Baked Kale Chips

Today I'm sharing an unpublished blog post from June 9, 2022. It is a blog draft long forgotten in the sorrow of that year. I'm sharing it with you today, four years later, with a heart full of gratitude and love for my dear husband, and our home in Alaska.

***

Still haven't discovered the joys of kale?  Well then, you probably haven't discovered baked kale chips!  Kale chips are a crispy, salty, veggie snack that are healthy, and delicious.

This bunch of kale came from my greenhouse, where I have an abundance of kale growing that I add to many recipes, including smoothies and kale pasta. But today, I'm using this bowl of kale to make baked kale chips.

To make, start by pulling off all the kale leaves from the thick stems. Then, in a large bowl, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the kale; and mix together with your hands.

Lay the kale out onto a cookie sheet, or two, and sprinkle with salt.

Set the oven to 300 degrees, and put the kale in the oven immediately.  When the oven is preheated to 300 degrees, turn the oven off, and check on the baking kale chips to see if they're baked and crispy.  If not, leave them in the warm oven for another 5-10 minutes, until desired crispiness. This baking method slowly bakes the kale by not overheating the delicate leaves.

Enjoy!

Balsamic Vinaigrette and Braiding Sweetgrass

Hello, and welcome back to my blog.

I'm currently at my desert home in Nevada enjoying the warm spring weather, and a daily salad topped with my favorite homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette. To make, just whisk all the ingredients in a jar, drizzle over your favorite salad, and enjoy.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp stone-ground mustard

***

It's been almost three years since I lost my dear husband, who I still miss very much. But I've been trying to embrace this new chapter of my life, which still seems so foreign to me, and find peace and beauty in every day. Reading a good book in the warm sunshine under a bright blue sky is a favorite pastime.

 Right now I'm reading "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a gift from my youngest son and daughter-in-law. Braiding Sweetgrass is a beautiful book about the science of plants, and the history and stories of Native Americans and their reverence of the earth. I'm enjoying this book very much.

Until next time, I hope you have a warm and sunny spring,

Kim

***

"Even a wounded world is feeding us.

Even a wounded world holds us,

giving us moments of wonder and joy.

I choose joy over despair. Not because

I have my head in the sand, but because

joy is what the earth gives me daily

and I must return the gift."

- Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass 

Vegan Chocolate Birthday Cake

Hello, and welcome back to my blog.

Today I'm blogging from Juneau, Alaska where it's cold and clear, and beautiful. Look at the wind whipping the snow off the mountaintops... brrr!

I've been trying to eat a healthy WFPB vegan diet for several years now, but when an occasion calls for something sweet and special, I have a few go-to vegan recipes that are delicious and a treat.

One of those recipes is a vegan chocolate cake that I like to make for birthday parties. It's so good and chocolatty-rich, that you really can't tell that it's plant-based. There are several steps to making this cake, and it can be made in one day, but I find it simpler to make over two days. I bake the cake one day, then I make the chocolate filling and frosting the next day, or the day of the party.

This year, I made it for my middle son and his little family, who had never had it before. They enjoyed it so much!

My sweet little 2-year old granddaughter loved singing happy birthday to her Dada, and helping him blow out the candles.

Until next time, have a sweet and beautiful winter,

Kim

Vegan Chocolate Birthday Cake

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups All-purpose flour

1/2 cup Cocoa powder

2 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 tsp. Salt

1/4 cup Vegan butter (I used Miyoko's)

1 1/4 Granulated Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 Tbsp. Brewed coffee

1 1/2 cups Plant milk (I used Almond)

1 1/2 tsp. Apple cider vinegar

Chocolate Filling Ingredients:

1 cup Coconut milk - full fat

3 Tbsp. Maple syrup

2 oz. Dark Chocolate

Chocolate Topping Ingredients:

9oz. Tub Vegan Coconut Whipped Topping (I used So Delicious)

1/3 cup Cocoa powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together vegan butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and coffee and beat together. Set aside.
4. In a separate small bowl, combine the plant milk and apple cider vinegar. Stir, and let sit for a minute until it slightly thickens.
5. Then begin adding the dry and liquid ingredients into the butter ingredients, alternating between the two until all the ingredients are combined.
6. Pour into a prepared 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes.
7. While the cake is baking, make the chocolate filling. In a small sauce pan, heat the coconut milk on medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Add the maple syrup and mix together. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes until mixture reduces by almost half. Stir in dark chocolate, and mix until melted. Simmer for a minute or two until mixture thickens a little. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Assembling the Cake

1. Once cake is baked, let cool for 20-30 minutes. Then poke holes in the cake with the handle of a wooden spoon.
2. Pour the chocolate filling mixture over the whole cake filling all the holes. Let cool for at least 2 hours.
3. Once the cake is completely cool, in a mixing bowl, mix the vegan whipped topping and cocoa powder until blended. Spread topping over cake evenly.
4. Sprinkle with chopped dark chocolate (optional).
5. Refrigerate until serving.

Recipe adapted from rabbitandwolves.com

From Summer to Fall

Hello, and welcome back to my blog.

My summer passed by so quickly, and now it's hard to believe it's suddenly Fall.

A summer day in Alaska.

I had a beautiful but busy summer traveling between Nevada, Alaska, and Minnesota visiting my family.

In July, my youngest son and daughter-in-law were married in a lovely outdoor wedding in Minnesota. My three little granddaughters were such cute flower girls!

The wedding brought family from far and wide who I hadn't seen since the passing of my dear husband in 2022. It was all so touching, and beautiful.

~~~

Autumn is my favorite season, and this year, I'm spending it at my desert home where it is hot and dry.

When I first started my blog, way back in 2014 (has it really been 10 years!), I devoted the entire month of October to my favorite pumpkin recipes. One of those recipes, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, is still one I look forward to making every Autumn. It's simple to make, delicious, vegan, and easily adaptable if I've run out of an ingredient, or two.

Yum!

This loaf was made with all-purpose flour, oat fiber, coconut brown sugar, Miyoko's Plant-Based Butter, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

~~~

Until next time, have a beautiful and peaceful Autumn,

Kim

Vegan Pesto

Hello, and welcome back to my blog.

It's been a busy Spring here at my desert home in Nevada with family visiting, planning for my youngest son's upcoming wedding, and also making plans for my return home to Alaska. But I wanted to pop into my blog and share my recipe for Vegan Pesto before Summertime begins.

I love the flavor of traditional pesto on pasta or as a pizza sauce, but after adopting a vegan diet in 2019, I began purchasing a store-bought vegan pesto. The store-bought vegan pesto was tasty and convenient, but I really wanted to come up with my own homemade recipe. So after a little trial and error, I discovered the Follow Your Heart brand of vegan parmesan. I simply replaced the dairy parmesan with the Follow Your Heart Parmesan in a basic pesto recipe, and I think the results turned out pretty good.

Let me know what you think in the comments, and have a very happy Summer.

Vegan Pesto

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup packed fresh basil, destemmed

1/2 cup pine nuts

2 Tbsp. Follow Your Heart Vegan Parmesan

3 cloves garlic

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions:

1. Destem basil and place in food processor along with pine nuts, vegan parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, and salt.
2. With motor running, slowly add olive oil until mixed. Stop to scrape down sides of blender, if necessary. 
3. Serve immediately on pasta or pizza, or store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

A healthy basil plant from the grocery store.

Cookies and Granddaughters

Hello, and welcome back to my blog.

Remember way back in 2020 when I shared my easy 4-ingredient vegan peanut butter cookie recipe, and wrote that this would be the first recipe I would make with my granddaughter? Well, I finally had the opportunity to make these cookies with not only my oldest little granddaughter,  but her baby sister too!

I doubled the ingredients so we could make bigger cookies, and more of them!

Here's the recipe for a double batch of

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies - 15 cookies

Ingredients:

2 flax eggs (2Tbsp flaxseed meal plus 6 Tbsp water)

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together flax eggs, let sit for 5 minutes.
2. In another larger bowl, mix together flour and brown sugar.
3. Add peanut butter, and combine until mixture is crumbly.
4. Add thickened flax egg, and combine.
5. Roll dough with hands into balls, then flatten with fork.
6. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Keep an eye on them, they can burn very quickly!

Crispy Tofu

I can never have enough tasty tofu recipes, and this crispy pan-fried tofu is one of them! It's delicious with a favorite salad, or added to a stir-fry.

 Tonight, I mixed it into a stir-fry of rice, red onion, red bell pepper, and baby spinach.

Yum!

Crispy Tofu

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 block tofu, extra-firm or firm

1 Tbsp soy sauce, or tamari

1 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp corn starch

1 tsp garlic powder

3-4 Tbsp oil for frying (I prefer avocado oil)

Salt, optional

Instructions:

1. Press tofu. If you're not sure how to do this, near the end of this post, I share how I press tofu.
2. Cut the pressed tofu into 1/2" to 1" cubes.
3. Toss cubed tofu with soy sauce, then the flour, corn starch, and garlic powder until evenly coated.
4. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. It's best to use a good non-stick pan for this recipe, otherwise, the tofu might stick.
5. Add tofu to hot pan in a single layer. The tofu should sizzle as you add it.
6. Cook several minutes until browned, then flip tofu until browned on other side.
7. Soak up any excess oil on fried tofu by placing tofu on a paper towel. 
8. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. 

Grilled Tofu Steaks

These delicious tofu steaks have been a regular barbecue dish in our home this summer.  They're also my non-vegan husband's favorite tofu dish. ☺

I grill them alongside a favorite veggie for a simple, healthy, and tasty meal.

Tonight, my husband and I enjoyed them with grilled broccoli and brown rice.  My husband likes to add a little extra tamari sauce to his tofu and rice.  Both tamari sauce and soy sauce add a rich umami (meaty) flavor to any dish.  We prefer tamari sauce because it's less salty than soy sauce, and has a thicker consistency.

Enjoy!

Grilled Tofu Steaks

Makes 4 Steaks

Ingredients:

Marinade:

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp. soy or tamari sauce

2 Tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

3 tsp. ground pepper

2 tsp. dry rosemary leaves spice

~~~

16 oz. extra-firm tofu, pressed (see the kitchen note at the bottom of the page of this post, if unsure about pressing tofu)

Instructions:

1. For Marinade: Mince garlic, then mix with remaining ingredients in a shallow dish.
2. Cut pressed tofu into 4 steaks, then add to marinade and place in refrigerator for 4 hours, flipping occasionally.
3. Oil barbecue grill and sear tofu steaks over direct medium heat for 10 minutes on each side.  Use a thin stainless steel spatula to flip.  Tofu will be firm, and show char marks when done.

Recipe adapted from VBQ: The Ultimate Vegan Barbecue Cookbook

Vegan Split Pea Soup

It's Springtime, but still cold and snowing in Alaska.  And the perfect day to make homemade soup and bread!

I've been making this simple split pea soup recipe for many years after finding it in an old book by Dr. Neal Barnard, when I first became a vegetarian.  Dr. Barnard is a vegan doctor, and founding president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, or PCRM.  If you're interested in learning more about a healthy plant-based diet; the PCRM website, and Dr. Barnard's books are very helpful.

Vegan Split Pea Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups dry green split peas

7 cups water

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped onions

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions:

Rinse split peas, then place in large pot with remaining ingredients.  Bring to simmer, then cover loosely, and cook on low heat until peas are tender; about 3-4 hours.  Add 1/2-1 cup more water, if consistency seems too thick.

~~~

I also baked some vegan Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Yum!

Have a warm and cozy Spring,

Kim

Dutch Oven Bread

 

I love this no-knead, artisan-style bread recipe that's soft and chewy on the inside, but crusty on the outside, with amazing flavor in every bite.  Baked in a cast-iron Dutch oven, it's also a good, simple recipe to start with if you've never made homemade bread before.

Enjoy!

Dutch Oven Bread

Makes 1 Loaf

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 tsp. active dry yeast

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, salt, and yeast.
2. Add warm water and stir until a shaggy mixture forms.  Mixture will be lose and sticky.  This is what you want.
3. Cover bowl and set aside for 12-18 hours (up to 24).  Overnight works great.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place a cast-iron Dutch oven with lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, place risen dough onto a floured surface and shape into a round loaf.
5. Remove hot pot from oven and place dough in pot.  Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.  Then remove lid and bake bread an additional 10-15 minutes.
6. Carefully remove bread from oven and from pot and place on a cooling rack.

Recipe adapted from Alaska from Scratch

Buffalo Tofu

Buffalo Tofu is a spicy vegan protein dish that can be grilled or baked, and easily accompanies many side dishes.  My husband and I might have it one night with brown rice and grilled veggies, or broiled asparagus; and the next night, the leftover tofu reheated, and tossed into a salad.

Tonight, I grilled and diced the tofu, then tossed it into a roasted butternut squash, kale, onion, and red cabbage salad, then added a little vinagarette dressing and roasted pumpkin seeds.  Yum!

I've broken this recipe out into four sections:

Ingredients, Marinade Instructions, Baking Tofu, and Grilling Tofu.  There's also a note about pressing tofu at the bottom of the page.  It might look a little complicated, but it's not.  It's really a pretty simple recipe once you decide whether you want to grill, or bake the tofu.

 Let me know in the comments if you have any questions, and enjoy!

Buffalo Tofu

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 (14-15 ounce) block extra-firm tofu, pressed (see note below)

1/3 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce

3 Tbsp vegan butter, melted

Marinade Instructions:

1. Whisk together hot sauce and melted vegan butter.
2. Slice pressed tofu into 4 steaks.
3. Marinate tofu steaks in hot sauce marinade for at least one hour in refrigerator, flipping occasionally.  If baking, marinate the tofu directly in your baking dish, for simplicity.

Baking Tofu:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bake tofu steaks in marinade for 30-35 minutes, flipping each one midway through baking.
3. The tofu is done when the marinade has been absorbed, and the tofu is brown and sizzling.

Grilling Tofu:

1. Oil grill and sear marinated tofu steaks over direct heat for 5-8 minutes on each side.  It's best to use a thin stainless steel spatula to flip tofu.
2. The tofu steaks will be done when they are firm, and show char marks.

Kitchen Note:  Tofu needs to be drained and pressed before using.  Open the tofu and drain off liquid.  Then press the tofu by placing a paper towel on a dinner-size plate, then place tofu on top of that paper towel.  Top the tofu with another paper towel, then weight the tofu down with another smaller plate.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Pressing tofu looks something like this.

Recipe adapted from VBQ The Ultimate Vegan Barbecue Cookbook and the Show Up For Salad Cookbook.

Looking Back, and Looking Forward

Hello, and a very happy new year to you!  So much has happened since I was here last summer.

In August, our middle son proposed to his darling girlfriend!  We're so happy for them, and looking forward to a lovely little wedding in Alaska, next September.

In October, my husband and I took a road trip to Minnesota to see our one-year old baby granddaughter, and celebrate our eldest son's birthday.  We had such a good time!  I made a vegan chocolate birthday cake that really didn't taste vegan . . . if you know what I mean. ☺  It was delicious, and the recipe can be found here.

~~~

Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.

~ Hippocrates

 Last year I gradually strayed away from a healthy plant-based vegan diet, by occasionally adding in both cheese and fish.  But in December, I watched an excellent British documentary called Living Vegan that inspired me to get back on track and restart my vegan journey again in 2021.

 I'm hoping to be here a little more often this year too.

Until then, 

Peace and Blessings,

Kim

Summer Days, and Kelp Salsa

It's so good to be back home in Alaska, surrounded by the beauty and peace of nature.

Last fall, when my husband and I closed up our home and went to Nevada for the winter, I froze my wild berries and sourdough starter.  Then when we returned this year, we had plenty of berries for breakfast smoothies and our favorite berry desserts, and sourdough starter for fresh bread.  I reactivate my frozen sourdough starter by feeding the thawed starter with a 1/2 cup of warm water, and 1 cup of flour.

Earlier this summer, our youngest son and his lovely girlfriend visited us for a week.  And even though we were all under coronavirus travel quarantine restrictions, we had a great time together, and it was such a treat to have them here!

One of the projects we all worked on together was harvesting kelp from our skiff, and canning kelp salsa.  Kelp Salsa is a unique summertime recipe, and a favorite of Southeast Alaska.  My recipe is adapted from the book; Common Edible Seaweeds in the Gulf of Alaska, by Dolly Garza.

Kelp Salsa

Makes about 13-14 pints

Ingredients:

8 cups bull kelp, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
9 ribs celery, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
15 cloves garlic, chopped
2/28oz. cans Diced Tomatoes
2/15oz. cans Tomato Sauce
6oz. can Tomato Paste
6oz. can Chopped Jalapenos
2 cups vinegar
6 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
5oz. btl. Habanero Pepper Sauce (optional)

Helpful Tools:

Canning Funnel

Jar Lifter

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients together in a large pot.
2. Bring to a boil, then simmer for one to two hours.
3. Spoon into half-pint or pint sterilized jars, leaving 1/2" headroom.
4. Screw on lids, and boil in hot water bath for 20 minutes.
5. Remove jars from hot water, and cool for 12-24 hours.
6. Check lids to make sure they are sealed.

Kitchen/Harvesting Note:  Avoid kelp with white splotches, they are past their prime; and do not collect floating kelp.

~~~

His house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking, best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.
~ J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit

Baked Red Potatoes with Garden Chives

Earlier this month, my husband and I finally returned home to Alaska, after a longer than usual winter and spring in the Desert.
Our little cottage had survived the long, cold Alaskan winter without a single problem; and the garden, although overgrown and wild, was green and thriving.  Berries, rhubarb, garlic, lettuce, chives, lilacs, and roses were all blooming beautifully, with a little help from Mother Nature.

Chives

Baked red potatoes are always a great veggie side dish any time of the year; but in the springtime, with added chives fresh from the garden, they're especially delicious, and simple to make too.

Simply chop red potatoes and chives.

Toss together with avocado oil, a generous sprinkling of garlic powder, and salt.

Spread potatoes on a sheet pan, and bake in a 350 degree oven until brown and crispy, about 30-40 minutes.  Turn potatoes over midway through cooking.

Enjoy and have a beautiful summer!

Mother's Day and a Favorite Recipe or Two

Today we celebrated Mother's Day over Zoom!
I love today's technology, don't you . . .

My husband made grilled Alaskan king salmon and asparagus for dinner; while I made a favorite recipe - Garlic Mashed Potatoes.  I'm still eating a mostly plant-based vegan diet, but not strictly, and especially on holidays . . .

Garlic Mashed Potatoes is the first recipe I ever made many years ago that became a family favorite; especially with my little sons.  I made the original recipe with dairy sour cream, but this year I replaced the dairy with Tofutti Vegan Sour Cream for a healthier plant-based version that tasted just as good as the original . . .

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 pounds of potatoes (Russets or Yukon Gold)
3/4 cup dairy (or vegan) sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Peel potatoes, cut in half, then gently boil until soft - about 15-20 minutes.
2. While potatoes are cooking, mix together in a large bowl, sour cream, garlic salt, and pepper.
3. After potatoes are cooked, drain in a collander, then add to bowl with sour cream mixture.
4.   Mix until creamy.  I've mixed either by hand with a spoon and a potato masher, or with my KitchenAid Stand Mixer.
5. Potatoes can be served immediately, or put in a baking dish, and kept in a warm oven until ready to serve.

~~~

I also made Vegan Banana Bread over the weekend.  I ran out of organic canola and coconut oil, but substituted with 1/3 cup melted coconut butter.  It was just as delicious . . .

~~~

I cherish memories of the sweet and tender years of childhood; and motherhood.  They will linger in my memory all my life . . .

At home in Juneau, Alaska, 1995.

Children are a blessing and a gift from God.
Psalm 127:3

~~~

I hope you also had a very blessed and happy Mother's Day,
Kim

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

It's raining here at our winter home in the desert, and I can't think of a better way to lift spirits and create a little normalcy at home during this global pandemic, than to bake a batch of cookies!  And if you're at home with children, baking cookies is a fun and simple way to homeschool and keep little hands busy while providing a sweet, but not too sweet, treat at snacktime too.

This batch was made with almond flour.

 I made these soft peanut butter cookies by myself today, but when my baby granddaughter is old enough, these simple little cookies, requiring only 4 ingredients, will be the first cookies we'll make together!

Stay safe and well my friends,
Kim

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 12 small cookies

Ingredients:

1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flaxseed meal plus 3 Tbsp water)
1/2 cup almond flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together flax egg, let sit for 5 minutes.
2. In another larger bowl, mix together flour and brown sugar.
3. Add peanut butter, and combine until mixture is crumbly.
4. Add thickened flax egg, and combine.
5. Roll dough into balls, then flatten.  I use my fingers, but if dough is too sticky, a fork works too.
6. Bake on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.  Keep an eye on them, they can burn very quickly.

Vegan Veggie Pizza

This is my favorite vegan veggie pizza recipe.  I typically make the no-knead pizza dough in the morning, and let it rise until dinnertime.  But if you're pressed for time, this dough will rise in as little as 20 minutes.  Add pizza sauce, your favorite veggies, bake, and then top with a little vegan parmesan cheese and fresh basil, and you'll have yourself a delicious vegan pizza for dinner tonight.
Enjoy!

Vegan Veggie Pizza
 Makes one 14"

Ingredients:

No-Knead Crust:
1 1/4 cup warm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp olive oil

Pizza Toppings:
Pizza sauce
Chopped garlic
Chopped yellow or red onion
Chopped green bell pepper
Sliced white mushrooms
Sliced tomato
Fresh basil
Vegan Parmesan (I like Follow Your Heart brand)

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 2 Tbsp flour.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes to activate.
2. Add 2 cups flour, salt, oregano, garlic powder, and olive oil.  Mix with a spoon until dough is soft and sticky.
3. Form dough into a ball, cover, and let sit in a warm place for at least 20 minutes.
4. After dough has risen, sprinkle a little flour on a pizza pan to prevent sticking, then place dough on pan.  Sprinkle a little more flour on the dough ball.
5. Roll or press out pizza crust.
6.  Top with pizza sauce.
7. Top with veggies.
8. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until golden around the edges.
9. Remove pizza from oven and top with vegan parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
10. Slice and enjoy!

Basil is an easy herb to grow indoors, year-round.

Mid-Winter

Hello, and a happy mid-winter to you!

It's hard to believe that it's been over a year since I went vegan.  I feel healthier now; and lighter in body, mind, and spirit.  Occasionally, during social situations, I stray from a plant-based diet and consume a little fish or dairy foods, but for the most part, I eat vegan now.

 My family is not vegan, but they support and encourage me.  For Christmas, my middle son gave me; VBQ: The Ultimate Vegan Barbecue Cookbook.  The recipes are simple and tasty, and the full-page photos are beautiful.

This winter, I've been experimenting with vegan cheeses.  I really like the Follow Your Heart brand of vegan alternative cheese.  Their parmesan cheese is good on pizza, the smoked gouda is delicious on a veggie burger, and the sliced Pepper Jack is great in Mexican Lasagne.

Mexican Lasagne

I found these pretty California-made, hand-painted Franciscan Ware teacups in an antique store on a recent road trip.  Ever since I was a young girl growing up in California, I've always loved and admired this dishware, and especially the Apple pattern.  Here they are on the 17th century sideboard I inherited from my beloved English grandmother.

Until next time,

wishing you a very warm and cozy winter,
Kim

Cuddles with my granddaughter in January.