The Road Dog, Carrot Hog Cookie

So in our house the pups rule.  Like all dominating little dogs, bossing humans around all day can really work up an appetite.  Our furry friends all have different preferences and sensitivities to foods, but one thing they can all agree upon is that carrots are delicious.  No sooner do the carrot tops start to thrive in the garden, the dogs are digging them up and carrying away their little carrot treasures.  So this ones for the carrot lovers in all of our homes.

Simple Ingredient List:

1 apple

1 carrot

1/2 C. flax meal

1/4 C. water

Chop the apple up and combine with water in blender.  Puree till applesauce like consistency.

Grate carrot (you can use pulp for a smoother batter and form them into fun shapes, but I wanted visible chunks of carrot in mine)

Fold all ingredients together.

If dehydrating, spread onto teflex sheet into desired shape and score to break apart easier when dry.    After a couple hours you will want to flip the cookies off the teflex sheet to completely dry (mine took about 8 hours, but it will depend on your dehydrator).  If using your oven spread batter onto cookie sheet and set oven to lowest temperature. Prop the oven door open a couple inches and monitor for desired crispiness.

I dry mine till crunchy, then break apart and store in an airtight jar in the ice box.  You could leave them a little chewie but they will not keep as long.  

Behold the power of the cookie!!  

Carroty good and puppy approved.

ENJOY

The Day Was Saved By Lunch Time

I will be the first to admit that I get caught up in the monotony of the daily lunch preparation, tending to focus more attention on dinner meals.  I generally find a favorite and 'do it to death'.

Until now...This book has changed my life.  Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day by Celine Steen and Tamasin Noyes.  If you don't own it, get it and thank me later.  This week I decided to try making a Philly-Style Seitan Sandwich.  

Generally I shy away from making seitan, it is such a messy process.  I will be cleaning wheat gluten dust off kitchen surfaces all week.  However, for this sandwich it is worth it.

So it starts out like any other seitan making process.  Mixing the gluten and the broth, then kneading for several minutes.  Here you see my plump little dough ball.  This next step however is where making this version of seitan gets a little creative and tickles my lazy bone.

 

Instead of spending the next hour monitoring a steaming cauldron of seitan loaf in my 90 degree kitchen, I just got out my trusty Crock pot.  It was as simple as mixing up a savory broth, plopping my dough ball in the sauce, and smelling the delicious aroma of potential awsomeness simmering away for the next 8 hours.

 You can barely see the ball peaking up in the center of the broth.  

  

8 Hours later we have a plump wheat meat loaf.  I let the loaf cool, and then put it up overnight to continue the sandwich making for the next day.

This seitan sliced so much easier, and was really juicy from cooking in the broth.  

I made a wine broth, poured it over the slices, and set it in the oven to bake.  

When all the broth was cooked off it browned very nicely and smelled delicious.

We slathered a couple pieces of sprouted wheat bread with mustard, threw some daiya on the 'steak' and popped it under the broiler till melty.  A half an avocado later and the day was saved.  It was an amazing juicy flavorful  thrill ride, and I looked like a goddess of the lunch line!!

This is my Jam... or should I say Jelly

In true O.C.D. fashion just as I can't peel just one paint chip, so too I can't pick just one bunch of grapes for some mid-morning snacking.  When I got out into the grape arbor I found the vines teaming with fruit.   While my day started with intentions of some mild garden puttering, it unfolded into the emotional roller coaster that is jelly making.

Oh the elation of growing my own grapes, the denial of having to de-stem said grapes, the frustration of peeling and seeding for hours, the desperation of standing over a hot stove during the dead of summer, and finally the acceptance of how badass I am for making awesome jelly from garden to table.

Picking and washing the little lovelies.

Remove all the stems.

Peeling the grapes.  

I started out with intentions of making Jam, so I peeled about a quarter of the grapes, but after a few hours I chucked it and just mashed the rest of the grapes into the sauce pan.

Left-grape peels, Middle-pulp, Right-grapes to be peeled.

Simmering the grape pulp to remove the seeds.

I simmered about 5 min. then let cool to touch.  

Strain the pulp from the juice.  

I used a nut mylk bag and poured the pulp mash into it, then squeezed out all the juices.  Above is what was left over in the bag.  I threw some to the birds and composted the rest.

Then I mixed 3 C. of the juice and 5 1/4 C. of sugar and let sit 10 min. with an occasional stir to dissolve.  Meanwhile mixing up 1 packet of pectin with 3/4 C. of water over high heat for one full min.

After this it all went pretty quickly as I decided to make freezer jelly instead of old fashioned canning.  I mixed the pectin sauce into the grape/sugar concoction and stirred for 3 min.

Then poured it into my clean canning jars, making sure to leave 1/2 " headspace for expansion when freezing.

Let the jars sit for 24 hours and then pop into the freezer.

The results were a delicious morning pairing with toast and a batch of great Holiday gifts from the garden!

Sweet Treats in the Summer Heats

I am a huge fan of keeping cool with the good old fashioned Popsicle.  Nothing beats a fresh homemade popsicle that is both refreshing and easy on the pocket book.  One of our absolute favorites is the Vegan Fudgesicle.

It is as easy as gather, blend, and freeze.

To make 4:

3/4 to 1C. Almond Mylk (or your preferred mylk)

1/2 C. Cashews (presoaked a couple hours)

2 TB. Cocoa Powder

4 large Medjool dates

pinch of salt

 Today I made banana fudgies, so I used up a ripe banana I had.  We like a less sweet/ dark chocolate taste, but if you prefer it sweeter just get busy with the sweetener of your liking.

Blend that business till smooth!

(then phone home)

Pour

Freeze and enjoy.

                                                        Operation Preparation H
                                                     AKA Preparation de-Hydration

     In preparation for the trip we have been working our dehydrator non stop the past 4 weeks drying perishable snacks and putting together yummy and healthy vegan quick meals.  Dried fruit, veggies, granola, beans, tofu, and soup mixes make for great cheap nutritional boosts when in areas of slim vegan pickings.  Plus the added bonus of thriftiness makes me smile!

For dinners on the road we have put together 3 different types of soup packets.  We simply mixed the featured beans/ peas, tofu, veggies, herbs, and dry ingredients in a single serving bag with the instructions for adding the wet components on the label for later.  I have included a price breakdown for each:

Lentil Soup (2 servings)
1/2 lb lentils   .40
onion             .20
veg broth       .08
oil                  .12
soy sauce       .08
herbs              .02
total cost        .90 cents

Split Pea Soup
1/2 lb. split peas  .40
onion                   .20
oil                       .12
soy sauce            .08
herbs                  .02
carrot                 .20
total cost           1.02

Vegetable soup with tofu
onion             .20
vegetables    1.30
oil                  .12
soy sauce       .08
veg broth       .08
herbs             .02
1/2 lb tofu     1.00
total cost      2.80

   On this trip we are traveling in a Jeep Wrangler Sport with our 3 canine companions, camping gear, and provisions.  We are so limited on space we are not taking an ice chest with us so drying everything we can helps us to maximize our space/ nutritional value.  The next challenge is packing the Jeep efficiently with the He-Vegan.