Pancake Nirvana!

These are truly awesome pancakes. The tofu fluffs it up and the lemon adds a nice counterpoint to pure maple syrup. This is a variation of a recipe I discovered online. Satisfying and delicious!


Fluffy Whole Grain Pancakes
Mix together in bowl:
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

In another bowl, mix together:
1 cup silken tofu
1/3 cup soy milk
4 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp vanilla

Directions
Mix ingredients together until just mixed. The batter should be lumpy, not smooth. It is rather stiff. Next time I make this I'll try 1/2 cup of soy milk.

Pour 1/4 cup of the batter on a hot non-stick or cast-iron griddle coated with oil. This is a very thick batter, so mash it a bit with your spatula to flatten.

Cook until bottom is golden-brown. Flip over and cook until golden on the other side.

Serve hot with maple syrup.

Two for One

You know the drill - the recipe just calls for a portion of something and then you have leftover... well in this case, silken tofu.

Vegan Mayonaise
I've been buying Veganaise (most stores in the health food section) to replace mayonaise. In all honesty, I have to say that it is pricey, use by date is just weeks away and I'm not all that wild about the taste. Making your own mayo is quite simple and the internet & vegan cookbooks abound with recipes for it. Here's the one I made with a portion of the 12 ounce box of tofu.

Tofu Mayonaise
Ingredients
7 ounces extra firm silken tofu
1/4 cup raw cashews, finely ground (I have a dedicated coffee grinder just for spices and nuts)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1-1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons (or less) olive oil or oil of your choice

Directions
Place everything but the oil in blender or food processor. Blend together. Slowly drizzle in the oil until you like the consistency. I only used about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and it came out great. Full disclosure: keep tightly covered in refrigerator and use in 2 weeks.

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Alright! What to do with the leftover 5 ounces of tofu?! I just got a new cookbook "American Vegan Kitchen" by Tamasin Noyes. It's a perfect cookbook for folks who love diner food and are not satisfied unless they get their "meat." I am so looking forward to cooking more stuff from this book - so much of it looks really tasty. Lots of ingredients but hey, that's what raises the flavor threshold. She's got a recipe for a Western Omelet that I totally bastardized in my quest to use up 5 ounces of tofu. Since this was going to be an "omelet for one" I just cut the recipe (serves four) to a quarter. An interesting twist to the recipe is garbanzo beans. I just happened to be cooking garbanzos for my weekly hummus sandwiches. I think the garbanzos really help to elevate this recipe.

Spinach Avocado Omelet for One
Ingredients
5 ounces extra firm silken tofu
2 tablespoons cooked garbanzos
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Dash of all your favorite spices* (cumin, cayenne, onion powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, ground coriander, salt, dried parsley, black pepper, dried mustard, red pepper flakes)
2 teaspoons dry white wine

Filling & Toppings
chopped fresh spinach
chopped jalapenos
sliced avocados
vegan cheese

Directions
Combine all of the ingredients and blend in a mini prep or something similar. I used the "processor" attachment that came with my Cusinart Immersion Blender. This is what it should look like:

Next, spread it in the pan just like this:
When it starts to set and get brown around the edges, place under broiler to cook it a bit more. If you're adding vegan cheese do it now so it can melt. When you like the way it looks (I've never liked my omelets "wet") take it out and add the rest of your fillings, fold, garnish and enjoy!

*The author uses a teaspoon of her "All-American Spice Blend" in the four serving recipe. I was pressed for time so I just used dashes of the spices.

Chocolate Chip Cookies - vegan style!

I really get off on making cookies. It's a quick treat that always pleases no matter how weird the recipe. And believe me, there are a few strange recipes out there. In accordance with my cook book addiction, a new addition for my collection is "More great good dairy-free desserts - Naturally." It's by Fran Costigan. I made my first recipe today for Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are actually quite adult, thin, and slightly gooey from the chocolate chips, and ever so tasty! It didn't make very many cookies and I was surprised at how little flour was used. The only substitutions I made was white whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour, walnut oil instead of canola, and chocolate extract instead of almond extract. I just don't care for almond extract. But if you're not quite the chocolate hound I am, go for the almond extract!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
7 tablespoons light natural cane sugar plus a bit extra for rolling dough in
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup unbleached white flour
2 tablespoons arrowroot
1 tablespoon dark whole cane sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
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1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons walnut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon soymilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract
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1/3 heaping cup of dark chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In large bowl, sift all the dry ingredients together and whisk to mix. In small bowl, mix together wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until smooth. Mix in chocolate chips (use your hands, it's easier).

Sprinkle a piece of plastic wrap with 1 tablespoon or so of sugar and place dough on top, form into log, using plastic to help form the log. Pinch off a small 1-inch piece, roll in sugar in desired, and flatten a bit on cookie sheet.
Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. My cookies were on the small side so 7 minutes worked out fine.

Good Morning! Muffins

The whole point of these muffins is to get away from commercial breakfast bars, huge sugary store-bought muffins and all that processed crap. I've been working on Karen's 8-Grain Cranberry Muffins, refining, adding this and that. This muffin is less crumbly and has more whole grain goodness - I've made changes to flours, sugar, and oil. I do like this version - a lot!

Ingredients
2 TB ground flax seed mixed with 3 TB water, mix & let sit
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3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup spelt flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
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1/4 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup walnut oil
1 tsp vanilla
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1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Cereal
1-1/4 cup soy milk
2 tsp of vinegar
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1/3 cup dried Craisins, chopped

Directions
Add vinegar to milk and let sit a bit and then add cereal to milk mixture. Let sit for 30-45 minutes.

Mix dry ingredients in small bowl, mix and set aside.

Add, oil, vanilla, and sugar to milk mixture. Add flax seed mixture. Mix. Add the dry ingredients till just blended and add cranberries.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 15-25 until lightly browned. Keep an eye on the muffins; they seem to brown more with the agave syrup.

Potato Kale Patties

This goes nicely with the Carrot Tahini Soup. With its green hue, I think kids would like it or it would just be fun for St. Pattie's Day.

1-1/2 pounds potatoes
6 ounces kale (organic is best*)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 scallions, chopped (optional)
1 serrano chili, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons potato starch or corn starch
1 tablespoon olive oil

Cut the potatoes into small cubes (about 1/2-inch), put them in a large pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, remove the center stalk from the kale and slice the leaves into strips. When the potatoes are done, lift them out with a slotted spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. Put the kale into the potato water and cook for 6 minutes or until kale is tender. Remove kale with a slotted spoon to a food processor. Add about 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid and pulse to chop fine.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Mash the potatoes and add the kale and all remaining ingredients. Stir well. Using a well-rounded tablespoon, form into balls, a flatten into patties. Place them on an oiled baking sheet or, preferably, a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully turn over and bake for 20 minutes more, until lightly browned.

*There are 12 fruits and vegetables that are considered to be "the dirty dozen" in terms of pesticide load. Kale is one of them. I live in Alaska and organic kale is easy to find. "They say" that if you feel you cannot afford to buy organic, at least buy organic for the "dirty dozen." For more information http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214

Quinoa in the Garden

This is a very refreshing grain salad. I like to cook the quinoa ahead of time so it is cooled before assembling the recipe. It stays "fluffier" that way. I also use my rice cooker to cook the quinoa, 2 parts liquid, 1 part quinoa. Easy! Feel free to adjust the mint and parsley to taste.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed, cooked and cooled
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 tomatoes -- seeded & finely chopped
1 serrano pepper, diced
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup flat parsley, minced
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3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons (or more) freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
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1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
alfalfa sprouts for garnish, optional

In large bowl combine the first six ingredients. Mix the oil, lime, salt and pepper in another container. Mix well and add to quinoa mixture. Taste and adjust lime if necessary. Garnish with avocado and sprouts.

Carrot and Tahini Soup with Pita Crisps

This soup originated from a recipe at an online newspaper - I don't remember, New York Times or something. I did make a few adjustments - can't help myself - and this is oh, so good! Be sure to use all the garnishes, it really makes the dish sparkle. The pita crisps I made from some frozen 8-grain pita bread that I had in the freezer that was made from the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 fat leek (or 2 small), white part only, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced (Yes 6!, use them all, it's okay.)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more or less to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 quart vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 heaping teaspoons Vogue Low Sodium Instant Vegebase
2 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
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2 pita breads, each cut into wedges
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1/3 cup tahini
Fresh lemon juice, to taste
Grated lemon zest, for garnish
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions
1. In a soup pot over medium heat, pour in oil, then add leek and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until garlic is just starting to brown. Add salt, pepper, coriander, turmeric and cayenne a saute for another minute or so.

2. Add carrots and stir to coat them with leek mixture. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, then add broth, thyme, 2 cups water, and Vogue vegebase. Bring to a simmer, partly cover and cook until carrots are very tender, about 25 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush pita wedges with a little olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Spread them on a baking sheet and bake until brown and crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.

4. When carrots are tender, turn off heat and let soup cool for 10 minutes. Remove thyme branches and stir in tahini. Using either an immersion blender, regular blender or food processor, purée soup until smooth. Return to pot and reheat if necessary. Taste and add lemon juice and more salt if desired.

5. Serve soup garnished with the lemon zest, cilantro and pita wedges.

One final point, if you don't have a microplaner, get one. It makes zesting lemons and limes effortless. I really love mine.