when the last thing you want to do is cook...

Let's face it even we who love to cook have days when the last thing we want to do is cook...

my solution?

just get your blender out...

throw in some fruit juice, yogurt,-- and fresh fruits-- bananas, papayas, or mango--whatever is the fruit of the season... make sure it matches the fruit juice-- if it doesn't omit the fruit juice and add water instead..

here's a basic recipe

2 cups yogurt

2 cups water or fruit juice

1 cup of fruit..

honey to taste...

--- just blend together for 30 sec.. and there you go, healthy, easy, and satisfying.


some good fruit combinations:

mango and banana
mango and papaya
banana and papaya
banana and pineapple
pineapple and orange
passionfruit and pineapple
passionfuit and orange (may have to add more honey)
banana and strawberries
banana and blueberries
apple and pears
banana and apple (add some cinnamon and raisins:)
Berries and berries (whatever is available)

Spike Seasoning

Spike Seasoning: Lazy cook's best friend

you can put it in just about everything..

but don't overdo it.. ( i know someone who puts it in EVERYTHING.. i can tell if she cooked it because it tastes like SPIKE ;) )

if you're using spike, cut the salt.

it takes practice.. but you'll get used to it.

it is not as salty as plain salt-- so you'll still have to add

a little bit of salt.. or if you want to omit the salt

completely and add spike instead, be a little generous with the spike.

I really like it in soups and pasta dishes..

also great on AVOCADO with TOMOTOES and little bit of lemon--- instant guacamole!!!

Vegan Mushroom Fondue

Here is another recipe that I recently tried. It is a great appetizer, quick, easy and superbly delicious!

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp margarine + 2 tbsp
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 vegetarian bouillon cube or 1 tbsp dry veggie broth mix
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 cups soy milk
• 1/2 tsp miso
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Preparation:

Sautee garlic, onions and mushrooms in 3 tbsp margarine until soft. In separate saucepan, combine remaining ingredients and simmer until mixture thickens. If your mixture does not thicken, add more flour and mix well. Allow to cool. Add mushrooms, garlic and onion mix to the soy milk mix and process in a blender or food processor until smooth. Reheat the blended mix, stirring occasionally, and allow to cool slightly before transferring to fondue pot. Some dipper suggestions: whole mushrooms, broccoli, bread, cooked and halved baby potatoes, tofu, Tofurkey sausage slices.

source: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/saucesdipsspreads/r/MushroomFondue.htm

The Panforte Christmas Cake

Perhaps one of the popular desserts associated with Christmas is our good ol' fruit cake. While browsing through the net to find a good fruit cake recipe I somehow ended up with another Christmas cake recipe the Italian Panforte (pronounced pan-FOHR-tay) which is as delectably delicious as its counterpart. This cake is best served with hot tea or milk.

Ingredients for Panforte:

3 ounces (90 grams) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup (125 grams) toasted and coarsely chopped hazelnuts

1 cup (120 grams) toasted and coarsely chopped blanched almonds

1 cup candied citrus (170 grams) (citron, lemon and/or orange peel)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup (70 grams) all purpose flour

1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder

2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar

2/3 cup (160 ml) honey

Procedure: Butter and line with parchment paper an 8-inch (20 cm) tart pan. Alternatively, and for a more authentic look, line the pan with edible rice paper (available at Asian markets).

First melt the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl over simmering water. Set aside. Then in a large bowl combine the nuts, candied fruit, spices, flour, and cocoa powder.

In a saucepan, stir together the sugar and honey. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Then clamp a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan. Continue to boil the mixture over medium heat, without stirring, until the temperature reaches the soft ball stage, 240 degrees F (116 degrees C).

Remove from heat and stir the sugar/honey syrup and the melted chocolate into the chopped nut and fruit mixture. The mixture will stiffen quickly so once combined, transfer to the prepared pan. With damp hands, or the back of a spoon or offset spatula, evenly spread the Panforte, smoothing the top.

Bake in a 300 degree F (150 degree C) oven for about 30-35 minutes or until the surface has fine blisters. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. While the Panforte is still warm, remove the sides of the pan and heavily dust the top of the cake with confectioners' (powdered/icing) sugar. Gently rub the sugar into the cake. (Note: if you have lined the pan with rice paper you may find it has torn. If that is the case simply add more rice paper, using a little egg white as glue.)

Once the cake has completely cooled, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in a cool, dry place. Well wrapped this cake will keep several months.

Serve this cake in thin slices as it is quite rich.

Makes 1 - 8 inch (20 cm) cake.

Note: To remove the skins of the hazelnuts as well as to toast them: bake in a 350 degree F (180 degree C) oven for 15 minutes or until fragrant and the skins begin to flake. Remove from oven and place the hot nuts in a dish towel. Roll up the towel and let the nuts sit (steam) for a few minutes then briskly rub the nuts in the towel to remove the skins. Let cool before using. Toasting the nuts not only removes the bitter skins but also enhances the sweet, rich, buttery flavor of the nut.

To toast the almonds: bake in a 350 degree F (180 degree C) oven for about 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Watch carefully as they can burn easily. Remove from oven and let cool before using.

Source: http://www.joyofbaking.com/Panforte.html

Wai Lana's Cauliflower Pastries

Here's another great recipe from Wai Lana. It is equally delicious as the first Wai lana recipe I posted (avocado tarts) enjoy!

Filling:
3/4 cup fresh cashew milk*
1 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups cauliflower, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh ginger juice**
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
Pinch of turmeric and asafetida
1/2 Tbsp. Bragg liquid aminos
1/16 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp. water

Pastry:
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. egg replacer powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/16 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. eggless mayonnaise
3-4 Tbsp. water, or as needed

1. Prepare the cashew milk as directed below and set aside. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet on medium heat and sauté the cauliflower until lightly browned. Add a little water and cook until tender.

2. Stir in the cashew milk and the next 6 filling ingredients and gently simmer for a few minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened. Cool before using.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the dry pastry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the oil and eggless mayonnaise and rub in until evenly crumbly. Gradually add enough water to make a soft ball.

4. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. On a floured work surface, roll the pieces out into thin circles about 1/16 inch thick. Spoon 1/8 of the filling onto one side of each pastry, leaving room to seal.

5. Fold the other side over the filling. Seal by fork-pressing the edges evenly. Prick the tops and lay the pastries on an oiled cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until light golden brown.

Makes 8 half moon pastries

*Cashew milk: Blend 1/4 cup raw cashew pieces with 1 cup hot water until smooth. Strain through a fine strainer.

**To make fresh ginger juice, simply grate some fresh ginger, then manually squeeze the pulp.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
Calories: 150, Fat 8.3g (74 cal), Carbohydrate 16.2g (64 cal), Protein 2.9g (12 cal)
Added information: Saturated Fat 1.3g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 168mg, Dietary Fiber 1.4g

source: http://www.wailana.com/lifestyle/recipes/

Vegan Apple Cake

Because of curiosity I tried this vegan dessert recipe (also from http://www.eggless.com) just to see how a non-dairy cake would taste like...It's undeniable that this cake has that "healthy" tang, I know you can agree simply by reading the list of ingredients.

• 2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup soft vegetable margarine
• 6 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 dessert apples, cored and grated
• 1 tablespoon soya flour
• 1 tablespoon wheat germ
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sultanas
• 2 tablespoons soya milk
• juice of 1 lemon
• water if necessary

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5

Use a 20cm/8 inch sandwich tin.

Oil and line the cake tin. Cream the margarine and sugar together for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Stir in the apples. Mix together the flours, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking powder and sultanas. Stir this into the creamed margarine and apples and add the soya milk and lemon juice plus a little water if the batter is too thick. Pour the batter into the sandwich tin. Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour in the preheated oven. The cake is baked when a warm knife inserted into it comes out clean. Remove the cake from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Eggless Apricot Caramel Upside-down Cake

I was searching for recipes of eggless desserts and a stumbled upon this very nice site that features a lot of delectable recipes. Here's one of their must try recipes for all the dessert lovers out there:

Apricot Caramel Upside-down Cake

• FOR THE CAKE:
• 1/2 cup cornflour
• 3/4 cup white self-raising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 cups fresh apricots
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 4 tablespoons sour cream
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon ground almonds
• SYRUP:
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups water
• CARAMEL:
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5

Use a 23cm/9 inch square cake tin.

Syrup: Make a syrup by boiling the sugar with 600ml/1 pint of water for 5 minutes.

Caramel: Put the sugar into a pan with 10 tbs. or 1/2 cup of water. Stir over low heat until dissolved, then boil hard to a rich caramel brown (don't stir, but watch it). Wrap your hand in a tea towel, and stir in - off the heat - 4 tbs. water, using a wooden spoon. The caramel will sizzle, harden and look very odd. Just stir carefully, and if it does not dissolve into a clear smooth caramel, put it back over the heat until it does. Pour into the lightly greased cake tin and set aside.

Bring the syrup to the boil in a wide pan, and slip in the halved stoned apricots, cut side down. When the syrup returns to the boil, give it a minute to simmer, then turn the apricots over. By this time, they will be cooked enough. Do not let them collapse. Remove with a slotted spoon and pack closely together, cut side down, on top of the caramel.

Lightly grease the cake tin. Put all the cake ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer or processor and whizz until smoothly blended. If necessary, add a couple of tbs. of the apricot syrup to make the mixture a dropping consistency. The ingredients can equally well be beaten together by hand; make sure the butter is very soft indeed.

Spread carefully and evenly over the apricots. Bake for about 45 minutes. The top should brown nicely. Cool for a moment, then run a warm knife round the edge, put a serving plate on top and quickly turn upside down. Serve warm, with fresh cream.

If you like, you can split and toast as many almonds as there are apricots, and put a nice brown piece in the cavity of each half of apricot.

http://www.eggless.com/test5/016.shtml