Popcorn Cookies

I adapted this recipe to suit my v*gan and chocolate sensibilities.

Dry:
- 3/4 C unbleached AP Flour
- 1/2 C wheat germ
- 1/2 C old-fashioned oatmeal
- 1/4 C powdered coconut
- ~3.5 C popped popcorn (coarsely crushed)
- 1 1/2 T cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt

Wet:
- 1/2 C oil
- 2 T applesauce
- 1 1/2 T soymilk
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 1 1/8 C brown sugar

Add-ins:
- 1/2 C chocolate chips
- 1/2 C chopped raisins
- 1/4 C chopped pecans

Here's How:
Preheat oven to 350º F.

Mix dry ingredients. Mix oil, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in dry mixture. (I used a spoon and it was a little messy. Add the add-ins. I ended up using my hands for this part. I used to half sheet pans with parchment, without parchment you might want to lightly grease. At first I used a 2 teaspoon disher to make the cookies, but this didn't work too well. So then I used my hands to make similar sized cookies, I smooshed just a bit. They were a bit crumbly. Leave about 2 inches between cookies for expansion. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on pan 5 minutes before transferring to racks.

Yield: ~3 dozen cookies

Thymed-tart

Here, we have a lovely cornmeal-crusted tart with zucchini, tomato, goat cheese and fresh thyme. I used a mandoline to thinly slice the alternate layers of tomato and zucchini with some crumblings of goat cheese. I really think cornmeal has a buttery taste and often include some in breads. And the tart looks pretty.

It's that time again....

Yup. Clove gum is available again for a short time. Adams, part of the Cadburry conglomerate only makes the gum every couple of years. In case you didn't know I love cloves. Or as they say in Spanish and then translated back into English: nail of aroma. If you are a Pump Up the Volume / Christian Slater fan you'll be happy to know that Black Jack gum is also available for a brief time too.

Tofu with Georgian Ketchup

The country not the state. Here is a beautiful, quick dish made from fresh vegetables (zucchini, carrots, summer squash & kohlrabi), home-marinated tofu and tkemali a sauce made from plums. It is refreshingly tart and easy when you can just pour out the bottle. Georgian cuisine is really tasty and most dishes are easy to prepare as well as adaptable to the veg*n diet. This is a pretty good book if you are interested: "The Georgian Feast: The Vibrant Culture and Savory Food of the Republic of Georgia"

Vegetarian Tamales

Dough:
I use masa flour and then make the masa using vegetable broth and vegetable oil. Lard would be traditonal, vegtable shortening would be a close approximation but I am not into the hydrogenation too much, so...

Filling:
TVP, refried beans, salsa verde, corn, spices, chipotles in adobo, cilantro onions and garlic. Sometimes TVP sometimes tofu, but the addition of refried beans this time will now be the standard. I mix that all up and throw it in the tamale pot. I use cheese. You don't have to, but if you don't use more salsa in the filling to keep it moist.

I started using the tamale recipe from the New Farm Vegetarian cook book and its a good starting point for you veg*n tamales. The book is also good all around, even though it was published some time ago.

Camp Meal

On a recent camping trip this was dinner. 'Fancy' ramen (rice) noodle pre-packaged soup and homemade vegan sausage. Just boil some water and eat. MMMM.... kerosene.

Keep it pert.

Um, so I was tempted to only post about my vegan cooking here, with the hope that masses will flock to my amazing food related posts and feel obliged to stay. Most of the blogs out there about vegetarian cooking that I visit are straight up vegan. Sadly, I am not. Given the 10 page views I get a week, I feel like vegetarians are auto-included with vegans and then no one is left out. Welp, thats silly. I like cooking and cook stuff. Us veg*ns are, of course, no strangers to changing things up a bit when it comes to recipes. Not that I actually post recipes (not yet).

Food related post:
I like coffee, but that much caffeine makes me crazy. Solution: decaf. Also, to speak of consumerism and helping the GDP. This purchase might make you like decaf too. I really enjoy this french press and really really like the thermal glasses included with it. No filters and maximum flavor. However, given no filter to trap them, this coffee does keep some more of its flavorful oils (= added fat content) if that sort of things concerns you.