Beanballs!
22 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: black beans, faux meat, gluten
Hey you!! ^^
Here to say that this week I was craving something meatball-y or wiener-y and was having some sorta Black Bean Soup fever, so, I had plenty of this lovely beans around.
Coming back from my bellydance class, hungry like the wolf, I checked my pantry and I got that blissful “Eureka” moment! Beans + My craving for meatballs = BEANBALLS!
Unfortunatelly, my Veganomicon was locked in the office (well… It’s a loooong story -.-). So… I checked the Interwebs for a nice recipe that would fit my seasoning rack needs.
Well, my Black Bean Balls came out a huge success! Even the bean hater here at home loved them!
This recipe yelds 38 tiny lil’ balls, as I like it. Oh, and I achieved the most beautiful flavour combo! *-*
Let’s get to it already! I’ll stop my babbling before it’s too late. Oh, and just look at them already! And the Spaghetti too!
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Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups Cooked Black Beans (I cooked mine into my Pressure Cooker for 45 minutes)
under a 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. Tomato Sauce
2 1/2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated
1/2 Lime zest
1/2 tsp. thyme, crushed
1/2 nutmeg, grated
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
Preheat oven to 375
Throw your black beans into a medium sized bowl, grab a fork and mash them like you mean it! You want them to be fairly well smooshed, but not to the point that they’re unidentifiable as, you know… beans. I basically threw in the salt, tomato sauce and olive oil (do 1 tbsp. if you want less fat) and stirred it all in with a spoon. Next I added the crushed thyme, garlic, lemon zest, nutmeg and the vital wheat gluten. The last step was to stir in the breadcrumbs.
After you have everything stirred up and holding together (without being totally solid, our the balls will come out very tough [this-is-not-a-pun-alert]) roll up your beanballs. I just got a baking sheet, sprayed it with some oil, and placed the beanballs on there. I cooked them for 15 minutes and they were perfect this way. But keep checking to achieve the browness and stuff you like.
I hope you all are having a nice week!
♥♥♥
Blender Carrot Cake!
16 Sep 2011 3 Comments
in Recipes Tags: Cake, Delish!, Memories
Today, one of my momma’s classic: a delicious and (relatively) healthy carrot cake!
I like the structure of it, the fact that it is more like a souffle than a cake, the taste, the memories … So, so good!
1 cup Canola Oil
1 / 2 cup Brown sugar
1 / 2 cup Organic Sugar
2 cups All Purp. Flour
1 / 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 / 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
Preheat oven to 180 ° C / 375F.
Pour your carrot mix into the bowl and mix with the remaining ingredients using the wooden spoon until it’s all combined well. No uncooked flour pockets allowed! It ruins the entire thing, just sayin’.
Place the dough in the pan, adjust with a spoon to make the surface even and bake for 30 minutes. Test with a toothpick. If it comes out dry, the cake is ready! Isn’t it the simplest thing? ;)
Allow it to cool and dig in!
It’s not overly sweet. If you’re a sweet-tooth, make the cake even more Brazilian and traditional, and sweet by making a simple chocolate sauce to go with it:
1 / 4 cup Cocoa Powder
1 / 4 cup Sugar or Agave
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Hot water.
Mix cocoa, sugar and vanilla. Add hot water with a spoon until the mixture reaches the consistency you want. Poke the cake several times with a toothpick and then, pour the sauce over!
I hope you have a great weekend!
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The Best Choc Chip Cookie for a good friend! ;)
27 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
Oh, hi! 
I’ve been craving chocolate chip cookies for a while. Only having eaten recently a couple recipes from VCIYCJ from Terry Hope and Isa Moskowitz, as Rocky Roads and PB Pillows and unfortunatelly having a lack of tapioca flour, I had to search the whole intertubes for a recipe which would fit.
I found this one here! And it was the perfect match for my pantry necessities to feed a lovely friend of mine I am going to visit this sat. Wish me luck!
So, right to it!
Put on your Massive Attack Album from ’98, called Mezzanine, and then, assemble your Dry Stuff
1 1/4 Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
your Wet Stuff
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup (White) Vegan Sugar
1 Stick (1/2 Cup) of Soy Butter (Earth Balance)
2 TBS of ground flax mixed with 3 TBS of Warm Water (allow to sit for 2 minutes)
1 tsp vanilla extract
and Other Stuff
1 Cup Vegan Choc Chips
Now, while you dance in pretty 8 undulations and stomach undulations too, sift your dry stuff into a nice big bowl. Get all your wet stuff together. Whisk or mix your wet stuff thoroughly with a spatula. (Do not beat!). Mix your wet stuff and dry stuff together; (again with a spatula not an electric mixer).
You should have a nice stiff mousse-like dough. Mix in your vegan choc chips. Form your cookie dough with wet hands and place (with a good amount space between them) on a sheet covered in grease proof paper. Bake for 20 – 23 minutes at 300 degrees until golden brown, while you dance your ass off at the living room (if you’re alone, of course, or in front of everybody if u’re a exhibitionist!)
I hope you guys have a lovely weekend with your friends!
A lovely dinner for a lovely hungry person!
05 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
Hello everyone! ^^
Here’s the english version only for you, who doesn’t understand even a tiny bit of my mother language!
Main Course
Brocolli Lasagna with Creamy Béchamel Sauce
Dessert
Dark Chocolate Brownie with Almonds, Homemade Strawberry compote and Salted Chocolate Sauce
Ok! On to it! First, put on your This Morn’ Omina last Album, L’Unification Des Forces Opposantes, for a delicious ethnic spice into your regular electronic, and wiggle your hips on your way to your kitchen. Trust me: You’ll want to.
Then, gather your ingredients for the Lasagna:
1 steamed Brocolli head
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp Powdered Cumin
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
Package of your favorite Lasagna noodles, that ones you don’t need to cook beforehand, they just cook away straight into the oven.
About 1 cup of your favorite tomato extract, combined with 1 cups water, salt and pepper to taste.
Bechamel Sauce: 1 cup vegetable milk ( 250Ml)
1 heaping Tbsp vegetable margarine
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 package of your favorite vegan heavy cream
salt, pepper and powdered nutmeg to taste
and for the compote:
2 packs of fresh Strawberries, preferrably organic (about 260 grams each)
3/4 cup Raw Sugar
Juice of 1 Lime
You must be thinking “Helena!!!! ARE YOU NUTS??? BANANAS??? Like, 520 grams of strawberries, a lime and only this wee bit o’ sugar??”
Yeah, my dear… Imagine a super sweet compote over a super sweet brownie with a super lovely sauce… What do ya want? Go diabetus?? ¬¬”
IF you want this thing only to spread over a nice slice of bread, be my guest to add more sugar, then, but never more than 1 cup. It’s nonsense, believe me.
and for our brownie:
(I like to use a recipe by my lovely brit, Naomi, The Gluttonous Vegan as my white canvas and work over it. You can read and marvel at her lovely pics right here.)
8 Tbsp vegan margarine
200g dark chocolate
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
4-5 tbsp soy milk
Around a handful of almonds, crushed.
aaaand last, but not least, our SAUCE!
I love this recipe, by the Photographer K. Miller, presented to me by lovely Celine @ her blog, clicky here.
3/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup Unrefined sugar
1 cup Boiling water
1/2 tsp Coarse salt
1 tsp Vanilla
Alright! Now you have the ingredients to start playing around your kitchen like a boss (or bossette).
While you steam the broccoli to the point of “Holly Sh*t, this is so tender the florets will never keep its form!”, wash, remove the green part and cube your strawberries. Put them in a saucepan with the sugar and lime juice. Mix it all up and light the fire, babe. Keep them in reeeeeally low heat for about 20 minutes or until the sauce is reduced and is somewhat gelatinous.
Mash you broccoli as you mean it, mix the seasonings and try not to just gobble it up like Cookie Monster. Because it’s freakin’ delicious as is. Set aside, AWAY from your taste buds and greedy eyes.
Mix your tomato paste with the water, salt and pepper and simmer until is somewhat saucy, but still really liquid. (yeah, I’m not accurate. I’m a cook, not a scientist, you know?!) Set aside.
Prepare your béchamel by melting the margarine, toasting the flour to a really nice golden sheer, then adding the milk, seasonings and heavy cream. Stir until a creamy, but very pliable sauce appear. Mix half of it into the broccoli mixture and try to resist the temptation to get a toast and try this nature’s wonder.
Preheat your oven at medium.
In a nice Lasagna dish, place a layer of tomato sauce, a layer of the noodles, the broccoli and béchamel mix, another layer of noodles, another layer of tomato sauce, etc, until the ingredients are all gone. Finish with topping the whole lasagna mess with the rest of the béchamel.
Roast for about 30 minutes. Test the texture of your noodles with a fork. If it’s soft, it’s done. If not, roast for 10 minutes more at a time, always checking for the doneness with the fork.
When it’s done, time to make some brownies!!!!
1. In a saucepan, add sugar and cocoa powder and whisk until combined. Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over mixture and whisk until a smooth paste is formed.
2. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of water, stir, and bring the syrup to a small boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer, add salt (either the full 1/2 tsp, or to taste).
4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool completely (about an hour), stirring now and then, before transferring to a glass container.
K. Miller advises to refrigerate it while not in use, ok??
That’s it, lovelies!!!! See u next time! ^^
♥♥♥
