This has been a very busy weekend. After a quick trip to get groceries for the week, T and I left for the Makers Fair. The main attractions for us at the fair were the stand with Pleo, George Hotz, and Edible Austin which turned out to not be very exciting. I dined at Veggie Hut where I got a curry. It had rice, black beans, squash, mushrooms, and onions all smothered in curry sauce. It was really good.
After the fair we went to the Arboretum and got ice cream from Amy's. I had the coconut vegan and T had a Mexican Vanilla with strawberries. We walked around and looked in the windows and then decided to go home for the night.
I got a lot of baking done this weekend. Before we left for the fair I mixed up some dough for bread. It is this awesome recipe I found online. It is No Knead bread! You make it and forget about it for a day.
For breakfast this morning I decided to test some of the Boca ground beef and I made a tofu scramble with the Boca and veg cheese. I added some salt to it because the flavor in the Boca wasn't strong enough to permeate the tofu. The cheese was very mild. I was hoping it would be stronger, but it did taste good.
No Knead Bread
3 cups bread flour
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
optional dry herb to taste (rosemary, basil, oregano, etc...)
1 1/2-1 2/3 cup water
1. Put all the dry together in a big bowl.
2. Pour in the water and start mixing. Add more water if needed. Start small.
3. When shaggy and messy but all mixed stop and cover with plastic wrap.
4. Leave it alone for 12 to 20 hours.
5. Dump onto a well floured surface.
6. Form a ball.
7. Put the ball on a floured tea towel and cover with another floured tea towel. Leave for 2 hours.
8. Heat oven and a pot in the oven at 450F 30 minutes before 2 hours is up.
9. I spray the heated pot with nonstick spray. Dump the ball into the pot with the seam up.
10. Bake covered for 30 minutes.
11. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.
12. Cool.
Tofu Scramble
1/2 package Boca Ground "Beef"
1/3 package firm tofu
1 slice soy cheddar cheese
salt and pepper tt
1. Smash the tofu up with a fork.
2. Put the frozen boca into a nonstick pan on medium heat.
3. When it starts to melt add the tofu.
4. Break the cheese into small chunks and put over the tofu.
5. Add the salt and pepper and stir frequently.
6. When the cheese is melted, the boca is thawed and it looks like eggs it is done.
7. Eat it up!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Pictures Soon to Come
Even though you don't know it, I have been taking pictures of everything I have made and then some. Unfortunately, I have not resized any of these pictures yet. Soon, very soon, there will be amateur photos up and ready for your viewing pleasure.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Experiments with Coconut and Basmati
Today is one of my friend's birthdays and I went to her surprise party, which happened to be a pot luck party! Knowing full well that I was going to be the only vegan there, I decided I needed to make myself something with sustenance and something that would curb my sweet tooth.
SusanV from Fat Free Vegan recently posted a recipe for Banana-Coconut Bars that I have been wanting to try and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Unfortunately, I am not old enough to buy rum, so I had to substitute the rum for almond extract. As well, I had barley flour and pastry flour. I don't buy regular ap flour. So, I mixed it up and used both.
For the something with sustenance I decided on a pilaf. I love rice. It seems to be the only thing I can eat without feeling sick from. So, I found a recipe online and made a few substitutions.
The dishes were a hit! I was busy the entire party telling everyone how I made the pilaf and what was in the banana bars. I hope you enjoy them as much as we all did.
Banana-Coconut Bars
1/4 cup silken tofu
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 Tbsp almond extract
2 lg bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 cup barley and 1/2 cup pastry)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Blend the tofu and bananas in a blender until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla, almond extract.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt in to a bowl. Stir in the coconut.
4. Make a well in the flour mixture. Add the banana tofu mix into the hole.
5. Stir until moist. DON'T OVER MIX!
6. Oil and flour a baking dish and pour in the batter. Spread until it is one even layer.
7. Cook for 25-30 minutes.
Basmati Pilaf
1 cup basmati rice
1 small onion
3 medium carrots
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
4 peppercorns
1/4 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp light vegetable oil
2 Tbsp margarine
1 Tbsp salt
1. Wash the rice until the water runs clear.
2. Soak the rice in cold water for 20 minutes.
3. Strain the rice. Set the oven to 350 F.
4. Chop the onion and carrots. Measure out the spices.
5. Heat the oil and add the spices to the hot oil.
6. When it becomes fragrant (nutty) add the margarine and the onion.
7. Cook the onion until caramelization begins.
8. Add the carrot and rice. Cook for 5 minutes.
9. Add salt and 2 cups of hot water. Boil, reduce to a simmer.
10. Transfer to casserole and bake * 20-40 minutes.
*The major time allowance is due to variations in oven. My oven changes. Some days it takes 30 minutes, and some it only take 20. Just keep an eye on it. Brown rice does take awhile. You might have to add water half way through.
SusanV from Fat Free Vegan recently posted a recipe for Banana-Coconut Bars that I have been wanting to try and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Unfortunately, I am not old enough to buy rum, so I had to substitute the rum for almond extract. As well, I had barley flour and pastry flour. I don't buy regular ap flour. So, I mixed it up and used both.
For the something with sustenance I decided on a pilaf. I love rice. It seems to be the only thing I can eat without feeling sick from. So, I found a recipe online and made a few substitutions.
The dishes were a hit! I was busy the entire party telling everyone how I made the pilaf and what was in the banana bars. I hope you enjoy them as much as we all did.
Banana-Coconut Bars
1/4 cup silken tofu
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 Tbsp almond extract
2 lg bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 cup barley and 1/2 cup pastry)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Blend the tofu and bananas in a blender until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla, almond extract.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt in to a bowl. Stir in the coconut.
4. Make a well in the flour mixture. Add the banana tofu mix into the hole.
5. Stir until moist. DON'T OVER MIX!
6. Oil and flour a baking dish and pour in the batter. Spread until it is one even layer.
7. Cook for 25-30 minutes.
Basmati Pilaf
1 cup basmati rice
1 small onion
3 medium carrots
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
4 peppercorns
1/4 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp light vegetable oil
2 Tbsp margarine
1 Tbsp salt
1. Wash the rice until the water runs clear.
2. Soak the rice in cold water for 20 minutes.
3. Strain the rice. Set the oven to 350 F.
4. Chop the onion and carrots. Measure out the spices.
5. Heat the oil and add the spices to the hot oil.
6. When it becomes fragrant (nutty) add the margarine and the onion.
7. Cook the onion until caramelization begins.
8. Add the carrot and rice. Cook for 5 minutes.
9. Add salt and 2 cups of hot water. Boil, reduce to a simmer.
10. Transfer to casserole and bake * 20-40 minutes.
*The major time allowance is due to variations in oven. My oven changes. Some days it takes 30 minutes, and some it only take 20. Just keep an eye on it. Brown rice does take awhile. You might have to add water half way through.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
The Truth About Eggs
I don't have a recipe today. With T being sick, and so much going on at school I just have no time to come up with another recipe. I do, however, have my notes to share from my Meat Fabrication class yesterday. We talked about eggs, poultry, and then made bacon. Fun stuff.
The truth is that in 1999 7 billion dozen eggs were sold. The average hen house holds 75,000 birds. Not all in one building, but total for one company. They play opera music 24-7 to keep them calm and they leave the lights on.
The average hen lays 360-400 eggs a year. They randomly choose a day and walk a rooster through the hen house because this makes them lay more. The average hen lays eggs for 1-2 years.
The salmonella is in the actual shell of the egg. They put them in bleach water, but they can't kill what is in the shell. As well, campillobacter, or as I call it "the Thanksgiving fever" is also found IN the shell, not the outside alone.
Let me explain why I call it Thanksgiving fever. People suck at baking turkey. They leave their food out for outrageous periods of time and bacteria develops quickly. This bacteria is campillobacter, which lasts for about 2 days and causes you to have mild diarrhea and a feeling of not being "fresh". Campillobacter is so sudden and lasts for such a short time that most people think that they got it from overeating, which they did, but not the point. The point is that they cooked the food wrong and left it out and then ate it day after day after day through the week following Thanksgiving. Not a good situation if you choose to be healthy.
To continue, candling occurs and they do it by hand. This is where they shine a light on the egg to look for imperfections, blood spots, meat spots. People do this by hand, so you know some get by them.
Don't buy eggs that aren't refrigerated because the package insulates the egg. It takes 4 days to cool down a package of eggs that haven't been in the refrigerator. Farm eggs are fine, because you know they are fresh.
Eggs from the grocery store can't be trusted. A few companies were sued when it was discovered that they were recycling unsold eggs. They would go to the grocery store and deliver the new eggs and take the old eggs away. At this point they would put the old eggs into a wash with the new eggs at the factory and resale them. This is why some grocery stores now pack their eggs in plastic containers with a big stamp on each egg saying when it expires. Only buy these eggs if you are going to buy eggs at all.
Now just to finish this off, Chef wouldn't show us the video of chickens being slaughtered. He told us to go online and watch, but he wouldn't show it in class. He said it was too horrific and he didn't want to watch it again, he didn't want anyone to be sick, and he didn't want to offend anyone. Yes, it is that bad.
The truth is that in 1999 7 billion dozen eggs were sold. The average hen house holds 75,000 birds. Not all in one building, but total for one company. They play opera music 24-7 to keep them calm and they leave the lights on.
The average hen lays 360-400 eggs a year. They randomly choose a day and walk a rooster through the hen house because this makes them lay more. The average hen lays eggs for 1-2 years.
The salmonella is in the actual shell of the egg. They put them in bleach water, but they can't kill what is in the shell. As well, campillobacter, or as I call it "the Thanksgiving fever" is also found IN the shell, not the outside alone.
Let me explain why I call it Thanksgiving fever. People suck at baking turkey. They leave their food out for outrageous periods of time and bacteria develops quickly. This bacteria is campillobacter, which lasts for about 2 days and causes you to have mild diarrhea and a feeling of not being "fresh". Campillobacter is so sudden and lasts for such a short time that most people think that they got it from overeating, which they did, but not the point. The point is that they cooked the food wrong and left it out and then ate it day after day after day through the week following Thanksgiving. Not a good situation if you choose to be healthy.
To continue, candling occurs and they do it by hand. This is where they shine a light on the egg to look for imperfections, blood spots, meat spots. People do this by hand, so you know some get by them.
Don't buy eggs that aren't refrigerated because the package insulates the egg. It takes 4 days to cool down a package of eggs that haven't been in the refrigerator. Farm eggs are fine, because you know they are fresh.
Eggs from the grocery store can't be trusted. A few companies were sued when it was discovered that they were recycling unsold eggs. They would go to the grocery store and deliver the new eggs and take the old eggs away. At this point they would put the old eggs into a wash with the new eggs at the factory and resale them. This is why some grocery stores now pack their eggs in plastic containers with a big stamp on each egg saying when it expires. Only buy these eggs if you are going to buy eggs at all.
Now just to finish this off, Chef wouldn't show us the video of chickens being slaughtered. He told us to go online and watch, but he wouldn't show it in class. He said it was too horrific and he didn't want to watch it again, he didn't want anyone to be sick, and he didn't want to offend anyone. Yes, it is that bad.
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