the two Ls

the two Ls

Monday, August 21, 2017

Quinoa breakfast cereal

Ever wonder what to do with the left over quinoa in the fridge?
Breakfast!

2 servings
2 cups quinoa-cooked
Enough a almond milk to moisten 
1 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In saucepan heat all ingredients.

We also toasted pumpkin seeds for top. Also add fruit of choice. We used strawberries.



Sunday, August 20, 2017

Beets & Sweets & Cauliflower (oh my!)



A sweet & simple side dish


2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed
3 medium beets, peeled & cubed
1/4 of a head of cauliflower, broken into flowerets
1 Tbs olive oil
seasonings of your choice (Be creative!)
(I used onion powder, garlic powder & herbes de Provence.)

Pre heat oven to 450 / 425 convection
Place prepared veggies in roasting pan
Drizzle with oil & sprinkle with seasonings
Toss with a spatula
Bake for 10 minutes
Stir & turn veggies & return to oven
Continue to bake for 10 minute intervals, stirring & turning as you go
Bake until tender or until they make you happy
(I cooked mine in a convection oven at 425 for a total of 30 minutes.)

Serves 2

Friday, August 18, 2017

Banana chocolate chip muffins

These delicious muffins get their appetizing brown hue from the coconut sugar. If you use white sugar they will be light in color..... We liked the yummy warm nutritious coconut sugar.

Set oven to 375 and lightly grease muffin tins.

Dry ingredients:
1 3/4 whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Mix all ingredients in large bowl.

Wet ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
1/8 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 block silken tofu (the kind in the cardboard carton)
2/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 melted coconut oil

1/2 cup chocolate chips. (Enjoy Life is our favorite brand) save to add in last.


I used a small electric mixer to blend all wet ingredients well. Then fold wet ingredients into dry. Add chocolate chips.



Thursday, August 17, 2017

Awesome Broccoli basil soup


Broccoli Basil Soup

I have been buying used cookbooks on Amazon and giving them new life. I take recipes and try to veganize them. This recipe came from the Golden Door cookbook. The Golden Door is a spa I would love to visit. But for now I visit in my home with their delicious veganized recipes.

1/2 medium onion diced
1 pound broccoli
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp salt (if desired)
black peper t taste
1 bay leaf
1 cup packed fresh spinach leaves
2 TB sliced fresh basil leaves
2 ounces smoked chedder or gouda (vegan)

Spray a medium saucepan with olive oil and heat over low heat. Add onion and cook till translucent not brown. Stir frequently.  4-5 minutes
Meanwhile Peel the woody stems of broccoli with a paring knife and slice stems 1/4 inch thick chop florets.
Stir in broccoli and cook for 1 minute. Add stock, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Raise heat to medium and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, until the broccoli is tender when pierced by a fork.  (10-15 minutes.)
Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then remove and discard bay leaf.
Transfer the soup to food processor (or blender) and process till creamy but still slightly chunky. (about 30 seconds.)  You may need to work in batches. Add basil and spinach to food processor and process for 10 seconds- just to incorporate.
Return soup to clean saucepan and reheat gently over low heat.
Add grated cheese  if desire. Let it melt.
Remove and serve hot.

Monday, August 14, 2017

Mushroom Thyme pizza (sorry we used real cheese on this one)

Dough
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Olive oil
2/3 cup warm water
Package of yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar

Dissolve sugar and yeast into warm water. Let it sit till bubbly.
In food processor place floor salt and oil. Pulse for a few seconds. Stir yeast mixture. With machine running pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture. Once it forms a ball allow machine to run for 30 seconds. Remove dough and place in oiled bowl. Turn once so dough has light coating of oil. Cover with towel and let raise in warm place till double, approximately an hour.
Then punch down (don't knead a second time) and with your hands work the dough to become pizza shape.

Topping
12 ounces or so of thinly sliced mushrooms (we used a mix of Shitake and Cremini)
many sprigs of fresh thyme...I estimate we used 3-4 TB finely chopped leaves (no sticks)
1-3 TB olive oil

6-7 ounces Taleggio cheese (or Brie if you can't find Taleggio) This is the one time vegan cheese just doesn't cut it. When we can find a suitable replacement we will adjust the recipe. This is perfection

Pre-heat oven to 550
Make dough.  Shape your dough into  one or more pizzas- let sit while you make the topping.
Mince herbs.

You will have to cook your mushrooms in batches, probably three batches. Heat your largest saucepan, get it really hot. We didn't use oil, only a tablespoon of water. Now over medium high heat cook mushrooms will shriveled and all the water has evaporated. It's best if you don't overcrowd your frying pan. You want to brown the mushrooms not steam them. Stir them and add a pinch of salt and 1/3 of the herbs.
Repeat till you have cooked all mushrooms. Be sure all the liquid is cooked off before beginning the next batch.

Make a nice thick layer of mushrooms on the dough. Take off cheese rind and pinch balls of cheese onto the mushrooms.

Cook for about 10 minutes. Enjoy.








Sunday, August 13, 2017

Sweet potato burgers with caramelized onions

It was the night before we needed to leave the cottage and we needed to empty the fridge.  We looked at what we had and this is what we came up with...it's yummy!

Caramelized onions
1 large red onion
1 generous tablespoon Olive oil
Sprinkle of sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Cut onion in half and slice thinly. Heat oil in frying pan medium high then turn down too medium low. Start frying onion. Sprinkle with sugar. Cook more. Then splash on vinegar keep cooking. Make them nice and soft. Scoop out and place aside.
In same frying pan we will cook the burgers.

Burgers
1 cup black beans (rinsed, of course)
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cooked sweet potato (naked, no skin )
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Splash balsamic vinegar
Herbamare to taste
Fresh spice-we used basil

Mash beans with fork. Add other ingredients and then form burgers.
Cook in frying pan on medium.
When serving, pile the onions onto of burgers. Enjoy!



Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Blueberry pie

The two Ls are on cooking holiday again. Prince Edward Island, home of yummy wild blueberries...so what do we make first? Blueberry pie! This is a KEEPER!


Filling:
5 cups wild blueberries
1 cup sugar
3 Tb tapioca 
Zest of one lemon, be sure not too add white pulp

Crust:
2 cups flour
1/2 tso. salt 
2/3 cup coconut oil
3-6 TBs ice cold water

Mix in large bowl all ingredients for filing. Set aside.
For crust add all dry ingredients. With pastry cutter or two forks cut in coconut oil till you have little pearls.  Add water till you have a pastry dough. Roll out on floured surface. (We used a frozen can since we had no roller.) 
Recipe makes two full crusts.  We were fancy with lattice because we wanted to use the extra for little pies for immediate consumption.