I made Sushi !!!

I can't believe it!  I actually made sushi and it stayed together!!!
Still thinking I used too much rice but oh its so much better than my last try.  I am so happy with the result, I thought I would share it with you!

I had a bit left over, so I decided for lunch I would make a small meal with it and created this "deconstructed" Sushi Bowl.  I am using the Sticky Rice, Avacado, Cucumber, Cilantro, and Feather Boa Seaweed (THANKS JACKIE!!!!)

Pasta Alfredo

I was debating what to make today and was thinking about doing this dish.  One of my friends (Cat) asked me for the recipe so I thought I would just post it here for anyone that wants it can access it.

When I first tried this dish it was by the culinary hands of Deb Klungle creator of Nourished Body.

http://www.yournourishedbody.com/

Now before you venture any further, I have to say that Deb is one of the best teachers of Raw Food I have personally experienced.  If you have a chance to take her classes be sure to sign up early as her classes are very well attended and sometimes have to stop taking registrations.  I started out with her recipe and added a few things to it.

Also Deb teaches about RAW FOOD which is where this recipe fits into the category.

Your pasta is actually Kelp Noodles!  You can purchase them from their website www.kelpnoodles.com  They are a bit pricier than your normal pasta.

Anyways for this recipe, you will need one package of the kelp noodles.  You will need to soak them in warm water for a minimum of 30 minutes.  I say minimum because I like my pasta a bit softer so I soak them for 1-3 hours pending what I have going on during the day. They can also soak for long period of time 8-10 hours if you want to put them out before you go to work in the morning and have them ready for when you come home later that day.  I also like to add either lemon or lime juice to the water as well for a bit of brightness as well.

Now for the Alfredo Sauce.  I like to call this "Mac Alfredo" because it is made from Macadamia nuts.

You will need:

 3/4 to 1 cup of Macadamia Nuts.  The best kind to use is unsalted and unroasted if you can find them.  Now the nuts need to soak for 1-2 hours minimum.  This helps with digestion somehow (I am still researching that topic and learning)  You can also use pine nuts or cashews if you can't find the Macadamia nuts.  I just like the Macs better because they are naturally sweeter to my tastebuds.

1/4 cup of water

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil (I like to use Cold Pressed)

2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed if possible)

1 glove of garlic

2 Tablespoons of Infused Truffle Oil (optional)

2 Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast (optional)

1 Tablespoon of Coconut Aminos (Now this might be a hard item to get for some people.  I use this because it has less sodium than Soy Sauce.  You could also Soy in its place if you don't want to use it, or substitute Braggs Aminos in its place.)  I get mine at Whole Foods, here is the brand I uses website: http://www.coconutsecret.com/aminos2.html

Then season with Celtic Sea Salt (what I use) or you can simply use whatever salt you like to taste as well as the addition of Black Pepper (I don't use black pepper if my friend Dawn is present because she's allergic to it).

Place all items for the sauce in a high speed blender EXCEPT for the water.  You will process them and gradually add the water until your desired consistency for the sauce is achieved.  If you want it really thick use less water, if you want it thinner add more.

You will need to drain the noodles and place in a large serving bowl.  Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss until well coated.  You can garnish this dish with a few different options. 

1.  Parsley, chopped tomatoes and a tiny bit of fine diced sweet vidalia.
2.  Basil (I like LOTS of basil with mine) and a sprinkle of Parmasean Cheese (I use the Veggie 365 from Whole Foods)
3.  If you want to make it a bit spicy you can use either a bit of Red Pepper Flakes or favorite Cajun Seasoning (I use Tony's salt free blend).
4.  Or top with a bit of your fav Italian seasoning blend. 
5.  Any mixture of the above that sounds good to you.

When I make this dish next I will update this post to show you mine...I did not make it today, but will later this week for sure, possibly tomorrow!  The photo above is about what it would look like and comes from Raw Food Recipes where I was inspired to add the other ingridents not in Deb's original recipe.  Its a middle ground of the two.  You can find Raw Food's recipe here: http://www.rawfoodrecipes.com/recipes/raw-alfredo-sauce.html

So if you try it, let me know!  If you have an idea of what else I can use kelp noodles with, let me know that too, I still got a good bit of packages I need to use within the next few months. 

Sincerely,
Crystal

Tofu Fried Rice

So I was really hungry for Chinese fried rice.  I had some left over rice from the other night and it was either toss it or use it somehow.  Looking through the fridge I noticed I still had some mung bean sprouts, scallion, celery, carrot, white onion, and cilantro.  No mushrooms...I usually used portabellos as my meat substitute.  Searching the bottom of the fridge, way back in the corner was a package of tofu.  This is the first time I will be cooking tofu.  As I have read and researched, talked to my favorite Vegans at my local Whole Foods....I prepared the tofu as I was directed. 

Over all, the dish was ok.  I think next time I might sear the tofu in a hot skillet first and then add to the stir fry during the last minutes of cooking to reheat it.  Due to protein consumption I omitted the egg this time since I was using tofu (if it were mushrooms as the meat, the egg would definitely be there).  The tofu was a bit soft since I just cubed it and added it during the final minutes of cooking.  So texture wise I did not care for it.  After all I wanted meat....it would have been better if I made miso soup with the tofu.  Next time.....

Sincerely,
Crystal

Mushroom Barley Soup

Recipe: Barley Mushroom Soup

1/2 cup Barley (pearled is ok, I have also seen variations of this recipe that goes up to a full cup of barley as well.  Just depends on how much barley you want in it and how thick you want your soup.)
1 Onion, chopped
1 rib celery chopped
1/2 cup of shredded carrots or chopped carrot
1 8oz package of button mushrooms (whole or sliced, choice is yours. I prefer whole chopped)
1 oz of dried mushrooms (I like to use Oyster, Wood's Ear, and Chantrelles. If you don't want to use dried then you can omit them by adding more white buttons or a large portobella cap in its place).
6-8 ounces of Vegetable broth (adjust liquid to your liking for thickness of the soup, less liquid if you want more of a stew)
1 Tablespoon of tomato paste
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon of Thyme

First, if you are using dried mushrooms, you will need to soak them in hot water for about 30 minutes. Reserve 1/2 to 1 cup of the water from draining.

In a saute pan, warm oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot until soft (about 5 minutes). Put mix into the bottom of a slow cooker. Next layer the barley and mushrooms. Place the tbs of tomato paste and thyme then add the vegetable broth and mushroom liquid you reserved to cover the contents. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on low heat for 5 to 6 hours. If the soup is too thick, you can either add more vegetable broth or water to thin it out. At the final cooking stage, you can also add more salt and pepper to your individual liking. If you like a bit of heat, then you can also add hot sauce to it as well. Barley has a very sublte taste to it, so this dish will be more flavored from the mushrooms than the barley.

If you eat meat, you can also add beef or venison to this dish. I would suggest adding 1lb of meat and layering it above the onion, celery, and carrot and then putting the barley on top of the meat. You will need to increase your liquid by 1/2 to 1cup. If you want more of a stew consistancy, you can also increase your barley from 1/2 cup to a full cup. You want to make sure everything is covered with liquid in the slow cooker prior to cooking. This meal is also great served with some hot crusty bread to soak up the broth. Or possibly served in a bread bowl as well.

Will You Love Me Still? by Valya Boutenko

Will You Love Me Still? by Valya Boutenko
Published by Raw Family
www.rawfamily.com
ISBN: 978-09704819-8-6
$8.95

Without going into great detail, this book is about a little girl and her cat and shows the relationship of unconditional love between the two.


Not only did I like the book, but my two sons loved it as well! I originally wanted this book for my 2 1/2 year old. One of the plus's about this book is its sturdy construction. This book will survive for quite some time and is very durable. As I read this book to my "baby", my older son was at our dining room table doing his homework. As I read allowed to my youngest Shaunnessy, in the corner of my eye, I would see Lancer (my oldest) fidgeting at the table. Lancer was actually trying to position himself closer to us to hear the story himself. After I completed the story, Lancer asked if he could read it himself. Of course I said sure. For a book to grab his attention and want to read it himself, is fantastic since he does not like to read at all.

Even thought the story is about a girl and her cat, the story itself has great meaning to both myself as a parent as well as to my children. Lancer and I have recently discussed things that children may do and get in trouble but no matter what their parents still love them very much. This book reinforced that concept for my family. The illustrations captured both my attention as well as that of my two sons. My boys liked the book so much that later in the evening, I could hear Lancer talking to Shaunessy in his bedroom. I opened the door a crack and seen the two of them on his bed and Lancer was actually reading to his baby brother! That has never happened before!

I would recommend this book to anyone.

Sincerely,
Crystal

Today's Lunch and Dinner

I could not decide what to do for lunch, kale, taboulli, cabbage slaw or soup.  So I decided upon the Taboulli and Slaw.  I turned them into pita sandwiches.  With a big glass of homemade fresh squeezed lemonade.

Tonight's dinner was inspired by:

A book from my personal library.  It was actually the very FIRST Vegetarian cookbook I purchased last year.  It stays within reach because I use it that freaking much since its winter and I love soup.

Page 48's "Corn Chowder in Winter"

I love this book so much you should go out and buy it.  Especially if you love using a slow cooker!

Here are a few photos of what's in it....

There are some more items underneath all that corn!!!!!  You'll have to go get the book to find out what they are.....

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Just before I put the lid on.....

It's cooking right now and making me freaking hungry, I can't wait for dinner!

More photos later of final product.....

Breadstick Wrapped Asparagus

Breadstick Wrapped Asparagus
(Created at Crystal's house Samhain Slumber Party 2011, I will post a photo next time I make it.)

24 Asparagus Spears
1 can of your favorite Crescent Dough in a can (according to various sources Pilsbury is Vegan friendly and what we used)
Earth Balance "Butter" spread (or if you eat butter/margarine you can use that too)
Parmasan Cheese (I like the Whole Foods' 365 Vegetarian brand)

Open the can of dough. Cut each piece of crescent roll into two pieces. (Can is for 12 rolls). Take each piece of asparagus and wrap it with a strip of dough. Place on cooking sheet and follow directions to bake the rolls. (Think it was like 350* for 12 minutes, but could be wrong, get the temperature off the can's instructions).

When done, take out and brush with butter. Sprinkle on the Cheese. Then devour.

NOTE: There was also talk of the possibility of blanching the asparagus ahead of time and also putting the cheese on inside of the dough. Can experiment with these options as well. Let us know how it turns out if you do!