A piece of food for thought

Recently, I read about the 12 days of Christmas in the December 2015 – January 2016 Seton Magazine.  Christine Smitha presented some information about the famous carol 12 Days of Christmas. It was proposed to her that the song was the “Catechism for persecuted Catholics” during the 17^th and 18^th centuries in France. However she states that no one really knows and may turn out to be “a fun memory game” for that time period. (Smitha, 2015)

            I personally would like to think that it was a coded Catechism and could represent religious symbolism for all faiths. Also it could have provided a way for a people under hard times to keep their faith alive and strong through fun songs such as this one. I have heard stories similar to this were the words in songs have been messages of hope or direction. Also there have been songs made to help preserve cultural traditions under heavy foreign oppression. Why not so for this song?  This article has made me think a little more about really meets the ear.

I am grateful to have this Christmas season and to think a little more of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the source of our Salvation and happiness. I am eternally grateful that He has come to earth as a humble babe and in humble circumstances. I hope we may all renew our commitments to Him who is the author of our Salvation, Peace, and Happiness.

God bless you all this Christmas Season and New Year!

            Here are the possible interpretations of the 12 gifts mentioned in the article. (Smitha, 2015)

1.              A Partridge in a Pear Tree = Jesus Christ

2.              Two Turtle Doves= The Old and New Testaments

3.              Three French Hens= Faith, Hope, Charity;

4.              Four Calling Birds= the Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)

5.              Five Golden Rings= First Five Books of the Old Testament

6.              Six Geese Are laying= Six Days of Creation

7.              Seven Swans are swimming= Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

8.              Eight Maid are milking= The Beatitudes

9.              Nine Ladies are dancing= Nine fruits of the Holy Spirit

10.          Ten Lords are leaping= the Ten Commandments

11.          Eleven Pipers are piping= the Eleven faithful Apostles

12.          Twelve Drummers are drumming= the twelve doctrines outlined in the Apostle’s Creed

Works Cited

Smitha, C. (2015, December 1). A Homeschooler's Guide to Celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas. (K. Clark, & C. Smitha, Eds.) Seton Magazine , 4 (12), pp. 8-9, 16.

Setonmagazine.com

Peanut Butter is good when you make...

Apple Peanut Butter

About 2 cups of delight,

 I was amazed that the apple or peanut butter flavor did not come out but it served a good spread on toast.  

Materials

2 whole Apples washed and de-stemmed

5 Tbsp. Dry Roasted Unsalted Peanut Butter (preferably freshly grounded or made) 

Pinch of Salt (optional)

Tools

Food Processor or Blender

Wooden Spoon

Measuring Spoons

Clean storage bowl

Instructions

1. Half your apples and put them in the blender or food processor and blend them up until you make apple sauce
2. Add the peanut butter a tablespoon at a time until well mixed and until the mixture is fluffy and smooth
3. Add a pinch of salt in step one or two

Optional you can add raw honey to make it sweet. 

Apple Peanut Butter

A close up view

It is Honey Butter with out the butter...

Butterless Honey Butter

 This is a simple mind blowing dish. It has similar texture and taste of regular Honey Butter made from margarine. 

Materials

1 part Coconut Oil firm and cool

1 part Raw Local Honey

Sea or Himalayan Salt

Tools

Mixing spoon

Mixing bowl (glass preferably)

Measuring cups & spoons

Instructions

1. Mix the salt and coconut oil until it has a warm 'buttery' taste
2. Add the honey and mix until well blended. 
3. Place in refrigerator to cool and harden. Also can be served immediately according to preference. 

Enjoy on top of warm dairy free corn bread and goodies. I had to create something on the spot to give it a try and boy it was delectable. 

Please try it and let me know if you had similar successes  

News Flash!!

A New Forks Over Knives App!

This is great! Forks Over Knives has provided a new app for your phone. It has recipes, tips of living a plant-based diet, and many other convenient tools. Below is the link to the iTunes app. Take advantage of the possible resources that we are now becoming more available. 

The Link:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/forks-over-knives-the-recipes/id903911740?mt=8 

Sun Power Butter

RAW Sunflower Peanut Butter

This recipe is a quick fix. I typically eat this right after I make it. It has a great creamy texture.

Yields 1/2 cup 

Materials

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raw peanuts

1-2 tbsp. coconut oil

1 tbsp. raw honey

2 dashes of cinnamon powder

pinch of salt

Tools

Food Processor 

Measuring spoons

Measuring cups

wooden spatula

Instructions

1. Combine Sunflower seeds and peanuts and process for about two minutes or until the peanut and sunflower mixture starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. 
2. Add your coconut oil.  The mixture should 'cream' up.
3. Add the honey, cinnamon, and salt 
4. Mix until it is well blended
5. Scoop into a bowl  and it is ready to be eaten. Hand mix raisins or fresh fruit for a delectable treat.  

A Pictoral Process

Mean Vegan Taco

Two Tacos

Caution they are great fillers, two was more than enough.

Materials

two home made tortillas
your favorite guacamole
two kale leaves of choice
two large leaves of lettuce
Cabbage Carrot Relish
Vegan tofu keilbasa
Salsa of choice (optional)
 cayenne pepper (completely optional)

Tools

Sharp knife
large spoon
clean flat surface or cutting board
frying pan

Instructions (See the pictures)

1.  Place the tortilla flat

2.    Thinly spread guacamole on the surface of the tortilla

3.    Slice the kale down the stem and place on each side of the tortilla

4.    Follow the same procedure with lettuce placing it on top of kale

5.   Place relish onto the lettuce

6.  Lay your recently cooked vegan sausage kielbasa in the center and fold it.

 

7.  Garnish with your favorite salsa and enjoy

 

I even sprinkled some cayenne pepper to give it a little zing but that is completely your choice.

great for hotdogs and burgers

Cabbage Carrot Relish

This was made on the fly as I was creating a scrumptious dish.

Yeilds one cup of relish

Materials 

2 cups of chopped cabbage

1 medium carrot shredded

1 bacth of Cheese Sauce

1/4 tsp Dill

pinch of Garlic

pinch of basil

pinch of cumin (optional)

Tools

Food processor (a must, but if not a blender would work)

Small mixing bowl

mixing spoon

Instructions

1.  Put your shredded carrots and chopped cabbage into the processor. blend until everything is coarsely chopped
2.  Put into a small mixing bowl and add cheese sauce and spices.
3. Hand mix until evenly mixed, you can add more spices and desired flavors to the dish tasting as you go. 
4. Put into air tight storage container for later use

You can enjoy immediately or later according to preference. I used this in place of a pickle relish.

 

 

It is just a mess of things

Shredded Cheese Salad Topping

The Story:    I was out inventing again and decided to process my typical salad recipe. To my dismay the salad tasted awful almost metalic. Not wanting to waste and not knowing what to do, I dished into a container and put it the refrigerator. After a day or two, I thought why not just add my amazing cheese sauce, bake a potato, and throw in some sauteed mushrooms. I did and wow! I was amazed how delicious the dish turned out.  

Yeilds 1 1/2 cup 

Materials

1/2 portion of a Kimball's Typical Salad
Double batch of that amazing cheese sauce
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

Tools

Food processor

Mixing bowls

Mix spoons

Instructions 

1. Put salad into food processor, blend until all is evenly blended
2. Combine ingredients and mix until well mixed
3. Sautee the Mushrooms the way you like and add into the mix
4. Serve on top of warm baked potato or romaine lettuce or a slice of bread and possibly chips 

FYI The story retold my first attempt, but recently I just tried again and proved successful. 

Could also add diced tomatoes, olives, onions or whatever your heart desires

Have it raw and no other

RAW Peanut Butter

Materials

1 cup of raw unsalted peanuts

1/4 coconut oil or oil of choice

salt (optional)

Tools

Food Processor
Storage container
Spatula

Instructions 

1. Process your raw peanuts into a flour consistency
2. add your oil by degrees, scrape the sides if necessary and blend until smooth or desired texture. You may want to add more oil to make it creamy. 
3. Dish out into a storage container and keep in a cool dry area. 

Really Awesome Wonderful (R.A.W.) ....

Peanut Butter Balls

by Ann Wigmore

13 1 inch size balls

Materials

1/2 cup RAW peanut butter*

1/2 cup sunflower seed meal**

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup raw local honey

Tools

Large Mixing bowl

Spoons

Serving dish

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients together 
2. Pluck out a finger full of batter and roll into balls

You could add fresh blueberries or other fruity choices that could make this a delicious meal

* On other post
** Grind them up in grinder or food processor 

RAW PB Balls with Blueberries

See original Recipe from Dr. Christopher's Herbal Recipe Website.

A little of this and a little of that

Simplified Tortillas 

Materials

1/2 cup Flour of choice

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. Water 

Tools 

measuring cups and spoons

small mixing dish

Cast Iron Frying Pan

Metal Turner Spatula

mixing spoon

Instruction

1. Dump your flour first.
2. Add your 1/4 cup water and mix. 
3. Add more water by the tablespoons until the flour water mixture becomes either thick or runny. 
4. Heat your cast iron pan at medium heat, add a little oil to grease the pan
5. Pour  and spread the batter into as thin as you possibly can. 
6. Let it cook until the whole tortilla changes color. Once it completely changes color, wait for about a minute or two because the tortilla would be ready to flip. Test with metal turner spatula by poking and prodding the edges
7. Flip and let cook for a minute or two or five until other side is lightly browned.
8. Place on cooling rack

FYI: If you have a runny batter, the tortillas will be soft and pliable, a thick batter with provide a stiffer tortilla 

Eat with what ever dipping sauces or stuffings 

Here are some ideas

With Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

With your favorite Salad Mix

Shredded Carrots, Cheese Sauce, and Hummus

Butterless Fingers (aka Bread Sticks)

Garlic Finger Sticks

Yields 12-13 Breadstick fingers

This was a great simple recipe  and it was enjoyable to create these garlic flavored bread sticks and dip them in a double batch of the dairy free cheese sauce or your favorite sauce. 

Materials 

1 cup of Sprouted Spelt Flour

1/2 cup Whole Grain Pastry Flour

1 1/2 tsp of Salt

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1/2 - 1 cup water

1 1/2 tsp. yeast

1 tbsp. of plant based sweetener

Tools

Large Mixing Bowl

Strong wooden spoon

Measuring Cups and spoons

cookie sheet oiled 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine dry ingredients first
3. Add your 1/2 cup water and mix. add more water or flour until the dough could be kneaded
4. Knead you dough for about a minute or two
5. Let it sit up to an hour
6. Pluck off finger size portions of dough and roll the dough into finger length bread sticks and place on the lightly oiled pan. 
7. Sprinkle some more garlic powder onto along with some salt (optional)
8. Place in oven and let it cook for 20 or 30 minutes until the crust is firm and bounces on tapping the crust. 
9. Take out and let it cool, and place  the mini breadsticks on a cooling rack until they have completely cooled. 
10. Pull out your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy. 

A Vel Vettaless cheese recipe

Cheese And Salsa

This was an amazing zesty italian flavored cheese and salsa mix that I had ever had.

Yield 2 cups fo sauce

Materials

Double batch of Cheeseless Sauce
1/2-3/4 cup of your favorite Salsa
1/4 tsp cumin powder
dash of Tarragon leaves
dash of cayenne powder (optional)
Bag of your favorite chips

Tools

Mixing bowl
Measuring spoons and cups
Mixing Spoon
Serving Bowl

Instructions

1. Mix your cheese sauce first.
2. Dump your salsa into the cheese sauce and hand mix until blended
3. Pour into your serving bowl and enjoy with chips.

 Please refrigerate if you are not planning to use it right off or for an hour or two later. You could possibly let it sit over night to allow the flavors to merge. 

You'll Scream, We Scream for ....

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

This recipe is very simple and serves as a base recipe for your imagination. I thought I was going to miss ice cream since it is somewhat expensive to buy just a pint of dairy-free ice cream. But this provides an economical solution in the long run especially for a single person. 

Serves 2

Materials

2 peeled frozen Bananas
1/2-3/4 plant based milk (sweetened or unsweetened)
1 1/2 Tablespoon Peanut Butter (smooth or chunky)

Tools
Food Processor or blender
Measuring cup
Spatula

Instructions

1. Peel and freeze your bananas overnight at least and pull them out when you want to use them. 
2. Dump your bananas into your processor with your peanut butter.
3. Pulse a few times, you may want to hold down your machine because the bananas will make it bounce. 
4. Pour in your milk and turn on your machine until it becomes smooth. You could add more milk to thin out the mixture
5. Serve and enjoy

There are many variations that you could do to this simply by adding chocolate chips, frozen fruit, fresh fruit or what ever. 

Here is a similar recipe that I had while pursuing other websites. 

I will tell you once, it is not beef!

Meatless Burger Patty

Up to 6 patties

Materials

8 ounces of Mushrooms (sliced or not)

½ cup vital Wheat Gluten

½ yellow onion

1 ½ tsp. cumin

1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

dash of salt

½ cup of Flaxseed meal

1 cup sprouted spelt flour

1 tsp. olive oil

Tools

Food processor

Small mixing bowl

Cast iron fry pan or stainless steel fry pan

Measuring cups and spoons

Instructions

1              Combine all except the flaxseed meal and flour into your food processor and mix until the mixture becomes a messy mixture.

2              Combine your flaxseed meal and flour in a small bowl.

3              Grab a fingers full of the burger dough or whatever you may call it, and roll it in the flour mixture, just enough to coat the outside

4              Form the burger in your hands as thin as you possibly can

5              Place on hot frying pan, greased with olive oil.

6              Smash the burger with a spatula and let it cook until the burger becomes brown on the pan.

7              Turn and wait until cooked.

8              Place your favorite toppings, sauces, and on your favorite bread, buns and enjoy

 This recipe is amazing. I was shocked how much it had the similar texture of a meaty burger patty. It is not at all spicy with the cayenne. 

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.