tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75145448630913456262024-03-05T17:38:39.662+09:00The 1:29 ProjectGoing Vegan for God: OUR FAMILY'S JOURNEY TO A LIFE OF healthy EATING, heartfelt COMPASSION, AND honorable STEWARDSHIP.Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-86496885727401627932011-09-15T18:11:00.001+09:002011-09-16T10:50:52.353+09:00Struggles and Reflections in September<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhPh9xw7dxdLntrBx_EhAfz8i5WsVIYyoDcqSFeX1yK_p6dyS6gRImcSq8cYuVsWNsBKJHRARp1BysbvOQeklWCFya0vCaA4tXGWB2a65K4pBwz20nGbaSgDKDJURk2q7HYE-zsMbbw/s1600/Day+of+Trip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhPh9xw7dxdLntrBx_EhAfz8i5WsVIYyoDcqSFeX1yK_p6dyS6gRImcSq8cYuVsWNsBKJHRARp1BysbvOQeklWCFya0vCaA4tXGWB2a65K4pBwz20nGbaSgDKDJURk2q7HYE-zsMbbw/s320/Day+of+Trip.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Am I the worst vegan blogger ever or WHAT?!<br />
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I know.<br />
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When we lived in Okinawa, my schedule was such that I found all kinds of time for blogging. I also had friends living right there with me who loved to cook and encouraged me to do it. Here in Ireland, I have been ill more than is usual for me. I've been sick with something or other more than half the time we've been here. I don't know if it's the air or the climate or just that I have a particular susceptibility to the germs and pollen here. Whatever it is, I fell out of the habit of sharing my cooking with you all. I have been meaning to do a kale blog for over a year now, and I promise I will eventually get around to it. Kale has become an ingredient in almost everything I cook, and its versatility and nutritional benefits are just seemingly endless.<br />
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The tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attack just came and passed. I spent it alone at home while Ashley stood post at the American embassy here in Dublin. The day passed kind of blank. If you are an American, I think you will probably understand the way it felt. It's not an active, whirling sort of sadness anymore. It has settled into the pit of our stomachs as a more steady, gnawing, inactive sort of aching discomfort. We are watching our nation implode with all sorts of economic and political problems while the media and government officials pit Americans against one another with the most hateful and horrible rhetoric I've ever heard. Apparently, we're supposed to hate each other, now. On a day that we all remember as the most horrifying we ever experienced, we were all a team. Everyone obeyed traffic laws. People quietly and without request just stopped being in a hurry and helped each other with whatever they could do. I am struggling now to understand where that quality went and how things got from that to this. My tiny hometown in Arkansas lost a member that day. She was a stewardess on flight 11. I had not spoken to her since I was a child, and she was a couple years older than me, so I never was close to her...but I still think of her every year on that day. I remember her dressed in a band uniform with her hair - it was long then - and her gorgeous feline eyes crinkled in a smile. She was laughing with someone. That flash memory of her is all I can remember with any clarity. Sara was her name. All I am is sad for her family and ashamed that I didn't know her better when we were children. Sigh. It makes no sense, and I have grown very weary of the ugly and political ways that day and all the loss it brought is being used.<br />
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I know. You don't come here for politics or sadness. You come here for recipes and vegan ideas. See...that's the problem. That's what I come here for, too, and I haven't had many recipes or vegan ideas lately. I struggle to stay vegan in Ireland. The products and produce I grew accustomed to are not all available here. Dairy is a very central focus of meals in Ireland, and I can't even find tofu on the grocery shelves three visits out of five. I found a little store that sells almond milk and soy protein crumbles, but they aren't the kind I'm used to, and there is a learning curve. I eat a lot of rice and vegetable bowls and I have found myself sliding back into dairy consumption on a relatively regular basis. We order a lot of takeout because I find myself feeling unwilling to cook at home. I get crispy chili tofu from the Chinese place and I get a veggie burrito bowl from the Mexican place, and I get flatbread pizza with no cheese from the pizza place. It's very monotonous and repetitive.<br />
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So, to those of you who still come by to check for new posts periodically, God bless you for sticking by me. :) I am struggling. I think all vegans struggle at some point or other because it's hard, sometimes, to live differently than the mainstream does. I have fallen into a rut. We eat out too much, I don't cook as often as I used to, our life here in Dublin is hectic and dotted with unpleasant governmental things, and I am often preoccupied.<br />
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I am an imperfect vegan. I am an imperfect person. I am the worst, most procrastinating-est blogger in the whole wide world. But I am still here. I use this blog, myself, as a cookbook of sorts. Just last night, I pulled the laptop into the kitchen to use my lentil soup recipe. It really is good, isn't it? I've taken to adding chili paste in for killing sinus pressure. At least for a while after eating a bowl, I can breathe through my nose. /nod<br />
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Tell me some stories or send me some requests. I would tell you all the posts I'm thinking of making, but it seems like every time I do that, it's destined not to happen. Ha ha! No more disappointing everyone. Have a look at the old recipes. Try out the colcannon for Halloween. I have every intention of resurrecting the blog and getting my butt back to the kitchen where I am happiest. This is just a slump time. It will end eventually.<br />
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In the meantime, pray for America, pray for wisdom in our government, and pray for the little Nix family in Ireland. We surely appreciate it.Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-81768394836429116892011-03-10T09:24:00.001+09:002011-03-10T09:27:59.733+09:00Forty Days of TrialHello, Everyone!<br />
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Today is Ash Wednesday. For Christians, this day symbolizes the beginning of Christ's 40 days of fasting in the desert before he began his ministry. Lent is the name we give this time spent in contemplative prayer and self-sacrifice that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday (the joyful day on which we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus...and I have no idea where the eggs and rabbits came into it).<br />
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Though my religion is not the focus of this blog, it is the motivation behind both my veganism and my desire to share that veganism with others. For me, Lent is the perfect time to buckle down and refocus my energy on introspection and an examination of my conscience. <br />
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Whatever your religion or belief, there is benefit in this practice. We, all of us, can improve. We, all of us, have character flaws to examine and work on. Self-examination is the only way to mature - to grow. Being a "good" person is easy, and the judgment of that condition is entirely subjective. Meditating on what you believe being a good person really means and then orienting your life to be better than you are has actual meaning. Too few people ever look at themselves in a meaningful way, and I think lives never examined are lives wasted.<br />
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I will be spending this week finishing up two posts. The first will be about kale. The other will be about my current personal struggles with veganism and faith. I hope you will all indulge me in one or two spiritual posts per year. After all...it is my faith that led me to this place, and I cannot separate my veganism from my belief in God. Without that belief, I wouldn't be vegan.<br />
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A contemplative, safe, and blessed Ash Wednesday to you all.Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-26591453601763634722011-02-27T03:16:00.001+09:002011-02-27T08:04:29.117+09:00Fried Fishy Sandwiches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMVnjRqnK3czzkcKLhWuEiJvyvLT8xGtYmcaPAs_Twg8BNhTG98UKfeI6wHHPQdTq8nQ5f2U7iQJac-m78hvWzFIHJSoDzzQfaO35lHWssKk25Y8so3oY4sdDZMfiS4LLzRj3W34aRw/s1600/Fishy+Sandwich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMVnjRqnK3czzkcKLhWuEiJvyvLT8xGtYmcaPAs_Twg8BNhTG98UKfeI6wHHPQdTq8nQ5f2U7iQJac-m78hvWzFIHJSoDzzQfaO35lHWssKk25Y8so3oY4sdDZMfiS4LLzRj3W34aRw/s320/Fishy+Sandwich.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As is pretty obvious from some of my previous entries, I really love Toni Fiore's video podcast, "Delicious TV VegEZ." This past month, the podcast put out a recipe called "Tofu Phish Fillet Sandwiches," and I was inspired! Here is a link to Ms. Fiore's original <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84ILMJG8_5o"><b>video recipe</b></a>. Mine is very similar, and the inspiration for it came entirely from the VegEZ original, but let's be honest: I just didn't want to make mine quite that healthy. Ha ha! <br />
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Lookit, I'm from Arkansas, and I'm from rural, backwoods Arkansas. I grew up in a place where my brother and I would walk to our own pond--barefooted most of the time--and throw a simple line from a cane pole with a cork bobber and a worm on it into the water. My mother would make hush puppies and fried bits of catfish and serve it with cole slaw and thinking about it makes me drool...mmm! So, I loved eating fried fish practically from the time I left the womb. I also loved fried fish <i>sandwiches</i>. For years, I would go through the drive-thru of some fast food joint or other and get a fried fish sandwich slathered in cheese and mayo. I won't lie. I savored every single horribly unhealthy bite. When I saw this recipe, a little catfish-shaped lightbulb went off over my head. I knew I could make this a fried fishy concoction, so I scrambled down to the kitchen and made my little modifications. Here is what we did in Kitchen de la Nix...and it was GOOD, Y'all. Seriously, wondrously good. At the end, I'll tell you how I'll make this differently next time, and remember that if you don't want this recipe fried, you can save calories and fat by making it Toni Fiore's way. Just watch her video.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymjcO94M4ai5YmfPJA-YBYi1-FAJut9GGv9shYDDBgL4DTlq6KCh9wnfwc0pISgAZ6xJAPE7k6ov-3Kn33t29M4aAqiKtCAydP3aobh5oHeuyRlYOGTF6PdcwjYSAktqJGfeRmQrA-w/s1600/Fishy+Sandwich+Ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymjcO94M4ai5YmfPJA-YBYi1-FAJut9GGv9shYDDBgL4DTlq6KCh9wnfwc0pISgAZ6xJAPE7k6ov-3Kn33t29M4aAqiKtCAydP3aobh5oHeuyRlYOGTF6PdcwjYSAktqJGfeRmQrA-w/s200/Fishy+Sandwich+Ingredients.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6VmbiaPJFIq5UKwEoPWDLL1-j4TtzpDujxOorSpbIJDKLpNRT5SGZif2x9s4quN1Z4qqDBieERyhBY0yiAUc9ppGkk8iEuQy3JvjS4VnV_-0Nbqm1i-CamBkJiJ9fY53G9gt4KfB_g/s1600/Fishy+Sandwich+Breading+Mix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6VmbiaPJFIq5UKwEoPWDLL1-j4TtzpDujxOorSpbIJDKLpNRT5SGZif2x9s4quN1Z4qqDBieERyhBY0yiAUc9ppGkk8iEuQy3JvjS4VnV_-0Nbqm1i-CamBkJiJ9fY53G9gt4KfB_g/s200/Fishy+Sandwich+Breading+Mix.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Fried Fishy Sandwiches</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 block Frozen Firm Tofu, thawed</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dry Egg Replacer (two eggs' worth)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4 Sandwich Rolls (we used a lovely vegan Ciabatta roll we found at Tesco)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4T Malt Vinegar (Toni used cider vinegar, but I prefer malt vinegar with fish)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1T Old Bay Seasoning</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3/4C Panko Bread Crumbs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/4C Regular Plain Bread Crumbs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2T Plain Flour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 1/2tsp Nori, ground</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1tsp Onion Powder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2tsp Garlic Powder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2tsp Sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Salt and Pepper to taste</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before you really start assembling things here, you might need to make a few preparations. First, the nori. Nori is a seaweed steamed and rolled out into sheets and toasted. It is typically sold in sheets, and I had never seen any for sale already powdered or minced up into small pieces. I tried cutting it into tiny pieces, and that would work if you wanted to spend an hour dealing with it, but I didn't. So...I got out my coffee bean grinder. I tore the sheet of nori into pieces that would fit in the grinder. It took less than a minute to grind the entire sheet, and it did the trick beautifully. If you can find nori already ground up...awesome. If not, try this or a food processor.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyw7iOO23fdHHClRxMBrZiv_6xfFVm4AB5yq6N-CXzdzZ_qaAyI1WAJYD9seftZypKG4tMGuSUj1GV__EHXPCaNpWKxkR9ToytbO5lfbr1N5K3ZhLF3uMI3mFwRX2gDqtbErW3W64zbw/s1600/Fishy+Sandwich+Nori+Torn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyw7iOO23fdHHClRxMBrZiv_6xfFVm4AB5yq6N-CXzdzZ_qaAyI1WAJYD9seftZypKG4tMGuSUj1GV__EHXPCaNpWKxkR9ToytbO5lfbr1N5K3ZhLF3uMI3mFwRX2gDqtbErW3W64zbw/s200/Fishy+Sandwich+Nori+Torn.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVPP783D7YT1eRUevLJYE0pvmEgBNumaJZXSr4MgOqRaN2UG2rXFyjWYlzK-GbJG1oTdrHFnddKUxdDM7Ka9kTKMDKEehgCok_ZW5YX5BI6FY2uU8p5stJvutlnTTL_5e1W76lbjhhA/s1600/Fishy+Sandwich+Nori+Chopped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVPP783D7YT1eRUevLJYE0pvmEgBNumaJZXSr4MgOqRaN2UG2rXFyjWYlzK-GbJG1oTdrHFnddKUxdDM7Ka9kTKMDKEehgCok_ZW5YX5BI6FY2uU8p5stJvutlnTTL_5e1W76lbjhhA/s200/Fishy+Sandwich+Nori+Chopped.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now for the tofu. You cannot make this recipe properly without first freezing your block of tofu. When tofu is frozen, the texture of it changes. When you thaw a block of frozen tofu, you will find that the texture of it is very spongy and far more structurally sound. The mouth feel of previously-frozen tofu is different, as well..."meaty" is an apt adjective for it. For this recipe, you really need to freeze the tofu. Just put the entire package, unopened, into the freezer as soon as you get home from the store with it. Take it out and thaw it completely. When you open the package, squeeze the block thoroughly to remove the water. You now have a block of tofu that will soak up any sauce or marinade like a sponge - literally. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMPUwsiX01OYw90LtBQRtADufi94DT5VeWg4M9gxZ5y9zVLW-kvjhuHYaeiPthZgzhMTl3dc45c20y42l9isjdO_Y42ms8aDUlU_jbhhsWanfMQIV4-7toHSJ3HRdr2S6_JeJT46cbQ/s1600/Fishy+Sandwich+Brine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMPUwsiX01OYw90LtBQRtADufi94DT5VeWg4M9gxZ5y9zVLW-kvjhuHYaeiPthZgzhMTl3dc45c20y42l9isjdO_Y42ms8aDUlU_jbhhsWanfMQIV4-7toHSJ3HRdr2S6_JeJT46cbQ/s200/Fishy+Sandwich+Brine.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3BxRV5kzviXwewci7VucuWTIBDi9TpYiKm_m9ZDA71m3FXoSeiAHCuCETbNwXfsPTF5jvAJ4xL-a8fytoxgEBSi-aYEr8mXFcYuOkoXGZuWq7LLPHkfaHPYAmXWHx_0pS-xen9peow/s1600/Fishy+Sandwich+Egg+Replacer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3BxRV5kzviXwewci7VucuWTIBDi9TpYiKm_m9ZDA71m3FXoSeiAHCuCETbNwXfsPTF5jvAJ4xL-a8fytoxgEBSi-aYEr8mXFcYuOkoXGZuWq7LLPHkfaHPYAmXWHx_0pS-xen9peow/s200/Fishy+Sandwich+Egg+Replacer.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Slice the block of tofu into eight uniform slices, blot with a paper towel on both sides, and set aside. In a bowl, mix together the malt vinegar, sugar, and 1/2tsp of your ground nori. Whisk these together and set aside. Using a dry egg replacer like the one I have pictured above, get a 2nd small bowl and mix the equivalent for two eggs according to the package instructions. Set this aside as well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In a medium bowl, mix the panko, bread crumbs, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, Old Bay, remaining nori, salt, and pepper with a fork until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Taking each slice of tofu, dip them in the vinegar mix, coat with the egg replacer, and then dredge in your bread crumb mix. Once fully coated, put the slices aside on a plate or tray to await frying.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9oFwvSFVs8xbW0MHIOjXm0qvEIrm4YO8TuEXuYLSKnVPwGJ_cOouhzmG66eqnyqU0FWrg9CZWteIh0RFzrVjnrxu8mHSxp0ItNxbrUukPK1Js1WuFeGQaimy1ecidO3Lpvk0tPteJg/s1600/Fishy+Sandwich+Breaded+Planks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9oFwvSFVs8xbW0MHIOjXm0qvEIrm4YO8TuEXuYLSKnVPwGJ_cOouhzmG66eqnyqU0FWrg9CZWteIh0RFzrVjnrxu8mHSxp0ItNxbrUukPK1Js1WuFeGQaimy1ecidO3Lpvk0tPteJg/s200/Fishy+Sandwich+Breaded+Planks.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzyCBvPLMhJ7cpBkCya3lF6p7FDTdf_5ifWU5-5BXPE5J33V8J4k_3fPIIm2JLYGgMMKfy_kQnQ7D7UFlYVtT9SGNnZ7gnPTQ5HOnvEAqooJJiH59oPUdCQl9gSr0UrEWunshvhsabg/s1600/Fish+Sandwich+Cooked+Planks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzyCBvPLMhJ7cpBkCya3lF6p7FDTdf_5ifWU5-5BXPE5J33V8J4k_3fPIIm2JLYGgMMKfy_kQnQ7D7UFlYVtT9SGNnZ7gnPTQ5HOnvEAqooJJiH59oPUdCQl9gSr0UrEWunshvhsabg/s200/Fish+Sandwich+Cooked+Planks.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cover the bottom of a deep skillet (you don't need a lot of oil...just cover the bottom of the skillet), and heat the oil until a bit of the breading dropped in immediately bubbles. Once your oil is heated, place each of the fishy planks into the oil and cook on one side until golden brown (about 3 minutes). Flip each slice over and do the same thing on the other side. Remove the planks from the oil and place them on some paper toweling to drain.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Voila! Make sure to share a piece with any Children, Foster Bassets, or Husbands who wander through while you assemble the sammiches. We made these with lettuce, tomato, and red onion on lovely ciabatta rolls. They were awesome...and they really did taste like fried fish. There was one thing we'd change...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwH-7iDP9Dv4lx0A_TtLiaGN8QMGywM0VZVpwW_mnvLy0hkGhm7YpmImpBSmFKj9YdSxVfEQaYCvO0XxBnKQBqcYfBgHtPzYCvrFRK5gnfsD0ydpO81g1YWPSUuwsF9K38Gdjtn-qHuA/s1600/Fishy+Sandwich+Winston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwH-7iDP9Dv4lx0A_TtLiaGN8QMGywM0VZVpwW_mnvLy0hkGhm7YpmImpBSmFKj9YdSxVfEQaYCvO0XxBnKQBqcYfBgHtPzYCvrFRK5gnfsD0ydpO81g1YWPSUuwsF9K38Gdjtn-qHuA/s320/Fishy+Sandwich+Winston.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>The Next Time I Make This Recipe</b>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I will not dip the individual tofu slices in the vinegar mix. I will simply press the entire block of tofu, once squeezed free of water, into the vinegar mix on each side. We love the malt vinegar flavor, but we think the slices soaked up too much individually. Though it was quite tasty this way, we felt the strength of the vinegar flavor took away from the spices and other flavors in the breading. This is a matter of preference. If you want a milder malt vinegar flavor, try dipping the entire block in the vinegar mix rather than soaking each slice.</div>Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-60607523781815094562011-01-09T23:02:00.000+09:002011-01-09T23:02:04.623+09:00Breakfast Hash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYsUzPsmqFEowVB8LXcAIofvkjgxaAXDnU6dfeWis15rODthvwKec9IgfX7LDaa9jIca80pkxvEVWcEv3lRkrd0UYlqxAoPRdrOHCWeLhs4TAXpu4RcFUXEJrTCykeJspg7qvz2spjQ/s1600/Breakfast+Hash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYsUzPsmqFEowVB8LXcAIofvkjgxaAXDnU6dfeWis15rODthvwKec9IgfX7LDaa9jIca80pkxvEVWcEv3lRkrd0UYlqxAoPRdrOHCWeLhs4TAXpu4RcFUXEJrTCykeJspg7qvz2spjQ/s320/Breakfast+Hash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I promised a breakfast hash posting a while back when I made it for the first time. It is delicious. Then I got the flu...bad flu...serious flu...like 103-degree temperature for four days flu...followed by three SOLID weeks of recovery while it lingered and clung on for dear life. It was HORRID. Then there was Christmas and my birthday. It's the age-old holiday season excuse. But I'm back, now, so let's just forget all that viral crap and put it behind us, shall we? <br />
<br />
One thing I've really worked to recreate as a vegan is egg dishes...because I loved to eat them once upon a time. Real eggs really, REALLY skeeve me out now, so I can't even "cheat" and eat one now and again. I seriously find eggs and the entire concept of eating eggs revolting.<br />
<br />
But I still miss the taste and texture I used to enjoy so much.<br />
<br />
Fortunately for me, I have found a friend in tofu. From the earliest days of my vegan eating, I have been pleased with tofu/turmeric scrambles. They work for me. Heck, I didn't even add anything to my tofu scrambles...just tofu, vegan butter, turmeric, and S&P. Voila. It might have all ended right there because I am a creature of implacable habits, but the trouble was that my husband didn't really like plain ol' tofu and turmeric scrambles. <br />
<br />
So, from the very beginning, I have been on a mission to have yummy breakfast at home for Mr. Nix. Sometime in late November of last year...I succeeded. Here is our breakfast hash recipe. It's simple, it's inexpensive, and my husband really likes to eat it. Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzo6V5CpZmic7WzZfbfnkpDGryMS_Ok1pvgTaQiyo3k_3QR3b00lhtwDUuOmlAFqKbFZN_B3RKIN4Eg0yY0HKoYYwqDF1dm5W6hYORumeuQ-Klrvp3ponX08Uuf9QGT6-HPC1ri09C-Q/s1600/Breakfast+Hash+Ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzo6V5CpZmic7WzZfbfnkpDGryMS_Ok1pvgTaQiyo3k_3QR3b00lhtwDUuOmlAFqKbFZN_B3RKIN4Eg0yY0HKoYYwqDF1dm5W6hYORumeuQ-Klrvp3ponX08Uuf9QGT6-HPC1ri09C-Q/s320/Breakfast+Hash+Ingredients.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><b>1:29 Project Breakfast Hash</b><br />
<br />
1 medium yellow onion, chopped<br />
1 medium bell pepper (any color), diced<br />
1 large or 2 small potatoes, scrubbed and diced<br />
2/3 block Firm Tofu, diced<br />
1tsp Turmeric<br />
1tsp Garlic Paste (or 3 cloves minced garlic)<br />
1/4tsp Hot Chili Paste (or Red Pepper Flakes), optional<br />
c. 2T Vegan Butter<br />
c. 1T Extra Virgin Olive Oil<br />
Salt and Pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Over medium high heat, get your pan nice and warm. Add the butter and oil. Let those get really good and hot. Add in the onion, bell pepper, tofu, and potatoes. DON'T touch them, yet. Just let them sit there in the hot fats. While this is happening, throw in the garlic and chili. After about a minute, stir this all up. Get it good and mixed together and add the salt, pepper, and turmeric. Once all of this is well-incorporated and happy together, put your spoon down again and let it sit. We want browning to take place. Put all your ingredients away and wipe down your counter while you let it sit there and cook (about 3 minutes). At this point, you should see some lovely brown marks on your onions and potatoes. Your breakfast hash is now ready to eat...<i><u>however</u></i>: if you are like Mr. Nix, then you like your breakfast potatoes a little darker. Allow the hash to cook to your personal texture preference from this point. Remove from heat and serve. We like to eat this with toast and jam.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovPF200guaVHFA2jRCcDJInO2e5gZ_T8uDpZbTrsXmxjQLYLZfRbcFGsVUZNTrvwu8dcJbDEfDivmGJSAeuPsEt91ApA2d1YKAzYB9f22cNjEegtNqNMMR7Msmwj9JRbbVcMjaMphBQ/s1600/Breakfast+Hash+Skillet+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovPF200guaVHFA2jRCcDJInO2e5gZ_T8uDpZbTrsXmxjQLYLZfRbcFGsVUZNTrvwu8dcJbDEfDivmGJSAeuPsEt91ApA2d1YKAzYB9f22cNjEegtNqNMMR7Msmwj9JRbbVcMjaMphBQ/s200/Breakfast+Hash+Skillet+1.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSdw6i370NgAch06eXX2GE-lAmqC5LoPhv5UtwKVrp0VLtm3h9VNlr5ufqz1Ka6466hWqrTGAADLz91Iwc6u4t659m5liJUdC-Yj10cBhMmnfTo8M9mvf6bjYO2TEYSyLOU-CZJXaDg/s1600/Breakfast+Hash+Skillet+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSdw6i370NgAch06eXX2GE-lAmqC5LoPhv5UtwKVrp0VLtm3h9VNlr5ufqz1Ka6466hWqrTGAADLz91Iwc6u4t659m5liJUdC-Yj10cBhMmnfTo8M9mvf6bjYO2TEYSyLOU-CZJXaDg/s200/Breakfast+Hash+Skillet+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-33534724251212950772010-11-27T05:58:00.000+09:002010-11-27T05:58:58.809+09:00Redefining Dinner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iDZwN-DZPAMy7WIK434WLuTZ1hraxowg0e5mHneL3PJUvfwRCLmLCw2MxCKGjCx_ckYy24NithAghip8d6zzVeLe8cQ2q46GKNGEiIA4KlVT4xg8YtEuvxM0sFVsyzTyiPjjYgoEsw/s1600/Redefining+Dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iDZwN-DZPAMy7WIK434WLuTZ1hraxowg0e5mHneL3PJUvfwRCLmLCw2MxCKGjCx_ckYy24NithAghip8d6zzVeLe8cQ2q46GKNGEiIA4KlVT4xg8YtEuvxM0sFVsyzTyiPjjYgoEsw/s320/Redefining+Dinner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">One of the challenges of going vegan is learning to change our concept of dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does dinner look like?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does an appetizing plate contain if we aren’t going to put any meat or cheese on it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tonight, while I was cooking the family evening meal, Mr. Nix came into the kitchen with me to “help.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is special code language for “playfully harass me while I cook.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At some point during the shenanigans, he stopped and suddenly shouted, “You know what you need to do?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I smiled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“No, Bubby, what do I need to do?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You need to make a book called, ‘Side Dish No More,’ and make it all about how you make vegan entrees – you know, the main dish for a meal.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tonight’s dinner was an excellent example of how I’ve begun to naturally replace animal fats and proteins on our dinner plate with things most Americans consider only as a side dish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our plates tonight held roasted root vegetables, steamed fresh green beans, and jasmine rice covered with a tomato porridge sauce I made up because I didn’t have any flour to make tomato gravy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was completely scrumptious, healthy, and satisfying.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal">It has taken me a year for this sort of dinner to come naturally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have spent most of my first year as a vegan having to hunt specific ingredients and meticulously plan menus using online aids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, I am able to stand in my kitchen and look around at the items I have on hand to make a meal for my family, but it took months of laborious work and a lot of trial and error to get here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s because the American dinner plate is all about a meat, a starch, and a vegetable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it doesn’t contain these three items, it ain’t a “healthy” or “complete” meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent the first 34 years of my life cooking that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of my culinary habits involved butter, eggs, bacon grease, meat, and cheese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every meal I knew how to throw together, and all of the components I was comfortable using were formed around the 3-part traditional American dinner plate.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 329.9pt;">Getting out of that mindset takes time because it is cultural and habitual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been grateful more than a few times over the past year that I was already a kitchen person when I went vegan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love food, and I love to cook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve always been a quick study in the kitchen, so that comfort level and experience has served me very well in this year of transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those who are not already familiar and comfortable with home cooking, who don’t know by feel how to mix together or substitute fats and proteins and grains and spices with one another…well, I can imagine that the process of redefining dinner can present a serious obstacle.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 329.9pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 329.9pt;">If you find yourself asking, “What can we eat?” or saying, “I just don’t know what to make,” on a regular basis, the best advice I know to give is the following:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 329.9pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 329.9pt;">1.) Learn how to make soups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soup is forgiving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By that, I mean that once you get the basic recipe, soup is really hard to mess up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For inexperienced or uncomfortable cooks, soup can help you feel confident about trying new things.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 329.9pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 329.9pt;">2.) Make meals that include three dishes like the one in my picture here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They bring comfort and familiarity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr. Nix LOVES when I make meals that look like this for him because they resemble and “feel” like the old meat-starch-veggie plate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get three different colors on the plate or put three different textures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think of it as a crisp-chewy-smooth plate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ha ha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever criteria you use to choose your dishes, always work with three.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s amazing how attached Americans are to that three-item plate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 329.9pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 329.9pt;">3.) Get online and find recipes to try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re anything like me, you’ll end up eating several along the way that turn out with less than desirable results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My recipe failures this past year have included two cornbread recipes (I finally made my own), a veggie meatloaf (went into the garbage…it was THAT bad), too many pasta recipes to count, an eggplant dish (I still shudder when I think about that one), some tofu attempts…it goes on and on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These failures are okay because in between the bad recipes, you’ll be learning what does work for you.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 329.9pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 329.9pt;">4.) Finally, remember that you can’t erase a lifetime of habit in a week or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give yourself time to figure out what you like seeing in that empty spot on the plate where your chicken leg used to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m still a work in progress after a year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, I still can’t shake off the egg mayonnaise…but I’m learning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will, too.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 329.9pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 329.9pt;">God bless you and keep you.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 329.9pt;"><br />
</div>Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-52845315214342928882010-11-26T04:12:00.001+09:002010-11-26T04:16:26.343+09:00Irish Bruschetta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYYQLBhondz-a_RWluLLD5EvGgPO1Ncdn7r7Cm6fKnfxMtBbrIvlRF7VZvhPdQrfErTdtcxaJZ8Pd7KIaxPC42H7gJ5tjxt34ACm0Y8ebxekMd0dgbLMw7EjsqAx7FI4tpypQlmimnw/s1600/Bruschetta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYYQLBhondz-a_RWluLLD5EvGgPO1Ncdn7r7Cm6fKnfxMtBbrIvlRF7VZvhPdQrfErTdtcxaJZ8Pd7KIaxPC42H7gJ5tjxt34ACm0Y8ebxekMd0dgbLMw7EjsqAx7FI4tpypQlmimnw/s320/Bruschetta.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Well...it's bruschetta made in Ireland. Same thing, right? Actually, the tomatoes are from France and the basil is from Israel, but the baguettes were made right here in Dublin...this morning. I made 5 baguettes and 3 pounds in tomatoes worth of this recipe this morning, and it was ALL eaten up by the guests before anyone ate any of the omni food. I was pretty danged proud of it. People were just hovering around the platter, and I had to keep refilling it. /flex<br />
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Shortly after getting off the plane last week, we got acquainted with Roly's Cafe here in Ballsbridge. It's conveniently located less than a block from our hotel, so we ate there more than people would generally do in our first week. The bread there is just really, really good, and they make it all onsite.<br />
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Here at home, now, we are located about a mile away from Roly's. We have no car, yet, but because it is Thanksgiving, and because I didn't want to show up at our sponsor's house empty-handed, and because we don't have much in the kitchen to cook with, and because I really wanted to use these incredible mix-n-match tomatoes I bought on Tuesday...well, Mr. Nix was sent for a walk in the cold this morning to retrieve some Irish French bread from Roly's. And here we are. <br />
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Make this. Trust me.<br />
<br />
(my very first post from the new kitchen! Squeal!)<br />
<br />
<b>Bruschetta</b><br />
<i>There are no measurements here. Go with your gut and use what you have.</i><br />
<br />
Good Crusty Bread<br />
Tomatoes<br />
Fresh Basil<br />
Olive Oil<br />
Salt<br />
Black Pepper<br />
Garlic Clove, peeled<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGBmJLWQ5sAfGP_KgQnPD09nCPrvG44ysbcptMu6iNN0MSp4VHlDd71LwGPCBmu_XQ9sAwarPyK4g7RV8Ju7ij8jjHB10nFlsD03V8us4tl8hw8jbmhItLNU_oSFy8-p4U6k3U8CXAA/s1600/Bruschetta+Ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGBmJLWQ5sAfGP_KgQnPD09nCPrvG44ysbcptMu6iNN0MSp4VHlDd71LwGPCBmu_XQ9sAwarPyK4g7RV8Ju7ij8jjHB10nFlsD03V8us4tl8hw8jbmhItLNU_oSFy8-p4U6k3U8CXAA/s200/Bruschetta+Ingredients.jpg" width="186" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxz0c8jyB_FEgi47VWGMXmouGE8mMwk0PHGMtIh6i_2oucJ7uSKw3Yc88kbSCHl2dIxfIYclBtZ6MOx7s1xjmx2-F6iWgyDr4Lrd96yXdhgCBWg9Psmmqn4E1vdajCHWR5Ay-sbOAPQ/s1600/Bruschetta+Israeli+Basil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxz0c8jyB_FEgi47VWGMXmouGE8mMwk0PHGMtIh6i_2oucJ7uSKw3Yc88kbSCHl2dIxfIYclBtZ6MOx7s1xjmx2-F6iWgyDr4Lrd96yXdhgCBWg9Psmmqn4E1vdajCHWR5Ay-sbOAPQ/s200/Bruschetta+Israeli+Basil.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Chop your tomatoes into nice, bite-sized pieces. Chiffonade your basil. If you don't know how to cut in a chiffonade, you can either look at our page <a href="http://129project.blogspot.com/2010/09/lemony-collard-lunch.html"><b>here</b></a>, or you can chop it up any ol' way you like. Mix together the tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper to taste, and then drizzle with olive oil to get a nice coating. Stir this all together. Taste for salt content, adjust, and then put it in the fridge to marinate while you prepare your bread.<br />
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Slice your bread into the desired size pieces. I used baguettes today because these were meant to be little bite-sized appetizers. If you use this for a meal, go big or go home. Use a nice heavy Italian bread or get funky and use a dark pumpernickel. Whatever you use, keep the pieces a good size for handling. We don't eat this with a fork, People.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1mrX3FsKFsWC2nNuHr89q3zGYt69XqmvbpyWCSYbhUQc-C5QAppNEWrEdCVV46T6aeT17yk4nPg8Mt69w2nYLxUv-WMN3g58y_pjufGStiVWgZT4sQRcNlH1nwmlKqp0lvFEDSvFqw/s1600/Bruschetta+Tomatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1mrX3FsKFsWC2nNuHr89q3zGYt69XqmvbpyWCSYbhUQc-C5QAppNEWrEdCVV46T6aeT17yk4nPg8Mt69w2nYLxUv-WMN3g58y_pjufGStiVWgZT4sQRcNlH1nwmlKqp0lvFEDSvFqw/s200/Bruschetta+Tomatoes.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATBH6mPNwvBh0nUcSQCGfw_5H5Bv7knd_Oq9wTMlBga4MZLKfWfUpZZrYgoKq5ggHB9awDyodabQnEaAPBsOpswNM-WOE6_vejHAopWE69jTFRTwd9BsX_pyP2oRAk7v7MQX5aNaxTw/s1600/Bruschetta+Brushing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATBH6mPNwvBh0nUcSQCGfw_5H5Bv7knd_Oq9wTMlBga4MZLKfWfUpZZrYgoKq5ggHB9awDyodabQnEaAPBsOpswNM-WOE6_vejHAopWE69jTFRTwd9BsX_pyP2oRAk7v7MQX5aNaxTw/s200/Bruschetta+Brushing.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Now, if you want to be healthy about all this, you can just toast your bread in the oven. This is Thanksgiving, though, so I brushed the bread slices on both sides with olive oil, and I was generous with it. Next, I fried them in a pan on the stove. Either way, once your bread is crunchy and ready to go, it's time to add the garlic.<br />
<br />
Take a raw, peeled garlic clove and just rub it against the crunchy bread. Like a grater, the bread will sort of consume the garlic. Rub the bread with the garlic on both sides and then set your slices out on a platter.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzG6nn4pVqo-arp3__EJwA1IypSg19mxurjaBZvYJjf2i_K_r9CSa_wYOmtAd5klENetBOxCMYJDme98UdErLRIGuyDeypJ800lqlmdS9o3lBI1AGb5ix0dkc_UlS7t5a4u3WxzxuYQ/s1600/Bruschetta+Garlic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzG6nn4pVqo-arp3__EJwA1IypSg19mxurjaBZvYJjf2i_K_r9CSa_wYOmtAd5klENetBOxCMYJDme98UdErLRIGuyDeypJ800lqlmdS9o3lBI1AGb5ix0dkc_UlS7t5a4u3WxzxuYQ/s200/Bruschetta+Garlic.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLInjLSpc9q7Qbm7MYEsYxzuFGzudTD7XOvHfm9qeWM8uXsivKvqY1YrFzpUmcoT0UJ-ZvXe9Al6CUVvwyHEqa09aaTBxPCuZrzYvo5SwgkpFTYek3bhAAHW2Me_I-RsR7xo49YiHxA/s1600/Bruschetta+Bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLInjLSpc9q7Qbm7MYEsYxzuFGzudTD7XOvHfm9qeWM8uXsivKvqY1YrFzpUmcoT0UJ-ZvXe9Al6CUVvwyHEqa09aaTBxPCuZrzYvo5SwgkpFTYek3bhAAHW2Me_I-RsR7xo49YiHxA/s200/Bruschetta+Bread.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Get your tomatoes out of the fridge and spoon generously onto the bread. Get as much of the tomato mixture on the slice as it will hold and then have fun watching your family or friends try to be all neat while they eat it.<br />
<br />
This stuff is better than the bees' knees. It's freaking delicious. Enjoy it, and Happy Thanksgiving.Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-22592710106117455682010-11-16T00:16:00.000+09:002010-11-16T00:16:06.616+09:00I Think I've Turned Japanese <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ApUsBa1nGppws-EYyn7pO5YdrWNUtpHVH8nTm1fmNJiNEYOWHSOxY1a2VpR5H76tQvT2ZIgl040Vj7xyo3yYEGC2GVT2MYUeWe73nPP1XsMr28EnzBYyS5So0J5YqoarShK6QQNP8A/s1600/800px-Flag_of_Okinawa_Prefecture.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ApUsBa1nGppws-EYyn7pO5YdrWNUtpHVH8nTm1fmNJiNEYOWHSOxY1a2VpR5H76tQvT2ZIgl040Vj7xyo3yYEGC2GVT2MYUeWe73nPP1XsMr28EnzBYyS5So0J5YqoarShK6QQNP8A/s320/800px-Flag_of_Okinawa_Prefecture.svg.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Flag of the Okinawan Prefecture of Japan</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">I love my country. Although America will always be my homeland and my primary patriotic love, my<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>home<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>has been elsewhere for a long time, now. Okinawa and her people have been very good to us for the past three years, and we are leaving her in a matter of days. There is both sadness and joy in this. This little island has been my first experience as an expatriate, and I have both hated and loved every day of it.</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">I felt a sort of vertigo when we moved here. I was displaced and dizzy in a foreign country that was truly alien to me in every way. The language, the food, the architecture, and even the toilets were strange and intimidating to me. Since that shaky first impression, however, Okinawa has become my home. The people are open and kind and generous - astonishingly so. The food has grown on me, and now I can't imagine being without it. My tiny concrete house has become my home. I am in my element here.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">There is a very third-world feel to Okinawa. Everywhere you go, you see the rubble of abandoned buildings, unkempt and overgrown fields, empty lots piled with rusty rubbish, and narrow streets filled with simply-dressed people on foot or bicycle. Large portions of the island are covered by the overwhelming stench of chicken, pig, and cow manure when the fields are spread and the wind blows just right. The heat and humidity are just stifling about 8 months out of the year. The appearance of relative poverty and overcrowding are all around you from clothing hung to dry off of every high rise balcony to the narrow, pothole-filled streets to the homeless beggars gathered under overpasses and on the sidewalk corners. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Despite all of this, there is also a wild sort of beauty to Okinawa. Miniature farms with tiered fields strung up in fairy lights to protect the tropical crops from chilly nights. Huge, jutting hills covered with a dense tangle of jungle trees, vines, and underbrush. Massive, sheer-faced cliffs descending hundreds of feet down into the waves of the Pacific Ocean. Little fishing boats. A man walking a bull down the street. Ancient stone Shinto burial temples covered with moss. Young children playing baseball in perfectly manicured parks. Majestic ruins from the Ryukyu Empire dotted all over the island. Incredible sprays of carefully-cultivated orchids, lilies, and other extraordinary flowers. The sea is also, literally, all around. In some places violent, with white waves crashing on jagged rocks, in other places clear and cerulean and calm. And, then, there are the Okinawan people.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">The Okinawan people seem almost childlike to an American at first glance. Their culture is open, truthful, and incredibly polite. Doors are routinely left unlocked because theft is practically unheard of. Everyone from the manager of a bank to the man who landscapes the public medians takes pride in his job. There are uniforms of a sort for every type of work here, and the Okinawan people always look clean, pressed, and professionally intent on their work. This kind of personal pride in even the lowest wage work is almost totally absent from today's American society. Watching it still takes me by surprise, sometimes...even after three years. There is an obsession here with anything cute (kawaii) or decorative. The Japanese gift-giving traditions are complex and puzzling. The appearance of the gift is just as or even more important than the contents of the package. The importance placed on gift wrapping and presentation crosses over into the service industries. Even at the 100¥ store, any fragile item you purchase will be neatly wrapped in newsprint and tied or taped into a little gift shape. Everything is wrapped in rice paper or tied with beautiful ribbon. No opportunity for decoration or artistic presentation is overlooked. Okinawans delight in children and family. Complete strangers will take a young child from her mother and entertain her with games and play or treats out of the blue. American mothers are often taken aback by this kind of behavior, but it is born of a cultural love for children. There are no looks of angry annoyance at childish antics in public. Everyone in every age group is patient and accommodating to both the children and the families moving about in society with them.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">All of these things, the good and the bad, have become a part of my space - my new natural habitat. I see them and am surrounded by them every day. Now, all of that is about to be over. America has chosen a new home for us, and because we serve The United States in this family, that is simply that. Our new home will be Dublin, Ireland. I don't know how we're going to adjust to the culture shock of being Okinawanized Americans living in Europe...but I know we will find a way to manage.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Today, my husband, our daughter, and I are packing suitcases and preparing for the last TMO shipments (military movers, basically) that will be taken from our home. They will come for the next two days, handle everything I own, pack it up in wooden crates, and put it all on a ship for Dublin. I'm ready to go, but I will be very sad to leave.</span></div>Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-12946920780677668662010-10-28T19:45:00.001+09:002010-10-28T19:47:02.838+09:00Typhoon Soup!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZduhKhc8UPfk9s-LrgzdcSEzSeQ8vqOdifiFspmxPsWi42nxPru0ImDTSIM_Kxg2B2HLstFtzRDxfwqZBgHdvcy1U4BUdI_8R_KM_Mgjcz7_PJeRPNV3OVv1guw0shOlJ7B5qszXcA/s1600/Typhoon+Soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZduhKhc8UPfk9s-LrgzdcSEzSeQ8vqOdifiFspmxPsWi42nxPru0ImDTSIM_Kxg2B2HLstFtzRDxfwqZBgHdvcy1U4BUdI_8R_KM_Mgjcz7_PJeRPNV3OVv1guw0shOlJ7B5qszXcA/s320/Typhoon+Soup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We may be headed for Dublin, but we still live on Okinawa, and today we are receiving a visit from Typhoon Chaba. It's been chilly (for Oki) and gloomy for days in the run-up for this storm. I felt we needed something hot and soothing. We ate colcannon and heavy, bad-tasting meat loaf for dinner yesterday, so I wanted this to be something lighter and less clunky in the tummy. Soup, of course, is always an excellent solution for this.<br />
<br />
Because we are planning a move, there isn't a whole lot of food in the house, and I've used most of what I bought over the last week for specific, planned meals. I rooted through the pantry and fridge to see what I could find and just threw everything that looked like a soup ingredient up on the counter. This is what I came up with, and it was quite good.<br />
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This little soup is a simple, spicy, and stick-to-the-ribs meal without being heavy. I call it Typhoon Soup in honor of the storm which inspired me to make it. Do try this. It's lovely. I made a cornbread to serve alongside. The slice you see up there in the photo is from my standby <a href="http://129project.blogspot.com/2009/12/official-recipe-129-cornbread.html"><b>1:29 Project Cornbread recipe</b></a>. It just looks different because I used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. It, too, was perfect. As the ladies on my Irish Mommies board would say, "It went down a treat."<br />
<br />
<b>Typhoon Soup</b><br />
c. 1C Potato, diced<br />
c. 1/2C Celery, diced<br />
c. 1/2C Carrot, diced<br />
c. 1/2C Onion, diced<br />
1/4C Kale, chopped (optional)<br />
1C Lentil Beans<br />
1 Can Tomato Soup<br />
4C Vegetable Broth (I made mine with a bouillon base)<br />
1tsp Garlic Powder<br />
1/3tsp Red Chili Flakes<br />
Salt & Pepper to taste<br />
the Juice from 1/2 of a Lemon (about 1T)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZOBe-lVbzpZkGsiq5NypQDSGCLIHHTfc4_XqkApij_bVmo7Xq2bLlM5H4PC_N05sT2-r-6XJylUaYAZRdlMCGiLJhARxaaY7TQ2C6Ke6wOPUkLROJMOhFolBZuKyJhvZ3ZRazeTIKw/s1600/Typhoon+Soup+Ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZOBe-lVbzpZkGsiq5NypQDSGCLIHHTfc4_XqkApij_bVmo7Xq2bLlM5H4PC_N05sT2-r-6XJylUaYAZRdlMCGiLJhARxaaY7TQ2C6Ke6wOPUkLROJMOhFolBZuKyJhvZ3ZRazeTIKw/s200/Typhoon+Soup+Ingredients.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6M-n-EqXB8a5vqd8Yt1ehOqaelws79qq1PIqYdbuiHAl5b2CkIJH4cJHVquCJ1Hzi0tiPoLNcj0g5XGbyO1F52nKJQJEz_8zArfL8XOlRPdiALWzqY-8E1yz2Mj7q4Bumr72QkqVKsg/s1600/Typhoon+Soup+Chopped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6M-n-EqXB8a5vqd8Yt1ehOqaelws79qq1PIqYdbuiHAl5b2CkIJH4cJHVquCJ1Hzi0tiPoLNcj0g5XGbyO1F52nKJQJEz_8zArfL8XOlRPdiALWzqY-8E1yz2Mj7q4Bumr72QkqVKsg/s200/Typhoon+Soup+Chopped.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Heat a stew pot over medium heat with about 1T of canola oil. Toss in the potato, celery, carrot, onion, and lentils. Stir all of this around until the onions soften up a bit. Add in the soup and dry spices. Once that is all mixed and you've taste-tested for spice levels, pour in the broth. Turn down to simmer and cover your pot. Let it cook for 30-40 minutes until the lentils soften up. I don't like my lentils mushy, but if you do, you'll need to let it simmer longer than we did. Add your lemon juice and do a final taste test for salt and pepper adjustment. Voila!<br />
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div>**Note of Trivia**<br />
For those who were unaware, whenever you see the abbreviation "c." in a recipe or manual--or anywhere else for that matter--it stands for the word, "circa." Circa is the Latin word meaning "around." It literally meant around as in <i>around the circle</i> or <i>looking around</i>, but in English we use the c. to indicate around as in "approximately." Cheers!Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-4266809381329827472010-10-27T18:54:00.001+09:002010-10-27T18:55:04.673+09:00Colcannon for Halloween<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhet6H5vZwWW6ZaIwluS1VkvQ9rhPyzPZvCCiICi2VfUseFd-Ie9zkcmiZMjjfZpsCR3T_UUz3qX1JhMsxXZjeuED62vRZEgF7lvd6-f3nZ2ez1U6oXCHs7jF-OstZRrTtkmvLOhDszPQ/s1600/Colcannon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhet6H5vZwWW6ZaIwluS1VkvQ9rhPyzPZvCCiICi2VfUseFd-Ie9zkcmiZMjjfZpsCR3T_UUz3qX1JhMsxXZjeuED62vRZEgF7lvd6-f3nZ2ez1U6oXCHs7jF-OstZRrTtkmvLOhDszPQ/s320/Colcannon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We're moving to Ireland soon, and I have recently befriended a lovely group of Irish mothers online. In the past few days, they've all been talking with one another about a dish called colcannon. These discussions caught my eye because they kept mentioning "kale" and "curly kale." As any of you who read this blog regularly know...I'm a little obsessed with kale. So...I asked them to explain the dish and tell me how to make it.<br />
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Colcannon is a signature Irish comfort dish traditionally made for telling fortunes on Halloween. The cook will hide coins, rings, and other tokens inside the dish to predict marriages and wealth for the coming year. It is simple peasant fare, and it's absolutely and utterly delicious. Here's how to make it:<br />
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<b>1:29 Project Colcannon</b><br />
4-5 lbs. of good, starchy Potatoes<br />
2C Kale, chopped<br />
2C Cabbage, chopped<br />
1/4C Scallions, sliced<br />
1C Soy Milk<br />
6T Vegan Butter (I didn't say it was health food)<br />
4 Cloves Garlic, pressed or minced<br />
Dash Grated Nutmeg<br />
Salt and Pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Scrub and cut up your potatoes. Peel them if you like (if your potatoes have a thick skin that will not easily mash, I recommend you peel them). Put them in a large pot just covered with salted water. Boil until forkably soft the way through. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJFgICJiVC4PMqW7uDDT0zBXN1TB1VDOrUCvlw-PvOnwv2OS0p-BdfDZbyg0ngPjooK2DpavMeOPyNt2_UqCIr1sKUtJzIWSlvXUO3P3Kv-8zANNQGEAS5W8Ip1kdPbCa-4fzDntU1g/s1600/Colcannon+Ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJFgICJiVC4PMqW7uDDT0zBXN1TB1VDOrUCvlw-PvOnwv2OS0p-BdfDZbyg0ngPjooK2DpavMeOPyNt2_UqCIr1sKUtJzIWSlvXUO3P3Kv-8zANNQGEAS5W8Ip1kdPbCa-4fzDntU1g/s200/Colcannon+Ingredients.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgoELGxo-hS-33hy4kU88RNg6ImqaMPbBFaU9JPtw6ZmH0dIdDVmmMMxSruVptpx8Ix3LgU34UHlJE8oni5hBN7yLwtTSivJzqqJCsn1cfr53mDfx2107hUYtJGE6Dno9damLVICcOEQ/s1600/Colcannon+Butter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgoELGxo-hS-33hy4kU88RNg6ImqaMPbBFaU9JPtw6ZmH0dIdDVmmMMxSruVptpx8Ix3LgU34UHlJE8oni5hBN7yLwtTSivJzqqJCsn1cfr53mDfx2107hUYtJGE6Dno9damLVICcOEQ/s200/Colcannon+Butter.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">While the potatoes are boiling, heat 3T butter in a pan. When just bubbly, toss in your Kale and Cabbage. As these begin to wilt (about 1 min.), add the garlic, scallion, and some black pepper. Let these continue cooking for another minute or two until everything is soft.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJjWkVONA7132lejVXm0QTUTxf4Zh7RohLIYmOPNFl_YilzDoUknHXdtVUfslPVdsMmAVDQ6ziI35mjxXncEjBBHDOAvhrLTaO3iBQG7wX1zLc8wNpjDpVI_9N8Va4mDVEc91iK7YcQ/s1600/Colcannon+Kale+&+Cabbage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJjWkVONA7132lejVXm0QTUTxf4Zh7RohLIYmOPNFl_YilzDoUknHXdtVUfslPVdsMmAVDQ6ziI35mjxXncEjBBHDOAvhrLTaO3iBQG7wX1zLc8wNpjDpVI_9N8Va4mDVEc91iK7YcQ/s200/Colcannon+Kale+&+Cabbage.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9H9e7pllR9gLE8p87CsAR2VSs4GZZwtnU46AsLpaKSRCFy2Egjc1UNnnkFJ1m3niEp6RHGY5S3NIDWNlwNmFfLhI2Akq8Oga64lHDIdQCeiz7CQ81030I_3-1_1_eTcq16wcVZdhDew/s1600/Colcannon+Milk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9H9e7pllR9gLE8p87CsAR2VSs4GZZwtnU46AsLpaKSRCFy2Egjc1UNnnkFJ1m3niEp6RHGY5S3NIDWNlwNmFfLhI2Akq8Oga64lHDIdQCeiz7CQ81030I_3-1_1_eTcq16wcVZdhDew/s200/Colcannon+Milk.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Drain the potatoes and put them in a mixer or a large bowl for mashing. Mash the potatoes down a bit and add the soy milk. Once well mixed, add the nutmeg and another 2T of butter. Stir in the kale mixture and mix until everything is well-incorporated. Taste test for salt/pepper content and adjust. Almost done!</div><br />
Transfer the colcannon to your serving dish. Make a well in the hot potatoes and place your last tablespoon of butter inside to melt. Voila! You now have before you a scrumptious vegan version of Irish Colcannon.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJRouKk_wZuMwtUb0-8hNUqbaY-PW8gWNK30gOwow2rfWux0C6mA8zsxfWqSDJZqvcmZjkKX55f36hA7GxWArWiMv1RCIEsGeBb-O6HWoMxv70VjV3lM9qztcHU5-NlZcLw7uFXbKWA/s1600/Colcannon+Kale+Added.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJRouKk_wZuMwtUb0-8hNUqbaY-PW8gWNK30gOwow2rfWux0C6mA8zsxfWqSDJZqvcmZjkKX55f36hA7GxWArWiMv1RCIEsGeBb-O6HWoMxv70VjV3lM9qztcHU5-NlZcLw7uFXbKWA/s200/Colcannon+Kale+Added.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYM35Qv6MLX4hy9ww1l05MMFQ470BNgkMov3m62pFlLI6QY2Y1heouRX4-WL-H80sugZyoGbVr3kzTibBZAAygXokJRnW0ixSPIWAKvjEWbUL_XZ1TatsFEXy0p5ZFQFOKMT7SrM9mIA/s1600/Colcannon+In+the+Dish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYM35Qv6MLX4hy9ww1l05MMFQ470BNgkMov3m62pFlLI6QY2Y1heouRX4-WL-H80sugZyoGbVr3kzTibBZAAygXokJRnW0ixSPIWAKvjEWbUL_XZ1TatsFEXy0p5ZFQFOKMT7SrM9mIA/s200/Colcannon+In+the+Dish.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-74985100387035394342010-10-27T18:23:00.001+09:002010-10-27T18:25:57.637+09:00Meat Loaf Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58ONqZaap2MvDFwvmcos1ObkPE-UT75FzQvFeUqh_ZUoA9cgthwpJ7ZBkcI1fNLsahyphenhyphenXA2-lbAxUCtm79rz1QhG6Mo_ypSz-5TXGwOOkuzk-s6o9CWt3p7rT-VuWjyb2a559_K1meMQ/s1600/Meat+Cupcakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58ONqZaap2MvDFwvmcos1ObkPE-UT75FzQvFeUqh_ZUoA9cgthwpJ7ZBkcI1fNLsahyphenhyphenXA2-lbAxUCtm79rz1QhG6Mo_ypSz-5TXGwOOkuzk-s6o9CWt3p7rT-VuWjyb2a559_K1meMQ/s320/Meat+Cupcakes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>So, I was looking for a good vegan meat loaf recipe, and I came across <a href="http://caloriecount.about.com/yummy-vegan-meatloaf-ft59693"><b>this website</b></a> that suggested putting the meat loaf into a muffin pan so that leftover portions could be frozen and re-heated easily. Having a kidlet who doesn't care for meat loaf, I thought, "Hey! Meat Loaf Cupcakes!" Anyhoodle, we got a recipe and made the meat loaf. <br />
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It was terrible.<br />
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The recipe we used turned out practically inedible. The flavors were just all wrong. As disappointing as that was, however, there are other recipes to try, and this whole cupcake idea was adorable. Here's how we did it. Use with your favorite meat loaf recipe, and may yours turn out tastier than ours. Ha ha!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijaR36YLccVs7sGdq1amLzhtAI2TCLKGvtzTYpAdiadMhA54AP4mcMEh8Doh5fJ2VeUI0kcFB0NNV3oJIji80wgzD1dBPeDcygEWLBjpowqdJWFhRbKx5A3UwsGcclvm_dR7S7XwQkfQ/s1600/Meat+Cupcakes+foil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijaR36YLccVs7sGdq1amLzhtAI2TCLKGvtzTYpAdiadMhA54AP4mcMEh8Doh5fJ2VeUI0kcFB0NNV3oJIji80wgzD1dBPeDcygEWLBjpowqdJWFhRbKx5A3UwsGcclvm_dR7S7XwQkfQ/s200/Meat+Cupcakes+foil.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKjFBFu3mReliyMEJI5xQoIxz_FEBPABuuk1_alflKRPeP0UWD6_OB5ICzx72HK0WrXT6iz64ZAUIQddOTzs72p2Vf7PIrLhWfnNOR7LCUZq-_lGA2cquMQa5NFi2-fveOrrePz1jOw/s1600/Meat+Cupcakes+Sauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKjFBFu3mReliyMEJI5xQoIxz_FEBPABuuk1_alflKRPeP0UWD6_OB5ICzx72HK0WrXT6iz64ZAUIQddOTzs72p2Vf7PIrLhWfnNOR7LCUZq-_lGA2cquMQa5NFi2-fveOrrePz1jOw/s200/Meat+Cupcakes+Sauce.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Using pre-shaped cupcake foils or squares of tin foil (I embossed my corners in an attempt to be like Martha), line the cups of a muffin pan. Taking generous handfuls of your meat loaf mixture, fill the cups to the top. "Frost" with your topping. I used a mix of ketchup and dry mustard. It's delicious. Pop your meat loaf cupcakes into the oven for about 30 minutes (remember these don't take as long to bake through as a full loaf pan would). When finished baking, pipe on some fun designs with mustard. Done!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-65536789142596824182010-10-27T00:22:00.007+09:002010-10-27T00:24:21.432+09:00The Beagle Has Landed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCluHtgE0cz486sHloBfXprT5gWwjd_g9ovuDBfJjp8jlV4IxboPotMmhxStVSSYUVBiC5HoTGiKylMyp46jffjBE7gFGgU2gBXb_xjx4OyodrZtrJrzUzGwJtU3w_V6z7vp0bQ9fAA/s1600/Kioko+Day+3+Living+Room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCluHtgE0cz486sHloBfXprT5gWwjd_g9ovuDBfJjp8jlV4IxboPotMmhxStVSSYUVBiC5HoTGiKylMyp46jffjBE7gFGgU2gBXb_xjx4OyodrZtrJrzUzGwJtU3w_V6z7vp0bQ9fAA/s640/Kioko+Day+3+Living+Room.jpg" width="534" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Little Kioko has arrived in safety. She is being loved and cared for, and now I can finally rest.</div>Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-8687999403394257772010-10-25T19:02:00.001+09:002010-10-25T19:46:35.510+09:00Vegetable Fried Rice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDDTofa2TYUd9xO2jam-Je1j2-wRnNS-j7XXCqA_LC_q0_Go6_PhT5ZfQ2a96dyPTOqdKM9KW1x0ZdbeIdFvHsMwU9K9hglfP7NstGsSS2fMvcXDU5gLkySeS6lU8TgtMw-IQxjP3yA/s1600/Fried+Rice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDDTofa2TYUd9xO2jam-Je1j2-wRnNS-j7XXCqA_LC_q0_Go6_PhT5ZfQ2a96dyPTOqdKM9KW1x0ZdbeIdFvHsMwU9K9hglfP7NstGsSS2fMvcXDU5gLkySeS6lU8TgtMw-IQxjP3yA/s320/Fried+Rice.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Because we're in the middle of moving from Japan to Ireland, I have emptied the refrigerator and stopped buying food. We've been living on takeout and the good grace of friends for about a week now. Last night, we were over at Bunnary's house, and she always makes me the most delicious vegan nummies. The specialty of the evening was tofu fried rice. It was Heaven in a bowl.<br />
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Now. I haven't been able to stop thinking about that fried rice since we left, and I actually went to the commissary and bought ingredients to make it here at home. It was worth the mess and chaos of making room in the kitchen. Bunnary's rice was a simple comfort dish made with a few ingredients. Using the same process she taught me, I added some ingredients because my eyes got big at the store and I bought up the whole produce section. Also in the process of buying too many vegetables, I forgot to buy tofu. So...here is my basic fried rice recipe...sans tofu. It was delicious! <br />
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Remember that this is just a process recipe. You can add tofu, beans, nuts, or seeds if you like, and you don't have to use the vegetables I've used. Use anything you have on hand.<br />
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***About the Pictures: Click on them to see the larger versions. These thumbnails look awful!***<br />
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<b>Vegetable Fried Rice</b><br />
5-6C Fluffed Jasmine Rice (that was my yield cooking 2C rice in 3C of water)<br />
1C Carrot, Diced<br />
1C Celery, Diced<br />
1C Yellow Onion, Chopped<br />
1C Mushrooms, any kind, diced<br />
1.5C Cabbage, chopped<br />
2C Kale, chopped<br />
4 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced<br />
2T Soy Sauce (I used low sodium)<br />
3T Canola Oil<br />
Salt and Black Pepper to taste<br />
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Heat 2T of the oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the rice. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Stir-fry the rice for a solid 5 minutes. This will evenly distribute the oil and "fry" the rice. You do not want the rice to burn or change color here. You just want to fry it and get a bit of flavor in.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Remove the rice from your pan and set aside. Heat the remaining 1T of oil in the same pan you just used to fry the rice. Saute the carrot, celery, and mushroom until the mushrooms begin to sweat and the carrot and celery begin to soften (about 3 minutes). Add the onion. When the onions begin to turn clear (about another 3 minutes), add the garlic and stir through.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Quickly add your kale and cabbage. Stir-fry actively until the kale and cabbage are good and wilted. This shouldn't take more than an additional 2-3 minutes. Now, you're ready to toss the rice in. Add the rice back into the pan, and get everything really well mixed. Almost done! Pour in the soy sauce, stir well, and then let everything sit there getting cozy together for a few minutes. This will bring your rice to that nice brown "fried rice" color we all know and love. You can lower the heat and walk away to clean up if you like. By the time you're done putting everything away, the rice will be ready to taste test.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Adjust the salt content to your liking and serve!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-81755061495429971902010-10-22T10:54:00.000+09:002010-10-22T10:54:19.199+09:00Gershwin, Bowels, and Vegan Shops in Dublin<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeXT6LkUbKS_4DpSx_5TKvGbRHR8zulyyWYBKw25cSLd6MpiOaTMbqoxOUUHUmxA3d5XEnlUZrrZAyBytGxcA3wlKKz33FSYNhSHKku4ATxmkeLObettPGbs94hmYqHyFmGfqD0ZW7w/s1600/Embassy-at-Night-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeXT6LkUbKS_4DpSx_5TKvGbRHR8zulyyWYBKw25cSLd6MpiOaTMbqoxOUUHUmxA3d5XEnlUZrrZAyBytGxcA3wlKKz33FSYNhSHKku4ATxmkeLObettPGbs94hmYqHyFmGfqD0ZW7w/s1600/Embassy-at-Night-1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The U.S. Embassy in Dublin, Ireland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>As we have entered this moving process, my "diet" has gone to junk. As a vegan on Okinawa, I have learned that the meaning of convenience food changes drastically when you stop eating eggs, meat, and cow milk. Pre-packaged food here is rarely vegan. Don't even get me started on the packaged fresh bento boxes full of bitter melon, egg, cream, and batter-dipped chicken. /shudder My bowels scream at me for even looking at food like that. <br />
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<i>Yes. I said "bowels." I can say, "poop," too, if that helps us break the ice in this area. Lookit, every human being has a lower intestine, and very few American-type human beings treat that particular organ with care and kindness. It is shocking how little thought people give to the health of their bowels and how little attention they give to the regularity of their poop. I mean, seriously. Though certainly not the most attractive function of the human body, pooping is supposed to happen every day...several times. A lot of Americans are completely blocked up most of their adult lives and consider it perfectly normal to be so. It's not. It's very, very bad for you, and it indicates some serious problems with your diet. If you don't poop at least twice a day, or if you need to take daily laxatives to get things moving...you need to put the pork chop down and start eating your vegetables. I'm just sayin.'</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
Anyway, in my father's family, we have a genetic predisposition to bowel trouble. My baby brother and I, at 31 and 35 respectively, are already showing signs of heading down that problematic road...so trust me: I got over any embarrassment in discussing bowels a <i>long </i>time ago. You should, too. <br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
Back to junk food and being vegan during a move:<br />
<br />
So, you all know what kind of junk food I mean, right? Chips (crisps, for you European-types), fries (chips, again, for my Euro people), and all manner of quick-grain foods like pasta and big sandwiches and hot cereals...all smothered or slathered with some kind of fatty sauce full of sugar, salt, and God-knows-what-else.<br />
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I've never been thin, but at this rate, I'll be the size of a house in no time. Thinking of that got me to thinking about the Irish looking at me and thinking, "typical fat American." That was a bit embarrassing, and the Irish people mocking me in my head had French accents. That got me thinking about Gershwin's American in Paris, which is a lovely, happy piece of music. So...I put that on the iPod and then started Googling vegan shops and restaurants in Dublin. Yep. I'm nuts. This is what it's like to be me.<br />
<br />
So, anyway - yeah, Buddy. I'm going to be a happy camper in Dublin. Look at all I found:<br />
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<a href="http://www.dublinfood.coop/index.html"><b>The Dublin Co-op</b></a><br />
The vegetarian institution of fair-trade and organic products in Dublin. It's like a farmer's market/whole foods store.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nourish.ie/content/our-stores"><b>Nourish</b></a><br />
The Irish version of Whole Foods, as far as I can tell<br />
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<a href="http://www.blazingsalads.com/"><b>Blazing Salads</b></a><br />
This is going to be my FIRST restaurant visit when we get there. Just look at their beautiful food, and it's all <i>take-out</i>! We won't have a lot of time for eating out properly at a sit-down place in the beginning, so finding and making friends with a good take-out place will be a blessing. Apparently, their tofu pizza is quite the thing because everyone who reviewed the deli mentioned the pizza specifically! <br />
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<a href="http://www.govindas.ie/"><b>Govinda's</b></a><br />
Doesn't this look divine? I can't wait. I'm thinking Govinda's will be my choice for my first-ever sit-down vegan restaurant experience.Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-64807467228144048362010-10-22T09:41:00.001+09:002010-10-25T17:03:06.360+09:00Moving Without Kioko<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06_tnM_eMOfDpMYDY10AHG8jvZyEVc8zuQ7ai2VJkB_zgpeUTrko9qbJ2x841M1bMbSCRVm5KUpC-DuVxX3EabnGCFHM8zbWQ-uzToj0FC7Sz-k6-E9S68pS4z6dghc_8b5rNMGlVDg/s1600/Collar+-+New+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06_tnM_eMOfDpMYDY10AHG8jvZyEVc8zuQ7ai2VJkB_zgpeUTrko9qbJ2x841M1bMbSCRVm5KUpC-DuVxX3EabnGCFHM8zbWQ-uzToj0FC7Sz-k6-E9S68pS4z6dghc_8b5rNMGlVDg/s320/Collar+-+New+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Just three weeks ago, we were preparing for a move to The Hague, Netherlands. As life and the Marine Corps would have it, that plan didn't pan out. Instead, we have been assigned to a post in Dublin, Ireland. While we view this as a fantastic opportunity and are excited to see the green of beautiful Erin, there was a hiccup. A big one.<br />
<br />
Ireland has a strict animal quarantine, and Kioko had never been FAVN tested. Americans don't FAVN test their dogs as a general practice, and so I had never heard of such a thing. It never crossed my mind that Kioko's veterinary record was anything less than exemplary and complete...but I was wrong.<br />
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I have written two posts about all of this on my MCESG Blog, and you can read about the requirements for transporting an American dog to Ireland and the UK in my article, <a href="http://blackpassport.blogspot.com/2010/10/quarantine-for-kioko.html"><b>Quarantine for Kioko</b></a>. What I would rather you read, however, is the story I wrote about <a href="http://blackpassport.blogspot.com/2010/10/okinawas-own-saint-francis.html"><b>Okinawa's Own Saint Francis</b></a>. In it, I describe how Mary from Itoman saved the day and helped us get Kioko safely to our family in America. There, the beaglet can hang out and get grandbaby treatment from my mother-in-law until the quarantine period is over. We look to have Kioko living with us in Dublin by late April or early May.<br />
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We are sad to be losing the company of our Wonder Beagle for six months, but the best we could make out of a bad situation has now taken place. Like I say in my article about Mary, "I miss my dog...but I'm not worried about her anymore."Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-31116927902962325992010-09-25T14:27:00.001+09:002010-09-25T14:30:37.966+09:00Benjamin Franklin Went Veggie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvs77Q3ljJrIbDR5WhUeMdjigmCFPnBpQ5Z1MVEyfd1pu9qbN0bFSzRzbkA0CxEOVSBzWHG_520wThYnCfvO0CD-UUqYZMmaEm3GTJmxVxpZP8JHaigCGgaDkADREyQFl5QCT3dskqVg/s1600/Ben+Franklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvs77Q3ljJrIbDR5WhUeMdjigmCFPnBpQ5Z1MVEyfd1pu9qbN0bFSzRzbkA0CxEOVSBzWHG_520wThYnCfvO0CD-UUqYZMmaEm3GTJmxVxpZP8JHaigCGgaDkADREyQFl5QCT3dskqVg/s1600/Ben+Franklin.jpg" /></a></div>I'm reading <u>The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin</u> right now, and imagine my surprise and delight when I ran across the following:<br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"When about 16 years of age I happened to meet with a book, written by one Tryon, recommending a vegetable diet. I determined to go into it. My brother, being yet unmarried, did not keep a house, but boarded himself and his apprentices in another family. My refusing to eat flesh occasioned an inconveniency, and I was frequently chid for my singularity. I made myself acquainted with Tryon's manner of preparing some of his dishes, such as boiling potatoes or rice, making hasty pudding, and a few others, and then proposed to my brother, that if he would give me, weekly, half the money he paid for my board, I would board myself. He instantly agreed to it, and I presently found that I could save half what he paid me. This was an additional fund for buying books. But I had another advantage in it.</i><br />
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</i><br />
<i>My brother and the rest going from the printing-house to their meals, I remaind there alone, and, despatching presently my last repast, which often was no more than a bisket or a slice of bread, a handful of raisins or a tart from the pastry-cook's, and a glass of water, had the rest of the time till their return for study, in which I made the greater progress, from that greater clearness of head and quicker apprehension which usually attend temperance in eating and drinking."</i><br />
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</i><br />
This little quoted segment of the writing illustrates two things which make me passionate about being vegan. First, you'll note he saved a great abundance of money by not eating meat. This is because meat SHOULD cost more to produce than crops do. Only in our backward, twisted bureaucracy of corrupt legislation could meat be cheaper than broccoli and potatoes. Second, it confirms that even Benjamin Franklin experienced the same increase in energy and mental well-being on a vegetarian diet that I have. It's not placebo effect. It's actually real.<br />
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Just wanted to share. Finding this made me smile.Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-3070084784322223692010-09-25T12:56:00.003+09:002010-09-25T13:15:14.684+09:00Palabok and Lunch With What Ya Got<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PQam2Jbg4Z_I9E5dbfZX0zluii3RfZUZZE7CUESpwJpD8c93VcGyIQyMlJC4HeFvMIBeCimO61bB7a_CXAWdmkx5Vf2cz9I7mtUQ32se6-8uYHK6VGlfW6Us4QNvjWDlneQqu7lMdA/s1600/Palabok+Finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PQam2Jbg4Z_I9E5dbfZX0zluii3RfZUZZE7CUESpwJpD8c93VcGyIQyMlJC4HeFvMIBeCimO61bB7a_CXAWdmkx5Vf2cz9I7mtUQ32se6-8uYHK6VGlfW6Us4QNvjWDlneQqu7lMdA/s320/Palabok+Finished.jpg" width="273" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're gearing up from the big move from Japan to The Netherlands, and part of that is using up food from the pantry. Well, I went on a "noodles I've never heard of" expedition long ago, and so I have this huge basket of noodles in my pantry closet that I don't know what to do with.</span><br />
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</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my fridge, I had a ziploc full of fresh collard greens, already chopped in ribbons that we had leftover from the <a href="http://129project.blogspot.com/2010/09/lemony-collard-lunch.html">Lemony Collards</a> recipe, and I needed to use them up before they spoiled. I also had a gorgeous package of mushrooms from the local San-A, which is a Japanese grocery store. I decided to make Palabok and collards with mushrooms for lunch. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So did we like it? The verdict is still out. I'm not really sure. I love collards, and the mushrooms were lovely. The texture of the palabok is like glass noodles, but thicker. It felt...odd...in my mouth. Different sort of texture and relatively flavorless noodle. It's not my favorite, but your personal preferences might be different. Overall, it was a satisfying light lunch, and the flavor was killer.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoy the photos!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Palabok and Collards and Mushrooms, Oh My!</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 package Palabok, prepared to package directions*</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fresh Collard Greens, chiffonade</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mushrooms, any type, sliced</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2T Vegan Butter</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2T Olive Oil</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Garlic, Salt, and Pepper to taste</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*See Palabok directions below the recipe</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a large, flat-bottomed pan, heat the oil and butter. Add your mushrooms and garlic. Sauté until the mushroom aromas really hit you. Add the collards and sauté just until the wilt begins. Toss in the palabok and give everything a few minutes to get heated through and well-mixed. Salt and pepper. Plate and serve! I ate mine with Sriracha hot sauce. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-l1vgDy3Q-g449Fx-FAF1Sfxj8_2EylbsTkr80g7GjCoP_EMua9Y3VulMVPb58ZO9hjSAjA1UL1ZFe4fzuHT2VikfxLY5U2CgGJw9ctlXaAkaemtM35M2zN1TeYfeF3OW2cZMbNfJw/s1600/Palabok+Ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-l1vgDy3Q-g449Fx-FAF1Sfxj8_2EylbsTkr80g7GjCoP_EMua9Y3VulMVPb58ZO9hjSAjA1UL1ZFe4fzuHT2VikfxLY5U2CgGJw9ctlXaAkaemtM35M2zN1TeYfeF3OW2cZMbNfJw/s200/Palabok+Ingredients.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_IaZdyYfT7m_Acg1pdzl4Zgo27bRtZf_l2dB5g8B-VU4sT3MoO1yVJ-Twb3E1LWIqSyVujhF018hZmGmXmJXGRpCAFJ3VNr65PsEH_eV36XhQDasgE5icviAVxaAn860j3LwAWO-W8w/s1600/Palabok+Mushrooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_IaZdyYfT7m_Acg1pdzl4Zgo27bRtZf_l2dB5g8B-VU4sT3MoO1yVJ-Twb3E1LWIqSyVujhF018hZmGmXmJXGRpCAFJ3VNr65PsEH_eV36XhQDasgE5icviAVxaAn860j3LwAWO-W8w/s200/Palabok+Mushrooms.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Palabok comes in a package like the one pictured below. These are made of "Natural Yellow Cornstarch, Water, and Sodium Polyphosphate." Following the package instructions, you take out the desired amount and soak it in hot water from the tap for about 10 minutes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdO0GNaWRk6_IWxlBXkIx-81MK9Z6WbNck01K216R3HJrqAdNuYcSEacEDlVYJWmq_9Pm4rD9ai2vXJD_P86L94sUMnQ9tt-iayauVEWtqANVHoQ5pJEYZQ3PYj8A_C7uod-YTkHvpCQ/s1600/Palabok+Package.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdO0GNaWRk6_IWxlBXkIx-81MK9Z6WbNck01K216R3HJrqAdNuYcSEacEDlVYJWmq_9Pm4rD9ai2vXJD_P86L94sUMnQ9tt-iayauVEWtqANVHoQ5pJEYZQ3PYj8A_C7uod-YTkHvpCQ/s200/Palabok+Package.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbxgzjegaMUkc7ShFmWg-CVOBQDosb3zN0mJJyZkj2rsl_xS-SXobOw8hXwYMHg9hJCf9nogYHaI1ofkSZdmQIa2CSWRhTE3Nm0xmdxg0aUmoGLwbN8k_2Kj9FYgCRwXgI2dYO-LS2Q/s1600/Palabok+Soak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbxgzjegaMUkc7ShFmWg-CVOBQDosb3zN0mJJyZkj2rsl_xS-SXobOw8hXwYMHg9hJCf9nogYHaI1ofkSZdmQIa2CSWRhTE3Nm0xmdxg0aUmoGLwbN8k_2Kj9FYgCRwXgI2dYO-LS2Q/s200/Palabok+Soak.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After soaking, remove the noodles directly into boiling water. Boil for 8-10 minutes until soft. Remove from heat, but leave the noodles in the hot water for another 10 minutes. During this time, using tongs, "stir to loosen" the noodles. Drain and then transfer to a serving dish or, in this case, the pan full of your other ingredients.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgb273adDYihbJ6ixxqgWmHhO6dwBe8-UjUcABp3GxOVu0FT2qrOc8KFYr5sHHkShrmBPu04S-E5WMyPbXleXz1rmR7gjqnjYy8bjfZUt4gZkI1rKdl12OyrHJQOeNC1FxlDMHyfXNQ/s1600/Palabok+Boil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgb273adDYihbJ6ixxqgWmHhO6dwBe8-UjUcABp3GxOVu0FT2qrOc8KFYr5sHHkShrmBPu04S-E5WMyPbXleXz1rmR7gjqnjYy8bjfZUt4gZkI1rKdl12OyrHJQOeNC1FxlDMHyfXNQ/s200/Palabok+Boil.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVdH3IsSD4vzUCD2wSp3zVvdBF1WmDkaBnP7EVKJNEHppU96gJc8ovueaci6AKhWVmAiTdS-1Fwag59ASpK0Vb3TSWrIQnHOq4W003ZdkAHo4y6XE5MGrvVv7no7nDHpuJ0sYRHc0Dkw/s1600/Palabok+Noodle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVdH3IsSD4vzUCD2wSp3zVvdBF1WmDkaBnP7EVKJNEHppU96gJc8ovueaci6AKhWVmAiTdS-1Fwag59ASpK0Vb3TSWrIQnHOq4W003ZdkAHo4y6XE5MGrvVv7no7nDHpuJ0sYRHc0Dkw/s200/Palabok+Noodle.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></span></span></span></div>Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-89059172651151347052010-09-24T15:16:00.002+09:002010-09-25T13:14:53.611+09:00Mrs. Land's Vegan Eggrolls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7HYhA1pDQ3ZdJL4F0zzLLWB_-LtaAHm43c-ORNvNVrNMyrpyMooiBKN2FbOSR-wvKVPnnPakqTSrUm-pLNbKajglRJxQJ1k7C2flcfnnTYMlYqkgr4coAxYtDtRBoQ-MxtIbe48VmQ/s1600/Eggrolls+Finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7HYhA1pDQ3ZdJL4F0zzLLWB_-LtaAHm43c-ORNvNVrNMyrpyMooiBKN2FbOSR-wvKVPnnPakqTSrUm-pLNbKajglRJxQJ1k7C2flcfnnTYMlYqkgr4coAxYtDtRBoQ-MxtIbe48VmQ/s320/Eggrolls+Finished.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As regular visitors here may have noticed, I have a new cooking buddy. Bunnary (buh-NAR-Ee) Land is a good friend of mine who I met after she married Derrick, who is an old friend of my husband's. She immediately fit right in with the Nixes' sarcastic and silly ways. She and I have since developed a warm friendship separate from her being "Derrick's wife." I adore her.<br />
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Now, Bunnary's family came to America as refugees from Cambodia when she was two years old. With that first-generation Asian cultural heritage and her Southern raising in Alabama, let me just say this woman can cook some wicked fusion foods. She loves eating and being in the kitchen just like I do. What can I say? We bonded over cooking and produce.<br />
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On one of the last occasions I was invited to a "do" at the Land home, Bunnary made these eggrolls especially for me as part of the spread she put out for guests. I was touched that she went to so much trouble, and then I ate one. It was so much better than any other vegetable spring roll I'd ever eaten. She is a magician. "You <i>have </i>to teach me to make these," I said. She agreed, and today, she came over and walked me through it. I hope you'll try these. They're super easy, and they are really quick to make. I promise.<br />
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I've included Bunnary's tips all along the way with lots and lots of photos. Don't let the length of the post frighten you into thinking this is "complicated." It's anything but, and all the chopping is totally worth it.<br />
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As Bunnary likes to say, "Them little ho's is <i>good</i>!" <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Mrs. Land's Vegan Eggrolls</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>There are very few measurements in this recipe, and the reason for that is simple: you can't screw it up. Really. You can change the ingredients around. You can leave out things you don't like or add things you do like which we have not listed. Basically, this recipe is a good way to get all the produce that's about to go wobbly on you out of the fridge and into a recipe. Use what you have. The staple ingredients for the filling (the ones you really need) are cabbage, glass noodles, and some kind of onion. Everything else is up to you. The following ingredients are the ones we used. </i> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 package egg-less Wrappers</div><div style="text-align: left;">Shredded Cabbage</div><div style="text-align: left;">Shredded Carrot (we used a vegetable peeler to shave off strips)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Glass Noodles*, softened and cut down to bite-sized lengths</div><div style="text-align: left;">Mushrooms (any kind you like), thinly-sliced</div><div style="text-align: left;">Kale, chopped</div><div style="text-align: left;">Celery, chopped</div><div style="text-align: left;">Green Onion, sliced</div><div style="text-align: left;">Garlic, minced</div><div style="text-align: left;">Cilantro (or parsley), chopped</div><div style="text-align: left;">Canola Oil or Peanut Oil for frying</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2T Sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">Salt and Pepper to taste</div><div style="text-align: left;">Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Bunnary Tip #1</b>: When chopping your vegetables, make sure you cut them in very thin, elongated strips. Anything chunky or geometric will puncture the wrappers and prevent you from getting the pretty, round rolls you want.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Once you have your ingredients assembled, heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok or large, flat-bottomed pan and begin stir-frying the celery and mushroom. After the celery begins to soften, add the cabbage, carrot, kale, and garlic. Stir this around in the pan until all of the vegetables are soft and pliable.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzaracwL3neHMMtpzYIdRMttWddj11fBR-OI2iUA2OJfQIqAh_3GZW1I6lfkbwpDagX7rgT9H1ppWviCQoE9DGoseX3vFMG7-UQ3OPtuzBhIESm1c6H0i7rivAR_ugSAIHK4W0qQZ0A/s1600/Eggrolls+Stirring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzaracwL3neHMMtpzYIdRMttWddj11fBR-OI2iUA2OJfQIqAh_3GZW1I6lfkbwpDagX7rgT9H1ppWviCQoE9DGoseX3vFMG7-UQ3OPtuzBhIESm1c6H0i7rivAR_ugSAIHK4W0qQZ0A/s200/Eggrolls+Stirring.jpg" width="150" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJ6E_tVsQ-rURrrWSjjthg6S6O9E1jRovWJIfm2CJmughQTP_qjJxf3NIwkZbpmyPpjstpoz7xGJPtxKAZrXfJg_eZNSvDoXeO2gcvcZepfUikcjtnplCNBXm9rawPfrRHJTkqyNFrw/s1600/Eggrolls+Stuffing+Mix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJ6E_tVsQ-rURrrWSjjthg6S6O9E1jRovWJIfm2CJmughQTP_qjJxf3NIwkZbpmyPpjstpoz7xGJPtxKAZrXfJg_eZNSvDoXeO2gcvcZepfUikcjtnplCNBXm9rawPfrRHJTkqyNFrw/s200/Eggrolls+Stuffing+Mix.jpg" width="150" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">In a large mixing bowl, toss your cooked vegetables with the glass noodles and green onion. Now, add the sugar and the cilantro or parsley and mix that in. Taste the mix and add your salt and pepper accordingly. That's it! You're ready to roll them up, now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmumDqmg6ZQHuCPlL9UImxDMzEJBa1J-135tvkb3DENhBwf6o_kL9ki9mh6-jvieWha00BAZfmj-9E6SYMpw2mxqrxCgt85bWEUK-TJo32gA7zV1cUY7dVdbThkOk6sS6cSVRFLyG_A/s1600/Eggrolls+Ready+to+Roll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmumDqmg6ZQHuCPlL9UImxDMzEJBa1J-135tvkb3DENhBwf6o_kL9ki9mh6-jvieWha00BAZfmj-9E6SYMpw2mxqrxCgt85bWEUK-TJo32gA7zV1cUY7dVdbThkOk6sS6cSVRFLyG_A/s200/Eggrolls+Ready+to+Roll.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdi_QdCkCfO9SuXlKYgf4j86S3J67AoPR_sUsc3aNvikvvy3LhJwHEP5Xp5L_sdAE7JDi8yzBk3p6VS9-Xi5haBGyIDdog2VkDjoKUxP2H9M89PO_KfWgE_UMyRm_uuncgglr3lrE5Jw/s1600/Eggrolls+Rolling+1+Better.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdi_QdCkCfO9SuXlKYgf4j86S3J67AoPR_sUsc3aNvikvvy3LhJwHEP5Xp5L_sdAE7JDi8yzBk3p6VS9-Xi5haBGyIDdog2VkDjoKUxP2H9M89PO_KfWgE_UMyRm_uuncgglr3lrE5Jw/s200/Eggrolls+Rolling+1+Better.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3arrxvej9mO8r316i0ukdvMwxbPKxoioEj92ipQmSyhEuhhdl8xxcdKLKU7gpi4znI65Tkp3qgqmCBE7JJZAAyHOs32jx9RhIRn5uyspMJoY_Wxn7gu1MQqEEOUFHur5YdCySypeiA/s1600/Eggroll+Rolling+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3arrxvej9mO8r316i0ukdvMwxbPKxoioEj92ipQmSyhEuhhdl8xxcdKLKU7gpi4znI65Tkp3qgqmCBE7JJZAAyHOs32jx9RhIRn5uyspMJoY_Wxn7gu1MQqEEOUFHur5YdCySypeiA/s200/Eggroll+Rolling+2.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VGRdTaYANsQjILpTsPxsP9sVsvImnIoeLTUnyQGtEIVPWPQrOPe02nblm3KOXLecE7ueXqnrR2-w5uS9Ls10u3dmqWGtIhPrqJSHg09Vbm1zchNzpz10HCwlglvbg627xy071UOgLw/s1600/Eggrolls+Rolling+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VGRdTaYANsQjILpTsPxsP9sVsvImnIoeLTUnyQGtEIVPWPQrOPe02nblm3KOXLecE7ueXqnrR2-w5uS9Ls10u3dmqWGtIhPrqJSHg09Vbm1zchNzpz10HCwlglvbg627xy071UOgLw/s200/Eggrolls+Rolling+3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Bunnary Tip #2</b>: Place a damp towel or paper towel over your stack of wrappers once you open them so that they don't dry out. You need them to stay pliable. If they are allowed to get too dry, they will crack and break when you try to roll them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To roll up your eggrolls, place a generous spoon of your filling onto the corner of your wrapper (see picture above, top left). Roll the corner over your filling and gently move it into the shape you want with your fingers (see picture above, top right). Remember that the wrappers are delicate, so don't man-handle them. Fold over each of the sides into the center (see picture above, bottom left). Roll all the way to the end of your wrapper. At the last corner, dab a bit of oil on the tip. This will be the "glue" that keeps it together until you fry it. Voila! Now, you're ready to fry.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsM_cZ7Lhus0kphxTYz4jlITD-ZnyT5DSQXV5BT2zUgW91CbioRHpjAcA8FJTgEduCUeLERqUl5Km-J6BqulbKI2d5H8V25kjT_tutZHbOtiBUmd-b6xWuFdNF8jFWWFZ9ADqOBf4WA/s1600/Eggrolls+in+a+Row.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsM_cZ7Lhus0kphxTYz4jlITD-ZnyT5DSQXV5BT2zUgW91CbioRHpjAcA8FJTgEduCUeLERqUl5Km-J6BqulbKI2d5H8V25kjT_tutZHbOtiBUmd-b6xWuFdNF8jFWWFZ9ADqOBf4WA/s200/Eggrolls+in+a+Row.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3IpUdJjMEU7Be4ayw-RCC1BXvR5CFBh9R6W24yWRg62qWbv6pCzg7a1OcI0BCgHmi8DlRLNGvpiPZas-Fuj1XfvsiQgdVgny8hXxms2gTYJG_OlwfHEj2u4lP2vbVkejZheX_TGZow/s1600/Eggrolls+Frying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3IpUdJjMEU7Be4ayw-RCC1BXvR5CFBh9R6W24yWRg62qWbv6pCzg7a1OcI0BCgHmi8DlRLNGvpiPZas-Fuj1XfvsiQgdVgny8hXxms2gTYJG_OlwfHEj2u4lP2vbVkejZheX_TGZow/s200/Eggrolls+Frying.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Heat about 1/2" of oil in your flat-bottomed pan (we used the same pan for cooking the vegetables...just wipe out the remaining clingy pieces with a towel before adding the fry oil). Add your eggrolls when the oil is bubbles around the end of an eggroll when you dip it in. We're not chefs, and we didn't take the oil temperature. We just put them in by the bubble test. Allow them to sit for a minute until you start to see some golden brown corners (see photo above right). Turn them over with tongs and repeat. Once the eggrolls are crispy and brown, remove them to a plate with paper towels to drain. Voila! Serve as soon as they've cooled enough to handle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Bunnary Tip #3</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you don't want to eat all the eggrolls right away, then reserve some without frying. Keep the unfried rolls in a ziploc in the freezer until you're ready to eat them. They freeze beautifully and go straight from the freezer to the hot oil. No need to thaw.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROqv3Ft71RyXmiu4dr0LL4vKRFp7P043zHpT1dGJVJ-SF2l4FJhmS5XU1zXNlfvL5sDnbtCiKIhN7PkgF51iqnSoLW8KNCR7oUA5lJJKbb_2ikMuB8NHPTOqyU96b0XEC_3U2kvbV3A/s1600/Eggrolls+Mae+Ploy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROqv3Ft71RyXmiu4dr0LL4vKRFp7P043zHpT1dGJVJ-SF2l4FJhmS5XU1zXNlfvL5sDnbtCiKIhN7PkgF51iqnSoLW8KNCR7oUA5lJJKbb_2ikMuB8NHPTOqyU96b0XEC_3U2kvbV3A/s200/Eggrolls+Mae+Ploy.jpg" width="149" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1wXwdU5XbuSlKVZ_duALM-tIWK4YF78mQvL6w2c3IHxi6d7WgKBkUy-QUUKBxYxF3hGxGpCuR12LxXQIfFrlE-tsoJIR78-7uh6MvVUcBvnO0Nsb95c-5aTQL1SDLM5o64Z1FHuFSg/s1600/Eggrolls+Dipping+Sauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1wXwdU5XbuSlKVZ_duALM-tIWK4YF78mQvL6w2c3IHxi6d7WgKBkUy-QUUKBxYxF3hGxGpCuR12LxXQIfFrlE-tsoJIR78-7uh6MvVUcBvnO0Nsb95c-5aTQL1SDLM5o64Z1FHuFSg/s200/Eggrolls+Dipping+Sauce.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We ate these while they were still so hot they burned our fingers because we couldn't wait. We used Mae Ploy sweet chili dipping sauce, but you could use anything. I highly recommend finding a sweet chili sauce for these. It was to die.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope this was a helpful recipe post for you. Please try these at home. They are fantastic. You may never order takeout spring rolls again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">If you are confused by the lack of measurement, you can look in our photo of the ingredients above the recipe title. The small glass bowls are 1C containers. The white square measure cups hold 2T of liquid. The little painted ceramic measuring cups are 1C and 1/2C from top to bottom. The large glass bowls in the back are the large and small bowls from the standard Pyrex mixing bowl set.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ce3RptT8A7pgFuHHg5CgBO1x-YnLfXQn4kk8O2ui71QqgvChCzZ3Z0wob8xDpbBkGG9FVaHDhNefKTrb5rnH6hVqzCS3Nt3l2XdIG8P06Mxst_IRrWDmfoHMlj1x4m1gvEa4T0i0Dg/s1600/Eggrolls+Glass+Noodles+Cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ce3RptT8A7pgFuHHg5CgBO1x-YnLfXQn4kk8O2ui71QqgvChCzZ3Z0wob8xDpbBkGG9FVaHDhNefKTrb5rnH6hVqzCS3Nt3l2XdIG8P06Mxst_IRrWDmfoHMlj1x4m1gvEa4T0i0Dg/s200/Eggrolls+Glass+Noodles+Cut.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>*What the heck are glass noodles, anyway</b>? Glass noodles can typically be found in the Asian foods section of your grocery store. The package we bought is pictured above. Ours were made from mung bean flour, potato starch, and water. This is typical for glass noodles, and they are almost always vegan. It is not flavor these noodles provide (they are entirely flavorless), but texture. It's unlike anything else, but similar to certain crunchy seaweed salads I've eaten. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Unlike semolina or rice noodles you might be familiar with, these do not require cooking to prepare. Simply take the desired amount of noodles from your package and put them in a bowl of hot water to soak. By the time we're ready to use them, they will be ready to use. Nifty, eh? IF you choose to omit glass noodles from your eggroll mixture, you will need to double up on the cabbage. I strongly recommend you not do that. Get brave and try something new. Glass noodles are well worth the effort in this recipe.</div>Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-88379524488276433112010-09-23T14:03:00.000+09:002010-09-25T13:15:41.347+09:00The 1:29 Project Moves to The Netherlands<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBg4ZF0kQjA4S43SUyyT6dOLckzTNkYWGh6Wzg18FhW2grz77FA0oulmW9u3jGXxrB1gzks0wvgJAbvIuPYGD7bV_le1zJSiewAATClPEeC7S_9Y5-MeVftTBsW2W8cqHOtWDC5Xm-7w/s1600/Haircut+in+the+Mirror+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBg4ZF0kQjA4S43SUyyT6dOLckzTNkYWGh6Wzg18FhW2grz77FA0oulmW9u3jGXxrB1gzks0wvgJAbvIuPYGD7bV_le1zJSiewAATClPEeC7S_9Y5-MeVftTBsW2W8cqHOtWDC5Xm-7w/s320/Haircut+in+the+Mirror+1.jpg" /></a></div>As most of you know, my husband is an active duty U.S. Marine. He has recently been selected for and graduated from training at the MCESG Academy in Quantico, VA. What the heck does that mean? Well, it means we're leaving Okinawa, Japan and moving to The Hague, Netherlands. Ashley will be the detachment commander for the American embassy there, and we will be leaving for that new post at the end of October or in early November.<br />
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I will continue posting as usual until things get crazy with the move. Then, as I did in February, I will disappear from the internet for several months. I'm sorry, but this time it will not be voluntary. I promise to be as regular with posts and pictures as I can be throughout.<br />
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Just wanted to give the heads up.Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-51158255810289633472010-09-21T12:22:00.005+09:002010-09-25T13:14:53.611+09:00God Likes Clean Vegans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrw-ivJ9ZPz609PFrvw6gVmkimV-HDRVL1brdjwq6bwB_ptpkaIED8Wmyary8DCKxUXX7TqGxgWZrzpxyNeqHpk-xYrTLc8ATgxOOWXPPW1OE4YgWPTBbMc5h2MT04rL99Oj2AWmKEcQ/s1600/Homemade+Cleaners+All.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrw-ivJ9ZPz609PFrvw6gVmkimV-HDRVL1brdjwq6bwB_ptpkaIED8Wmyary8DCKxUXX7TqGxgWZrzpxyNeqHpk-xYrTLc8ATgxOOWXPPW1OE4YgWPTBbMc5h2MT04rL99Oj2AWmKEcQ/s320/Homemade+Cleaners+All.jpg" /></a></div>"Cleanliness is Next to Godliness."<br />
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There are so many reasons why that statement is true. I have trouble being godly and I have trouble with the whole <i>keeping my self, my house, and my stuff clean <b>all the time</b></i> thing. <br />
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I mean, I can clean like a champ once per month on a high caffeine consumption day, but keeping things together and tidy and sparkly...<i>every </i>day? Yeah, that is a very tall order I haven't learned how to fill, yet. It's a lot of work to do all that when you have a husband, a beagle, a kid, and a natural predisposition for general sloth.<br />
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I know. You thought I was the second incarnation of Martha, didn't you? Oh, don't be sad. It's okay. It's kind of a vibe I cultivated so that my friends and family wouldn't figure out I was lazy and refuse to love me. I should probably devote some time to these issues in therapy, but I'm just too gosh-darned busy for that kind of introspection right now <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(note: that was humor)</i></span>. The point is: I'm <i>not </i>like Martha, and my home has probably been cleaned in a manic frenzy which ended less than 5 minutes before you arrived...<i>every time you have ever been over to my house</i>. <br />
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I know it's a lot to take in. Just breathe. The shock will pass. <br />
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As I begin to mature, and as the general quality, cost, and sentimental value of our possessions rise, I'm getting better at handling my home like a grownup. I'm not as lazy about housework as I was 5 years ago. I take better care of the house in general and my family in particular. Since becoming vegan, I have been altogether more conscious and conscientious in my general efforts toward organizing our little Nix corner of the world . I don't think that's a coincidence. <br />
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Cleanliness <i>is </i>next to godliness because, when your home and body are clean and cared for, the mind will slow down and focus on important things. Order in the home lowers anxiety, and it happens automatically. Think about the last time you really scrubbed down a room in your home. When you were finished, and you looked over all the sparkly surfaces with the pleasant scent of cleaners lingering, possessed with full confidence that everything in that room was clutter-free and in its rightful place...didn't you immediately feel the tension just leave your body? Order and cleanliness are things you <i>need </i>for any decent spiritual and philosophical reflection. If you keep an orderly house, an orderly mind inevitably follows. When your thoughts are clear, you can pray better, you will feel better, and you will be better able to care for others.<br />
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So, let's talk about cleaners, shall we?<br />
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<b>Homemade Vegan Cleaners</b><br />
<a href="http://vinegarvirtues.blogspot.com/"><b>My friend Bunnary and I have an obsession with vinegar</b></a>. We read a site with <a href="http://www.vinegartips.com/"><b>1001 tips for using vinegar</b></a> around the house, and got a bit ridiculous about it. In that process, we have learned a lot about household cleaners and how to keep things tidy the old school way.<br />
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Let me recommend the following cleaners to you. You will need to buy a few plastic spray bottles from the gardening section of your favorite department store, and you probably have the rest of what you need already hiding out in your home. These cleaners are seriously cheap, completely safe, and they can outperform and totally replace about 2/3 of the products you have cluttering up your cabinet and shelving space. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Bye-bye Windex!</u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">and 409 and Clorox counter wipes and Lysol and CLR and Jet Dry and Brasso and Tilex and...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3Y_PAUnypUsuiP97TXwOgtH940Of1AWPjMixYpbDrSdfPXhgdkuobrAs_nlHi9nQd4wvgomkL2BPjgBYgEMsO8RRkudtWVuBwOhwxzTw-r7_r_EO9kXkha0XTDuMX9PWV8IoQbROjQ/s1600/Homemade+Cleaners+Vinegar+Water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3Y_PAUnypUsuiP97TXwOgtH940Of1AWPjMixYpbDrSdfPXhgdkuobrAs_nlHi9nQd4wvgomkL2BPjgBYgEMsO8RRkudtWVuBwOhwxzTw-r7_r_EO9kXkha0XTDuMX9PWV8IoQbROjQ/s200/Homemade+Cleaners+Vinegar+Water.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>To get you started, you will need a nice all-purpose glass and surface cleaner. Look no further than white distilled vinegar. In a spray bottle, mix 1 part vinegar to 1 part water. This will clean mirrors and glass better than ammonia products at a fraction of the cost. In addition to glass, you can use it to shine surfaces. I have metal and Formica counter tops. On both, the vinegar cleaner gets up the grease, kills the germs, and leaves a nice sparkle. The aroma of vinegar might not be your favorite, but it dissipates in less than an hour, and all that's left is clean. Plus, if your babies or pets get ahold of it, you don't have to be frightened.<br />
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Vinegar can be used for many things around the house. You can boil vinegar water on the stove to remove odors, spray it in your trashcans to deoderize and kill germs, and repel ants by spraying it full-strength around the windows and pathways they use in your kitchen. It's a miracle product...for about $2/gallon.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEKU6xj0jQn80rCuk8n3vViVex31YSGtxych6aue-_O2phM4N080KdhFtQbvcnJkF2lBig5djDD_RmB-8TpSR8fMXdgAHXkirqxEBYoDS6RsxvxKwIFysp4OHXYSADasRln4adXj78A/s1600/Homemade+Cleaners+Making+Floor+Spray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEKU6xj0jQn80rCuk8n3vViVex31YSGtxych6aue-_O2phM4N080KdhFtQbvcnJkF2lBig5djDD_RmB-8TpSR8fMXdgAHXkirqxEBYoDS6RsxvxKwIFysp4OHXYSADasRln4adXj78A/s200/Homemade+Cleaners+Making+Floor+Spray.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Adieu, Mr. Clean!</u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">and Fabuloso and Mop n' Glo and Spic n' Span and Resolve spray</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div>I have just discovered a new floor cleaner. I got this tip from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewarts-Homekeeping-Handbook-Everything/dp/0517577003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1285039079&sr=8-1"><b>Martha's Homekeeping Handbook</b></a>, and it is really fantastic. I've used it to scrub fingerprints and schmoo from the walls, degrease my kitchen stove, and as the title would suggest...to clean floors. It's very easy to make. In an empty, clean spray bottle, mix 1C water, 1C rubbing alcohol, and 1C white distilled vinegar. To this, add 9 drops of your favorite dish liquid. Voila! Clean floors, walls, toilets, sinks, and doors with it. You can also use it to very effectively pull up stains from carpet. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiKUJJXMK34ttyuAvbnKQb-7xLXDzOxxbQZ_nG9G8sgJkct9lt0tWubUEFi0f62DcMvaTuo4z5woWjSrrFVu_cGlO2_Bg-FyfDXSm9_cWf8QjHId_a_o0csN2GFt4yg1IvUhhH108cg/s1600/Homemade+Cleaners+Pine+Oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiKUJJXMK34ttyuAvbnKQb-7xLXDzOxxbQZ_nG9G8sgJkct9lt0tWubUEFi0f62DcMvaTuo4z5woWjSrrFVu_cGlO2_Bg-FyfDXSm9_cWf8QjHId_a_o0csN2GFt4yg1IvUhhH108cg/s1600/Homemade+Cleaners+Pine+Oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiKUJJXMK34ttyuAvbnKQb-7xLXDzOxxbQZ_nG9G8sgJkct9lt0tWubUEFi0f62DcMvaTuo4z5woWjSrrFVu_cGlO2_Bg-FyfDXSm9_cWf8QjHId_a_o0csN2GFt4yg1IvUhhH108cg/s200/Homemade+Cleaners+Pine+Oil.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Adios, Pine Sol!</u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">and Magic Eraser and metal scrubbers and Goo Gone</span></div><br />
Allow me to introduce one of the oldest, most familiar, yet for some reason the most elusive cleaning products in human history. Meet pine oil. My darling friend Meghann introduced me to pine oil. He is my friend, and he can be your friend, too! Now, I'm not talking about Pine Sol. I mean pine oil. It is a highly-concentrated cleaner that is usually sold in bulk to industrial cleaning companies. They use it in hospitals, schools, and nursing homes for both its anti-bacterial effect and strong scent. Pine oil, when you open the gallon jug it typically comes in, is an amber liquid with a pine scent so potent it will make your eyes cross. A modest cap full added to a spray bottle filled with water is all you need. The thick golden fluid will immediately turn the water into an opaque white liquid resembling milk. That's what you want, and if your pine oil doesn't have this effect...then it isn't real pine oil.<br />
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For some reason, pine oil has fallen out of fashion in favor of the pre-diluted brands of cleaners we buy in department stores. Yea, Capitalism. It's a real shame, though, because pine oil will do the toughest jobs in your home all by itself. It doesn't need all the other stuff the companies mix it with to make a marketable product.<br />
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I have used diluted pine oil to clean crayon and sharpie marker off walls and floors. I have used it to get dried carpet glue up off of tile. I have used it to clean up rotten potato residue off the floor of my pantry (oh my dear God in Heaven...that smell was the worst thing I've ever dealt with). Basically, if the job is nasty or smelly or requires the big guns, pine oil will get it done.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_oil"><b>Pine oil is not toxic</b></a> and it is a natural product refined from pine trees. Don't allow your pets and children to consume it. It will make them vomit from what I understand. It is totally safe otherwise, and you can use it with confidence. If you have trouble finding real pine oil to purchase, you can order a gallon jug of it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lundmark-Wax-3480G01-4-Pine-Cleaner/dp/B000HM9G1U/ref=pd_sbs_k_1"><b>here</b></a>. Note that Pine Sol and the popular-with-green-types brand called Super Pine contain only negligible amounts of pine oil. Though effective cleaners in their own right, neither of these brands is the real deal, and both are considerably more expensive in the long run than a plain gallon of pine oil...which will last an average household for YEARS.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Tot Ziens, Ajax!</u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">and Comet and Soft Scrub and Brillo</span></div><br />
When nothing but an abrasive scrubbing cleaner will do, you don't need anything but good old baking soda. Some baking soda on a sponge or scrub pad with water and a bit of dish soap (or the floor cleaner I described above) will scrub and shine steel sinks and appliances, floors, tile, grout, etcetera. You just don't need those other things. If you really like your abrasives, may I recommend the <a href="http://www.mrsmeyers.com/Products/Household_Cleaners/Lavender_Surface_Scrub"><b>Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day</b></a><b> </b>brand. Her cleaners are safe, vegan, and they all smell gorgeous.<br />
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I hope some of you like this post and will try some of these natural cleaners. I'm quickly learning to use them in place of almost everything else on the cleaning aisle. Let me know how it goes...and remember that God likes clean vegans. /winkAmy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-44605820017951635842010-09-20T23:11:00.004+09:002010-09-25T13:16:05.070+09:00I am NOT a Hallelujah Vegan...and You Shouldn't Be, Either<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNwn-MgQ4OZipG4OYwSJVPjidTIsMLly3fayn14YpYxiAL0_rNMll5lI8lxiJKWVhVVpvqG_AIKM1MxdyDHI2HjmjF9dppq57lZK9lH6P-N1vfsVfRzNg_UKd1f3o2ME0aiWhFTa1dA/s1600/snake-oil-scam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNwn-MgQ4OZipG4OYwSJVPjidTIsMLly3fayn14YpYxiAL0_rNMll5lI8lxiJKWVhVVpvqG_AIKM1MxdyDHI2HjmjF9dppq57lZK9lH6P-N1vfsVfRzNg_UKd1f3o2ME0aiWhFTa1dA/s320/snake-oil-scam.jpg" /></a></div>What the heck is a Hallelujah Vegan, you ask? Oh, trust me I will tell you. I'm seriously peeved about this one, and I'm breaking my rule about blogging while angry for it. I'm white-hot pissed right now. Keep reading; you'll see why.<br />
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So...okay. <br />
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I've been writing in this blog off and on for a while now. I don't get a lot of comments, but I seem to get some page views pretty frequently--from all over the world, actually--and that keeps me motivated. Today, I couldn't resist the temptation, and I Google'd my own blog.<br />
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I was horrified at what I found. Apparently, there is a whole group of people who call themselves "Hallelujah Vegans" and follow a diet they've called "The Genesis 1:29 Diet." I swear on every ounce of integrity in my body that I never heard of these folks before today. <br />
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These so-called hallelujah vegans are following a restrictive diet based on a book written by a guy named Gordon Tessler entitled, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Genesis-Diet-Gordon-S-Tessler/dp/1881924092/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284986971&sr=8-1">The Genesis Diet</a>. There's no specific description of the eating plan or any nutritional science that backs up whatever it is that Tessler convinced these people to do. All you see on the Amazon page is a handful of glowing and vague reviews proclaiming Tessler's prescience in "diagnosing" health problems. Diagnosing? Seriously? He's not an M.D. He's a PhD, and good luck finding out what he is actually a doctor <i>of</i>...because I couldn't.<br />
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This man is scary. Everything I found about him paints the picture of a total sheister charleton type who goes around getting people all excited about buying his book by calling it "biblical." He's got his various books and DVD's for sale in a number of questionable-looking places. It's a very Scientology-sounding type of quackery with "body scans" and "healing rooms." I mean, that's so straight-up Friend of Xenu that I can't <i>believe </i>there are people who went for it. Tessler is described in multiple places as an "expert" in nutrition and "biblical health." Huh? What does that even <i>mean</i>?<br />
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Every online diet review you find for the Genesis Diet is pretty much the same: <i>no specific information about the diet because they couldn't find any...but it's not recommended because it's too low in calories, too high in carbs, and too low in protein</i> (which begs the question, "how do they know all that if they don't know what's in the diet plan?"). Sigh.<br />
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There are sites online devoted to trashing veganism because of the frightening results some people had from following Tessler's diet. One of them is called "Losing Your Mind to the Genesis Diet," and they drone on and on for pages and pages about how meat and cheese are the only way to get quality protein (because the Genesis Diet frowns upon beans and legumes and they were idiotic enough to eat that way until their gums started to bleed...nice!). Apparently, the authors of this anti-veg site, which I will not dignify with a link, are either lying to cover up a political agenda against veganism or they were on a pseudo-starvation diet that some nut job convinced them was scriptural...because they were stupid.<br />
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I'm devastated to think I might be associated with this guy or his book or the diet or any of this drama because of the name I chose for my blog. I'm angry and crestfallen to find that when someone Googles my blog, the entries they will see on top of my link are related to all this drama and nonsense.<br />
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At first, I thought I should change the name of my blog...but I'm not going to do that. I picked it because I felt inspired by reading Genesis 1:29...for <i>myself</i>. All this other tomfoolery has nothing to do with my family or our little project. I have loved the title I chose here and been proud of it, so I don't think I should have to give it up. But going forward, let me just get a few things straight:<br />
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1.) Nothing in Genesis 1:29 suggests you should go hungry or that you should neglect staples of nutrition. In fact, the opposite is true. Genesis 1:29 describes bountiful variety in God's gift of all plant life for our use and consumption. It certainly doesn't say you shouldn't eat chickpeas or peanuts...for God's sake!!<br />
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2.) Veganism is not a diet. It's a commitment to eating healthfully and plentifully without harming anything in the process. It's about standing up for moral integrity against a corrupt system of "food" production in the developed world which has strayed from basic humanity and the laws of nature.<br />
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3.) You do not need animal protein to be healthy, but you do need protein. Eat beans and legumes. Eat nuts. Eat whole grains. Make sure you know where your protein comes from...and eat some every day. <br />
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4.)You don't need dairy calcium to be healthy (in fact, a lot of research indicates that dairy consumption hurts calcium absorption more than it helps), but you do need calcium. Eat lots of leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables. Drink calcium-enriched non-dairy milks (like soy milk or rice milk). Know where your nutrients come from, and eat them. <br />
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5.) Educate yourself about vitamins B12 and D, and make sure you meet your body's needs for them. It's not hard and nothing has to die in a factory farm for you to do it.<br />
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6.) Serving God through veganism is about stewardship. It's not about penance or deprivation or some mystical and rigid adherence to the terminology in any particular Bible verse. <br />
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God didn't make the Bible difficult to understand. He didn't hide the truth from <i>you </i>and then show it to <i>"Doctor" Tessler</i> so he could <u>sell</u> it to you. You don't need to buy anything or consult moon phases, runes, or experts in "biblical health" to understand nutrition. If you are hungry...eat. Eat well. Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, fats, and colors...and eat calories. You need them. Listen to Colleen Patrick-Goudreau...not Gordon Tessler. Her podcast is free, and she is an acknowledged, non-crazy expert in vegan nutrition.<br />
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So. If you see someone referring to themselves as a hallelujah vegan or to their "diet" as the Genesis 1:29 Diet, know that they have no relationship, connection, or affiliation with me...and then RUN the other way as fast as you can.Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-67928836419818143842010-09-20T18:28:00.005+09:002010-09-25T13:14:53.612+09:00Crabby Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmn8QR9PtWfF6-_BiNTAe23UPQz1rgpWr4O9T7_kxMHbubkXX132I6NqjgjW95MqEAWdWeh1weJR-F6whMTykqjBc4mDcFEGpCPQPoSu857i4bj_jlcwey8RRtCY6uxkPr8YeaqFJsKA/s1600/Crabby+Salad+Finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmn8QR9PtWfF6-_BiNTAe23UPQz1rgpWr4O9T7_kxMHbubkXX132I6NqjgjW95MqEAWdWeh1weJR-F6whMTykqjBc4mDcFEGpCPQPoSu857i4bj_jlcwey8RRtCY6uxkPr8YeaqFJsKA/s320/Crabby+Salad+Finished.jpg" /></a></div>Before I went vegan, one of my favorite things to eat for lunch was a simple seafood salad. I would make it with fake crab meat (made from white fish and all kinds of artificial flavorings), mayonnaise, and an assortment of vegetables and spices. I really missed that salad. This week, it occurred to me that I could very easily replicate it with tofu. I have read several recipes that seek to replicate tuna salad and egg salad, so I figured I had the basic idea down. <br />
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The following recipe is my ingenious concoction. It was bliss to eat and a cinch to make. I hope you try it. I made a small amount to feed myself and my daughter. If you have a larger group or a larger appetite, this will easily double. <br />
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<b>1:29 Project Crabby Salad</b><br />
1/2 block Extra Firm Tofu, cut into very small cubes<br />
1/4C Mayonnaise**<br />
1 stalk Celery, small dice<br />
1/4C Red Onion, small dice<br />
1 sheet Toasted Nori (seaweed), cut into c.1/3" pieces<br />
1/3C diced Fresh Tomato<br />
1/2 can Garbanzo Beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed<br />
1/2tsp Old Bay Seasoning<br />
1T Fresh Lemon Juice<br />
1tsp Dill Weed (I used dry. If using fresh dill, use 1.5tsp)<br />
Salt and Black Pepper to taste<br />
Paprika for zing<br />
Your favorite salad greens, cut or torn into fork-able pieces<br />
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<i>Measurements are approximations. I didn't measure when making this...so use your eyeball judgment and personal taste when adding ingredients. I plan to add avocado and cucumber to the mix next time I make this. </i><i>You could put in bell pepper, use more lemon juice, omit the nori if you don't care for it, add heat in the form of cayenne...you know, just make it your own. Food is supposed to be joyous and fun! </i><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jDhQJYFbR6euridTlyMRVPsyt_iDnyTe6oKcpPrHvEbKWNhpQYVeLLQ6Lxt4aoIue5ZLbpJ8Kl-44d_zU1ltTmsXorp7kB_FFdMs2_puYDV0o7jf5_s5jF_OvDzUJJ_fxw0CNcyorQ/s1600/Crabby+Salad+Nori+Sheet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jDhQJYFbR6euridTlyMRVPsyt_iDnyTe6oKcpPrHvEbKWNhpQYVeLLQ6Lxt4aoIue5ZLbpJ8Kl-44d_zU1ltTmsXorp7kB_FFdMs2_puYDV0o7jf5_s5jF_OvDzUJJ_fxw0CNcyorQ/s200/Crabby+Salad+Nori+Sheet.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9cKs2gqjO4FamB-OnkjFuRu7mWprXMp8fQUD7bKhPsIXHOR_T0LxCqGZIlKVjkneMz3mRV92FlsM9MG3QDY2jBZR3SaPVlQ23bUZ_KKX7hsAIcH619Kiq6LvdEdYIfrHGGH23DEKlg/s1600/Crabby+Salad+Nori+Cutting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9cKs2gqjO4FamB-OnkjFuRu7mWprXMp8fQUD7bKhPsIXHOR_T0LxCqGZIlKVjkneMz3mRV92FlsM9MG3QDY2jBZR3SaPVlQ23bUZ_KKX7hsAIcH619Kiq6LvdEdYIfrHGGH23DEKlg/s200/Crabby+Salad+Nori+Cutting.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">About nori: Nori is a seaweed which is toasted and sold in sheets. You are likely familiar with nori as the wrapper on sushi rolls. It has a salty and sea-like flavor which recalls the flavor of fish. It added the perfect flavor to this crabby salad. To prepare it, I took one sheet of nori and cut it into small pieces with a pair of kitchen scissors (see photo above this text on the right).</span></div><i><br />
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<b>Preparation:</b><br />
Put the diced tofu into a medium-sized bowl. Pour your lemon juice over the tofu, and sprinkle in your Old Bay. Toss lightly to coat and set aside. In another bowl, toss the mayo, celery, onion, nori, tomato, beans, and dill weed together. Prepare your serving bowls by setting them up with the beds of fresh greens. Now pour your mayo mixture into the tofu bowl, and mix everything together until creamy and well-distributed. Taste test and then add your salt and pepper. Using an ice cream scoop or measuring cup, put a nice 2/3C serving in the middle of each of your bowls over the greens for a lovely presentation. Sprinkle with paprika for some color and zing. Voila!<br />
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** <b>A Note about Mayonnaise</b><br />
Now...I still eat mayonnaise. It is not a vegan ingredient because chicken's egg yolks are used in the making of it. I accept this because I craved it hard after going vegan. It was the <i>one </i>omnivorous food I thought about and missed and wanted...all the time. For most people, that <i>one food</i> is dairy cheese. I assumed, in the beginning, that I would miss steak or cheese or bacon. You know...the usual suspects. But I didn't miss any of those foods, and I certainly didn't want them on a regular basis. If anything, those foods and the smells associated with them repulsed me for the most part. No, I didn't have an issue with cheese. For me, the downfall was egg mayonnaise. Cole slaw, salad dressing, sandwich bread, and a number of other things which constitute my very favorite foods use mayonnaise and cannot be approximated without it.<br />
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As most vegans know, there are many vegan mayonnaises on the market in the United States, but there are not <i>any </i>sold here on Okinawa that I have been able to find...and believe me, I have looked. I mail-ordered some Nasoya brand eggless mayo from <a href="http://www.cosmosveganshoppe.com/"><b>Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe</b></a> (AWESOME store with incredible customer service. Please visit them), but I had to throw it out. It was horrible. I mean, I was literally disgusted by the flavor and the smell, and I just simply could not eat it. Vegenaise is a brand highly-recommended, but I can't get it here, and I can't order it via delivery because of the necessity for keeping it cold. I also understand that Wildwood Garlic Aioli is a widely-preferred product, as well. This, too, is unavailable for me while I remain in Okinawa. So, I decided to eat my egg mayonnaise until a proper substitute can be found. I will continue to look for good substitutes in my world travels with the Marine Corps. Until I find one, however, I'm a vegan who eats mayonnaise...and I'm okay with that.<br />
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For this recipe, you can substitute any eggless mayo you like to make it completely vegan.Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-43422932689515752702010-09-19T14:16:00.003+09:002010-09-25T13:14:53.612+09:00Lemony Collards for Lunch (and how to Chiffonade)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWoFNnbApBbiCpEnaYcQy1mx96WC8hL1IikWMVed8cAoMu-B1IOd-euqUtnUE5ZU7-Gt4QgHkPwpG7yi_fDccnUUTQyQuvxB-u6AZWZntI-J67ZB5OFPQrodmPPInhCWpcO6CDcoyWw/s1600/Collard+Stir+Fry+Fork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWoFNnbApBbiCpEnaYcQy1mx96WC8hL1IikWMVed8cAoMu-B1IOd-euqUtnUE5ZU7-Gt4QgHkPwpG7yi_fDccnUUTQyQuvxB-u6AZWZntI-J67ZB5OFPQrodmPPInhCWpcO6CDcoyWw/s320/Collard+Stir+Fry+Fork.jpg" /></a></div>I went to the local Japanese produce store last week, and I had some things threatening to lose their freshness. My friend Bunnary and I were both in the mood for collard greens today, and so we took to the fridge and concocted the following lunch dish made from leftover pasta, 3 day-old grape tomatoes, and some gorgeous brown cap mushrooms which had gotten a little too close to the back of the fridge and were wilting under a slight ice glaze. Sounds horrible, right? No. This stuff was insanely good, and it was just what the stomach wanted for a hot, sunny midday.<br />
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<b>Bunnary's Lemony Collard Lunch</b><br />
1 bunch Collard Greens, washed and cut chiffonade (see picture below)<br />
1 small Yellow Onion, small dice<br />
5-10 Grape Tomatoes, halved<br />
Mushrooms of your choice, chopped to bite-size pieces<br />
1/2 Lemon, zest and juice<br />
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (optional)<br />
4 cloves Garlic, minced<br />
1 good handful Fresh Basil, cut chiffonade<br />
Salt and Black Pepper to taste<br />
2 servings Cooked Pasta, your choice<br />
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In a hot pan, sauté the onion and red pepper flakes in about 1T of vegan butter or olive oil. When the onions are soft (about 3 minutes), add the mushroom, garlic, and collards...in that order. Stir fry until the collards begin to wilt. Add the tomato, lemon zest, lemon juice, and basil. Salt and pepper to taste. When the collards are al dente, the dish is ready to eat. Make sure all the flavors are well mixed. Remove from heat, stir in the already-prepared pasta, and enjoy!<br />
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<b>How to Cut Collards (or any other leafy vegetable/herb) in a Chiffonade</b><br />
<i>The lovely Bunnary Land demonstrates while I take pictures...</i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Remember that you can click on any of these thumbnails for a larger, detailed view. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrvgPTIvdEdNbAPGwcmeWLX0-s7mlgBTfsdCCfs4j_S3W4bEAhHeWyeAl8SCRQHeFKxEkWHqTF1a8G2sf2LJYLkP8IpWqQmMPvqJDYxApljI7ksioxeIUwHCbXuitU_ZqKac7Z-3-OA/s1600/Collard+Chiffonade+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrvgPTIvdEdNbAPGwcmeWLX0-s7mlgBTfsdCCfs4j_S3W4bEAhHeWyeAl8SCRQHeFKxEkWHqTF1a8G2sf2LJYLkP8IpWqQmMPvqJDYxApljI7ksioxeIUwHCbXuitU_ZqKac7Z-3-OA/s200/Collard+Chiffonade+1.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqbtL__RrUF_200RC0YMf_Yayz87_-Z96gsFA5tOAGLudlLonnkEDTEKT1QHgsRlYPQMMC4uNOW5VXOQ7of-x28_tmf6yaaclsraPxZ_GhqD02aqO7YIns4vM88ECJqt3ha70A0x8IA/s1600/Collard+Chiffonade+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqbtL__RrUF_200RC0YMf_Yayz87_-Z96gsFA5tOAGLudlLonnkEDTEKT1QHgsRlYPQMMC4uNOW5VXOQ7of-x28_tmf6yaaclsraPxZ_GhqD02aqO7YIns4vM88ECJqt3ha70A0x8IA/s200/Collard+Chiffonade+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">First, cut the thick stems off to the base of the leaves. Stack your leaves as best you can on top of one another. Next, roll the leaves up into a nice tube shape.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lD28TkqjaPpGgBZ-fez1oN4TNcB0TWXbxjP9ffjOtriWBVQ50WEscSjR8cm0EzrBahnctH-V1ESaNpAHLDRsu5P4I5fc-hLLjlvNuibCnT1j3Gt8n95VMGcJ3nshI0PDcMVCiWBK-g/s1600/Collard+Chiffonade+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lD28TkqjaPpGgBZ-fez1oN4TNcB0TWXbxjP9ffjOtriWBVQ50WEscSjR8cm0EzrBahnctH-V1ESaNpAHLDRsu5P4I5fc-hLLjlvNuibCnT1j3Gt8n95VMGcJ3nshI0PDcMVCiWBK-g/s200/Collard+Chiffonade+3.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6kG3jr5egIELu7eRrmwXLrRoBOmJUnrZMzBgFquhSLZcGOUl4SaWipK0EgNoXd5FsW7MdCnDo5L7rChWSwOA8VEYE7ktqDYVN4f2ayP4H8eIg84ZbiYbPFrPxnDuM6kRALMjD-ASnQ/s1600/Collard+Chiffonade+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6kG3jr5egIELu7eRrmwXLrRoBOmJUnrZMzBgFquhSLZcGOUl4SaWipK0EgNoXd5FsW7MdCnDo5L7rChWSwOA8VEYE7ktqDYVN4f2ayP4H8eIg84ZbiYbPFrPxnDuM6kRALMjD-ASnQ/s200/Collard+Chiffonade+4.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cut the roll in half, and then assemble the halves next to one another facing the same direction. Using a sharp knife, slice across the cut face of the rolls in the desired thickness.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_3yzwnNF-8fXEdAC5euT0dRs5sbNNgcKQwpV_jeFmfP73oLNo1GznlEYiwOtAL29Z5LMQ6cq7raOz8eJdk_A5ZQVUsHWxzGUWFKYjOEOfu7e_L5ol3sMxTPVOkNBuAo9Erq8zbs0bLQ/s1600/Collard+Chiffonade+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_3yzwnNF-8fXEdAC5euT0dRs5sbNNgcKQwpV_jeFmfP73oLNo1GznlEYiwOtAL29Z5LMQ6cq7raOz8eJdk_A5ZQVUsHWxzGUWFKYjOEOfu7e_L5ol3sMxTPVOkNBuAo9Erq8zbs0bLQ/s200/Collard+Chiffonade+5.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKP9dFfVvaNJPsS-U9bL4MtKhbymzP5bV6bXphSAH5HP1NCkB5sK_7yqdZ-cpPXc3O1JcOr7WxXPBAzwZ-amPZu08-xcOg1aSU2D9lR4QIbY6hPWBs8t11pEWL7xny8S8R_yzEncc6cQ/s1600/Collard+Stir+Fry+Bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKP9dFfVvaNJPsS-U9bL4MtKhbymzP5bV6bXphSAH5HP1NCkB5sK_7yqdZ-cpPXc3O1JcOr7WxXPBAzwZ-amPZu08-xcOg1aSU2D9lR4QIbY6hPWBs8t11pEWL7xny8S8R_yzEncc6cQ/s200/Collard+Stir+Fry+Bowl.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What you end up with is a nice pile of these beautiful ribbons. This is perfect for stir-frying. With fresh basil leaves, you follow this same process, just a smaller scale. The cooked greens look like our last photo here in the recipe above. They were just perfect. And that...is how you cut collard greens in a chiffonade.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</i></div>Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-4654864190677141172010-09-17T19:17:00.004+09:002010-09-25T13:16:20.060+09:00Kale & Squash In a Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAaofW8qidJ3SQNt0qcOmr2_6uc2Me8FR0HB1sDynaemjRfmbDVWIjfZrRyxLrv7aRm89UNYxtuJBXqZVxM90VJ84jOPW9P3NxqKAMiGactMwOae0_ELMlxu_0CuAINXdEms4QcAYV0w/s1600/Squash+Soup+Bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAaofW8qidJ3SQNt0qcOmr2_6uc2Me8FR0HB1sDynaemjRfmbDVWIjfZrRyxLrv7aRm89UNYxtuJBXqZVxM90VJ84jOPW9P3NxqKAMiGactMwOae0_ELMlxu_0CuAINXdEms4QcAYV0w/s320/Squash+Soup+Bowl.jpg" /></a></div>About two weeks ago, I made a soup recipe from the Toni Fiore podcast called Curried Zucchini Soup. It was a very simple recipe, and it was seriously good. This week, I bought a ton of curly kale and a bag full of ugly little yellow squash that looked lonely in the reduced for quick sale section. On a night that just felt like a soup evening, my friend Bunnary and I decided to couple the ingredients and make something out of them. It was so scrumptious and perfect with just the right amount of spice and a tremendous amount of flavor. This soup would be good with either yellow or zucchini, but we think the best way would be to mix a bit of both in together. Here's how we made it:<br />
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<b>Kale and Squash In a Soup</b><br />
1 bunch Curly Kale, washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces<br />
1 medium Yellow Onion, chopped<br />
4 cloves Garlic, minced<br />
4 small or 2 large Squash, chopped into spoon-able pieces<br />
1T Mild Curry Powder (or dry spice mix of your choice)<br />
1tsp Hot Curry Powder (or red chili flakes if you prefer)<br />
6C Vegetable Stock or Bouillon<br />
Salt and Black Pepper to taste<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgd-E_irhvv10K5YhEi5hgCdnOgfLqdA_YRsV1c2yyO_yAZQjkkXNkIjYrpcyMEYvFErVQEskAEUyePi7xuST1sLionEmE4vLP6dHOrb5PbGqgMAC67NYJlPujFpzPRh_It1LE19DYyQ/s1600/Squash+Soup+Ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgd-E_irhvv10K5YhEi5hgCdnOgfLqdA_YRsV1c2yyO_yAZQjkkXNkIjYrpcyMEYvFErVQEskAEUyePi7xuST1sLionEmE4vLP6dHOrb5PbGqgMAC67NYJlPujFpzPRh_It1LE19DYyQ/s200/Squash+Soup+Ingredients.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ingredients</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAyCRBNYs6sXIjKu4nKZUno4Cu1aHKAnuHIwGXo4WIiXZ6hVzr9CkMUtVD2gk1flYx3RyhBLuNtZzRvwZQuE06j8VhZ9IAd-1UyfwyFnQjesWQtGqaKl82j6Mv46VLUHCNIqYhp_2oA/s1600/Squash+Soup+All+In.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAyCRBNYs6sXIjKu4nKZUno4Cu1aHKAnuHIwGXo4WIiXZ6hVzr9CkMUtVD2gk1flYx3RyhBLuNtZzRvwZQuE06j8VhZ9IAd-1UyfwyFnQjesWQtGqaKl82j6Mv46VLUHCNIqYhp_2oA/s200/Squash+Soup+All+In.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before Simmering for 15-20 minutes</td></tr>
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Put just enough oil in the bottom of a soup pot to sauté your onion into submission over medium high heat. Once that goes soft, add the squash and the dry spices, both mild and hot. Get the garlic in there and stir it around just long enough for the garlic aroma to come out of the pot at you. Once that happens, toss in the kale and the liquid. Cover and lower heat. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the kale is wilted to a texture you like.<br />
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You could serve the soup just like this, but we used the immersion blender to break it up a bit because that's what Toni Fiore did in her recipe for Curried Zucchini Soup, which was the initial inspiration for this soup. It also thickens the soup up a bit, which Bunnary and I both preferred to a brothy texture that evening. If you do use an immersion blender, just pulse it around a bit until you get some thickening. Don't puree the soup. Part of the joy of this particular recipe is the large bites of squash and chewy kale. You don't want to get rid of all that.<br />
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Hope you like it as much as we did. It is seriously awesome stuff.<br />
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**A note about the spices we used: Here on Okinawa, we enjoy the presence of CocoIchibanya curry houses and the pantry items they sell from the restaurants. The hot curry mix I used is the orange bottle you see in the photo above left. It's VERY hot, and so 1tsp was more than sufficient. Adjust your heat ingredients to your own tastes. I don't like typical yellow Indian curry powders, so I used a McCormick spice mix heavy on ginger. Any curry-like spice mix will work for you.Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-64651706479968222962010-08-30T13:48:00.002+09:002010-09-25T13:14:53.613+09:00Irritated<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwsJ6puSSyyGcO_hFCM-6p0zQKbbQq9X8aZl3Qqj5dA57OGmKYY9DxMciHt5CATHYTz1Jw4bbgm_7W9uv55kHmlZTuLUIrV4G-XfOtXX12u-KFoWqE2RPI3spMvUqaVZjRd6YjB12ZA/s1600/PC200044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwsJ6puSSyyGcO_hFCM-6p0zQKbbQq9X8aZl3Qqj5dA57OGmKYY9DxMciHt5CATHYTz1Jw4bbgm_7W9uv55kHmlZTuLUIrV4G-XfOtXX12u-KFoWqE2RPI3spMvUqaVZjRd6YjB12ZA/s320/PC200044.jpg" /></a></div>So I got really irritated today and it was beneath me.<br />
<br />
I love me some celebrity gossip, and the site I check for my Hollywood trash had an article about Angelina Jolie from some tabloid or other which claims she used to be a vegan and that it "almost killed her." I don't know about all that. I doubt Ms. Jolie was ever vegan because I've never heard any such thing...and I follow celeb gossip...so, yeah. I think it's a crap story.<br />
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But that wasn't what irritated me.<br />
<br />
The comments left on this article just really crawled under my fingernails today. I know we're not supposed to listen to the garbage, and I know it's pointless and soul-sucking to dignify the garbage with a response. Pearls before swine, and all that. I know.<br />
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But I couldn't help myself.<br />
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The comments ranged from "Veganism and anorexia go hand-in-hand," to "You know those people don't eat cheese, right?" There was a series of taunting and name-calling, too, where people talked about how much meat they eat on purpose to antagonize anyone vegetarian who might see the message. Just...juvenile crap. I normally ignore it. This time, I bit. It was stupid. I learned long ago that you don't teach a hostile audience anything in a setting like that. They all hate me on that site, anyway, because I'm politically conservative, don't wish fiery death on Sarah Palin and all her progeny for 6 generations, and don't herald sexual promiscuity as a sign of feminine virtue and independence.<br />
<br />
Sigh.<br />
<br />
So that just made it worse. Because the vegan message came from ME, someone who voted Republican a few times and suggested that maybe Halle Berry should parent her child instead of auditioning a new stud every week...they'll reject it even harder.<br />
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And you know the worst part? There was a woman on there later in the list with a niece who went vegan to copy some celebrity band she likes, and she kind of thrust it on her family without any warning or thought. The girl is basically starving herself because she doesn't know how to feed herself as a vegan, and I could've helped this family with some good advice. But...I made myself look just as ignorant as the hecklers on that board, and so now there's a teen who won't stick with it (because she'll get hungry before any of those band members ask her out on a date)...and I could've, maybe, helped her, instead of mouthing off to an ignoramus on an internet comment list.<br />
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So, I'm irritated and deflated and feeling very, very foolish for biting the bait. When will I ever learn?Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514544863091345626.post-19079252573680767622010-08-29T18:53:00.001+09:002010-09-25T13:14:53.613+09:00Pureed Cauliflower Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9zLiQHcR6p9KICMGb0UKicf3HGxVdd-BnqQYF4tbVpRpIwsNcpqo0epWz6sj-HHH6sISnLLMeLTcse6FchmOfKo0-0TCGjNr27ByIbKgC6USxpcguf6F2PIT8MMjMyoj0Ko-2jY2IA/s1600/Cauliflower+Soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9zLiQHcR6p9KICMGb0UKicf3HGxVdd-BnqQYF4tbVpRpIwsNcpqo0epWz6sj-HHH6sISnLLMeLTcse6FchmOfKo0-0TCGjNr27ByIbKgC6USxpcguf6F2PIT8MMjMyoj0Ko-2jY2IA/s320/Cauliflower+Soup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I bought a huge head of cauliflower at the commissary this week because it just <i>looked good </i>to me. Then, I took it home and worried about it for the following 5 days every time I opened the fridge. I would see it sitting there and think, "What on earth am I going to <i>do </i>with this thing?" I found a lot of vegetarian recipes online for cauliflower, but the ones that sounded best were always soups...and the cauliflower soup recipes were all pretty similar to each other.<br />
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So here's what Eliza and I threw together. We didn't necessarily make up the recipe on our own. We read a lot of online recipes and watched a few videos...but they were honestly all very much alike. I'm not sure who to give credit to for this soup, actually. /shrug You will need a sturdy immersion blender or a REALLY good standing blender to do this properly. Just giving you fair warning before you get into it and realize I'm going to ask you to puree at the end.<br />
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<b>Creamy Cauliflower Soup</b><br />
1 large head fresh Cauliflower, cored and chopped down a bit<br />
1 large Yellow Onion, sliced into thick pieces<br />
2 large or 4 small yellow or white Potatoes (if you choose a potato type with skin too thick to blend, peel them. Otherwise, leave the skins on)<br />
1 head Garlic, all cloves smashed, peeled, and chopped<br />
1 stalk Celery, diced<br />
6C Vegetable Broth or Bouillon<br />
Salt and Pepper to taste<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoO-FyBlvTr_AEcdlc5zk6JcbFTxwmqJiGE-2i6XL8OtcjswJLrdxY0KuO2VWhOl7S4g6oY0NTCoHJ4HzYWdxBnmpRTDadK8ecaMiBaEpv9BHBKWblxBCQ_wp_4nU0oiNKOLiE0ET9g/s1600/Cauliflower+Soup+Ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoO-FyBlvTr_AEcdlc5zk6JcbFTxwmqJiGE-2i6XL8OtcjswJLrdxY0KuO2VWhOl7S4g6oY0NTCoHJ4HzYWdxBnmpRTDadK8ecaMiBaEpv9BHBKWblxBCQ_wp_4nU0oiNKOLiE0ET9g/s200/Cauliflower+Soup+Ingredients.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwoCaQvO-O-Jj58CaA7Ey6pHPzfce6W_ZQ24ku1qzy_y1Oq2AAt1bnl1GZyp3JLvMhpwFunT8iNVBVhanRSf4Xt0sJMviyp0siO4uG_D6u5oDP6Kv7o8zE7PCZ9P_o1XIcey1C7ZU5wA/s1600/Cauliflower+Soup+In+the+Pot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwoCaQvO-O-Jj58CaA7Ey6pHPzfce6W_ZQ24ku1qzy_y1Oq2AAt1bnl1GZyp3JLvMhpwFunT8iNVBVhanRSf4Xt0sJMviyp0siO4uG_D6u5oDP6Kv7o8zE7PCZ9P_o1XIcey1C7ZU5wA/s200/Cauliflower+Soup+In+the+Pot.jpg" width="199" /></a></div><br />
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In a large soup pot, heat 2T vegetable oil on medium high and then add the potato and onion. Salt to taste (be liberal with it), and stir everything around until you see brown marks on some of the onions. You will likely have bits sticking to the bottom of your pan. That's okay.<br />
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Once you have achieved browning on the onions, throw in the celery, garlic, and cauliflower. Stir it around until you smell the garlic from your pot. Add the broth and cover. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to medium. Uncover and stir, scraping up the delicious bits that were sticking to the bottom of the pan earlier. Cover the pot again and allow it to simmer for about 1/2 hour or until your potatoes and cauliflower are soft.<br />
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Using an immersion blender, puree the heck out of it until you have a smooth texture throughout. Serve in bowls with some nice crusty rolls. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a standing blender in batches or, I suppose, a food processor. If you cannot puree the soup, you could probably get a really nice-tasting concoction with the same ingredients I've used here by chopping your vegetables into more appropriate sizes from the beginning.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgN2yaCvPjXASOw5EI2zDOQ-CVTWV651V8c483GscBPMb_EltJKlgrEG0TIcpRjPTvSB-zf4FFuYLSKTSaBmsdf0e__fZYqYMmfQF1mCUofSFOHQm7O9XQAbpt5qcZoUPhraB0ae-_A/s1600/Cauliflower+Soup+Done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgN2yaCvPjXASOw5EI2zDOQ-CVTWV651V8c483GscBPMb_EltJKlgrEG0TIcpRjPTvSB-zf4FFuYLSKTSaBmsdf0e__fZYqYMmfQF1mCUofSFOHQm7O9XQAbpt5qcZoUPhraB0ae-_A/s200/Cauliflower+Soup+Done.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytQAopieFQlzAo0Nrt1cvnOjjMrwHzBzEq8C_YoRYLnm4h9YChqYfqmhzEMBqq49LBYQbbHbA6kXfiIMUSUS69686gdEk_Vu8bbLE_G_kLsvqrvRV5gyYjxWLbwUuM-b0tyzzhGf74A/s1600/Cauliflower+Soup+Blended.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytQAopieFQlzAo0Nrt1cvnOjjMrwHzBzEq8C_YoRYLnm4h9YChqYfqmhzEMBqq49LBYQbbHbA6kXfiIMUSUS69686gdEk_Vu8bbLE_G_kLsvqrvRV5gyYjxWLbwUuM-b0tyzzhGf74A/s200/Cauliflower+Soup+Blended.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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I love cauliflower, and Elizabeth says it's not as good as broccoli, but she "is a fan." We really liked this soup, and it was really easy to make. I'm pretty sure we'll eat it again.Amy Nixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04037902722706986031noreply@blogger.com1