The Heat goes on...

which means it's still sunny and hot and I'm still standing and venting that kiln...crazy me...the peas came up but they are not ready to eat yet, the squash beetles won and I pulled out all my squash and zucchini plants in hopes of a fall veggies and I'm busily working on building my wholesale accounts!

In the kitchen I've been using all those beautiful eggplants and making Babba Ghanous. It's really tasty you should try it if you have some fresh eggplant!

Babba Ghanous

I eggplant 2 tbs Tahini 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/3 cup olive oil salt to taste liquid smoke 2 drops

Pierce eggplant with a fork and microwave for about 4 minutes...cool...cut in half and remove inside of eggplant....puree until smooth and creamy.

Before serving drizzle with olive oil and add olives.

This weeks photo is the bowl I made last week...I started a blue one today...

It's hot!

Everyone is talking about it ~ high humidity and heat! But hey it's July in the south it's suppose to be hot, so what is a girl to do... fire the kiln! ~ to a full glass fuse to make a bowl from what I call a jug wine bottle. Actually I love the color of this glass, it's clear green. The bowl is just free form meaning I break up the bottle and arrange the glass in a somewhat circle and then fire it flat. Bubbles and holes emerge making a one of a kind piece of glass. Kinda organic looking. Then after this cools I slump it or melt it into the shape of a bowl. I have to open the kiln lid and vent it down to around a 1,000 degrees so 1400 plus degrees feels hot and when I walk away ...it's cool...here in the south, here in the heat and humidity...

Pictured is an Assin Bug! I think he's great because he is eating a Japanese beetle. I'm not sure why but I consider most bugs male...

On the farm....I started some collards, mustard spinach greens and kale for the fall garden.

I planted a whole bag of peas very thickly in a small spot. (I read about this in my English garden magazine), when the peas emerge and are about 2 inches high I'll cut them down for a wonderful salad. I'll let you know how this goes as my space is limited so I'm always looking for a dense fast crop that is good!

Anticipation

My daughter is home for the summer and has discovered Carly Simon which means we pulled out some of my old albums and also rescued a few Carly's from the local thrift store and I've been listening to that wonderful song Anticipation....it's making me wait...figs...the most sensual of all fruits... and one of my favorites...I'm going to make this dressing as soon as they are ripe!

Fig Balsamic Dressing ( adapted from my " I Am Grateful" cookbook.)

10 figs, 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar,1 cup olive or salad oil, 1/2 tsp jalapeno pepper~finely chopped~ 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp black pepper. Blending all the ingredients until smooth and creamy in the blender.

the right thing to do...

They say life's not easy on the farm and sometimes that is so true. Sunday I called Black Tulip Alpaca Farms because our Raoul, was coughing and needed advice on what to do. ~ Take his temp twice a day and monitor him for 24 hours ~ When Monday's sun came up I got a call from the farm saying they had been thinking about our situation and suggested we trade Raoul out for another alpaca. You see Raoul has been sneezing since he got here and the thought was this might be allergy related and could lead to other health problems. After the family discussion we all felt it best to do this. I've had a sick feeling since this decision but know if he is healthier somewhere else it is the right thing to do, so this morning we made the trade. I cried a little bit over this but know he will get the best of care ~ after all he's going back to his original home. I'll get a report on Raoul this evening and in the meantime am enjoying our little Marley Bean. Henri has been a little upset over this but still went swimming in his pool, and our young alpaca Kudzu is happy with his new friend. I'm also thankful that the owners of the farm go beyond just selling you an animal but are concerned about their welfare no matter where the alpaca lives, and so life goes on....here in the south....here in the heat.....

The garden is growing despite the high temps and we've been eating eggplant 2 - 3 times a week not to mention squash, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes. I'm blaming the great productivity of course on the alpaca soil conditioner!

Rachel and I did a cooking demo at the farmer's market this past weekend and you can find our recipes under the market menu section.

It's not to early so I'm looking ahead to the fall garden now....

The Rangers

Last Wed I picked up the 10 White Cornish Cross Chickens I had ordered and I have discovered they didn't read the manual. These birds are most famously know as the big breasted chickens you buy at the grocery and supposedly all they do is eat, sleep and poop and being of small minds are not suppose to want to do anything else. But I tell you this is the second group I've raised this year and they act pretty normal to me.( but then again they are treated the same as my heritage egg layers and owing to the fact that I have space limitations on my small farm this is the best choice for my meat production) I call them the "Rangers" as they are escaping the large chicken confinement several times a day to graze the wooded landscape for greens and insects...I'm enjoying them and can't bring myself to insist on their staying in ( even though I know the hawk may get them) 6 - 8 weeks is a short life and yes I want them happy and healthy...

One of my favorite ways to cook chicken is in the rotisserie with this rub. But you can slow bake in the oven at 325' until done....

This recipe comes from my George Foreman rotisserie manual and I think it's great!

Deli Rotisserie Chicken

1 4 -5 pound chicken, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsps, paprika,1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp garlic powder,2 tsps black pepper, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 tsp dried thyme.

combine all spices in a bowl and mix well. Rub thoroughly over entire chicken, cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight. I set the rotisserie for 1 1/2 hours and check you know its done when juices run clear.

Menu of the week

I've started something a little new this week, well at least I think I have (we'll see how it goes)and that's helping promote the local farmer's market I participate in. I'm planning to come up with a market menu of the week, along with how much to buy tips and a recipe of the week. I'm devoting a new page to this and will update it every Friday with my ideas...so I've been a little preoccupied this week. However, I've not been so busy that I can't fill the Alpaca Pool with fresh water every day!

June's Garden

Today I've been digging and planting the June garden. This year I'm staggering my plantings a little bit more in the hopes of a longer harvest! I just planted the last eggplant ( I kid you not , the last one I'm planting this year and the last one at the garden center!) another Bonnies Best Tomato, and 3 more pots full of cucumber, squash and zucchini seeds! So far everything I planted in May is doing great and we've had eggplant, tomatoes and hopefully squash this week, the garlic and potatoes have been harvested (I have a large basketful of those blue potatoes) and will soon be braiding the garlic.

The alpacas are dealing with the heat as they have primitive air conditioning - a frozen container in front of a fan and a new kiddies pool - They don't know quite what to think of the pool yet but Henri feels it is his and stands with his 2 front feet in it to cool off.

Jake is the proud rooster father of one adorable chick we've named Crumpet ( we only let one egg incubate-)

And the rabbits are in my air conditioned studio growing long luxurious fiber for me to spin.

Me? I'm about as hot as the jalapeno in the photo after working on the deck garden...

Tonight it's Baked Japanese Eggplant with Herbs, fresh baked bread, tomato mozzarella salad and a glass of wine.

Baked Japanese eggplants w/ herbs ( adapted from The Cuisine of California by D. Rossen Worthington)

4 Japanese eggplants halved

1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 red onion chopped, 2 large cloves garlic minced, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil,1/3 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper.

preheat oven to 350.

Place eggplants in greased roasting pan and prick top so herbs penetrate.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix to a smooth paste, spread on eggplants

Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.

Picky, picky picky....

.......yesterday I went to the weekly afternoon farmers market with a friend ( this is not the one I participate in , but the one I've gone to for the past 10 years or so ) I usually just walk around and visit the vendors and run into people I know while my friend does a little shopping~ although I must confess there is a lady there that has great plants so on occasion I bring some of these home ~ back to the story, as we were standing in line for fresh tomatoes I couldn't help but begin to smile, it seemed as if everyone was picking up the tomatoes ( and all the other vegetables for that matter ) and inspecting them and then getting the perfect one meant for them....and I just thought to myself when you grow your own you are proud as a peacock of whatever comes off your plants or vines..heaven forbid it should ever be misshapen but if one is you just say to yourself look what this plant did!(and everyone else) and will rarely cast something you have grown to the side ( no matter what it looks like ) unless it truly is bad...picky, picky, picky....I'll let you know what happens to this tomato.

Process Matters

To quote the folks at Cooks Illustrated "Over the years at Cooks Illustrated we have found that process matters, that when compared side by side, one method is actually better than another...." and Friday I realized just how true this is. I had a busy morning as it was the day to take the meat birds to Roberto for processing. A friend told me about him, he processes chickens cheaper than the areas small operations USDA place, so off I went. I arrived with my 8 birds and found Roberto. The small facility he processes in was very clean and there was no odor, so I felt comfortable leaving my birds. Now I was prepared to return in a couple of hours with cooler and ice but Roberto said he'd be done in 1/2 hour so I quickly went to the store to get my ice! It wasn't until I got home and was rinsing and preparing the poultry for the freezer that I realized just how valuable Roberto is! He takes care of each bird individually even hand plucking them. This means my birds are tender and unbruised as they haven't been beaten by a commercial plucker. Their skin is soft and undamaged, and I understood why in part our Turkey last Thanksgiving was so deliciously tender...Roberto had been a a part of the process...

We had grilled chicken on Friday night and it was absolutely delicious so naturally I'm already looking forward to this years turkey ( Blue Slate Heritage breed raised by one of my friends) and I'm thankful Roberto will be part of the process...

The Buzz....

The bees....oh how important they are, while I love to harvest the honey in late summer their most important job is pollination.

They keep my cucumbers straight

( it takes 11 visits from a bee for proper cucumber pollination)

to my tomatoes, and every other fruit and vegetable in my garden!

And... I am so looking forward to garden goodness this summer!

I just started a cooking club of sorts, 3 other couples and I have joined a CSF - Community Supported Fishery- and we will be getting together every other week to prepare and enjoy the catch! We'll be trying all kinds of fish and seafood from the NC coast and intercoastal waterway! Not only do I look forward to trying and learning new recipes but I'm also looking forward to the company we'll enjoy over the course of the summer.

This week I'll be using some of my honey in this Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce -

A recipe by
Chef Isaac Frerichs


Yield: 4 Delicious Portions

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, bone in, cut into 2 breasts and 2 leg & thigh portions, skin on

10 whole garlic cloves, peeled

2 tbsp olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 cups ketchup

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

4 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp hot sauce

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1 cup local honey (wild flower honey works great!)

2 tbsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder



Preparation:
Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Place garlic cloves, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss well. Place in foil, wrap up and roast in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

While the garlic is roasting, place all ingredients (except chicken) in food processor.

When done, remove sauce mix and place in a small sauce pan.

Preheat grill. Spray grill with cooking oil.

Brush glaze on chicken and start grilling chicken skin side down.

When a nice sear has been imparted, baste and flip over. Grill for a minute and place on a sheet pan.

Baste well and finish in the oven until chicken is cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, bring the glaze to a boil remove from heat. When the chicken comes out, baste it well with the remaining glaze.

Serve and enjoy!

"The Mini Herd"

Saturday was the day Kudzu arrived. He's so cute and the 3 alpacas have bonded. Henri seems more attentive while Raoul just stands around eating and watching.
I just love watching them and with Kudzu's arrival it feels more like a group or "Mini herd". It's how it should be as these wonderful animals are herd animals.
The millet I planted for them last week has sprouted and there is a nice green glow on the front pasture...
The alpaca mulch I have been using seems to be doing a fine job on the tomato plants. I'm continuing to add soil conditioner to plants that haven't received it and am anxiously waiting for summer garden goodness.
I grow sprouts year round and am always looking for more ways to use them... Tonight I'm trying this recipe from Vegetarian Times (MAY/June): They say it's a French food craze - these little glasses with layered ingredients calling them Verrines....

Quinoa - Avocado Verrines

1/3 cup quinoa
1/2 tsp chili powder - divided
3 tsp lime juice
2 tsp olive oil
1 ripe avocado
2 -3 drops Tabasco sauce ( I'm using Texas Pete!)
1/3 cup sprouts

1- bring quinoa 1/4 tsp chili powder and 1 cup water to a boil, cover reduce heat to med low and simmer 12 - 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed
2- whisk together 2 tsp lime juice, oil and remaining chili powder. Add quinoa and toss to coat, Season with salt and pepper.
3- divide quinoa among small glasses, dice avocado season with salt and pepper and toss with Tabasco sauce and remaining lime juice. Divide avocado among glasses and top with sprouts -
serve immediately for a nice light first course or appetizer!

Henri you are not a ballerina!

Henri and Raoul are slowly adjusting to their new life here at Hexapoda, their pasture has shade trees squirrels, birds and my cocker spaniel Lucy running around, not to mention the classical music 24 hours a day. I'm hoping this means life is good for them, and maybe they are getting use to their new home. That Henri will occasionally stand on 3 feet with one leg stuck straight out - (to scratch his ear..) a ballerina he is not...
Within an hour of their arrival we began to get soil conditioner, which meant I started to use it on my garden. This past Saturday was my first weekend at the farmer's market braving my new "farm product" and it was well received I sold some and I received an order for a large amount. My friends are now coming over with 5 gallon buckets happy to take the alpaca by product away! It really is a wonderful addition to the garden and can be used fresh as the nitrogen is very low. The tomatoes I planted and conditioned this spring are doing well along with the rest of my garden. I've been digging through the blue potato pots and we've had 2 meals of rosemary garlic potatoes...

Blue Potatoes

The blue potatoes I planted earlier in the year are doing great! Looks like I'll be able to dump the pots out for harvest around the 1st of June. I'm already looking forward to potato salad, and garlic roasted potatoes to name a few.
The alpacas have settled in and are enjoying their grazing rye. I have begun using the "Alpaca Soil Conditioner" all over my garden! The plants that received it early are looking great and I already have tomatoes growing. I'll be planing cucumbers soon along with squash and zucchini ( although I must admit I did plant one each of squash and zucchini that are already coming up!
It's going to be a great year in the garden!
I'll be having Spinach in a salad tonight....
To make it use fresh spinach, toss with some Parmesan cheese and walnuts and then mix in a good dressing ( I'm using the Gerard's Spinach Salad dressing tonight) and I'll top this salad off with a freshly poached egg!

Henri and Raoul

The alpacas arrived on Friday and we thought we were ready. The fence was up, the shelter built, the water buckets in place, hay feeders in place, lock on gate, night time lighting, fish pond complete with goldfish and fountain and of course classical music.Ha! We haven't stopped working since they got here! First of all there was a space in the gate where they could stick their heads through the gate and get stuck, fixed that, then we found out Henri loves to climb - moved all the wood piles - and then he kept pushing on the gate - one more lock and a rope! But they are worth it we love them....
so....today I've been planning their summer grazing and will be planting millet soon - there are several types but the feed store where I go carries tiff millet so that's what we will be trying....
Henri and Raoul are both intrigued with all the animals in their new area and watch the squirrels intently...I haven't introduced Henri to his chicken Margaret Thatcher (she's an English Speckled Sussex) yet, but it should be interesting when I do...

Henri's Hair cut!

I just helped my friends on their farm shear 40 plus Alpacas for the past 4 days! It was quite an experience and I learned so much about these wonderful creatures. I am now counting the days until Henri and Raoul arrive here. (3)
As we sheared the Alpacas the fleece was sorted into 3 bags - 1sts, 2nds and 3rds.
The firsts are what you would wear as a sweater or scarf as it is the finest and softest, then the seconds could be used as outer garments, rugs etc and I will be using the thirds to mulch my garden and plants with! I'll let you know how this goes during the growing season ~ the fiber is full of proteins and this should wash down into the soil and nourish the plants!

Time for a hair cut!

Here's Kudzu in his current state, nice and furry, he'le have a new look in a day or so as the shearing begins tomorrow!

Buzzing around

They say the pollen count is one of the highest this year, I don't know about that but I do think the bees like this and I'm hoping it means an abundant flower year. I added two more packages of bees to the bee yard on Saturday. I'm wondering about the sanity of people like me as we pay good money for these insects and then immediately set them free in a box hoping they will be loyal and move in and stay!

One of my favorite things to make with honey is Baklava....it's not hard really just a little time consuming, and oh so delicious!

to make some you will need:
1 package phyllo dough thawed
3 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups melted butter
and then the syrup which is 2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup honey
1/4 lemon peel only

preheated oven 375

mix walnuts sugar and spices, you will be layering the pyhllo dough and brushing with butter,( I use my glass cassarole that fits the sheets ) brush and layer 8 sheets of phyllo with the butter, then spinkle a 1/3rd of the nut mixture over the buttered sheets, layer 4 more sheets of phyllo, place another 1/3rd nut mixture, 4 layers, 1/3rd nut muxture, then top with remaining buttered phyllo sheets.

I now cut my phyllo into squares or rectangles, not quite going to the bottom....

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes at 375 or until golden brown.

while the dough is baking prepare the syrup, bring to a boil. remove the clove and lemon peel.

pour over the freshly baked baklava. allow to cool before serving. I like to add rose water to the top of mine, it gives a wonderful aroma and delicate taste...

Rhubarb and biscuits

Here in central North Carolina I've had a hard time growing rhubarb, so last year I tried something new...I planted my rhubarb in a large pot kept it well watered and partially in the shade. This is my second year and I've been enjoying one of my favorite breakfasts.. Rhubarb Gravy...mmm.... simply slice the rhubabrb and bring to a boil and cook with water adding sugar to your liking, pour over freshly baked biscuits.... I also just found this web site with some wonderful suggestions and am planning to expand my area of cooking with this great plant!

go to a href="http://www.savor-the-rhubarb.com/culinary-tips.html">CULINARY-TIPS FOR COOKING WITH RHUBARB for some wonderful ideas and information!

Grow potatoes in pots - Your garden - Which? Advice

Grow potatoes in pots - Your garden - Which? Advice

spring update!

I'm back to posting once a week, my commitment to this fell off with working on the alpaca enclosure and spring in general. I've also been winding down on some volunteer commitments that take up a lot of time! So this week for me saw the Historic Court House in Pittsboro, NC burning down and the end of my 4 years as First Sunday Coordinator. First Sunday is a monthly celebration of arts and crafts on our downtown street that I have been organizing, it's something I've enjoyed but it also takes up alot of my time so...now I can focus on my glass work and sales and spend plenty of time in the garden and with my fiber pets as the count down is on for when the alpacas arrive!
The garden is doing great as I have spinach, lettuce, beets, carrots and potatoes all showing lots of green! We've been eating swiss chard from last fall's plantings and enjoying the early spring herbs such as french sorrel, parsley, chives and thyme!
Last years potatoes were a surprise favorite crop so I've planted 5 pots of blue potatoes and will be planting 10 pots of swedish fingerling's this week! They are delicious and so easy to harvest! Just dump the pot out and there they are ready to roast with garlic and rosemary..
Have a great week....

Thinking green...

I'm telling myself to be thankfuk for all the wet weather we've been having, after all I just planted more rye for Henri's grazing enjoyment. So you guessed it, it's raining again today with snow in the forecast...but... that didn't stop me from getting out bright and early to plant some lettuce and spinach this morning. I choose Bordeaux a quick growing small leaf variety ready in 27 - 40 days and I'm counting....

All about Growing Spinach

All about Growing Spinach

Spring is on it's way....

At least that's what I keep telling myself! We've had alot of snow... maybe not... the past few winters have been so mild I've gotten spoiled....
Yesterday I went to the Carolina Alpaca Breeders Show and looked at several hundred of these calm and peaceful animals. I'm still preparing for the arrival of mine in April and with all the snow we've had I feel I'll never get Henri's Castle finished.... My husband is building it and it is 16 x 10 plenty of room for three alpacas and a small feed room...

where it comes from...

I’ve always called my grandmother the queen of recycling, she never throws anything away! She was born and raised in the early 1900’s living a resourceful life, mostly out of necessity and influenced by the great depression. As a child she would gather the cotton string after the tobacco harvest to crochet into doll clothes, finding purpose for items that most people throw away, so I guess I come by it naturally. I love glass and I love working with the heat of the torch and when I thought to start making bottles into glasses and pouring vessels I felt I had found my purpose with glass! I hope you enjoy these drinking glasses. They are all made from 100% recycled glass, either found by me or saved by thoughtful friends. I create in my studio nestled in Northern Chatham County on what I call Hexapoda Farm….

Rachel- Snow on the Hill

We're enjoying our first and perhaps only snow of the season in Chapel Hill! I don't think I've ever seen campus look so beautiful. Last night, going out with friends and walking across the quad in the dark with snow falling all around you is a beautiful thing indeed. I made plenty of snowed in food last night so if I don't feel like trekking to the dining hall to get more ingredients, I'm set. I did a whole wheat rotelle pasta with tempeh, mushrooms, tomatoes, and olives, finished with plenty of garlic, olive oil, sage, and dried basil. There's something about a delicious comfort food on a day like today, especially when the world is white, the air is cold, and you've got a stack of reading to complete for Monday.
Happy Snowday!

Photos- the view from the balcony of my dorm last night as the flakes were falling.

Rachel- The Best End to a Monday Ever... DESSERT!

Saturday of course I made my Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles from Vegan Cookies Invade your Cookie Jar. Tonight, these are being paired with Fudge Babies. I saw the recipe on Rabbit Food. (The link to this blog is under the our favorite blogs bar, which should be that way>>>>) I tossed pitted dates, raw cashews, a squirt of agave sweetener, a dash of cinnamon, and dark cocoa in a blender then rolled the mixture up into these adorable little truffles. It's 100% raw, 100% vegan and 110% delicious! And SO easy to make! So tonight is dessert night, cookies, fudge babies and a big glass of rice milk with a dessert hungry friend or two... Happy Monday!

Rachel-Tempeh Take One

Tonight I cooked tempeh for the very first time! I've eaten (and loved) tempeh many times before but tonight was the first night I braved the kitchen and prepared it myself! In a spin on a recipe from the Veganomicon, I pan sautéed it along with plenty of garlic, lemon, raw spinach, tomatoes, and broccoli. I tossed it all together and topped it off with raw avocado chunks. For dessert, I munched on a couple of Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles. This recipe I found on the website for Post Punk Kitchen. Isa Chandra Moskowitz, one of the co-authors of the Veganomicon has this incredible website that goes along with her cable access TV show, Post Punk Kitchen.
Here's the link for Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles, from Isa's book Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar:
http://theppk.com/blog/2009/09/16/mexican-hot-chocolate-snickerdoodles/

Dallas, NC

This has been an off week so to speak, my husband has been home working hard to build the alpaca shelter and so I have been helping! He's not to sure about my nailing capabilities but I try...it rained yesterday so we took a drive to Dallas, NC winding through the rainy backroads of NC and seeing towns such as Stanly, Holly Springs and Mt Pleasant to name a few. (You miss so much when you rush down the major highway) Our destination of Dallas, is where I picked up Darnelle's studio roommate ~ Dallas ~ he's a beautiful English Angora Rabbit from a different line and I can really see the differance in their fibers! Darnelle just loves him & so do I...

Rachel-The End of the First Week Back and Raw Foods

Yesterday, I had my monthly raw foods day! I kicked it off with a chopped banana drizzled with honey and pepitas, and for lunch-some raw cashews and more pepitas with a banana and a Lara bar. Dinner, however, took the raw cake. I made this raw UN stirfry that marinated while I was at the gym. I topped it off with some "cheezy" lemon cashew cream and of course a good helping of nutritional yeast flakes.

Thursday evening, even though that wasn't my raw day, I made a nearly raw smoothie for a dessert after I made a fabulous one-bowl mean consisting of couscous and veggies. The smoothie/shake was meant kind of as a dessert, but it's fairly healthy so I might be making it for breakfasts in the near future... the dark chocolate adds a healthy kick of antioxidants and the cashews thicken the mixture, helping with consistency and adding a layer of sweetness to the shake.

For more info about raw foods, check out this all-raw blog that I love: http://www.choosingraw.com

Here's the recipe for Nearly in the Raw Strawberry Banana Dark Chocolate smoothie, some thing of my own creation!

½ cup raw cashews
¾ cup rice, almond or soymilk
¾ cup frozen organic strawberries
2 squares from your favorite bar of dark chocolate
1 ripe banana

Put everything in your blender and blend until smooth. Sit back, relax and enjoy a healthy indulgence.

I currently have a nice big slab of tofu pressing under The Veganomicon and my women's studies books in preparation for Scrambled tofu in just a few minutes. Making breakfast and having a lazy Saturday morning is one of my favorite things in life. Do something you love today.

Rachel- I am Grateful

For Christmas, I gave my mother a vegan all raw cookbook called I am Grateful.
We've loved reading and learning from this book, and trying out some delicious and healthy recipes, especially the kale salad, this is the book's photo of it!

I realized as I came out of the dining hall with my take out box full of raw veggies to prepare in my dorm room kitchen tonight that people just don't seem to appreciate food. This realization came to me as I passed hordes of hungry students with mountains of food on their plates and then I passed the depository belt where everyone discards their used plates and silver ware, only to see piles of uneaten food on similar plates.

I am Grateful takes the art of preparing food (and eating!) to a different level. The author talks about being grateful and appreciating everything that you eat, even if you would have prepared it differently or if the meal isn't perfect.

So, next time you're in the kitchen, appreciate what you're doing. Appreciate the vegetables and materials that you're using. Feel the knife in your hand as you chop your garlic. Appreciate that someone took the time to raise or grow what you are preparing and appreciate that energy and time that went into your material's production. Treat the material accordingly, with respect. Appreciate whatever you are eating, something that was prepared for you, probably filled with a lot of love. And next time you eat a fabulous meal, be sure to tell your chef that they're amazing.

On the farm ~ All Cooped Up!

It's suppose to thaw out here in central NC this week and I am so happy! I've been cooped up like my chickens and so I have a long list of things I would like to do ~ one of which is transplant my horseradish plant. I like this plant, ( Darnelle loves the tasty leaves ) the only problem is it's invasive so I keep it contained in a wonderful blue pot. When I do the transplanting I will harvest all the roots and replant a few for next years harvest and try the recipes in the shared post below ~ I think I'll try the red horseradish first as I'm finding I like the added color on my plate ~

Cooking corner: Horseradish sauces

Cooking corner: Horseradish sauces

Rachel- Much Success! First batch ever of vegan cookies!

This has been a very productive evening! Tonight I made my very first batch of vegan cookies. And I learned a lot. I veganized an old recipe that we've had forever, that's been stuck in the pages of the Fannie Farmer Baking Book for as long as I can remember. It was one of the first cookie recipes I ever baked with, and tonight it was the back bone for my Vegan Peanut Butter Almond cookies. These tasty cookies ended up being more of a hodge podge than what the old recipe called for- I put in cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa, almond extract, and lots of Peanut butter for flavoring. I subbed apple sauce for eggs, and olive oil for butter, and the result was just as good as those cookies I made from the same recipe when I was younger.

For more tips on egg and butter replacement:
http://www.theppk.com/veganbaking.html

Rachel- Sumptuous Sushi

Sushi is probably one of my most favorite things to eat. I've been wanting to roll sushi all week, and tonight was the night. So I fired up the rice cooker, pulled out the nori sheets, and sliced my veggies to perfection. In addition to traditional nori rolls, I made several different kinds of rice wraps: cucumber and carrot, kale and carrot, bell pepper and cucumber, and kale with shiitake mushrooms. (One of my favorite combinations is bell pepper with shiitake mushroom in a sheet of nori. The earthiness of the mushroom pairs nicely with the crunchy pepper, and the salty taste of the nori ties the two together.) The nori and rice rolls were stuffed with similar combinations, resulting in a tasty but light spread of healthy tastiness.

Top 5 home sushi making tips: (in no order what so ever)
-Keep everything moist so that your nori sheet won't stick!
-Use a vegetable peeler to slice your veggies, especially carrrots and cukes
-Put your veggies and/or rice in the middle of the nori sheet, leaving about and inch on either side. This makes rolling the sushi a lot easier.
-If using rice, be sure to pack it down firmly on to the nori sheets. I use a spatula dipped in water to mash the rice down.
- Use a serrated knife to slice the sushi, applying even pressure as you slice. This way you get a clean cut and the nori doesn't tear as easily.

In 'urban chickens,' some see golden opportunity :: WRAL.com

In 'urban chickens,' some see golden opportunity :: WRAL.com

We've been having some cold weather, but it didn't stop us from going out to see our Alpacas yesterday! However the cold has stopped us from working on their shelter and I'm getting a little anxious as they are moving in, in April... we are enjoying the saurkraut and will be making some more this week...weaving and spinning our time away during the winter nights and unfortunalty watching our Tarheels lose the basketball game last night!

Rachel- A Love Affair with the Veganomicon

Yesterday, after braving the sale at our local vintage shop, Beggars and Choosers, and after a rather pleasant nap, I had a date with one of my most favorite cook books The Veganomicon. The result was this delicious Bean Balls with linguine. I followed the recipe almost exactly, but had to sub crumbled up saltines for the bread crumbs since we were out and lately my mother hasn't made any bread. I used canned tomatoes to make the marinara sauce, along with plenty of garlic and dried herbs. It was almost as good as the home made Indian feast that I had the night before....