Buffalo Cauliflower Wing Pizza with Blue "Cheez" Spread

This was a crazy good pizza.  So good, I must share it with you along with where to find this delicious recipe.... and also to give myself a place to find this special recipe should I not be able to find it in my plant-based recipe binder.  My binder's getting awfully fat these days with delicious recipes found off the interwebs (though technically this one came from a dear, vegan friend).

You can find the recipe for this delicious dish here:
http://keepinitkind.com/buffalo-cauliflower-wing-pizza-with-tofu-blue-cheese-spread/

Garden Post

I finally got the labeling done and am able to show you the final product of our spice rack.  Pretty cool! I probably could line them up a little better for the photo but that's not my style these days.  Looks like we are low on onion powder!  This rack saves me so much time, you have no idea and I love that there is room to grow.  I'm always picking up new spices and such.

Also, it snowed AGAIN last night.  I'm quite tired of it.  In a month, we are supposed to be planting.  Go away snow!!  You are no longer welcome (not that you ever really were to be honest)!  One days it's near 70, the next we're lucky if it makes it to 50.  Yuck, yuck, yuck.

Though the weather is absolutely terrible outside, the starts are coming right along indoors.  We had a really good sprout ratio.  So good, I'm going to have to do some serious thinning.  I hate picking out perfectly good plants.  I plucked a lot but I still have to thin out the tomatoes and peppers.  In previous years I had troubles getting the peppers to sprout.  The addition of the lights and seed mat made it much more productive.  Let's hope it continues that way!

I love to plant squash early before the bugs come.  We'll direct sow as well, but the first ones are the best because there's no competition with the pests!

First Garden Post of the Year!

Last year's underneath the house seed project completely failed.  It started off really well but two things happened 1.) mice in the crawl space ate our plants and 2.) we would occasionally forget to water (out of sight, out of mind) and the plants the mice didn't eat dried out.

Though unsightly, we had everything we needed already to repeat the experiment in our sun room for no extra cost, away from the yucky country mice.  We already had the heated seed mats, lights, shelving, etc. from the previous project.  We set it up this morning.  While it's less attractive to have our seeds growing in our sun room, it will be very easy to water and we'll have the extra benefit of natural sunlight.  The kids get to watch them grow too.  The only danger now is the toddler roaming the house.  (Note the baby gate surrounding the grow zone. )

 Love these purple potatoes...  They should really be called adirondack purple, not blue!

Last year we didn't grow adirondacks because our co-op ran out of them and buying them for $15 plus shipping online was ridiculous.  They cost just $.69/lb at our co-op.  We tried growing the potatoes we could find left at the co-op in containers/bins outside of the garden to give us more space but less work.  Unfortunately, they were a flop too.  It was another out of sight, out of mind thing as we would forget to water them.

We had much better success growing them in mounds in the garden.  So this year, we'll be returning them to the garden, however, we'll be using a box tower method in lieu of just lumping dirt on top of the plants as they grow.  We grew these potatoes with great success before in the garden so we have no reason to believe they won't yield again. (Crossing fingers!)

I used to think potatoes a lesser vegetable but I know them to be much more than starch these days.  It's what you put on them (oil) that negates their health benefits.  Now I make them without oil and eat them with my own homemade bbq or chili.  They are SO delicious!   They keep my blood pressure nice and low and are incredibly filling for the calories.  Contrary to what most people believe, potatoes are very healthy for you, so don't believe the bogus hype!   Below is a video by Dr. McDougall about the awesomeness of potatoes.

Hopefully, with that in mind, we'll get a good crop of yummy purple potatoes to nourish our bodies.  Other things on the agenda this week are to plant snap peas, peas, mesclun mix and maybe a small test patch (if it isn't too late) of kale!  It probably is too late, but we'll give it a small patch and see what happens.  

Engine 2 - Cranberry and Orange Breakfast Loaf.

Isabel's Orange and Cranberry Loaf from the Engine 2 e-book.  Moist and yummy with NO OIL, no dairy, no eggs.  Yum!  If I get permission, I'll post the recipe here.

Pantry Revamp: Magnetic Spice Rack

I've seen these everywhere.... Pinterest, the Food Network, various blogs.  It's no longer a fresh or new idea, but it is a good one and it was finally my turn to take on the project and clean up my spice pantry.  My lazy susan spice rack was getting out of control.  Something had to be done!

I loved the idea of the magnetic spice racks especially because I've become quite fond of buying only what I need of spices in the bulk bins at Whole Foods.  After all, it's kind of silly to buy a $4 jar of spices for a meal you only make once in a blue moon.  I much prefer 50 cents worth and to know it's fresh.  It costs less in the long run, in my opinion.  But having a bunch of flimsy little plastic pouches laying around isn't practical.

With this system, I only need to buy a little of the spices I don't use often (enough for say tonight's meal and maybe a few others) and have a place a little nicer than a plastic baggy for them.  For those spices I do use regularly and seem to always being running out of and need to buy in large quantities (CUMIN!), well, I've got a giant container for those too!  Awesome, 16 oz. containers!

Here's the low down:

I used JB Steel Weld to glue the magnets onto the tins.  I roughly sanded the bottoms quickly before affixing the magnets.  I bought the magnets from Amazon.  They are 1/2"x1/8" neodymium magnets with a 3 pound pull strength.  I used 3 magnets on the larger containers.

I bought all the containers through Specialty Bottle Online.  Some of the lids seemed a little loose (I had heard about this), but a quick bend in the lip of the base makes them tight.  If I had to change anything I think I wouldn't buy the 2.5 oz. flat jars and gotten the 4 oz deep jars instead.  They take up less space (not as wide) and would work just as well for small quantities.  That said, I had plenty of room, so it all worked out just fine.

I bought the magnets (a set of 100) at Amazon for $20 after shipping. (Link on right)

The holder is a sheet of 24"x36" galvanized steel from Lowes ($9) that my husband cut with a special blade that cost $4 on his table saw to cut it down to 21" wide.  He pre-drilled the holes where we wanted to attach it into the steel.  Then he predrilled the door and screwed the sheet onto the door.  Note: not all stainless steel is magnetic.  Only 400 series stainless steel would work.  Quick research showed this to be a much pricier option.

I attached the rack to the back of my pantry door to keep the spices in a cool, dark place.

I haven't finished yet, but I'll be labeling them with my fancy labeler.  For now, I used a sharpie on the back.  Honestly, with the clear lid, things are pretty clear as to what they are but cayenne and paprika are a little hard to tell... so a quick label prevents me from making that mistake!

Waiting for the JB to set.

Recipe Revamp: Balsamic Glazed Portabellos Over a Bed of Creamy Polenta

Tonight I finally got around to converting an old recipe for balsamic pork chops we used to love.  I had almost forgotten about it until I went through my old recipe box.  To revamp it, I've chosen large, meaty portabellos to stand in for the pork.

The result is out of this world. The combination of the sweet balsamic and creamy polenta is magic on the tongue.  And, if that weren't enough, it comes together in a snap.

The ingredients:

2 1/2 c. plant-based milk
1 1/4 c. veggie broth
1 c. uncooked polenta/corn meal (I always use corn meal, this shortens cooking time)
3 ounces Tofutti cream cheese (a modest cheat for Engine 2 folks, you can omit this but it will reduce creaminess)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cloves, minced
4-5 extra large portabello mushrooms, sliced in large sections

How to:

Bring milk and broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. While whisking, slowly add polenta until it is all incorporated. Cook polenta for 10-20 minutes or until it becomes thick and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in Tofutti cream cheese. Set aside and keep warm.

Place vinegar in a large cast iron skillet or other large non-stick pan. Bring vinegar to a boil and cook on medium high until it is reduced to half (about 5 minutes.) Throw in the sliced mushrooms and allow them to be coated by the reduction. Add in the rosemary, salt and garlic. Allow to cook, gingerly sauteing for about 5 minutes or until done.

To serve place a dollop of polenta and smother with the portabello mushroom mixture.

Serves 4.

Whole Wheat and Flax Seed Crepes

By the way I post breakfast food, you might think we eat like this everyday but in truth it is really quite rare.  On a glorious Sunday like today, however, how could we not celebrate with some fresh fruit and crepes?

I've never attempted vegan crepes so this was my first go of it.  I scoured the web and immediately gravitated to this recipe here because it used a flax seed "egg" (adding good for us Omega 3's) in place eggs and all the fat and cholesterol.  I used whole white wheat flour in lieu of whole wheat pastry flour but I'm sure the later would taste great too.   What a yummy morning!

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Recipe Review - Post Punk Kitchen's Flabread with Creamy Red Pepper Scallion Spread

Isa Chandra posted about these flatbreads with creamy red pepper scallion spread on Friday and I knew I just had to make these right away.  I appreciate any way I can use the greens that currently overfloweth in the garden!   The fact I could also use our garden spring onions made it irresistible!

Y'all know I've posted about flat bread before.  We just love flat bread (a.k.a. naan).  We used to eat it mainly as a side dish to chicken tandoori.  But with rice, chicken, and bread it always felt like too much.  With our new plant based way of living, it's nice to actually just let the bread and veggies be the star.  It's a totally different way of thinking, but a really delicious and satisfying one.

I made a few modifications to the recipe of course.  Mainly, I started with a garlic naan recipe for the flatbread because I a.) love garlic and b.)already knew the recipe to be killer.  I'm sure Isa's is great but I couldn't resist the tried and true garlic naan recipe.  You can find the recipe I used posted on the blog here.  I just had to replace the egg with egg replacer, substitute almond milk for cow's milk and a tinsy bit of olive oil in lieu of ghee to make it plant-based (I also reduced the sodium by 50%) .  Easy peasy. (see recipe below)

My kids loved these.  They couldn't get enough.  They asked when they could have it again.  Hubby too!  Next time, in lieu of tofu I'm going to use cannelini beans.  The tofu flavor was just a tad strong for my liking.  It wasn't really noticeable when the dish was all put together but I did notice a strong tofu flavor when just sampling the spread.

Note: The naan recipe makes about 6 pizzas.  Along with Isa's spread and topping recipe, six can be fed easily with this meal.  The recipe made way more spread than we could use.  We could have gotten by with just over half so I'll be keeping that in mind next time.  I'll probably use the extra spread as a sandwich spread or to dip veggies with.

Isa gave a whole bunch of other great possibilities for flatbread pizzas.  We'll definitely be making this again.
You can view the original recipe here:
http://www.theppk.com/2012/05/flatbreads-with-creamy-red-pepper-scallion-spread/


Modified Vegan Garlic Naan Recipe (see original recipe here)

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 Tb sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons almond or soy milk
1 egg replacer equivalent
1/2 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
2 Tb Olive oil


In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tb sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in remaining sugar, milk, egg replacer, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a tennis ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a damp towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.  During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.

At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with oil, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Makes about 6 individual size pizzas.

Food Guides

I thought this Canadian food guide above (click on it for a larger view) was interesting and way easier to understand.  Note: In Canada, they are allowed to say, "Have meat alternatives such as beans, lentils, and tofu OFTEN."

Eliminating meat products and reducing my salt consumption has done wonders for my health and gotten me off blood pressure medication completely.  I can't stress this enough.  I wish they had this information out there when my mom was around.   She might still be here today.

If you have BP issues, you might want to consider replacing your meat for beans and trying to reduce your salt consumption.  It didn't happen overnight for me, but gradually over the course of a few months, with the guidance of my doctor, the changes in my diet allowed me to step down from the full dose, to the half dose, then to the quarter dose and finally down to no medication at all!  It feels really good to be medication free and the trade off, once you get used to it, is actually quite good.  It has opened me to a whole new world of tastes and flavors.

The Power Plate

Health and Happy Eating!

Yumminess!!! Skinny Monkey Bites

I had the pleasure of making these skinny monkey bites two weeks ago and I've made them 3 times since.  The kids and I can't stop eating them!  I had it for breakfast today along with some strawberries.

When I make them I use PB2 in lieu of peanut butter to cut the fat.  I find baking them lessens the natural sweetness in them so I really prefer it raw.  I serve the raw dough in a cup like I would ice cream.  Talk about a breakfast treat!  It's SO good and yet so filling too.  My kids like them both ways, as a cookie and as a ball of oaty goodness.

The ingredients are simple:

 bananas, applesauce, oats, cocoa and PB2 (low fat peanut butter).

That's just five ingredients and no added sugar!  The pin/link to the recipe is below:

Source: onceamonthmom.com via R on Pinterest