Let's have Lent

Lentil Rice Soup

2 cups

Materials

½ green lentils

½ cup of short grain brown rice

4 cups water

Spices to taste

½ cube of vegetable broth

Tools

Stainless steel saucepot

Wooden spoon

Measuring Cups

Measuring spoons

Instructions

1                   Boil the rice and lentils for about five minutes.

2                   Bring the heat down to a simmer and add your spices and vegetable broth into the soup.

3                   Simmer for the next three hours or until the brown rice is soft

          Serve warm

You may also can serve this over  polenta, baked potatoes, or rice. Who knows?

You can soak the lentils and rice over night to create a shorter cooking time.  

Sorry there is no picture for this dish. I consumed it all up before I remember to take a picture. 

Let's bake it, not once, but twice

Cayenne Twice Bake Potato

Serves As many potatoes that you use

Materials

1 potato medium or large
1 tsp. of Garlic powder
1 tsp. cayenne powder
1 tsp. nutritional yeast optional
Dash of salt
Up to 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Tools

Measuring spoons
Soup spoon
mixing bowl small or medium

Instructions

1     Place the potato into the oven, turn on the oven to 450 F for 45 mins
2     Once the outside of the potato is firm and feels crispy pull them out and with a knife cut the potatoes in half. The potato needs to have a firm crust in order for the the next step to work out well.
3     With a soup spoon hollow out the potato while hot and put the remains into a bowl, wrap your and in a towel or something to keep it from burning while holding the potato
4     With a fork or the spoon mash the potatoes until smooth and add your olive oil until the potatoes become into a mash potato consistency.
5     Add your dry ingredients and mash until all is evenly blended and smooth.
6     Stuff the potatoes with the cayenne potato mixture

Enjoy either warm, hot or cooled according to your whims.

You may add bits of sauteed mushroom and onion, or a slice of raw onion chopped or diced, whatever your heart desires.

 

 

This was one of my earliest recipes with the thermos wheat and sprout wheat cereal. I would also like to mention that one would need an electric oven for this because a gas stove, unless it is an exceptially good oven, would take a long time and it hasn't produced the desired results for me.

Here is a simple breakfast tip

Breakfast Ball

Serves 3/4 cup Breakfast ball

Materials

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins
1 banana

Tools

Food Processor
Measuring cups

Instructions

1. Put your raisins and oats in food processor
2. Pulse a few times
3. Take a small bite from your banana
4.  place the rest into the food processor
5. Blend until the whole clumps together into a ball
6. Turn off 
7. Take out your ball of goodness 
8. Roll it into a smooth ball 
9. Eat it like an apple. 

Estimated time from start to finish about 5 minutes.  Can anyone beat that?!

When the roll is called up wonder....

Mini Cinnamon Rolls with Raisins

Serves 6 rolls

Materials 

I cup of wheat pastry flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/3-1/2 cup water or plant based milk

1 tbsp. dry sweetener (coconut sugar, etc.)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract. 

Dash of Cinnamon

maple syrup 

Cinnamon

dry sweetener

Nutmeg (optional) 

raisins (optional)

rolled oats (optional)

Tools 

Large mixing bowl

large wooden mixing spoon

Measuring cups and spoons

cookie sheet

Instructions

1. pre-heat oven on at 350
2. Add the dry ingredients first.
3. Add your water and vanilla 
4.  mix, knead, and form with spoon
5. until the dough is smooth and not sticky
6. Roll out your dough 

Add 

1. rub the maple syrup on the dough
2. sprinkle the sweetener, raisins, and oats
3. roll the dough
4. Cut about two inch sections
5. place on lightly oiled cooking sheet

Place in oven for about 20-25 minutes. 

Let cool and enjoy

A pocket for what?

Apple Sauce Pockets

These were like the store bought fruit pastries that I used to love. So without the glaze I was able to recreate something similar.

Materials and tools are located on my previous Lil' Pastries Post

1. Follow steps 1-3 of Pastry Basic recipe.
2. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until the dough is thin. 
3. Use a dough press or a lid of a jar, to cut out your pocket. 
4. Place a small spoonful of apple sauce in the center topping it with cinnamon 
5. Lightly wet the edges of the dough and press the edges together until sealed 
6. Place on a lightly greased pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the crust becomes lightly brown. 
7. Pull out of oven, let the pastries cool and place them on a cooling rack until completely cool

Eat and enjoy. 

A swirly twirly thinga-ma-bob

Cinnamon Apple Swirls

These are similar and fun to create especially with left over dough. They almost had a taste of mini cinnamon rolls.

Materials and tools are located on my previous Lil' Pastries Post

1. Follow Steps 1-3 of the Basic Pastry Recipe.
2. roll out the dough until thin
3. Sprinkle cinnamon powder and spread apple sauce over like you would for cinnamon rolls. 
4. Roll up the batter cut with a sharp knife 
5. Gently place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet. 
6. Place them in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the smell becomes irresistible but the crust has to be firm or lightly golden brown. 
7. Let cool on sheet. If you have a favorite glaze to put on these, go right ahead and do so. I haven't created one yet (one day I will, I need more inspiration)
8. Remove and place them on a cooling rack until cooled. 

Eat warm or cool and please enjoy. 

Lil' Pastries

This was inspired by roommate, Peter Lucht, when he made some kind of Borscht Pockets the other day. After stewing and playing with idea one night I thought I would like attempt to make something of that sort.

Basic Pastry Recipe

Materials

1 cup Pastry Flour (Sprouted perferably)
1 tbsp. Baking Powder
1 tbsp. dry sweetener
1/3 cup milk
1 tbsp. unsweetened Applesauce (see previous post)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon to taste

Tools 

Measuring spoons
Large mixing bowl glass or stainless steel
Fork
Clean Counter Top
Cookie Sheet
Dough Press  (optional depending what you want to do)
Rolling Pin

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven at 350 F
2.  Put all your dry ingredients together into your mixing bowl
3. Add your wet ingredients one at a time. Use a fork to mix until the dough forms. You may want to add a little more flour until you can kneed and work with the dough
4. Let your imagination run wild with what you can do. 
5. Cook pastry for about 25-30 minutes

Dishing ideas

Variations in posts to come

Who's Monkeying around?

Oaty Chunky Monkey

One to two cups

Materials

2 Frozen bananas (overnight)

1 tbsp. Peanut butter*

1 tbsp. unsweetened carob powder

1 cup plant-based milk

¼ cup oat flour

Tools

Food Processor or Blender

Measuring Cups

Spatula

Measuring spoons

Instructions

1                   Place the frozen bananas first into the blender add your peanut butter, cocoa powder, and oat flour

2                   Pulse a few times then add your milk and bend the mixture until you have reached your desired consistency

3                   Pour into cups, add your favorite toppings

4                   Enjoy with a smile

 This comes close to being like ice cream. It is a good energy drink. This sometimes becomes my breakfast. This is about 90% non-original from Forks over Knives Cookbook. The book calls for ½ cup chopped dates, and unsweetened cocoa powder. I use carob powder and oat flour 

*I use Yokes Unsalted Dry Roasted Peanut butter in the bulk food section. It is absolutely divine. 

Let's Go Bananas!

Banana-Nut Smoothie

Serves one

Materials

2 bananas

1 ½ tsp. Peanut Butter (Dry Roasted Unsalted preferably)

1 ½ tsp. Almond Butter (Dry Roasted Unsalted, preferably)

¼ cup Oat Flour

1 tbsp.- ½ cup Plant-based milk

Tools

Blender or food processor

Measuring spoons and cups

Spatula

Instructions

1                   Put your bananas, nut butters, and oat flour together.

2                   Pulse your ingredients together and then mix on medium or high speed.

3                   Add your milk by degrees until your desired consistency has been achieved

4                   Scoop or pour into a cup, top off with a trial mix, or a granola and enjoy. 

*For North Idahoans, you can buy at a good price fresh almond butter at the Heath Corner in Yokes as well the fresh peanut butter. They provide terrific unsalted dry roasted peanuts and almonds and sell them by the pound. Maybe at other health food stores you may be able to find such services.