Mischief & Mayhem (Vegan Scrabble)

Scrabble clockwise starting from the left - Peanut butter chocolate chip, apple blueberry, savory, and blueberry squared

One of my favorite snacks as winter approaches is fresh citrus and Scrabble. The sweet juicy fruit mixing with the salty crunch seems like a complete meal. To eliminate the carbohydrates, the fruit has to go. This is the worst part. (Scientists in the lab, please work on a way for Type 1 diabetics to be able to eat fruit. Thanks.) The other high carbohydrate ingredient comes from the cereals.

To make Scrabble vegan and suitable for healthy diets, the margarine, Worcestershire sauce, and big brand GMO cereals need to be switched out. Most varieties of Worcestershire sauce have anchovies. Commercially, Wizard's and Annie's both make Worcestershire. Martha Stewart offers a homemade vegan recipe for Worcestershire sauce along with the suggestion of using it to make Colin Quinn's Irish Lamb Stew. *sigh* Her recipe doesn't use any clove or allspice, so it won't have the complexity of flavors of a well-brewed Worcestershire.

Accidentally, I stumbled upon a way to achieve that sought-after flavor of Scrabble mix. I am terribly excited about the recipe because it does not require a dehydrator, though I used one in this instance. The snack turned out to be an outstanding fuel source for the winter recreation created by the recent decent snowfall. It's high in fat and low in carbohydrates, so use wisely!

Not leaving well enough alone, I went back into the laboratory to replicate my results and came up with three additional flavor variations. First is the basic recipe so that you can consider making your own taste sensation followed by the variations. Before you slather the nut mix, taste the flavoring and adjust to suit. If you aren't using stevia, use a liquid sweetener you have on hand such as one tablespoon barley malt or maple syrup.

This recipe is not for hard core mathematicians. Relax and experiment. I did.

Basic Recipe
1/4 to 1/3 Cup flavored liquid (tamari or flavored balsamic vinegar)
1 Tablespoons fruit sweetened jam
seasonings
1 Tablespoon egg replacer
2 - 4 teaspoons of seasoning
2 - 4 Tablespoons water (if needed)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix well and pour over 2 to 2 1/2 cups of nuts and seeds. (whatever you have - raw almonds, cashews, pepitas, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat groats, flax seeds, pistachios, hemp seeds, hazelnuts)

Oven method: spread on cookie sheet/s and bake at 275°F for 40 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.
Dehydrator method: spread on teflex sheets and dehydrate at 200°F for an hour. Check to see if done and remove from teflex once pliable. Temperature may be reduced and dehyrating time increased as desired.

Store in an airtight container.

Savory Scrabble
1/4 to 1/3 Cup tamari (low sodium)
1 Tablespoon apricot fruit spread (no sugar)
1 Tablespoon egg replacer (Bob's or Ener-G)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
2 to 4 Tablespoons water (if needed)

Oven method: spread on cookie sheet/s and bake at 275°F for 40 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.
Dehydrator method: spread on teflex sheets and dehydrate at 200°F for an hour. Check to see if done and remove from teflex once pliable. Temperature may be reduced and dehyrating time increased as desired.

Store in an airtight container.

Sweet Fruit Srabble
1/4 cup flavored balsamic vinegar (blueberry, apple, apricot, whatever you've got)
1 Tablespoon complementary fruit spread (no sugar blueberry, apple, apricot, whatever you have)
1 Tablespoon egg replacer (Bob's or Ener-G)
1 squirt liquid stevia (apricot, vanilla, whatever you have on hand)

Oven method: spread on cookie sheet/s and bake at 275°F for 40 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.
Dehydrator method: spread on teflex sheets and dehydrate at 200°F for an hour. Check to see if done and remove from teflex once pliable. Temperature may be reduced and dehyrating time increased as desired.

Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Scrabble
1/4 cup peanut butter (salted, no sugar)
1 Tablespoon complementary fruitspread (no sugar strawberry, apricot, apple, grape)
1 Tablespoon egg replacer (Bob's or Ener-g)
1 squirt liquid stevia (apricot, chocolate raspberry, vanilla, whatever looks good)
1/2 cup Good Life chocolate chips (the tiny ones)

Oven method: spread on cookie sheet/s and bake at 275°F for 40 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.
Dehydrator method: spread on teflex sheets and dehydrate at 200°F for an hour. Check to see if done and remove from teflex once pliable. Temperature may be reduced and dehyrating time increased as desired.


Store in an airtight container.

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.

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.

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.