Mother Kombucha and the Neverending Green Onion

Sounds like the title for an offbeat fairy tale or something, eh? Kind of! Mother Nature does indeed pull off some pretty amazing magic. Recently, we happened to be the lucky recipients of some of that magic, thanks to a couple awesome friends!

The lovely Dominique hooked us up with a batch of homebrewed Kombucha tea, complete with a couple Mothers and a nicely growing Scoby on top! She even gave us her personal recipe for Kombucha tea, and care instructions! Such a sweetheart :) More on Kombucha tea here.


While making dinner at our place a few days ago, our good buddy Paige shared a little tip she'd picked up off Pinterest (god, I'm addicted to that site..), for neverending green onions! The next time you have green onions, instead of tossing the trimmed white root ends, submerge them in fresh water in a small jar and place them in a sunny windowsill. Within a couple days, they'll start shooting all over again! We've had the jar on the right for only 4 days and look where it's at, already! Just snip off what ya need, keep the water fresh, and you'll hopefully not have to pay for green onions for a long time!
Happy Growing!

Muffins!! Applesauce, and Lemon-Peach-Berry-Cornbread! *Vegan*

I'm on a baking kick. It's pretty awesome :) You can't beat a house filled with the aroma of fresh-out-the-oven muffins! A couple recipes for some killer morning comfort food!

Lemon-Peach-Berry-Cornbread Muffins (adapted from a recipe from "Vegan with a Vengeance)

Ingredients (12 muffins):
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tbs baking powder
1/3 cup sweetener (recipe calls for sugar, I use a mix of sugar and maple syrup. Ideally I'd use agave sweetener if on hand)
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup non-dairy milk (my fave is Hemp)
2 tbs soy yogurt
4ish tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cup mixed berries and peaches, frozen bits are the easiest

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease twelve-muffin tin
2.In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sweetener.
3.In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, soy yogurt, vanilla and lemon juice.
4.With a wooden spoon, fold the wet ingredients into the dry.
5.Fold in the frozen fruit, being careful no to over-mix.
6.Fill each muffin cup three-quarters full.
7.Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of one comes out clean.

The key is using the soy yogurt to keep the insides moist!! Delish! This is also a recipe that could easily be changed to suit the fruit preferences of the diner :)


Applesauce Muffins (recipe from How It all Vegan... constantly tweaked..tried here with Raspberry )


2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup non dairy milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cup fresh made applesauce

To make the applesauce:
3-4 cored, peeled, chopped apples
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup your fave sweetener
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, cover and cook on medium heat for 20 mins or until chunks are mashable. Mash with a fork or use food processor to blend.

Muffins:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large ceramic bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Make sure your dry ingredients are thouroughly mixed before adding anything wet!
3. Add the milk, vinegar, oil, maple syrup, and applesauce.
4. Mix together gently until "just mixed". Spoon batter into lightly oiled muffin tins.
5. I added a little dollop of leftover applesause to the top of each of my muffins pre-baking, for extra sweetness.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Test with a toothpick to see if done. Makes 6 BIG muffins, or 12 small muffins.



Stuff your face!!!

Spaghetti Squash Pizza

I love spaghetti squash. Love love love it. It's buttery, sweet, and amazing on it's own, and when combined with Italian spices, tomatoes, and served up in the place of cheese on a vegan pizza it's utter heaven! Here's how I usually do it up..apologies for the "approximate" measurements... I like to be pretty liberal with ingredients, changing it up a bit each time.

1 medium spaghetti squash, halved
~a couple teaspoons olive oil
~3 tsp Earth Balance, more or less depending on your butter taste preferences
1-2 14.5 oz cans Muir Glen Organic Canned Tomatoes with Basil and Garlic . This is also a preference. Two cans make extra tomatoe-y, 1 can makes a slight tomato tartness, a hint of Italy instead of a smack in the face :)
Crust of your choice - I like frech artisan french bread, or premade cornmeal pizza crusts.
Dried Basil and Thyme to taste (approx 1 tbs each)

1 - Preheat oven to 425 degress. Rub flesh of the halved squash with the olive oil. Place squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet and pierce the skin several times with a fork. Bake for 45 mins, turn squash over and bake for approx 10 mins more, until spaghetti-like strands can be easily forked from the flesh of the squash. Take squah out, let cool for a couple minutes then scrape spaghetti flesh into a bowl.

2- Raise oven temp to 475, or whatever temperature the pizza crust requires. Add tomato cans, Earth Balance, Basil and Thyme to spaghetti squash in bowl. Mix until butter is melted.

3- Evenly spread squash mixture on crust. Return to oven and bake until crust is slightly browned, about 12 mins, depending on your oven and crispy crust choice! I feeli like the most important part of a big pizza-like bake is checking on your pie. Every minute changes the consistency/quality of your outcome. Revel in the lush smell and keep an eye on your lovely dish!

Here's my last..

A wonderful, filling, rich, totally vegan meal paired nicely with a rich green salad and maybe some fresh fruit for dessert. YUM!

Oh the possibilities..

Some may see another overgrown Oakland yard...I see opportunities untapped...I have dreams about what this yard could produce...

Simple Homemade Dog Treat

A super simple, ever adaptable, highly entertaining homemade treat for your dog!

So, back on the first of the year, I adopted a Dachshund puppy from a local rescue that had saved her from a Bakersfield shelter. I named her Dixie, and I love her dearly! True to the breed, however, she is smart, feisty, and stubborn as a damn mule when she wants to be. And oh, lordy, the girl will eat anything! So, every once in a while to give her a little extra mental stimulation, coupled with a yummy healthy treat, and to keep her busy during times when I need her out from underfoot...the pup popsicle!



This one is peas, kibble, and lumps of peanut butter frozen together with a bit of water in a small tupperware. Dixie went crazy for it! Even frozen, she could smell what she knew was going to taste good, and worked ferociously to lick and gnaw away at the thing. It kept her busy for at least 30 minutes, maybe more! Invaluable time for me to make dinner without having to worry about things like tripping over my little one in the kitchen and dropping something hot, heavy, sharp, or toxic (think onions or chocolate) that could potentially be harmful to her.



If you have a Kong, you're probably familiar with the wonders of interactive, freezable treats. If not, experiment! I love Kongs, but frankly, anything I don't have to wash makes my life that much easier. These are completely edible, freezable alternative ideas to a stuffed Kong.

-applesauce and veggie bits
-pumpkin puree and peanut butter
-low sodium broth and fruit chunks
-mashed banana, blueberries, and dog biscuits

I could go on and on!!! And honestly, it only takes a few seconds to throw together in the morning before work..guaranteed ready by evening!



So go forth, promote good dental health, provide a good challenge to keep your dog's mind active, and reward the little (or big) one for everything they do for you!


*Disclaimer: Of course there's always a risk of excessive wear on the teeth with a long standing ice-chewing habit. I'd recommend only using enough liquid to keep solid pieces together, or freezing liquids that are softer (think no-sugar juices or purees). And remember, a treat is something special, not an all the time thing!

Applesauce Raspberry Muffins *Vegan*

I got the bug to bake today. It was cold, I was bored, and there were a stack of cookbooks staring me down, taunting me. I've been wanting to try my hand at these muffins for quite some time now. The smell of apples and cinnamon wafting through the house on crisp winter mornings in the mountains when I was a bit younger was...well...near perfect.

So! I looked up a couple of different recipes for vegan versions and settled on this one from How it All Vegan!


Applesauce Muffins

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup soy milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup applesauce
3/4 cup raisins
2 tbsp raspberry jam (I added this into the mix for extra yum)

Assemble the players!


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large ceramic bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Make sure your dry ingredients are thouroughly mixed before adding anything wet! Add the soy milk, vinegar, oil, maple syrup, applesauce, jam, and raisins.

Mix together gently until "just mixed". Spoon batter into lightly oiled muffin tins. I added a little dollop of raspberry jam to the top of each of my muffins pre-baking, for extra sweetness.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Test with a toothpick to see if done. Makes 6 BIG muffins, or 12 small muffins.
And voila! The super, super tasty result! Moist and sweet and delicious with a little vegan butter....mmmmmmmmm


Maybe I'll make something like this for my fam on Christmas morning...they'll never know the difference!

Oatmeal = Winter Wonderful

Brrr!!! It's all of a sudden a bone-chilling winter in the Bay Area, which means rain, rain, rain. I've caught the nasty bug thats going around and haven't really felt it'd be adventageous to venture outside during it all. I need to be well in order to work! So, in between stringing together poetic sentences showcasing my talents as an employee (I'm STILL looking for a job), nursing this cold, and shaking the boredom out of my bones, I've been reaching into the depths of the pantry to rustle up some hot yummy winter meals.

Oatmeal is a staple in most homes, but one that I'd almost forgotten about. It wasn't a favorite of mine as a child, so its one of those meals I had to re-discover as an adult and have consequently grown to love. Some of the things I love about it: its cheap since I buy in unpackaged bulk, its EASY to cook, its good for you, and its so versatile!! This morning was gray, rainy, cold...and definitely an oatmeal morning.

Sprouted Buckwheaties Oatmeal (with goodies on top!)

The measurements and recipe are so easy, and easily tweakable.
Today I used:
2/3 cup WHOLE oatmeal (not instant) and "buckwheaties" mix. The mix was about 3 parts oatmeal to 1 part buckwheat.
1 1/5 cups water (you can also throw in some soy/hemp/almond/whatever milk)

Bring water to a slight boil, simmer grains for about 5-7 minutes.
Turn off heat, cover, let sit for 3-5 mins until water is absorbed. Makes one giant helping or two decent helpings.

Thats it! And here we have our blank canvas to work off of. Some organic maple syrup, crushed raw almonds, and dried cranberries made it delish and hearty morning meal!


Now, what in the world is a "Buckwheatie"?? A sprouted, dehydrated buckwheat "grain" (its actually closer to a fruit seed, and gluten free.)A little about the health benefits of buckwheat here. I borrowed the term from Juliano's Raw: The Uncook Book. I re-cooked them here, but if left raw, you can use them sprinkled on your fave faux-gurt, in salads, in raw bread alternatives, etc, etc, etc. Sprouting at home is one of the easiest, lazy chef things to do, as well as dehydrating if you have the proper equiptment. It will also unlock different health benefits you wouldn't find in unsprouted groats.
Sprouting Buckwheat Groats.
I made a gigantic batch probably months ago and have had them pantried ever since.


Speaking of dehydrating, one of my favorite things to add to my tea press-pot is dehydrated fruit! I've been on a blueberry and strawberry kick lately. Adding them to my green tea as its steeping adds just that much more flavor and antioxidant kick. I'm convinced the combo is helping to kick this cold out of my body!


Now bring on the day!

Starting Over!

Good Morning world!
AFter about two months in my 4th floor Oakland apartment, I've finally got the motivation to get rolling on a few projects. When I was in the warehouse, I got to experiment with all sorts of stuff, such as vermicomposting, outdoor compost pile, drying foods, refinishing furniture, remodeling, etc. etc. etc., lots of things that were easier to do when you had a TON of space.

Now, though, I'm back to having a mini kitchen, and kind of an overall feeling of compactness that comes with an apartment. I won't let it get the best of me!

I've always considered myself an excellent suitcase packer. Maximum efficiency with minumum space. I think I'll apply that same philosophy with this new apartment, and really look at how I can best utilize the spaces around me for the goals I want to reach.

Some Ideas:
- Getting the worm bin up here, they're still kicking ass!
- Working with my neighbor to string up a clothes-drying line
- Growing food on my super sunny balcony
- Getting my sewing machine up and running and really dedicating a space for it!
- using the vertical space in the kitchen for getting things up off the countertops, for more cooking, juicing, canning, baking, sharing!

This is just a start, but I'm excited and will update regularly on this small-space homesteading makeover.

Finally got my jarred dry goods up here!

Potato Leek Soup

Dinner made by two, sans stovetop, at home, together!

Gather your ingredients:

3 large leeks
5 largish red potatoes
5-6 cloves of garlic
Olive Oil, or other cooking oil of choice.
1 Qt Veggie Stock
2 tbsp nutritional yeast (or more if you like. I estimate)
Soy/Hemp/Rice Milk - approx 1 cup
Dried dill - about 1 tbsp? more to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

*Makes a LOT! About 8 normal person servings, or 6 hungry-guy portions, or 4 high-energy-vegan-bottomless-pit-stomach snacks.

-Wash leeks, remove all dark green parts.


-Chop leeks into bits about the size of a postage stamp or two.

-Wash and chop chop taters


Enlisting help that can keep ingredients on the cutting board is not mandatory.


-Peel and chop garlic.
-Heat over-sized skillet to about 250 degrees, with a small amount of cooking oil of your choice.
-Throw in your garlic and sizzzzle for just a bit.
-Add chopped taters, leek bits, stir around unti everything is mixed well. Let sizzle a bit.
-Pour in enough water (slowly! hot oil and water do not good friends make) to cover the bottom half of your ingredients. Cover skillet and let everything simmer, until water is just about evaporated. This will only take a few minutes. This GREATLY decreases your cooking time, as the taters and leeks absorb much more water this way before actually adding your veggie stock.

-Add in Veggie Stock, Dill, Nutritional Yeast, Salt and Pepper.


-Cover and let slowly simmer.

This is the point where our humble chefs, exhausted from a full days work, sit back and let the magic happen. The tastes are merging...the smell is wafting through the warehouse...the dog sneaks into the room nose-first...
What to do while your delicious concoction concocts? I like to remember all the little guys in my life.
That's right, I'm talking about my compost worms again!
These tenacious little squirmers do a lot for me, so I like to make life easy on them. Barrett tends to the prep dishes, I get to mince our trimmings for them.


Now, once the soup is good and ready, and you'll know by tasting, not by timing, bring out the trusty blend-o-matic.
-Ladle it about halfway full, and add about 1/3 cup soy (or hemp, or rice) milk directly to ingredients in blender. Hold that lid for dear life and liquefy! Repeat until no soup remains in skillet.


Congrats! Once all the soup is made into a nice, smooth, wonderfully aromatic bowl of earthy yumminess, you can pat yourself and your helper on the back, throw together some salad and iced tea, and enjoy!!

"Food Inc" Trailer

From Spout.com, and HOMEGROWN.org,

"How much do we really know about the food we buy at our local supermarkets and serve to our families? In FOOD, INC., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of e coli--the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults. Featuring Eric Schlosser ("Fast Food Nation"), Michael Pollan ("The Omnivore's Dilemma") along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield Farms' Gary Hirschberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, FOOD, INC. reveals surprising -- and often shocking truths -- about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here."



premieres in theatres June 19, 2009.

Framing Light, and Things to Bite!

So the prettying-up of the window is a couple steps further! My master craftsman Barrett (who btw had NO idea what he was doing when he started this) has pulled off another amazing aesthetic feat! Check it out...

From the loft looking in...


From the room looking out..check out the frame...classy!


p.s. the Gypsy in the corner is an original from our buddy Chris Lacey. The big one on the left is mine..


Just to give a lame "shout out". I bought this window at this freakin rad warehouse in Berkeley, Urban Ore. They do mostly reclaimed de-construction materials...with some thrift store type used furniture and fixtures...and other odds and ends. Its a reuse nerd's heaven (imagine how long I spent poking through stuff!). It ended up costing me $60, brand new, when it normally would have been a couple hundred! Long live local economy!

-----------------

The other topic I wanted to blab about is vegan comfort food. I've gotten my fair share of cocked-head looks lately at the question of "what do you eat" when I'm talking about veganism.

Here are some examples of staples I've converted. Granted these aren't health food by any means..but they taste good sans dead animals!

Creamy, "cheesy" mac!


Spaghetti Squash pizza!


"Chicken fried steak", gravy, mashed sweet and red potatoes, baked kale and carrots..


Purple, red and sweet potato scram. Spicy beans and rice. Corn on the cob!


Pig out!!! but let the pig live :)

The Little Things

Its cold here. Possibly colder inside than out. I have to gather more willpower than strength to get out of bed in the morning.

I was browsing through my phone and found some of the little things in my life that make things ok.

Surprises in nature


Dog crunching through leaves


Cat being cute


Purple potato tofu scram


Creamiest mac and "cheese" ever! (no animal stuff, no fake cheese....just pure genius!)


p.s. I know two of them are food. I miss cooking.

Things that sprout

Day one of mung bean sprouting. Easiest thing in the world! Soak beans overnight, drain, rinse beans, leave moist but not in standing water, repeat every day until the sprouts are ready for eatin! Cheap and fun to watch if you like seeing things grow!

--------------
Dexter is available for adoption! Wow, what a feeling of accomplishment when I saw him waiting for his new home. We're so lucky to have an amazing fostering program at work that can give these orphaned kitties a second chance!

-------------
We've got a few trips coming up....
We're going to make super quick trip down to Temecula this weekend to pick up the bikes that have been so generously purchased for us by Barrett's awesome Dad, Bert!!
I think Barrett's is one of these...


I get to head to Las Vegas for the No More Homeless Pets Convention later this month, put on by Best Friends, a BIG sanctuary, shelter, and activist organization out of Utah.


Then early next month we get to go back to Portland!!


I know it seems like a lot of fossil fuel will be burned in the next month for these various skirmishes... but its not all for the sake of lollygagging around, I promise! We'll be securing non-motor transport, more specialized job skills to save more lives, and a potential new place to make a little home out of. All valid intentions!

Some weekend chores and the reason you're not rich

Well... a few things got done this weekend. And by weekend, I mean my weekend, which is Friday-Saturday. I do work tomorrow. As much as I used to say I loved my old days off, Tues-Weds, I admit it was because I had forgotten how many things there are to do on a Saturday. We've actually got quite a few farmer's markets around here, almost every single day, and flea markets galore! None of which, however, I attended today.

I did do these things..
made a bit of hot barbeque sauce..



dehydrated some strawberries...


cleaned and repurposed 5 glass jars...I'm not sure why I find the sight of beans and grains in jars to so pretty.


devised a plan to use a pile of warped floorboard we have, and a window cage we took off as a windbreak for the plants in our front area...


Our door is at the end of a driveway which acts as a giant wind tunnel. The plants look a bit weathered to say the least. I'm thinking if I can get them cut in 1/2 or 1/3 vertical pieces, I can weave them through the bars of the cage, with minimum materials required to fix them there...just some old fashioned muscle. I may need to borrow Barrett for that part :) Then, I could prop the thing up between the plants and the wind! Voila! no money, no class....100% function!


-----------------
I read an interesting short article about ten reasons "You're not rich". Attaining monetary wealth is the last of my concerns, but I laughed at quite a few of the points that were made because they illustrate the American human condition today. Some of it is ho-hum...but the best ones are the completely accurate "wealthy" or "well-off" viewed situations, but are really just "kid too small for his britches" scenarios.. My generation has been brought up in a world where most were handed everything they needed. The ultimate convenience era, the lack of skill development, the height of laziness...
----------------
Speaking of things that don't really matter. Here's a vice of mine...I think everyone needs one or two things that they can focus on that let some steam out. I don't personally own a TV, so I actually go places to follow up on this, but its a great release..
The Sharks won tonight! 3-1 against the Kings.