July 12th, 2011
There is nothing like having some good cobbler during the summer especially when you can get everything at the market.
Before I get to the yummy details I would like to announce the winner of the Kiki’s Fashions Giveaway. The winner is Kristi Ehnis! Thanks to everyone who signed up!
So, back to these cobblers.
Cobblers are so easy to mess up but they are also easy to make and prepare for company. 2 weeks ago I made the Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler for friends and then this past Sunday I made it again but with Michigan blueberries and strawberries.
I decided to try Pioneer Woman’s recipe for her Rhubarb Cobbler. I took the recipe and veganized the breading portion the first time and then made it as the original the second time when making the double berry cobbler.
Both ways turned out to be very delicious, although the consistency of the breading was different. I am definitely sticking with this recipe because it is super quick and easy to put together even if you have company coming over within 30 minutes. That is what happened with me.
Both my husband and mother were shocked and wondered where I had made this cobbler or had the time. I like suprising people. 😀
The fruit fillings are different for both and were mostly my creations. I believe my favorite was the double berry cobbler. Nothing like eating something blue.
Go berry picking this weekend and make this cobbler. Add some So Delicious Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream and it will knock your socks off.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler
makes a 9×13 dish (6-8 servings)
4 cups rhubarb, chopped
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon orange zest
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat white flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup Spectrum vegetable shortening
1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine
1/2 cup So Delicious Original Coconut Milk
1 flax seed “egg” or 1 whole egg (1 Tbsp flax seed meal + 3 Tbsp warm water)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, lemon juice, and orange zest. Place in your 9×13 glass dish.
In a food processor, combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and baking powder. Process.
Add shortening and margarine, and process until completely combined.
Beat egg / egg replacement and milk together. Pour into flour mixture and continue processing in the food processor until combined.
Tear off pinches of dough and drop it onto the surface of the fruit, creating a “cobbled” texture. Sprinkle additional sugar over the top.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm with So Delicious Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream.
Double Berry Cobbler
makes a 9×13 dish (6-8 servings)
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
2 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon orange zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup Spectrum vegetable shortening
1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine
1/2 cup So Delicious Original Coconut Milk
1 flax seed “egg” or 1 whole egg (1 Tbsp flax seed meal + 3 Tbsp warm water)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, combine blueberries, strawberries, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cinnamon vanilla, and orange zest. Place in your 9×13 glass dish.
In a food processor, combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and baking powder. Process.
Add shortening and margarine, and process until completely combined.
Beat egg / egg replacement and milk together. Pour into flour mixture and continue processing in the food processor until combined.
Tear off pinches of dough and drop it onto the surface of the fruit, creating a “cobbled” texture. Sprinkle additional sugar over the top.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm with So Delicious Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream.
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July 8th, 2011
My 2nd Indian meal to prepare in my lifetime. Can you believe this? I have only made a coconut curry once and that was before I was married.
Can you believe that I actually was craving this dish and I had never had it???? What does it mean? Can I tell you I was hungry 3 hours later after eating this dish and hungrier even still in the morning?
Friday is a day for questions. Can you tell?
Tell me about your strangest cravings!
I searched many recipes and I finally got to the one that really stuck out to me. For one thing, Indian cuisine has always intimidated me even though I like trying new foods and cuisines. I keep a lot of spices but I realized yesterday I do not even have Garam Masala or mustard seeds in my spice cabinet. I have cardamon, star anise, curry, tumeric, cumin, and coriander.
When I started making this meal last night, I was real afraid that once the spices started wafting through the house that I would lose my appetite. It has happened before and even since I gotten pregnant. You read all these articles that say that pregnant women should eat bland foods, but I am SO not a bland food person even if I am pregnant.
I guess my body needed some the of the spices because this dish was SO DELICIOUS! My mother loved it and Ryan ate the whole portion I gave him, even though Indian food is not his favorite. Well, let me rephrase that, cauliflower is not his favorite.
The only thing I have to say is that I really needed protein last night because around midnight I was STARVING and I had to go get a tablespoon of almond butter before going to bed. Well, it took me 15 minutes to go to sleep but the meal was wonderful and quick to prepare and fun to make.
Your home will smell heavenly after you finish making this meal. Trust me..make this meal this weekend!
1 head cauliflower
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small red onion, halved and sliced thin into half moons
3″ fresh ginger, peeled, grated, made into a paste
3 green hot peppers, sliced, and somewhat seeded
1 large tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric, divided
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cardamon
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt, divided
fresh Cilantro, chopped for garnish
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
Wash and drain the cauliflower florets. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and salt with 1/2 teaspoon on the florets and give them a good shake so the turmeric and salt roughly coats them.
Wash and drain the potatoes. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt on them and give them a good shake so the turmeric and salt roughly coats them.
Take 1/4 cup of oil and pour about half of it in a thick bottomed pan. Heat the oil and saute the cauliflower florets in the oil at medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, while tossing frequently, till there are light brown spots on some of the florets. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Heat the rest of the oil (the other half of the 1/4 cup) in the same pan. Saute’ the potatoes the same way you did the cauliflower. Remove and set aside.
Add the ginger,peppers and the tomatoes and fry for about 2-3 minutes everything gets mushy and soft on the existing oil in pan. Add all the and fry some more for about a minute or two; you will see the oil separate on the sides and entire mix will slightly bubble.
Add the pre-sauteed potatoes to the pan and toss well along with all the cooked ingredient mix to combine well. Cover and cook at low to medium till the potatoes are about half cooked. Add 3/4 cup warm water to the pan and cover; cook at low to medium heat till the potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cover the pan and cook for 10-15 minutes. This prevents from the cauliflower getting mushy.
Once they are fork tender, uncover, increase the heat and cook at high heat till there are almost no liquid left in pan. This is kind of dry dish and whatever spice mix remain will just coat the potatoes and florets; there should no liquid sauce left in the pan.
Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and serve with naan, paratha or any Indian flat bread.
I served mine with brown rice and loved it!
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July 7th, 2011
This week I have been really really feeling pregnant even though I am only 25 weeks. Well, I guess 25 weeks would feel pregnant right? I was talking to my mom yesterday telling her how I imagined what it would be like being pregnant, but not really knowing what it was really like. There are some things you can imagine and other things you simply can’t until they happen.
Pregnancy is totally different! I talk to God and I thank him for the gift of creation and pregnancy. It is so hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I am carrying a human being in my body. Everytime I feel a flutter or quick movement from my stomach I stare at my tummy, shocked and bewildered.
Has this happened to any of you women out there? I am sure it has! It brings tears to my eyes that in 15-17 weeks, God-providing, I will see my little baby. I have a friend who sent me a lovely devotional called Expecting–Praying for You Child’s Development–Body and Soul.
In this devotional, it leads me to pray for my baby by each week that passes. It is amazing because it tells me how the baby is developing each week. AMAZING! There is one thing about having a weekly email telling me the size of my baby, but it is another when the devotional helps and leads me to pray for my unborn child.
Yesterday I started applying almond and coconut oils to my tummy. Signs of stretch marks indicate already how fast this tummy is growing. I thank God for my mother coming in town. She has been of great comfort and has helped with washing dishes and cooking alongside me! It is great to get recommendations from her too!
I love cooking for her too though! I made some delicious muffins before she woke up this week and she loved them. So did Ryan. I totally forgot I have not photographed them and luckily I was able to capture the last 2 muffins before they are devoured today! Hee hee
I found the recipe at One Perfect Bite, but the original recipe is from Mississippi Kitchen. They start as White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Muffins but I do not keep white chocolate so I used regular dark chocolate chips and instead of using flax seed meal to sub for the egg, I used a banana. These muffins came out so great and delicious! Make them for your family.
Chocolate Macadamia Nut Muffins
makes a dozen
1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup vegan sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 banana, mashed
1/2 cup So Delicious Original Coconut Milk
1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine, melted
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts (I used roasted and salted)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Set aside. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Combine mashed banana, coconut milk and margarine in a separate small bowl.
Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chips and nuts. Fill muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Devour!
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July 6th, 2011
I feel like I needed a whole day to recuperate from our 4th of July celebrations even though ours was non-traditional. Since my mother is in town I decided we needed to take a road trip and see some sights on a holiday. The roads were pretty empty until we arrived at our destination. It was definitely a popular place to be!
We went to the Sleeping Bear Dunes Park up north in Empire, Michigan. I had been wanting to go but the opportunity had not been available. We left at 8:30am and it took us more than 3 hours to arrive to Traverse City. We checked out the Cherry Festival and after an hour we had a picnic lunch by the lake.
After lunch, we headed to the dunes. It was the most perfect day to go out and see Lake Michigan and the bluffs at its magnificence. What beautiful nature! I was bummed though because I forgot my camera! I had to take all these with my rinky dinky cellphone! You can still get the picture right?
So here are another set of dunes that overlook the bluffs to the left. You think there is no drop off but there is. People were racing down to the lake at a steep incline. It made me soooo nervous!
It was gorgeous though! We attempted to climb some other dunes but we started so late in the afternoon that we did not finish a small section. The sand was super hot and we ended up getting small sunburns but it was part of the fun! We almost felt tempted to take a dip in the water.
It was VERY cold. We were content with wading our hands in the water. Next time we’ll catch our deaths! Ha ha ha. SO our 4th of July was spent seeing some great parts of the country. We got home in time to see the fireworks right at 10:15pm. It was a real great show and a wonderful way to end the night.
But wait, you must be wondering about the food right? Yeah, well, we celebrated the day before because we knew we would be out all day. I grilled some hotdogs served them on sourdough buns and made a non-traditional potato salad. It was a great lunch too!
I think this potato salad is a great way to feed greens to your kids and to get the vitamins from the sweet potatoes too. Ryan took a bite and thought it was interesting and different and then he got a 2nd helping! That is always good! I hope you give it a try because it is very tasty!
Sweet Potato and Broccoli Salad
serves 6
4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed and cooked (2 large potatoes)
2 cups steamed broccoli, chopped (half a broccoli head)
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
4 Tablespoons cilantro. chopped
3 Tablespoons Vegenaise
2 Tablespoon extra vrigin olive oil
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot, add cubed sweet potatoes and cover with water. Boil for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft. (You can roast them too, but it is so hot in our kitchen I quickly boiled them)
Meanwhile, steam your broccoli, in larger pieces. Do not steam them chopped. Chop the broccoli after it has steamed for 5-10 minutes. It should be bright green and slightly crunchy.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and place in a large glass bowl to cool for 15 minutes. Add the chopped broccoli. After the veggies have cooled, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Refrigerate the night before or eat at room temperature. Either way, the salad is delicious both ways.
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July 3rd, 2011
I know this is coming late but if you are able to make this over your holiday then try it!
I made a double batch yesterday, especially since my mother was coming to visit me. She gladly drank a glass when we got home.
Now I believe I started drinking this because I have been craving the Vitamin C that this flower contains. It also has lots of minerals and is a great thirst quencher. Today it was a close to 95 degrees hot and very humid so this drink came in perfect timing.
I made this drink more diluted but you are welcome to decrease the water by half so it is more concentrated. Double the sugar or agave nectar to make it a syrup and then add it to club soda and some lime and you have a refreshing drink!
The hibiscus flowers can be found at your local international or Hispanic mart as well as the piloncillo, the Mexican cane sugar. Keep the drink as natural as possible!
Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Punch)
serves 6-8 glasses
1 cup dried hibicus flowers (can be purchased at International makets)
6 cups hot water
2 piloncillo cones (Mexican brown sugar) or 1/2 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup lime juice
4 cups additional water
ice
Place hibiscus flowers in a pot. Boil hot water in a teapot or pour water over leaves and pour over hibiscus flowers. If you boil water and flowers, boil water for 10 minutes then remove from heat and let the flowers sit in water for 15-20 minutes.
Make sure to add piloncillo to hot water so that sugar will melt. Depends on how sweet you want your beverage but 2 cones will probably be sweet and can always be diluted
Using a strainer, strain the flowers and drain the liquid in a large bowl. Pour additional 4 cups of water and let this cool. Add agave nectar to taste. 1/2 cup was perfect with my first batch, or 2 piloncillo cones.
After the punch has cooled, place in a pitcher and then add the lime juice. Pour the punch over ice in individual glasses. Enjoy!
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