Good Morning Ginger Scones

It's Tuesday and I feel like scones.  Plus my son Nic has been asking for them so here you go. ; )

Ginger Scones

1/2 c almond milk combined with 1 T lemon juice
2 c flour
1/2 c sugar (plus more for sprinkling)
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t ground ginger
1/8 t sea salt
1/2 c earth balance or coconut oil (or even butter flavored Crisco- not healthy but it is vegan)

almond milk or soy cream for brushing
optional - nuts or candied ginger for topping each scone

Heat oven to 350f

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt and ginger.  Add eb or coconut oil and cut in with two knives or a pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly and pieces are the size of peas.  Add almond milk and mix/knead briefly until soft dough forms. Line baking pan with parchment or silpat and pat out dough into a circle about 1/2 inch thick. Using a knife or pizza wheel, cut into 8 uniform triangles. Separate slightly.  Brush triangles with a bit of almond milk or soy cream  and then sprinkle well with more sugar - I tend to like to use a coarser sugar here, but regular sugar will work fine.  If using nuts or candied ginger top each triangle now.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a beautiful golden brown.  Pour the coffee or tea and enjoy.

Menu for a Vegan Beltane Celebration Feast

The weather here has been seasonably nice the past few days.  It makes you want to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and once the sun goes down how about a nice rip-roaring fire in the fire pit?   Yes! 

My menu for our May day Celebration feast so far.  I will post the recipes as soon as possible. 

Starter - My Peaceful Asparagus Soup
          

Main - Portabella Mushrooms stuffed with a breadcrumb, sausage and pear stuffing

        - a spinach and strawberry salad with red onions, sliced almonds, a fresh vinaigrette, and topped with vegan goat cheese
       
        - fresh green beans sauteed with garlic and olive oil and topped with pignoli nuts

        - crusty oatmeal bread

Dessert -  Beltane Cake with whipped cream

Beverage - Red wine with lavender and strawberries

Also, if the weather cooperates s'mores outside around the fire. : ) 

Beauty and Self Acceptance

People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.       ~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

The other night after teacher a yoga class, one of the students asked if I could answer a question.  I said sure, I'll try.  Luckily it was an easy question and she knew more than she thought she did and was doubting her own knowledge.  The conversation somehow turned around to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Huh?  I know long reach from yoga to ninja turtles!  Anyway, I said I knew them well because I had three boys.  Another student asked if my boys were still small.  I answered that they were 28, 24 and 22 years old.  She said "Oh my!  I need to do more yoga!  You don't look nearly old enough to have children that old!"  I graciously thanked her and told her that it had made my night.  It had in fact, because I was having a really bad physical self image week.  Feeling old and very unattractive. I shouldn't need that outside reinforcement.  I should be more self accepting, as everyone should, of the wonderful bodies and unique faces we have.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it should never be skin deep.  After all even the most physically beautiful person looks unattractive if her spirit and purpose show ugliness and hate, right?  I'm sure you know what I mean.  Sadly, our society puts so much emphasis on physical beauty and perfection that many/most of us couldn't possibly measure up.  So many woman (and men) turn to eating disorders, drugs, self harm, and other addictions as a way of coping with the self loathing they feel for their bodies that will never be good enough.  Just think of the millions of dollars people spend every year on ways to lose weight! 

After meditating on this, this morning, I've decided to work on a guided meditation for body acceptance and love.  I was so excited about this idea that I'm nearly half way done!  I haven't decided yet on how to make it available.  Here on the blog, as a youtube video or something else all together?  If you have any knowledge or advice in this area I would be very grateful.
 

A woman whose smile is open and whose expression is glad has a kind of beauty no matter what she wears.

~Anne Roiphe 

 

In the meantime, if any of this rings true - close your eyes, take a deep cleansing breath and give thanks for the non-perfect body you have.  The body that has gotten you through your entire life.  Take care of it so it can take care of you.  Be grateful.

I Hate Money! Who's with me?

Truly I do.  Obviously I need money, and I,m not going to refuse it but I hate that it's necessary. I hate that it's the reason for so much crime and hardship.  I would, and have, taught yoga classes for nothing, I give out nutritional advice all the time for nothing, I would help someone if I could in any way that I'm competent for nothing. I must admit it's a good thing I feel this way because everything I love to do doesn't amount to a whole lot of money.  It was never a factor in what I decided to pursue. 

It would be nice to live in a classless society with just what we needed, no more, no less and the ability to work at something you enjoyed without the need to worry about money.  Obviously, people that provide goods and services need to be paid, but in my perfect world it's all part of the simple peace and tranquility.  They are paid what is deserved. Therefore, a professional athlete would not make the crazy sorts of money that the currently do - I personally find the amounts of money they make absolutely absurd! Teachers would be held in the kind of respect people give to professional athletes.  They would be treated and paid fairly. A huge focus would be placed on a child's happiness and education, but without overlooking the need for discipline.  Respect would be a two way street.  They would be taught how to meditate as a young age so that they are well equipped to self soothe and be compassionate.  The elderly and infirmed would be taken care of .  All religions would be accepted and respected. Sexuality would be a complete non-issue, it's just the way a person is and accepted and respected as such. In this perfect world animals would be just as important as people, equal in fact.  They would not be eaten or exploited.  Circuses would be a thing of the past. Zoos would only be there for safety and protection, if needed. Farming would be organic and efficient. Because vegetables and grains would not be used to feed the massive amounts of "food animals" there would be plenty for the people and animals of the planet.
 

This was my dream last night and then worked it's way into my meditation this morning.   It's who I am.  It's my perfect world.  I've been called a hippie, treehugger, dreamer, and been told that I live in a fantasy world, etc.  Wouldn't you like to live in my world?  

 On that note, let's make some Peaceful Asparagus Soup.

Peaceful Asparagus Soup

1 lb asparagus (washed and cut into 1/2" pieces- woody ends removed)
1 cup chopped shallots
1 1/2 t minced garlic
1/2 cup no-chicken broth
1 T olive oil
1 t sea salt
1/8 t black pepper
1 1/2 c no-chicken broth
1 cup vegan cream ( may use cashew, almond or soy cream, etc)
 1/8 - 1/4 c or to taste - nutritional yeast  (totally optional)

Place asparagus in a saucepan with 1/2 cup vegetable broth. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until the vegetables are almost tender.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add the shallots and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chopped asparagus with it's broth, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add  the reserved broth and simmer until the asparagus are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.Remove pan from heat. 

Add nutritional yeast if using and with a hand-immersion blender puree the soup until smooth. You can also do this a little at a time in a blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning.  Place soup back in the pan if a blender was used and return to medium heat, add the cream stirring all the while until the soup is warmed through, about 3 minutes.  Delicious served with little pieces of garlic toast.  Enjoy.

 

Do You Love Reviews On All Things Vegan? Foods, Make-up, household?

If the answer is yes then I have some fantastic news for you!

My friend Allison and her husband have created an amazing website that will have thousands of reviews on thousands of vegan recipes, cookbooks, products, you name it they've covered it!  Pretty much any vegan item out there will be on their site.  If there is an item that you'd like more info on, and you can't find it on the site - just give them a message and I bet they will have it in no time.  They are that good! Also, you can add your own reviews as well!  In fact, that's exactly what they want you to do.  The more reviews the better picture someone has of a particular product, item, etc. 

Here is some info from the homepage -

Vegansprout, the vegan review co-op!

Browse, review, and learn.

As the world's largest database of vegan cookbooks, recipes, and products, Vegansprout is designed to make being vegan easier. Write reviews to help others make informed decisions, and use other reviews to know what to expect before you buy or choose what to make for dinner.

Log in with Google, Yahoo, AOL, and more.

Creating an account with Vegansprout is a snap! Just select a provider, log in with your account there, choose your username, and it magically creates your account with us. We don't store passwords or any personal information.

Easily find what you're looking for.

Start typing in the search bar and our powerful search engine instantly provides you with relevant results. Use the advanced search feature to quickly narrow your results even more. 

Are you excited yet?  

Get ready for www.vegansprout.com! 

They are still in the beta stage but almost ready to go public to the vegan world.  I'm counting the days!  

I will keep you posted.  Be sure and check it out as soon as it's up and running. You will love it and wonder why someone didn't come up with this idea ages ago!

Gardein Vegan Riblet - Review

I don't do a lot of reviews.  Peoples tastes are so different that what might be good for me may be nasty for you.  That being said, this item was SO GOOD that I just had to tell the world (or at least everyone that happens to read or stumble upon this blog)

I've had never bought this item before, but I had tried the riblets form morning star farms back in the day.  I wasn't a huge fan although my boys enjoyed them on occasion.  I was looking for something to go with cole slaw that darling husband was craving, and I work late on Tuesday nights so I didn't have the time or energy to  do a lot of cooking.  Then I spotted these little babies in Whole Foods freezer.  What the heck, I'll give them a try.

I got home from work and instantly put the ingredients in the ice cream machine for strawberry ice cream, then started to frost a cake (it was my husbands birthday, but he had had his big birthday meal on Sunday night) I had made that morning.  I asked my son to please prepare the riblets while I finished what I was doing.  He had roasted potatoes before I got home.  In no time we had riblet sandwiches topped with coleslaw and roasted potatoes on our plates.

First bite - OMGoodness, this is delicious! I look to my sons to see what they were thinking.  It's unanimous - Gardein Riblets are indeed DELICIOUS!  Awesome texture, great tasting sauce, just the right size for a good size sandwich and pairs perfectly with homemade coleslaw.  Although not a weekly purchase we will buy these on occasion to keep in the freezer for nights like Tuesday when you want something yummy, but just don't feel like cooking for whatever reason. 

Pumpkin Sage Lasagne with White beans and Kale...mm, mm, good!

This recipe was an experiment based on what was in my kitchen at the time.  My plan for last night was seitan cutlets with mushroom gravy but for some reason that whole process seemed too daunting.  For some odd reason the whole process of lasagne didn't seem daunting at all. I guess that's because in my heart I'm an Italian girl even if my blood say Scottish, lol.  I didn't measure everything so I will give you my best approximations.  This lasagne was seriously delicious!



Oil a 9 x 13 pan
Preheat oven to 450

1 box lasagne noodles (no need to precook)

1/4 to 1/3 cup of sundried tomato and pepper strips
1/3 cup raw cashews   (1/3 or so cup of water to aid in processing)
2 large cloves garlic
1 package extra firm or firm tofu
1 box pumpkin puree (17.oz)
1- 2  t rubbed sage
1/2 -3/4  t basil
1/4 - 1/2 t oregano  (all herb amounts are approximations -  Start w/lower amount and taste test.)
1/8- 1/4 thyme and rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 box white beans (about 17oz)  homemade is even better
1 bag frozen chopped kale (16 oz)
2 (24 oz) jars of your favorite marinara sauce- homemade is obviously fine too (I like a chunky sauce)
couple of handfuls of vegan mozzarella - I used Trader Joe's for this recipe


Place tomato and pepper strips, cashews and garlic in a food processor. Process until pretty smooth, adding water as necessary to allow it to get as smooth as possible. Add crumbled up tofu and process till smooth, add pumpkin and herbs and process until well combined.  Taste and adjust herbs if necessary and add sea salt and pepper.

Pour about 1/2 cup of marinara on the bottom of your oiled pan.  Add a layer of noodles. Spread pumpkin mixture over noodles.  Then take handfuls of frozen kale and spread evenly over pumpkin mixture.  Do the same with the beans, using much less, spread marinara all over - it should not be too thick that you can't see the veggies but not so thin that it's transparent.  Repeat layers.  I think I had 5 or 6 layers with the final one not having any beans.  Cover and bake for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over the top.  Place back in the oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until cheese is melty and gooey.  You can also put it under the broiler for a bit if you want to brown the cheese.  Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes and then cut up and devour!

It was 6:00am when I started this post so if something doesn't make sense message me on the facebook page or the comments here and I will explain, lol.

Serve with crusty Italian bread and a green salad.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.  

The Marvelous Magic of Meditation

It's not actually magic, but it is marvelous!

If you suffer from anxiety, depression, nervousness, or stress and have never meditated, you might want to give it a try.  It can be as simple as a prayer, saying the rosary can be very meditative, or something a bit more "classic" with breath focus or guided imagery.  The kind of meditation you do doesn't really matter as long as it feels right and works for you. Meditation enables you to quiet the mind of its incessant chatter so that you may then think clearly and calmly in your everyday life.  Often times when  you sit down to meditate and allow yourself to be there, completely present in that meditation and just be, it feels as though a weight has been lifted from your shoulders. You are able to look at what ever was causing you stress with completely different eyes.  Your life becomes more peaceful and joyous simply because you are present and able to enjoy it.  Breath is an important function for our minds, bodies and spirits...slow, soothing breaths bring us needed oxygen but also calmness and peace.  Twenty minutes a day for 21 days can create a habit that you will never regret.

There are many guided meditations on the internet, just google guided meditation and will receive more than you need.  Or you can do something as simple as, sit in a comfortable upright position, palms resting lightly on your thighs, eyes closed.  Breathing comfortably through your nose, inhale while saying (in your head) something like - one or peace or love, exhale, while saying two or love or kindness.  What ever works for you.  If your mind starts wandering, which it will do, acknowledge your thoughts with kindness and bring your mind back to your chosen words. You can start with three to five minutes and work your way to twenty over time. 

Give it a try.  I would never steer you wrong. <3 br="">