Our World Trip!!! First stop: Beautiful Oregon!

     As we drove away last Friday in our rental car, Jamison suggested we all set an intention for our big trip.  A yoga teacher years ago told me that the most important thing in life is kindness and I think this is true. So I decided to aspire to be kind more, and also to learn to "let go" more. Almost a week into our trip now and I'm finding this a challenge! It may be that you're never really "away" from your life, even on vacation, and I tend to be a worrier. And, I have the remnants of a cold that I think may have turned into a sinus infection so not feeling great. And...MATH anxiety! We want to make sure that Jossy keeps up with her math, so just making sure she is on track is stressful. I sure hope this is something that gets easier! Other than these minor annoyances, our trip is starting out wonderfully!!
   Our first stop was in Oregon, to visit our dear friends Tim and Dana, visit Alexa who was finishing part of  her P.A. residency in Vancouver, and to go to some excellent restaurants in the vegan mecca of Portland!! We hiked on Mt. Tabor and just hung out and ate a LOT. The restaurants we went to this time: Blossoming Lotus, always a fave, so delicious! Sweet Hereafter, a warm new bar-restaurant with a delicious vegan mac and cheese for Jossy! Next Level Burger, so satisfying if in the mood for a burger and shake!! And for brunch, Off The Griddle (now merged with the A.N.D. cafe that was always a favorite for breakfast, especially the waffles and biscuits and gravy!). All were fun and delicious and of course Portland-y eclectic!

     Next, we picked up some yummy deli food from Whole Foods and drove to the coast to magical Manzanita! We rented a really cute little airbnb right down the street from our old home, and right in town. Hung out with some old friends there, and Jossy visited her old bff Maya! It was just like they picked up where they left off, and they had a ball drawing tattoos and playing computer games and tiddly winks. We went on a beautiful hike through the rainforest (and boy did it rain that day!) and to the beach. Our second day the sun came out and we enjoyed some surf and sand time on an almost empty beach.

     Our last stop in Oregon was Ashland. We stayed in a beautiful old hotel called the "Columbian Hotel", very European with its lots of steep stairs and even shared bathrooms! Since we are on a budget, we thought we would try this and it turned out great. I wouldn't want to do this for the whole trip, but our room was only $58 and very cute and comfortable! Jamison is keeping track of our spending in an app, and so far our food spending has been pretty high! We are trying to figure out ways to lower our eating out costs, so trying to share meals and definitely not wasting any food. We had some extra leftovers yesterday that we just couldn't eat, so we gave them to a homeless man with a dog. Ashland is so pretty right now with fall colors. It is a small town of only 20,000 people, but with a beautiful downtown, tons of hiking and some vegan options. A local told us they have a terrible summer smoke problem just like pretty much everywhere lately though. This first pic was a mural of Guanajuato, Mexico, which is interestingly one of the places we plan to visit in Mexico!!

   

Kids Bake Sale Recipes!

Jossy and her friend Greta are having a bake sale tomorrow. I'm using two of my favorite yummy vegan kids dessert recipes. The first is the super easy recipe from the blog "My Whole Food Life" for Flourless Pumpkin brownies, found here:
https://mywholefoodlife.com/2017/10/15/flourless-pumpkin-brownies-vegan-gluten-free/

The second recipe is so fun, another great family favorite veganized! It is Funfetti Cupcakes from the blog "Minimalist Baker", found here:
https://minimalistbaker.com/one-bowl-vegan-funfetti-cupcakes/
 I use a lot of her recipes!

I'll post some pics soon!

Cheeseball recipe from the Native Foods Cookbook!

This cheeseball recipe was sent to Jamison by the Native Foods Restaurant newsletter. Jamison made it for Christmas Eve and it was soooo delish!!! If my dear ol' Dad was still alive, he would definitely eaten the whole thing in one sitting!

Turmeric ginger coconut rice

I will have to make this delicious rice again soon so I can add a photo, especially because it is such a gorgeous golden color too!  It is so delicious we ate it all before I could get a photo!  This recipe is adapted from one that has coconut milk, but I was out of that, so I used coconut oil.  I was in a hurry and didn't measure anything either, so I will work on that next time too! So here is the (approximate) recipe for delicious Turmeric ginger coconut rice!

Ginger Coconut Rice

2 cups brown rice*
1/4 tsp ginger powder **
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 bay leaf
2 Tablespoons unrefined coconut oil ***
cashews, for garnish (optional)****
fresh, chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

*soaked in fresh water for 2 hours if you want (I skipped it and it was still good, and also, you could use any kind of rice you have on hand)
**I bet a tsp of fresh ginger minced would be even better!
*** you could use refined, but it wouldn't give that yummy coconut flavor
****macadamia nuts would be grand too!

I just threw everything in my little rice cooker and flipped the switch! Topped with cashews and parsley =Total yum!

Nana's Chocolate Crinkle Cookies!

I am so happy to have one of Nana's recipe books.  She was known for being a great cook. I want to make everything in it! I finally started on that today. We had our first big storm of the season here on the Oregon Coast, and so we hunkered down, and Jossy and I made Chocolate Crinkle Cookies! 

When I first found this recipe in Nana's book, (that is full of clippings, others' handwriting and recipe cards) I figured this was an old family recipe. But when I had trouble reading part of it and went online to see if I could find a similar recipe, I found it was a Martha Stewart recipe from 2003. Oh well, it will be easy to add recipe to the blog, just cut and paste! Haha! Plus, I know it's a good one, if it's in this book! Only her very favorites from 90 years of cooking! OK, maybe she wasn't cooking yet at age 1...80 years I bet!

Making this one vegan wasn't hard at all, I just tweaked a few things as you will see:

This cookie dough needs to chill for at least 2 hours before baking, so this cookie recipe requires some advanced planning.

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled (cut in small pieces and melt on very low, or in double-boiler)
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (I used 4 TB Earth Balance butter, and 4 TB coconut oil, but next time I will use all E.B. probably)
• 1 1/2 cups light-brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 large eggs (I used flax eggs- 2 TB ground flax mixed with 6 TB water; next time I may try egg replacer, as the cookies were slightly crumbly)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup milk ( I used soy milk)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (for rolling) (Nana's book didn't have this step, so I didn't do it)
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar (for rolling)

Making the Crinkle Cookie Dough

1. In a medium size bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt until well blended. (If your cocoa powder is lumpy you sift it through strainer into the bowl before whisking together the other ingredients.)
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until well combined. If necessary, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all the ingredients are well blended.
4. Add the melted chocolate and beat until blended.
5. With mixer on low speed, alternate adding flour mixture and milk until just combined.
6. Divide the dough into quarters, wrapping each with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours.

Baking the Crinkle Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
2. Remove portions of cookie dough from the refrigerator one at a time.
3. Divide the portion of dough into 16 1-inch balls.
4. Place each of the sugars in a shallow dish.
5. Roll each ball in granulated sugar and then in confectioners' sugar to coat completely.
6. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
7. Bake, one cookie sheet at a time, until the cookies flatten and the tops form cracks, about 12 to 15 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheets on wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container, between layers of parchment or wax paper for up to 1 week. 

The towel in this photo was one Nana embroidered. I love it - Kiss the Cook!

delicious nutritional yeast drop biscuits!

Found this wonderful, easy recipe on another vegan blog. I substituted refined coconut oil for the shortening. They turned out so yummy!

Easy Nutritional Yeast Drop Biscuits

Yummy Summer Grub!!

3 easy recipes and delicious leftovers! My kind of picnic food :)

BBQed Tempeh and Slaw sandwiches

Sweet and tangy Baked Beans

Vegan Potato Salad

I got the sandwich recipe from "The Kind Life" blog. We left out the chipotle, for our 3 year old, and it was still so delicious!!

BBQ Tempeh:



• 1 lb. tempeh

• 1/2 cup(s) of soy sauce

• 1/2 cup(s) of apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup(s) of maple syrup

• 1/2 cup(s) of olive oil

• 2 tsp. chipotle powder

• 1 tsp. dried thyme

• 1 tsp. sweet paprika

• 1 tsp. cumin
• 6 kaiser rolls, sliced in half



Multicolor Slaw:



• 1 cup(s) shredded green cabbage

• 1 cup(s) shredded red cabbage

• 1/4 cup(s) finely diced onions

• 2 tbsp. vegan mayonnaise (try Vegenaise)

• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 tsp. celery salt,
sea salt and pepper, to taste





Steps


1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Cut the tempeh in half lengthwise, then cut the 2 slabs in half widthwise (as if you were slicing a roll), creating 4 squares that are nearly identical in size. Next, cut the tempeh into smaller strips, about 1 by 3 inches. Arrange in a single layer in a 2- to 3-inch-deep baking dish and set aside.
2. Whisk together all the remaining ingredients. Pour over the tempeh, coating evenly. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
3. In a medium-size bowl, combine the cabbage, onions, vegan mayonnaise, and vinegar. Mix until well combined. Add the celery salt, salt, and pepper. Keep in mind that the tempeh will be both spicy and slightly salty! Cover and store in the fridge until ready to assemble the sandwiches.

4. Lightly toast the rolls. Pile as much of the tempeh as you'd like onto one half of each roll. Top with some of the slaw, add the other half of the roll, and enjoy!

From "Savvy Vegetarian"

Vegan Potato Salad

Nutrition Data, 220g Serving: Cal 223, Fat 6g, Sodium 331mg, Carb 40g, fiber 3g, Sugars 5g, Protein 3g, low cholesterol, good source Vit K. Estimated Glycemic Load 17

Potato Salad Ingredients:

• 8 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled, and cubed
• 1/4 cup dill pickles, finely diced
• 1 stalks celery, finely diced
• 3 scallions, white & green parts, sliced thin
• 2 Tbsp fresh dill, minced OR parsley if fresh dill isn't available
• 1 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp vegan mustard
• 4 Tbsp pickle juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Cook the Potatoes:

1. Place washed potatoes in in a large, deep pot. Cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil
2. Cover potatoes and simmer on low until they are tender, 10 - 15 minutes. Do not overcook
3. Drain potatoes and plunge them in cold water to cool quickly
4. Cover potatoes and chill in refrigerator until needed

Potato Salad Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except potatoes in a large mixing bowl
2. Gently stir in potatoes
3. Adjust salt and pepper to taste
4. Chill and serve
5. Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days

Cooking Tips

For best results, use waxy, low-starch potatoes like Yellow Finn potatoes, new potatoes, red-skinned potatoes, or Yukon Gold potatoes.

Starchier softer potatoes like Russets don't hold their shape as well when cooked, and will result in a creamier (i.e. gooier) salad - which some of us like and some don't.

The Baked Beans were a variation of my Mom's delish sweet and tangy baked beans...

Baked Beans 

Note! I really don't measure, but here's my best guess at the amounts of the ingredients...and everything is really optional!

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped sweet onions
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 5 TB olive oil
• 4 cans vegetarian baked beans, like Bearitos, or Amy's
• 4 TB maple syrup
• 2 TB Bragg's apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• 2 or 3 TB blackstrap molasses
• 2 tsp prepared mustard
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup brown sugar 
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup water, plus more to thin out if too dry while baking

Saute onions in olive oil until tender and starting to brown, on medium low heat. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. 

 

In a bean pot or 13 X 9 baking pan, stir together all other ingredients. 

Bake at 300 for 90 minutes, or 275 for 2 hours.