September 29th - Michaelmas

Don't forget to enter the September Birthday Giveaway! The Man has a calendar with all of the feast days on it - I usually try and do a little bit of research on them (when I realize that we are in the midst of a feast day anyway)...like today...it's Michaelmas... ...the feast days almost always involve some 'special' sort of food - wouldn't be a 'feast' day otherwise now would it... So we simply had to try St. Michael's Bannock...it's a sort of fried bread... ...recipe below... ...first I had to whirr some oats in the 'Emmie' to make oat flour - but other than that I had everything for a vegan Bannock already... ...mix your flours, meal, baking soda and salt... ...mix the creamer, flax seed goo, and Earth Balance in a separate bowl and set aside... ...Oooops - I skipped a step - add your soymilk/vinegar to the dry ingredients and mix well - then pat the dough into an 8 inch circle about 1/2 inch thick... ...then dip your bannock (one side only) into the creamer/goo/Earth Balance mixture... ...and lay gently in a lightly oiled frying pan... ...cook until golden brown... ...then apply the creamer mixture again and cook again... ...apply the creamer mixture and cook again a third time and you're done... ...we had this for breakfast with some Yorkshire Gold Tea, OJ, and some delicious N.C. Blackberry Jam lovingly made by the Man's Aunt... ...This was really good and Scout and I had a nice conversation about the Feast days and Archangels...then it was off to school for him and work for me... ...I had thought that this would be very heavy - but it was not - just like a hearty scone - and the blackberry jam was the perfect accompaniment... Vegan St. Michael's Bannock... 1 1/3 C. barley flour 1 1/3 C. oat meal 1 1/3 C. rye meal 1 C. flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 scant tsp baking soda 2 1/2-3 C. soy milk mixed with 2 Tablespoons of vinegar 3 TBSP agave nectar or brown sugar 1/4 cup flax seed goo mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons EnerG egg replacer 1 C. soy creamer 4 TBSP melted Earth Balance Mix the barley flour, oat meal, and rye meal. Add flour and salt. Mix the soda and soy milk (start with the 2 1/2 C) and then add to the dry mixture. Stir in agave. Turn out onto floured board and mix (as with all breads, don't over-mix), adding more soy milk if too dry, or more flour if too sticky). Divide dough in half, and roll each, on a floured board, into an 8" circle (about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick). While heating a lightly greased skillet, mix the flax seed goo mixture, soy creamer, and melted Earth Balance. Spread onto one of the bannocks and place the bannock, wet side down, in the skillet and cook til the wet side is browned. Put the creamer mixture on the top side, flip the bannock and cook 'til the second side is golden. Repeat this application of the creamer wash and flipping and cooking until each side has been cooked three times. Do the same with the second bannock. Serve warm with Earth Balance and blackberry jam. This was interesting too... ...According to an old Irish folk tale, blackberries were supposed to have been harvested and used up by this date, too, since it is told to children that when Satan was kicked out of Heaven, he landed in a bramble patch -- and returns each year to curse and spit on the fruits of the plant he landed on, rendering them inedible thereafter. So a dessert with blackberries would be perfect. ref.: Feast of St. Michael (Michaelmas)