Recipes XXVIII: A Light Repas of Wild Rice & Tofu

I stumbled upon some Liquid Amino Acids at the food store. I bought a bottle and figured I'd give it a shot and see what I can make. I'm trying to tone up and lose a little fat around the mid-section. As a result, I've been trying to eat better (like more fruits, nuts, grains and veggies) instead of filler foods (like vegetarian corn dogs) which do not, ironically, count as vegetables. Quelle horror, non?! My love for wild long grain rice has been rediscovered and I have been eating it more frequently.

This recipe is a simple meal. Something nutritious for lunch or a light dinner during a hot summer night. It is not bland as one may think. It does lend itself to creative inspiration, should the fancy take you.I do recommend making this when time avails. One must consider the prep time of soaking the rice and tofu.


Wild Rice & Tofu
4-6 serving   250 calories for 1/2 cup rice with 1/2 cup tofu  14 grams of protein per serving.

1 cup Lundberg Wild Blend Rice
1 package of extra firm, non GMO, organic tofu
1/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids
1/2 tsp Sage
1 cup water
1 Vegan beef bullion cube
1./2 garlic powder
Couple crank of ground pepper

1. Drain liquid from tofu, press for 1 hour. Then chop into cubes ~ 2x2.
2. Soak rice completely submerged in bowl for 1-2 hours.
3. Take chopped tofu cubes place in another bowl and add: the sage, the bullion dissolved in 1 cup of water, Bragg's amino acids, garlic powder, ground pepper. Soak for 1 hr.
4. Cook the rice according to the package instructions, roughly 40 to 45 minutes.
5. Bake the tofu and juices in an oven safe casserole pan in the oven at 350 degrees F while cooking the rice.
6. When rice is finished cooking, remove tofu from oven and transfer cubes onto baking sheet. This step is to brown up the sides of the tofu. Think toasty marshmallow color. Roughly 20-30 minutes.
7. After the tofu is browned, stir into the rice with a couple pats of butter and salt if desired.
8. Serves well with some white wine and grilled veggies.

Recipes XXVII: Tatter Tacos?!

I feel like a fiddle-head fern, unfurling for the first time after a long snowy winter. My world was turned upside down from September to now. I packed all of my belongings. We sold all of our furniture. I left familiar landscape and roads for uncharted territory. I finally got my wish to move back to New England but it didn't come without immense growing pains. As I explained to my husband, it's like wearing a new shoe. You like the shoe but it keep rubbing your feet and giving you painful blisters. That is my life right now. I'm a city girl living in the county. The toughness has cause some of my resistant at the battle of the bulge to weaken. I'm resolved not to get back to where I was in July 2013. A low calorie but satisfying recipe I give you tonight is;

Tatter Tacos

Makes 4
311 calories/ serving

4 tennis ball sized red potatoes
4 tablespoons of sour cream
1/4 cup Nutritional yeast
1 cup dry TVP
1 package taco seasoning.

Bake the potatoes until easy to slice through. Prepare the TVP and cook the TVP.
Place one potato in 4 bowls. Cube and mash the potatoes to be face up. Spread 1 tablespoon of sour cream on top of the potato. Sprinkle Nutritional yeast on the sour cream. Top with 1/2 cup of re-hydrated TVP. Serve piping hot!

Recipes XXVI: Blueberry Pineapple Rustic Tart

Our CSA (community supported agriculture) was really laying the blueberries to us. I love blueberries. We had two pints and I wasn't sure we could eat all of those before they lost their luster. I had one jar of pineapple left from last year's canning extravaganza. A plan started a-brewin' in my mind. I thought the sweetness of the pineapple would meld well with the tartness of the blueberries. It worked! And it was a beautiful piece de resistance!

Blueberry Pineapple Rustic Tart

 Serves 8

Filling
2 pints of fresh blueberries
16 oz of crushed pineapple
4 tbsp corn starch
1/8 cup of turbinado

Crust
1 3/4 cups spelt, white/wheat, unbleached and/or wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 tbsp room temp butter
1/3-1/4 cup cold water
2 tbsp turbinado

Roll out crust into a circular shape. Flour lightly and place onto silicon baking sheet on pan. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Fill with the blueberry pineapple contents. While filling the center, start folding the edges of the crust over and pinching the seams shut. Place pan into oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven. Serving suggestion: dust with powdered sugar and a side of vanilla ice cream.

Recipes: XXIV: Bean Burrito

Its been a while, I'm ashamed to say. Between graduating from my yoga teacher training, raising our puppy- Rufus and all of life's side dishes, I've forgotten to add some new ideas on here.

What's the deal with refried beans? I've pretty much hated beans all of my life. Enter refried beans, about 1 month ago. I've become obsessed with their savory goodness. I've even consulted Google on the matter of this craving. Well if you find yourself screaming yes for refried beans, even before lunch; I completely understand.

So I give you :

Le Bean Burrito (Freezer version)

Makes 8 large burritos

1 package of 200 calorie burrito shells
2 cans of vegetarian refried beans
2 avocados
1 package of Mexican cheese
Cherry tomatoes
8 oz Sour cream
1 cup of dried rice in its cooked form
Taco seasoning (dry)

Here are your two options depending on how many calories you want:

610 calories | 22 grams protein

1 shell
1/2 cup of refried bean and avocado mixture
1/2 cup rice with taco seasoning sprinkled on
1/8 cup of cheese sprinkled on
4 cherry tomatoes cut in half

Layer and wrap the burrito shell. Then fold the wax paper over the burrito and tape it shut.
Takes 1 minute per side (2 minutes in total) to heat.

443 calories | 20 grams of protein

1 shell
1/2 cup of refried bean and avocado mixture
1 tablespoon dollop low fat sour cream
1/8 cup of cheese
4 cherry tomatoes cut in half

Layer and wrap the burrito shell. Then fold the wax paper over the burrito and tape it shut.
Takes 1 minute per side (2 minutes in total) to heat.

Recipes XXIII: Chocolate Craisin Cookies

I was having a lazy, rainy Sunday and wanted a treat to match my mood. I made a batch of apple cinnamon vegan cookies but it didn't hit the spot. During the week I had thought up a hypothetical cookie and wanted to see how it would work out. I was quite pleased. One could probably get away with eating these for breakfast...

Chocolate Craisin Cookies

Makes ~12-15 cookies

1 cup flour
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
5 tbsp coconut oil (non-melted)
3 tbsp chopped craisins
1/4 or 1/3 cup of dutch cocoa powder
3/4 cup applesauce
1 cup of steel cut oats
optional: non-dairy choc chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In stand mixer, combine all ingredients at one time.
Mix/mux it around until it forms a nice brown doughy consistency.
Using a spoon, drop cookies onto pan with parchment or silicone baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Cool on rack.

Recipes XXI: Tofu Yogurt

Does dairy have your gut in a bunch? Too much mucus muck? I know the feeling. To ease my lenten vegan challenge, I'm introducing vegan foods into my diet. I have been fighting to make non-dairy yogurt. Its freaking tough. I follow recipes and end up with a great big pile of fail. I believe I've found something that works. Sorry in advance if you're not on the soy train; this one is not for you.

Tofu Yogurt

1 high powered blender
1 banana
2 tubs of silken organic tofu (ie: nasoya)
half pint organic strawberries
7 vegetarian probiotic tablets
4 oz of non dairy sweetened milk
1/3 cup raw sugar
vanilla extract
Jam(if desired)

In the blender, add: tofu, fruit, sugar, and extract. Blend well until smooth. Pound the probiotic tablets into a fine dust. Microwave the 4 oz of sweeten non dairy milk until temperature reaches 115 degrees F. Dissolve the probiotic dust to the warmed milk. Then pour it into the blender and blend again. Blam-o! Yogurt with probiotics.

Recipes XX: Vegan Freezer Burritos

Its been a while since August. The winter slump, has not visited me. I almost feel a little sad about this. In fact, December became the highest speed month so far. Thanks to our newest family member, Rufus, our Brittany puppy. I still manage to find time to create something between yoga school, work, Rufus, and chores. I'm working with an 100 year old potato bread culture passed to me by a friend. I'm dabbling in vegan food and tried my hand at almond yogurt last night. But here is one recipe I must share with you. It is clutch when you're running out of the door to yoga class or don't have enough food in the fridge to make a proper meal. Its brimming with protein and fiber. My omni husband crushed through the remainder I had after running out of burrito shells.

Vegan Freezer Burritos: when life is just too f^cking busy

Makes 8-9 burritos. Roughly 410 calories per burrito. 

1 package of burrito shells (I like the Mission flour 200 calorie ones)
1 can of black beans
2 jars of taco sauce
2 ripe avocados
1 can of organic corn
1 cup of organic quinoa
1 cup daiya shredded "cheese"
1 roll of wax paper
1 roll of tape

Start by soaking the quinoa in a bowl of water for 5+ hours. There are saponins naturally occuring in quinoa and they are rough on your system.

Rinse beans and corn in strainer. Cook quinoa in broth of choice until moisture is driven off. While its simmering, peel, deseed and mash avocados in small bowl.

In a large bowl, combine: beans, corn, faux cheese, cooked quinoa, avocado mash and taco sauces. Stir gently to homogenize.

Roll out a 9-10 in piece of wax paper on the counter. Place tortilla shell on top. Scoop heaping 1/2 cup of mixture into center of shell. Fold up the tortilla (instructions on package for novices). Wrap the wax paper up well over the burrito, secure shut with piece of tape and then insert into freezer. Repeat until all mixture is gone or shells run out. If the shells run out first, grab some tortilla chips and start dipping. :)

Recipes XIX: Summer Soup

Ahhh!! Harvest time is in full swing. Tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, mmmm...Before you take your excess zucchinis and sneak them into unlocked cars, consider this recipe. If you don't have oodles of fresh veggies, support your local farm/farm stand.

Summer Soup yields 6-8 cups
1 cup= 55 calories (without wine)

4 cups water
2 cups of veggie stock
2 vegan chick'n bullion cubes (1 cube to 2 cups water)
2 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tsp poultry spices
Couple cranks on the pepper mill
3 small cloves of garlic crushed
2 pinches of salt (if desired)
Splash of dry white wine if you have it ;)

1 medium summer squash
1 medium zucchini
1 peeled carrot
1 garden fresh tomato (no GMO tomatoes allowed)
handful of small yellow cherry tomatoes
2 fresh basil leaves
small cluster of  fresh rosemary
small cluster of fresh parsley

Combine the liquids and spices into a medium size pot on the stove. While the liquids are heating chop tomatoes into cubes, peel carrot, slice the zucchini, carrot and squash into medallions. Carefully dump the veggies into the pot. Mince the fresh herbs and stir into the pot.

Close the lid and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. When complete, serve with butter-drenched crusty bread.

Recipes XVIII: Pesto Naan

Recently, I've been making naan to go with our daily lunch salads. Its a simple flat bread, a little thicker than pita. Great for wiping up extra salad dressing and cheese bits. We had some pesto getting close the end of its shelf life and I wanted to use it up. In this recipe I substituted olive oil for pesto. I had hopes it would turn the bread a greenish hue; but it didn't. The end result: absolutely fantastic, aromatic flat bread that is excellent with pesto (duh), vinaigrette, olive oil, salad dressing, you name it!

Adapted from CanuckCuisine

1 tsp of active dry yeast
1 cup of whole cream heated to 115-117 degrees F
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp pink salt
2.5 cups bread flour or white wheat
3 tsp vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup pesto

Proof the yeast in the sugary milk to it get a nice foamy cap. Combine the dry ingredients and stir together until uniformly mixed. Pour in yeasty, sugary milk. Still well. Let sit covered for 10 mins for autolysis. I like to clean up during this time. Then come back and kneed bread until well combined. Dough should be post-it note tackiness. In a well oiled bowl, preferably glass, allow to rise for 1 hour. Then punch dough down and divide into 8-10 balls. Flatten dough into "pancake" shape. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake on preheated, oiled pizza stone or ceramic tile for 3 mins/side. Flip and repeat. When naan is golden tan, remove and allow to cool. Feast away!

Seitan Stroganoff: A 3 Part Saga

Seitan Stroganoff

A Three Part Saga

Seitan Stroganoff

1 cup of seitan
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of mushroom broth
dash of curry, basil, pepper,
tiny flick of powdered ginger
3 tbsp olive oil
3 oz mushrooms

In a cast iron pan, sautee diced up mushrooms and diced up seitan in olive oil over medium / medium high heat. When the seitan is browned, sprinkle in the herbs and spices. Pour in cup of mushroom broth. Next add the can of soup.  Turn down heat to low. Stir well. Allow the heat to meld the flavors. During this time cook the egg or eggless noodles. Drain noodles. Serve.

Seitan recipe

Dough
1.5 cup vital wheat gluten
.5 cup soy flour
2 tbsp mushroom bullion
1 tsp garlic powder
water

Broth
1  cartons of prepackaged organic vegetable broth
1 cup of water with 2 tbsp mushroom buillion
1 3x3 piece of kelp
3 bay leaves

Mix the dry ingredients and slowly add water until it is a tacky dough. Knead dough well. Roll into a log. Slice into medallions. In a medium size pot, pour in broth and water, bullion, any desired spices, bay leaves and kelp. Gently add the seitan dough medallions. Cover and simmer on low heat for 2 hours. For cross reference: http://www.instructables.com/id/Seitan-Made-Easy/ is a great example.

After simmering save broth and store seitan in it for up to 2 weeks. Extra broth can be frozen and reused in meals or making seitan again.

General Mushroom Broth

A great substitute for beef broth.
Get yourself down to your local Asian food purveyor for some fun treats and treasures. For me Sunrise Grocery is amazing!!! I purchased a good quantity of dehydrated small capped shittake mushrooms for less than $5. I found powder mushroom bullion, loads of bay leaves, kelp, etc.


Makes 2 quarts

8 cups of water
12 tsp of mushroom boullion
10 dehydrated small capped mushrooms
3 bay leaves
dash ginger
1 3x3 piece of kelp
splash of good quality soy sauce

Combine all and over medium low heat simmer for 2 hours. Still occasionally. When complete, strain off large particulate. Collect broth in container of your choosing. Store or use.

Simple Ones: Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse with a Hidden Vegetable:

Avocados!

I figured since everyone else is posting their swell vegan mousse recipes, I should add the one I whipped up this weekend. Its top notch and wicked easy.

Makes 3 cups in about 20 minutes

2 ripe haas avocados, pitted

1 cup sweet chocolate baking chips

2 tbsp creme de cacoa (of course!)

Agave nectar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 pinch salt

In a double boiler, melt the baking chips. Mash the 2 avocados in a small bowl. Measure out dry ingredients and combine in bowl with avocados. When chocolate is melted, carefully pour into ingredients bowl. With a mixer or immersion blender- blend together. Then refrigerate for 1 hour or eat it in a hurried crazed fashion. Its good either warm or cold. The creme de cacoa is what really sets it apart from others. You need that little boozy spike. 

Recipes XVII: Vegetarian Tacos

TVP-Tastic Tacos

No cows, chicken or pigs in this recipe.

Every time my husband goes out of town for a work trip, I rub my hands together with glee-Taco night!! I don't know what it is. But I associate unrestrained taco eating with solitariness.

TVP is my most favorite meat alternative. Its dried yellowish vegetable protein. Sounds unappetizing, eh? It is completely versatile; you can make meat balls, meat loaf, meat crumbles with it in any flavor. It is easy to purchase on Amazon and very cost effective. I favor the Bob's Red Mill brand. Back to the tacos now. This taco recipe is wicked fast, faster than frying up a chub of ground chuck.

Makes 4-5 tacos

Taco "Meat"
1 cup of water
3/4 cup of tvp dried crumbles
1/4 cup of taco seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil

Toppings
Chopped lettuce
Chopped tomotoes
Yogurt or Sour cream
Taco shells


In a cast iron pan  pour in the water, seasoning and olive oil. Turn burner onto high. Stir occasionally. When it reaches a frothy boil, remove from heat. Pour in tvp stir a couple times and let sit. It will absorb the taco seasoning. I like to prepare the toppings while its absorbing. After 3-4 mins it is ready for use. Blamo! Tacos!

Recipes XVI: Creamy Rice and Squash

Creamy Wild Rice and Yellow Squash

It sticks to your bones on a cold night. 

Serves 2 hungry adults

1.5 cups of alfredo (jar or Knorr packet made up)

1 cup of Texmati Royal Blend Rice (long grain, white, brown, red, wild)

1.5 cups water for the rice

.5 tsp salt

1 large yellow crookneck squash or 2 little ones
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme

Simmer the rice for 15 minutes, not opening the lid. Then stir. Remove from heat and let stand for 7 minutes. If the water has not evaporated all the way off, its ok to put on low heat, stirring to encourage evaporation. 

Wash and slice the squash into bite size. Prepare the steamer basket on the stove and drop the squash in. I'd recommend doing this during the 7 minute waiting time for the rice. Steam the squash for 7 minutes. Remove from heat.

Either heat 1.5 cups of alfredo or have the Knorr Alfredo sauce packet prepared. In a medium bowl, pour in rice, then squash and lastly, the alfredo. Stir gently. Serve.

Simple Ones: Restaurant Style Baked Potatoes

Restaurant Style Baked Potatoes

Really, just too easy.

This is my lazy-man entry. I pursue baked potatoes at restaurants like a starving carnivore pursues fillet mignon. I think I've found the most energy efficient and quickest way to get them from potato sack to table. 

My dad always microwaved hole poked potatoes. But I love that crunchy & salty exterior. 

1 potato (can be red, russett, etc)

1 sharp knife

Smedium (yes smedium: like small medium) piece of foil

1/4 cup olive oil or melted butter

Salt (kosher, pink, sea, or any kind)

microwave

toast oven 

1 cup water

Wash the potato thoroughly. Then stab the knife thru the potato many times, like a voodoo doll. Turn on toaster oven to 350 degrees. Put the potato in a bowl with the water. Microwave for 2.5 mins then flip over in the bowl and microwave for another 2.5 mins.Remove from water & bowl carefully. Roll potato in melted butter/olive oil. Lift potato and sprinkle salt on all sides of it. Then put into foil and wrap it up. Place in toaster oven. Bake for 7-10 mins. Or longer if desired. Then remove from toaster oven, unwrap, slice open top of potato and insert pat of butter. Then demolish it with your mouth :)

Simple Ones: Pesto Cream Crescent Rolls

Pesto Cream Crescent Rolls

Fast, easy and tasty

We hadn't planned on having a New Year's Party at our house but our friends really wanted to come over. It was cheaper than bar hopping, cab riding, staggering around late at night. I had bought two tubes of crescent rolls just on a whim. I avoid buying processed foods. I believe the last time I had crescent rolls was my youth. These are really tasty and if you have filling left over you can easily use it as a veggie dip or with crackers. 

2 tubes of crescent rolls

1 package of cream cheese

3 tbsp of pesto

2 cloves crushed garlic

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, mash the cream cheese, pesto and crushed garlic together into a nice homogeneous mixture. For ease, I recommend a silicon baking sheet (SilPat) lined large pan. Or a baking stone will work well too. Unroll the crescent rolls, with a teaspoon plop a small amount into the large end of the crescent. Roll gently large end to small end. You can pinch the ends closed if you want. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Then serve & enjoy! 

Recipes XV: Hazelnut Cranberry Bars

Hazelnut Cranberry Bars

An unexpected treat!

Snack bars are great on the go but what is with those horrendous price tags? I don't get it. There's no gold or diamonds in them, so they should be cheaper. 

So I saw medjool dates at the food store and was really excited. I wanted to create something using them. Hark my unexpected semi nutella result.

1 bag (6oz) chopped hazelnuts

1 bag (12 oz) mini semi sweet chocolate chips 

10 large medjool dates 
1/3 cup of raw honey
1/2 cup steel cut oats

1/2 small bag of craisen/dried cranberries (~ 2 cups)

In a food processor chop the nuts as small as you can, then the chips, then the dates with the seeds removed and the cranberries. Pour in honey and oats. Mix together well all the items in a bowl. In a glass/pyrex 8x10 pan, line with parchment paper and scrape in the ingredients. If you feel inclined, can sprinkle more chopped chips over the top.  Heat oven to 350 degrees. Press the ingredients as hard as you can into the parchment line pan. Make sure its even surfaced and thickness. Then bake 15 mins. The chocolate will melt in between the nuts and fruits. Allow to cool in pan. Then cut into bars. You can get ~5 long bars or 10 4x3 mini bars. They are filling. The nuts hold off the hunger and dates & chocolate satisfy your sweet tooth. I like to wrap them individually in plastic wrap for quick grab and go. They are slightly crumbly, but awfully tasty. 

Oooy, Gooey.

Recipes XIV: Badass Buns

Badass Buns

For that frank or patty in your life.

I really despise going to the deli and either selecting puffy, substanceless buns or buying deli buns with mystery ingredients. I've been making bread for a while, but what the hell do they need dough enhancers and relaxers for? So I rooted around for a while trying to find a recipe that looks good and then change it. I always got in trouble for not following directions. And you see where it got me? Creativity land!

If you want the original recipe: The Stock Pot Blog

For delightful, freezable rolls:

1 cup warm water (115-117 degrees)
3 tbsp sugar of choice (except fake sugars and stevia)
1 package of yeast or 2 1/4 tbsp dry active yeast
1/2 whipping cream or whole cream
1/4 cup olive oil
1.5 tsp pink or sea salt
3 cups of bread /unbleached /white|wheat flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
4 tsp vital wheat gluten

For the topping
1 egg white 
1-2 tsp poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or desired topping

Proof the yeast in a measuring cup with sugar dissolved in it first. In a large bowl,  add flours, salt, oil, cream, gluten . When the frothy head gets to a comfortable size, stir into bowl with ingredients. Mix together moderately well, then cover with plastic wrap or plate and let it sit for 10 mins. I use this time to clean up. The dough is developing the gluten strands to make it nice and springy when it bakes. Then kneed well. This is a moderate dough, not super soft or stiff, dust with flour if sticky. 

Clean the original bowl, and oil it with ~3 tbps olive oil. Put dough ball in bowl and slide it around to get oil cover. Moisturize your dough like you would your hands in winter. Side note: olive oil is an excellent moisturizer for skin because of similar ph level. I use the microwave proofing method. In a microwave, heat a small cup of water for 1.5 mins and leave in there, then very quickly and carefully, put the covered dough bowl in the microwave. Set timer for 35 mins. When timer goes off, remove bowl. Microwave water again, same amt of time. Replace dough in microwave again.Repeat this craziness cycle a total of 3 times. Dough should have doubled by then. Punch down, give another or two cycle in microwave proofing.

 Then take out and cut dough into 8 wedges. At this point you can make hot dog buns or patty buns. If you want hot dog, shape long and narrow. Patty- make circular shape in hand. Pretty straight forward. Put aside, cover with plastic wrap. Let rise into shape for 10-15 mins. Preheat oven 350 degrees during this time of rising. Whip of the topping, brush on with basting brush. On a sil pat or parchment paper line pan slide into oven. Then bake 15-20 mins at 350. Take out to cool. Buns!! When they are hot, I cut the slits in them for ease later. After cooled can be frozen. 

Recipes XIII: Vegetable Barley Soup

Vegetable Barley Soup

Easy, healthy and inexpensive

Warm and Hearty

Makes 2.5 quarts
1 large carrot

3 large stalks of celery

1 red potato

2 quarts of vegetable stock

couple cranks on the peppermill

1/4 tsp pink salt ( if you purchased low sodium stock)

couple pinches of basil

3 large petals of garlic crushed

3/4 cup barley soaked for 1 hour and rinsed

Barley Soaking 

In a large pot at medium or medium high heat pour in the veggie stock, garlic and spices.Peel the carrot and chop into disks and then into quarters. Cut the celery and potato into small pieces. Dump into the simmering stock. Cook for 1 hour, pour in the rinsed and soaked barley, cook for another 30-45 minutes or until everything reaches the softness you desire. Serve with crusty bread. Can be poured into mason jars and frozen or canned. 

Recipes XII: Holiday Wassail

Wassail!

A holiday favorite. 

Drive the chills away with rum laced wassail. 

Makes 10 cups. 

1 gallon of apple cider

2 sticks of cinnamon

1 vanilla bean

2 oranges

2 apples

2 cups of dark spiced rum

In a large crockpot (6 quart) or large pot on the stove, pour in apple cider. Cut the apples and oranges into disks. Tap the apple seeds out. Carefully slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and into 1.5 inch sections. Combine fruits and spices into the cider. After 2 hours at medium heat (stovetop) or high (crockpot), pour in the 2 cups of dark rum. Stir gently. Keep the lid on tight (to prevent that precious alcohol from escaping). Simmer for 1 hour more. Then serve. Keep on low/warm heat. To store: strain off fruits & spices. Then pour into mason jars and frozen/refrigerated. 

Recipes XI: Fried Spring Rolls

Vegetarian Fried Spring Rolls

So Easy to Make and Freeze!

Ever stop by the freezer section and drool over the tiny perfect little spring rolls with a fat price tag of $5+ ? It happens to me occasionally. Then I mentally slap myself and mutter why not make these from scratch for less than $2?

Makes approximately 22 rolls. 

1 cup tvp seasoned and cooked (I like to make it taste like sesame chicken!)

1/2 cup of manolined (thinnest setting) and then chopped carrots

1/2  cup of manolined (thinnest setting)and then chopped celery

1 cup of cabbage chopped very small

1/4 cup minced onions

3 cloves of pressed garlic

drizzle sesame seed oil

1 package of egg roll sheets (freezer section at the Asian store)

1 basting brush

1 small cup of water

Wax paper

Cooling racks

Prepare vegetables into the smallest and thinnest pieces. This will ensure even cooking inside and that you aren't dragging huge pieces of vegetables out with each bite. Stir well the vegetables, tvp, garlic, oil in large bowl. 

Lay out a long piece of wax paper on counter or table. Use one side for dry preparation and one for moist finishing. 

On the dry side, take a sheet out lay it like a diamond, scoop about 1.5 tablespoon of filling onto the egg roll sheet, closer to you, slightly off center. Gently, fold the right corner in, then the left corner. Then bottom corner, rolling. When complete should look similar to an envelope. 

On the wet side take a basting brush and gently seal the envelope flap shut with water. Place completed egg roll on cooling rack. Repeat until the sheets run out or the filling. Makes about 22 spring rolls. 

In a hot skillet of oil or deep fryer place 3-4 in. Allow 2-4 minutes for cooking, rotate. Don't burn them! :) When done cooking remove and place on paper towel lined plate to collect excess oil. 

They can be eaten right away with dumpling, duck or soy sauce, etc. Or you can cool them off and freeze them. Then whenever you get the craving for a tasty spring roll its ready to go! Feel free to get creative with inside. Consider: tofu, other vegetables, meat if inclined, sauces, etc.