Catching up to do

I've been reluctant to close some of my browser windows because I have yet to save the great recipes trapped on their glowing pages. So many people are posting recipes, and I have been inspired by many to try something new. Pretty much anything you ever want to make can be found online.

I wanted to share some of these. In the future maybe I will add my own photos or experiences, but today I will just post the links.

Soy Milk: Recently I decided to try making homemade soy milk. The process takes a long time, and I am still getting used to the flavor, but my boyfriend uses it in smoothies daily and has not complained! I make it almost every week now. I do not have a machine, so found these two sites helpful:
VeganYumYum : http://veganyumyum.com/2008/05/homemade-organic-soymilk/ and
Soya : http://www.soya.be/how-to-make-soy-milk.php

Butternut squash gnocchi: I have been wanting to make gnocchi for a long time and had seen a recipe on PBS that used arborio rice instead of potatoes, however, I really liked this version with squash instead. I used melted rosemary butter and cheese as a topping.

Brussels Spout Potato Casserole: I had some old brussels sprouts and white and purple potatoes. Instead of bacon I used salami. At the end I sprinkled some asiago cheese and baked it for 5 more minutes until melted. I of course also added 3-4 cloves of garlic.

Basic Pizza Dough: I was satisfied with this dough. I think I will keep looking for other recipes, but I can't complain! The key is kneading it a lot the first time so it is very elastic. I made 3 different pizza types.
1. salami, tomato paste and garlic sauce, caramelized onion, mozzarella cheese and artichoke hearts
2. thinly sliced sweet potatoes, roasted garlic, rosemary butter, feta cheese, parmesan cheese, artichoke hearts and caramelized onions
3. thinly sliced beats, olive oil, feta cheese and artichoke hearts.

In the Kitchen

My good friend Nikki recently suggested I start posting again. This time I will probably mostly focus on the products of my kitchen, and less on the products of my wandering mind. It's been a while since I've written anything. It is too much to stop and really think very deeply. I know it would help me sort through the mush that my brain must resemble, but these days I spend much of my time in the kitchen. Here I cook food into mush (or into something delicious) and I can easily document my experiments with the ingredients.

I will start with my muffin recipe. Though I admit, these muffins are different every time I make them, there is a basic formula I follow. I will share that formula and maybe some of the alternatives I have found to be so delightful.

Dry Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup okara (I roasted and ground mine into a flour)
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup ground flax meal
1/3 cup garbanzo flour
1/3 cup corn meal
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Wet Ingredients:
1/8 cup coconut oil, melted
3/8 cup canola oil
1/3 cup sugar (mix of coconut palm and brown sugar)
1/8 cup flax seed cooked with 3/8 cup water (replacement for 2 eggs)
1 grated apple
2-3 lbs previously roasted butternut squash (2 cups or so)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup soy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract



Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients in medium sized bowl. In larger bowl, mix oil and sugar.  Next add squash and mash it together, adding grated apple on top. Add cooked flax seed and water mixture (the consistency of the flax seed should be similar to a raw egg). Finally, add agave, soy milk and vanilla. Stir until blended. Pour in dry ingredients and mix until combined. If the mixture seems too dry, add more soy milk.


I use one muffin tin and one cookie sheet to bake. Oil muffin tin/cookie sheets and distribute dough evenly. I was able to make 16 larger muffins and 16 smaller "cookie muffins."

Bake until knife comes out clean, between 15 and 25 minutes.

I have tried many variations on this recipe. In the summer I use zucchini or summer squash. A carrot/apple mixture is nice as well. Canned pumpkin (I just use one whole can) and other winter squash are delicious too. You can add nuts, dried fruit, various other spices (cardamom is good) and try using other flours as well.

Here's the basic, simpler recipe that I based mine off of:

Dry:
3 cups flour
1 T backing powder
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1 t salt
1/4 t ground nutmeg

Wet:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3-2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (firmly packed)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sour cream or yogurt
1 t vanilla extract

Use same procedure as above recipe.