Zucchini, Spice, Muffins and Vice.

And everything vegan, delicious and nice. Vice absolutely applies though, because you can't eat just one of these muffins. Seriously, ask Jennifer. I baked an extra batch so she could take some home.

These zucchini and spice muffins are moist and springy with a slight crunch and pleasant crumb. They pack all the flavor of a traditional zucchini bread without being too heavy or oily, and make a perfect compact breakfast treat that won't sit like a brick in your belly. A heaping tablespoon or two of freshly grated ginger adds a bit of zip to a familiar favorite, and ground flaxseed provides antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids.

ZUCCHINI AND SPICE MUFFINS
-          1 ½ cup unbleached white flour
-          1 ½ cup wheat flour
-          1 tsp salt
-          1 tsp baking powder
-          1 tsp baking soda
-          ½ tsp cinnamon
-          ¼ tsp nutmeg
-          ¼ tsp allspice
-          pinch ground cloves
-          1 cup turbinado sugar
-          1 heaping Tbs fresh grated ginger
-          ½ cup all natural applesauce
-          ½ cup oil
-          1 banana blended with 1/3 cup vanilla soy milk
-          2 Tbs ground flax in 4 Tbs water
-          2 cups zucchini, chopped
-       ½ cup dried cranberries, optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Before you begin, blend the banana and soy milk together, then add water to the ground flaxseed and set aside until needed – this will become gelatinous and aid in binding the batter. Combine flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, spices and sugar in a bowl and incorporate gently. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add wet ingredients and zucchini. Mix the batter together gently with a large spoon, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you work. The batter should be thick, wet and slightly sticky. Using your spoon, dispense the batter evenly into a muffin pan – be sure to use liners, or your muffins may stick! Bake for 50-60 minutes on the middle rack. After thirty minutes, check the muffins for brownness; if they are too dark, cover with foil and rotate the pans. I do not recommend reducing the baking time because the muffins do not cook through evenly – if you take them out prematurely, they will be wet in the middle. I placed two pans to cook in the oven at the same time. This recipe yields approximately 20 muffins.

JENNIFER CAN’T STOP EATING THEM, and is totally responsible for the addition of cranberries to the recipe.

Enjoy!

I Will Be King, and You Will Be Queen - With Fruit on Top.

I LOVE THE FRUIT KING.

I really really do. If you live in the Corpus Christi area, Fruit King has two locations on Morgan and one on Ayers street. They have great produce at an equally great price, plus some of their offerings are organic. I understand that their stock is pretty variable. My friend Jennifer took me on a fruity excursion to one of the locations on Morgan. She says that they sell excess produce acquired from larger grocers, but they do sell quality product. For the very frugally minded, they also have short-dated produce in bulk quantities for less than a single unit price at the regular store. I bought an entire box of strawberries – that’s EIGHT pints, thanks – and though they weren’t all usable, I sorted them out by ‘grade’ and wound up with some frozen, some fresh to be eaten as is, and some of the smushier ones set aside for smoothies (shut up, it’s a word). I also bought three very beautiful and very big zucchini, two eggplants, five heads of garlic, a bag of five medium-size avocados, two yellow onions, a pint of cherry tomatoes, three lemons, a mango, a pineapple, two containers of blackberries and a package of whole star anise. Foreshadowing! Chinese five spice powder imminent.

Final price? Twenty bucks. I LOVE the flippin’ Fruit King.

Ahem. Okay, I had to brag a little. Moving on:

This post is inspired by produce at a steal, the random items that survived yesterday’s extensive kitchen purge, some light food literature I carted to a very boring appointment and a photo of my ultra-yum lunch that I could not keep to myself. In the spirit of Fruit King Produce, I’ll give you three for one: Herbed Carrot Fritters, Strawberry-Radish Salsa and Southern Fried Zucchini.

^ See today's delicious lunch?

The following recipe is adapted from an appetizer in The Vegan Cook’s Bible – Herbed Carrot and Turnip Fritters. As I had no turnips to hand and some enormous organic carrots provided by the lovely Jennifer (te amo!), I decided to run with it. These fritters don’t hold together very well when you remove them from the baking sheet, but they are light and clean tasting. Every fritter I’ve ever eaten has achieved its consistency with a mixture of flour, cornmeal and eggs – this recipe forgoes all that in favor of brown rice and flaxseed meal left in water until it turns gelatinous.

HERBED CARROT FRITTERS
You will need:
- 1 Tbs ground flaxseed
- 3 Tbs water
- 1 large carrot or 2 small (mine were HUUUGE!), grated
- ½ sweet yellow onion, grated
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 Tbs chopped fresh herbs (or substitute dry to taste - I used sweet basil, Thai basil, cilantro and parsley from my garden)
- salt, to taste
- freshly ground peppercorns, to taste

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Combine ground flaxseed and water in a small container and leave to sit for 10 minutes or until gelatinous. Veggies are grated, herbs are chopped, rice is cooked, right? Combine in a bowl together. Add flaxseed mixture when ready and combine thoroughly with your hands. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet, no foil needed; these become a bit crusty around the edges, but they don’t try to stick. Take approximately ¼ cup mixture into your hands and pat it into a pancake shape, then drop onto the prepared sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges brown.

WAIT, don’t eat your fritters naked! They’re a little bland for my taste. What to do? TOP THEM WITH SALSA.

Yup. Top them with salsa.

You can put pretty much anything in this salsa if you’re not a fan of radishes or lack any of the ingredients. I veered pretty wildly from the course of the original recipe for convenience, so I’ve concluded that you can really do no wrong. See the April 2012 issue of Southern Living’s Strawberry Salsa recipe for the original.

STRAWBERRY-RADISH SALSA
You will need:
- handful of strawberries, diced
- 1-2 large radishes, finely minced
- 2 tsp chopped fresh herbs of choice, but make sure there’s cilantro in there!
- several shakes of your favorite salsa – something that is not tomato based is strongly recommended - I used a habanero and orange pulp salsa – or add a finely minced fresh pepper of your choice, such as jalapeno
- ½ an avocado
- pinch of agave nectar, sugar, stevia, etc.

Combine all of the ingredients – except the avocado! Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour so the flavors can combine. When ready, dice the avocado and gently mix into the salsa. Serve immediately or your avocado will turn brown and yucky. This is really delicious mixed into a simple spinach salad in lieu of dressing. You can contract or expand this recipe to make several servings. I did not make enough of this the first time because I had no idea that it would turn out so darn tasty! *pout*

Almost done… now, a side!

And an aside. Everyone from the South probably has a favorite recipe for this simple dish. I learned to make fried squash from my mother and grandmother, but this is not my usual recipe. I have eliminated the obligatory egg from this recipe that gives fried zucchini a crunchy crust – these are not as firm and chip-like as I am accustomed to, but they are vegan, lighter, and very, very good. The flavor of the squash really shines.

SOUTHERN FRIED ZUCCHINI

You will need:
- equal parts corn meal and unbleached flour
- red pepper flakes, to taste
- dried parsley, to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
-  thinly sliced zucchini
- oil, for frying

Making a little or a lot? This formula can accommodate any quantity, so use your own discretion. Normally you would salt and pepper the zucchini directly to season and help draw the liquid out of it – I don’t recommend doing that because we need a little moisture to hold the flour mixture to the zuke slices. Instead, combine the corn meal, flour and spices. Use just enough oil to coat the bottom of a non-stick or well seasoned cast-iron skillet, and place on medium-high heat. Place the zucchini slices in the skillet carefully, and let sizzle for a couple of minutes. Flip and fry on the other side until they seem well done – remove from heat and drain on paper towels before serving.

Yeah, I know. It’s fried. But I used half a tablespoon of oil and most of it is still sitting in the skillet, so it can’t be THAT bad for you… plus, it’s worth it!

P.S. If you don’t care for spice or you’re strapped for time, try serving your fritters with herbed sour cream, cilantro oil, chutney, roasted red pepper gravy, hummus, mushroom sauce, etc. Their plain, honest flavor will complement pretty much anything you can throw at them.

P.P.S. Those blackberries were gooood...

There Will Be Breakfast.

Aside: I apparently wrote this shortly after the pancake post and never got around to posting.

I'm so sorry.

I'm still on this awesome breakfast kick - and the viva la berry movement just won't die. I'll post an entree soon... maybe... if I feel like it. Until then, gear up your paring knives for something unabashedly lazy and highly customizable.

RAW VEGAN MUESLI
You will need:

- one handful strawberries, cut small
- one handful cherries, pitted and sliced
- one Tbs flaxseed

- one handful pecan pieces
- a few Tbs all natural dried fruit mix - I chose a local cranberry, citrus and almond blend
- one Tbs dried coconut flakes

All measurements approximated. Throw in the deliciousness without fear or hesitation. Heck, throw in anything you want. This can be eaten with nut or seed milk like muesli cereal or as is.

Why would anyone want to make cereal-free cereal? I don't have an answer to that. At the risk of sounding like a nutrition snob - just try eating a raw breakfast a few times a week and see what you think. I am a reformed meal bar abuser, and I will never scarf down a carb-heavy brick of heartburn kindling in the morning ever again, even if it IS crunchy, peanut butter flavored and made by Kashi. Their Island Vanilla woven wheat cereal is pretty damn yum though...

P.S. Apologies for craptastic photo.

Viva la Berry!

Dear reader: breakfast is a despicable waltz of artifically fortified bran cereals.

Please consider the following public service announcement...

Pancakes are frickin' delicious,

and we hope that you'll agree.


VEGAN PANCAKES VIVA LA BERRY!

You will need
- 1 cup soymilk

- 1 1/2 cups flour

- 1 Tbs vegetable oil or melted margarine

- 1 Tbs baking powder
- 1 Tbs whole flaxseed

- dash of all natural vanilla

- pinch of salt, to taste
- 1/2 cup blueberries, or amount desired
- 1/4 cup pecans, or amount desired
- drizzled agave nectar

- water, to achieve desired consistency

These measurements are approximate, I really didn't pay attention when I made them. If you know what consistency pancake batter ought to have, you'll do just fine; if not, mix the ingredients indicated above and add water until your batter is a thick liquid that pours readily.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt thoroughly. In a separate bowl, combine soymilk, oil or margarine, vanilla and some drizzled agave nectar. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and combine thoroughly, adding water if necessary to mediate consistency. Add berries, flaxseed and pecans to the mix and stir. Allow mixture to sit in the refrigerator for twenty minutes.

Prep a well-oiled cast iron skillet over medium high heat. If your oil or margarine begins to smoke, you should reduce the heat a little, but don't be too shy - adequate temperature is truly the secret to perfect (and fast) pancakes. Pour batter into the pan - because there is no egg binding this mixture together, I do not recommend making pancakes larger than 4-5 inches. Flip with a spatula when numerous bubbles form and the edges of the pancake are no longer sticky, then transfer to a large plate. Oil, pour, repeat.

Garnish with margarine and your favorite syrup for gooey, buttery yum. These are especially delicious with an all-natural blueberry syrup, or a simple drizzling of agave nectar - my personal pancake syrup of choice.


Happy breakfast. <3

Mean, Green, and Back in Business.

Drink me.

We've gone through some pivotal changes lately, and that explains the long absence of material here. On the bright side, live + eat + stuff has a brand new full-size kitchen, I live within walking distance of the ocean again, and in spite of difficult decisions made and changes in direction undertaken, I am feeling positive, even optimistic, about my life on the whole, and I'm oh so happy that I get to report that - and mean it, better yet.

On the other end, I'm returning to school this month for a number of reasons, which has proved to be a disastrously nerve-wracking process, I am faced with the enormous task of organizing a clutter-choked three bedroom home, and most of my things are still in boxes a month after arriving here. Yeah, I know. But I had to complain about something.

I've felt tired lately, but I'm beginning to settle into a sustainable working rhythm. I think. I've been exercising quite a bit because I've vowed to get back into shape, so I took the dive recently and decided to try hemp protein powder as a dietary supplement. H-O-L-Y-F-R-E-A-K-I-N-C-R-A-P has it been a life saving pick-me-up. Though I do tout the power of noshing fruits and greens for health and self healing, I'm not a stark raving zealot when it comes to the overall benefits of most foods. However... the amount of ENERGY I've experienced since adding it to my diet is pretty impressive. I used to try soy protein powder, but to be honest with you, after dropping between fifteen and twenty dollars on a large tin of it, I may have used it twice. It was chalky and processed and disgusting, I could barely make myself choke it down even under the guise of berry-laden smoothies. Your typical hemp powder does not pack a competitive amount of protein in a single serving, I'll be honest, but I'm recommending it to you anyway, so that should tell you something. Soy protein powders weigh in at around 24 grams of protein per serving, with a lot of other beneficials thrown in the mix. My cannister of Tempt Hemp Protein by Living Harvest contains 10 grams of protein per four tablespoon serving and a small amount of unrefined sugar... but I love it anyway and I'm completely sold on it.

Let's compare a few more notes here. These are the two powders I've tried:

SOY PROTEIN (Sun Harvest generic formula)
110 calories
1 g fat
250 mg sodium
28 mg potassium
0 g total carbohydrate
0 g dietary fiber
24 g protein

HEMP PROTEIN (Living Harvest: Tempt Vanilla Spice formula)
120 calories
3 g fat
7 g sugar
256 mg potassium
13 g total carbohydrate
7 g dietary fiber
10 g protein

I don't have the benefit of looking at a physical container of the soy protein at the moment, so we'll skip the trace mineral content sudden death match - I pulled the basic information off the internet, and I remember it to be correct. As you can see, they both weigh in with pros and cons. The soy protein lacks sugar and carbohydrates, but I will caution you that most vanilla or otherwise flavored protein powders contain some sugar - regular hemp powder likely has a different formulation, so this data is a bit like apples to oranges in that sense. A single serving of soy delivers more than twice the protein content of hemp, but if you're anything like me and many other vegetarians, you may have quite enough soy in your diet already. I'm not a hard hitting soy-meat-alternative sort, but I definitely think that I consume my fair share. Also in favor of hemp, I would like to point out that it delivers a high quality protein that contains all essential amino acids. In fact, the hemp seed provides one of the plant kingdom's most complete proteins. It also boasts a considerable Omega-3 and Omega-6 content, and is cold processed to help maintain the integrity of these fragile fatty acids.

Great news, but what the heck do you do with it? Well, also on the up and up, live + eat + stuff is rockin' a new single serving blender, and the quintessential green smoothie is an excellent way to start your morning and get a quick protein fix! These have become my morning must... if you're skeptical, take heart in my admission that the prospect of putting spinach or kale and an enormous, heaping pile of hemp seed into my breakfast left me feeling pretty squeamish until I tried it. You can't really taste the greens if you balance your smoothie properly, and the hemp seed is not chalky like soy protein powder, but imparts a bit of grittiness that I actually find enjoyable.

TAP YOUR FEET MANGO GREEN SMOOTHIE
... because you'll have so much energy, you'll want to... oh, oh forget it.
You will need:
1 mango, sliced
1/2 green banana, sliced or mashed
splash of orange juice, or to taste
1 handful baby spinach leaves, or more if desired
4 Tbs hemp protein
up to 1 cup ice

If you have a flat blade attachment for grinding, you may use this to prep the ice into more manageable pieces. If you have a high power blender or juicer, you shouldn't need to do this; if you have an ice machine and can select cubed or pellet ice, use pelleted. Layer mango and banana directly on top of blender blades, place ice on top. Pour in orange juice - this is not essential, and you can use something else, like nut or seed milk, water, or a different juice of your liking - this helps liquefy the mixture and may be helpful if you're having a hard time getting the ice to incorporate, so you can remove this or play with amounts to get the desired consistency. Whirr together until decently blended. Add spinach and hemp powder, and shake lightly to combine if you can do that with your blender. Blend until combined, drink cold!

And just for kicks... here's another one:

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA GREEN SMOOTHIE
You will need:
1 green banana
1 Tbs all natural peanut butter (or other - you can use raw nut butter too)
one handful baby spinach or kale
4 Tbs hemp protein powder
up to one cup ice

Follow the same directions as above - you can add the peanut butter in with the fruit and ice. This is a really delicious smoothie and a great higher calorie option if you're gearing up for an active day or a workout.

If you make smoothies regularly, a single serving blender with a twist-on cutting base might be a beneficial investment. It's water tight, can be shaken, taken with, and takes up minimal counter space. It's also very easy and quick to clean up, and there aren't multiple parts comprising the blender base or rubber seals to worry about. On the down side, many of these don't have multiple blend settings. Both that I've owned had one button or were twisted to operate.

Bottoms up. <3

Pleasantly Plum Pie.

It's plum delicious. And fragrant with cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom.

There also isn't a proper plum in sight of it. As the stone fruit season is at its height, I was feeling inspired - and in desperate want of comfort food. This pie is actually filled with nectarines and red, ripe pluots.

Plus, it happens to be fracking delicious and wholly bloody adorable.

I've made the most out of Labor Day weekend by keeping things at a leisurely pace. I took the time to read, clean my kitchen, wash my hair every day... and eat lunch. All those pesky things I don't find time for during a work week. So spending a half hour humming away as I peeled pluots and noshed on their skins seemed in order with events. I've been tired, frustrated and out of sorts lately, and I can't really doubt the wisdom of tabling all the things I should be working on for the past few days. I've reached the conclusion that I needed absolutely every second of down time I've taken, and I'm going to wring out a little more before the day is done.

And, with a little luck, I'll successfully inspire you to bake something beautiful.


SPICED STONE FRUIT PIE
For the crust:
* 3 cups all purpose unbleached flour
* 1 cup butter or vegan margarine, cold
* 1 tsp salt, or to taste
* 2 tsp sugar
* 3 Tbs cold water

For the filling:
* 3 lbs assorted stone fruits, any variety
* 1 cup sugar, plus extra for dusting
* 1-2 tsp cardamom
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp nutmeg
* 1/2 tsp allspice
* 3-4 Tbs cornstarch

Wash your fruit, then trace an incision all around the middle of the fruit with a sharp knife. Twist the two halves - if your fruit is ripe enough, they'll come apart cleanly. The nectarines were very firm fleshed and didn't cooperate so well, so I carefully sliced them off the stone - the pluots were more forgiving, and I even managed to peel the skins off with ease. Not so with the nectarines - I abandoned my effort at peeling them, so do what you will in that regard. Slice them into even 1/2 inch pieces, and set aside.

To make crust, combine flour, sugar and salt thoroughly. Add the butter or margarine in thin pats, about 1/8 - 1/4 in width - if you aren't using stick butter, thumb off tiny spoonfuls into the flour mixture. Blend slowly with a large wooden spoon as well as you can, then knead with your hands until the mixture forms doughy crumbles. Add water and knead until the desired consistency is achieved - you may need more water to hold the pastry together, just until it can be formed into a large ball without crumbling.

Divide the dough into two balls, then squish them into thick, flat patties for rolling out on a lightly floured surface. Dust flour over the top of the first patty, then roll out to the appropriate size. Use the rolling pin slowly, as this crust is quite light and flaky. The edges of your growing disc may crack and try to pull apart as you go - tuck the edges of the round under to keep tears from forming, and gently roll them out. Maneuver your pastry into a pie tin via any act of sorcery of your choice - I roll my crust out on floured foil, slide both hands beneath it like a spatula, then flip it quickly into the tin.

Arrange the fruit in the tin, taking care to make a higher mound in middle that tapers out level toward the edges. Pour sugar, spices and cornstarch over the filling evenly - alternatively, you could toss these with the fruit before placing them in the pie. Roll out your second patty of pastry dough to an even round, and cover the pie with it.

Trim the edges if they hang down the sides of the pie tin, then carefully pinch together edges of top and bottom crusts and fold them under, creating a soft rise of dough all around. Flute the edges by gently pinching the crust down and outward at regular intervals - it should look crenelated all around, as in the picture. Alternatively, you can use a fork to make attractive indentations around the pie edges, or just leave them unadorned, but do make sure there is a seal between the two layers of crust - the filling will turn very liquid while baking and may seep out. Dust with sugar if desired.

To vent the pie, cut at least four large notches in the center - or use a cookie cutter and make cutesy shapes, like I did. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Take a piece of foil, and fold it in the center to make a 'tent' - place this loosely over the pie before sliding it onto the top rack of the oven. If you used my tip and rolled out your dough on foil, feel free to fold it over and reuse it for this.

Bake for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling up out of the holes and the sugar and cornstarch are no longer visible.

If your pie is too watery, you can let it firm up in the fridge before demolishing it - but nothing beats a hot plum pie, take it from me. If you used a preponderance of wetter, less firm fleshed fruits, lean on the heavier side with the cornstarch.

I had a slice for breakfast. It's quite tasty cold... enjoy. :)

Vegan Raw Balls: BIZZOMB.

I hate to go there. You know, the "rawer-than-thou" place that makes everyone secretly cringe in the presence of self-absorbed health food enthusiasts, but I've got to give a thumbs up to the raw ball craze, because these babies are really good. "Superfood" is a bit of a stretch, "energy balls" I'm not yet sold on, and if you think something half composed of ground up nuts isn't ungodly fattening, you might be delusional.

But these unassuming little fruit and nut goods definitely have a place at my table - plus, they're extremely easy to make and meet my laziest threshold of "cooking" criteria, and you'll only need a blender and one food storage container if you play your cards right. (I did)

I tested a batch of these at work - one person asked for the recipe, and half of my co-workers came back for seconds!

SWEET SESAME RAW BALLS
7 dried whole dates
4-6 dried whole apricots
1 cup raw pecan pieces
1/2 tsp agave nectar
sesame seeds to coat

Soak dried fruit in a bowl of warm water for as long as your patience holds. Mine lasted somewhere between ten and fifteen minutes... so long as they become more pliable and have some substance to them when lightly squeezed. Remove from water and shake off excess, then transfer to a blender or food processor. Blend into a sticky paste - there may be small chunks, but it should really be more like a spread than a tampenade. You may have to scrape the mixture down toward the blades with a spoon a couple of times as it sticks to the sides of the blender. Spoon out the resulting paste and set it aside. Transfer the pecans to your blender and grind them into a fine-ish consistency. It should be soft and fluffy, not terribly chunky. Mix the fruit paste back into the blender and scrape the mixture down toward the blades. Add agave nectar and any extras you want to throw in at this point. Blend the mixture into a sticky paste, then spoon out into a bowl. Roll them into balls of desired size with your hands, then roll in sesame seeds or garnish of your choice to coat.

Lots of directions, but not time intensive. I used a food processor with a very short body and it took about five minutes.

The resulting balls should look something like this. Except, y'know, more date and apricot colored. These have about a tablespoon of dark chocolate blended in, and half were rolled in excess ground almonds.

I really wanted to add coconut to these, but Torr is allergic - hence the rolling in sesame seeds. These would be super delicious with unsweetened coconut flakes, cacao, dried berries, or anything else you want to add. I tried to go for a 50/50 date to apricot ratio in part because dried apricots are notably lower in sugar and calories and these balls are very sweet already, but you can use different proportions or forgo the apricots altogether. Figs would probably work well. I don't know if apricots or other dried fruits are sticky enough to bind together by themselves if you're not a date and fig fan... I imagine anything soaked in water long enough would become increasingly agreeable, but these have a really nice chewy yet soft texture.

Ooh, that's right. You'll never pay for a Kind bar again.

Go forth, experiment, dare I say FREEBALL? (!!!)

Cheers!