In man’s unceasing endeavor to manage his affairs and appetites, throughout time with unyielding skill and determination, there are phenomenons and peculiarities to consider.
My garden is now producing jalapenos, green bell peppers, banana peppers, and habaneros. The tomatoes and red bell peppers are just beginning to turn red. I predict there will be lots of “salsa” recipes for me on the horizon. Peaches, mangos, pineapples, avocados, sweet Vadalia onion, red onions, tomatillos, corn, cantaloupe, and limes are all in season and priced affordably. My plan is to make a variety of salsa recipes and pair them with grilled meats and melted or fresh cheeses and some chips for dipping. I’m sharing a few of our Mexican recipes with you this month so that you can try them too if you like.
Ingredients: 4 ears corn, husks and silks removed Nonstick cooking spray 1/2 of medium red sweet pepper, seeded and chopped 1/3 cup chopped red onion (1 small) 1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped 1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper Fresh lime wedges
Directions: Cover the corn with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat gas grill. Reduce heat to medium heat. Place corn directly on the grill and grill 12 to 16 minutes, turning frequently to avoid burning.
Remove corn from grill. When corn is cool enough to handle, remove kernels from ears. You should have about 2 cups.
In a bowl combine corn, sweet red pepper, red onion, chile pepper, cilantro, lime juice olive oil, salt and black pepper. Mix gently to combine. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
If desired garnish with lime wedges. Serve with grilled meats, poultry, and seafood or serve with fresh or grilled vegetables. Also can be used as a dip for tortilla chips. Makes 2 cups. ENJOY!
“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~Ruth Reichl
These cookies are great to include in your child’s lunch box. They’re fun and portable. They are easy to make and you don’t need to turn on your oven to make them. Great for on the go snacking or just when you need a pick-me up, this cookie recipe is sure to please all your family members. With only six ingredients it’s frugal, delicious, nutritious, and friendly to your wallet.
Yields approximately 20 balls
Ingredients:
2 cups raw uncooked old fashioned oats
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup raw honey or ¼ cup coconut sugar or ¼ cup brown sugar packet tight
1-2 scoops soy protein powder, or ¼ cup almond meal, or ¼ cup brown rice flour
Ground cinnamon, to taste
¼ cup water, plus more if dough becomes too stiff
Place your raw oats, peanut butter, honey, protein powder, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Using a large spoon mix all the ingredients loosely together. Add ¼ cup of water to help combine the ingredients into a dough. If dough is too stiff add more water, one tablespoon at a time, until all ingredients are incorporated and dough is formed.
Then pinch off a spoonful of dough and roll into 1” (2.5 cm) balls. Wrap the balls in plastic wrap and store in Ziploc container. Store in the freezer until ready to use.
After learning how to cook vegan, I discovered there are a few perfect dishes that should only be prepared vegan. One of them is vegan pumpkin pie and the other is vegan chocolate brownies, and if you have insatiable brownie cravings, this recipe will satisfy your urges. It is a great recipe to make for someone who is allergy prone to certain foods like eggs, wheat, dairy, and nuts. This recipe contains none of them. If the brownies finish too soft and chewy, you can place them in the refrigerator to harden up a bit.
Makes 12 to 14 Chocolate Brownies
2 cups cooked black beans
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoons canola oil
¾ cup Hershey’s special dark coco powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
4 blocks Hershey special dark chocolate (from a large 6.8 oz sized bar), chopped fine (optional)
Preheat oven to 350F.
Lightly grease 12-14 slots of a standard size cupcake pan.
Prepare flaxseed egg by combining 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons of water. Add to the bowl of a food processor.
Add remaining ingredients except for the 4 blocks of Hershey chocolate candy. Pureé the ingredients for 3 minutes; scraping down the sides of the bowl.
If using chopped chocolate chunks, pour batter into a mixing bowl and mix in the chopped chocolate.
Evenly distribute the batter among the cupcake slots.
Bake for 20-26 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes before removing.
COOK’S NOTE: You can individually wrap the brownies and place in a Ziploc baggie and store in the freezer for future use.
One of the secrets to making a grillable vegetable burger is the incorporation of some flaxseed eggs. Flaxseed eggs gel and become thicker and denser than regular eggs which tend to be wet and runny. I found a recipe on Allrecipes.com and made some adjustments so that the burgers held together more firmly. I found Italian style bread crumbs imparted more flavor than just regular bread crumbs, which the original recipe called for. Also, I reduced the amount of chili powder and cumin which seemed to dominate over the other flavors. Since I used Progresso Italian style bread crumbs, my version is a vegetarian alternative to regular beef burgers. Progrresso Italian style bread crumbs contain milk and egg, but even still, this recipe makes a great alternative to those interested in keeping a fit family.
KAREN’S GRILLABLE BLACK BEAN VEGGIE BURGERS
Makes 6 to 8 Burgers
2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal
6 tablespoons of water
2 cups cooked black beans
1 medium red bell pepper, cleaned and diced
½ medium onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 ¼ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic-chili sauce
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs (divided into two ½ cups and one ¼ cup)
STEP ONE
Make your flaxseed eggs. Place 2 tablespoons of flaxseed in a large cup and add 6 tablespoons of water. Mix well and set aside.
STEP TWO
In a large bowl of a food processor add the following ingredients: flaxseed eggs, cooked black beans, diced red bell pepper, chopped onion, minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, garlic-chili sauce, and salt. Process until all ingredients are broken down and you have a pourable pasty liquid.
Pour the mixture into a bowl large enough to accommodate the addition of 1 ¼ cup bread crumbs. Start adding your bread crumbs mixture ½ cup at a time. Using a spoon mix the bread crumbs into the veggie mixture well. Add another ½ cup of bread crumbs and mix well. Mixture should start to become a little stiff and difficult to blend. Mixture should be dense enough to form patties and hold together. If you think it is too thin add the additional ¼ cup of bread crumbs.
STEP THREE
Form mixture into 5” round patties, 2/3” inches thick. Place burgers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a sil pat. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Then flip burgers over and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Burgers should be firm enough so that you can hold one corner firmly with your two thumbs and index finger and they won’t fall apart.
STEP FOUR
Wrap your burgers individually in plastic wrap and store in a Ziploc baggie. Place in the freezer for future use. Burgers will keep well over one month in the freezer.
Living a healthy life can be hard! Especially when you’re loaded down with so many things to do like work, grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, yard-work, exercise, school, and/or maintaining social engagements with friends. Since going “green” is the new normal and many Americans are trying to maintain a sustainable vegan/vegetarians lifestyle, many opt for pre-processed meatless hot dogs and cheeses. Although these products taste good enough, they can be costly to purchase. With a few basic ingredients that may already be on your shelf you can make a perfectly tasty BBQ style vegan hot dog.
I have learned from hard experience there are a few tricks to making perfect recipes like veggie hamburgers, carrot hot dogs, and nut cheeses. For hot dogs the trick is par boiling the carrots first for approximately 20 minutes. Since carrots vary in girth and size, cooking times will vary and an astute cook will watch over the boiling carrots carefully for appropriate doneness.
I have tried at least four or five different recipes for carrot hot dogs and all of them lacked something. I usually make up for the lack of taste by incorporating high-fat condiments like avocado mash or vegan nut cheese. Since all the recipes I have tried lacked that barbeque flavor that grilling meats impart, I set out to try and perfect a better tasting carrot dog.
If you’ve never tried carrot hot dogs before here is a little bit of personal advice. Since these are not traditional hot dogs, the addition of fresh plant based flavors like seasoned corn makes a nice topping as does fresh avocado slices. Most people who enjoy carrot hot dogs recognize them as something distinctly different from regular pork, beef, or chicken hot dogs and will keep condiments simple, for example just topping them with mustard or ketchup or they may choose to go with vegan/vegetarian friendly plant based alternatives like fresh chopped parsley, sautéed peppers and onions, gremolata (various
The “Carrot Dog”
fresh chopped herb condiments like pesto). A carrot hot dog is not the same thing as a regular Ball Park Frank(R). So don’t be disappointed. Vegans, just like people in general, can get very creative with their toppings. So think outside the bun. It’s a carrot!
Additionally, If you’re trying to avoid gluten or extra carbohydrates from breads such as wheat, you can stick a bamboo skewer through the carrot lengthwise and eat it like a corndog. Served with some condiments of choice like avocado mash, a side of seasoned corn, mustard, and pickles, this lower-carb carrot hot dog can be something very tasty to eat and satisfy a your grill cravings.
KAREN’S VEGAN CARROT HOT DOGS
Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable broth
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
1 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon oil
2 ½ tablespoons Grill MatesÒ Memphis Pit BBQ Rub, or to taste (see cook’s note)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
6-8 carrots, peeled, par-boiled for 20 minutes.
6-8 hot dog buns
Condiments: diced onion, relish, mustard, ketchup, sauerkraut, fresh avocado slices, shredded lettuce or shredded cabbage, seasoned corn, whatever you love topping your hot dog with.
Method:
In a large measuring cup or small saucepan, combine the first 8 ingredients; vegetable broth, vinegar, sweet soy sauce, reduced sodium soy sauce, oil, BBQ rub, garlic powder, and onion powder. Make sure the ingredients are well combined.
Then, in a large Ziploc(R) baggie combine the carrots and the marinade and let set overnight in refrigerator. Letting the carrots rest in the marinade overnight allows the flavors to infuse and the carrots will have more of a smoky BBQ flavor.
At this point, it is a wise idea to grill all your hot dogs at once, either on an open gas grill, making sure the grill grates are well oiled, or you can sauté the carrots in a frying pan with some non-stick spray. Store your left-over carrot dogs in new clean Ziploc(R) storage bag. Do not place cooked carrot dogs back in the marinade!
COOK’S NOTE: I personally inquired to the McCormick Company about the ingredients in their Grill Mates(R) Memphis Pit BBQ Rub. Since, this rub is manufactured for the flavoring of 4 lbs of baby back pork ribs, I thought it might contain animal or animal-by-products. Since this company appeals to individuals who favor meat, it also implicitly promote cruelty to animals. For this reason this recipe may not appeal to all vegans. However, this is a good rub that packs a lot of flavor. The company has informed me personally that there are no animal products or animal by-products in this recipe. Its ingredients are fresh, sterile, and clean derivatives from plant based spices grown from the earth.
To those who are interested in changing their diet for health reasons (ie: cardiac patients, cancer patients, etc) this is a good fresh, clean, recipe to incorporate in your repertoire for daily health. In addition, these carrots once marinated make a nice, fast “go-to” meal when life has got you on the run.
Additionally, carrot dogs can become over-marinated, so it is important to make sure your carrot dogs do not marinate for more than 8 hours. Overly marinated carrot dogs can have a very pungent flavor, so I would remove them from the marinade after the 8 hours of marinating is over.
With the holiday quickly approaching and me, having been granted the luck of qualifying for a FREE All Natural Frozen Hen Turkey, I started digging through my recipe cards. I came across this recipe, which I tried once before, that makes not only a fabulous dinner table presentation, it tastes absolutely delicious as well! If you have no idea how your going to cook your Easter turkey, don’t fret. I’m sharing this recipe with you. It’s a good idea to bookmark it or print it out as you’ll want to re-visit this one again. For sure! If you’re using an All Natural Fresh Turkey you’ll want to brine the bird first before attempting this recipe. A Butterball is recommended and you will not need to brine the bird first.
Turkey
1 (12 to 14 pound) turkey, neck and giblets removed and reserved for another use
1 tablespoons fresh minced thyme
1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary
2 teaspoons dried sage
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
3 tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 cups water
Gravy
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 ½ cups water
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon fresh minced thyme
Salt and pepper
1. For The Turkey: Set wire rack inside rimmed baking sheet. Dry turkey thoroughly inside and out with paper towels. Tuck wings under turkey and transfer to prepared wire rack. Pull legs upward and slide 12-inch skewer under bone of fattest part of drumstick across to other drumstick so skewer connect both and legs cover small point of breast. (Refer to the visual representation below to see where to place the skewer. This part can be a little unclear with out a demonstration.)
2. Combine thyme, rosemary, sage, slat, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika in bowl. Rub 2 tablespoons spice mixture evenly over surface of turkey and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Add mayonnaise, oil, and vinegar to remaining spice mixture and whisk to combine. Divide mayonnaise mixture in half.
3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Brush half of mayonnaise mixture evenly over surface of turkey. Place 18 by 18 inch sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil diagonally over breast, tucking point of foil inside cavity and over tops of legs. Transfer turkey to oven and pour water into bottom of baking sheet. Roast until thighs / drumsticks register 165 degrees, 2 ½ to 3 hours. Remove turkey from oven and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.
4.For The Gravy: While turkey cooks, melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until well browned, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in 2 cups water, broth, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened, about 20 minutes (gravy will be very thick). Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Once oven has come to temperature, remove foil and brush remaining half of mayonnaise mixture evenly over turkey. Return turkey to oven and roast until breasts register 160 degrees and thighs / drumsticks register 175 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes. Tip juices from turkey cavity into a baking sheet and transfer to carving board. Let rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
6. Remove wire rack from baking sheet. Pour remaining 1 ½ cups water into baking sheet and scrape up any browned bits. Carefully pour pan juices into gravy and bring to simmer over medium heat. Simmer until gravy is thickened and reduced to 3 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Strain gravy through fine-mesh strainer into clean saucepan; discard solids. Rewarm gravy gently over medium-low heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Carve turkey and serve with gravy.
DON’T TOSS THAT CARCASS!
Don’t let leftover turkey sandwiches be the end of your bird: Get every ounce of goodness out of your turkey by making a speedy broth with the bones. This streamlined method maximizes the flavor of the chopped vegetables by browning them in butter before adding boiling water. Bay leaf, thyme, and pepper is all the seasoning required.
ONE-HOUR TURKEY BROTH
Makes about 2 ½ quarts
Use this broth for soup or anywhere you’d use chicken broth. This recipe has omitted the salt in case the broth will be reduced for pan sauces; if making soup, season with salt.
3 quarts water
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 pounds bones from Super-Moist Roast Turkey, skin discarded
2 bay leaves
2 thyme sprigs
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, optional
Bring water to boil in large saucepan. While water is heating melt butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook until well browned, about 10 minutes. Add turkey bones, boiling water, bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorns and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 45 minutes. Strain through fine-mesh strainer and cool to room temperature, discarding cooked solids. Broth can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen up to 1 month.
1 cup butter (2 sticks butter)
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
6 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour (Pillsbury flour or other finer quality flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 ¼ cups sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla Sugared Flowers (recipe follows) Royal Lemon Icing (recipe follows)
Allow butter, cream cheese, and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line two 12 cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
Preheat oven to 325F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer or a KitchenAid standing mixer set on medium to high speed about 30 seconds or until softened. Gradually add sugar; 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on medium speed about 5 minutes or until very light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add eggs, one at time, beating on low to medium speed one minute after each addition and scraping down the sides of bowl frequently. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just until combined. Pour batter into the 24 cupcake lined tins.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool cake in cupcake tins on wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool cupcakes completely on wire rack.
Store cupcakes until the next morning in an airtight container, or place in a baking dish covered with plastic wrap until ready to decorate.
SUGARED FLOWERS (you’ll need to make these first, they‘ll need to set overnight to crisp)
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon water
72 flower petals; pansies, violas, sunflower petals, or gladiola petals; stems removed
Superfine sugar, for sprinkling
Clean paint brush
Whisk egg white with water in a small bowl. Working with one flower at a time and holding it with a pair of tweezers or your index finger and thumb, brush egg wash over entire surface of flower using a small paintbrush. Sprinkle with sugar. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Sil Pat to crisp flowers. Let stand at room temperature overnight.
ROYAL LEMON ICING (you’ll need to make this last)
2 large egg whites
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
3-5 drops yellow food coloring
First, zest your lemon with a fine grater and then juice the lemon; removing seeds and pulp. Set aside.
Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Then, add sugar, strained lemon juice, lemon zest, and food coloring. If icing is too thick; add more egg whites; it too thin; add more powdered sugar. Refrigerate up to 2-3 days.
TO DECORATE THE CUPCAKES: Spread a little icing over a cupcake smoothly and evenly and then artistically arrange the flowers on top of the iced cupcakes. Use your imagination for creative style and personal flair.
I had a lot of extra icing left over so I scooped some into a bowl and add some green food coloring to make the petals and centers to accentuate the flowers on the cupcakes. Put the green icing into a Ziploc baggie and snip off one corner. You can use a Ziploc baggie to pipe flowers or a center unto the cupcake flowers. But you could just as easily buy some candied confections like jelly candy gumdrop or some other candied confection to accentuate them as well. Your imagination is the limit. There are a 1,000 possibilities!
After they are decorated, keep them in an airtight container with a lid or plastic covering until ready to serve. Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.
COOK’S NOTE: These cupcakes are completely edible providing you use edible flowers. They make a great dessert for any kid’s birthday party. You can get just as creative with any candy or sugared confection when it comes to decorating. The most important thing is to use your imagination and have fun!
Proclivities' Principle Wisdom 