Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Just a Thought...

Life is an onion and one cries while peeling it.  

~French Proverb

Scraps and Snippets ~ Feeling Cheezy?

Buffalo Mozzarella

Sprout and soak grains to make your own rejuvelac

Sometimes it's a little scary to spend time with like-minded people. After all, folks who may mesh with us on one level may be polar opposites in others....

We've met a few fun people via Vegan Omaha, a group that gets together to do meet ups at local restaurants several times a year.

The Vegan Cheese Issue

Anyhoo, Sarah and Lindsey are some of the fun Vegans we've connected with via Vegan Omaha. And we've started hanging out a bit here and there. This is probably dangerous on a few levels. A few weeks ago & and Lindsey came up with an EPIC idea.

For an upcoming meet up, Lindsey and & decided to make several artisan Vegan cheeses from the October issue of Veg News.

Cashews and unflavored, unsweetened soy yogurt - Vegan cheese maker's friends

Sweet and savory cream cheese, brie, sharp cheddar, mozzarella, chevre

And I got to help. Mostly by making snarky comments, laughing at mishaps, tasting and taking a picture now and again. 

Oh and filling cheese crusted bowls with water so they didn't turn into cheese cement.


This cheese making thing is pretty crazy cool.

Mozzarella

We now know how to make rejuvelac and this is not for the weak-stomached in the crowd. My usual readers know all about "Mother" (Kombucha). Well. Let's just say rejuvelac might be queen mother because of her stench. Rejuvelac is the juice that forms after about two days of soaking sprouted grains. I believe it is the Vegan cheesemaker's whey. 

Not all Vegan cheeses have rejuvelac. I think only two did. The sharpest flavored two which, after one whiff, only makes sense. 

Rejuvelac (Let's say smells like cheese + old sweat socks)

Each cheese takes DAYS to make. Even the cream cheese (which is amazing). Why? There are hours or days of fermenting that takes place on the kitchen counter or within the dark, cool recesses of a closet or troll-cave-like-pantry. 

Brie (Next to last step)

Throwing the components together is easy, and each cheese really doesn't have a crazy list of ingredients. I think the cheddar and mozzarella were the most involved ingredient-wise. (We finally opened that miso and it's not as scary as I thought it'd be.) Each of the steps took 5 - 10 minutes but the prepping, soaking and fermenting makes this an epic project indeed.

Chevre (last stage before curing for 4 days)

I'll be sure to post comments, reviews and pictures of the plated cheeses. Suffice it to say we ordered the Vegan Artisan Cheese Cookbook after tasting these in step one and two. In spite of the work/wait etc. making our own cheeses just might have to be a regular to do on our list.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Happy Accident Caramel Apple Pecan Shortbread Bars

So I had a Christmas decorating party Sunday night and needed to take a finger food. I whipped through a few cookbooks and found a delicious sounding shortbread bar. A caramel toffee chocolate bar. Win. Win.

I'd give you a review of that recipe but I totally flubbed the caramel. And therefore the recipe.

The shortbread crust went well. And tastes great. 

Crust:
1 Cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 Cup coconut oil
1/3 Cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients well and press into a greased 8 x 11 inch pan. Bake for 12-15 Minutes. 

Let cool. Then prepare the caramel.

Caramel Topping: (Amended in a panic)

1 Cup packed brown sugar
1/4 Cup coconut oil
4 teaspoons non-dairy milk
3/4 Cup applesauce
3/4 Cup oatmeal
1/2 Cup chopped pecans

Mix brown sugar, coconut, oil and non-dairy milk in a saucepan. Stirring constantly bring to a boil. Boil 1 minutes and remove from heat. Stirring. Add applesauce, oatmeal and pecans and stir well. Pour this over the crust and refrigerate at least 20 minutes. 

Cake. 

Once I fixed the fail. 

My fail was letting the caramel go too long. The first inkling of fear kicked up a notch when the sugar separated from the coconut oil after I left it on the flame. I was attempting to lose the grainy sugar texture and then, the bad just got worse. The caramel disintegrated into sugar again. Yikes. So. & suggested I turn it into a crumble topping. Problem, apple limitations. But I did have applesauce so I dumped it in to the sugar aka what once almost looked like caramel, stirred and was pleased to see things come together. I added chopped pecans and oatmeal and it was all good. Very good. Happy Fail.

Scribbles and Scrambles Makes A Black Friday

Posting from the coffee shop. Trying to any way. Black Friday = busy. I've been making coffees for customers. The fancy and intimidating kind: ). Coffees not customers. Gave out my first treat to Bella the Golden Retriever. A satisfied customer. Hope your Thanksgiving was the best. Happy shopping or not. Cheers.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Maple Cranberry Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes ~ Vegan Recipe

Maple Cranberry Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients based on four servings.

2 Large Sweet Potatoes baked at 350 until tender. Approx 45 minutes.

(This could easily work in a casserole dish as well, just discard the potato skins and grease the pan.) 

Scrape the cooled sweet potato innards into a bowl. 

Add the following: 

1/2 (small) can of mandarin oranges (minus the juice) crushed or half of an orange, pulp and juice only.
2 TBSP maple syrup
1/2 Cup dried cranberries. 

Mix well. 

Place mixture back into potato shells or in a greased casserole dish. 

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

Remove from oven. 

Top with: Sugared Cranberry Pecan Topping

3/4 Cup pecans
1/4 Cup dried cranberries
1 and 1/2 TBSP sugar 

Heat pecans in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir and watch/smell. When they become fragrant after a minute or two, add sugar and cranberries and stir until sugar begins to liquify. Stir until coated. Place in a bowl until ready to top the sweet potatoes.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Thanksgiving "Meat"Balls with Mushroom Sage Gravy

Thanksgiving "Meat"balls
1 baked potato, diced
1/2 Cup dried cranberries
1 tsp sage
2 Cups finely chopped mushrooms
1/2 Cup finely diced pecans
1 Cup garbanzo beans crushed
1 Cup oatmeal 
1 Clove garlic finely diced
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt (if using low sodium broth)
2 TBSP nutritional yeast
2 Cups Vegetable broth
2 Cup gluten flour

Combine all ingredients except gluten flour in a large bowl until mixture combined. Add gluten flour and mush together until gluten strands form. 2-3 minutes. Roll into small (less than golf ball sized) balls. Place in a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes. Turn "meat" balls over. and bake an additional 30 minutes.

To serve pour gravy over "meat"balls. 

Mushroom Sage Gravy

1 TBSP Earth Balance
2 Cups finely chopped mushrooms
2 Clove finely chopped garlic
1/4 Cup flour
4 Cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt (I used low sodium vegetable broth)

2 teaspoons ground sage

Melt Earth Balance and saute garlic. Add mushrooms and saute until tender. Add flour and stir until vegetables are coated. Add vegetable broth, salt and sage and stir and simmer until it thickens.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Bubble, Brew, Boil and Trouble

One day. No latte art for me, yet.

I've secretly wanted to be a barista forever. Why? I suppose because I love me a good cup of coffee. Or because a coffee shop SCREAMS pampering, relaxation and melting away of tension. Right? 

On thinking this thru...I LOVE a good pedicure, too. The massaging chair, the foot soak, the forced relaxation....but I've never wanted to become a pedicurist...is that a word? Today, for that non-sentence it is. 

Anyhoo. A few months ago (after the amazing trip to Seattle/Portland/Olympia coffee houses) & stepped up into managing the local coffee shop she works at. Shortly after this move she wondered if I might not like to be trained so I could be a sub, a fill-in barista and a very part-time regular. Uh YEAH, baby. I said. 

Can I tell you how scary fun it is? For starters, this little gig is brain taxing. Three or four milk or non-milk options, cup sizes, 20 or so different syrups and each of these is an important part of a good cup of coffee or tea or frappe. 

And danger, Will Robinson, the water and milk get real hot. REAL hot. And lest you all forget my inability to walk and chew gum, spills on the treated urban cool concrete floor can scream disaster when a barista foot meets spill. Just sayin. 

All the different combos of drinks have a special key on the cash register, too. And if there are extras, there's a key for that. And then the drive thru intercom begins to sqwack while I'm dealing with finding the right key on the register and the right syrup to make a gingerbread spice latte with an extra shot, whip and a squirt of caramel. 

So working at a coffee shop isn't quite as relaxing as hanging in one. 

However, it's fun. I must say I love the challenge and maybe even the stress. It's a whole lot different than the stress in the medical world, that's for sure.

And the things I'm learning. And the people I'm meeting. And the coffee I get to inhale for an hour or two a few days a week. Pretty fun. 

Which would be exactly the reason I don't have a recipe today. I worked an hour before my real job (and made $7.00 in tips....hey, better than a poke in the eye, I say) and then took a shift for a co-worker after my real job. The best part was after the shop was closed, a man walked up to the drive thru window and knocked. He'd come hoping to catch us and get three quarts of ice cream. (You don't turn away a sale like that, ya know.) (And in case I didn't mention it, the shop makes it's own ice cream. & is working  on making non-dairy versions...so far they haven't been stellar but it's getting closer.) So a regular knocking on the window after closing and a pleasant conversation and sale would be one of the best parts of local business in Iowa. That and the smell of coffee, the whoosh of the machines and the whole "Norm!" feel of a local coffee house. 

Not working today. Recipe tomorrow. :  )