The green sides are done as is the Apple and Blackberry Cobbler

cornbread for the "3 alarm" vegetable chili

sauteed kale with garlic and thyme

spicy broccoli saute with red peppers & chili flakes

collard greens with sesame seeds and tomatoes

Noodle pudding with extra sour cream mix topping ready for baking

Vegetable rice pancakes for the Sweet potato and greens with black eyed peas

Blackberry & Apple Cobbler

the other more apple than blackberry cobbler

March 18th 2012

all the deliveries are done and I have just had a late lunch..& I wanted to mention one of the the desserts..the cobbler..this is a fantastic dish and comprised of a buttermilk (biscuit/scone) mix on the bottom of the dish and the cooked fruit filling added on top then the whole thing is baked in a 375f oven.

The whole thing is light, airy and very very moist

I think is it my new Fave dessert and can be made with whatever fruit you can get your  hands on, I used fresh local apples and blackberries I froze from last year.

With the cobbler scone mix I have found it is better if the mixture is wetter rather than firm...you could not roll out this mix...but it would be perfect for fruited rock buns as it can be dropped from spoonfuls.

I adapted the recipe and used buttermilk instead of plain rice milk., and soy free margarine in place of butter,it contains no eggs so it can be made Vegan using just rice milk.

I found a great book "rustic fruit desserts" by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson, on Amazon...fantastic ideas and great recipes..cobblers, crumbles, buckles, pandowdies & more..Highly recommend this book...helps if you understand baking and can follow a recipe..sorry Fred..lol.

Blackeyed peas with greens; cauliflower soup; 3 alarm chilli with broccol; Polenta wiht cheese; cornbread' noodle pudding with mango..ALL PHOTOS

We have just had the biggest storm of the season, but we are still in a drought situation with snow pack being 2/3 low, so why not heat up with some old Southern style favorites?
Today I am making, smooth cauliflower soup with cilantro and cumin, corn and potato chowder, Black eyed peas with sweet potatoes( garnet yams), mustard greens and these will be poured over rice pancakes.
Also a spaghetti squash and red bell pepper saute with cheesy polenta triangles; ( it is interesting how corn meal is used in different countries for the same dish, in Southern American cooking, cornmeal is cooked in water with oil/or butter and salt and pepper, allowed to cool and then cut into pieces, dusted in more corn meal then fried and is called "corn mush", the same dish cooked in Italy is called fried polenta!..a bit like the Patagonian tooth fish that could not be sold in markets until they changed it's name to Sea Bass and now it it heading for extinction!)) I like to add sauteed corn, and onions to my polenta and sometimes cheese as in this dish today.
A very spicy "3 alarm" vegetable chili with pinto beans, red bell pepper, chipotle and green chili and broccoli, this comes with corn bread and salsa;

Also an egg plant parmigiana with gf pasta.

For desserts I have noodle pudding with fresh mango, cinnamon apple cobbler and fresh banana-cranberry oatmeal cookies ( these are great as ice cream sandwiches), I also made the walnut -caraway breads on Friday, before the storm hit.

Tomorrow I am also making up 3 side dishes:
kale with garlic & fresh thyme, collard greens with fresh tomatoes and Cheddar cheese and Spicy broccoli with red pepper flakes and toasted garlic.

The rain pouring off my house roof...news here as we rarely see rain like this in Southern California

Black Eyed Peas cooking for the sweet potato and greens to be added later

Cauliflower soup boiling away

"3 alarm" chili with broccoli packaged

Black eyed pea dish with greens and sweet potato added

Fresh tomato sauce for the Eggplant Parmigiana

eggplant sauteed  ready for the sauce and cheese

the cooked down black eyed pea mix cooling and thickening up

Black eyed pea dish, cooled &  packed

cornbread

polenta/cornmeal mush with cheese being added

have to keep stirring for 10 minutes

Noodles for the pudding

wild rosemary and olive oil on sheet pan for the polenta to cool

polenta/cornmeal mush cooling (overnight)

2 great ways to use cornmeal

noodle pudding with fresh mango..has to be baked

baked spaghetti squash

fresh banana-cranberry oatmeal cookie dough

the completed cookie..these won't last long..:)

I like to make my cookies and stews & soups the day before delivery so the flavors can mellow out

Green soups, crepes and roasted mushrooms

 Vegan (no eggs or dairy) polenta cake with orange zest, ground pecans, raisins

own sourdough, wholewheat, caraway and walnut breads (also dairy and egg free)

mushroom leek bisque beginning to "sweat"

collards, mustard greens and spinach soaking

mix for the duxelle beginning to "sweat"

the complete mushroom & leek bisque

the asparagus and buckwheat noodle soup

rosemary-buckwheat crepes cooling

the completed duxelle for the mushrooms, cooling

Rejuvelak fermenting

Rejuvelak fermenting

Top of the fermentation

the larger fermentation bottle of rejuvelak

Wednesday March 13 th 2012..The weather is very odd lately, as of now the temp. is plummeting to below 60f and we are to expect a big storm coming in on Friday night through Sunday with day time temps in the mid 60's for 5 days, and a very cold wind...feels more like Winter than Spring!


For tomorrow I am preparing:
a blended spinach and walnut soup..a light take on a leek and potato, finished with coconut milk; an asparagus clear soup with buckwheat noodles; and a leek and mushroom bisque, again finished with coconut milk...all very nutritious and low salt.

For the entrees I am fixing..2 types of crepes, one buckwheat with sauteed asparagus and feta cheese; and another rosemary crepes with wilted greens and feta cheese..these are great baked in the oven, and served hot.

The key to good crepes is to keep the pans very hot and oil between crepes, then pour off the oil before adding the fresh batter. For all my crepes I like to use wholewheat flour and ground flax seeds, for extra nutrition...(note the flax seeds do thicken the batter (( as used in Vegan bakery as egg substitute for this reason))so dilute with either rice milk or water).


Also some roasted mushrooms filled with a duxelle of carrots, mushrooms, leeks, garlic, tomatoes,red onion, vermouth and sherry topped with fresh whole milk mozzarella.."Cilegine"...this melts down into the duxelle and creates a wonderful dish to top some fresh couscous...as with larger mushrooms this adds a steak like quality to a vegetarian meals.
I am also making a rustic wholewheat mushroom and roasted garlic tart, made with live yogurt, and fresh eggs.

With all my mushroom dishes I prefer to use either sherry or dry vermouth and grated nutmeg to give depth of flavor, and depending on the dish I also like to add some nutritional yeast.


I have also created a corned tempeh and cabbage for early St Pat's Day..sauteed red onion and garlic added some peeled and diced russet potatoes, cut up tempeh...cover with stock and cook for 15 mins. add caraway seed, coriander seed, dillweed red pepper flakes, salt, top with 1/4's of cored green cabbage and simmer with a tight fitting lid for 30 mins.
Remove lid and let sit for 20 mins then serve..it is wonderfully delicious and very low fat.


For dessert tomorrow I am making Vegan polenta cake..no egg cake that is really good flavored with orange zest and almonds and today made a berry sauce to go with it..tomorrow afternoon I might make up some wholewheat sourdough breads, while the humidity is low..the bread will not rise well in damp weather.,,I have been feeding my sourdough starter for the last few days, and it is getting nice and sour ( black liquid on top)

Rejuvelak:
Every week I make a fermented drink from sprouted rye berries, the original idea for this drink came from  a lady called Ann Wigmore in the 50's only she made it with wheat berries which I have found mold too quickly.
This is  a natural pro-biotic and reduces the acid in one's stomach and digestive system, and is completely dairy-free.
I use twice filtered water with crystals in it for extra power...the bottles of the fermentation in progress are photographed above.
After the ferment I strain the berries out and bottle the liquid.
I mix the ferment with spiralina for extra goodness and the dosage is just 6fl ozs at room temp. per day on an empty stomach either first thing in the morning or last thing at night..I have known people "swear by it" for years.