Claus's Kraut, Cubes, Kale, Noodles and Oodles

I've been busy trying to get ready for Santa.

First, I made him some CSA Sauerkraut from scratch!  I hope he likes kraut.

 I started the kraut on Tuesday, November 20th.  

It was four big cabbages (two white and two red) from my CSA, hand cored and sliced, with a few carrots thrown in, plus Kosher salt. I sprinkled salt on as I went, no more than maybe a tablespoon per head of cabbage) and caraway seeds (sprinkled in as I packed it into the bucket).

My kraut making techniques are a combination of Sandor's instructions, this and these and some videos on youtube. There are tons of videos on different techniques on YouTube, too, just put in "homemade sauerkraut" and a ton come up. Here is Sandor's video (great! But, who doesn't love Sandor?) and this nice Gramma also uses a big, food safe bucket like the one I got FREE from Wegmans (see below!!).

Once your cabbage is sliced (phew!) put a little at a time into your "crock" and pack it down to push out all the air.  I used a potato masher.  Keep adding and pushing until it's all in there.

 Carrot top :-)

Now you need a lid/plate or other covering that *just* fits inside your crock.

My plate didn't quite fit, so I made a plate out of aluminum foil, I just pushed the foil to the edges of the bucket.  I used a triple thickness.  I hope that's a legit method :-)

Weight it down with something really heavy.  I used water inside two, huge freezer bags made to hold soup (according to their marketing, anyway):

Snap the lid on, if you have one (or make one out of a towel or cheesecloth or something) and wait.

You want the brine to come up over your "plate" so the kraut is always submerged.  It should happen in about 24-48 hours, longer is also fine, it seems, as long as it is airtight and mold isn't forming, leave it alone. 

You can see the liquid is above the plate and the bubbles indicate fermentation is happening!

P.S. I got the big bucket for free at Wegmans! 

A big thanks to the awesome Joni Marie Newman for suggesting I check with my grocery store for a big container! I love Joni.

My Italian friend in the Wegmans cheese department sent me to bakery to check out my request for a big (preferably glass) jar or bucket.  They had a large, food grade plastic bucket and they gladly gave me one.

Their bakery department orders icing in these big guys (it's a 15L bucket, which is about 4 gallons)

I open it outside to scoop and re-pack the kraut! 

Baby Klaus's Kraut (One Week Old).  Delicious, mild and crunchy!

I have to remember to re-check the kraut tomorrow, hoping for a richer, more sour kraut!

I've also been breaking into the frozen stash of CSA stuff:

 This is the sauce from the Squash Mac I made in October.  I sauteed six cloves of garlic in olive oil and added about eight cubes of the sauce, also added a bit of hot pasta water to thin it out.  

It was perfect for Penne & Broccoli!

 With home made chickpeas!

My favorite "Stellar Stuffed Mushrooms" from The 30 Minute Vegan.

These are so amazing.

And this may look plain, but it was great.

 Sauteed Kale and Mushrooms in Oil, Organic Lemon juice and Garlic with Kosher Salt & Pepper.

And I found an organic, vegan vanilla pudding powder at the grocery store!

If you want to make The Veggnog Cake and can't find that Bird's powder or don't want to order it, I bet this stuff works pretty good.

I'll try it the next on the round of Veggnog Cakes!

This was dinner last night (I added rich, garlicky chickpeas, too)

 Dinner last night was the Kale and Friends Salad  Organic Kale and Brown Rice Salad with Dried Organic Cranberries, Sliced Almonds and a Organic Winter Citrus Vinaigrette. 

I also added rich, garlicky chickpeas (pressure cooked in rich broth, olive oil and salt).

In a large bowl, place one bunch of kale leaves, washed and chopped mixed with 1/3 cup dried cranberries, 1/3 cup slivered almonds, and 1/3 cup of sliced grapes (if you want) or slices of mandarin orange.  Dress this first with 2.5 T of the dressing.

Cook 1.5 Cups of brown rice and dress that with another 2.5 T of the dressing, put the hot, cooked and dressed rice over the kale salad mixture and stir very well.  The kale will cook a tiny bit and soften nicely.

Winter Citrus Vinaigrette: 1/3 cup of olive oil, 1 clove of garlic smashed, 1 tsp Kosher Salt, bunch of pepper, juice of one organic lemon, one organic orange and about 1 tsp of combined orange and lemon zest. Whisk like hell.  Pour 2.5 T over your kale salad mixture and 2.5 T over your Brown Rice.

This was breakfast this morning!

Old Fashioned Oats with Flax, Organic Grade B Maple Syrup, Vietnamese Cinnamon, Vanilla, Bananas and Chopped Pecans.  YUM. 

Lunch Today: A version of Hornswaggle Salad.  My favorite!

Besides eating, I am also working on oodles of homemade gifts:

Many mini loaves are in my future. My Vegan Sticky Gingerbread is up first.

Ollie and I are also working on hand made Christmas gifts for the family:

Handmade Gift Post Coming Soon! 

Hang in there everyone, "the holidays" will be over before you can say

HO HO HO

XOXO

Crispy Oat Cakes (Pancakes)

Crispy Oat Cakes with Strawberries!

 These were unbelievable.  I had them for lunch and dinner.

But, first, to the strawberry fields to pick the strawberries--then on to the recipe, don't worry!

 Honey Brook Organic Farm in Chesterfield, NJ

You could ride the tractor to the picking fields!

 Which we did, of course.

 See the fields in the distance and the tiny people picking strawberries?

 Me, picking! It was slow going at first.  The strawberry plants are very prickly, I wished I brought my gardening gloves, but I didn't know to!  Oh well.  And they were border planted with these thistle-y things:

 Damn, they were prickly! But, I bet they prevent deer and such from eating the berries.  Oh, and the fields were loaded with ladybugs! Organic farming is awesome!

 Just look at these beauties!  They said the tiny berries are the sweetest and most flavorful.

 Pondering.

 Kiddo whaling on the berries but trying to hide it.  He ate like a pint of them!

 Once we got warmed up with the picking, it was all we could do to pull ourselves away from the fields.  I just wanted to pluck those jewels all day long.  So bright and alluring!  So ethereal!

Me, with my full quart and my official Farm I.D. :-)

Heading home with our allotted three quarts (we thought we were only going to get two!):

Now, let's make some pancakes.  These are oat-based, low gluten and totally whole grain.  And, they are delicious!

Crispy Oat Cakes

Inspired by Molly Katzen’s recipe for Oatmeal Waffles in her Sunlight Café cookbook.

½ brick (6 oz) of silken tofu (the one in the aseptic box) , mash up with a fork in a small bowl, add:

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

3 T of melted butter or canola oil.  Mash some more until well-combined, set aside.

In a large, 4 C. measuring cup, mix:

2 cups of plant milk (I used TJ’s organic soy milk)

2 tsps apple cider vinegar

And let sit to curdle (this will be your vegan buttermilk). 

In a large bowl, mix your dry ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats (I used Old Fashioned oats, you can also use steel cut oats)

1 cup flour (I used White Whole Wheat, you can use all-purpose or whole wheat if you want)

½ cup oat bran

¾ tsp salt

1 ½ tsps baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

2 Tablespoons sugar

Now, make a well in your dry ingredients and mix in your tofu mixture and your milk until everything is just combined into a thick batter.  It won’t look very pretty, but it will taste awesome!

Heat a dry cast iron skillet on medium heat for about 3 minutes.  Add butter or oil to lightly coat the pan and after about 10 seconds (once it is done bubbling/sizzling) add your batter (make sure it is shaped so you can get your spatula under the whole pancake to flip it).  Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side and add your fruit (if desired) while this first side is cooking.  Arrange by hand 1-2 tablespoons of berries or sliced fruit over the pancake and press it down a little bit.  

Now, use a butter knife or a spoon and get some extra batter from your bowl.  Gently spread the extra batter over the fruit so it is covered completely.  Spray with canola oil before you flip it:

Cook 1-2 minutes more on the second side.  Serve with real maple syrup, tons of extra berries, strawberry syrup (I just thought of this now, omg!) or whatever else you like!

Enjoy!

New Year's Oatmeal Bake

If it's one thing I know, it's that to lose weight, eat oatmeal, preferably the "old fashioned" kind!  To that end, I made a delicious oatmeal bake: not quite a cookie, not quite a bar, and eaten with a spoon.

Without further adieu, here it is!

New Year's Oatmeal Bake

1 3/4 cup "Old Fashioned" Oatmeal (organic if you've got it, if not, Mr. Quaker Oates!)
1/4 cup organic white sugar
1/4 cup organic brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped organic walnuts (raw or toasted, doesn't matter)
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup organic dried cranberries (or raisins if you prefer)
1/4 to 1/2 cup organic or non-dairy chocolate chips (Wegmans, baby!)
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tablespoons ground flax whisked with 4 tablespoons water
1/2  cup soy creamer (Trader Joe's if you can get it!) or can use soy or almond milk or any other plant milk
1/4 cup oil OR for a low fat version, 1/4 cup organic applesauce OR a combination of oil and applesauce that equals 1/4 cup.  (I used 2 tablespoon organic sunflower oil, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon organic apple sauce).
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I use Penzey's Double Strength)

In a small bowl, whisk the flax seeds and water together vigorously until the mixture starts to thicken and gel up, approximately one to two minutes.  Let sit for about 10 minutes to continue to gel while you prepare the dry ingredients.

Combine dry ingredients (oatmeal through cinnamon) in a large mixing bowl.  

Now, add the rest of the wet ingredients to the small bowl containing your flax mixture (soy creamer/milk through vanilla) and whisk well to incorporate.

Now, add the flax mixture (which now has all of your wet ingredients in it) to the big bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated. A wooden spoon is good here.

The batter will be pretty liquidy.  Don't worry.  Pour it into a prepared (lightly buttered or oiled) 8x8 Pyrex baking dish (or whatever you have, adjust baking time if you use a different kind of pan or a different sized pan) and bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.  Remove from oven when edges are golden brown and the center is set (will still be softish, but will look pretty dry and not soaking wet anymore).

 Slice and serve this with a spatula, it is going to break up (it's supposed to!)

Happy New Year, everyone!