Friendsgiving Dinner Photos

A super giant helping of thanks to Dave H. for making that camera click!

Penny Lane inspecting the kitchen

Penny Lane inspecting the kitchen

Friendsgiving Cup Filled

Vegan Friendsgiving

Vegan Friendsgiving

Friendsgiving Kitchen

Friendsgiving Kitchen

Hong Kong Girl

Hong Kong Girl  by Joyce Charrey

Friendsgiving

Friendsgiving sides, breads, and toppings

Friendsgiving salad and desserts

Melanie's homegrown pineapple

Melanie's homegrown pineapple

Replacing Eggs

Why replace eggs?

When my mom was growing up, the farm where she lived had chickens. I remember her mentioning that she would sometimes have to get the chickens out of the trees in the evening. I grew up in the suburbs, so my experience with chickens and eggs was getting in the dark green Plymouth Fury III with my mom to drive to a concentrated feed lot. I remember the smell, the flies, and the noise. It was confusing to me. How could such awfulness be turned into something delicious like a cake?

There are many studies available online which can point to eating eggs as being a healthy choice or an unhealthy choice depending upon who is presenting the information. As you read and decide for yourself, keep in mind that confusion is built into the system. If the reader is confused, he or she will be complacent. Complacency is not healthy for you or the habitat which supports your life.

Why should eggs be replaced? Only female birds lay eggs. What happens to the male chicks? Each year about 280 million live male chicks are put into large plastic bags and left to suffocate. Unless the only eggs you consume come from your farm or someone you trust, your purchases contribute to the needless suffering of these animals. It is a holocaust sanctioned by society.


To replace eggs in baking: 

• With commercial brand egg replacers like Bob's Red Mill or EnerG, the powder can be put directly into the dry ingredients of a recipe without first mixing with water. Be sure to add 3 Tablespoons of liquid for each egg replaced.
  
• Flax seed eggs can also be made by taking 1 Tablespoon of flax seed meal and mixing it with 3 Tablespoons of water and allowing to sit for 5 minutes.

Chimichurri with Acorn Squash

This recipe, adapted from Isa Does It, Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week by Isa Chandra Moskowitz is loaded with flavor. Think about the title for a moment. The recipes are easy, delicious, vegan, and are designed for weekdays as well as weekends. Her almost 200 recipes take into consideration busy lives, stores that don't sell unusual or hard to obtain ingredients, or little desire to follow up a meal with a ton of dishes required to make a complex recipe from scratch. Isa has published many other recipe books which are staples in the vegan kitchen. She also contributed to the dessert section of Del Sroufe's Forks Over Knives companion book. 

Baked Acorn Squash


Cut an acorn squash in half. Scoop out the seeds with a grapefruit spoon. Following the naturally ridged shape of the squash, cut into moon slivers and bake in 350°F oven for about 40 minutes.

Chimichurri

2 cloves garlic peeled

½ cup pepitas (either raw or not - whatever you can find)

2 cups dried parsley

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ to ½ cup water

1 Tbls grapeseed oil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp crushed pepper

Chop garlic in Vitamix or by hand.

Add pepitas to the garlic and blend in Vitamix or food processor.

Add remaining ingredients and puree.


Add more water if required to make an easy to spread condiment on moon slivers of baked acorn squash.

Balsamic Reduction

An extremely easy way to turn up the pro on your recipes is to make a balsamic reduction. Start with twice the amount of vinegar needed. One cup of vinegar will yield a 1/2 cup of reduction.

Use glass or a non-reactive metal sauce pan like stainless steel. Over medium high heat, allow the vinegar to come to a slow boil. Once it reaches a boiling state, under a watchful eye, continue to slowly boil for about 15 more minutes. Allow to cool and use or refrigerate for later. It's so good, it won't last long.

Drizzle on something and enjoy the complex flavors the reduction imparts.

Scott's Top Shelf Vegan Cookie Recipe - with Variations

Vegan cookies that could fetch a good price in the dessert case.

Scott has created a very versatile recipe for beautiful, stable, dessert case worthy cookies. It it highly adaptable and adjustable. If you desire gluten-free, low-carb or both, this recipe can handle it. In the mood for mocha? Have a friend who prefers mint? Not in the mood for chocolate? Look no further...

Scott has created a very versatile recipe for beautiful, stable, dessert case worthy cookies. It it highly adaptable and adjustable. If you desire gluten-free, low-carb or both, this recipe can handle it. In the mood for mocha? Have a friend who prefers mint? Not in the mood for chocolate? Look no further...

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Lorna Sass variation

2 ½  cups flour (fine)

1 egg replacer - http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/11/replacing-eggs.html

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup medium chopped walnuts

1 cup choc chips

⅔ cup maple syrup

½ cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon water

Mix dry

Mix wet

Combine & bake 350 for 15min

Chocolate cookies

2 ¼ cups flour

½ cup cocoa powder

Spicy chocolate

1 tsp  Ancho Chili powder

¼ tsp - ½ tsp Chipotle powder

¼ tsp Raspberry Chipotle pepper

Low carb

Replace flour with 1/2 and 1/2 blend of almond flour and buckwheat flour.

½ cup powdered sweetener

about ¼ cup water

Almond
Tastes like Almond Spritz pressed cookies. Remove the chocolate chips and vanilla, and add a teaspoon of almond flavoring.

Wilma's Apple Sauce Cookies

Wilma's grandchildren and great grandchildren have their favorite confections and baked goods that she joyfully made for them. My favorites were blueberry buckle and apple sauce cookies. One evening Scott and I were visiting my grandmother on Anita's birthday. Rather than look at old photographs, we went through her recipes. In a printed collection from Neebish Island, Wilma had contributed a recipe for tenderizing meat with instant coffee. I will never know how that one turns out. When I came across an edge-stained three by five index card with "Apple sauce cookies" written at the top, I paused. These were the cake-like, spicy, soft delicious handfuls of joy I remembered. Scott got to work right away making a vegan version while Wilma kept watch.

To replace the eggs, Scott has discovered that using commercial brand egg replacers like Bob's Red Mill or EnerG, the dry powder can be put directly into the dry ingredients of a recipe without first mixing with water. Add the liquid for the egg replacer egg in with the wet ingredients - in this case, the apple sauce. Flax seed eggs can also be used by taking 1 Tablespoon of flax seed meal and mixing it with 3 Tablespoons of water and allowing to sit for 5 minutes.

Absent from Wilma's notes are baking time, temperature, and yield. I set the oven for 350°F, and Scott found that 13 minutes allowed the cookies to set without burning. To check your cookies, insert a toothpick for doneness.

Wilma's Apple Sauce Cookies 

1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
1 cups unsweetened apple sauce
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda stirred into apple sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (OR 2 flax seed eggs OR egg replacer eggs - add 2 Tablespoons dry egg replacer powder to the dry ingredients and 6 Tablespoons of water to the apple sauce)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups raisins
1 cup nuts (optional)

Drop from spoon.

Vegan Ice Cream

The website Nouveau Raw thoroughly details the ingredients and chemistry for successful raw, vegan ice cream. Fats, natural sweeteners, emulsifiers, ice crystals, and air all play a role in creating the decadent texture we've come to expect from an ice cream experience. 

AndyPDX offers an ice cream base that can easily be adapted and altered to ingredients on hand:  http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/showthread.php?t=1707

Ice Cream Base

• 1 Cup raw cashews (soaked if using a blender, no soaking needed with Vitamix)
• 1 1/2 Cups liquid (water, almond milk, coconut milk, et cetera)
• 1/3 Cup liquid sweetener (maple syrup, malted barley, coconut nectar, agave)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 Cup dried soft fruit (apricots, dates, raisins or combination)
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons coconut butter or cocoa butter or young coconut meat OR
  1 Tablespoon non-GMO lecithin
• Base flavoring - this could be vanilla, peppermint, orange, almond, whatever is on hand and wants made into ice cream. Start with a teaspoon of the stronger flavors and work your way to the desired results.

When working with cashews, especially if they have not been soaked, start with just the cashews and add the liquid at a lower speed. This will help catch all of the nut pieces. Then continue to add the remaining ingredients and blend at a higher speed until really smooth and creamy.

Chill the ice cream base for a few hours in the refrigerator so that when placed in an ice cream maker, the ice or frozen bowl can continue to keep the ice cream cool.

When ready to make the ice cream, pour the base into the ice cream maker and follow the instructions for your specific ice cream maker. If you do not have an ice cream maker, one can often be obtained for a reasonable price at Big Lots. There are also methods for making ice cream without a maker, but I have no experience with this.

Check out AndyPDX's beautiful photos of delicious, raw vegan foods: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andypdx

       Photograph © by AndyPDX

Ms Julie's Kitchen

It would be just unthinkable if you are any where near Akron, Ohio, and you didn't plan to stop at Ms Julie's kitchen. Whatever is on the menu, it will be delicious. You'll leave feeling as if you've been hugged by a garden.

Specialties 
Fresh-Local-Organic-Vegan Foods: munchies, energy bars, soups, salads, kale chips, baked goods, full service menu. Most of their produce is grown by local NE Ohio farmers and also from their own two acre urban farm. 

History 
Established in 2010. In January of 2000, Ms. Julie experienced a mild heart attack which led her to change to a vegan diet. As a result, she lost 170 lbs and regained her health. Now she is on a mission to teach Akron how to do the same thing. After writing three vegan cookbooks, she opened a home bakery supplying vegan baked goods to farmers markets. She then opened the Kitchen to better serve her customers. 

Business Owner: Julie C. 
After losing 170 lbs by going vegan, Ms Julie opened a Kitchen to serve the city of Akron.

Hubba hubba, Ms Julie!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ms-Julies-Kitchen/369998630016

1809 S Main StAkron, OH 44301
(330) 819-3834

Homemade Curry

Making your own signature curry with the freshest of spices allows you to be an artist in the kitchen. Because of my intense dislike of cumin, all the recipes omit the offending seed. Start with a basic curry powder recipe and adjust to your personal preferences. Always use the freshest spices. If you have a high powered blender, mortar and pestle, or suribachi and surikogi, you can buy whole seeds to grind as desired.

spice palette or taste palate?

1 1/2 Tablespoons ground coriander
1 Tablespoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons ground fenugreek
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ancho or aleppo pepper

Finely grind and store in a glass jar.

Bhindi Masala

Bhindi Masala 

3 Tbsp coconut oil
⅓ cup buckwheat flour
1 medium onion
1 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 can whole tomato (28oz)
2 Tbsp curry powder (recipe for homemade curry is here: http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/12/homemade-curry.html)
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups sliced okra - 10 oz
2 cans black eyed peas 15 oz, rinsed & drained 

Place oil in skillet.
Add flour and toast/brown (roux).
Add onion and salt, toast 5 minutes.
Add garlic and ginger 1 minute.
Crush tomato, add.
Add curry powder.

Serve with yogurt and rice.

YES! Magazine

YES! Magazine doesn't just tell its readers what's wrong with the world, it offers solutions that are working in communities right now. If you would like a copy of Winter 2014, How to Eat Like Our Lives Depend On It, I'm now in possession of 50 more copies. Better yet, sign up for your own subscription here: YES!


YES! Magazine reframes problems in terms of their solutions. Online and in print, they outline a path with in-depth analysis, tools for citizen engagement, and stories about real people working for a better world. YES! Magazine empowers people with the vision and tools to create a healthy planet and vibrant communities. 

• Reframing issues and outlining a path forward;

• Giving a voice to the people who are making change;

• Offering resources to use and pass along

YES! Magazine is printed on 100% post-consumer waste, chlorine-free paper. They reach more than 150,000 readers quarterly without advertisements. More than 140,000 people visit their website each month where new stories are published every day under the Creative Commons license.

The Winter 2014 issue of YES! Magazine focuses on "How to Eat Like Our Lives Depend On It."

How To Eat Like Our Lives Depend On It: Rediscovering the Many Joys of Food: It's time to reclaim the well-being and exuberance that is part of healthy food culture.

Forget the Food Industry - Rediscover the Pleasure of Buying, Cooking, and Eating Real Food: Junk food may have captured the American palate, but a few simple ingredients and techniques can win it back.

Vandana Shiva On Resisting GMOs: "Saving Seeds Is a Political Act" Why the fight for biodiversity is about protecting life itself.

What Occupy Oakland Taught Me About Healthy Eating: We came to Occupy because of America’s dangerous gap between rich and poor. But equally distressing was how many of us suffered from diseases created by a food system that makes healthy food inaccessible to the poor.

Frances Moore Lappé: Delicious Food Is Not An Indulgence—It’s a Way to Solve Our Ecological Crises: Since I first published “Diet for a Small Planet” in 1971, the movement for food that is good for our bodies and our planet has blossomed beyond what I ever imagined. Here’s how.

Making Vegan Yogurt at Home

Where do I start with yogurt? Yogurt made from milk may seem harmless. In reality, big agriculture exploits animals with an endless cycle of pregnancy and birth in order to maintain constant milk production. Within the industry, the device used to keep the female cow still for impregnation is called a rape rack. Once the babies are born, they are taken from their mothers. Female calves are raised like their mothers, and males are raised as veal or taken to slaughter. The separation between mother and child is devastating. Why would anyone want to contribute to the suffering of others?

Dairy milk is not made for humans. The formula in the breast milk of cows is designed to grow a calf from typical birth weight of 80 pounds to 700 pounds in the first year of life. Is your body in need of such dietary chemistry?

Cow's milk contains calcium, but can humans utilize and absorb it? Humans who have access to dairy typically have much higher incidents of bone fractures associated with osteoporosis. Though the dairy industry has found ways to convince the public, milk that comes from a cow isn't good for you.

Plant-based foods should be scrutinized thoroughly. Just because a food product can be considered "vegan," doesn't mean that it's healthy or that the company that produced it made good choices on the consumers' behalf. Genetically modified soybeans, pesticide use, employee working conditions and wages, packaging, and transportation must be taken into account. This requires effort and time resources on the part of the consumer. What if you just want to grab a yogurt off the shelf and go?

On the shelves of larger grocery chains, one can find vegan suitable yogurt made from soy, almonds, coconut or blends. Very few of these are unsweetened. A six ounce cup of yogurt can have over 30 carbohydrates. WholeSoy & Company has been a reliable producer of unsweetened yogurt, but in 2013 the company found themselves without a manufacturing facility. They decided to build their own. You can read their saga here: http://www.wholesoyco.com/blog With the long absence of the product, some people have tried to make their own vegan yogurt at home. Not a fan of following directions, even I was able to make functional, tasty, probiotic vegan yogurt. Here's how:

Equipment needed:

• medium glass bowl
• small glass bowl
• 1 cup measure
• medium sauce pan
• candy thermometer
• wire whisk
• blender
• large towel
• glass bowl with tight fitting lid (or glass jars with lids)
• a place to incubate the yogurt like an oven with a light

Ingredients needed:

• yogurt starter - this can be one container of store bought vegan yogurt or a non-dairy yogurt starter like Belle + Bella or Cultures for Health.
• 1 cup of raw, unsalted cashews
• 3 to 4 cups of filtered water

If you have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix (made in Ohio), you can put 1 cup of dried cashews directly in the Vitamix with 1 1/2 cups of water and blend until creamy smooth, adding water until preferred consistency is reached. (See the Vitamix recipe for cashew and almond milk here: https://www.vitamix.com/Find-Recipes/A/L/Almond-or-Cashew-Milk)

If your blender's power is NOT measured in horsepower, soak 1 cup of cashews covered in water until soft. In the blender, mix at high power with 1 cup of water, adding water until desired consistency is achieved to 1 liter or 1 quart yield.

Once you have 1 liter or 1 quart of cashew milk, heat the cashew milk in a sauce pan to 180°F, using the candy thermometer and taking care to not allow the thermometer to touch the bottom of the pan. As the temperature begins to rise, keep a careful watch and stir so that the cashew milk doesn't scorch or burn in the bottom of the pan. 

The Vitamix has the ability to heat contents easily to the desired temperature to make yogurt. In all my trials and errors, however, I discovered that thickening is part of the process for a successful batch of yogurt. While Vitamix heated cashew milk may be 180°F, it is not the thick consistency achieved on the stove top. The end product from heating and stirring should be a thick cream.

Once 180°F has been reached, the cashew milk needs time to cool BEFORE adding the yogurt culture. Keep the thermometer in the cashew milk in order to gauge when the cashew milk has cooled to 108°F.

While waiting for the cashew milk to cool, turn your attention to the place where the yogurt will incubate and allow the space to begin to warm to 112°F to 115°F.

When the cashew milk cools to 108°F, remove 1 cup of the liquid and add the non-dairy yogurt starter or store-bought non-dairy yogurt to the 1 cup reserve. In a glass bowl with a tight fitting lid, return the one cup of yogurt starter and cashew milk back into the rest of the warm cashew milk base. Place the lid on the bowl and wrap the bowl in a large towel. Place the towel-wrapped bowl in the oven, food dehydrator, or in glass jars in a yogurt maker. Allow the yogurt to incubate for 5 hours. Some bloggers have allowed their yogurt to incubate for 10 hours.

After 5 or so hours, you should have a batch of creamy cashew yogurt that should be refrigerated.

Once you have created a successful batch of cashew yogurt, experiment with different blends of organic soy, almond, coconut until you achieve your signature yogurt. Reserve 6 to 8 ounces of yogurt as a starter for your next batch.

The Vitamix

Khoresh Sib o Gheysi - Persian Apple Stew with Dried Apricot

Khoresh Sib o Gheysi - Persian Apple Stew with Dried Apricot

Our friend, Hassan, has introduced us to the custom of Nowrouz. One evening, he called and asked what I had been busy with over the weekend. "Cleaning the pantry as if I was preparing for Nowrouz," was my reply. It was understood that I had undertaken a huge project of removing everything from the kitchen pantry, cleaned all usable items, and put the contents of rolled bags into proper glass jars. THAT'S how one cleans house for the Persian New Year. He has also shared Persian rose petal jam, tahdig, barbari bread, Iranian dates, ghormeh sabzi - a national dish of Iran made with fenugreek leaves - a unique flavor to my Western palate. Friends enrich our lives. 

Seeking more Persian delights, I discovered the Turmeric and Saffron blog. Hassan's

Scott (left) the German guy making Persian food for the Iranian guy.
Hassan (right) seeds pomegranate.

favorite dishes have a Northern influence near the Caspian Sea. This dish is unfamiliar to Hassan, but it has a few important ingredients that lend a Persian flavor - apricots, lime, and rose. Suggested serving is with rice and yogurt. Vegan yogurt is easy to acquire even with WholeSoy & Co. taking over production of their popular unsweetened plain resulting in empty grocery shelves. I have successfully made vegan yogurt at home. That recipe is here: http://friendsgivingvegan.blogspot.com/2013/12/making-vegan-yogurt-at-home.html

(from http://turmericsaffron.blogspot.com/2013/10/khoresh-sib-o-gheysi-persian-apple-stew.html)

5 Granny Smith (or mix of) apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1 cup dried apricots
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 medium ripe tomato, diced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar 
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon crushed rose petals
1/3 teaspoon crushed cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves *optional
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil/vegetable oil
Water


Method:

1. In a large bowl combine the apple slices and lime juice. Set aside.
2. In a large stewing pot, add 2-3 tablespoons of oil, on medium-high heat, add the chopped onions, stirring occasionally, saute until soft and golden brown. Add the turmeric powder, stir well and add the minced garlic. Saute for a couple of minutes. Don't leave the pot unattended, garlic burns quickly.
3. Add the tomatoes, crushed rose petals, cardamom, and salt and pepper to taste. Add enough hot water to cover all ingredients by 2-3 inches. Bring back to a boil for five minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan, add the apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until apples are just golden and soften a little. Add the flour, stirring well to blend.
5. Add the apples, apricots and sugar to the stew, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat until the flavors come together. Add a little water if necessary and adjust the seasoning.

Notes:

• We left the apple peels on the apples. The peels can be, well, peely in the final dish. The green color is nice, however, and the peels lend some fiber and other goodness to the stew.
• Do not overcook the apples before adding to them to the simmering stage of the stew. The firm texture is part of the delight.
• Choose sour apples if at all possible. 
• I prefer to douse the apples in a healthy quantity of lime juice.
• Don't be afraid to add more rose petals than the 1/2 teaspoon listed in the recipe.

Roasted Green Beans with Walnuts and Herbs

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• Roasted Green Beans with Walnuts and Herbs
• 
  
• Trimming green beans takes a bit of time, but roasting them is simple. Break the ends off the beans when you're not rushed earlier in the day. Once roasted, serve immediately. Best served right from the oven. This recipe is intended to provide six (6) servings.
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 1 ¼ lb. green beans, trimmed (5 cups)
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 1 ½ Tbs. finely chopped fresh herbs (rosemary or tarragon or other stiff herbs from the garden)
• 1 Tbs. oil (olive, grape seed, walnut, pumpkin seed, other)

1. Preheat oven to 475°F.

2. Toss all ingredients in bowl; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Spread on rimmed baking sheet. Roast 15 to 17 minutes, or until beans are tender and browned in spots, stirring occasionally.

Books for the Kitchen