Paws in My Plants: Good Things from the Earth

Cleaning House & Thrifting

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:51:00 +0000

CLEANING HOUSE

My grandfather passed away last month at the age of 90. My grandmother passed in 2004. We started cleaning out their house recently. It's sad and there are many memories. We have to sort through what we want and what we plan to donate. On a positive note, the attic is full of great vintage stuff. I found matching rooster wall plaques and a decorative tray that matches my kitchen perfectly, strands of bells that I played with when I was little.....

I'll post more pics of other things later on. Lots of owls and 70's decor! My grandparents really had good taste :-)

The coolest thing I've found so far is a LOOK magazine from 1968 with some amazing Beatles pics

THRIFTING

Went to our local Goodwill this week (Portsmouth, OH). I usually don't have much luck there. It seems like they don't get much good stuff and they ask a lot for it. For instance, you'll see a bowl with a dollar store $1 price tag on the bottom and Goodwill will have it marked for $1.89. I mean, seriously?

Anyway, I decided to stop in just in case and picked up a couple cheap treasures.

I got this Vino sign for 69 cents which will be so cute above my wine fridge

Carved wood coaster 59 cents. Not sure why I bought this :-)

Danny has been wanting a magazine holder for months.
I got this one for $3.10. It needs some TLC but cheaper than a
new one. Maybe I should paint it? Not sure about that yet.

BARGAIN SHOPPING

This salt and pepper shaker set is not a thrifting find. I got it at Kmart, but it is seriously so cute for $7.00!

Life is Short Sign, Eat Dessert First sign. A bargain at Hobby Lobby $9.00. Half price!

Until next time......

Cheesy Beer Soup with or without Macaroni

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:21:00 +0000

This is a combination of 3 recipes, 2 vegan and 1 non-vegan. Please read entire recipe through before starting :-) This soup is perfect for cold nights like tonight.

3 C vegetable broth (I use a combination of vegetable and 'no chicken' bouillon dissolved in water)
1 large russet potato (diced)

2 T Earth Balance margarine (or) 1 T olive oil
1 head of broccoli, chopped
1 large onion diced
1/2 cup diced baby carrots
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloved garlic, minced

1/2 C all purpose flour
1 C almond milk (you may need more at the end)
2 1/2 C vegetable broth (I use a combination of veg and 'no chicken' bouillon dissolved in water)

12 oz. beer of your choice

1 C uncooked elbow macaroni (you can omit but I like it)

3/4 C nutritional yeast
1/2 package Daiya Vegan Cheddar Cheese or other brand
1 t mustard
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/8 t turmeric
salt, pepper and season salt to taste

Bread- you will definitely want bread to dunk in this. I chose rye bread

1) Prepare your 5 1/2 cups vegetable broth if using bouillon. The brand I use calls for heating the water so the bouillon cubes will dissolve. Divide it as follows: one bowl with 3 cups and another bowl that has 2 1/2 cups broth

2) Simmer your diced potato in the 3 cups of broth you have prepared (save other 2 1/2 cups broth for later) for about 15 minutes until potato gets tender. Then, place potato and broth into a blender and puree until very smooth. Set aside. This little concoction will help thicken your soup.

3) While you are simmering the potatoes, start on your veggies. Place margarine or olive oil in soup pot over medium heat, add carrots and celery. Allow these to saute for a while until they start to get tender. I always have trouble getting my carrots tender enough for soup. Once these start to get tender add your onions and broccoli and give it another 5 minutes. Add garlic and heat another minute,. Watch constantly and turn down heat if needed. Stir often.

4) In a bowl, combine flour, remaining broth (2 1/2 cups), and the cup of almond milk and whisk until all the lumps are gone. Add this to soup pot that has the veggies in it. Bring to a boil and cook 1-3 minutes until it starts to thicken. Whisk constantly.

5) Add the potato/broth mixture into the soup pot along with your nutritional yeast, mustard, turmeric, and salt and pepper. Cook about a minute. Then add your beer, Daiya cheese, and macaroni (if using) and cook on medium, covered, for another 15 minutes.

6) At this point, your soup will get quite thick, almost a chowder consistency. I like mine a bit thinner so I add about a cup of almond milk to thin it out. At this point, I also add season salt to taste. I just love season salt!

Garnish with fresh pepper. Serve hot with bread or in a bread bowl. Makes enough for 4 or 5 people. If you have leftovers, you may need to add milk or broth when heating this up as it can get thick in the fridge.
Enjoy!

Banana Drops in the Vitamix

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:16:00 +0000

I finally got a Vitamix!!!

The first thing I made in the Vitamix was Banana Drops from the cookbook that came with it. Another type of high power blender would also work. These turned out really good, not too sweet though. Next time I may add dates for some extra sweetness and try substituting apple sauce for the oil and maybe add some nuts.

Preheat oven to 350. Put 2 ripe bananas in your blender, with 1/4 cup oil, 1 t vanilla and a cup of rolled oats. Blend for about a minute. Put this into a bowl and add 1 more cup oats and a cup of raisins. Mix and put on cookie sheet, flatten with fork. Now bake for 20 minutes. Remove from baking sheet right away to keep them from drying out.

I did not get a picture of these. They didn't last long enough :-)

Make Your Own Bisquick

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:46:00 +0000

Regular Bisquick has hydrogenated oils in it and nobody needs that! You can easily make your own at home.

Ingredients:

4 C       all purpose flour
3 T         baking powder
2 1/2 t salt
1 T         sugar
1 C         shortening (or) 1 C vegetable oil (see note)

If using shortening, blend all in food processor.
If using vegetable oil, just stir all ingredients together.
Use like you would regular Bisquick.

Note: If using vegetable oil, you will have to store this in the freezer, but if you use shortening you can store it in the cupboard. If you do use shortening, look for a brand like Spectrum or Earth Balance in the natural section that does not contain hydrogenated oils like Crisco does.

Storage:
OIL- Up to a year in the freezer
SHORTENING- Up to a year in the cupboard

No Excuses Green Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:45:00 +0000

This is a simple, economical way to get your morning smoothie. I'll break down the price for you in this post.

You will need:
2 handfuls spinach
1 cup almond milk
1-2 T cocoa powder
1 T ground flax seeds
1 frozen banana *see note
1/4 cup old fashion oats
1 packet stevia or to taste-You can use sugar or agave, but I like stevia because it doesn't have any calories.

Ok, to buy these ingredients you will have some initial investment.
a) The ground flax seed will run you about $3.00 for a box and will last forever. You can also use this as your egg substitute (1 T ground flax plus 3 T hot water = 1 egg).
b) Cocoa powder will run you about $5 and will last a very long time.
c) Old Fashion Oats are like $1.
d) Stevia packets will be about $4 for a box but you can use it for other purposes.

So the only things you have to buy that you have to use up within about a week are:
Spinach - box of organic runs about $4.50 and you can use it for salad
Bananas- $1.50 for a bunch
Almond Milk- $2.50-$4 and you can use it for cereal or other recipes

The spinach, bananas and almond milk should last you all week. You end up only having about $8-$12 invested in a weeks worth of smoothies. That's pretty economical!

* To make your frozen bananas- take ripe bananas when they are just starting to get brown spots, cut them into sections and put in freezer bag. Try to seperate the chunks and freeze the bag so they aren't all stuck together. Keep several bags of these in the fridge. This way, you don't have to use them up in one week.

Now, to make your smoothie just put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Zucchini Blueberry Muffins or Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 02:41:00 +0000

If you love zucchini bread and blueberry muffins this is the treat for you!
Sorry I didn't take an actual picture of these but they didn't turn out so pretty. They taste great but I ran out of liners so they stuck to the muffin pan. The bottoms are all messy.

Ingredients:

Egg substitute for 3 eggs- I used 3 T ground flax seeds mixed with 9 T hot water
1 cup canola oil (next time I may substitute apple sauce to cut out some fat)
3 t vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini
3 cups white whole wheat flour (unbleached whole wheat flour, I use King Arthur brand)
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1 T cinnamon
pint of fresh blueberries

Decide whether you want muffins or loaves. Grease pan or use liners. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In large bowl, prepare your flax eggs or other egg substitute. Whisk well and add in oil, vanilla and sugar. Fold in the shredded zucchini. Using your mixer, beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon until just incorporated. GENTLY fold in the blueberries.

Bake 30-50 minutes depending on whether you make bread or muffins. You will know they are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Quick Chili Bean Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 03:17:00 +0000

This salad is packed with nutrition and flavor.

Serves 1-2 (one person and one dog who thinks she's a person)
Ingredients:

1 16 oz can chili beans, undrained
10 yellow or red salad tomatoes
1 green pepper, diced very small
Italian seasoning
Daiya Pepperjack Cheese (vegan cheese)

Dice your green pepper extra small and add to mixing bowl. Cut your salad tomatoes in quarters and add to bowl. Open your can of beans and add beans along with juice to bowl. Now add Italian seasoning to taste, just a generous sprinkling.And put a handful of Daiya in the bowl. Toss and allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. Serve at room temperature.

So good, even your dog will come back for seconds!

Easy Blackberry Crisp

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 22:40:00 +0000

You can use any fruit with this. I had fresh blackberries so I used those. If using canned fruit such as peaches or pineapple, you'll need 2-3 cans.

Fruit: You'll need enough to cover the bottom of an 8 inch by 8 inch baking dish
2 T sugar for sprinkling over fruit

1 cup rolled oats (old fashion, not quick cooking)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 c packed brown sugar
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
8-10 T shortening or butter

Preheat oven to 375.
Spray an 8 by 8 baking dish with cooking spray
Put fruit on bottom. If using canned just use the fruit, not the liquid. Sprinkle fruit with 2 T sugar
In large bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Now, using a fork add in your butter or shortening so it is well incorporated. It will be chunky.
Cover fruit with this flour mixture.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Serve & Enjoy!

Portabella Mushroom Pizzas

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Wed, 04 May 2011 20:04:00 +0000

Portabella Mushroom Pizzas

Preheat to 350. Take the portabellas and cut off any remaining stem if there is any. Put some olive oil on a baking sheet and place the domed side of the port down on the baking sheet. If you have one of those meatloaf pans that have the drainage holes you may want to use it because they can get really juicy and they will drain that way. Rub the bottom of the port in the oil so it doesn't stick. Then, just put your pizza sauce and whatever topping you want on it. I like olives, garlic and fresh basil. Top with cheese alternative and italian seasoning. Bake 20-30 minutes. Bake time really depends on how thick your ports are and what you top them with. Enjoy!

Always eat breakfast for a faster metabolism

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 18:06:00 +0000

Going without food all night causes your metabolism to slow down so you can relax & sleep. It also allows your body to devote energy to reparative work. However, your metabolism will not "turn back on" until it knows you are awake. When you break the fast by eating your favorite morning meal, you're letting your body know to get that metabolism up & running. To jump-start your metabolism & burn the most calories over the course of the day, eat as soon as you get up.

My favorite breakfast is overnight oats. You prepare them the night before and refrigerate overnight so there is no prep time in the morning. Just stir and eat!

one mashed banana
1/3 cup old fashioned oats
2/3 cup almond milk
1 T milled flax seed (found near the flour in your grocery store)
liquid sweetener such as stevia to taste (1 t to 1 T)

Combine all in bowl, stir, cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, just stir again and eat.

You can also add other ingredients to change the flavor, such as cinnamon, pumpkin puree, nutmeg, cocoa powder, peanut butter, etc..

Easy Chickpeas with Balsamic Vinegar and Dill

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 23:03:00 +0000

I am a huge fan of chickpeas. They are so tasty alone but adding fresh herbs will give you a little variation. For this you will need:

1 16 oz can of chickpeas , rinsed well and drained

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 to 1 T balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup fresh dill

1 T dried dill weed

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together and let sit for about an hour so the flavors can blend. If you are using chickpeas that are high in sodium, you may not want to add much salt. Add it to taste.

I can easily eat a whole can of chickpeas done this way. You can eat them alone or toss them in salads or experiment by adding other veggies to the mix.

Cheddar Herb Muffins & Southwest Chickpea Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 02:17:00 +0000

Took the day off today to do some much needed cleaning after our basement flooded. Yuck! So, while Danny was taking care of that :-) I was baking muffins and planning tonight's meal. I made the Cheddar Herb Muffins from here: http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/springing-up-everywhere/ I made only a few changes. I didn't have smoked paprika so I used regular. I didn't have scallions so I used chives and I didn't have fresh dill so I used dry dill. I also added 1 T nutritional yeast for extra cheesy flavor. They turned out great. Next time, I may omit the walnuts though. I wasn't really feeling them in there.

For dinner, I made Southwest Chickpea Cakes from MeatoutMonday.org:
http://www.meatoutmondays.org/emails/11-01-10.htm
I modified this recipe a bit. Instead of cayenne pepper and hot sauce I used chili sauce. Chili sauce is available in the Asian food section of most grocery stores. I didn't have fresh parsley so I used dry and I added chopped mushrooms because I needed to use them up. I doubled the flour and cornstarch to make them firmer and added them together before mixing with the rest of the ingredients.

Chickpea Cakes before Frying

I made a sauce with vegan mayo, Tofutti sour cream, spicy brown mustard, chili sauce, agave, salt & pepper and sugar for drizzling over the cakes and let it sit so the flavors could mesh while the cakes chilled. When I fried these they crumbled some, so a flax egg might be a good idea for next time. Despite the crumbling, the flavor was incredible. I think if you have a George Foreman type grill it will come in handy for these. It's the flipping that causes them to crumble. I tried coating a few in Panko and they still fell apart but tasted good. You really need some type of sauce with these, so don't skip that part. Happy cooking!

Growing Microgreens

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:32:00 +0000

While looking through the seeds at Lowes yesterday, I noticed something new that I'd not seen there before- Burpee Microgreens Seeds Rainbow Blend. Included are Beet Detroit Red, Cabbage Pak Choi, Kohlrabi Purple, Broccoli DeCiccio and Radish China Rose. The packet is only $1.88 and there are quite a few seeds in it. They have a harvest time of only 10-15 days. You eat them just like salad, but they're smaller. I also picked up a Jiffy windowsill greenhouse for about $2.50. Hopefully, I can fully grow these microgreens inside with the help of a plant light. This plan could fail so I kept about half the seeds to plant outside later in the season.

If you love greens, go out and get you some Burpee microgreens!

Here in Southern Ohio, it's still not completely spring but signs of spring are upon us:

Crocus

But, just when you think winter is over, you get some snow like we got this past week:

Dwarf Iris

With spring fast approaching I really need to plan the garden layout. After having such a horrible time with weeds last year, I'm thinking most of my herbs and greens will go into pots and the corn and tomatoes will go into the ground.

I have every intention of doing more posts this spring, so stay tuned :-)

Making Almond Butter At Home & A Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 03:06:00 +0000

Almond Butter:
Once found only to health food stores, you can now buy almond butter in most grocery stores. It is less expensive and very satisfying to make it yourself at home. All you need are some almonds, a little oil (or not), and salt or sugar if you want.

To toast or not to toast:
Some people like to toast the almonds first which can bring out more flavor but I prefer mine untoasted. If you want to toast them first just preheat your oven to 350 F, spread almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast approximately 8 minutes. Let almonds cool before preparing butter.

Now for the butter:
Add almonds to your food processor and start processing. You can gradually add in a little oil to help it get creamy, I use grapeseed, but if you let it go long enough the natural oil in the almonds will release and you won't need to add oil at all. Totally up to you and how long you want to wait. It may take up to 10 minutes for the oils to release. The longer you blend, the creamier your almond butter will get. If you want it salty add a little salt or if you prefer sweet do sugar. I don't do either, but this is your butter so go crazy :)

Other Options:
You can do this with any type of nut. If you've looked at the back of the grocery store peanut butters and seen hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn syrup and other nasty additives, you'll be happy to know that homeade peanut butter is healthy and very good.

Usage and Storage:
Once you have made your nut butter use it just like you would if you bought it at the store. Keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

The Smoothie:
One of my favorite uses for almond butter is my nut butter and flax smoothie. To make it, add enough almond milk for the amount of smoothies you are making. If I'm drinking alone I usually do 2 cups. Then add in a generous glob of almond butter, a tablespoon of peanut butter, a banana, about 2 tablespoons flax seeds and some liquid sweetener such as agave. The result is sweet and creamy and has some chewiness from the almonds and flax seeds.

Deviled Potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:41:00 +0000

Deviled Potatoes

You will need:

6 small red potatoes

olive oil

4 T vegan mayo

1 t yellow mustard

1-2 T chopped onion

1-2 T chopped green onions

dash of hot sauce

dash garlic powder

garlic salt, salt and pepper to taste

paprika

It is up to you whether you want to peel the potatoes but I like to leave the skins on for crunch. Lightly spray a baking sheet and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut potatoes in half and coat all sides generously with olive oil. Place them face down and bake for 45 minutes.

In the meantime, mix all the other ingredients together including about a teaspoon of paprika but also saving some paprika for the tops when they are done.

When the potatoes are done, let them cool until you can work with them and hollow out most of the potato with a spoon so it looks like a deviled egg. Take the potato you remove and add it to your mayo mix, stir to combine.

Now, Fill your potatoes with the filling and dust with paprika.

I like these warm or cold.

Makes 12 halves.

These won't last long so you may want to double the recipe.

the meat of it

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:20:00 +0000

DISCLAIMER: I am aware that a plant based diet isn't the solution to all our problems. I am not trying to judge anyone for what they eat, just sharing my viewpoint, which could be totally wrong but it's my blog and I can write what I want! Bahahahah ;)

Lately, I've started to have a lot of negative feelings about food choices. I haven't felt this way for a very long time, since I first stopped eating meat in college and wanted everyone to get on board with me. I'm pretty active on facebook and I see people I know posting links about saving endangered animals and puppy mills and environmental problems but I know that these people still eat meat. Now, please don't read this and think I'm judging anyone for eating meat, I'm not! I ate meat for the first 20 years of my life so I'm not trying to be all high and mighty :), but I stopped in 96 and haven't missed it at all. For me, it was so easy to give up and that was 14 years ago when there weren't nearly as many options as there are now! It was all about animal abuse in the beginning but I've found other benefits.

I can't help it, it bothers me when people say they love animals and want to protect them, but see nothing wrong with eating food they know comes from factory farms, it just seems like a contradiction. Then, when someone mentions factory farming and the huge impact meat production has on the planet they get all upset and make excuses without ever having tried a plant-based diet even for a week. How can you say something won't work, if you refuse to even give it a try?

I hear things like:
1) I have to eat meat, I have diabetes
2) I need my protein
3) I get sick when I don't eat meat
4) My family would never go for it
5) It's too expensive
6) I hate vegetables
7) Soybeans are bad for you and vegetarians eat all kinds of soy
8) Vegetables havings feelings too, don't you feel bad about killing them?

Noone, ever just says "I like meat and it's all about what I like, so I don't plan on giving it up anytime soon" which is closer to the truth and honestly would be a better answer than the ones I listed. Those excuses I listed have pretty simple responses:

1) I have to eat meat, I have diabetes:
Plant based diets are recommended by doctors for diabetics. And, if you've eaten meat your whole life and now you have diabetes, don't you think eating more veggies might be worth a try.
You can read more about this at WebMD via CBS news:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/26/health/webmd/main1837927.shtml

2) I need my protein:
Ok, this one is so silly and I'm really tired of it. Protein deficiencies never happen anymore unless you simply don't eat enough food. More info on protein:

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/protein_myth.html

Think you need animal protein to get fit, check out this website:
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/

3) I get sick when I don't eat meat:
I always want to ask: Really, how long have you went without it? What did you eat in the place of meat? If you ate too much soy that could be the problem. If you tried to live on pizza and macaroni and cheese that is a real problem. Did you eat a variety of food? Did you do research?

4) My family would never go for it:
It's true, they might not go for it, but what if you sat them down and explained why you want to try it but let them know in the end the choice was up to them. It's a chance to try new things, to experiment with food, maybe lose some weight. What's wrong with that?

5) It's too expensive:
Have you seen the price of meat, dairy and eggs? If you learn to cook and bake for yourself it will be no more expensive than your previous diet and you may even find it to be cheaper, especially in the summer months.

6) I hate vegetables:
Well, if you hate them, that's all the more reason you should want to destroy them with your fork ;)
But seriously, I hear people say this all the time and when I ask which ones they've tried the answer is usually none or "well, I had a tomato once and it wasn't too bad" We all get stuck in routines with food, step out of the box and try something new!

7) Soybeans are bad for you and vegetarians eat all kinds of soy
It's true that vegetarians can get caught up in eating to much soy. I've been guilty of it, but we shouldn't eat anything in excess and should focus on a variety of foods including nuts, grains, fruits and veggies. Less processed food should be eaten without a doubt. I have my concerns about soy and especially the big name companies putting out low fat soy foods, they make me nervous. I don't think they have our best interest at heart. But fermented, organic soy foods like tofu seem fine to me.

8) Vegetables have feelings too, don't you feel bad about killing them?
This is the one that makes me laugh the hardest, because it usually comes from someone who really thinks they have a logical excuse but it's just so ridiculous. It's true that plants can respond to some stimuli, however at the end of the day they have NO brain and NO central nervous system. They are not like animals! And, in most cases we don't kill the plant to get the berry, veggie, seeds, etc.. those are given freely by the plant. You don't see many animals walking around missing a thigh.

What to do?
1) We all need to eat a lot less food period, we have become a nation of overeaters.

2) If possible we should try to grow some of our own food and buy local

3) We should try to make food choices that have the least impact on the planet and involve less animal cruelty. I don't expect everyone will give up meat, but it would be nice if people could cut back.

We all know there are health benefits associated with a plant based diet: much lower incidences of heart disease, certain cancers, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc... I am aware that a plant based diet isn't the solution to all our problems. But I look at all the negatives associated with eating meat, the mass cruelty involved in producing meat and the overall state of our planet and cannot understand why people don't choose to eat differently.

Sometimes, I think there's hope, then I take a trip to the grocery store look at people and what they're adding to their carts (processsed food void of any nutrition) and I know there isn't much hope for our planet. It makes me sad to think what it will be like in 50 years.

Spiralized Squash with Walnut Pesto

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:56:00 +0000

This is so easy to make and a good alternative to pasta if you are trying to eat more veggies. This time of year it's easy to get your hands on surplus squash. First, you need a spiralizer like the one shown below. It turns veggies like zucchini and squash into something that resembles pasta and you can eat it raw so you get more benefit from the veggie. Tonight I used yellow crookneck squash.

Just peel the squash and spiralize. Now for the pesto, take a cup of walnuts (you could also use pine nuts) and process in your food processor for a minute or so, then add 2-3 T extra virgin olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, some fresh basil and some fresh parsley, sea salt, nutritional yeast and any other spices you like. I didn't put measurements because I just throw in whatever. Process until smooth but still a bit rough. Add pesto to squash and it's ready to eat!

Columbus Ohio Vegan Meetup

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 02:26:00 +0000

Yesterday I attended the Columbus, OH Vegan Meetup. If you're vegetarian or vegan and aren't familiar with meetup.com it's worth checking out. Meetups are organized by topic and city, so search for vegetarian and nearby cities to join a group. I like the Columbus Vegan Meetup because Columbus is only 2 hours away and has SO many veg friendly restaurants. This meetup was held at On The Fly, which is part of Dragonfly Restaurant.

I had been to Dragonfly before but never to On The Fly, so I was curious about the whole setup. I arrived a few minutes late and went into the building, which is a small room next to the restaurant with a counter and a few tables. It was hard to choose but I decided on tacos and chocolate mousse pie. Then, I found a place oustide at one of the cute little tables. The weather was perfect for this meetup, not too hot and a nice breeze. My order came and there were 3 tasty vegan tacos consisting of a corn tortilla, refried beans, lettuce and a veg cheese sauce. My favorite part was definitely the dessert. The mousse pie was thick and rich and creamy, all around delicious. I drank water in anticipation of how sweet and rich the pie would be, so for the tacos and pie my total came to $9.90. This isn't the cheapest place to eat but compared to Dragonfly, which will probably run you $15-$25 per person (and is well worth it) it is a more affordable option.

After the meetup, I decided to hit a few shops before making the two hour drive home. I love thrift store shopping and Columbus has the best thrift stores! These 2 fun bottles had to come home with me. Got both of these for only $4.50!!

The Crocosmia Lucifer is finally blooming! Spent most of the day weeding, not fun but necessary I guess.
Went to Lowes and bought a sedum assortment. I'll get some sedum pics up soon. Love these little groundcovers!

Pineapple Crisp

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 01:30:00 +0000

I've been eyeballing the Pineapple Crisp Recipe from page 184 of the The PDQ (Pretty Darn Quick) Vegetarian Cookbook: 240 Healthy and Easy No-Prep Recipes for Busy Cooks for awhile and since I had the book out I decided to get the rolled oats and canned pineapple to make it today. Glad I finally did! This really turned out tasty, however when I make it again I will make some changes. I must have had extra juicy pineapple chucks because reserving 1/2 cup of the juice from the can and adding it to the recipe made this WAY to watery. See all that unnecessary liquid:

Once I took it out of the oven, I drained the liquid, but it would have tasted better if it wasn't there at all, so next time I will omit the juice. It also needed a lot more topping, which was the best part, crispy and sweet, loved it lots. So next time, I will double the topping. I think something else that would probably help is to use crushed pineapple, since the chunks weren't uniform in shape, the topping didn't stick really well. Other than those few changes, this recipe was a hit! The topping part was so good, I'm going to use it on some other fruits.

Look for more recipes to come from PDQ Vegetarian Cookbook

Have a great evening!

Chocolate-Granola Refrigerator Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:46:00 +0000

Today, I made the Chocolate-Granola Refrigerator Cookies from page 176 of The PDQ (Pretty Darn Quick) Vegetarian Cookbook: 240 Healthy and Easy No-Prep Recipes for Busy Cooks

I like this book, though all the recipes aren't vegan, many are and you can make substitutions to make them vegan in most cases. There's a recipe for pineapple crisp that I really want to try soon.

I chose this cookie recipe because it was fast and required few ingredients. Still, I didn't have everything it called for, like walnuts or pecans and granola. Since I'm not a big nut fan anyway, I just omitted this and in place of granola, I used oats.

These turned out really good. I love the raisin, chocolate and coconut combination! It took no time to make them either. The picture did not turn out so good I'm afraid. Don't let the fact that they look so gross deter you :)

These didn't get as hard as no bake cookies. Maybe they will after a few hours. Doesn't matter to me though.
They won't go to waste.

Growin' Some Peanuts, 2 Product Reviews & More Owls

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 02:24:00 +0000

My local nursery had something new this year that looked like a lot of fun-- peanut plants. I'm totally unfamiliar with growing peanuts, but I picked up a couple plants to try it out. I'm not even a big peanut fan, I just couldn't pass them up. I'll keep you posted on the nut situation.

Eating alone tonight so I went out to the garden, gathered some stuff for a salad and topped it with one of my favorite bottled salad dressings- Annie's Naturals Goddess Dressing. It's vegan and all natural and despite it's strong taste, I love it. I usually go for light salad dressing but this one is thick. The only real downside is that for the price, about $4.50 per bottle, it doesn't last me more than about 3 days worth of salads. I would love to come up with a recipe for something similar to make at home. If you have a recipe, please leave a comment!
Watch the label because there used to be 2 versions of this and one wasn't vegan.

Since I worked hard in the gardens today and as I mentioned I'm eating alone, it seemed like a good time to pull out one of my favorite convenience foods-- Simply Asia Sesame Teriyaki Noodle Bowl
I really like the flavor. It's a little sweet and the sesame seeds really make it special. You make this in the microwave in 2 minutes. They even give you the bowl and a little fork which makes it perfect for work. The downside-- I'm not a big fan of using a microwave and it's high in sodium-- 47% of the RDA, yikes!! Another thing I don't really like is the bowl can't be recycled. However, since the bowl comes with a lid, it makes a great little seed starting container.

Months ago, I bought this adorable craft paper at a local hobby store. The same day, I found a gift bag with this owl on it. Lucky for me, the peachy color was a perfect match. I planned on doing something with it at some point and last night while I was super bored, I pulled the stuff out. I took a tray and painted it cream, then decoupaged the paper on, cut out the owl and adhered it, then topped it all with a protective coat. The end result, is a cute little tray that matches my living room.

This cutie came from a customer. She read the blog, saw I like owls and gave it to me :) What a nice gesture. The bottom comes off and you can put a candle in it. And it looks very cool lit up. I really love my customers and not just because they give me things ;)

Got this baby at a flea market. I think it's an owl. I guess it could be a chicken, but in my mind it's definitely an owl. Poor guy isn't perfect- has a chip on one ear- but I'm not complaining.

We've had this lamp for a couple of years.
Can you guess why I like it?

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:40:00 +0000

What's Blooming in June?

All kinds of pretty flowers are blooming in my garden right now. Pictured are yellow yarrow, red velvet yarrow, spirea, lilies, multi-colored bee balm, echinacea, and pink lemondade honeysuckle.

The Colors of Bee Balm

Bee Balm is such an inpressive flower. It grows wild here in Ohio but you generally only see it in red. I was lucky enough to find some pink growing alongside the road so I dug up a little and brought it home. To my sheer delight, some of it ended up being purple!

Bee Balm is a complexion booster and can help minimize redness
American Indians used it as a seasoning
The flowers can be eaten and make a lovely salad garnish
Fresh and dried bee balm leaves can be used to make a medicinal tea
Steam inhalation of the plant can be used for sore throats and bronchial inflammation
Wild Bergamot was used also as an sweat inducer for ceremonial sweat lodges

Daisies & Beautyberry Bush Foliage

Pink Yarrow

Red Velvet Yarrow

Torch Coneflower

Lily

Pink Lemonade Honeysuckle

Strawberry Scented Geranium

Mr Lincoln Rose (one of my favorites)

What's About to Bloom?

Crocosmia Lucifer

Mint Explosion

Sunflowers that re-seeded from last year

Finally!

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Thu, 27 May 2010 04:20:00 +0000

Haven't posted much lately, but we've been super busy getting our mobile kitchen ready. And the good news is, it's finally done! Now, I can make vegan baked goods and confections to sell. This has been a dream of mine for years. The first of the baked goods are now listed on the store site:

Extra Dark Brownie Style Vegan Mini Cupcakes- Strictly For the Dark Chocolate Lover

Mighty Good Vegan Vanilla Mini Cupcakes- with Vanilla or Vanilla Coconut Frosting

Look for more goodies soon!

To package up these treats we are using the Foodsaver. I had never used a machine like this up until a few weeks ago and all I can say is "Wow, what a genius idea!" Wish I had invented it. We suck out the air, put them in the freezer and when they come out they taste just like they did when they went in.... genius! Anyway, if you want a kitchen gadget that will save you lots of money, you need to check it out. I plan to use it lots and lots for the veggies we grow this year.

Total Hotdog Failure but Saved by Hummus

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:51:00 +0000

Well, tonight I went to the grocery store and spent about $25 on spices I didn't already have (mace, coriander, ground cumin, and cardamon) and supplies to make the homemade veggie hot dogs at this link: http://thriftyliving.net/?p=107

Unfortunately, I hated them! Maybe I did something wrong, but the texture just didn't do it for me at all. I normally like stuff made with tofu too, so I really thought these would turn out good. :( It's so disappointing when you buy a bunch of stuff, work hard on a recipe and it isn't even edible. These are going in the garbage I'm afraid.

Luckily, I also picked up ingredients for Olive Hummus and some pita pockets. The hummus turned out super! So I made myself a sandwich and whipped up a batch of fudge, which also came out nice. The night turned out not to be a total waste of food after all!

Times are tough, eat salad for free!

noreply@blogger.com (Paws in My Plants: Good Eats from the Earth) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:47:00 +0000

Hungry tonight, craving a salad and I have no lettuce! I really need a salad! It's mid March in Ohio so I can't go outside and get a fresh salad from the garden, but lucky for me I have a yard with edible greens.

I gathered chickweed, chives, and salad burnet. Cleaned it up, tossed in some vinaigrette and it's done!

Next, it's leftover vegan beef stroganoff and mashed potatoes from last night.