Garden Update: How's it Growing?

I took some photos today to share our progresses with you! We are very close to summer. Historically, there is no risk of freeze after June 1st here, but there is lots of warm sunshine in my Southerly Exposed picture windows so the seeds that were started in March are getting kind of big. Hang in there, little fellas!

The herb garden. Planted March 8th. The dill and sage have been very abundant so far. The basil and oregano, not so much. The chives not at all. Strange they grew in order like that. I turn the pot daily so it gets even sun.  I finally gave up and  I replanted chives about 2 weeks ago but still no show. The front row is all calendula. The two outer plants were planted Mar 8 along with a bunch more that never germinated. The little ones in the middle were planted about 2 weeks ago and started just fine. Beats me.

Chamomile, planted April 26. The seeds are like dust and the starts are so wee and cute!

I filled some empty coconut shells with dirt and started more calendula there. I'm hoping to get plenty of flowers.


Note to the vegan police :) Yes, the planter next to says "ice cream". Sadly, I do NOT live in a vegan world no matter how much I want it. Luckily for me there is no cooking of animals in THIS house but the guys still eat animals products such as ice cream and I can't bear to throw those perfect plant starting boxes out. I don't eat the products, but I AM in charge of waste management in this house and I re-purpose some of the trash that is created when the people I live with buy and consume animal products. I have thought hard and I feel very deeply about this and I think using the containers to grow plants is the best conclusion to two bad situations: the eating of animal products and the disposal of the wrappers that they come in.

The cucumbers have flowered. Is it just me or does that sound like a spy identifying to another spy?

There are actual BEAN PODS on my bush beans.

 This is a tomato I started last year. It gave me HUNDREDS of cherry tomatoes. I grew it in a pot. I brought it inside and cut it back at the beginning of winter except for one branch that was still flowering, I let it continue. Immediately it leaves branches and tiny flowers that didn't produce started growing back. I kept watering and feeding it rocket compost all winter in the warm, sunny window and now it has three wee tomatoes and lots of flowers on it!!! Has anyone else ever had a tomato plant grow for more than one season? I didn't think it was possible.

Here is a full view of the 2nd season cherry tomato:

See the stumps where it was cut back?

Ahoy! Cilantro!

More basil.

I want to have too much basil this year. I don't think it's going to happen but I will keep planting.

Bell Peppers. I hope I have as good of luck with peppers this year as last.

Flax and fenugreek in the yellow pot. The pods are fenugreek.

Orange pot is pumpkin which is also starting to bloom.

I put some fennel seeds to germinate April 27 but I don't see anything yet. I know from sprouting them that it takes a while.

There are more but uploading is a... very slow thing so that's it for today.

1 more month until we begin planting outside. I'll post another garden update around that time. So, how's things growing with you?

Sun Dried Tomato and Roasted Eggplant Sauce Recipe

Make a basic marinara  but add 1 tbs of cornstarch. Cook like normal.

Roast an eggplant.
Soak about 5 sun dried tomatoes.*


Once the marinara has reduced by about 1/3 add peeled, roasted and chopped eggplant and finely chopped soaked sun dried tomatoes.

Heat thoroughly and serve hot.

Goes well over pasta, on bruschetta, over steamed veg, baked potato... The possibilities for this deliciously roasty flavored sauce are endless!


*I dry mine in the dehydrator. Slice roma tomatoes in half or fourth, place on rack and dry at 105F until they are dried fruit texture, usually this takes 24 hrs or more.

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!

Vegan Sweet Potato Chili Recipe!

I was inspired by A Life Less Sweet to make this chili.



















Sweet Potato Chili

You will need

1 med onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, diced
1 medium carrot, chopped small
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 sweet potato peeled and cubed
1.5 cup water or vege broth

Spices:
1tsp coriander
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
.5-1 tsp red chili flakes (or more, adjust to your taste)
.5 tsp salt
1 tbs ACV


What you will do:

Brown the onion in .5 tbs (as little as you can get away with) of vegan margarine (I used Earth Balance) or oil.

Add chopped veges and water and let simmer until veges start to get soft.
Add spices and stir. Add a little more water if necessary
Cover and let cook, the longer the better, keep an eye and don't let it burn.

Serve with a green salad, rice, quinoa, beans, tortillas and chopped fresh tomato and onion.

This recipe freezes well so don't be afraid to double or triple it and save yourself some time in the future!

What to do with all those Tomatoes? Make Tomato Mushroom Salad!

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp onion powder
Salt to taste







Stir and chill

Ketchup or Catsup Raw Vegan Condiment or What to do with all those cherry tomatoes?

What to do with all those cherry tomatoes?








Make Raw Ketchup!









1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1 leaf of lettuce
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp organic cane sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt

This is an instant ketchup, no fermenting required.
Put all the ingredients in the blender and whiz until smooth.
Ready to use! Serve on burgers, salad, fries or where ever you want a tangy zingy sauce
Store in the refrigerator a week or longer. If it goes bad, you will know.

Raw Vegan Dinner Ideas :: Pizza! Perfect Raw Pizza Crust Recipe

I made this for dinner.

It's all raw but the olives.

















Close up














This was the perfect pizza crust. It was firm yet pliable and didn't get soggy under the toppings. Success.

Perfect Raw Pizza Crust Recipe
Three ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup whole flax seeds
1 tbs sesame seed
3 tsp dry oregano
1/2 tsp of salt

All in food processor with S-blade until puree
Pour on sheets and spread them around in the shape you want.
Dehydrate one hour at 145F
When firm on top flip out on to the rack and continue drying at 115F until hard and leathery but not crisp.



My plate with red lettuce and sauerkraut and a dollop of seed cheese















Close up of my slice.














It was pliable enough to fold and didn't fall apart or get soggy at all.



The man's plate.











He likes those jalapenos!

RAW Dinner or Lunch Idea: Veges Au Gratin and Salsa Salad

Happy kitteh sleeping in the window















Chipmunk eating the seed the birds drop from the feeder











Salsa Salad
2 roma tomatoes
half a ripe avocado
2 or more tbs chopped onion
juice of one lemon
pinch of cane sugar
pinch of salt
big pinch of finely ground black pepper








And finally! Veges Au Gratin



Broccoli, cauliflower and carrot cut up in bite sized pieces and some curly kale, shredded.

Make some seed cheese subbing cashews for the seeds and adding 1/2 of a ripe avocado and enough water to make it sauce-y.





Pour cheese sauce over the veges in a shallow baking pan and dehydrate at 125F for 1 hour or more.

The shorter the time in the D, the crisper the veges will be. ooo, that rhymes :)

Serve with steamed quinoa or wrap in a collard leaf, that's what I did with mine.

What did you have for dinner?

Saturday

Green Smoothie


Banana, coconut milk, ground flax, juice of one orange, Renewme! 20oz water and blend












Juice





Carrot, beet, celery, ginger, lemon







I'm sorry, the cat hair is not optional :)

Tabouleh






Steamed quinoa, tomato, fresh mint, lemon juice and a touch of salt

Supreme!

It's a happy Saturday morning. My kitchen is a disaster and I need to go food shopping but for now I present to you the...

Acme Supreme Juicerator













I have a juicer. Yay. No more blender juicing.





I found this at goodwill. I don't know how much it cost. It was at the As-Is store and they just look at your pile and give you a number. I got out for $13 with the juicerator, a full body massage pad, the kind you lay on, and a bunch of other junk.
















I managed to keep it raw all day except a sampling of the melon jelly on some toast. the man's father came over last night, Dil. He is eating all raw too, so I was able to feed him and it was nice to have someone raw around. The guys ate leftovers, there was plenty of falafel and quinoa left from last night.
Red leaf lettuce made a great wrapper for some raw tahini, tomato, cucumber, sauerkraut and raw vegan sprinkle.

Wrap, eat, repeat!













I got my herb garden planted, all the starts are in.
Sage, basil, chives, parsley.














All my starts are in pots now. Rainbow blend cherry tomatoes and yellow & green squash. I'm waiting for the bumper crop. I put them out on the screened in porch, my garden porch.














It's not much but it's my first attempt at growing anything edible aside from sprouts and I am hopeful.

There is mint and other edibles growing out in the yard, I think I will forage today when it gets a little warmer outside. The other day I made a smoothie from the meat and juice of one young coconut, banana, red lettuce and mint I picked from the yard. It was fantastic.

This thing



















Sorry for the blurry photo. It's a shower caddy shaped like a cat. I think I paid more for this than the juicer and massage mat combined. But, my man had to have it and what Baby wants, Baby gets :) Anyway, you can see, there is no shampoo in there. There is a bottle of oil, a bottle of homemade shampoo/body wash, a bar of E3Live soap, a scrubby mitt, a comb and a brush with pumice stone. Why we needed a bigger shower caddy that, I don't know, but it is a cat and that's pretty cool.

Minnie is doing just fine. She ate a little more than a teaspoon of food and took her pill and now she is sleeping under the bed. I was holding her on my lap after the pill giving, petting her and telling her how wonderful she is and she climbed up and sat on my shoulder. AWWWW!! She stayed there for a couple of minutes and then went under the bed for her mid morning nap.

Oh, I was just reminded of what else we bought yesterday. A microphone. It plugs into the amp and makes your voice very loud. The boy is beat boxing on it right now. We need a drumset and the drive and we could start our own band. Talent is optional, right?

I had a dream about making raw beer. I will wait and see how the batch I put up the other day comes out and I think the next one I will try to make raw. We'll see.

Vegan Recipe! Dairy Free Mac N Cheese! Easy Dinner

What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?
Frostbite! HAHAHAHAHA!

Last night's dinner was:
Vegan Mac n Cheese!














I didn't get a photo before it was cut but believe me, it was even prettier than it tasted!

Serves 4 as a main course or as a side dish for more.

Ingredients:

2 cups COOKED vegan elbow macaroni
3 cups oat cheese
2 roma tomatoes
About 1 cup chopped vegan sausage
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Lemon pepper

Instructions:

First cook about 2 cups of elbow macaroni until NOT QUITE done. That way the noodles will still have some firmness after baking in sauce for two hours or more.
Next make a batch of Oat cheese for the sauce. Follow the oat cheese recipe up to the part where you pour in a mold... but don't pour in a mold. Fear not, this will take you no more than five minutes, it's a blender recipe consisting of water, oats, nutritional yeast, sesame, lemon, onion powder and salt.

Assemble in a 2 qt casserole:

Half the cooked macaroni on the bottom
Pour some of the warm cheese on top, enough to cover, about a cup.
Two roma tomatoes, cut in thick slices are the next layer
The rest of the macaroni on top of that
A bit more cheese, but not all of it, you have one more layer to go.
Chop together: one cup of vegan sausage and one roma tomato, this is your third layer. Mix them well and spread evenly over the macaroni and cheese.
Pour the rest of the sauce over that and spread it around so no sausage is showing.
about a 1/4 cup of bread crumbs. I processed two small slices of my home made bread in the blender until they were fine crumbs.
Lemon pepper all over the top.

Bake covered for at least two hours at 350F. 15 minutes before you are ready to eat, remove the lid and let it brown. Ready to serve immediately but it's even better the next day!

Juicing Without A Juicer :: Juice 101 for Beginners, It's not as hard as you may think!

It can all be so intimidating. Juicers can cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars. I bought a second hand juicer for $50 but it's big and a pain to clean, etc, blah, blah. It also still needs some spare parts, so for now I am juicing with my blender.*

















It's not perfect, it's not ideal, but it's a way to get juice into your body. No excuses!

Today I had celery, collard greens, and a roma tomato.
Chop all and put in blender**
















Put them in the carafe, lid on, and whirl!
















I usually let it go for about 3 minutes. The longer it blends, the smaller the pieces of veg will be and the more will fall into your juice. If the pieces are too small you will have a smoothie and not juice, which is fine if you want a smoothie but not fine if you want juice. Experiment until you get it the way you like it.

A fine colander on a bowl is what I use to strain the juice from the pulp.
















Pour it right in there and let the juice fall in the bowl. Stir the pulp to make sure you have all the juice in the bowl.
















Pour the juice in a glass and save the pulp for recipes!

















Have a RAW DAY!


















Footnotes:

*I have a second hand Hamilton Beach 14 speed blender. It's pretty powerful for a regular household blender and I keep it running from sun up until sundown sometimes, so I'm happy that I can pick them up at goodwill or on ebay for about 7 bucks each, but we can talk about my blender drama some other day! :)
** celery and collard have long fibers that can twist around your blender blade and cause the motor to burn out lickety-split! cut them into one inch pieces to avoid this situation

Happy Saint Patrick's Day Seitan Stuffed Cabbage Rolls ::AND:: Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls














Sauce
3 roma tomatoes and a cup of water, blended and strained.

Put strained tomatoes in a sauce pan and reserve the pulp for the stuffing.
add
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbs cornstarch
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped.

Stir over med heat until reduced by 1/3, put aside.

Stuffing
in a large stock pot:
Tomato pulp from the sauce
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cups Nappa cabbage, chopped
Saute until onions are translucent and add
2 tbs ACV
2 cups water
1/3 cup each red, black and white quinoa.


Steam 9 large cabbage leaves.

I rigged up this steamer that I can cook under and over at the same time :)

Saute-ing veges
















Cabbage leaves in a colander on top of pan with veges
















Large bowl inverted on top as a lid so the steam stays in














By the time the quinoa was cooked, the cabbage was steamed and ready to wrap. It was a stroke of genius, IMO :)

The stuffing is done when all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes.

The set up















1/3 cup of stuffing mixture and 1 tbs seitan sausage in a cabbage leaf, tuck the sides in a roll them over. Place in pan seam side down. Repeat until pan is full.

Pour the sauce over the top of the whole thing and bake covered at 400F for 1 hour or until the sauce gets nice and thick.

I served it with a green salad, sauerkraut and soda bread and curry carrot salad

I have been threatening to make these for months. The man has been giving me a bad time about it, suggesting (nicely) that they wouldn't be right, blah, blah, traditionally, blah, blah, yadda, yadda.
I spent all day making them and went through a fair amount of stress worrying that he wouldn't like them. The oven actually malfunctioned so dinner was an hour late. I guess he must have been hungry because he said he liked them. I thought they were delicious. I put the seitan in the leaves when rolling instead of cooking it in with the stuffing because when you cook seitan in liquid for any amount of time, the liquid sucks the flavor out of the seitan and you get mushy tasteless gluten blobs.* *
Putting it in at the last minute is the secret to keeping the flavor in the seitan. I minced the seitan and the texture was good, almost like ground beef, said the omnis.


For lunch I made some stuffed acorn squash with the leftovers from the vindaloo I made the other day.
















I have the recipe written down and will post it soon, I can't find it now and it's bed time.

Oh, and I made ketchup.
Blend and strain 2 roma tomatoes with 1/2 cup water. Strain and put in a jar. Add 2 tsp of salt and let it set*** loosely covered at room temp for three days. Then refrigerate and use as you would ketchup. I love to put a spoonful in my soup, yum.

Night all. I hope you had a happy St Patrick's Day.

Footnotes:

*that's my story and I'm sticking to it
**What omnis call "that flavorless vegan shit".
*** Sit?