All Hail Kale Salad: Swipe!

Swiper, no swiping!

Those of you that have young siblings as I do or children of your own
might catch that reference. If not, I just swiped or knocked off a dish
from everyone's favorite Veggie Grill.

To be honest, I've never even had the darn thing. Yes, everyone raves
about it, blah blah blah-- but I have a hard time bringing myself to
pay $8-10 for a bowl of kale. I don't care how good it is. If I'm going
to go out to eat and drop dollars in the double digits, it better be
something I can't make at home or have never experienced before.

Its Ok if you can't cook and like to eat out because its the only decent
way to get good food, but you have to at least tell me you're trying to duplicate these things.

What is this All Hale Kale stuff? Apparently it is Kale and Quinoa
marinated in a papaya vinegarette, topped with purple cabbage,
walnuts, carrots, and a roasted corn salsa and chic'n/tempeh (opt).

I basically had everything but the papaya, so I subbed out some OJ for
that baby. Voila. Pretty delish. I didn't do the grilled plant protein,
since we were already eating quinoa and quinoa is high in protein.
Although, we did have some assorted baked sweet potato fries on the
side: orange, purple, and white sweet potato!

FYI: although many people do, there is really no need to remove the
stems from kale. Just cut off the very end and roll the whole leaf with
a rolling pin to tenderize. Crush the stem so it is soft and chewable.
Why waste a perfectly good piece of kale?



All Hail Kale Salad for 4

8 stalks of kale, tenderized and shredded finely
2 cups cooked quinoa

1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup raw walnuts, chopped

1/3 cup orange juice
2 tbsp olive oil or a nut oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp agave
juice from one lemon
1/2 tsp grated ginger
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup fresh corn
1 tomato, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 small clove garlic, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
juice from one lime
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro (opt)

Once the cooked quinoa has cooled, toss it with the kale and add the
dressing. Go ahead and mix the salsa, let it sit to 'age' the flavors.

Once you're ready to chow down arrange the salad on the plate
starting with the marinated kale, salsa, cabbage, carrot then walnuts--
or whatever you like, it's all ending up in the same place anyway!

This is where you go "WHAT? That's it?!" and I smile and laugh manically.

I guess it's the Forth of July... Don't go out and roast dead animals
or burn a forest down with stupid fireworks... please and thankyou.
No, we are not celebrating today. Why? I dunno, should it be a priority?

Galaxy Vegan Cream Cheese

It is spring (actually it has been for a month, but I'm behind).
The flowers are blooming, our lawn is literally a jungle out of
control, and all sorts of new veg products are hitting the shelves
faster than you can say 'march hare'.

One of the newest vegan cheeses on the street is Galaxy Nutritional
Foods cream cheese, which I got the pleasure of trying out for
all of you!

Not only is there an 'original plain' flavour, but there is also a
'chive and garlic' flavour much to Monkey-man's delight.



I can't lie, I love my bagels. But I wanted to do something a little
nicer than bagels to try out something new.

So with the 'original' we made some crepes and stuffed them with
the cream cheese, diced apples, spice and drizzled it all with
agave.



The flavor is milder than it's dairy counterpart without that
gross sour aftertaste. The texture is cross between any other vegan
(or nonvegan) cream cheese out there and sour cream. It is soft and
perfect for spreading. It doesn't turn your toast to crumbs while
you're trying to spread a layer of goodness.

We got a little spicy with the Chive and Garlic and made some
jalapenos poppers for Monkey-man's Bday.



Because it was already seasoned with just enough garlic and chives,
all we had to do was fill some halved and seeded peppers, sprinkle
with paprika and bake. Oh, yeah-- And eat to our heart's content!

We still had a little bit of each left over so we had a little European
meal the other night for dinner. Monkey-man made some classic borsht...



And I made some dumplings to go in it.



To fill the dumplings I cooked 1 cup TVP in enough vegetable
broth to make it soft, then added some salt and pepper, sage,
soy sauce and a little bit of molasses. A little plop of
vegan cream cheese and some wonton wrappers later... Deliciousness!



I really dug Galaxy's new product, I liked how smooth and versatile
it was. And the chive and garlic addition? Very nice, tasty and
savory, but not overwhelming or artificial tasting. And I just saw
it stocked in my little health food store! What a coincidence!

Good on ya Galaxy!

P.S. We just back from Paso Robles, CA and I have some great wine
stories to share with you all!

Peachy-Keen Bars

I recently nabbed a vegetarian cookbook at a thrift store:
The American Vegetarian Cookbook by Marilyn Diamond. It would
be vegan if not for the honey factor. So far it seems like an awesome
book and huge to boot (over 400 pages).

It was published in 1990, so I'm thankful there are no photos.
Older cookbooks have the most ugly, dated looking food pics. I'm not
sure what it is, but everything looks orange and fresh out of a
microwave.

Flipping through it I saw a recipe that looked pretty good, but I
wanted to twist it to my own immediate dessert needs. Here is the
resulting experiment. The original called for 1 egg replacer, honey
and carob. I veganized it with raw sugar and had some peaches I
needed to use. I also added a drizzle of brandy to make the flavor
of the peaches pop.

And then I got a little fancy...



Peachy-Keen Bars

1/3 cup vegetable oil or earthbalance
1/3 cup raw sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 pack of silken tofu
1/3 cup agave
1 tsp arrowroot or cornstarch
3 peaches sliced
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp brandy

In a food processor first process the oil/earthbalance, sugar,
ginger and flour until crumbly. Press half off flour mixture
into a 9x9 tray. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

Next process the tofu with the remaining ingredients, except for
the peaches and brandy.


After the bottom crust is cooled, pour the tofu
over baked crust. Arrange sliced peaches on top of that layer
and sprinkle remaining flour mix over peaches.



On top of that I arranged some roses out of super thinly sliced
peaches...



Finally, sprinkle alcohol over everything and bake for 20 more
minutes at 350F. Slice and serve alone or with whipped soycream
or vanilla nondairy ice cream.

7 Days of Irish Luck, St. Paddy's Day: Grilled Potato Cakes

In the midst of piles of papers, counting up grades and cramming
I got in a wee bit of St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
My Monkey-man came over the night before to surprise me, but
I think I surprised him more with the yummy garlic soup.

We watched some Black Books and celebrated being Irish with Dylan
Moran. It was weird being home on St. Patrick's Day though.
I've always thrown parties, wandering around all night telling
Irish jokes with an accent til I went hoarse.

This morning we slept in late and I used the last of my potatoes
to make some grilled potato cakes and washed it down with Irish
breakfast tea.

These are different from your typical hashbrown-ish dinner cakes
and very different from the baked ones I made the other night.
These are smooth and simple, topped with earthbalance and agave-
perfect for a nice, quiet Irish breakfast.

Grilled Breakfast Potato Cakes

Ingredients

3 potatoes, peeled-chopped-boiled
2 tablespoons of earthbalance
2/3-1 cup whole wheat flour
salt

Drain the potatoes, reserving a little bit of water. Mash with
the earthbalance. Add a little bit of water to make sure the
potatoes are not dry. Salt and add the flour.

The flour should equal to about 1/3 the amount of potatoes you
have. Mix gently and flatten out on to your counter.
Cut into triangles and grill on a dry non-stick skillet.



Grill until golden and flip.
Serve with dark agave and a pat of earthbalance.

7 Days of Irish Luck, St. Paddy's Day: Brown Soda Scones

When you want a truly fat free, simple dish- stop trying to add
all sorts substitutes and look to traditional peasant foods.
Not every person/culture had the luxury copious amounts of fats or
cheeses or animals to kill... or much else besides potatoes...
That is why I love looking at traditional peasant foods. They possess
a simplicity and wholesome goodness, using rock-bottom items in
fabulous ways. So, if you are craving some biscuits or scones, but want
something a bit healthier... look no further.

I used all whole wheat flour, but you can split it with all-purpose
if you want something a bit lighter. But these take no butter and
have all the puffed up goodness of a scone. You could easily add
a tablespoon or two of sugar to make them sweet or keep them
straight for a savory meal. (Please note that they are not buttery
and flaky like a southern biscuit, ok?)

You can top these with a little vegan cheese if you like or
have them for breakfast like me with some earthbalance and agave.

Brown Irish Soda Scones


Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup of soymilk (soured with 1/2 tsp vinegar and set for 15 mins)

Firstly, sour your soymilk...


Sift together dry ingredients, making a little bowl in the
center to add the soymilk to. Do not over mix or they won't fall
in the oven. Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface
and press out into a 1/2 inch thickness.

Cut into 8 scones with a small cutter (I used a small drinking
glass). Place on an oiled baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little
soymilk to give it a glaze.


Bake for 12-15 minutes at 425F until nice and risen.



I must note that these are rather heavy and filling.
Also, they are absolutely best eaten fresh or reheated
in an oven with a little pan of water to soften them up
because I can only imagine how dense they may get if you
let them go and get stale.

Manic Mondays: The Easiest Vegan Pancake in the Universe

Monday is always a hectic day for people it seems.

Getting back to the typical work week, going back to class,

packing your kids lunch, etc etc etc

So will that this chaos going on breakfast isn't always feasible.

So we need something fast, easy, and filling.

Well pancakes isn't alway the first thing that comes to mind

when talking about something fast, but when you make them

easy- its lightening baby. (Filling is always a given when talking

about lightening, I mean pancakes).

Pancakes can be a very delicate item when making. The batter

is super easy to over mix and then you're left with a flat-cake.

So if you want a pancake that is not like a fat lady came and sat

on your breakfast, take it easy Tex. Pretty much every culture

has sometime of pancake or flatcake, little leavened bread...

I like adding some vegan chocolate chips or berries. Oh, my

absolute favorite combo is chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

I top my pancakes with just a dab of earth balance and a drizzle

of light agave syrup. Leftovers are easy to pack up and roll with

some peanut butter and take for a snack.

The Easiest Vegan Pancake in the Universe

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon sweetener

dash of salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 cups soy milk

Combine the dry ingredients first then mix in soymilk gently

until just mixed. Preheat your griddle to cook on over med heat.

You will know when the pan is hot enough by sprinkling a

dash of water on the pan. If the water hisses and skips, the pan

is ready.

Pour onto a preheated griddle by the 1/4 cup. Cook until

the bubbles on the backside of the cake pop and flip.

cook a few minutes and remove, repeat and enjoy.