First Carrot of the Season

Carrot Time!

Garden Fresh Gazpacho

Gratuitous Gazpacho Close-Up

I made some Gazpacho utilizing the harvest's from my garden.

Gazpacho (serves 6):

1 cucumber: peeled, seeded and chopped
2 poblano chiles: seeded and chopped
1/2 onion: finely chopped
1 clove garlic: minced
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
2 large tomatoes chopped
2 cups tomato juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tsp dry oregano
2 T red wine vinegar
1 tsp hot sauce
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients.  Remove a third of the gazpacho and blend and return, or blend in-situ with immersion blender. Adjust consistency with tomato juice to your liking.  Chill before serving.

Another Garden Harvest - July 2010

Another Harvest

Let the Harvest Begin

The First Harvest of 2010 (not including lemons from the Winter):
Radishes of the French Breakfast persuasion:

Biscuits and Gravy

V*gan Biscuits and Gravy

Biscuits and Gravy:
Seitan Sausage (adapted from Vegan Dad):

- 1/2 C refried beans
- 1/2 C vegetable broth

- 1/2 C apple juice
- 2 T tahini
- 3 T soy sauce

- 1/2 tsp ground fenugreek
- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 1/4 C vital gluten
- 1/3 C nutritional yeast

- 1 T light miso
- 1 tsp each thyme and sage ground in mortar and pestle
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp smoked paprika

 

Combine all ingredients except gluten.  Then mix in gluten with spoon. Once well combined form the mixture into 10 portions. Roll them into sausages. Wrap in foil.  Then steam for 25 minutes.  When cool enough to handle chop one cup of sausage.

Biscuits ~ 15:
- 2 C all-purpose flour
- 1 T baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 C vegetable shortening
- 1 C milk curdled with 1 T lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles crumbs.  Mix in curdled milk until the flour is moistened.  Turn dough onto floured surface.  Knead for one minute. Push the down into a circle approximately 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough with a 2 inch biscuit cutter. Place biscuits, slightly separated, onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 - 17 minutes or until golden brown.

 

Gravy:

2 1/4 C milk (of your choice) warmed
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
dash of cayenne
2 T flour
2 T butter, margarine, oil

Heat fat until liquid over medium heat.  Add in flour and whisk constantly until the mixture smells nutty.  Whisk in milk until no lumps remain. Add remaining ingredients. Whisk often until gravy reaches a boil. Then add 1 cup chopped sausage. Remove from heat. Serve over biscuits.

I've been cooking, but have done a poor job documenting it.

I have been making my own whole wheat sandwich bread for the last couple months (with and without my own sourdough culture).

And other stuff.

I made the dosa below sometime ago. I used long grain white rice and red lentils (tandoor dal). I googled dosa and then combined, tweaked the recipes to then mostly make-up my own.  I did ferment it over night. They were tasty, but probably a little thick.

Dosa - A Southern India Delight

Super Easy Broccoli Soup with Seitan Meatballs

A while ago I saw a television cooking program hosted by Gordon Ramsay.  His recipe for broccoli soup was incredibly simple.  It was broccoli, water and salt. I decided to make something very similar.  I had made some seitan sausages that were lacking flavor, so I decided to reinvent them as meatballs.  The results were great.

Broccoli Soup ~ 3 servings
1 lb broccoli, coarsely chopped
1 T salt
1 T olive oil
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 T yogurt

Bring 8 cups of water to boil with salt.  Add broccoli and cook until tender.  Remove broccoli from water and put in blender.  Add about 2 cups of water from the boil.  Blend. Add pepper, oil and yogurt. Season to taste and add cooking water to achieve desired thickness.

Seitan balls (6):
1 C shredded seitan ( I used the grating disk on my food processor)
1/4 C cracker crumbs
1/4 C gluten
2 T flax seeds blended in 1/4 C water
1 T soy sauce
2 T ketchup
1 tsp Italian seasonsings 

Form into balls and bake on slightly greased sheet at 350F for about 30 minutes or until slightly browned, flipping once.