hour or until all the salt is dissolved.
Pour the vegetables and juices back into the jar.
Put a lid on the jar and let it pickles "cook" in their juices for up to 6 hours at room temp.















Add the juice of 1 lemon (about a 1/4 cup) replace the lid and shake.
Let it "cook" for another 6 hours or longer.
Shake now and then to make sure all the veges get equal time in the juice.
Add enough water to cover the veges and store in the fridge.
These will keep indefinitely in a lidded jar in the fridge but they never last long around here!



















These photos were taken before the lemon juice was added. I love to watch the veges "cook" in the salt.

Note: You don't have to use the same exact veges I did. I make this different every time. Sometimes with only jalapenos.

Wednesdays Smoothie Brought to you by Coconut and Peregrin Took

What about elevensies? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? Has he heard of those?








Today's smoothie:






2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup fresh, young coconut meat
1 leaf curly kale
1 tbs each e3live and RenewMe!
1/2 cucumber
20oz water
Blend


I put up some daikon radishes in brine. I added two tsp of acv and a tsp of sugar because daikon is rather bitter.

2 weeks ago I put up a jar of kraut with a green apple in it at the suggestion of a blog entry here. It was a little moldy last week and I scraped the mold off and put it back for another week. Today when I smelled it I didn't smell a bit of mold and it was definitely sour! I will leave it for a couple more days and then put it in cold storage.











Daikon pickles in brine and green apple/cabbage sauerkraut.

My New Dryer and More Egg Free Challenge!

Energy saving, green, good for the environment vegan and freegan
















It's solar powered and really quiet. It dries 4 loads in about 3 hours on a sunny day so it saves time. It's a space saver, that's for sure, what with being outside and all. Downside? It's not gonna work in the rain.


This is the heavy duty area where I dry over sized stuff like rugs













Hey, as long as I don't have to WASH them by hand, I don't care, are you with me?

When is that belt coming? I don't know.

I got the free package of Teese that I "won" by sending a recipe to Compassion over Killing.
Um, what's the word? I don't like it very much. It tastes like plastic and doesn't melt at all. I put it under the broiler, no melt. But, it was free and I don't want to complain, so Thanks, Noelle, you are awesome! I hope you like the egg free breakfast recipe! The rest of you click and go, commit to 30 days of egg free! You can save the lives of chickens and reduce your cholesterol, too!

Snacking Happens! Raw Living Vegan Nachos :: RAW Snack Ideas and Party Foods

My Recipe for Raw Vegan Nachos














Nachos. Short for Ignatius as far as I can see. Anyone know why they are called nachos? Aside from that joke about the little boy who stole the cheese from the cheese truck and they chased him yelling "that's NACHO CHEESE!!" (Not Yo Cheese, get it? I know, it isn't funny, but do you GET IT?).

Anyway, I posted this the other day and got a response from this guy requesting the recipe.

Here are all the individual recipes for the components of the RAW LIVING VEGAN NACHOS!

Raw Vegan Nachos
As far as I am concerned, this serves 1. Me. But there is always someone who wants to share so you might want to make extra.

Here we go...

Flax Seed Chips.
These are easy to make but you need a dehydrator and you should make them the day before to be sure they are crisp enough to be used as chips.

1/3 cup each whole flaxseed, sunflower seed, sesame seed, soaked over night and rinsed.
1/2 cup vegetable pulp from juicing or 1/2 cup vegetables such as carrots, onions, tomato or a combination
1 1/2 tbs nutritional yeast (optional. I like the cheesy flavor it lends to the crackers)
1/8 tsp salt
Mix well, smooth on a plastic sheet and dehydrate until crackers. There are more detailed instructions to be found by following the link above.

Sunflower Seed Cheese

Soak your seeds over night and rinse then mix in blender:

3 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
juice of one lemon, about 1/4 cup
1/3 cup sesame seed
2/3 cup sunflower (add 1/3 at a time)
water to blend
All ingredients in blender except 1/3 c sunflower seeds. Add enough water to keep it moving.
Could be made spicier with the addition of some cayenne or chili powder.
When it's pretty well blended, add the rest of the seeds and some more water. It will thicken as it sits, so make it sort of thin.

Salsa!

Apple/celery salsa is apple and celery in equal amounts (about half an apple and two small ribs celery), diced
one clove garlic, 2 tbs yellow onion and a tbs ginger, finely chopped,
2 roma tomatoes, diced
4 tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
Mix all ingredients well and let sit overnight or for at least one hour.

Here is another, more complex recipe that I call Mango Salsa! Ai yi yi!
Ingredients:
One very ripe mango
One roma tomato
Half red bell pepper
One small onion, finely chopped
Two cloves garlic, minced
One rib celery, finely chopped
One Tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
Fresh Oregano leaves, chopped.
Juice of one lemon, about 1/4 cup

Chop all ingredients, mix together well and let set 1 hour or overnight

Last, but not least

Guacamole

1 med avocado
1/2 roma tomato
2 tbs lemon juice
1/8 tsp onion powder
mix well. sprinkle lemon juice over the top and store lidded.

If you need heat, and I know some of you must, here is a bonus recipe:
Raw Pickled Jalapeno Peppers!

4 Large jalapenos about 1 cup
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp curry powder
pinch asofoetida

mix together in a clean dry jar and leave for 4-6 hours so the peppers can marinate in the spices. The salt will draw the water out and there will be liquid in the bottom of the jar.

Then add 3 tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 tbs apple cider vinegar

Leave jar with contents for a day then it is ready to eat. Shake the jar every couple hours to mix it up and make sure all the peppers are covered.

Ok, I hope this was helpful. Here is another photo of nachos that I made back in January

Fermenting Vegetables and Sprouting Apples

I read this website today and was inspired to put up some veges.











From left to right:
Cuke and carrot with garlic for pickles.
Carrot and zuke with salt. This will be a carrot-kraut-type-deal
Carrot, zuke, cuke and red bell pepper. I call this one sweet relish.
All three are nothing but veges and salt. The pickles have water in them, too.
It took me about half an hour to do all of this. They should be ready in three days.

I learned today that if it gets moldy on top, just scrap the mold and the under part is good. I have been tossing them out, D'oh! *smacks forehead*





I don't know if you can see it in this photo or not but I left half an apple on the counter over night and it sprouted.















I put the seed in a little pot with dirt but I don't expect much.

Happy Friday!

Snacking Happens! Raw Vegan Condiment :: Sweet Pickle Relish on Vegan Vege Quick Bread

Raw Fermented Sweet Pickle Relish on Vegan Vege Quick Bread.












So nice I had to post it twice.


Easy recipes for both found by following the links above!

The Condiment Chronicles :: Cucumber Bell Pepper Relish :: Raw Fermented Sweet Pickle RELISH RECIPE! NO WHEY!!! Dairy Free!

My bizarre obsession with fermented condiments rages on, out of control.
















This is my second try. I made the last with cuke and onion and it came out bitter. I kept it for two weeks in the fridge and it didn't mellow out at all on the bitter so i tossed it today :( It was good, just very bitter from the onion.

Of course, I made more.

This time:

Fermented Sweet Pickle Relish

1 cuke
half a small red bell
1/2 tsp salt

Shred the veges, put them in a jar with 1/2 tsp salt. Put a cabbage leaf on the top like you would with sauerkraut and store at room temp for three days.














The result is slightly sweet and tangy. I did it! I made sweet pickle relish with nothing but cukes, peppers and salt. The lacto-bacillus gods were on my side this time.

The boy had a vegan breakfast this morning of sliced kiwi fruit (not shown) and garlic bread. I mix some earth balance with garlic powder and he spreads it on the toast himself. It's his thumbs up breakfast these days. It's better than sugar cereal, IMO and easy to make, besides.













VEGAN is ALWAYS best!
He wants to be vegan but he is pretty concerned about the lack of dairy and eggs. Meat he doesn't care about. We are working on him eating new things. It's a process and every goes at their own pace, right? :)

Dinner last night was soup and salad. That is my "special" vegan vege quick bread that I make using juicing pulp. So good. Not sweet, savory. A hint of garlic and ginger. Dense and moist. Scrumptious when toasted with a soup or salad or with some seed cheese as a stand alone snack.














The soup is random veges with a good dose of cabbage and Brussels sprouts. There is sauerkraut in there. I don't salt when I cook, I add condiments that I make at the table. That way everyone can make it as salty as they want and there is vitamins, minerals, fiber and good bacteria. While eating dinner I look over the table thinking, "Damn, I made almost everything on this table" and I feel a lot of satisfaction.
The salad is spinach with mango salsa on top and the green bread on the side.

Raw Recipe!! Mango Salsa (II) The Condiment Chronicles

This is a different recipe than I posted before.













Mango Salsa

1 mango. the one I used was not quite ripe. Sweet but still pretty hard.
2 roma tomatoes
1 med yellow onion
2 cloves garlic

Chop ingredients to "salsa size" and add 1/4 tsp salt, mix well.
Put the mixture in a wide mouth jar, I used an old pickle jar, and wait one hour.
Add 4 tbs lime juice, cap it and shake the jar. Let it set for at least an hour and eat!

This is a MILD salsa. If you want heat add a jalapeno or other hot pepper to the recipe and it will be hot.



















Cuz it's all about the condiments...

How to Make DIY Aluminum Free Baking Powder Home Made Bread Making Supply Easy Recipe

Some commercial baking powders contain aluminum. Aluminum might be bad for your health. Some people say that it may be linked to cancer and also to Alzheimer's disease. I don't know if it is or isn't but I prefer not to take the chance. It's just so easy to opt out and make my own at home.

It's a stupidly simple recipe. All you need is ingredients that are probably in your cupboard already, an airtight container to store it in, a measuring spoon and a stick to stir it with.*

Ready? Here it is!

One part baking soda

Two parts cream of tartar

One part cornstarch

Mix well and store in an air tight container. Don't make more than you think you will use in a month ( I use 1 tbs baking soda, etc).

Happy Baking!

Footnotes:
* I used a chopstick.

Hot, Spicy :AND: RAW! DIY Homemade Indian Style Pickled Jalapeno Peppers RECIPE :PLUS: Photos of My Nude Figure Lighter Collection

Today I made RAW pickles out of jalapeno peppers and carrot.
















From left to right:
Headless nude with red light-up nipples. Flame comes out of the neck.
quartz geode
bronze colored with head. She has a look on her face, you can see the close-up down below. Press the left breast and a flame comes out the right.
Jar of pickles
glass bead shaped like a pig in a kimono
USA pottery cat planter. I don't have a plant small enough to fit in his ass right now.*
Day of the dead or Grateful Dead type of bud vase.
Mermaid doll in the bud vase by Rainbow Creatures Inc of Seattle Washington

You can see the look on her face in this photo.

































I put the pepper tops in a jar of their own and pickled them with just salt, no spice, to see how they would be. I didn't want them to go to waste and these guys will eat them.















Pickled Jalapeno Peppers
I made these before the recipe is here

You will need a glass jar with a lid. I used a wide mouth mason jar with a canning type ring and lid. There is no cooking involved, this is a RAW recipe!

11 large jalapeno peppers, sliced very thin
1 carrot sliced very thin
1 tbs salt
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp asofoetida**

Mix together in a clean, dry jar and leave for 4-6 hours so the peppers can marinate in the spices. The salt will draw the water out of the peppers and there will be liquid in the bottom of the jar.
Then add
6 tbs lemon juice
3 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tbs olive oil

Leave jar in a cupboard at room temp for a day and the pickles are ready to eat. Shake them every couple of hours during the time that they are curing to assure that all the pieces are coated evenly.
The next day the pickles are ready to eat.
Store the remainder in the fridge in a covered jar pretty much indefinitely.***


I hope you like these, they are far too spicy for me! I make them for the man so he doesn't keep buying can after can of canned jalapenos. Gotta keep it on the DIY, don'tcha know?

Next Post will be:
Vegan Seitan Burgundy

Hail Seitan!

Footnotes:
*That should get me some hits, huh?
**sometimes spelled asafoetida (by most people :) and also called hing. This is an onion or garlic substitute and adds an unmistakable "Indian" flavor to foods.
***They should smell spicy and tangy and be a little bit crisp. As always, if they smell "off" or "funny" or seem slimy or have a funny texture or smell bad TOSS THEM! It's not worth the small cost of the peppers and salt to get sick over. As always the second, I ain't responsible if you get sick. :P