And if that doesn't convince you to at least try this recipe, here's a note I just received from a friend... "I woke up thinking about those molasses cookies you brought to Toshis last time... would you share the recipe with me? They were the best ones I've ever had."
Uh huh, they're that good!
Sparkle Ginger Cookies
Recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance
4 T turbinado sugar (sprinkled on top of cookie)
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 c canola oil
1/4 c molasses
1/4 c soy milk
1 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. Place the turbinado sugar in a small bowl.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. In a separate large mixing bowl, mix together the oil, molasses, soymilk, sugar and vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and combine well. Roll into 1-inch balls, flatten into a 1 1/2 inch diameter disk, press the cookie tops into the turbinado sugar and place 1 inch apart sugar side up on a prepared cookie sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes, let cool on cookie sheets for 3-5 minutes, transfer to cooling rack.
Art is all around us, even in something as mundane as knitting. Being able to see and explore the possibilities, Casual Profanity gave us a gift. This tiny gem was a matter of being able to see the beauty in the ordinary.
[ Read More ]
We are now in week two of the new year and I'm still catching up and tying loose ends from 2010. One of those on my to-do list is blog all the yummy vegan fare we've been eating. As of late, there has been a lot of Thai take-out and I won't be blogging about that except to say, Yay!, we found a local joint I'm proud to announce is my favorite. My knitting has been on hold for a while, but I still managed to aquire some new stash from Spincycle Yarns at Seattle's Urban Craft Uprising. So with an apology for an excess of blurry camera-phone photos, and a snowy nod to this happy New Year, here is the latest from my so-called crafty life.
I stood and stared, picked a color, changed my mind, picked another, changed my mind again. I'm not one for hasty decisions. Two gorgous hanks of handspun did go home with me to be whipped into treasures I'll use as photo props. And dang that camera-phone for failing me. This yarn was such a treat for the eyes to look at, believe me.
Anyone who was at the Urban craft uprising this year probably agrees with me that it was packed. It may not look it from the photo, but once you were in th crowd, you got to know the people around you very well.
Szechuan Green Beans and mixed greens with Goddess dressing. Seriously my favorite way of having green beans; salty, garlicy and spicey. Recipe below.
A vegan Thanksgiving dinner. Ginger mustard seed brussel sprouts, vanilla cranberry and pear compote (which makes killer martinis! More on those later.) complete with Bryanna Clark Grogan's vegan turkey, but with a twist. I was able to incorporate some okara into the "turkey" for a nicer texture and more protien. Recipe mod below.
I managed to pull of a whole meal that looked pretty while cleaning out the fridge. This is a quinoa with steamed asparagus, steamed Chioggia beets (color drained from camera phone and a little over cooking. my bad.), raw carrot-turnip salad lightly drizzled with Meyer lemon olive oil, and roasted cinnamon pepper sweet potato wedges.
Szechuan Green Beans
1 lb green beans
1 T garlic, chopped
1 T ginger, chopped
2 scallions white parts only
1/2 t chili paste
1 T dark soy sauce
1/2 t sugar
1/4 t salt, or to taste
Pepper to taste, optional
2 T vegetable or peanut oil
Wash and trim the tops and bottoms of beans, then cut diagonal into slices approximately 2 inches long.
Chop the garlic, ginger and white part of the scallions.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat.
Add beans and stir fry until they start to shrivel or "pucker" and turn brown (5 - 7 minutes). Remove beans and drain in a colander or on paper towels.
Heat 1 T oil in the wok on high heat. Add garlic, ginger and scallions. Stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the chili paste and stir-fry for a few more seconds until aromatic. Add the beans and the remaining ingredients. Mix together and serve.
Vegan Turkey
This recipe is one of Bryanna Clark Grogans, but for the life of me I cannot find a link to it. If you do find it, and would like to use up some of your left over okara, I simply substituted 1 cup okara for 1 cup of the tofu. I liked the texture a bit more this way than the original recipe.
Today I delivered a little holiday cheer to my two favorite dogs. Somehow I think I got so much more delight out of it than they did, but they were sports just the same. So Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for my family and friends, their love, support and health (and for friends that will let me do this to their dogs).
Pattern: To Humiliate The Dog
[ Read More ]
Pattern: To Humiliate The Dog
Last week I spent a few hours at the Picasso exhibit at SAM. I was not a huge fan of the paintings displayed, but I found it hard not to be drawn into the work, especially his drawings. For me, trying to see what he saw before reading the titles and figuring out what it really was, became part of the enjoyment. Your imagination was running full speed trying to keep up with this guy who made a career out of seeing like a child. It is well known he gained inspiration from his lovers along the way; Picasso also found inspiration in the bombing of Guernica and created one of his most famous works.
So with Picasso in mind and that ever constant battle with my artist within, I leave you with this quote:
Anthropologie is always one of my favorite stores and websites to haunt for eye candy and inspiration. Their catalogs are always dreamy and I'd step into one if I could. With the weather getting cold, I took a peek to see their latest scarves for winter. While they still have their typical soft and drapey antho-style pieces, here are a couple that caught my eye. Fox stole anyone?
[ Read More ]
It's nearly two weeks since we received our SoyQuick I've already made about 10+ batches of homemade soy milk. It really is easy and fast to make, clean up is a snap and the results are delicious. And right out of the gate I tried something new with the left over okara. Hubby was proud, and excited to try...
Vegan Crab Cakes. I don't know if I'm supposed to spell crab with a k in this instance or not.
I used to eat seafood and sometimes I liked it. Crab cakes weren't on the like list, but I wanted to like them. They always looked so good with their goldeny fried outsides and the sauces that went with. The recipe I followed promised they tasted like real crab cakes without smelling up the house. Aside from a overdose of salt via Old Bay and my heavy hand, they kind of did.
We served our up with golden baked rosemary potato wedges, and a garden salad. If anything, it was nice to have tartar sauce again.
Vegan "Crab" Cakes
2 slices whole wheat bread, broken into large pieces
1/2 cup minced celery (use a food processor to chop all vegetables quickly)1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, minced
1/2 green pepper, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 cups okara (about what you get from making one batch of soymilk in a soymilk machine)
1/2 cup oatmeal (the quick kind, not instant)
1-2 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. nori or dulse flakes (may use other flaked sea vegetable)
In a food processor or blender, whirl bread pieces into fine crumbs. Place on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until dried and toasty. Remove from oven and set aside.
In a non-stick skillet, cook celery, onion, carrot, pepper and parsley until softened, about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine okara, sautéed vegetable mixture, oatmeal, and seasonings. Mix well and set aside to “rest” for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Using about 1/4 cup for each cake, form mixture into about 15-20 patties about 2 inches across and 1/2 inch thick. Coat each side of the patty with bread crumbs and place on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Carefully turn cakes over and return to the oven to bake until second side is toasty and browned, about 15-20 minutes.