Vegan Goat Cheese...

When I saw this recipe at Vegetarian Times I immediately copied it into my binder...but then it sat there unmade for quite a while...

...but then I made the Vegan Wheat Thins and thought of it...and I already had all of the ingredients...

...but although it's a very easy recipe to accomplish - it does take 2 full days...first soak your cashews overnight...

...then rinse-drain-rinse-drain...

...put the cashews in the food processor...

...along with some oil...

...some lemon juice...

...some salt...

...and some tahini...

...and process...for a long time...about 5-6 minutes...

...until it's all smooth and creamy...

...spoon mixture into a cheesecloth lined strainer...I can already tell from licking the spatula that this is going to be delicious...

...you're supposed to use rubber bands to secure the ends of the cheesecloth as you form it into a log...but I used the little twisty tie thingies and I think they worked better than rubber bands...set your strainer over a bowl...and let it sit at room temperature for 12 hours...see - 2 whole days to accomplish this recipe...

...then you bake it at 200 degrees until the 'cheese' on the outside is set and the inside is still creamy...

...crack some peppercorns...I used my trusty 25 year old nutcracker man...but crack them any way you wish...so Karen - do you still have yours? - remember we got them at the Big Lots beside K-mart on Western Blvd my first year in Raleigh...for a dollar...so that was money well spent...

...Ahhh! they smell so good...

...roll your little log in the peppercorns - it's still warm at this point - so don't burn your fingers...

...pressing to adhere...

..wrap in plastic wrap and chill - it will firm up some more...

...arrange on a pretty platter (this one was made by the Man's Great-Aunt Emma and we love it so much!)...with some Vegan Wheat Thins...or other crackers of your choice...I was also thinking that some thinly sliced toasted rye would go really well with this...

...and serve with your little Guy Buffet Waiter Cheese Spreaders - the happiest one in the pack...

...this stuff is so good - creamy - tangy - salty - spreadable - delicious!...

...I'm thinking of rolling a log in some fresh dill this summer...doesn't that sound yummy?...

Pepper-Crusted Cashew Goat Cheese

from the Vegetarian Times

Makes 10-oz. round

3/4 cup raw cashews
6 Tbs. canola oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tbs. tahini
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cracked black peppercorns or coarsely ground black pepper

Directions
1. Place cashews in large bowl; cover with 3 inches water. Soak overnight.

2. Drain liquid, rinse cashews under cold water, and drain again. Purée cashews, oil, lemon juice, tahini, salt, and 2 Tbs. water in food processor 6 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.

3. Place large strainer over bowl, and line with triple layer of cheesecloth. Spoon cashew mixture into cheesecloth. Fold sides of cloth over cheese, and form into 6-inch-long oval loaf. Twist ends of cloth and secure with rubber bands. Set in strainer over bowl, and let stand 12 hours at room temperature. Discard excess liquid. Chill.

4. Preheat oven to 200°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap cheese, and scrape into 7-inch-long log on cheesecloth. Rewrap, and twist ends to secure. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 35 minutes, or until cheese becomes set on outside but still soft, turning occasionally. Cool, and chill.

5. Unwrap cheese. Sprinkle with peppercorns, pressing to adhere.

Vegan Homemade Wheat Thins

...I know...I know...Wheat Thins are already vegan...

...but it's always better to have complete control over all of the ingredients...right...

...some of you have been asking about my recipes...and I'm still so old-fashioned that I write them out longhand and keep them in a binder...these are all of my vegan(ized) recipes...

...so I got everything all measured out...wheat flour - turbinado sugar - salt - paprika - Earth Balance...

...then mixed the vanilla with the water...

...mixed the dry ingredients...

...added the Earth Balance...

...and blended that with the pastry fork...just like you were making biscuits - until it resembles coarse cornmeal...

...add the water and vanilla...

...and stir to combine...

...it will look like this firm ball of dough when you're done...

...this cracker dough is very pliable and easy to turn...but I prefer to roll it out directly on my parchment paper...

...roll it really thin - about 1/16 of an inch - and then trim the edges (you don't have to do this if you don't mind the ragged edges on your crackers) - and then cut into little squares with a pizza cutter - you can make them any size you want - we made ours little like Wheat Thins...

...sprinkle with some salt...

...then I just pick up the parchment paper with the crackers on it and put it on a baking sheet...

...bake for about 5-10 minutes until they just start to brown and watch them carefully after about 5 minutes as they will brown quickly and you don't want them to get overdone...

...allow them to cool...Scout tried one still warm from the oven and said 'it tastes just like real Wheat Thins' - amazing!...

...we store our Wheat Thins in this glass bowl with a sealable lid...tomorrow I'll show you what we made to eat with these sweet crackers...

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Whole Grain Baking Cookbook

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for topping
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons Earth Balance
1/4 cup water (you might need to add a little more)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

2. Add the flour, sugar, salt and paprika to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Cut the Earth Balance into small pieces and add it to the bowl. Using a pastry blender, mix the Earth Balance into the dry ingredients thoroughly. Combine the water and vanilla in a small measuring cup or bowl. Add to the Earth Balance/flour mixture and mix until a smooth dough forms. If the dough is still dry, add a little more water.

3. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others covered with a towel so they don’t dry out. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin and roll the dough into a large rectangle. Lift the dough and turn it as you roll to ensure it’s not sticking. You want to roll the dough as thin as possible, try to make sure it’s 1/16-inch thick at most. If you want all of your crackers to be perfect, trim the edges of the dough so you have a rectangle with even sides. Use a pizza cutter to cut the rectangle into squares about 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide.

4. Transfer the dough squares to the prepared baking sheets. You can place them close together because they will not spread. Sprinkle the squares lightly with salt. Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the remaining 3 pieces of dough. Save all of your scraps under the towel to keep the dough from drying out; reroll them all at once to create a final batch of crackers.

5. Bake the crackers, one sheet at a time, until crisp and browned, about 5-10 minutes. Check the crackers at 5 minutes, and if some of the thinner ones are browning too quickly, remove them from the oven. The crackers can burn quickly so you want to keep a close eye on them. Remove crackers from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Store the crackers in an airtight container.

LWR Quilt #10...

...so this is my 10th quilt for Lutheran World Relief...

...and Scout pronounced this teal and charcoal one as his favorite...apparently most of my quilts are 'girly' and this one is quite male-suitable...HA!

...one of our elderly parishoners was quite the quilter in her day and donated all of her stash of nice quilting cottons for our LWR quilts...and I loved this teal and charcoal ticking fabric...

...I know I really should be knitting every spare moment...but I'm still using my quilting 5 minutes at a time when I happen to be in the laundry room and although I already had everything laid out and pinned in separate rows - it's only taken me 8 days to put those 8 rows together...one of the things I love about the ole blog is that it's such a good reference for time
Quilt #9 was completed on March 28th...

...and in other news I am almost finished with one front panel of the A-Line Jacket...still hoping to finish both by Sunday...

Vegan Tofu Bacon

...I was thrilled to get these goodies...at my regular little small town grocery...so YAY!...

...I know you probably don't understand my excitement...but goodies like this usually only come from a trip to Grand Forks - 90 miles away...so I'm hoping that there is enough of a market here for organic tofu and veggies that the grocery store will continue to stock them...

...so I just sliced up some tofu and brushed it with a little bit of liquid smoke...

...and just sautéed it in a little bit of oil until golden brown...then sprinkled on some soy sauce...

...so that I could make one of my favorite sammies ever...a V.L.T.

...that's Vegan Tofu Bacon...Lettuce...and Tomato...

...so very delicious...

...a Perfect Monday (or anyday) Lunch...

The snow is going and the Geese are back...

...we've had several days with temperatures above freezing...it's still cold and it definitely still freezes at night...

...but...I heard geese honking this morning for the first time this year...I had just sat down with my cup of tea when I heard them honking as they were flying over the house...so I ran and got my camera to get a photo...

...after church they were still there...pecking around and driving Jack crazy...he can see them out the window...

...so there you have it... Spring is definitely on the way...now that the Geese are back...they found a bare space of grass...I'm so hoping they'll nest there...but they'll probably move further out into the field...

...these amazing birds mate for life...and they have a very low divorce rate...HA!...

...Wait did you see that other bird in the tree...what was that?...

...well...it's ole Mr. Red Tail...and he swooped down as I was photographing the geese...so I tried to get an in-flight pic...not so good...but I only had seconds to adjust and snap...

A-Line Jacket progress...

...well...about a week behind schedule...

...the back of the A-Line Cardigan is done and blocked...hoping to get through the two fronts this week...the two sleeves the next week...then the collar and seams...just in time for Easter...I'm thinking the little purse may have to wait...

Vegan Deviled Eggs...

...A perfect 'HaHa Fooled You!' for April Fool's Day...

...we had so much fun with this...

...we wanted to fill our little 'egg' tray so we needed to make 6 whole hard boiled 'eggs' to cut in half...so I washed 6 of Scout's plastic Easter Eggs...

...put some Agar powder in some water to soak for a few minutes...

...this time I used just the Wildwood Creamer as it's so pretty and white...almond milk or soymilk either one has a little bit of a brown colour to it...Just cook the Creamer with a little bit of flour...and then add the agar goop and cook a little bit longer - it's still not very thick when you're ready to pour it into your molds - but it will set up quite firm...

...I just microwaved a medium sized potato and passed it through a ricer so that it would be easy to pipe - but you could just mash it up and use a spoon to put it back into your 'egg whites'...

...mix the potatoes with a little bit of turmeric and mustard powder until they are nice and yellow...

...then form them into little balls about 1 inch across...

...fill your little egg molds almost full with the 'egg white'...and pop in one of your 'yolks'...then spoon on a little more of the 'white' - it's ok if it overflows a little bit when you close them up...mine did too...sort of messy - but it rinses right off...

...Now - the fun part!...when they've set up - you break open the 'egg' - this was so much fun...and so very much like opening a real egg...these little camouflaged plastic eggs open on the side and that was neat - I may get a set of side opening eggs on clearance after Easter if I can find them - they were just a little bit easier to work with than the top opening ones...

...anywhooo...you 'break open' your 'egg' and out pops this perfect firm little vegan hard boiled egg...Perfect!...

...aren't they CUTE!...

...just slice them in half to reveal the 'yolk' in the middle...

...then scoop the yolk out and put it into a bowl with some Vegenaise and regular prepared mustard...and mix that all together...

...spoon it into your little icing piper thingy...

...and pipe a little blob on the 'egg white' - or alternately just spoon a little dollop back onto the 'egg white'...

...and there you have it...

...Vegan Deviled Eggs...

...TA DAAA!...

Vegan Hard Boiled 'Eggs'

For the 'egg'-white:
Mix 2 teaspoons of agar agar powder in a couple of Tablespoons of water and let stand for 5 minutes. In a small saucepan mix together 1 cup soy creamer (it makes a very white egg white) and 2 Tablespoons flour. Cook for a few minutes - it makes a sort of gravy - it should just coat a spoon - not too thick. Then stir in the agar and water mixture and cook for a minute more.

For the 'egg'-yolk:
Cook a medium sized potato. I just microwaved mine but any way you want to cook it is probably OK - if you're boiling it don't peel it first - you want it to be kinda dry. Once it's done I ran it through a ricer as I wanted the resulting 'egg yolk' to be fine enough to be piped then I mixed it with a little bit of turmeric - just a sprinkle and a sprinkle of mustard powder as well - just until it's the colour you want. Form it into little balls about 1 inch across.

To assemble:
Pour a couple of spoonfuls of the 'egg'-white mixture into a mold - we used plastic Easter eggs - just fill both halves almost full then plop your 'egg'-yolk in the middle and then spoon on a little bit more of the 'egg'-white mixture - and then carefully close the egg mold - leave it to set up - it will get quite firm. You can see more of the process on the Poached Eggs post here...I just made the 'egg'-whites firmer for these hard boiled ones...

Vegan Deviled Eggs

Once the eggs have set up - slice them in half and scoop out the 'egg yolk'. Put that in a bowl and add some Vegenaise and some prepared mustard and some salt and pepper...that's all there is to it...just mix that up and put it into your piping squirter - or you could just spoon some back on top of the egg whites...