cheesey cheeze kale chips

so, you may have read about my craving/addiction for kale chips.  these will satisify your salty, cheese, crunchy craving if your vegan.  i finally carved out a couple hours to give these babies a whirl at home and also, use my dehydrator that chris' mom gave us.

here's the recipe i tried....

3 bunches of of medium sized bunches of kale.  the dinosaur kale works well because it's curly and has a lot of nooks and crannies for the cheezey sauce to stick too.

1.5 cup of raw cashews...soaked in water for a couple hours, then drained.

6 sun-dried tomatoes  or 1 red bell pepper

1/2 cup - 3/4 cup of nutritional yeast...depending on how cheezey you like it.

a splash of braggs amino acid

juice of 1 lemon or lime

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. of paprika

1/4 tsp. of cayenne

1 cup of water....maybe a bit more...

wash kale, cut in large-ish pieces....they will shrink quite a bit in the dehydrator.

place all other ingredients in the blender/vitamix and blend til smooth. pour over kale and mix well with hands until thoroughly covered. place kale pieces on dehydrator trays  and let dry until crispy.  on my dehydrator the bottom trays were dry in 4-5 hours...but the higher trays will take longer.  continue to rotate trays until all trays are completely dry.  let cool completely and place in plastic bag for later. enjoy.

"kale crack"

today i was working at the yoga studio where i am part of the work study program.  i donate a few hours of "labor" in trade for unlimited classes.  it's such a great program and i feel proud to be part of it.....i'll do anything for the yoga :O)   i was cleaning the floor to prep for the expansion grand opening and began to feel my belly crying out for something toothsome and delicious.  i just so happened to be sweeping in the cafe area, and saw on the shelf some dark green leafy packaged "substance". the package read "quite cheesey kale chips".  with my insatiable curiousity to try all things health food related and potentially good for you, i busted open a bag.  i have to admit my expectations were fairly low....boy, i could not have been more off the mark.  these slightly salty, nicely pungent and irresistibly crunchy dark green layers of goodness were beyond any expectation for a deep fried fat filled chip.  these were absolutely delightful, satsifying and, dare i say, utterly delicious.  as i am typing...i am craving and wishing for another bag of green delight.  so it  begins, my quest for a recipe online.  if anyone has tried making these at home and would be willing to share their recipe i would love to give it a try.  when i find time i will definitely be trying my hand at making these dehydrated, green and flavorful chips in my kitchen.  the brand i tried is from blessings alive and radiant foods.  i highly recommend them.

image via kitchen dispensary

gingerbread cake

1 cup regular flour

1 cup spelt flour

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ginger

.5 tsp salt

.5 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup agave nectar

2/3 cup hot water + (4 T for flax seed mixture)

1/3 cup of soy butter

1 ripe mashed banana

2 heaping T of ground flax seed

preheat oven to 350. combine all dry ingredients in one bowl.  put agave nectar, molasses and hot water in another. mix well and add the rest of the of wet ingredients with molasses mixture except the flax seed. place flax seed in a bowl with the 4 T of hot water and wisk and let sit for a minute or two and then add flax mixture to molasses mixture.  add dry ingredients to molasses mixture and stir together.    spray 8 x 8 pan and flour it shaking out excess flour.  pour mixture in pan and bake away. this should take about 30-40 minutes to cook.

icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup of tofutti....soy cream cheese

2 T soy butter, melted

1/2 t vanilla

a tiny splash of soy or rice milk, better to start with less and add more as you go if you need it.

with a mixer, mix tofutti and soy butter until well blended, then add soy milk, vanilla.  let cake cook (or not) and spoon over cake. enjoy!!

i this adapted from a veganyumyum recipe.

napa cabbage and peanut soup

this unusual soup is sure to please the palette.  sweet, pungent and spicy all in the same spoonful.  enjoy!!

chris made this last night and i was happy happy girl.  this is one of our old time faves from back in the day of shackin' up & living in sin.  a friend of ours, caroline anderson gave chris this recipe.

ingredients:

2T olive or peanut oil

1 cup of chopped onion

1 large clove of garlic, minced

2 t grated fresh ginger

1 1/2 t of ground turmeric

1 1/2 t curry powder

1/2 t gournd cayenne pepper, or more to taste

1/2 t ground black pepper

1 t of ground coriander

6 1/2 cups of veggie stock

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes

2 -3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 cup of smooth peanut butter

3 T lemon juice

2 1/2 T of soy sauce or tamari or braggs amino acid

2 cups of napa cabbage, shredded

1/2 cup of coconut milk.....i think we normally use the whole can

roasted peanuts for garnish if you like

*note- when i make it i usually go a little heavy on all the spices just to give a bit more kick in flavor....maybe 1/2 tsp. or so more of each.

1. heat oil on medium. add onion, garlic and ginger and cook about 5 minutes. add turmeric, curry, cayenne, coriander, black pepper and cook stirring often for another couple minutes.

2. add veggie stock and bring to boil. add all potatoes and simmer over low heat until almost cooked, about 10 minutes.

3. place peanut butter in a bowl and wisk in a cup or so of the stock.  add lemon juice and soy sauce and wisk more. wisk back into large pot of soup and simmer 5 minutes.

4.. stir in cabbage and cook til tender, 3 minutes.

5. add the coconut milk and cook until heated through. bowl up and add peanuts and salt and pepper to taste.  yumyum!!!

it's not christmas...

it's not christmas........without having some peanut butter balls to celebrate.  i made an impromptu batch last night.  most pb ball recipes take quite a bit of.  time i didn't have, but pb balls are what i needed.  i have made these every year as far back as grade school.  my best friends mom would wait til as many helping hands would be around as possible since the recipe made so much dough. this would resulting in hours of ball rolling and a chocolate dipping extravaganza.  i am not alone in my love for pb balls. they just so happen to be one of chris' faves too.  here is the quick easy recipe i used...

1-16 oz. jar of smuckers natural peanut butter with honey, creamy

1 cup of powdered sugar

3-4 tablespoons of ground flax seed......you can't even taste it, so go ahead. everyone needs more fiber this year with all the sugar slammin' we're doing.

2 T of soy butter (earth balance), room temperature

1/2 bag of dark chocolate

1 T of vegetable shortening

optional: small raw salt crystal and cayenne powder

-combine first four ingredients with your hands.

-form into balls....i like mine about the size of a nickel but 3 dimension...not flat  :O)

at this size it will make about 60 pb balls.

-melt chocolate and shortening together in microwave for 20 seconds, stirring in between, until smooth.

dip pb. balls in chocolate coating completely using a toothpick to submerge and then place on wax paper to cool.  some people recommend refrigerating the pb balls for a couple hours before dipping.....but if you don't have the time, no worries, go ahead and dip away.  i did and it worked out fine.  sprinkle some with a few salt crystals and cayenne powder if you wish.  the salt adds such a nice texture and the cayenne is really delicious.  refrigerate til the chocolate sets up.  pull off wax paper and store in a container in the fridge. eat up. enjoy christmas :O)

macaroni and cheeze

chris and i tried this recipe a while back for mac and cheeze (cheeze...meaning without dairy) from the veganyumyum site.   it made an ever so tasty bowl full of comfort food.  :O)  go here for the recipe.....

bowl by meredith brickell

salad for dinner

i enjoy a salad that is half lettuce and half everything else from nuts, cucumber, cranberries, tofu, fresh mushrooms, cooked beets, purslane, beet greens or swiss chard, basil, nasturtium leaves.....aka pepper circles and the nasturtium flowers...sometimes grapefruit.  i wish i had the energy to make one every night but sometimes i will not break down and wash the lettuce.  that's really the thing that holds me back, silly, right?  sometimes a few weeks wil pass and then when i finally break down and make a salad the way i like them....with everything, they taste so good that's all i want for days...tastey!!!  i love the way it looks in chris' beautiful grande bowl.

chocolate & pop rocks

i'm intrigued and must find time to make this curious little cake.....a chocolate cake made with pop rocks.  say what??? i found this recipe via cup of jo

click on chubbyhubby for the recipe

sweet potato & tofu curry

sweet potato & tofu curry

**this recipe makes a lot of curry sauce so you can cut it in half if your not interested in freezing some.  i like making the full recipe since it takes a bit of time it's nice to have some leftover in the freezer for a last minute meal.

ingredients: 2 strips cinnamon bark 1 tsp cloves 6 cardamom pods 6 black peppercorns 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp mustard seeds 2 bay leaves

4 large onions--red preferably 10 medium tomatoes or 2-16 oz cans of chopped tomatoes 1 bunch of cilantro...sometimes i use basil 10 cloves of garlic 2 jalapeno peppers

1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp corriander 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp cayenne 1 tsp turmeric 2 cans of coconut milk salt to taste

4 sweet potatoes 1 package of extra firm or firm tofu

dry roast first 6 ingredients in a large pot sprayed with cooking spray. roast until the spices become aromatic....3 - 5 minutes.

blend the next five ingredients (all the vegetables) in a blender til almost smooth.  add to the pot and simmer over med-high heat.  cover with lid to keep mixture from splattering everywhere.

let this cook for about an hour or so to let the flavors meld and some of the liquid to boil off.

while the curry is cooking, remove skin from sweet potatoes & cook in the microwave(or boil if you prefer) once cooked and slightly cool cut into cubes. then remove excess water from tofu and cut into cubes.

next, add the last 6 spices and coconut milk and cook for another 10 or so minutes.

to serve: add a handful of tofu and sweet potato cubes in each bowl and pour desired amount of curry on top and stir a bit......eat up.  i love this yummy curry.  this is for sure a favorit of ours.  it makes such a good comfort food dish.

combine remaining sweet potato and tofu with desired curry and put in fridge for leftovers.  if there is any curry left put in freezer for another day.

*also try with regular potatoes. **to change it up a bit try with wilted spinach and chick peas instead of the sweet potato and tofu.

chocolate truffle ring & recipe

this new ring looks good enough to eat.  it reminds me of a chocolate truffle in all it's fancy chocolate sprinkle or chocolate ganache lace piped glory.  the chocolate truffle is made out of polymer clay.  i am hoping to set aside some time to make one of these for my collection.  i will soon post it as a listing on my etsy page.

here is my favorite truffles ever:

dark chocolate rum truffles:

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream.....i made these before i stopped eating dairy so if i tried to make this recipe now i would use coconut milk or soy creamer in place of the heavy whipping cream and see what happens.

3 T unsalted butter, softened and cut up.......... now i would try margarine or soy butter and see if that works????  if anyone tries this modified vegan version let me know :O)

2 T kahlua or 1 T of instant coffee crystals

1/3 cup nuts (of choice) toasted and finely chopped

3 T unsweetened cocoa

in food processor with knife blade attached, blend chocolate until finely ground.

in saucepan, heat heavy cream to boiling over medium hight heat.  with food processor running, and hot cream, butter and kahlua and blend until smooth.

grease 9 x 5 metal loaf pan; line with plastic wrap.  pour chocolate mixture into pan--spread evenly.  refrigerate until smooth, and cool enough to cut (about 3 hours) or (freeze 1 hour)

remove chocolate mixture from pan, lifting edges of plastic, remove chocolate and discard plastic wrap.

cut into 32 pieces.

roll pieces, one at a time in nuts or cocoa.  store in tightly wrapped container, with waxed paper between layers in fridge.

these are so decadent and delicious.......my dear friend christine made these as our dessert of choice for our after wedding picnic party celebration.  sooooooo good!!!

pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes

bring on the fall colored leaves below our feet. is it time yet?? i know i am rushing, but i can't wait til it cools a bit, we plant our fall garden, and we can spend some evenings out side with a long sleeved shirt.  okay, so, it's almost fall.  and i will be celebrating that "almost" when i make these yummy pumpkin cupcakes.  i was one lucky girl when my gal pal trish and a plate full of these came knocking at my door.  these could very well be the best cupcakes i have ever eaten. i can't wait to set aside some time and make these little babes.  i can't stop thinking about them so i hope that time comes soon :)

here is the recipe....it's from the cookbook "vegan cupcakes take over the world"

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with cinnamon icing

ingredients for cupcakes...

1 cup canned pumpkin...trish used pumpkin pie filling, so i guess either would work

1/3 cup oil 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup soy milk or rice milk 1 tsp. vanilla.....trish omitted this and i would have been none the wiser  =)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 cup chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350F.  line muffin tin with cupcake liners.

in medium bowl stir together pumpkin, oil, sugar, soy milk, and vanilla.  add dry ingredients thru the salt.  stir with fork only....not a beater, it will come out gummy.  once well combined add chocolate chips.

fill liners 2/3 full.  bake for 22-24 minutes.  transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before icing.

cinnamon icing: 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 2 T margarine, melted 1 T soy milk or rice milk 1/2 tsp vanilla

place sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  add the margarine, soy milk, and vanilla and stir with a fork til smooth. keep at room remperature until ready to use.  the mixture should look opaque and honey brown.  if it's glistening a lot or looks too liquid, add a little extra powdered sugar.

*seems like these would be good without the icing even or with a little powdered sugar dusting

tomato & cashew creme pasta with basil

ingredients:

1 large ripe tomato...2 cups rough chop.

1/2 cup raw cashews

1 T tomato paste

1 T adobo sauce...optional (this adds spicy smokey flavor)

1/4 cup water

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2T olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

6 oz of whole wheat pasta

2-3 T water

1-2 tsp. course black pepper

1 large handful of fresh basil, chopped

heat pot of water til bowl.  add pasta and cook til done.  while waiting for pasta to cook core and chop tomato.  add to blender along with cashews, tomato paste, adobo sauce, and water.  blend til smooth.

then, put olive oil in pan along with minced garlic and saute until golden.  pour sauce from blender to saute pan atop the garlic oil and bring to a simmer.  add salt and let cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently.

taste sauce and season more if necessary.  once pasta is cooked, drain and add to sauce with black pepper and freshly chopped basil.  toss to coat, serve and enjoy.

i adapted this recipe from the veganyumyum website.  i just added the adobo sauce.

this yummy recipe reminds me of a pasta dish chris and i used to get at a restaurant in edwardsville, il when we were dating :O)

HHHHHHhhhhay cupcake!!!

friday was cupcake day.  me and my friend trish made about 80 cupcakes apiece for our friend's jade and robert's wedding party in austin.  yeah!!! it was fun to spend some time in the kitchen....that hasn't happened much lately.

golden vanilla cupcakes:

ingredients:

1 cup soy milk

1 tsp. appled cider vinegar

1 1/4 all purpose flour

2 T cornstarch

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup of canola oil

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/4 vanilla extract

preheat oven 350.

wisk soy milk and vinegar and set aside for few minutes.

in large bowl blend sugar, oil and vanilla. add dry ingredients to wet, flour, conrstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until no large lumps remain.

fill cupcake liners almost to the top (more than the typical 2/3 full)......these cupcakes don't rise that much, but are oh so yummy!!!

bake for 22 minutes or until golden.

let cool then frost with white buttercream.

buttercream icing:

ingredients

1/2 cup of nonhydrogenated shortening

1/2 cup of  nonhydrogenated margarine

5 cups of powdered sugar...sifted if clumpy, this will yield a much smoother icing free of lumps............if doesn't matter, then don't bother

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup of soymilk

beat shortening and margarine together until well combined.  add sugar and beat another 3 minutes. add vanilla and soy milk and beat another 5-7 minutes until fluffy.

note: this recipe makes a vanilla cupcake that is fairly dense like a pound cake and super delish.

making these brought back so many bakery memories of decorating birthday and wedding cakes.........oh, how i miss that sugar shack :O)  there were many a fun time at that place.

the recipes above are from the "vegan cupcakes take over the world" cookbook by isa chandra moskowitz and terry hope romero

this sweet plate with the subtle word "because" is a piece made by our great friend kirsten jacobsen.

it could be easy being green.....

austin, texas.......lime green polyp earrings

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

my friend rebecca who is a raw foodie is part of an online community that is hosting a contest for the best green smoothie mustache. i wanted to share her picture for fun and as part of my picture pages series(pp11). oh, love it.  the green 'stache, sexy rexy!!!

my new favorite green smoothie is pineapple-celery with a bit of spinach to green it up.

1 1/2 cup pineapple

2 stalks of celery

1 cup of spinach

1 cup + of water.....depending on the consistency you desire

2 T chia gel

and sometimes a bit of cayenne depending on my mood