Steamed Collard Greens

2 cups collard greens, diced
2 tbs chopped onion
4 tbs finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
2 cups water
2-3 grinds of pepper

Cook all together in saucepan until well reduced.
Drain and use the liquid as broth.

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.

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.

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!

Curried Vegetables Vegan Dinner Idea! Easy Cheap Recipe

This recipe is great because you can use whatever veges you like or whatever you have. I especially like to use about a 1/2 cup each carrot, parsnip, cauliflower and kale or collard cut into either ribbons or confetti.

Curried Vegetables

2 cups chopped mixed vegetables.
1 cup water
some olive oil if desired
2 tsp curry powder
Salt if you need it

Heat vegetables in water on high heat until the water is bubbly
Stir in the olive oil and curry powder
Put heat on low and put a tight lid on the pan
Let it steam until the vegetables are soft, stir occasionally and add more water if needed.


Serve with rice, flat bread, noodles, etc.

Use leftovers for a vegan pizza toppings!

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.

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!

Sweet Potato Parsnip Curry

Warm, slightly spicy, sweet and comforting.

Cube sweet potato and parsnip.














Place in a sauce pan with enough coconut milk to cover.

I add a little water too, because the coconut milk is very rich. I use about 1/4 cup water for every cup of coconut milk.

Stir in 1 tbs or so of Mae Ploy Yellow curry paste and cook over medium heat.















Stir occasionally to keep from sticking.
Simmer until the vegetables are soft and the coconut milk starts to thicken.
















Shown with quinoa and roasted fennel.

Roasted Eggplant and Garlic Soup

I hear many of you saying "Zucchini Breath, now that I know how to roast an eggplant what do I do with all that delicious roasted eggplant that I have and don't know with which what to do?" (or something like that) to which I have but one reply

"Make SOUP!"
















Roasted Eggplant and Garlic Soup
1 peeled flesh from one roasted eggplant
Peeled cloves of one head roasted garlic

Blend together with

2 tbs tahini
2 tbs lemon juice.
Salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve hot or cold.
Garnish with fresh ground pepper and lemon.

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?

VEGAN DINNER IDEA! Coconut Milk Curry Sauce, Steamed Vegetables, Quinoa & Flat Bread ::OR:: What I Made For Dinner Tonight

Coconut Curry Sauce



1 cup coconut milk (i used canned. For shame)
2 cups vege broth (made this myself. Redeemed!)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder (hing)
1 tsp paprika for color, mostly
1 tsp each onion and garlic powder
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 tbs cornstarch

Mix together all but the cornstarch in a saucepan over low heat. Heat gently, stir with a wisk. When it starts to steam, scoop out about a cup of liquid and mix the corstarch into the cup of liquid. Stir well and then wisk the mixture into the rest of the sauce. Stir and continue to heat until sauce thickens. Remove from heat.

Steamed Vegetable Main Dish

cauliflower
celery
carrot
potato
onion
whole garlic cloves
red bell pepper

I sprinkled a bit of curry powder on the veges and steamed them over low heat until tender.

The flat bread is just tortillas, but i made them extra thick. Instead of 8 tortillas, this recipe makes 4 flat breads.

Flat Bread

1.5 cups flour, I used half wheat, half white flours
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 plus 1/8 cup water

knead with hands until thouroughly mixed. Separate into 4 balls. Roll out on a floured board, with a floured pin and cook on a griddle or large skillet untill brown spots appear, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook 3 more mins. Careful not to cook them too long or they will get crispy. You want them pliable. Wrap them in a towel to keep warm and moist and serve asap.

Steamed Quinoa

2 cups vege broth
1/2 cup white quinoa
1/4 cup each black and red quinoa
bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Let cook for 20 min and remove from heat. Stir and serve.

A relatively quick dinner, this took me about 2 hours to make.






This is flat bread with lettuce leaves, veges, sauce and quinoa


my plate has raw veges instead of steamed and a sprig of fresh mint for garnish

Banana Beet Deep Purple Smoothie

mmm beets! The man doesn't like beets very much. I think it's a stigma, but whatever. I try to sneek beets in when I can and this is a good way.
Also see:

Beet Meat Burgers

Beet Tortilla

Beet Juice













1/2 cup strawberries from breakfast that the boy wouldn't eat yesterday
2 ripe bananas
2 cups lettuce and ruby chard leaves from the garden woot!
about a 1/2 cup of beet
e3live and RenewMe!
Juice of one orange
20oz water and blend.
YUUUMMM!!
Seriously, it was too sweet for me! I put a little lemon juice in mine, wow!

It looked black in the blender but it came out a wonderful purple.
















So in conclusion, eat more beets. The roots can be eaten raw, steamed, fermented, marinated, baked (like a potato!) or juiced and the greens can be used like any other greens in salad, juice, steamed like spinach or chopped up in a nutloaf. I love this plant.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about beets medicinal properties:


The roots and leaves of the beet have been used in folk medicine to treat a wide variety of ailments. Modern research is investigating in further detail how beet extracts could be used to protect normal and diabetic livers, as well as their effects on elevated cholesterol in individuals with cancer, and other medical maladies.

The Romans used beetroot as a treatment for fevers and constipation, amongst other ailments. Apicius in De re coquinaria gives five recipes for soups to be given as a laxative, three of which feature the root of beet. Hippocrates advocated the use of beet leaves as binding for wounds.

Beet juice can help lower blood pressure. Research published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension showed drinking 500ml of beetroot juice led to a reduction in blood pressure within one hour. The reduction was more pronounced after three to four hours, and was measurable up to 24 hours after drinking the juice.

Since Roman times, beetroot juice has been considered an aphrodisiac. The juice is a rich source of boron, which plays an important role in the production of human sex hormones.[citation needed] Field Marshal Montgomery is reputed to have exhorted his troops to 'take favours in the beetroot fields', a euphemism for visiting prostitutes.

From the Middle Ages, beetroot was used as a treatment for a variety of conditions, especially illnesses relating to digestion and the blood. Platina recommended taking beetroot with garlic to nullify the effects of 'garlic-breath'.

Beetroot has been used as a treatment for cancer in Europe for several centuries. The pigment molecule betanin in the root of red beets is under investigation as the cause of the plant's purpoted protective effects. Hungarian oncologist Ferenczi recommended beetroot juice as an effective cancer treatment. Recent scientific research has shown that beetroot can inhibit tumour growth and has antioxidant properties that may even help prevent development of oncogenesis.

So, yeah! Eat more Beets!

Salad From My Garden

Red Chard and Red Sails Lettuce



The leaves are actually quite small, that is a 10" glass mixing bowl.

I grew them.

Vegan Grilled Barbecue Veges

Dinner tonight was vegan barbecue.
A big salad, some casserole made of leftovers and a bunch of fresh grilled veges!















This would have been perfect with some potato salad

On the grill was sweet corn, thick onion slabs, orange bell pepper, zucchini

















I got a lot of exercise today. At least an hour on the trampoline, an hour on the mat and some time with the ball, too. I didn't want to get off of the trampoline today.

VEGAN Eggplant Manicotti Recipe

Filling
1 cup cooked nettles, drained very dry
1 med onion chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp oregano & thyme
2 tbs vege broth (or enough to mix it all well
1/3 cup eggplant
1/2 cup chopped seitan sausage

Processes all together with s-blade in food processor and set aside.

Assembly
Peel a large eggplant and slice it in to long, thin slices, like lasagna noodles
Put 1 tbs of filling on the skinny end of the eggplant slice and roll it up. Put it in your baking pan seam side down. Keep doing that until you fill the pan, I manage to get 12 out of mine, yours may vary.

Sauce
1 cup agar cheese or sunflower seed cheese
4 tbs yeast
1 cup vege broth
1 clove garlic
Blend well and pour over the rolls.
Sprinkle quinoa over the top
Bake covered for 2 hours.

Shown with baby greens salad, a salad made from kale, cucumber, sauerkraut and a spoonful of veganaise, some leftovers, and a slice of bread with vegan buttery spread.















I thought this was very good and so did the man but our dinner guest found it mushy and yucky.

Nettles Cooking on an Open Gas Flame...

Peppers in a Pot with Tulips














Pelicans paddling on pristine, picturesque Klamath Lake














Nettles and Leeks slowly simmering on the stove for soup supper















I put on my garden gloves and a long sleeve shirt, grabbed my garden clippers and large colander and stepped out in the yard. I snipped off the tops of about 7 plants ranging between 2 and 4 feet tall. I took them inside to the sink, with gloves still on and washed them with hot water, pulling the leaves off of the tough stems. I composted the stems this time, but I will juice them in the future. With gloves still on, I chopped the leaves with my big rocking cleaver. I love that thing.
They are now cooking in a pot with some leeks. They smell wonderful and taste really green and good. I will add potatoes to the pot later this afternoon.

I think we are gonna eat a lot of nettles this summer. I don't remember ever being stung by them and I want to touch them just to see what it's like. I can wait, though.

Today's question is:

Do you eat any wild edibles? Please tell me about it!

(Mostly) Raw Vegan Lunch Ideas! A Smoothie That Needs No Glass! Peanut Butter and Banana in Collard Leaf Wrap

An easy answer to "what's for lunch?" this is sort of like a green smoothie that you can hold in your hand. Sort of...

One large collard leaf, cut the stem as shown and apply peanut butter and bananas.









That is one banana cut in four pieces




If you use a raw nut butter this will be a raw sandwich. If you use a cooked nut butter, this will be an almost raw sandwich.

Fold up the cut stem ends first, then the tip of the leaf and roll up the open ends until you get














Something that looks like this














Cut it in half if you like for a nice presentation.














I know, I know. It sounds strange. But it works on the same principle as a green smoothie. The sweet banana makes it so you can barely taste the collard leaf at all! Try it once and you will be sold.

Home Grown Green Smoothie

The green smoothie is so good and so delicious. It's an amazing tool in anyone's quest for a highly nutritional diet.
Frozen banana, fresh mint from the yard, lettuce and chard from the small plants and some celery hearts from the store.















I chopped up all the celery and put all of every thing in the blender















Then I found some broccoli and cauliflower stems that I had been meaning to juice.
















I washed and trimmed them but...















There was just no room in the blender














So I juiced the stems in my Acme Juicerator and added the juice to my smoothie.














with some Renew Me! and some E3AFA


















And here it is in the jar there, next to the plants it came from.
















My very own, homegrown, green smoothie!

Food and the plants they come from...

Dinner last night

Clockwise: vege bread, butter lettuce, salad made from grape tomatoes, broccoli, avocado and I can't remember what else, leftover carrot curry salad, and a meatloaf that I made.
















The meatloaf was a franken-sort of thing. I made a seitan sausage that came out all wrong. I forgot the salt and the foil split while the thing was cooking so it puffed up instead of staying all dense the way the sausage should. Boo.
So I took a huge hunk of it and ground it up fine in the FP. Then I added and onion, some vege pulp, pecans, and some barbecue sauce, a wee bit of olive oil. I can't remember what other seasonings. I baked it in my silicone loaf pan for about 2 hours at 350F, covered, then let it cool to room temp. I baked it for another half hour at 400, uncovered. Yum.

Here it is in a butter lettuce leaf ready to be eaten by me.















Both of these salads were REALLY GOOD

















****************
PLANTS!!

I got a tomato plant from the Eco Store which is on east main. I couldn't find a online listing for it but I didn't look really hard. I don't think I have the name right.














Anyway, I bought a tomato plant and some swiss chard today, cheap.
I put the tomato in the Topsy Turvy that I bought months ago.


Swiss Chard
















My lily is blooming.































The new starts.
















A carrot top, rooting.

















My celery, rooting. It's growing a lot of leaves!

















Tonight for dinner is cabbage soup and something. Baked potatoes, maybe.

Cheers!