Summer Fruits

Summer is in full swing and our fruit trees have had a great crop this season. The fruit is ripe and ready to eat.
We've eaten so many plums and apricots we have mouth sores, still doesn't stop us eating more. What is it about homegrown fruit that makes you masochistic.

We had to make preserves this year because we had such a bounty. This is onetime I use white sugar, granted it's organic, but still.....

Does anyone out there have a great preserve recipe that doesn't have sugar. Something with agave or even better, just the fruit?
I haven't found anything that works yet, so please let me know if you have.

Our grapes are coming along nicely and if the wasps don't suck them all dry, that will be are next treat.

I tried making grape jelly a couple of years ago, but it just wouldn't set. Once again if anyone has a great grape jelly recipe, I'd love to hear from you.

The recipe I use for my preserves is yummy, but obviously not the healthiest with all that sugar, but if you want to try it.

51/2 LBS of apricots or plums pit and slice into halves (I like the preserves to have big pieces of fruit in it) To the apricot jam I add one peeled apple, chopped into little pieces. The pectin from the apple helps the preserves to set better. I've never needed to to do that with the plums.
31/4 LBS organic sugar
2 cups of water

Bring the fruit, apple included if using it, sugar, water, to a boil with lid on, then take off lid, turn flame down to low and cook until thickened ( I usually cook until the fruit, sugar and water has reduced to about half) Keep stirring so it doesn't stick. You can test to see if it's thick enough by taking a little on a spoon, let it cool and see how thick the preserves are.
Prepare jars by sterilizing them with boiling water. I then turn them upside down on a cooling rack to dry them off.
When ready, pour into jars, put lids on while still warm, lids will pop to seal as it cools.
I got about 12 4 oz jars of jam from one recipe

The taste of fresh homegrown fruit preserves is always better.

I usually make a couple of batches of each kind of preserve. It's enough for us and to give some away to friends and family.

Fresh bread and jam, simply delicious, can't wait.

I also use the jam in desserts throughout the year. 

We have about 7 grape vines, some red, some green, all delicious

These grapes will turn red and are usually sweet and crispy, just the way we like them.

The Avocados will be ready around October, November

We have the sweetest cherry tomatoes this year. 

We have to cover the tomatoes, or they would cook on the vine in the summer heat

Yum!

Our grapes are planted on the road to Gary's woodworking shop and my soap and lotion Kitchen

Eating vegan when away on a trip

So here we are in Albuquerque. Our friend George is a costume designer and is here on location, doing a movie with Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Paul Bettany and Rebecca Hall called Transcendence.  We came in for the 4th July weekend to hang with him and go to Santa Fe.
It's often a bit of a challenge to eat vegan when away, so we were very happy when everything on this trip went SO perfectly, including our culinary experiences.

"WOW ALERT"
The highlight was "Loving Vegan" a vegan sushi and bento box restaurant, on Coors Blvd.
Tel# 505-890-1555.
Owned by Cathy Punya, who has several other restaurants in the area as well as a restaurant in Laguna Beach, Ca. This is her first all vegan sushi restaurant.
The two people managing the restaurant and preparing all the food were Surapan Phonsukha and Khemjira Jongkolsapaporn the most delightful and talented twosome.
We ordered the Monkey balls (I know) - mushrooms stuffed with vegan spicy tuna, deep fried with a sauce. They were so light and delicious we thought we'd died and gone to heaven.
The New Mexico roll was a tempura Chile with avocado and cucumber, absolutely awesome and a avocado roll so fresh and light it melted in your mouth.
We then indulged in dessert, coconut ice cream and a vegan, gluten free chocolate cup cake.
If you live in the area or are visiting you HAVE to check out this INCREDIBLE place.
Also ranked #1 vegan sushi restaurant by Peta

Gary doesn't like mushrooms and tofu isn't always his favorite, but these were so incredible, he couldn't resist

You'll have to try them to understand how awesome these are.

Beautiful presentation and most delicious

Decadent

The sweetest twosome

Here are a few other photos of our trip and other taste delights.

I'm always a happy girl when I can have some pool time.

George had rented a really nice condo while on location. We got to enjoy all the cool amenities.
We had the pool all to ourselves on Wednesday. 

Always an easy poolside snack, guacamole and chips.

Having breakfast each morning with fresh peaches right off the tree. Yum!

Delicious vegetable soft tacos with grilled veggies and of course a Margarita at La Fonda in Santa Fe

I was very excited when i saw Cauliflower Steak on a menu at a restaurant in Santa Fe. The sauces and extras were delicious, but the steak was just slightly cooked cauliflower. I think I can do better. It's going to be a mission of mine to make a really great cauliflower steak. Stay tuned and I'll let you know how it goes. 

Delicious Vegan Baked Beans

So it's nearly 4th of July and we're all looking forward to the quintessential all American BBQ. I like to make typical fair so everyone gets to eat their favorites.

These beaked beans are easy, good for you and delicious.

1 can tomato sauce 

2 Tblsp tomato paste 

2 tsp soy sauce( gluten free)

2 cups very finely chopped cabbage

1 medium onion chopped 

2 stalks celery finely chopped

2 Tblsp olive oil

1/4 cup vegetable broth

2tsp grey poupon

1/4tsp ground white pepper

1 Bay leave

1/2 tsp powdered garlic

1/2 tsp powdered onion

3 tsp ume plum vinegar

1 Tblsp Agave Syrup

3 cans organic pinto beans drained and rinsed

Dash red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Heat the cabbage, onion and celery in the olive oil stirring for approx. 5 minutes. Add the broth, cover on low heat, stirring often. Cook until very soft. I like the vegetables to be soft, so the beans have lot's of flavor, but it doesn't interfere with the look and texture of regular baked beans. If the mixture is getting too dry keep adding broth or water and cook until done. Cabbage adds a lot of flavor and a little sweetness when cooked for a long time. It also provides extra nutrition and fiber without anyone noticing.

Once the veggies or soft add tomato sauce, paste, grey poupon, bay leaf and all the herbs, spices and salt, stir and cook for approx. 15 to 20 minutes to let flavors blend. Then add agave syrup.

 

I like to make this the day before because it tastes even better after it sits. 

Happy 4th to all!

Nothing better than a lettuce wrap - Vegan of course!

So Summer is finally here and that means lots of light, easy to fix dinners, hopefully eaten alfresco, whenever we get the chance.
One of my favorite cool summer dishes is a great lettuce wrap. Before becoming vegan, that meant chicken wraps. Obviously I had to come up with a new recipe, so this is my version - Tempeh wraps.
I love to make this tempeh filling and serve it in crispy fresh iceberg ( probably one of the only times I eat iceberg)

It's really easy and super tasty.

Dice the tempeh into small pieces and brown until slightly crispy

Add the veggies and don't overcook them.

I pack of tempeh (I like the rice tempeh it's gluten free) chopped into very small pieces.
1 small onion finely chopped
1 stalk celery finely chopped
1 large grated carrot
1/8 of a cabbage very finely sliced
1 cup of bean sprouts ( more if you like)
1 can water chestnuts finely chopped
olive oil for cooking
sprinkle of soy sauce for taste

1 head of iceberg lettuce, separate leaves to use as wraps

Peanut Sauce
In a bowl mix
1 tblsp Peanut butter
1 tblsp sesame seed paste
1 tsp grey poupon
2 tblsp Olive oil
1 tblsp vinegar ( I like to use rice vinegar)
3 tblsp agave syrup
1 tsp soy sauce (gluten free)

Chopped salted peanuts for garnish

Cook the tempeh in a little olive oil until browned and slightly crispy.
In a separate pan with a little olive oil cook onion, celery and cabbage until slightly soft. Add the rest of vegetable and cook for a few minutes. Don't overcook, you want the veggies to have texture. Add the browned tempeh, sprinkle with a little soy sauce and the chopped salted peanuts, serve immediately with lettuce pieces, drizzle each wrap with sauce, or dip wrap into sauce, whichever you prefer.

This dish start to finish usually takes me about 20 minutes.

The BEST Vegan, Gluten Free, Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I can't think of one person out there, who doesn't like cookies. OK, so maybe there is one, but I've never met them. If you like oatmeal and you like chocolate, I think I could be safe in saying "you're going to love these". The extra bonus being they are vegan, gluten free and delicious!

They are incredibly easy to make with a surprisingly delicate, crispy texture.

3/4 cup gluten free baking flour ( I like Bob's)

1/4 quick cooking oats

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1/3 cup sugar ( Maple sugar works great but is crazy expensive)

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup safflower or sunflower oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup chopped pecans

3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven 350f 

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl combine all the liquid ingredients. Then mix both together. With a large spoon, scoop approx. 2 tablespoon size balls of dough onto oiled baking sheet.  They will spread out as they cook, so leave enough room between each cookie.

Bake until golden brown, approx. 10 to 15 minutes, but watch them because they can go from under cooked to burned pretty quickly.

Leave them on the tray to settle, for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling tray.

You'll want to be careful because they can fall apart at this point easily.

I usually use two spatulas to transfer them.

Let them cool completely before serving.

Enjoy!

Our Summer Veggie Garden

 One of the things I love about summer is the easy quick recipes you can make. They make anything you cook seem more delicious.

With the produce from my garden I often make fresh salsa to spice up whatever we are having for dinner. It takes 5 minutes to make and adds a lot of fresh taste to any meal and it smells yummy too.

                                                               Fresh Out the Garden Salsa

2 to 3 ripe tomatoes

1/2 onion finely chopped

1/2 Serrano or jalapeno pepper very finely chopped (less if you don't like spicy)

large handful of cilantro finely chopped ( I love cilantro)

squeeze of fresh lime

salt to taste

We got our veggies in the garden late this year, so their a little slow coming, however better late than never, right?
I try to always have onions growing. I love to plant white onions. They are easy to grow and always come out mild and slightly sweet. Good for everything. Love to cook with them, but also perfect to chop up raw.
I know everyone doesn't have a garden, but I encourage you to grow something, if you can. I always feel a sense of peace when I tend to the veggies and picking and eating them is pretty darn good too. Pots can work well for certain things. Tomatoes, cilantro, peppers, can all grow in pots. I've never tried it but I don't see why you couldn't grow onions. Let me know if you try and it works.
If you don't have a chance to grow your own, the farmers markets are great. There isn't anything quite like a fresh picked tomato or piece of fruit.
I'll be sharing recipes that I use when the produce is ready, so stay tuned.

We love to plant tomatoes and onions. We have one raise bed full of tomatoes ( 4 different kinds) and another raised bed for our onions. Our tomatoes are just staring now, but these onions are ready to pick.

When you want to pick an onion, it's best to pull it and leave it for a day or two, before using. Yo can leave it sitting on top of the dirt to dry.

Our first little tomatoes of the season

I love to have cilantro growing all year if possible, but especially in the summer when we have plenty of tomatoes.

The first tiny pepper.

I planted these onions about a month ago. By the time I've used all the onions that are big now, these should be just about right for picking. I never want to do without fresh grown onions

I know the veggies don't look quite as pretty when your not using chemicals and pesticides on them. However they taste so good and your saving your poor body and the environment from all those nasty chemicals. By the way, do you know what Monsanto and a couple of the other big corporate agro/chemical companies are up to. If not, check out a few of my previous posts or go to Democracy Now, a great group trying to keep the all too powerful companies like Monsanto from getting their way. They don't care about our bodies or the environment, only their own profits.
Shame on them!

Yikes! Can I still call myself vegan

OK, so I have to admit, I feel pretty stupid right about now. I don't know what happened, I guess I just zoned out. I've been using Morning star bacon for quite awhile, thinking it was vegan. I don't know why I thought that. It doesn't have vegan on the packaging. Somewhere along the line I decided it was. This morning while making our Sunday brunch I had my glasses on scanned the ingredients again. Much to my chagrin it's NOT vegan, but vegetarian.
So, sad to say, this will be the last time I'll be using it. If you are vegetarian I recommend it. It's tasty and versatile. However if vegan, alas it's not for you. Don't despair for you can use tempeh bacon.
Who else has found their not as vegan as they thought they were??

Here's our last brunch with Morning star.


Non alcoholic Bloody Mary's
Scrambled tofu with mushrooms and onions
Bok choy drizzled with truffle oil and ume plum vinegar
Gluten free pancakes with fresh raspberries and maple syrup
and a fond farewell to the non vegan, vegetarian Morning star bacon
YUM!