Juicer what?! Basically I'm getting at something raw

A short while ago I had the happy fortune to stumble upon
a juicer for $7 at a little tiny thrift store by my house.
Mwa ha ha, said I. Indeed.

A bit dusty, but I cleaned 'er up and she works like a charm.
(I love that expression)

I first just tried it out by making a little carrot juice
and was trying to think of how to use the remaining pulp.
So I whipped up these awesome raw-ish wraps that look
amazing as anything you'd see at a high caliber restaurant
and taste even better.

Ok they're not raw really at all, but the veg is pretty much
all raw inside and you feel so good after eating. Only raw
foods can make you feel that vibrant. Like coffee without the
crash or jitters. I also made an herbed tvp/soya crumble
by soaking it in vegetable broth and adding garlic salt
and Italian seasoning. In there as well were some black
beans, avocado, tomatoes, bell peppers, a wee bit of garlic
aioli and the carrot pulp left over from the juicer.

For the collards that they're wrapped in, I removed a slice
of the thick stem and soaked them in some warm water.
You don't even need to steam them or even cook them.
I just wanted it to absorb some of the warm water to
soften slightly-- easier to roll and bit. NARM!



To give the juice a kick and balance out the carrot a little,
I added an apple and a couple chunks of ginger! I don't know
why but this is so amazing to drink at breakfast.





To seal up the wraps I cut some strips off the edge of the
collard leaf and used it to tie a little package. So cute!
Plus, these are a great to use in packed lunches because
you can throw it all together and not have to worry about your
bread or tortilla getting soggy!

Pasty Palooza

The all time best way to go through some on-the-edge veg

is by making soup, for sure. But what if instead of adding

all that broth, water, or (non-dairy) milk we kept all our veg

and seasoning ready for something else.

Howsabout some cornish pasties? They are dinner turnovers

to put it simply. Pronounced past-ee, not like pasty when

some is pale beyond belief.

Traditionally I believe they are made with lard (ew barf) and

beef (ew double barf). I made these with tempeh and a bunch

of different vegetables.

I used onion, a couple cloves of garlic, carrots, celery, turnips

(my favorite!!), collard greens, bell peppers and a bunch of

fresh parsley. The 'gravy' is pretty basic. I just start the

vegetables cooking in some oil or earth balance, add a little

bit of broth along the way and then add a few tablespoons of

flour when the vegetables start to look tender. This creates

a kind of basic roux. You can also go crazy with herbs.

Fresh of course is always best, but use what you have.

I like sage and thyme, marjoram is good to... maybe dill...

ROSEMARY.

So then you just plop your 'sloppy soup' into the center

of a rolled out ball of pie crust.

[1 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 cup earthbalance, 1/2 tsp salt, 4 tbsp water]

Fold the dough over and pinch the edges.

This made three very large pasties and we still had a lot

of filling. So leftover soup is a good filling where you

don't have a ton.

Put a couple of slits in the top to let the heat escape and

bake them at 400 for about 40 minutes or until golden.

You can brush the top with oil or soymilk during the last

five minutes of baking if you like to add an extra gleam...

*shiny shiny pasty*

Simple foods for long days

It has been a tough week settling into classes, the 'new' abode,

the ... kitchen situation..., and of course transportation-- or

sometimes lack there of. Using public transport, I've had to

tac on an extra hour to two hours to everything I do. Sometimes

more when I'm lugging large bags of baking goods or dishes around.

Needless to say that when I've finally gotten back to the ol' tool shed

in the back, I've been a little worn for wear and not the in most

enthusiastic mood for cooking. But it always reminds me that some of

the most simple things can be the best and most comforting...

This evening, while steaming some beets for tomorrows salad,

I made some steamed collards and some potato grill cakes.

As I am not able to cook for one person (I am trained to cook army-

sized portions) I am usually left with at least some leftovers

for the next few days. Well, I'm getting a little better at least.

Now I'm cooking for about three people or two really hungry people.

I was surprised at what a heavenly combination collards

and potato cakes made, I hope you enjoy!

Potato Cakers

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

3-4 tablespoons water

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup onion, minced

1 large potato grated (about a cup and a half)

Mix the flour and just enough water to make a pancake

batter consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix

well.

Portion out on to a heated-oiled griddle and flatten/shape.

Allow to become golden brown before flipping, about 5 minutes

on a medium to high flame.

makes 4-6 potato cakes