Spaghetti and Bean Balls

Well, it's not spaghetti but the title was catchier than macaroni with tomato gravy and bean balls. So I went for it :)


Black Bean Balls:

1 can black beans, drained (Reserve the liquid for the tomato gravy)
1 cup thick rolled oats
1 tbs flour
1/2 cup canned italian style tomatoes, chopped (reserve the rest of the can for the tomato gravy)
1/4 cup canned whole kernel corn
1 roasted Anahiem chili, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated carrot.

Place all in large bowl and mix well. Then add:

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbs nutritional yeast
2 tsp ground cumin

Mix well and let stand one hour or more to thicken.

Pre-heat oven to 350F

I made 8- 1/2 cup balls

Place balls on lightly oiled pan

Bake 30 min, turn bake 30 min more.

How to Cook Garbanzo Beans in Pressure Cooker In 30 Minutes Flat :: Quick Easy Vegan Recipe

Writing this how-to I assumed you've used a pressure cooker before. If you have not, learn how. Pressure cookers have improved safety vastly in the past few years, save lots of time and energy and are very versatile. I learned a LOT from Miss Vickie's website and you can too!

You will need:
Pressure cooker with rack.
Med stainless or glass bowl with high sides.
Timer.

Ingredients:
1/2 c garbanzo beans (chickpeas) soaked for 8 hours or more.
6 cups water.

Do this:
Put 4 cups water in bottom of pressure cooker with rack inside.
Rinse soaked beans and place in bowl with 2 cups water.
Place bowl with beans and water in cooker on top of rack.
Put the top on and seal your cooker.
Set timer for 30 minutes.
Bring your cooker up to pressure at high heat then turn heat down only enough so it stays at pressure.
When timer goes off release pressure under running cold water, being careful not to block steam vent.
Open the cooker, carefully remove the extremely hot bowl containing the cooked beans. Drain and serve beans as desired.

Vegan Meatless Taco Filling

I didn't think I could love taco night more than I did but I made up this filling and now I do:

Tasty Taco Filling
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp mushroom soy sauce (find it at your local Asian market)
1 tsp paprika

All in food processor, pulse, scraping the sides as needed.
It should be lumpy, not a paste, do not over-process.

Taco filling, sandwich spread, spoon on pasta, over salad, add to soups, casseroles; Add a spoonful any where you want a BLAST of flavor.

Vegan Rice Pudding With Raisins

This is  my own recipe, not one that I am testing for the Blissful Chef, so I can share it with you.

I've love rice pudding so I veganized the old recipe.
Rice pudding is very versatile and can be served as a warm, filling breakfast, a side at brunch and you can serve it warm or chilled as a dessert.

Coconut rice pudding


3 c cooked br rice
1 c coconut milk
2 c water
2 tbs raisins
pinch salt (optional)

1 shot maple syrup

All ingredients except maple syrup in large saucepan.
Simmer, stirring almost constantly until very thick. Reduce heat to low, put on a lid and let it cook for about ten minutes.
Add maple syrup, stir and serve.
Adjust the sweetness to your tastes.

Makes three 1+ cup servings.

I like it just as it is but you may want to add more syrup, your favorite vegan margarine and/or milk, fruit, etc.

Rice pudding is a traditional dish that the whole family can love and a delicious way to use up leftover rice.  I used last night's dinner rice, a mixture of short grain brown rice and wild rice.
I used fresh coconut milk which is the water and soft meat of a young Thai coconut blended together.

Vegan Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe

Southern Style Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits













Pre-heat oven to 450F

2 cups flour
4 tsp aluminum free baking powder 
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

4 tbs olive oil

1 cup chilled vegan buttermilk (1 cup chilled vegan milk of your choice, add 2 tbs vinegar or lemon juice, stir well, allow to thicken in fridge about 10 minutes)

In a chilled bowl mix dry ingredients well.
Cut in oil until it's a crumbly texture. Use a cold fork, you fingers will make it too warm and you won't get the crumb-like texture you want.
Add chilled buttermilk and stir until a thick dough forms.
Turn out on a heavily floured board and sprinkle flour on top then fold dough over onto itself. Continue to sprinkle and fold until you have a workable dough that you can roll out and cut. Don't over work.
Roll out to about an 3/4" thick
Cut with a 2" biscuit cutter and arrange on dry baking sheet with the circles barely touching each other.
Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top.

This recipe made 14 biscuits.

Really easy, really good, 100% veganized for your convenience.

Next time I will use 3 tbs oil and 1/4 tsp salt, but these are DEE-LICIOUS! I'm going to serve them with vegan gravy and steamed collard greens.

Super Easy, Super Cheesy Dairy Free Multi-Purpose Un-Cheese Sauce

I'm making steamed brocolli for dinner tonight so I made a vegan cheese sauce. I know I posted this recipe before but I've been making it and tweaking it each time and I think this is about the best it's ever turned out so I'm posting this new, updated version of multi-purpose cheese flavored sauce for making vegan macaroni and cheese, for pouring over vegetables, great on baked potato, nachos, quesadilla, in casseroles... I even put it on vegan pizza the other day, fantastic!

Super Easy, Super Cheesy Sauce

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

1/3 cup rolled oats

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika (optional. Makes it more orange colored)

2 cloves garlic

1 tbs tahini

1 tbs ACV

2 cups water

Everything in the blender except 1/2 cup water.

Blend until liquefied.

Pour mixture into a saucepan

Put last 1/2 cup of water in the blender carafe, swirl it around and pour that in the saucepan, too. (nothing goes to waste around here)

This is the hardest part.

Put the saucepan of liquified ingredients on low-med heat and stir constantly until it reaches the desired thickness, about 10 minutes.

This mixture will continue to thicken even after you are done cooking. Behold the power of Oatmeal!  Store in the fridge in a covered container and add more water as needed to thin.

Avocado "Fries" & Sprouted Amaranth Cracker Recipes

I love to make raw snacks. Healthy raw oils like those from seeds, nuts, avocados and olives are very important in a vegan diet, especially if you are endeavoring to eat more raw foods.

These are sprouted amaranth seeds. They are tiny and very hard to deal with and hard to photograph.

These are about 2 days old sprouts.


















Sprouted amaranth crackers
1/2 cup sprouted amaranth 1/2 cup flax seed
pinch of salt
1 tsp cumin
water as needed (not much)
In food processor until a thick smooth paste
Turn out and evenly spread on dehydrator sheet, score for the size crackers you want.
Dehydrate at 115F until stable on top (about 1 hour) then turn out on rack and continue to dry until they are as crisp as you want them.

I also made some avocado fries today.

Avocado "Fries"
Slice one avocado into strips
sprinkle with nutritional yeast on both sides.
Sprinkle w whatever other spices you want, a pinch of salt, cumin, black pepper, lemon, garlic, etc.
place on dehydrator rack and dry at 115F for approx 1 hour until you are able to handle them w/out them falling apart.

Red lettuce with avocado fries, sprouted amaranth crackers, turnip pickles and fermented cashew cream.

Cantaloupe Seed Milk Smoothie

This super easy, ONE ingredient smoothie recipe is one of my all time favorites.
Next time you get a cantaloupe, save the seeds, strings and any little pieces of the meat you have left over.















Store the seeds, etc in an airtight container in the fridge. Sometime in the next few days put the seeds, strings and flesh of the cantaloupe into a blender add a cup or two of water (depending on how thick you want it) and blend until smooth and frothy.















Strain, decant and enjoy.















Groovy Cantaloupe Nutrition Facts

Serving size 1/2 cup, diced (78g)
Amounts Per Serving % Daily Value
Calories 25
Calories from Fat 0
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 10mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 6g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 50%
Vitamin C 50%
Calcium 0%
Iron 0%

Groovy Cantaloupe Warning

I used to not like cantaloupe because I got a stomach ache every time I ate it. Now I know that cantaloupe must be eaten alone. Because it digests so quickly that any other food in the stomach with cantaloupe will cause fermentation of the stomach contents which means, gas, pain, bloating etc. Now when I get a big, ripe aromatic and juicy cantaloupe I mono-feast on the meat one day, save the seed and mono-feast on a creamy seed milk smoothie a couple days later.

I drink this smoothie on an empty stomach and don't eat anything for 4 hours after I finish it. If I combine this with any other foods I get some harsh intestinal difficulties. You might not, I'm just saying. The rule of thumb for me with melon is "Eat it alone or leave it alone".

Stay Groovy.

How to Store Leeks

This question has been bothering me for a while now. "How do I store leeks so they last longer than a couple of days before they start to get all dried up and while we're at it, so it's not an awkward 2 foot long vegetable taking up valuable real estate in my fridge?"

Today it dawned on me. Why not just store them the way I store all my other leafy greens?


I cut the root end off, cut the leek in half and chopped the halves in half long-ways.














Spread them out on a clean dish towel.

















Roll them up in the towel and stick them in a produce bag.














Actually, that is an old bread bag.














Produce is expensive and I HATE wasting food. This method keeps the leaves from touching each other, it keeps them an even moisture all over and it prevents contact with air and will keep your leeks fresh for a week or more and over time save a bundle of cold, hard cash on your grocery bill.

I wrapped these up with out washing and will wash them as I bring them out to use. Some people wash them first when using this method. If you do, make sure you dry them well, because overly wet spots will cause faster spoilage.

Reuse. It comes between Reduce and Recycle.

Being vegan is about reducing unnecessary suffering. I became a vegan as a direct off shoot of my desire to produce zero waste. Food that doesn't come in packages is mostly raw and vegan, really. The no-poo, the paperless kitchen, composting, and a bunch of other stuff are all about putting out less trash.

Reusing things is important. The less we buy new, the less we throw in the landfill.

Today I made a pitcher to hold my kitchen utensils out of an old blender carafe.

I took the bottom ring off the carafe, removed the blade (important!), replaced the blade with a with a small mouth canning jar lid then screwed the ring back on.


















































Ta-Da!















Leave a comment and tell me about your fabulous DIY Recycling by Reusing projects.

Dinner last night was cabbage and carrots with steamed with cumin, polenta, spinach and a three color tomato and cuke salad. A very good dinner all around.

Sprout Salad

Sprout Salad

1 tbs lentils
1 tbs shelled raw sunflower seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seed

Place all in a jar with mesh lid and add water, 2 inches over the seeds.
Soak 12 hours.
Drain jar and set at an angle so water does not pool which can cause spoilage. The seeds should always be damp, but not be soaking in water.














Rinse no less than once and no more than 3 times a day for as many days as it takes.

Taste the sprouts daily so you can see when they are at peak tastiness for eating.

A view of the jar from the bottom:

Day 1, starting to soak. You can only see the lentils and fenugreek, the SFS are still floating.
















Day 2, tails are starting to form. They are bigger now and the SFS are mingling nicely.


















Day 3? I don't know what happened on day 3.


Day 4, ready to eat!

















When your sprout salad is grown, put a solid lid on it and store it in the fridge.
Cold retards their growth and they will keep up to 7 days in the refrigerator, longer if you rinse them daily.

Sprouts taste best when eaten fresh.

DIY Hair Shampoo and Body Wash Recipe Update

You may or may not know that I am No-Poo and have been since August of 2008.

I make this shampoo/bodywash for E.

Easy Homemade Castile Shampoo/Body-wash Updated, Less Oily Recipe

1.5 cups strong black tea
.5 cup castile soap
2 shots witch hazel
1/2 shot jojoba oil
1 tsp salt
10 drops geranium oil

Boil 4 tea bags in 2 cups water until the tea is very dark.
Let cool slightly and then pour off 1.5 cups into a glass container. I use my big pyrex measuring cup so I can measure the ingredients right into it and mix it up.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the scented oil and stir well. Let cool and pour off into a bottle.
Add scent.

Makes about 2 cups.

This product is thinner than commercial shampoo and it doesn't produce as much suds. The man has been using it as shampoo for about a year now and he says he likes it just fine. It turns a darker color with time, this is natural and will not affect the performance of the shampoo. Separation will occur, shake before using.

I've been tweaking the recipe, he said it was too oily so I doubled the witch hazel and halved the oil in this most recent batch.
I used black tea because I had some that I would never use otherwise. I told E the caffeine would "wake his scalp" and the antioxidants would "anti oxidize his hair".

Hey, it could happen :)

Let me know if you try this and tell me about your DIY beauty tricks and tips.

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.

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.

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?

Raw Vegan Fermented Cashew Sour Cream or Yogurt Recipe

This recipe changed my life!
Blend a cup of soaked cashews (or any other nut you like) with enough water to make a thick paste about the consistency of sour cream. More water if you want a thinner kefir, yogurt or buttermilk consistency
Put the nut paste in a jar. Leave about 2 inches of room at the top of the jar because it will GROW.

Put the jar in your dehydrator (remove the trays) with a loose lid. Set it at about 95F. (This can be done in any warm place but it may take longer. See note below)

Leave it over night and it should look like this in the morning:

















See the bubbles? It's alive!















Stir it down and add salt or other seasonings if you like. I like it plain.
Store covered in the fridge almost indefinitely. Use just like you would sour cream in just about any recipe, as far as I know.
The longer you let it set the more sour delicious it gets.

I like to take a jar of this on road trips with me. It tastes better every day!

Note for those of you who don't have a dehydrator: If you don't have a dehydrator keep it in a warm place and it will ferment, it just may take a bit longer. My MIL preheats her oven to the lowest temp, turns off the oven then puts the jar in a water bath in the oven overnight and that method works for her. I also know someone who uses a heating pad on low heat in a box. A home yogurt maker might work, too.

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.