Scraps and Snippets ~ Smiling is My Favorite ~ Blue Planet

I don't write a lot of restaurant reviews. Heck, I don't know that I even know how to write one. But here goes.

We've got a few locally owned eateries around and about that we like to go to when we get the hankering for food we don't have to prepare.

One is a place we've only been to a handful of times over the past few years. It's pretty close, ten miles or so from us, and reasonably priced, too. But for whatever reason, I haven't been to Blue Planet since we went Vegan in April.

Yesterday we dropped in for lunch. I hadn't scanned the menu before for Vegan friendly foods. And I was really surprised to see how many Vegan items there were available. The staff members were extremely friendly and helpful.

While we waited for our lunch we sat near the kitchen. Couldn't help but notice a couple of the cooks having a great time. Don't you just love seeing people love their jobs? I do. Anyhoo. The food prep included a few riffs on the air guitar and some songs. I overheard a conversation about smiles between two cooks and the owner/manager (a guess). When our Vegan Caprisi pizza was delivered I understood the conversation and we had to smile.

Caprisi v vg $7.99 Natural Italian sauce, slices of tomato, basil, and natural mozzarella or vegan cheese

Why? Well, because a) they had plastered the thing with smiles. b) and because it was delicious.

So. If you are ever in the Omaha area, give them a visit. Good stuff, and good attitudes = smiles for all.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Party on the Fly and Being Social

Cooked up a storm last night. & (the unpronounceable (not really, it's an ampersand, but humor me) symbol for my daughter who has formerly been known as 21, 22, 23, 24 and ^.) Anyhoo, & made these delicious muffins. However, she subtracted 1/4 cup of sugar, added two handfuls of walnuts and a handful of chocolate chips. Yum.

She made these because a friend is in town. & turned 25 yesterday. And tonight she's got a few friends coming over to celebrate. (One friend can't eat grain, hence the bean flour muffins.) Not sure how this party happened, actually. The list of attendees grew. A few will be dropping in for dinner. I'm making Seitan Scaloppine with Lemon and Olives . This recipe was chosen mostly, because her cute friend wants to stop eating meat. :  ). And she wanted some ideas on how to get the meat "feel" and taste. Last night I showed her how to make seitan and gave her a few recipes.

Finally, for dessert I made Mama Pea's Peanut Butter with Chocolate Ganache Brownies. (Two pans, one for trying and one for tonight's impromptu "party.") 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Yes, Virginia, You Can Have Your Cake and Eat it Too...

Vegan Ice "Cream" Cake (Plan ahead, needs at least overnight in freezer to really set up, 24 hours would be better.)

The Cherry Pie (Vegan, of course) made a delicious ice "cream" cake for her a costume party last weekend. Ms. Cherry Pie, formerly known as 24, now, because her grandma thinks this unpronounceable symbol (^) doesn't say enough about her pretty sweet awesomeness is going to now be known as &. She poses with Leslie and Tom from Parks and Rec. But, I digress.

Non-Dairy Ice Cream Cake

2 Large Containers (or 4 small) Non-Dairy ice cream. She used Trader Joe's Soy Cherry Chocolate Chunk (YUM!)

1 Box of Vegan sandwich cookies. (16-20 oz)

1 Cup Veg Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup Non-Dairy Milk 

Fingers and a Tombstone and a Raven. (Note. If you have dogs like ours, put the Raven and the fingers in a place that the dogs cannot reach. The Raven lost his legs and a few feathers, and the fingers, well, let's just say they looked a little more horrible after being chewed (and scrubbed, of course.)

A Spring Form Pan.

Let ice cream sit out until soft. Not soupy, but soft. Sitting out at room temp for 10 minutes or so unless really, really frozen.

Grease Spring Form Pan.

Crush cookies.

Melt chocolate chips in double boiler (or microwave), add non-dairy milk and stir til mixed.

Spread 1/3 of the cookies crumbs on the pan base. Scoop 1 container of ice cream onto crumbs and press down with a spatula or spread with knife. Place 1/3 of crumbs over the ice cream and drizzle 1/2 of the ganache (chocolate chips/ non-dairy milk mixture)over the crumbs. (At this point if things are getting soupy, place in the freezer and let it firm up for an hour or so.

Add the remaining ice cream, spread as smooth as you can. Pour rest of ganache over this layer and cover with the remaining cookie crumbs. Stick fingers into the top layer. (No Silly, not your fingers, the chewed on plastic ones from the dollar store that appear to be severed and horrifying.)

Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze overnight. Carefully remove the side of the spring form pan. You may have to run a warm knife around the sides to loosen the ice cream. Recover in plastic, take to your party. At the party, put the base of the spring form pan on a bigger platter, and secure the tombstone and/or raven to the platter. Ms. Cherry Pie aka & used a folded piece of cardboard and good old fashioned duct tape. 

Slice. Serve and enjoy.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Upside-Down Pecan-Maple Applesauce Cake

Upside Down Pecan-Maple Applesauce Cake


Cake:


1/2 Cup Earth Balance
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
1 and 1/2 Cup Vegan Sugar
2 TBSP Ground Flax
6 TBSP Almond Milk
2 teaspoons Baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (or cloves or allspice)
1/2 teaspoon ginger (or cloves or allspice if you prefer)
2 1/2 Cups applesauce
2 Cups oatmeal
3 Cups Flour


Topping/or Bottom:


2 thinly sliced apples
3 TBSP Maple syrup
1/4 Cup Pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon


In small bowl mix flaxseed and almond milk together, set aside. 


Mix Earth Balance, coconut oil and sugar together until creamed. Add salt, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger. Stir until mixed. Add applesauce, stir. Add flax mixture, stir. Finally stir in flour and then oatmeal. 


Grease (bottom and sides) of a 9 x 13 pan. Lay apple slice and pecans to cover bottom. Sprinkle cinnamon over that and drizzle maple syrup over the cinnamon. Pour the batter over the mixture. Bake in a 350 oven for 55 to 60 Minutes. (Knife should have moist crumbs but not batter when poked into cake).


Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Run knife around sides of cake. Put a cookie sheet over top of baking pan. Then turn over so cookie sheet is on the bottom. Loosen cake with spatula if needed before removing the 9 x 13 pan.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Now I'm Cookin with Gas ...

Another big food weekend. I made three new desserts, tried the Lentil Loafabout meatloaf (it's a keeper), made black bean soup base, lemon lentil spinach soup, took pictures of a Vegan Ice Cream cake made by my soon to be 25 daughter. Yummm. And smiled at her costume. 

Spent a few hours at Costco, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods with my mom. This was the Whole Food's maiden voyage for my mom. She was impressed with the sights and smells. I do love the look of a produce aisle. Not quite as much as a Farmer's Market, though, but it can tide me over til May.

I will share my new Applesauce Cake recipe tomorrow. I have spent part of my blogging time answering a disgruntled author who didn't care for a review I wrote. He's taking his comments to Amazon now. At first it was an e-mail, then a friend of his commented on my review. Now he's commenting on my review. I hurt his feelings by not loving his book. And it wasn't even a negative review. I just pointed out an area or two where parents might have concerns. Sigh.

Anyhoo. The Applesauce Cake was tasty. I made two more recipes from Vegan with a Vengeance. Her Lemon Gem Cupcakes (but in Bundt format : ) and with vanilla frosting drizzle.) And Gingerbread Apple Pie. Yum. It is jood.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Celebration ~

I'm digesting delicious rich, rich, rich Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake courtesy of my daughter. (Cheesecake tweaked from this recipe.)

Tonight, I just want to dwell a bit in the deliciousness of my life.

I turned 49 today. Part of me shudders at this fact. How in the heck did I get to be 49? I don't feel mature or wise enough to be over 40. I still have so much living I want to cram into the years I have left that I don't want to think about the sands shifting in the hour glass.

I said as much to my Mom. And said my birthday is not something I want to dwell on, and the year even less. She said that my life is so full, rich and satisfying that I don't consider a birthday as a day to set apart and celebrate, that I find things to celebrate in each of the days I've been given. I like that thought. My 49th birthday is a day to celebrate, just like every day, that I am choosing to live to the fullest.

I don't know that I need to share the details, again, of why we are eating differently than we did a year ago...why plants are our diet. I've done that. I don't know that I need to share again, today, why God is so important to me. Or wax on about why my family, my children, my husband give me a reason to celebrate every moment I've been granted.

How many more birthdays will I be gifted with? God knows and I don't need to. Honestly. But I have a responsibility to embrace the days I've been given, and live them with my heart and my soul engaged

I love my life. It is a gift. It is imperfect and crazy, messy and unfinished. But it was given to me, and I love it.

Scraps and Snippets ~ GMO? Heck NO!

 


 


This Vegan MoFo participant wants to see GMO/GE foods labeled for what they are.  

What is GMO or GE food? Genetically Modified or Genetically Engineered food. These are food products that are manipulated to make the end result travel or hold up better, carry certain characteristics that make them survive longer on the shelves, etc. These items are tweaked and grown to be pest resistant or heartier than they would be without manipulation. 

This seems like a harmless idea. Right? Food that stays fresh longer, or that is resistant to things that want to steal our food from us. 

I'm not even going to go into all the details. What I am going to say is that I think we all should be able to see what's in the food we buy. That's all. If there are chemicals that I can't pronounce on the label but I choose to eat it, then that's my choice. But if items contained within are not listed, then I can't make an informed decision. 



I buy organic and local. That is a choice that comes with a price tag attached. I know that many others choose to not buy organic and local. That's their choice. 

This GMO/GE labeling issue is coming to a head. People are asking and demanding that these products be labeled. But the resistance has gone on for years. The food is still not being labeled. There is fear that labeling will bring death to the GE industry. Why would they fear that if there is nothing to be concerned about in their product? 

We all should  have the chance to see what is in what we are eating. Folks who eat fast food three plus times a day aren't likely to balk at an extra label since most of them understand that they are eating fast and cheap and that there is a price tag attached. After all, people still buy and smoke cigarettes, drink and drive and gamble in spite of warnings.

Warnings aren't going to turn off the customer base of those who don't care. But the ones who do, but don't know what they are truly getting in their boxes and bags at the grocery store and drive-thrus, have the right to chose, too.


If this subject concerns you, check out the following websites to read further. And if you agree, take the simple steps.


Stonyfield Farm BUZZ


Label My Food


Center for Food Safety