Lemon Balm Berry Ice Cream

So yummy!

Lemon Balm Berry Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups cashews
1 cup water
1 cup packed lemon balm leaves (we used lemon verbena leaves instead)
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup agave (any sweetener of choice will work)
1/3 cup lemon juice (we used Meyer lemons with the peelings left on)
2-3 drops lemon essential oil* - (we used lemon zest instead)

If you'd like little green specs, blend all but the lemon balm until smooth and creamy.
Add the balm and blend briefly.  Chill and process through an ice cream machine.

*Substitute lemon zest to taste.

Veg Sausage and Red Quinoa Cabbage Rolls

Recipe conversion is an art that is interesting and can be fun. For those who live a vegetarian lifestyle, it becomes a way of life. Recently I found a great recipe for cabbage rolls on the Internet. I thought it sounded delicious and it reminded me of the cabbage rolls my grandmother and mother used to make. I decided to make them, adapting the recipe to fit the dietary needs of members of the immediate family. The cabbage rolls were not as time consuming as I expected, and they were essentially a one-dish-meal (protein, starch, and vegetable). You could add a tossed green salad if you liked. Here's the recipe as converted:

Veg Sausage and Red Quinoa Cabbage Rolls

• 1 head cabbage
• 1 cup red quinoa, cooked
• 1 egg, beaten OR egg substitute (ground flax seed or flax seed gel)
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 package Soyrizo, vegetarian sausage
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder (or fresh, minced garlic)
• 2 - 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
• 1 - 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 tsp. stevia
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. vegetarian Worcestershire sauce

Stem head of cabbage and place base down in a kettle. Add 2" of water and lid. Steam until tender; about ten minutes. When leaves are tender, remove from heat and drain. Cool. Then remove leaves and dry individually with paper towel.

Combine red quinoa, egg OR egg substitute, almond milk, onion, garlic powder, Soyrizo, and salt. Scoop about 1/4 cup of this mixture into the center of each cabbage leaf. Fold them into small packages, making sure all ends are tucked in. Place each in a low casserole pan with the tucked in side down.

In a bowl, combine tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, stevia, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

Delicious!

This is a gluten-free recipe. The Angostura Worcestershire Sauce from Safeway is vegetarian (no anchovies).

Cake!

No words needed. Creamy. Delicious. Sweet & Sour. So Good!

Mother's Steamed Christmas Pudding

During my teen years, mother decided that she wanted to start a Christmas tradition that was unique to her heritage. After much time spent going through food magazines and cookbooks, she used her skills in recipe adaptation to create a recipe for steamed Christmas pudding that the entire family could eat. Dairy-free, egg-free, and gluten-free; it met everyone's dietary needs. Not only that, but it was delicious! As grandchildren joined her family they enjoyed helping her make the pudding and prepare it on the stovetop, as it was steamed instead of baked. At serving time, sugar cubes were soaked in almond extract and brought to the dinner table in high flame. The children loved watching the flames slowly die as the extract was burned off. And how fun it was to eat something that had been presented with so much charm! Here is mother's recipe for you to enjoy as well.

Steamed Christmas Pudding

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup amaranth flour*

1/4 cup sweet rice flour*

1/4 cup garbanzo flour*

1/4 cup tapioca starch*

3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 cup grated raw carrots
1 cup grated raw potatoes

1/4 cup raw grated apple
1 cup raisins
1 cup nuts, walnuts

1/2 tsp. fresh lemon zest

1/2 tsp. black walnut extract

Mix all ingredients together until moist. Place mixture in a prepared Pyrex bowl and cover with foil until secured. Put in a kettle of gently boiling water and cover with lid. Water should be 3/4 of the way up the side of the bowl. Steam for four hours, adding more water as necessary. Additional steaming is okay, but will result in an even darker pudding.

Serve with apple gravy (thickened apple juice concentrate with cinnamon added). To flame: soak sugar or sugar cubes in pure almond extract. Working quickly, place on top of pudding and light with a match. Take to table while flaming for a beautiful presentation.

*All-purpose flour may be substituted for the gluten-free flours given.

Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread boys and girls are a traditional Christmas 

cookie and bring much delight to those who eat them. 

Can you remember biting of a foot, arm, or the head 

first, and then laughing as you share in the experience 

with someone you love? What shall be the second bite? 

Today I'm sharing a gingerbread cookie recipe for those 

who are gluten-free. I don't want them to miss out on 

the experience! 

Gingerbread Cookies

2 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups arrowroot, plus extra for rolling out cookies
1 1/2 cups amaranth flour
2 Tbsp (6 tsp) baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cups Sucanat
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup safflower oil
1/3 cup molasses
2 Tbsp (6 tsp) vanilla
oil, for oiling cookie sheets

Decorations:

dried currants
dried cranberries
sunflower seeds
Decorator's Frosting

1. In a small bowl, stir together the brown rice flour, arrowroot, amaranth
flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and
cloves, and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, place the remaining ingredients, and stir to combine. Add
the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well to combine. Cover
the bowl, place it in the refrigerator, and chill the dough for 1 hour or
more. Using a little safflower oil, lightly oil (or mist with oil) two
non-stick cookie sheets and set aside.

3. Sprinkle a little arrowroot over a work surface. Divide the chilled dough
into quarters, work with only one quarter of the dough at a time, and keep
the remaining dough covered and chilled until needed. Working in batches,
roll out the quarter of dough to 1/4" (6 mm) thickness, and cut into desired
shapes with cookie cutters.

4. Carefully transfer the cut cookies to the prepared cookie sheet. Bake them at
350 F (175 C) for 6 minutes (the cookies will feel slightly soft to the
touch). Allow them to cool on the cookie sheets for 3 minutes before
transferring them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat the rolling and
cutting-out procedure for the remaining cookie dough. Store the cookies in an
airtight container.

To make Gingerbread People:

1. Cut the dough using a person-shaped cookie cutter. Carefully transfer the cut
cookies to the prepared cookie sheets.

2. To decorate them: use two dried currants for eyes, pressing them slightly
into the dough; squeeze one dried cranberry with your fingers to form it into
a mouth, pressing it slightly into the dough; and then use 8 sunflower seeds
to make the outline of a vest, or 10 sunflower seeds to make the outline of a
dress, pressing them slightly into the dough.

3. Bake as directed above.

TIP: The dried currants, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds can also be used
to decorate other cut shapes of cookies.

To make Glazed Gingerbread Cookies:

1. Cut cookies as desired and bake as directed above.

2. Prepare the Decorator's Frosting and use it to decorate the completely cooled
cookies, as desired.

3. Allow the frosting to set completely before transferring the cookies to an
airtight container.

Yield: 3 - 4 Dozen.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

We cannot let this autumn season pass by without reposting my favorite cookie recipe! These are very popular in our family!

It's recommended that we have a good source of Vitamin A every other day. It's best utilized by our bodies if the resource is cooked and served with some type of fat. Do you cook carrots or orange squash every other day? I don't, but resolve to do better. I'm quite sure my university sons aren't eating dark orange veggies every other day either. So, this evening I baked cookies to send to them. Vegan and filled with Vitamin A, I think they'll enjoy them. Here's the recipe if you'd like a sweet and tasty way to get your vitamins!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

A delicious, moist cookie that freezes very well.

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

1 (15 1/2 ounce) can solid pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour*

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

12 ounces vegan semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

Cream the sugar, shortening, pumpkin and vanilla together. Mix until well blended. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Stir gently until combined. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts. Mix together. Drop by teaspoonsful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 12 - 15 minutes.

These cookies are delicious; cake-like and the type that melt in your mouth. I think their flavor would be enhanced by a pinch of salt in the recipe. The walnuts in this recipe add Omega-3's to the diet, and of course we all know that the chocolate is very good for us and high in anti-oxidants!

*For gluten free, Bob's Red Mill flour blend is recommended.

Flax Seed Crackers

I just made these and they are too good not to share! A tasty way to get your fiber. 

2 cups flax seeds, ground
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup water (hot water makes rolling very easy)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix until well blended. Divide dough in half. Roll each half on a baking stone. Score into diamonds or squares. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 -18 minutes.

*I use a pizza cutter to score (cut) into crackers. No need to separate them on the baking stone.

*Alter flavorings as desired: 1 Tbsp. garlic powder; or stevia for sweetening; or 1 tsp. of your favorite dried herb.

*Golden flax seeds seems to tolerate longer baking times than regular brown ones. If you like crispy crackers, bake longer, but keep track of them as they bake.

A non-grain cracker that is a friendly gluten-free option to a traditional cracker.

Coconut Cream Pie

Main Street, Bisbee, Arizona
A perfect place for tea and pie!

Here's one of my favorite "easy" dessert recipes that.  It says to pour it into a pie crust or graham cracker crust, but if you don't have time --- it makes a great custard pudding as well.  Simple and delicious!

Coconut Cream Pie

3 1/2 cup vanilla flavored rice milk*

1/2 cup honey (or alternative liquid sweetener)

6 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 cups coconut, unsweetened, shredded**

2 Tbsp. coconut extract

Save 1/2 cup of the rice milk to use with the cornstarch for thickening.  Bring the remaining ingredients to a slow boil and then add the cornstarch/milk mixture.  Stir constantly until a rolling boil

is achieved.  Remove from heat.  Pour into a baked graham cracker crust or pie shell.  Cool completely, then serve and enjoy.

* soymilk will work fine; if using unflavored, add a 1/2 tsp. of vanilla flavoring

**sweetened coconut will work as well

***for gluten-free option, use gluten free pie crust

Pasta Con Faggioli

Fresh, savory, and quick to make --- Pasta con Faggioli is great for a crowd. 
Serve with sandwiches and enjoy the fellowship of family and friends.

Pasta Con Faggioli

6 cups water

4 - 5 medium garlic cloves, peeled and diced

1 sweet onion, medium

8 ounces crushed tomatoes, canned

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1/4 Tbsp. chili pepper, crushed

1 Tbsp. parsley, fresh and chopped

15 ounces cooked Great Northern White Beans

8 ounces quinoa spaghetti, broken

In a skillet, sauté sweet onion and garlic until 

soft. Add seasonings, tomatoes, and beans. 

In a kettle, bring water to a boil. Add spaghetti 

and cook until tender. Add bean and tomato 

mixture to the spaghetti. Add fresh parsley 

and stir in gently. Adjust seasonings as needed. 

Cover and allow to sit for 2 - 3 minutes before 

serving.

Smoothies!

The weather is warming up and I'm starting to think about frozen treats. A frequent summertime dessert in our family is the fruit smoothie. Have you made them? They are easy and good for you! Here's the recipe for one I made recently. I hope you enjoy it.

Marionberry Smoothie

In a blender, add:

1 banana, frozen
1/2 cup Marionberries, frozen (or other berries of your choice)
1/2 cup pineapple, frozen
1 Tbsp. chia seeds (optional)
1 tsp. pure vanilla
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. stevia (herbal sweetener)
1 cup soymilk (or other milk of choice)
water

Blend on high speed until all ingredients are mixed and smooth. Add water as needed to obtain a thick, yet pourable consistency. Taste and adjust ingredients to fit  your tastebuds. Enjoy!

Serves 2.

*Sometimes I add a protein powder (about 2 Tbsp.) for added body and depth of flavor. I really like hemp powder, but sometimes use soy protein powder as well.

Tammy  just posted the 14,000th comment on Gracious Hospitality! A milestone that deserves a cheer!

And a Pansy or Two

Here we go again --- another simple table setting.
Flowers on the menu
and an uncomplicated family supper.

Romaine, mixed garden greens, tomatoes, 
sweet onions, and sugar peas were the 
ingredients for a fresh salad garnished with 
pansy, daisy, and marigold blossoms.

The flowers sure made the salad colorful 
and inviting! And, they are all edible.

The salad dressing was a quick 
homemade vinaigrette made from 
olive oil,  lemon juice, Bragg's Liquid 
Aminos (or soy sauce), salt,  stevia, 
and Italian Seasoning. Blend together  
until emulsified and then pour 
into a pretty little pitcher.

Menu

Garden Salad and Dressing
Enchilada Casserole with Corn
Baked Potatoes & Earth Balance Spread
Broccoli Spears
Grape Juice

Chocolate Cake

Today's china:

Noritake Milford with platinum rim

Vintage 1970's

Making Sugared Blossoms

Beautiful magazines that promote lovely living frequently feature sugared flowers and the instructions for making them. Each spring when my violets and pansies are blooming, I think about how nice it would be to have sugared flowers. The instructions always say to take some egg white, mix with a little water, paint on petals, dip in ultra-fine sugar, and allow to dry. They also give the classic warning about the potential for salmonella, as the egg whites are only dried and not cooked. Food safety is important to me and I don't want to make anything that might cause anyone to get sick. Even though the petals are used mostly for decor, the risk is still too great. I know not everyone will agree with me, and that's alright. I've just dreamed about sugared flowers and tried to think of an alternative way to achieve the same results. Commercial egg white products are available at craft and cake decorating stores that have been pasteurized and are safe for use, but it was challenging and fun for me to find a plant-based, vegan alternative. 

Both egg whites and egg yolks carry risk for this illness. Here's information from the Centers for Disease Control regarding salmonella and egg whites: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/salment_g.htm

Sugared Flowers with Flax Seed Gel

Here are my instructions for making 'food safe' sugared flowers. Be sure to use non-toxic flowers for sugaring.

1. Bring 1/4 cup flax seed and 1 cup water to a boil. Stir occasionally and allow to cook for 3 - 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool. The liquid portion of this mixture will turn thick and have a similar consistency to egg whites. 

2. Don't worry about straining out the flax seeds. I tried and it's too difficult and unnecessary for this application.

3. Use a soft paintbrush and gently wash each petal in flax seed gel. Only paint the top side. If the gel is too thick, stir in a small amount of water. Tweezers are needed to hold the petal without damaging the flower.

4. Once petal is painted, gently sprinkle ultra-fine sugar over the petals. Not much sugar is needed. I thought that about 1/2 the sugar would fall off when the flower dried, so added a little more sugar than really necessary. The sugar did not dry and fall off as expected! About 99% of the sugar stayed on the petals! Flax seed gel is very 'binding'.

5. Set flowers on parchment paper or a hard, flat surface. Do not touch. Allow to dry completely. 

6. When ready to use, take a small, sharp object and/or tweezers and gently remove the blossom and place on cupcakes, cookies, or brownies. A lovely garnish!

7. Next time --- I will sugar a few leaves as well. I left a short stem on each blossom for ease in handling with tweezers. I will probably shorten them next time, although they snipped off easily with a pair of small scissors after blossoms dried.

8. Sugared flowers made by this method keep very well. Store in a small container in a dry place. Mine kept for months.

Today I am linking to Bernideen's Tea Time Blog and Rose Chintz Cottage.

Charming Petals for Garnishing

Squash Blossom Potato Salad

8 - 10 potatoes, cooked, peeled, and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 can black olives, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 orange or red pepper, diced
2 - 3 dill pickles, chopped
1 cup extra-firm tofu, cubed OR boiled eggs
salt, to taste
sweet basil, dried, to taste
1 cup Veganaise (or mayonnaise as desired)

Mix all ingredients together. Adjust seasonings to your taste. 

Serve in a squash blossom and enjoy!

Squash blossoms and pumpkin blossoms are edible and taste somewhat like uncooked squash. They should be washed and trimmed to remove stems and stamens. They can be breaded and fried, added chopped to foods like scrambled eggs, and are tasty in soups and fillings.

Here's an interesting article with quotes from a restaurant chef. He shares some excellent ideas for using squash blossoms in cooking; plus some recipes!

Pizza Chill

The weather today was chilly! Like a flighty adolescent, spring is appearing in stops and starts. Today could be considered a stop, as it was chilly and windy all day long! Rain would spit for awhile. Then it would stop and the sun would shine, only to trade places with the rain again after a little while. Our walk at the track was brisk today! We started at the widest edge of the tarmac and were thankful that each lap thereafter was just a bit shorter.

After our walk we came home to warm up and decided to bake pizza for supper. It seemed like just the right comfort food for a chilly day. Crusty, homemade dough, marinara sauce, and stacks of vegetables, mushrooms, and olives created a comforting, savory, vegan pizza pie. It hit the spot!

Would you like the recipe? Maybe it would help one of your chilly, spring days seem a little less dreary.

Pizza Dough

In mixer with a dough hook, combine:

1 1/3 cups water, warm
2 tsp. yeast, fast rise
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 - 3 1/4 cups unbleached white flour

Mix until ingredients are all blended. No need to knead. Remove bowl with dough from mixer stand. Cover with a tea towel and set in a warm place for about 30 minutes so it can rise. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Then, pinch off a lump of dough about the size a softball. Form into a smooth roll. The dough will be sticky, but if you wet your hands the dough won't stick to them and you'll be able to work the dough. Then, place the dough on a baking stone that's sprinkled with cornmeal. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough thinly on the stone. Pinch edges of dough to create rim. (Recover the remaining dough for another pizza).

On the rolled pizza dough, spread a layer of marinara sauce. Then, add chopped green peppers, black and green olives, and mushrooms. If you wish, you can also add chopped onions, mock duck (gluten bits), or Baco-Bits. 

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Add a layer of chopped, fresh tomatoes. 

Enjoy! Guaranteed to warm up your day!

Mom's Fresh Strawberry Pie

Mom's Fresh Strawberry Pie

Strawberry season isn't far away. Fresh strawberries are showing up in the supermarkets and it's time to enjoy them in things like my mother's fresh strawberry pie!

1 1/2 quarts strawberries, fresh

1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 T. cornstarch

1 tsp. margarine, vegan

1 baked pie shell (gluten free if necessary)

red food coloring if desired

Crush 1/2 quart of berries. Blend with sugar, cornstarch, and water. Heat to a boil (2 min). Add margarine and food coloring. Fill pastry shell with chilled berries. Pour glaze over berries. Chill. Serve with whipped topping of choice.

World English Dictionary

strawberry  (ˈstrɔːbərɪ, -brɪ)
— n  , pl -ries
1.	a. any of various low-growing rosaceous plants of the genus Fragaria,  such as F. vesca  ( wildstrawberry ) and F. ananassa  ( garden strawberry ), which have white flowers  and red edible fruits and spread by runners
	b. ( as modifier ): a strawberry patch
2.	a. the fruit of any of these plants, consisting of a sweet fleshy receptacle bearing small seedlike parts(the true fruits)
	b. ( as modifier ): strawberry ice cream Yummy, strawberry ice cream!

The Cookie Jar

What's in your cookie jar?

Thumb-print Almond and Date Cookies

1/2 cup almond butter
2 cups almond meal
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp pure maple sugar granules (powder)*
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract

Place almond butter in mixing bowl and stir until smooth and creamy. Add almond meal, maple sugar granules, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix completely. Form dough into small rolls and then pinch off enough for a small cookie. Roll into a ball and then place on baking sheet and press thumb into center to make an indentation. Then prepare date filling using recipe below:

1 cup dates, pitted
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup finely ground almonds

For the filling, mix the water, cornstarch and sugar together. Add dates and
bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until thick and dates are smooth.
Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Fill each indentation in cookie dough with a small amount of the date filling.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool and
enjoy!

*May omit if you cannot find.

Tofu Salad Sandwich Spread on Toast

Tofu Salad served on whole wheat toast is probably one of my favorite sandwiches. Open-faced, it's pretty to garnish with greens like parsley or new lettuce. Enclosed in a sandwich, it packs well for lunches and is always creamy and delicious. Sometimes called Eggless Egg Salad, I prefer to call it Tofu Salad because there is nothing fake about the flavor of this savory spread! Here's the recipe:

Tofu Salad Sandwich Spread

1 lb. tofu, extra-firm
1 can black olives, chopped or sliced
2 - 3 Tbsp. Bill's Best Chicknish'
1/3 cup Veganaise (don't substitute for best flavor)

Crumble tofu into a bowl. Add chopped (or sliced) black olives, Bill's Best Chicknish', and Veganaise. Stir until well blended. Spread on toast or on sandwich bread. Enjoy!