Non-Vegan:

INGREDIENTS

* 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 4 teaspoons ground ginger
* 3 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
* Four pinches orange zest
* ¾ cup butter
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 egg
* ¼ cup dark molasses
* pinch of sea salt

A bit of cinnamon sugar – less than ¼ cup (cinnamon sugar is made by combining 1 tbsp cinnamon and ½ cup of sugar)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sift the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir the mixture to blend evenly, and sift a second time into another bowl.
3. Place the butter into a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually beat in the white sugar. Beat in the egg and dark molasses. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture; stir to thoroughly blend. Sift in the remaining flour mixture, and mix together until a soft dough forms. Pinch off small amounts of dough and roll into 1 inch diameter balls between your hands. Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar, and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven until the tops are rounded and slightly cracked, about 10 minutes.
5. Cool cookies on a wire rack.
6. Store in an air tight container out of reach of dogs, children and spouses…if you want any for yourself, that is.

To “Veganize”:

INGREDIENTS

* 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 4 teaspoons ground ginger
* 3 teaspoons baking soda
* ½ teaspoon baking powder
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
* Four pinches orange zest
* ¾ cup Earth Balance
* ¼ cup canned pumpkin
* 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
* 1 cup white sugar
* ¼ cup dark molasses
* pinch of sea salt

A bit of cinnamon sugar – less than ¼ cup (cinnamon sugar is made by combining 1 tbsp cinnamon and ½ cup of sugar)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sift the flour, ginger, baking soda, arrowroot, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir the mixture to blend evenly, and sift a second time into another bowl.
3. Place the Earth Balance into a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually beat in the white sugar. Beat in the pumpkin and dark molasses. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture into the Earth Balance mixture; stir to thoroughly blend. Sift in the remaining flour mixture, and mix together until a soft dough forms. Pinch off small amounts of dough and roll into 1 inch diameter balls between your hands. Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar, and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven until the tops are rounded and slightly cracked, about 10 minutes.
5. Cool cookies on a wire rack.
6. Store in an air tight container out of reach of dogs, children and spouses…if you want any for yourself, that is.

_{Note: A great resource for what can be used for egg replacements can be found at My Vegetarian Recipes.}

A while back, while I was living with my best friend, we whipped up some of these and they were amazingly good….and, I don’t like cooked zucchini. So – here is the first installment into the Tasty Tuesday portfolio:

Ingredients:

16 oz garbanzos/chickpeas
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
2 cups water
1 cup red quinoa
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds medium zucchini trimmed, halved lengthwise

Directions:

1. Get coals going on the grill. Ensure there is a stash of small bits of wet wood available to toss on for a nice smoke. (I don’t gas grill, so you can modify based on your own experience if you do).

2. Drain the garbanzos and pop them into a large bowl along with the lemon juice, garlic and half the olive oil. Let this sit for 15 minutes (longer won’t hurt anything).

3. Take the halved zucchini’s and gut them, leaving only the skins. Chop the zucchini guts up into bitty pieces and set aside.

4. In a medium sauce pan, heat up the remaining oil and put in 1 tsp of the tumeric, 1 tsp paprika and 1/2 tsp chili powder. Stir frequently and let heat until fragrant. (BTW, if you have whole cumin seeds, adding a pinch to this mix is quite tasty, too).

5. Add the water, quinoa and 1 tsp salt to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Cover and let simmer until all the water is absorbed. Stir occassionally. Keep an eye on your heat and make sure it stays at a simmer, not a boil.

7. Back to the zucchini guts and garbanzos. Drain off the marinade. Keep the garlic, just get rid of the excess lemon juice and oil. Dump the zucchini in with the garbanzos.

8. Slice the green onions and chop the parsley and add them in with the zucchini and garbanzos.

9. Toss the zucchini and garbanzos with the remaining cumin, tumeric and paprika until evenly coated.

10. Sprinkle the zucchini skins with salt and pepper.

11. Take the quinoa and dump in with the zucchini and garbanzos. Toss to mix thoroughly.

12. Take the bowl with the zucchini and garbanzos and quinoa, and the zucchini skins and go out to the grill.

13. Put some of the wood bits onto the hot coals. (repeat this step as necessary to keep a light smoke going)

14. Take the zucchini skin and fill it with the mixture of quinoa, zuchinni and garbanzos.

15. Place the stuffed zucchini on the grill. Adjust your fire so that it’s not all concentrated in one area. You want a moderate heat to cook the zucchini boats slowly and ensure that the garbanzos and zucchini stuffing cooks through before the skin gets burned.

16. Repeat until all the zucchini skins have been stuffed and put on the grill.

14. Grill until the zucchini bits are tender and the skin is getting a bit brown.

15. Remove and serve.

My serving suggestion – serve this hot off the grill with some Na’an bread that’s been sitting on the side of the grill getting nice and warm. A bit of wine and good friends – and, you’ve got a wonderful, tasty, healthy meal. And, even most zucchini haters will wind up enjoying it.

Here’s the recipe for those who are interested in a healthier alternative to this traditional breakfast.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups Silk^® vanilla soy milk
2 tsp white vinegar
1 ½ cups flour
3 ½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ tsp Ener-G^® Egg Replacer (1 egg if you prefer)
2 tbsp water
3 tbsp Earth Balance^®
Chopped walnuts – optional
Grade B Maple Syrup – optional

Directions:

1. Heat non-stick griddle to 350° F.
2. In a small bowl, pour the soy milk and add the white vinegar.  Stir together and let sit.
3. In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the egg replacer and water.
5. In a small sauce pan, melt the Earth Balance^®.
6. Pour the egg replacer and the Earth Balance^® into the soy milke and mix thoroughly.
7. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pout in the liquid mix.
8. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry by starting in the center of the wet ingredients and slowly moving toward the dry. As each bit of dry incorporates into the wet ingredients, move a little more into the dry ingredients until all if fully incorporated. Whisk until smooth.
9. Use a ladel to measure the amount to put onto the griddle. One ladel full = one pancake.
10. Mike likes nuts in his food. So, though I cannot eat them due to allergies, I do try to add them for him when possible. Today, I poured the batter onto the griddle and then put a handful of chopped walnuts on each pancake for Mike. Doing it this way, the tops of the pancakes look “normal” because the top has already seered by the time you get the chopped nuts on to the batter…so it gives a nice surprise to the person being served.
11. I put the maple syrup jug in a small sauce pan ¾ filled with water and heat it to just simmering to heat the syrup while the pancakes cook on the griddle.

I tossed a few turkey sausage patties on the griddle for Mike this morning as well. So, he got to enjoy his ‘traditional’ breakfast with a healthier twist.

Biscuits and Gravy

Generally chock full of cholesterol and other heart stopping properties – not to mention…milk. Since my allergy was discovered, I have been having to get all sorts of creative with alternatives. One thing I did not want, though, was to have to stop providing my husband with the comfort foods he so loves.

Thankfully, I have a husband that is willing to play guinea pig for me as I work my way through modifying recipes to make them fit my new eating style. While this does not turn out tasting exactly like the original, it is close enough to bring that comfort that comes with a rich, totally bad for you, gotta have it anyway Southern home cooked meal. Here is my take on that old standby “Biscuits and Gravy” – vegan style.

Biscuits:

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
⅓ cup Earth Balance® *
1 cup regular soy milk**
2 tbsp white vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a small bowl, pour the soy milk and add the white vinegar. Stir and let sit.
3. Mix together the dry ingredients. Cut in the Earth Balance® until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Be sure that the Earth Balance® is very cold when starting this or it will get way too runny on you. Stop and refridgerate as necessary.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixter and slowly mix in the soymilk until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
5. Flour your working surface and knead the dough about 10-15 times or so. Keeping dough chilled as much as possible.
6. Roll dough out to one inch thick and cut biscuits with a large cutter, cup or glass dipped in flour.
7. Roll and cut until all the dough is used.
8. Put the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet, or use a silicon insert.
9. Bake until golden brown – about 15 minutes.

Gravy:

Ingredients:

⅔ cup vegetable stock***
⅓ cup soy milk**
4 tbsp Earth Balance®*
3.5 tbsp all-purpose, unbleached flour
Fresh cracked black pepper (to taste)
TVP Sausage Crumbles****

1. Melt the Earth Balance® in a small saucepan over low heat.
2. Slowly whisk in the flour.
3. Once the flour is mixed thoroughly and a slight paste as formed, slowly whisk in the vegetable broth.
4. Next, mix in the soy milk and allow to simmer.
5. Continue to stir while the gravy thickens.
6. While thickening, add the black pepper and TVP.
7. When the gravy reaches the desired thickness, remove from heat and pour over the biscuits.
8. Serve while piping hot.

^{* butter or shortening can be used.
** whole milk can be used – if you want to go with buttermilk, you may need to use up to 1.5 cups – just keep an eye on the consistency.  You want it tacky and just pulling away from the sides.
*** chicken stock can be used.
**** Mike likes the Turkey Sausage Crumbles and so when I make this up, I separate the gravy at the end and mix his up with the Turkey (or do whole turkey sausage patties for him) and mine with the TVP. Works like a charm.}

The Cake:

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp Baking Soda
¼ tsp low sodium salt
1 ½ tsp white vinegar
1 ½ cup Vanilla Soy Milk
½ cup room temperature vegan margarine*
¾ cup Splenda (regular sugar can be used if you prefer)
2 eggs (egg substitute works just as well)
1 tsp vanilla (not vanilla extract)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate squares**
¼ cup powdered, pure cocoa (Theobroma cacao)***
1 cup cocoa nibs

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare cupcake pans by coating them with margarine and then lightly dusting with flour. You do not want to skip this step.  If your batter sits for any length of time, your cake will be flatter than a floor rug.
3. In a small bowl mix together the soy milk and vinegar and let sit. This thickens the soy milk and will not be tasted in the final cake.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (except for Splenda).
5. In a large bowl, mix together the margarine, vanilla and Splenda.
6. Beat the eggs into the margarine mixture.
7. Mix in ½ the soymilk.
8. Mix in the dry ingredients a little at a time.
9. Mix in the rest of the soymilk until well combined.
10. Melt the chocolate over low heat – do not allow it to boil or simmer.
11. Mix the melted chocolate into the cake batter.
12. Beat on high for two minutes.
13. Put the batter into each cup so they are about ¾ the way full.
14. Bake for roughly 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
15. Place the little cakes on a cooling rack while you make the filling.

Filling:

Ingredients:
2 pounds of kumquats (enough to make 2 cups of juice)
2 cups of raspberries
¼ cup Splenda
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp spiced rum

Directions:
1. Cut each kumquat in half and squeeze the juice into a cup until 2 cups of juice are obtained.
2. In a small sauce pan, heat the juice, raspberries, splenda and spiced rum.
3. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with a small amount of water until a thick liquid is made.
4. Mix the cornstarch liquid into the saucepan until the filling thickens.
5. Take a little cake from the cooling rack and cut in half.
6. Put a layer of the filling on the bottom half of the little cake and then put the top back on.
7. Sit aside to continue to cool while making the ganache.

Ganache:

Ingredients:
9 oz Semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup French vanilla soy cream
1 tablespoon spice rum

Directions:
1. In a small sauce pan, heat the soy cream; but, do not let it boil. Stir occasionally.
2. Place the chocolate pieces into the cream. Stir constantly to ensure the chocolate does not burn.
3. Add the spiced rum and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
4. Let cool and then pour over each individual cake.
5. Use a spatula to smooth the ganache over the cake top and down the sides.

Notes:
_{*Earth Balance is my preferred margarine – be sure to check for whey or ‘milk solids’ as most margarines include them (whey, lactose, casein and caseinate are such ingredients to look out for).}

**Most chocolate you will find will have milk and/or milk solids in them. Read the ingredients carefully. I used Baker’s Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate Squares.

***I buy my powdered, pure cocoa online at Rose Mountain Herbs.

Frijole Caldo

Ingredients
1 16 oz can White Beans
1 16 oz can Pinto Beans
1 16oz can Mayocoba Beans
1 7 oz can Herdez Salsa Casera (Rotel can be substituted)
1 12oz Pork Chorizo
1 link Aidells Cajun Style Andouille
7 oz Ham Steak
32 oz Chicken Broth
1 small sweet onion

Directions

1. Empty beans and salsa casera into a large pot (do not drain).
2. Dice ham steak and put in the pot with the beans.
3. Slice the andouille and put in the post with the beans and ham.
4. Turn the heat on medium-low under the pot.
5. Pour the chicken broth into the pot.
6. Cut the end of the chorizo off and push the contents into the pot. Push down below the surface. Let the soup come to a boil and stir occasionally.
7. While the soup heats, dice the onion and sautee it until it gets slightly carmelized.
8. Put the onion in the pot and continue to stir occasionally.
9. Once the chorizo has broken apart the soup is finished.

Serve hot with tortillas.
Optionally, shredded cheddar is a great addition to this soup when served.

Makes ~8 servings.
It takes roughly 30 minutes total to make this soup.

1 whole chicken (precooked to save time)
2 cups frozen, mixed vegetables (peas, green beans, carrots, corn and lima beans)
2 cans cream of chicken and mushroom condensed soup
1 small potatoe
½ white onion
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Black pepper
2 nine inch pre-made pie crust

Directions:

1. Preaheat the oven to 395° F.
2. I used large muffin tins (six muffin, deep)…use one of the pie crusts to line each of the cups with pie crust, so the crust hits just the top of the tin.
3. Dice the onion and potato.  Put a dab of butter or a bit of oil in a medium sauce pan and cook until the onion is translucent.  I find butter gives a better flavor, for me; but, it’s up to individual taste.
4. Once the onions have reached their translucent stage, toss the mixed vegetables into the pan with the onions and heat them through – stirring occasionally to ensure they do not burn.
5.  While heating the vegetables, pull the chicken off the bone and rip into chunks and toss into the pan with the vegetables.
6.  Pour the two cans of soup over the mixture in the pan and add the thyme, bay leaf and black pepper.
7.  Heat for 20 minutes on med-low heat.  Pull the bay leaf out.
8.  Using a ladle, put the mixture into the muffin forms.
9.  Put the pie crusts on the top of each mini-pot pie and pinch the edges down.
10.  Cut a few holes into the top of the mini-pies to allow the steam to escape while cooking.
11.  Place into the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
12.  Remove when golden brown and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
13.  Serve.

If you work it, you can get six mini-pot pies out of the pie crusts.  I only got five, but I was being lazy.

There will be filling left over – it would taste great over biscuits the following day.

Tasty Empanadas

1lb ground meat (I used bison… but beef, turkey, ostrich – even a quality ground tofu will work)
10oz can mild Rotel Tomato & Green Chilies
1 small onion
1 small potato
2 cups shredded cheese
Tabasco sauce
Mrs. Dash Original
1 tin premade flaky biscuits (or tortilla – see note below)
½ cup flour (not needed if going with the “fried burrito” option)
Vegetable oil (not needed if going with the empanada option)

 Additional items:

Cookie sheet (not needed for “fried burrito” option)
Rolling pin (not needed for “fried burrito” option)
Medium skillet

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
2. Place the meat in the skillet over medium heat.  No oil if you are using meat.  If you are using ground tofu, a very, very tiny amount to keep it from sticking is useful.  But be stingy with it.
3. Add three dashes of tobacco and two dashes of Mrs. Dash.  Literally, yes, dashes.  Take the bottle and shake that many times.
4. While the meat is browning, skin and dice the onion.  Add it to the skillet with the meat.
5. Stir occasionally while skinning and finely chopping the potato.  Add this to the skillet as well.  Cover the skillet.
6. Open and drain the Rotel and add to the mixture in the skillet.  Stir and cover.  Let simmer while you prepare the biscuits.
7. Put a handful of flour on your working surface and over the rolling pin.  Pop the tin of biscuits and roll them out very flat.  Sometimes it helps to pick them up and let gravity assist you in the stretching.  You want to get them as thin as possible without them getting holes.
8. Place the rolled out biscuits on the cookie sheet to await the filling.
9. When the potatoes have cooked through and the meat is thoroughly brown, drain the mixture that is in the skillet and turn off the heat.
10. Using a large spoon, place a small amount of the filling in the middle of one of the rolled out biscuits.  Put a bit of shredded cheese on top of the filling. 
11. Fold the biscuit over and using the prongs of a fork, press the edges of the dough together to seal it shut.  If you want to, bend the sealed dough into a crescent shape.
12. You can have these very close to each other, so don’t worry about space on your cookie sheet.  Repeat the stuffing and sealing for all the biscuits.
13. Once they are all filled and sealed, put the cookie sheet in the oven and let bake until the dough turns golden brown.
14. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

 This recipe should serve four comfortably.

Fried Burrito

Note: There is an alternative to baking with the biscuit dough.  Take large tortillas and put the filling and cheese inside them like you would for the empanada.  Fold them closed and fry them in a pan of hot oil.  The oil should only come up halfway on the folded tortilla.  When the side in the oil is brown, turn to fry the other side.   Remove, pat dry and serve with salsa of choice.  Mike actually prefers it this way as opposed to the empanada way.

2 lb pork tenderloin
½ cup honey
1 orange
2 cups chopped pecans
2 tbsp crushed black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F
2. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice of half the orange into a small bowl or glass.  Add in the honey and mix until the honey is  fully diluted.
3. Place the tenderloin on a foil lined pan (makes for easier clean up) and crush fresh black pepper liberally across the tenderloin.  Drizzle the honey-orange mix over the top of the tenderloin and place into the oven.
4. Chop the pecans into fairly small pieces.  You want them large enough to keep a slight crunch, but not too large.
5. Slice off small sections of the outer rind of the orange – do not get so deep as to get the white pulp.  You want only the coloured rind.  Slice the sections of rind into very thin strips and then turn.  Cut the strips down to very, very small bits and mix in with the pecans.
6. Remove the tenderloin from the oven and turn over.  Drizzle the honey-orange mixture over the tenderloin and then liberally cover with the pecan-zest mix.  About 1 cup.
7. Place the tenderloin back in the oven and let cook for another 5 minutes.
8. Remove the tenderloin from the oven and turn over.  Drizzle the honey-orange mixture over the tenderloin and then liberally cover with the remaining pecan-zest mix.
9. Place back in the oven and about every 2 minutes, drizzle with the honey-orange mixture.
10. Allow the pork loin to cook like this for another 10 to 20 minutes or until it is cooked through.
11. If so desired, at the last 2 minutes or so, turn on the broiler and broil to brown/crunch the pecans on top.

This will comfortably serve 4 people.  I served it with black-eyed peas and Yorkshire pudding.  The juices in the baking pan thicken nicely with a cornstarch-water mixture to make an excellent gravy.

The pecans add a slight crunch and the orange fully infuses the pork to bring a unique sweet-tart-crunch to this meal.

We ate it too fast for me to get a photo.  I’ll try to remember to snap one the next time I make this.

Chicken Stew

• 1.5 quarts chicken stock
• .5 quarts water
• 1.5-2 pounds oven baked or rotisserie chicken
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 4-6 sprigs of parsley finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 white onion finely chopped
• 4 carrots chopped
• 1 bunch green onions (green parts only – chopped)

Dumplings

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 tbsp salted butter

Directions

1. Bring the stock and water to a boil in a large pot.  Ensure the stock is not filling more than half the pot or you are going to be overflowing by the time the dumplings are done.  Add the salt, parsley, pepper, bay leaf and veggies.  Let the stew continue to boil while you prepare the chicken.
2. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and tear the meat into medium/large chunks.  The chicken will start to fall apart in the stock so don’t worry if the pieces are slightly larger than bite size when they hit the stock pot.  Reduce the stew to a simmer and prepare the dumplings.
3. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a glass mixing bowl.  Soften the butter and mix into the dry ingredients slowly.  Slowly mix in the milk until the dough is thick and slightly tacky.  Let the dough sit for 5-10 minutes.
4. Sprinkle flour over the top of the dough and lightly knead it in until the dough doesn’t stick to your hands.  Pull off small sized bits of dough – about the size of a golf ball – and pat flat in the palm of your hands.  Drop the dough in the to stew.  It will sink when first dropped into the stew – don’t worry, it’s supposed to.
5. Use all of the dough – you may have to push the last few dumplings under the others to make sure that they are fully submerged.
6. Let the stew continue to simmer for about 20-30 more minutes.  Cover it while it simmers, occasionally submerging the dumplings and checking on the thickness of the stew.
7. When it reaches the desired thickness, remove from the heat and ladle into bowls.  Serve hot.

This should feed four people comfortably.