Bagels

Bagels 

Photos at the end of the post ;)

Thanks to the folks over at The fresh loaf  this is a wonderful fun bagel recipe to work with.

Makes 32 bagels


Sponge:
2 teaspoon instant yeast
8 cups bread flour
5 cups water

Dough:

1 teaspoon instant yeast
5.5 cups bread flour
2 cups whole grain flour ( a mix of whole spelt, ground flax, rye meal, cracked wheat)
4 3/4 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons malt powder (see how to make it)
8 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
dried onions

Making the proof:

Add the yeast and flour, stir together. Add the water. Mix until its all incorporated and cover. Allow to rise for 2 hours.



After the two hours:

Mix together all of the dough ingredients then add in the sponge and mix well at least 10 mins. If you use flax don't forget that it absorbs 9 times its water weight so I added another 1/4 cup water,  The dough should be stiffer and drier than normal bread dough, but moist enough that all of the ingredients are well blended.

After kneading, split the dough into a 32  pieces. Cover them with a saran wrap and let them rest for 10- 20 minutes.

Shaping the bagel is easy  punch your thumb through the center of each roll and then rotate the dough, using both hands rotate the bagel (should post a video....hmmmm ) and lightly stretch it

Place the shaped bagels on an oiled sheet pans,  Lightly brush the bagels with oil and  cover the pan with saran wrap and allow the dough to rise for about 20 minutes. After 20 mins put the pans into the fridge or somewhere cool.

Next Morning
(as you remove the bagels off the tray to add them to the boiling water lightly sprinkle the pan with corn meal) and only take one pan out of the fridge at a time.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees

Boil a large pot of water add a few teaspoons of  molasses to the water and a tablespoon of baking soda. (Repeat after each batch with the same amount of molasses- but 1 teaspoon of baking soda) Once it is fully boiling add your bagels. (mine fits 4 at a time) as soon as the water hisses and boils *about a minute turn them and let them repeat the same boil stage) as you pick each one out of the water let them drain over the pot and then put them on the baking tray- repeat until the tray is refilled with boiled bagels. Sprinkle whatever toppings you want on them. Put the tray in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Turn the tray around and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove them and set them on baking racks to cool.

just mixed sponge

After 2 hours

stretched into rings

Next Morning ready to be boiled

Ready to be flipped

Fresh out of the oven

Vegan Cheese Biscuits

Yummy! So they might not be cheesy but they sure are tasty! Using a slice-able cheddar cheese*, Almond Ricotta  and Almond Mayo they really are tasty and easy to make. (makes about 10)

1 1/4 cup sifted bread flour
1/4 cup ( a mix of whole spelt, ground flax, rye meal, cracked wheat)
1 tablespoon Agave or Sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
a few spoon fulls of ricotta
a few spoons full of almond mayo
3/4 cup cut up slice-able cheddar cheese
2/3 cup soured almond milk (add two tablespoons of vinegar to the milk and let sit for a min)

preheat over to 400 degrees

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add the "cheeses", olive oil and mix. If you need to add any more liquids you can do so. It'll be a soggy dough. Using 1/4 measuring cup scoop out and put on your baking tray and bake. It should take about 16 minutes but cook until the very tips of the biscuits have a little brown on them. Serve hot or at room temperature. (by the next day the flavor had really developed in these biscuits)

*I will post the slice-able cheddar cheese that I made up. I just have to remember what I did first! LOL

Crackers

Crackers are everyones friend. With a little work you can make your own. It's so simple and very very tasty. Making your own crackers means you can flavor them anyway you want. ;) This cracker recipe is just like my taco shells but using one more cup of a flour mix and flavorings)

3 cups bread flour
1 cup ( a mix of whole spelt, ground flax, rye meal, cracked wheat)
1/3 + 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 3/4 cup water
(Added dried Onions, pepper, garlic, salt)

Preheat over to 250 degrees

Mix flours and seasonings together than add the oil and then the water miz until the dough has fully come together and it's not sticky. Saran wrap it for 30 minutes and than roll it out like you do taco shells. Cook on griddle until cooked through. (something to keep in mind cook it on a lower temp or they will smoke). Add them to your oven and let them dry out until they are crackers.

Once they are cool break them apart. If you want squares, circles or any other shape. Cut them out of the dough before cooking them on the griddle.

Liquid Laundry Detergent

laundry detergent 

I don't know about you but  I truly hate paying to much for anything. When it comes down to laundry detergent .... two words.. OH MY... so this recipe and 15 minutes of your time is roughly going to cost you 3 dollars to make and you will have 416 ounces of the best, cleanest, most ecological sound laundry detergent that actually gets your clothes clean and doesn't leave them feeling greasy or nasty or make you itch afterwards.

pail

No need to pay for a container... (if you know of someone that owns a cat(s) ask for there plastic pail (40 pounds) that was housing the kitty litter) Not only are you stopping one pail from making it into the land fill your saving money. Wash it out real well and there you go.

4 cups water
Bar of soap ( I use Dr. Bronners)
1 gallon container
5 gallon container/lid or a used kitty litter container( 40 pounds)
1 cup of washing soda
1/2 cup Borax

3 "ingredients"

grated soap flakes

Start heating the water and cheese grate the bar of soap into flakes. Right before the 4 cups of water boils add the soap flakes and turn down a bit. Stir until all of the soap has dissolved. Once the soap has dissolved add 3 gallons of hot water to the large pail, dump in the soap mixture and add the washing soda, stir until its dissolved and then add the borax and again stir until its dissolved. If you let it sit over night it will thicken into a gloppy mess, If you keep a spoon handy you can just stir it back up. But you can use it right away.

Vegan Pastrami

Vegan Pastrami

2 1/4 cups instant gluten flour (vital wheat gluten) 
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes 
1/4 cup chickpea flour  
1/4 cup fine bulger, fully soaked 
 mustard seeds, dill, Thyme, salt, pepper, pepper flakes, dried onion,  cayenne, lawry's salt, emeril's, coriander, fennel, clove   
 3/4 cup cold water 
4 tablespoons tomato sauce 
2 tablespoons soy sauce 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
6 cloves garlic, pressed 
1/2 cup cooked lentil's
1/2 cooked tapioca

all ingredients ready to be mixed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees


Add all dry ingredients to a bowl. Add the lentil's and cooked tapioca. Then add your liquids. Mix together till its all combined and lay out on tin foil. Roll it into a log tightly twisting the ends up. Bake until its done. 3-4 hours. Allow it to fully cool to be easy to slice thin. 

ready to be rolled up and baked

And now for a teaser :) Vegan Rubens

Crab Snacks

Looking for the perfect Tapas idea? Or just a snack.... or one of the best concepts of leftovers ever? Welcome to .....Crab Snacks :)

Take a ripe avocado mush it up well add seasonings to it put it on a cracker with a little bit of crab and I swear you will think you have died and gone to heaven.

Avocado mixture

• Lemon juice 
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Za'atar ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Za'atar) 
• Thyme
• Ginger
• Cayenne

Break time.....

Mahi Mahi (nut encrusted)

Mahi Mahi

Not really a recipe but still worth mentioning. It's a great dinner party idea. It's makes quite the plating. 

Mahi Mahi

Nut Crust 

Cashews- blended into fine pieces 

Parsley

Pepper

Cayenne

Garlic

(whatever else you want) 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line your broiler pan in tin foil. Brush the tin foil and the fish liberally with olive oil. Bake for 5 mins, remove from oven and dip in coconut milk and roll in nut mixture. Put back on the broiler pan and pat on the remaining nut mixture. Bake for a additional 5-10 mins until the top of the fish is browned and done.

Vegan Cuban Bread

Vegan Cuban Bread

Wow! Has it been a long time since I last posted.... Sigh ..... well here is a recipe for tasty Cuban Bread. It squashes flat but once you freeze it its not quite as "fresh" but I don't worry about that. It still makes great sandwiches,  Croutons, tasty bread slices for your favorite dip. No matter what this recipe is a award winner.

STARTER
3/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup bread or all-purpose flour

The day before baking; add the flour and yeast, mix then add water. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and put in fridge for 24 hours. 

DOUGH

4-1/2 tsp instant yeast 

1 Tbsp sugar

1-1/2 cups warm water

3 to 4 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 batch starter (see above recipe) * I always double this recipe (at least)

1 Tbsp Sea Salt

4 to 5 cups sifted bread flour

Add all dry ingredients to your bowl. Mix together than add the wet ingredients

Mix well with a spoon. You want to get a dough that is stiff enough to knead. 

Knead until smooth and elastic, about  8 -10 minutes, adding flour as necessary. The dough should be pliable and not sticky.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles its' bulk, about 60 minutes. Lightly deflate it. 

Ready to be divided 

Cut and ready to be rolled out

To form the loaves, divide the dough in 4 pieces. (This was a quadrupled recipe) Take your piece of dough and flatten fold the sides up and pinch them together really well.

Roll out each to form a 14-inch long tube, with rounded ends (sort of like a long meat loaf)

Ready to roll out 

Put 2 of the loaves on a baking sheet, about 6 inches apart. Cover with saran wrap and a dish towel and let rise in warm, spot until double their bulk, about 1 hour. If you want to let it rise at a slower pace, you can let it rise in refrigerator, let it sit for 4 hours instead. ( I always do personally)

 Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Lay a dampened piece of thick kitchen string or twine (about 1/8 " thick) all along the top length of the loaf. Bake until the breads are lightly browned on top and sound hollow when lightly tapped, about 30 Mins.

Cuban Sandwich 

 

Vegan "Chicken"

Vegan Chicken

This is a work in progress but its tasty. Just because I make fake meats its not because I feel like I need to eat meat (totally the opposite) it's just fun to take VWG, veggies, corn flour and seasonings and actually make something thats amazingly close to a meat product. I think it really clarifys how messed up the food chain is and how unreal most meat products are. My only goal in doing so is to produce a new tasty ingredient that has multiple uses, and helps fulfill nutritional requirements in our diets.

"Chicken"

Just mixed

1/2 cooked lentils
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
3/4 cup mushroom broth +  2 tablespoons almond milk
1/3 cup olive oil
black pepper, garlic, lemon pepper, emerils,
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast



Boil the lentils and sunflower seeds together. Blend with a hand mixer. Mix all dry ingredients together. Combine all ingredients together. Mix till combined and no dry spots.

Simmering Broth

• Miso
• Bay leaves
• Salt
• Garlic
• Mushroom broth
• Soy sauce
• anything else you want

Just removed from the broth... and yes, thats how the bay leaves stuck to the cheesecloth 

unrolled from the cheesecloth

After you combine all ingredients together. Cut off your cheesecloth and flatten out mixture into a oval shape. Wrap up and tie the ends. If you want smaller pieces cut the mix into what ever shape you need ( sandwich slices, chicken nuggets, etc.. and wrap up) add to simmering (seasoned) water. Simmer for 30 minutes or till the "chicken" floats. Let cool and remove. Remove the cheesecloth, lightly oil the pan and add about 1/3 - 1/2 cup of the simmering broth. Cover with tin foil and bake @ 350 until the liquid has almost completely boiled away. Uncover and flip the "chicken" add a little more simmering broth and bake it till it starts to lightly brown on each side. Flipping as you need to. 

We had "chicken" fajitas. I will also try deep frying it and will post on 

that also.  

"Chicken" Fajitas

   

Vegan Pizza

So I can promise you the best pizza crust ever. Really! 

Pizza Crust

• 5 cups Bread flour
• 2 Tablespoons instant yeast
• 1 Tablespoon sugar (or agave)
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Cups warm water
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 tablespoons Vital Wheat Gluten

This makes TWO 16 inch pans- or smaller if you want. 

Pizza Sauce

• Hm Tomato sauce

Cheese

Hm Vegan cheese..... this is a work in progress but so far to date its the closest thing I have had to real cheese ... ever! Rough recipe as follows:

• 1 cup almonds
• 2 cups hot water 
• 1 1/2 cup oil 
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 3 tablespoons agar
• Dried Onions
• Salt
• Few pinches of Nutritional yeast 

Add all ingredients to your blender and process till smooth. Add to a pot and turn to medium and stir until it thickens. I used it right when it came off the stove. It worked perfect. Will see what happens tomorrow after it fully sets. Like I said a work in progress but it definitely has merit.    

Pizza Crust

Combine flour and VWG and sift. Add other dry ingredients and mix. Add oil and the warm water and mix the dough until when you lightly poke it it springs back. (about 10 mins). Lightly oil the dough and cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Let sit for two hours. Dump out onto a rolling surface and split the dough into two pieces. Roll out. 

Before cheese and with vegan pepperoni 

Take your pizza pan and lightly oil it. Gently fold the dough in half to pick it up and then stretch out onto the pan. Add your sauce, your toppings, and then the cheese. bake it at 500 degrees until it's bubbling and brown. (my oven about 20 min's or so) The cheese was actually bubbling. Crazy I know.










Now it's time for beer (or wine) and pizza!

Vegan Gnocchi

Baked Gnocchi

Gnocchi

• Potatoes
• Mushrooms
• Green Onions
• Garlic
• Seasonings
• Vegan Ricotta 

Gnocchi Mix

• Onions
• Mushrooms
• Spinach
• ...any veggie's u want
• Seasonings
• Vegan mayo
• Vegan Ricotta 

Bake potatoes. Once baked let them cool and then scrape the potato out of its skin. If you have a food mill you can use that to rice them. If you don't you can just mash them up really well. Sauté the mushrooms, onions, and garlic in a little olive oil and add to the potatoes. Mix. Add enough flour to the potatoes that they just stop sticking to your fingers and then roll them out into a long snake. Once rolled out cut into 1/2 inch slices and then roll on a Gnocchi board.  

 

Add to boiling water till they float. Remove. Put in bowl and sprinkle with a little olive oil. Stir them carefully to coat with oil so they don't stick.

Lightly sauté your vegetable mix. Add Gnocchi to your baking dish and mix in the veggie mixture and the almond mayo, and ricotta. Mix in. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly hot.   

Vegan Chimichanga

Vegan Chimichanga

(Yes, They have been deep fried) I have to say this... everyone should have a wok. No need for a deep fryer. A wok is so versatile you will quickly fall in love with it's multiple uses. 

Vegan Hamburger 
Taco Shells
Vegan Mayo
Salsa
Lentils
Beans

Veggie Filling

Ground up Vegan "ham"burger

• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Peppers, red, yellow & green
• Jalapeños
• Garlic
• Cilantro 

Lightly sauté on your griddle the veggies, put them in a bowl and season them to taste (don't forget cumin is a important seasoning when making Mexican food) Using your food processor grind up your "ham" burger

Mix together your veggies and "ham" burger. 

Cook lentils. Drain any excess water and blend them into a paste. Season to taste.  

To assemble: spread on the lentils mixture, add beans, add your veggie mixture. Then fold it up over center, fold ends in and then roll over so all folds face down. Heat your wok up adding about 1/2 inch oil. Always place in the oil fold side down. Fry 2-3 minutes turning once or until shell is crispy and golden brown

Top with lettuce, almond "mayo, salsa or any of your favorite toppings. 

Raw Key Lime Dessert

Avocado Key Lime Pie

Crust

• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Cashews 
• Pistachios 
• Agave

Because this recipe is so versatile I am not giving amounts because it depends on if you want to make one or lots or if you are making a crust for a pie pan. Feel free to use whatever you want for nuts. Food processor them and then add agave till it starts to stick together. Press into your dish.

Avocado filling

• 1-2  Ripe Avocados
• 3-4 Tablespoons Fresh lime Juice
• 1/4 cup Agave 

 Again, if you need more you can double the recipe. Add all ingredients to your blender and process till smooth. Fill your crust with the avocado filling. Cover and chill till you are ready to serve it.  

Spicy Vegan garden Veggie Fettucini Pasta

Fettucini with Garden Veggies

• Pasta noodle recipe 
• onions
• garlic
• spinach
• carrots
• cucumbers
• tomatoes
• peppers
• mushrooms
• squash
• seasonings to taste
• Almond "mayo"
• Almond Ricotta 

Noddles cut up and ready to be cooked

Make noodles as directed. Flour and fold and cut up into thick strips. Boil water add a little oil. Cook till they float to the top. Drain water add a little oil so they don't stick. Stir them. 

Cut up as many veggies as you want in various amounts. Either lightly cook the veggies or add them raw to cooked noodles stir together. Add almond mayo and almond ricotta and seasonings.

Yummy! 

  

Baguettes

Baquettes

Baguettes are not hard to make they just require time. You make the starter the night before and the next day you add the starter to the rest and 6 hours later you have the most tasty baguettes ever.

Just mixing the starter

Starter

• 1/2 cup cool water
• 1 cup bread flour
• 1/16 teaspoon instant yeast

Sift flour add yeast mix. Add water. Mix together. Cover with plastic wrap. Set on counter till the next day. 

Starter Mixed

Starter the next day ready to be added to the Dough mix

Now that your starter is happy.

Dough

• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 +  2 teaspoons cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Mixed dough and starter

Sift flour, add all ingredients. Mix together. Add liquid and the starter . Mix until you have a dough that has a bit of a rough surface but still smooth. 

Cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel and let sit for 1 hour. After 1 hour gently poke the dough to deflate it. Turn it over and recover it. After another hour has passed do the same thing. At the 3 hour mark turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface and cut into 3 pieces. Slightly flatten each one into a rectangle and let sit for 15 minutes. 

Cut into 3's

Sliced and ready for the oven

.After the 15 minutes take each piece and fold it in on itself like you are rolling a paper tube pinch the seams together and roll out into a 16 inch long log and lay down on a floured tea cloth. Let sit for 90 minutes and gently roll each one off onto a  greased cookie sheet. Seam side down. Using a razor blade slice each loaf 3 times in a long crossing pattern.

Remember to preheat your oven to 450 degrees before the 90 minutes are up. 

After you have sliced the dough use cold or hot water (I use ice water) and gently brush them with the water. Bake them for 25 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Fresh baguettes with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and seasonings