food blogger, gardener, rambunctious coffee fanatic
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salt
Kale from the garden and meyer lemon from my trees! Lemony kale salad is a quick easy and healthy side dish. First, wash, dry and tear the kale into bite sized pieces. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Then, squeeze in a bit of fresh lemon juice and mix gently.
Last, I like to add a bit of tarragon for an extra flavour dimension.
So often vegan cookies taste "healthy." That is, they're unfit for human consumption. Since it's my mission to make delicious vegan food, here's my composition of plant based chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.
The beauty of this method is that the substitutions work for most cookie recipes.
You know my craziness in the kitchen. Not much for a recipe; I mixed things together until they looked right. In any case, it's important to add the flour after all the sugar and liquid ingredients have been thoroughly incorporated. Otherwise, with a lot of mixing, the gluten in the wheat begins to form, making a tough cookie. The very last step is to stir on the oats and chocolate chips. I used a nice vegan Belgian dark chocolate.
It's easiest to portion the cookie dough using a scoop. Onto a silicone baking mat (or parchment paper), flatten the lumps of dough and top with a square of chocolate. Add another dimension of flavour by garnishing the chocolate squares with a couple crystals of Maldon Salt.
Bake at 350˚F until the edges are just browned. This yields a crispy border and a chewy center. Allow the cookies to cool and enjoy!
Mmmm! The perfect thing for these cold winter days! Vegan, made from scratch, hot cocoa!
First, I like to work with fair trade organic cacao nibs. Spread them in a thin layer and toast lightly at 350˚F until they start to darken and sizzle. Then, after they've cooled just slightly, add them to the Vitamix. You may be able to do this with another blender, but the ultra slow speed option of the Vitamix makes the process very easy.
Blend on low until a thick paste forms. Then add a bit of non-dairy milk - just enough to loosen the cacao so it can be easily blended. I like almond milk best for this beverage. Increase the blender speed to the highest setting. In a high powered blender, the friction of the blade will cause the mixture to heat up. Continue blending until the mixture reaches ~150˚F, adding milk as needed to keep the entire mixture available to the blades.
When heated, and smooth, add a bit of vanilla bean and cayenne pepper (if you like things wild). Unless you're using a sweetened milk, it may need sweetening at this point, too. Blend a while longer to ensure that all the ingredients are completely mixed through.
To ensure consistency, be sure to strain the mix through a very fine sieve. Pour up the mixture and garnish with flake salt. I like Maldon or a fleur de sel.
Focaccia is a delightful bread. It's a little unique that it contains ~60%-70% water.
As usual I just threw things together; so bad at measuring. After you work for years with bread it becomes second nature. So, now's the perfect time for you to start! In no time, you'll be making bread from scratch.
Begin by mixing flour, salt, yeast and water to form a very soft dough. I like to let the dough ferment overnight in the refrigerator to allow it to develop complex flavours.
Scoop the dough out on a floured surface. Here's the trick, the dough should be folded over itself rather than traditionally kneaded. This forms the gluten, gives the bread shape and it keeps the air bubbles intact.
After folding, place the dough on a baking tray (lined with a silicon baking mat, oiled parchment, or simply oil the baking tray). Let it raise until doubled in size and then use your fingers to make indentions on the surface. This keeps the bread from raising too high and it gives the topping a nice home.
Then drizzle with good olive oil and top with delightful Italian flavours. I chose red onion, olives and tomatoes. Bake at 400F until golden brown. It's a delight!
A delicious fusion of carbs and avocado bliss, this dish is energising and filling. The starchy sweetness of the potatoes melds delightfully with the mellow avocado.
First, wash and scrub the potatoes. Boil the potatoes with a bit of salt. Continue boiling until soft, testing for doneness by inserting a knife. When the knife can go through easily, they're ready. Remove the potatoes from the heat and allow to cool in the cooking water. When they've cooled completely, coat with olive oil, dill and a bit of salt. Then, halve them and scoop out the insides, leaving at least a quarter inch on the sides.
Mix the scooped potato with a couple avocados, a squeeze of lemon, salt, tarragon and blend in the food processor until creamy.
While it's mixing, warm the hollowed potatoes. A hot grill, a skillet, the broiler are all perfect methods. I just used a gas torch... because it's manly.
Quickly place the creamy avocado-potato puree in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Fill the warmed, hollow potatoes with the savoury, sweet, tangy and smooth avocado mixture. Garnish with tarragon, green onion, tomato and finishing salt (Maldon or fleur de sel).
A variation on a favourite of mine, sticky rice with mango.
It a fairly simple dish, and one I used to eat often when I lived on an island. It's sweet, savoury, creamy and satisfying. To make this, I prepared jasmine rice and added: coconut milk, toasted coconut flakes, coconut sugar, salt and Thai basil. I used only coconut milk, instead of water, to cook the rice and it was a bit too rich. It would probably be better 50:50 water and rice. Also, I used coconut sugar to give it a rich caramel flavour; again, a bit too rich. Plain white sugar would be perfect.
While the rice is cooking, chunk the mango.
When the rice is finished cooking, allow it to cool slightly and serve with the mango chunks. Garnish with Thai basil. It's a delightful licoricey complement to the tropical flavours.
So, the sports are going to sport soon... apparently in a bowl. I don't understand sports-games, but apparently the event requires snacks. This recipe is straight from one of Byron Talbott's videos. Watch it, and while you're there, Subscribe!
Byron also provides measurements... and I'm still trying to learn how those measury things work.
The basic steps are:
Experiment with the thickness of the potato slices. Paper thin chips are like pointy clouds that shatter on your tongue whereas thicker chips have a sturdy, hearty crunch.
The crust is made from ground almonds, walnuts, pecans and oats. Add in a bit of cocoa powder and sugar to make it delightful.
Press the crust into a tarte pan and bake for half an hour. Allow to cool while preparing the filling.
Melt the chocolate - non-dairy dark chocolate - and add a slash of milk and coconut oil. Once melted, stir in an assortment of roasted nuts. I used cashews, pecans, pistachios and hazelnuts. Finally top it with select nuts, coconut flakes and Himalayan pink salt.
Once it's chilled, it's ready to devour!
The perfect weekend food - breakfast wraps. Full of veg, egg scramble and hashed browned 'taters, these wraps start your day off right!
First, start the tater tots, or any hashed potatoes, baking. Make sure they're crispy to give a satisfying crunch. Then sauteing mixed vegetables: zucchini, onions, tomatoes, peppers and carrots. Once they're tender, set aside and keep warm. In the same pan, add beaten eggs and a hearty spice blend: sriracha, onion powder, smoky paprika, turmeric and salt. Some fresh spinach completes the dish, but any lettuce will do.
Wrap it up and enjoy!
Warm and pecan cinnamon rolls. They're the perfect weekend food and they keep for a few days. Monday morning isn't so bad with these as leftovers.
Start with a basic bread dough, adding a bit more sugar and a whisper of cinnamon. Once the dough is ready, prepare the pan first by giving it a spray of olive oil (or other non-stick cooking spray), then arrange pecan halves on the bottom.
Prepare the filling: a mixture of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and a dash of salt. I also like to use coconut oil to reduce the amount of cholesterol. The mix should be slightly pasty, but spreadable.
Roll out the dough, spread the filling and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Roll, score evenly and cut with unflavoured dental floss.
Arrange in the pan and allow to raise. Bake at 175C or 350F until the tops are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and immediately invert on a hear safe surface.
The perfect weekend food to serve with hot coffee.
One year anniversary of jLAmode!
Too good to be vegan! A local restaurant inspired me to make this flavourful stack. The patty is also gluten free.
First, set out the spices: garlic powder, dried chives, turmeric, salt, onion powder and smoked paprika.
Then mix with a puree of beans (nearly any kind will do). To help hold things together add tofu, oats and white rice flour.
Form the patty and give it a good fry:
Add some char for a deep flavour.
I baked fresh burger buns just for this:
Completed with lettuce, tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, avocado and grilled onions. Served with a salad made of: fresh-from-the-garden mixed greens, toasted pine nuts and pomegranate seeds.
