Day 77: Vegan Chick Fillet

8:37 PM The Hydes 7 Comments


I'm not really a fan of Chick-fil-a, for obvious reasons. But I always thought their advertising was kind of cute. I could kind of relate. Now I eat, and spell like a cow. For all my critics out there lets just let that one go.

Chicken was the first thing to go when I started going vegetarian. After killing a chicken there is no going back! But with all the blood and guts aside, chicken is a very tasty meat....minus the whole meat part. This recipe makes a great breaded chicken patty that any herbivore would be happy to eat.

Vegan Chik -fil-A

1 c cooked garbanzo beans
1/2 c cooked rice
1/2 c bread crumbs
2 vegan chicken or vegetable bullion cubes
1 clove garlic
2 tb soy sauce
1 pinch sage
1 pinch paprika
2 heaping tb vital wheat gluten
1/4 c oats

In your lovable food processor process the garbanzo beans, rice, and oats. You may need to add just enough water to make it creamy. Now in bowl mix the rest of the ingredients, adding the vital wheat gluten last. Knead into a dough. Roll out and cut into squres. cook in oil till golden on both sides.

7 comments:

Day 76: Roasted Eggplant Sandwich

8:10 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

This sandwich is so elegant and filling, just the picture of it will make you drool.....which is not elegant but with these sandwiches I completely understand.

Eggplant Sandwiches
1 large eggplant
1 tomato
fresh basil
hummus
crusty rolls
vegan feta cheese
EVOO

Peel your eggplant and cut it in rounds 1/4 of an inch thick. Drizzle with olive oil and put under your broiler till tender. Be sure to turn it once and keep an eye on it so it won't burn. While that's cooking smear your roll with hummus. Once the eggplant is finished, place on your roll, cover with feta and place it under the broiler for just a minute to heat the cheese. Now drizzle with EVOO and top with fresh basil and tomato.

0 comments:

Day 75: Cucumber Sandwiches

7:53 PM The Hydes 2 Comments

I loved these sandwiches as a kid. My grandmother was a master at making them. My grandmother, in my eyes the master chef, would actually toast a piece of bread and cut one piece of bread in half creating two full size pieces. We all thought that this was just another product of her being raised during the depression and she was just being frugal. Actually, grandma was just introducing us to high society.

"As the thinness of the bread is a point of pride in the kitchen, a dense-textured white Pullman loaf is cut with a wide-bladed knife, which guides the cut; daylight should pass through the resulting fine pores." - Wikipidia

Grandma can cut a piece of bread thinner than anyone...ya, I'm puttin out a challenge. Think you can cut it thinner? It is quite the art and takes quite a bit of practice. I can cut it in half but I'm still not as good as grandma. Another key point is the thinness of the cucumber. You can't have thin bread and thick cucumber...that defeats the purpose.

So raise your little fingers, dab the corners of your mouth and hoover up a dozen or so of these delectable morsels.

Traditional Cucumber Sandwiches

1 loaf of sliced bread toasted
1 cucumber sliced thin
veganaise
seasoning blend like spike or oneara

The key is to slice the piece of toast in half right when it comes out of the toaster. Be careful, its hot! Place your hand on top of the toast so you can feel as you cut through it. Now cover one half with veganaise, sliced cucumber, and sprinkle with seasoning. Now "put the top back on" as grandma would say and slice on the diagonal....it has to be on the diagonal or it won't taste right!

2 comments:

Day 74: BLATO's

7:17 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

My absolute favorite sandwich has got to be the BLT! Actually, my favorite is the BLTAO or the BLATO sandwich (pronounced blahh toe). That's bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato, and onion. Does anything come closer to perfection? I submit that it does not.

Unfortunately, my bacon experiments have not gone as planned. I found a recipe for eggplant bacon. I like eggplant, I like bacon, so I gave it a whirl. It turned out to be strips of charcoal with a slight hint of maple flavor. I then found a recipe for tofu bacon but if you remember chocolate week you'll know that I've had my tofu allotment for the decade. One recipe called for shredded coconut. Now coconut I have an abundance of but do you know how much work it takes to shred a coconut? Plus, I'm not really feelin the connection. So I checked out my fridge and found some egg roll wrappers and thus, the birth of brilliance.

Vegan Bacon

1/2 tsp liquid smoke
4 tb soy sauce or liquid aminos
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 c maple syrup
1 pkg vegan egg roll wrappers

Cut your wrappers into strips making them 4-5 sheets thick. Mix all your ingredients together and marinate the strips for about 10-20 minutes. Now fry up in a fry pan till golden brown on each side. They should be crispy yet chewy.

Vegan BLATOs

lettuce
sliced tomato
veganaise
mustard
vegan bacon
avocado
red onion sliced
rolls

Do I really need to spell this one out? You know how it goes.

0 comments:

Day 73: Greek Pita Sandwich

7:04 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

Matthew and I love all things Greek -- the history, the food, breaking plates on the floor, hairy men dancing all night long to music straight from Mt. Olympus - It's great! This sandwich is one of those simple luxuries that as you eat it in front of a fan you can imagine sitting on a white and blue hillside soaking in the sun and breathing in fresh Mediterranean air. ahh...where's my sun bonnet?

Greek Pita Sandwiches

1 cucumber sliced
2 Roma tomatoes sliced
sliced olives
EVOO
sliced red onion
vegan feta cheese
1 pita per person
hummus

Smear the inside of your pita with hummus then layer your cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onion and feta cheese. Drizzle with EVOO and serve.

0 comments:

Special: Vegan Feta Cheese

6:24 PM The Hydes 1 Comments

Matthew and I have this sandwich that we really love. It's a sweet, salty tangy refreshing sandwich that unfortunately calls for feta cheese. We loved feta because it was great on so many things. So here is the end to our feta-less life woes. Some of you may recognize this recipe from my vegan cheese post. It's pretty much the same just with a little twist to make it feta-ee.


Vegan Feta Cheese

1/4 c garbanzo beans
1/4 c cooked rice
1/4 c cashews
1/4 c oats
1 c water
1 tb red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1 clove garlic

You know the drill. Throw it all in the food processor till smooth then heat on the stove till creamy. Now, Pour the cheese into a loaf pan that is lined with plastic wrap. completely cover and place in the freezer over night. Then pull out of the freezer and let thaw in the fridge. The cheese should crumble or cube very nicely now and can be used as feta cheese.

1 comments:

Day 72: Fruit Salad Sandwich

5:49 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

Some may think that we have weird taste in food. That, we do not deny. We think this is a pretty awesome sandwich but we shared it with a friend and he said it was an "acquired taste." So you be the judge.

Fruity Salad Sandwich
1 full pita per person
1 apple
1 can pineapple drained
2 thingys of celery
2 stalks green onion
1/2 c sunflower seeds
1 avocado sliced
vegan feta cheese

In your handy dandy food processor pulse all of your fruit to make a compote. fill your pita and top with sunflower seeds, green onion, avocado, and feta cheese.

0 comments:

Day 71: Vegan Fillet o' Fish

5:21 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

Yes, even as a child I was a food geek. I remember when my family would eat out at mick-e-dees. While the rest of the family ordered the usual quarter pounder with cheese, I went for the fillet o' fish. When they called for the big mac, I went with a salad. What can I say, I have sophisticated tastes.

I've always liked fish. Even when I first went vegetarian I didn't go all the way because I couldn't let go of my fish sticks. Now that I've found this substitute I'm happy to wave good-bye to my finned friends. This is way easy and tastes pretty authentic too. Try it with some white sauce, crumbled potato chips, and green onion for a gourmet version or pack it as a lunch.

Vegan Fish Fillets

1/4 c oats
1 c bread crumbs (panko is best)
salt to taste
2 thingys of celery
1/2 red onion
2 russet potatoes raw
mustard
lemon juice
soy sauce
1 tb vital wheat gluten
1 pinch sage
1 pinch dill weed
1 tb veganaise
1/4 c cooked rice

In your magical food processor, quickly pulse your potatoes, celery and red onion. Now place in a sieve with a bowl under it and let sit for about an hour to let all the juice drain off. Or, to speed up the process you can wring it out in some cheese cloth. You must drain off the liquid or it will be too moist to stay together. Now put your oats, cooked rice, and all your dry ingredients (except the wheat gluten and bread crumbs) into the food processor and pulse. In a large bowl mix everything together, kneading it into a dough. Once it's a dough, roll it out between wax paper, cut into squares. cover with bread crumbs and fry in a pan with oil. These freeze really well! Serve on a bun with fresh tartar sauce.

0 comments:

Week 11: Sandwiches

5:00 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

Sometimes you just need something simple that you can throw together and go. Since spring has sprung it's now time for picnics and getting out in the fresh air. Matthew and I love this time of year. Even though it has been spring for us for the last 25 months, our bio clocks still let us know when it should be spring. We get itching to explore, have picnics, and go to the park for games and walks.

Last week we got that itching feeling and invited some friends to join us. One of Matthew's favorite games to bring people together for good banter is croquet. He even got in with some hard core guys in Laie that had their own hand made mallets.

We thought this would be the perfect occasion to purchase our own set. So, we went to the one store on the island that could possible have them and to our sarcastic surprise, they didn't even know what it was, let alone have one to buy. As we walked through the store downcast and tearful we passed by the sale rack that had plungers on sale. I would not be my grandmothers granddaughter if a lite did not spark and my imagination started to run wild.

We got a few looks as we put a half dozen plungers in our cart but we were too busy imagining all the fun that awaited us to pay them any heed. We gathered inflatable beach balls, metal wire and bottled water as we headed to the park for some good clean fun.



No park excursion would be complete without a picnic. These recipes will hopefully get you out of the house and out to the park to enjoy some enriching recreational activities.

Week 10
Monday: Fish Fillet Sandwich
Tuesday: Fruity Salad Sandwich
Wednesday: Greek Sandwich
Thursday: BLT's
Friday: Cucumber Sandwiches
Saturday: Eggplant Sandwich
Sunday: Vegan Chick Fillet

Shopping List
oats
breadcrumbs
celery
red onion
potatoes
garbanzo beans
1 apple
green onion
1 can pineapple
sunflower seeds
small white lima beans
pitas
wheat bread
cucumbers
veganaise
liquid smoke
soy sauce
vegan egg roll wrappers
eggplant

0 comments:

Day 70: Brown Gravy

4:57 PM The Hydes 1 Comments

Brown gravy can be a tricky thing for vegans. You want the flavor but not all the ingredients that bring the flavor. Kind of like having your mother come and stay with you. You love that she comes, watches the kids, cooks, and cleans, but kind of get annoyed at the stuff she brings with her. ya, gravy is like that. But, this gravy can fix all that.....not your mother issues, the flavor problem. This is super easy to whip up without all the hassle and won't leave you bloated and irritated....take that as you will.

Vegan Brown Gravy

basic white sauce
vegan beef or vegetable broth
mushrooms
dried parsley
kitchen bouquet
sage
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder

Just how I like it, throw everything into your food processor and give it a whirl. You're probably wondering why there are no measurements. This time everything is according to taste so be sure to test it often. It also depends on how much basic white sauce you are using so trust your pallet on this one.

1 comments:

Day 69: Enchilada Sauce

8:18 PM The Hydes 1 Comments

So, Mexican food isn't that big here in Samoa. I don't know if it's the spicy flavors or if it's the whole bean thing but you can't really find Mexican food here. There was actually a Mexican restaurant that started in Leone which is the village down the road. We were very excited when we drove past and saw it. But the next time we drove by to check it out it was out of business.

So, with a lack of ready made ingredients I began to make my own. I found this great recipe for Enchilada Sauce and with a little tweaking with the ingredients that I had available it appeared at our table in this glorious form. So, as they say in those lame El Monte commercials...."lets eat"

Enchilada Sauce
1 tb oil
3 tb flour
2 bullion cubes crushed
1 tb garlic powder
1 tb onion powder
4 tb chili powder
2 tb dried cilantro
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can water

In a large sauce pan make a rue with the oil and flour. Add all the dry ingredients including the cilantro. Heat till very fragrant. Slowly add the tomatoes, stirring constantly to minimize lumps. Add water till it is the desired consistency.

1 comments:

Day 68: Nacho Cheese Sauce

8:02 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

I know I've mentioned this before but I thought it was the perfect time to revisit the Nacho Cheese Sauce.

Now is the time when people start to throw off their winter layers, emerge from hibernation and seek social interaction. Some find that as vegans this can be a problem. Most vegans find socializing with carnivores a bit of a downer. Just another time to have to defend myself for living healthy. With family especially, "I didn't raise you like this...blah blah blah blah blah."

This is why I love this dish. This is one of those vegan dishes that doesn't "taste vegan," whatever that means. Every vegan has their dish. I know you do it too. The one you take to a party as a self defense. The one that you don't tell anyone is vegan till they start to bug you and then you break it to them that they actually like vegan food because your dish was one of the first to disappear. I don't know why we do it -maybe it's just human nature to want to prove your right. Whatever it is, enjoy this as your proof that vegans are cool people too and that carnivores are what they eat....bully, meaty burger heads!

Nacho Cheese Party Dip Sauce Stuff

vegan cheese
1 jar canned salsa
chips

In a sauce pan heat your vegan cheese. You may need to add a bit of water. Now add your salsa. Mix till everything is incorporated. Serve with chips.

0 comments:

Day 67: Pesto

7:40 PM The Hydes 2 Comments

The other night I had some basil to use up so I googled basil and ran with it. This is what I got. I'm really shocked that I don't use pesto more. It is so incredibly yummy and so elegant that I guess I'm intimidated. Something that delicious has got to take a lot of time and effort....wrongo! I can't believe how incredibly easy this is. More and more I find that the most delicious foods can be described as "simple elegance." They are easy with not a lot of ingredients and require very little effort. No more $6 pesto from the store!

Pesto

1 handful basil
soaked nuts (most people use pine nuts but Matthew is allergic so I use soaked almonds unless I want to watch him scratch his tongue all night)
1 clove of garlic
salt
pepper
EVOO

In a blender begin to blend everything except the EVOO. Once everything is pureed slowly add in the EVOO till it's a creamy sauce.

I find that pesto goes great on EVERYTHING!

2 comments:

Day 66: Hollandaise Sauce

7:34 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

"As early as 1651, François Pierre La Varenne describes a sauce similar to Hollandaise sauce in his groundbreaking cookbook Le Cuisinier François: "avec du bon beurre frais, un peu de vinaigre, sel et muscade, et un jaune d’œuf pour lier la sauce" - wikipidia

According to my extensive knowledge of the french language what he is saying is, "with the good french brew, of the vinegar, and mustard, my little Jane devoured all the sauce."

Well what a review from little Jane! If you can get any kid to devour a sauce of vinegar and mustard I say props to the guy! After tasting this sauce I'm with Jane. This is the sauce on one of my favorite breakfasts - eggs benedict. I'm still perfecting the vegan'ised recipe but here is the sauce....Thank you Francois and little Jane!

Hollandaise Sauce

basic white sauce

1-2 tsp mustard

1-2 tsp white vinegar

1 pinch paprika

Blend everything together. This sauce should be a light yellow in color and have a mild tang to it. Try this over vegan sausage or steamed asparagus.

0 comments:

Day 65: Marinara Sauce

7:16 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

I know I've mentioned spaghetti with a red sauce many times in my blogging activities but it's a classic. While in Texas on my mission we met a family that had spaghetti every Wednesday night. I love that idea! Spaghetti is a no brain-er. Quick, easy, delish! Here is a super easy recipe for Marinara sauce, or red spaghetti sauce. It's basically just blend and heat. It's way yummy and you know what's in it instead of trying to pronounce all those ingredients on the back of the label. Plus you can make a bunch and freeze it at a price that is a lot less than buying pre-made sauce from the store. Plus, you can use this on a lot more than just spaghetti! Try it as the base for your next pizza or as a dip for bread sticks.

Marinara Sauce
1 can tomatoes
1 clove garlic
2 tb dried parsley
1/2 tb Italian seasoning
1 pinch sage

Place everything in your trusty food processor and blend till smooth. When your pasta is finished throw the pasta and sauce together in the pan to coat with some olive oil. Top with an extra sprinkle of dried parsley and you'll look gourmet!

0 comments:

Day 64: White Sauce/Alfredo

6:55 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

The other day I needed a white sauce for a new casserole I was concocting - recipe to follow - and Matthew got all excited when I started cooking the beans. Matthew always gets excited when I start cooking beans. He came into our kitchen, which is finished being remodeled by the way!!!, and with a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eye said, "ohh, are we having soup?"
"No" I replied
"oh, a bean salad"
"Nope"
"oh no, are you concocting?"
"yep"
His smile left the kitchen faster than he did. At dinner as he sat eyeing everything looking for his much anticipated beans they were no where to be found...so he thought. He ate his dinner and it was only after he had raved about the "fish" and white sauce that I told him where the beans were. Now he insists it be put on the list.
You may think that a sauce based on beans would be, well, beany but it's not. If fact you can't taste the beans at all and the consistency is so beautifully creamy you'd swear it was fat and flour based. So give this a whirl in place of your white sauce. It offers protein instead of fat and works up faster than any white sauce I've ever made, no whisking....and no lumps!

Basic White Sauce
1 c cooked small white lima beans
1 clove garlic
1 tb evoo
salt to taste

Place everything in your food processor and puree till creamy. Serve hot. This basic white sauce can be transformed into many different kinds of sauces eg: hollandaise, Alfredo, gravy etc....recipes to follow

Alfredo Sauce

Basic white sauce from above
vegetable broth
garlic powder
white vinegar

To make this an Alfredo sauce just add vegetable broth till it is the consistency you are looking for, then add garlic and vinegar to taste.

0 comments:

Week 10: Seven Sauces

6:26 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

This week I have been feeling a little saucy - no mother - that says saucy not sassy. I have found that the perfect sauce can make a meal. On Matthew's plate my sauces resemble more of a soup than a sauce, but I think that he's got the right idea. Sauces can bring life to a dry run down dish and work wonders for leftovers. In fact, that's its job - check this out to find out everything you did...and didn't want to know about sauces. Some would testify that this is why I use sauces so much. But, as in most French cooking, the sauce is usually where there is not only an abundance of flavor but an abundance of fat....in fact that fat is what gives it the flavor. Trying to make up for the loss of animal fat can be difficult in sauces but I hope this week you'll find that fat isn't the only way to get some flavor in your diet.

Week 11
Monday: Basic White Sauce / Alfredo
Tuesday: Marinara
Wednesday: Hollandaise Sauce
Thursday: Pesto
Friday: Nacho Cheese
Saturday: Enchilada Sauce
Sunday: Brown Gravy

Most of these are just a base sauce that you can do with what you will. Feel free to explore the possibilities.

Shopping List
small white lima beans
EVOO
garlic
basil
almonds
1 can tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
bullion
italian seasoning
dried parsley
Kitchen bouquet
vegan cheese
salsa

0 comments:

Day 63: Sausage Egg.....Plant Breakfast Burritos

8:00 PM The Hydes 3 Comments

The other day I entered the kitchen with the expectation of experimenting on a new vegan shepherds pie recipe, which, come to think of it, I still haven't made. Hum, anyway, I started making my recipe for vegan meat but when I finished I realized I had made vegan sausage. I love serendipity! I'm not quite sure what I did different except that I purposely left out the BBQ sauce when I realized what was happening. This worked out perfect since I had been craving some morning star sausages but we can't get them on the island. I saved a little of the dough to make sausage crumbles that were fantastic on pizza that night and we made these breakfast burritos the next morning. I wish all my mistakes were this delicious

Vegan Sausages

1/2 c cooked lentils
1 c brown rice
1/2 c oats
2 tb soy sauce
2 tb oil
3 tb flour
2 tb vital wheat gluten
1 large pinch of salt
1 tsp pepper
1 dash nutmeg
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp garlic

In a large bowl mush the lentils and rice with a fork till there are none left whole. Now add everything else and kneed it into a dough. Cover with plastic wrap and roll out. Use a cup and cut into rounds. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake on 350 for about 35-45 minutes turning once. These freeze really well and are great on their own.

Breakfast Burritos

1 eggplant cubbed
green onion
1/2 c cooked garbanzo beans
vegan sausage
tortillas
veganiase
mustard
EVOO

In a sauce pan, cook the eggplant and green onions till soft. Add the garbanzo beans and mush everything with a fork. Smear the tortillas with veganaise and mustard then layer with the eggplant mixture and vegan sausages. Wrap like a burrito and eat like you've never eaten a burrito before.

3 comments:

Day 62: Hash

7:43 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

On North Shore Oahu there is a great restaurant called Hukilau Cafe. If you're visiting I highly recommend it, though if you're vegan there will be nothing on the menu that you can eat. You'll have to ask a local how to get there.....well, ask a couple of locals because they'll all give you different directions, but this is still the way to go since you will never find it on your own. The Hukilau Cafe is where I was first introduced to " the hash." Matthew and I shared a dish of this and didn't eat again till dinner. Matthew refers to such dishes as "gut-pluggers." This meaty dish is definitely not vegetarian and has been linked to many health concerns but what a way to go. This recipe is a healthier, non meaty version that tastes nothing like the original but is still divine nonetheless.

Vegan Hash
2-3 potatoes cubed
1/2 red onion finely chopped
1/2 head cabbage finely chopped
garlic powder
veganaise
salt

In a large sauce pan cook the potatoes in just enough water to make them soft. Once the potatoes are tender, add the onion, cabbage, garlic, and veganaise. Cook till the cabbage is wilted. Serve hot.

0 comments:

Day 61: French Toast

6:45 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

I'm sure, like most of you, when it comes to french toast there is quite the dilemma. You love the flavorful deliciousness that is french toast but have trouble guncking down the eggy stinky flemmyness of it. I'm with ya all the way. But this recipe is the solution to keeping all that flavor and eliminating all the yucky not goodness that comes with an egg based recipe.

Vegan French Toast

2 bananas pulverized
1 c "milk"
1 tsp cinnamon
several pieces of bread
2 tsp oil

In a blender pulvarize the bananas till they are the consistancy of egg. Now add the milk and cinnamon. Pulse to mix. Pour into a flat bottom bowl. Lightly coat both sides of the bread. Do not soak! Heat the oil in a pan and fry on both sides.

0 comments:

Day 60: Power Smoothies

5:57 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

In Amerikan Samoa we've learned that fresh veggies don't last long for three reasons:

1-humidity
2-bugs
3-"compost"

When we first arrived we were really frustrated that we couldn't get lettuce.We almost had to special order it. One day we found some and bought a bunch. Then we found out why they don't carry it. By the time we got it from the store to our house it had wilted and was on the verge of unusable. I was seriously considering another attempt at lettuce soup (don't ask). We learned that when you buy lettuce you must be planning on eating it as soon as you get home. Spinach seems to hold up a bit better but not by much.

We also learned that ants, geckos, rodents, and all sorts of creeping things like veggies as much as we do. There is nothing like walking into a black swarm of fruit flies in the morning to say "welcome to Samoa....here have some bananas"

Finally, if the humidity and the bugs don't get to your fruit before you do, the mold and rot will. It is probably a combination of the two mentioned above, but produce goes rotten very quickly here. Which puts us in quite the dilemma. Since the shipment of produce comes once every two weeks, the natural inclination is to stock up and buy two weeks worth of produce but this is quite impossible when the produce will only last a few days at best. Thus we are considering changing the name of our blog from "daily vegan" to "Vegan in Samoa.....what the h-e-.. were we thinking?" What do ya think?

Now to the point....We had quite a few fruits and veggies that were on their last leg and this smoothie was the answer. We even froze it and had it as a sorbet the next day. Yummers! The power part comes from all the great nutrition from the spinach and chia seeds. With those two ingredients alone this smoothie packs a nutritional punch.....but wait till I get going.....where was I? Oh yes....here ya go

Power Smoothie

2 big handfuls spinach
1 apple
1 papaya
1 kiwi
1 banana
1 orange (just the juice)
1/4 c oats
1/2 c frozen raspberries
2 tb chia seeds

Place everything in a blender. Now take two steps back and admire all the colorful nutrition that is about to be assimilated into your body. Take a deep breath and appreciate the beauty that is before you. Now blend the heck out of everything till smooth.

0 comments:

Day 59: Granola

5:29 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

My family has often accused us of being "granola." Matthew and I prefer the term "free lance granola-ers"...It implies more natural freedom in choosing our causes instead of going with the crowd.

Since we moved to Amerikan Samoa I have found that those granola, bra-less, more hair, less makeup days come more frequent, much to Matthews displeasure. But he doesn't seem to mind as long as when I say "I'm going granola" I make some granola too.

This is My dad's recipe for granola. One of 3 things that he was allowed in the kitchen to make, but when he made something he made it very well! See for yourself.

Dad's Granola
8 c oats
6 c wheat anything (flakes, pressed...whatever)
2 c wheat germ
3 c shredded coconut
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c brown sugar
10 dates
1 c oil
1 c water
4 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp almond
1 tsp nutmeg
nuts & dried fruit optional

In a food processor blend the oil, water, dates, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, almond extract and nutmeg. In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients. Once thoroughly mixed, coat with the wet mixture. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 till golden brown, turning regularly.

0 comments:

Day 58: Hash Browns

5:11 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

If there is one food in the world that I could eat all day, all night, and into the next day; it would be hash browns. I often have this before a fast as my farewell salute to food for a few hours. There are few things in this world that bring a smile to my face more than a huge plate of hash browns "smothered and covered" as the nice waitress at denny's used to say. But now I make my own smothered and covered and fight the urge to lick my plate....in public at least.

I love this recipe because it is sooo yummy and has only 3 ingredients

Hash browns
3-4 russet potatoes
1 c cooked brown rice or barley
a dash of onion salt


Wash your potatoes very well! Place in your food processor and pulse till they are very fine. Now add the cooked rice and onion salt and pulse. Kneed everything to make sure its sticks together. Roll out the mixture and use a cup to cut circles and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes flipping once. These are great to make ahead and they freeze really well.

0 comments:

Day 57: Pancakes/ waffles

4:48 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

Matthew loves the pancake....or, pankakie as they are called here. As for myself....not so much. I don't know what it is, I'm just not a fan. They're just too spongy for my liking, but I love myself some waffles. I feel like donkey on Shrek. If I found random waffles in the woods I'd be thankin the waffle fairy and chowin down. Now please don't analyze the contradiction that is my life. Matthew and I have had this discussion many times and I agree there is no rational conclusion. I plead with you just to be happy and love me as I am.

Vegan Pancakes / Waffles1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
4 dates
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 c "milk"
1 tb oil

In your trusty food processor, add all the dry ingredients, including the dates. Blend the mixture till the dates are unrecognizable. Now add the milk and oil and blend. This should be a very thick batter. Don't try to thin it out.....it doesn't work. Oil a pan and pour on the batter. Swirl the pan a bit to even out the batter. Cook on both sides.

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Week 9: Breakfast Anytime

4:28 PM The Hydes 1 Comments

At our house, breakfast for dinner was forbidden. We didn't even know it was an option. But, my eyes were opened and my life changed the day I experienced the wonder of breakfast for dinner. I remember exactly where I was when it happened. I was in Fossil Ridge Texas. A lovely family invited us over for dinner where we had bacon, eggs, waffles, toast, juice, and a myriad of other breakfast related items. Since then I have found no fault with having a morning meal related item more towards the evening.

On the flip side, my husband and I often like to have dinner for breakfast. For example, this morning we had leftover fried rice and lumpia for breakfast and found it quite delightful. The mere mention of this to my sister in law would send her reeling. She firmly insists that breakfast must be sweet.

With this menu you decide, there's a little something for everyone, and whether you have it in the am or a little later in the day, I'm sure you'll find them scrumptious.

Week 9
Monday: Pancakes
Tuesday:Hashbrowns
Wednesday: Granola
Thursday: Power Smoothie
Friday: French Toast
Saturday: Hash
Sunday: Sausage Egg.....Plant Burrito

Shopping List
 whole wheat flour
dates
oil
baking powder
salt
"milk"
7-10 russet potatoes
brown rice
cabbage
2-3 onions
veganaise
spinach
orange juice
frozen fruit
oatmeal
1 apple
1 bunch bananas
nuts
sugar
shredded coconut
eggplant
tortillas

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Day 56: Chocolate Coconut Bark

8:14 PM The Hydes 0 Comments

Like I said, my bark is worse then my bite...not that this bark is worse than anything, it's more on the better side of the scale than anything and quite far on the end of that scale if you know what I mean.....do you know what I mean? Sorry, I'm even confusing myself....where was I going with this? Ah yes, chocolate bark. This recipe is supper easy and supper yummy. This is great to make for the holidays or to give out around valentines day or for any holiday for that matter. This is great to give to your carnivore neighbors to get them talking and they'll no longer think of you as "that weird person that says she's vegan...whatever that is." It's so good they'll think you're cheating.

Chocolate Coconut Bark

1 bag chocolate chips melted
1/2 c shredded coconut
1 c chopped nuts
1/4 c coconut milk

In a glass bowl, pour your chocolate chips, coconut, and coconut milk. Melt in the microwave stirring every 20 seconds. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Pour the chocolate on the cookie sheet till it is a thin layer over the whole pan. Sprinkle the nuts over the top and put in the freezer till it is completely firm. Break apart ruffly.

Use your imagination. Try green sprinkles for St. Patric's day, red hearts for valentines day, or add dried fruit instead of nuts.

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