Lentil Curry

• 1 T olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped 
• 2 cups cubed fresh pumpkin 
• 2 cups cubed breadfruit
• 2 cups chopped Callaloo 
• 1 T fresh ginger
• 3 tsp. curry powder flakes
• 1/4 tsp  red pepper
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 3-4  cups  vegetable broth 
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup dried lentils
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in pumpkin, breadfruit and next 6 ingredients; cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and stir in lentils; cook until lentils are tender. Stir in salt and black pepper.

Mushroom Gravy

1 small onion chopped
1 lb mushrooms chopped
1-2 cloves garlic
2 T olive oil
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
pinch of black pepper

Saute above ingredients and then add:

2 cups milk (any nut milk)
1 T soy sauce
2 tsp Spike or salt to taste
3-4 T white flour (add until thickened)

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

1 cup coconut milk
1 15-ounce can organic pumpkin
½ cup brown sugar (can use maple syrup)
½ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
10 cups cubed day-old bread of your choice
2 tablespoons brown sugar


1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13x2 inch-baking dish.
2. In a blender, process coconut milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, and spices until smooth. In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the pumpkin mixture until each bread cube is coated.
3. Fill the baking dish with the mixture and lightly press it down with the back of a spoon. Evenly sprinkle about 2 tablespoons brown sugar over the top of the bread pudding.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until top is lightly browned then let the pudding cool a few minutes. 

Coconut cupcakes!!!

    1 1/2 cups flour
    1 cup white sugar
    1/2 cup flaked coconut
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 cup coconut milk
    1/3 cup canola oil
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 teaspoon white vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, and salt.  Add in the rest of the ingredients, adding the vinegar last. Stir until well combined.

2. Bake 30 minutes or until centers come out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

3. Frost with your favorite vegan frosting and decorate with freshly toasted coconut.

Creamy Pumpkin Penne

Last night's experiment was taken from Chef Chloe's blog which if you haven't checked out, you need to!  I think next time I will cut back on the syrup so it's not a sweet but besides that it was delicious.
http://www.chefchloe.com/blog.html

Pumpkin Cream Sauce
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked pumpkin
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 ½  cups non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons syrup (we used Nutmeg syrup)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crispy Sage
2 tablespoons canola oil
8 fresh sage leaves, whole
sea salt

Pasta
1 pound penne pasta
½ cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Pumpkin Cream Sauce
Sauté the onions with oil, salt, and pepper until they are soft and translucent. Add garlic and let cook 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. For the pumpkin cream sauce, puree the onion mixture, pumpkin, tomato paste, non-dairy milk, nutmeg, agave, and 1–1½ teaspoons salt in a blender until smooth. Add black pepper and more salt to taste.

Crispy Sage
Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a small skillet until a small piece of sage sizzles when added to the oil. Fry the remaining sage leaves 4 at a time, flipping once, until crispy (about 1 minute total). Watch the sage leaves carefully to make sure that they do not burn. Let them drain on a paper towel and season lightly with salt.
Toss together and serve!

Peanut butter cookies

What better way to procrastinate! So delicious.


1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg replacer (or equivalent of 1 egg from another brand)
    2 tablespoons warm water (to dissolve egg replacer)
    1/2 cup granulated sugar
    1/2 cup packed brown sugar
    1/2 cup peanut butter
    1/2 cup vegan shortening
    1 1/4 cups flour
    3/4 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (optional) I use organic dark chocolate from the Grenadian Choc Co.

 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. First mix egg replacer with warm water.  Mix sugars, peanut butter, vegan shortening, and egg replacer until smooth.

2. Add dry ingredients and mix until blended evenly. Add chocolate chips (optional)

3. Make each cookie about 1" in diameter and flatten with a fork.  Place cookies 3" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake for 9-10 minutes.  Let cookies sit on tray for at least 5 minutes.


5. Enjoy with a delicious glass of Almond Milk!

Pumpkin Risotto

    2 cups pumpkin, cubed
    2-3 cups veg broth
    1 teaspoon olive oil
    1 small onion, diced
    2-3 tablespoons fresh thyme, or 1 tablespoon dried
    1 cup risotto rice
    1/2 cup white wine, warmed
    salt to taste
  
Directions:

1. Steam pumpkin.  Heat a pot of veg broth on the stove, and keep warm. Warm another pot to medium, and add the oil and onion. Coat the onion in oil and cook it until it is translucent, but not browned.

2. If using dried thyme, add it now to onions. Otherwise, the fresh thyme can wait until the very end of this whole process. Add the rice and stir to coat it in the oil. Pour in the warmed wine and stir until it is all absorbed. Add the heated water to the rice 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until all the liquid is absorbed before adding more. Add salt to taste.
3. Use all 3 cups water for a very creamy risotto, or only 2-2 1/2 cups for a sticky risotto. When all the liquid is absorbed, the rice should be soft, but only just cooked. Then you can stir in the pumpkin.

Oat Groats?

When I saw oat groats in the store the first thing I thought of is how I used to pick them out of my horse's feed and eat them.  They are as delicious now as they were when I was a little girl.  Here is a easy tasty idea for a breakfast that will keep you going all morning.

1 cup organic Oat Groats
2 cups water
mixed spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg

Bring the oats to a boil and then let simmer until the water all gone.  I sprinkle the spice mix into the pot while it is simmering.

Serve warm with fresh or dried fruits, nuts, seeds, or yummy cinnamon sugar.  I love to eat it with banana and whatever dried fruit I have.

My Inspiration

Today's blog has nothing to do with cooking vegan food in Grenada but has to do with inspiration and motivation.  Some days when I'm feeling most like a square peg in a round whole kinda world I need to remember the "big picture" and focus on what gets me going. The thing that inspires me most is my vision for creating Cloverleaf Farm, so I thought I would share that with you today.
Cloverleaf Farm goals:

-Raise public awareness, improving access and encouraging the enjoyment of foods that are local, seasonal and sustainably grown

-Promote a compassionate lifestyle through tours, cooking classes, volunteer opportunities, and internships

-Care for the land and protecting biodiversity for today's communities and future generations

-Provide lifelong care for rescued animals, who become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming

-Advocate for farmers and artisans who grow, produce, market, prepare and serve wholesome food

-Help build community, celebrate culture and regional diversity

-Grow and harvest food with methods that have a positive impact on our local ecosystems and promote biodiversity

Needing some greens in your diet?

3 cups callaloo chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 cup fresh pumpkin
salt  (optional)

Steam callaloo until tender.  Sauté onion and garlic together in some olive oil and add pumpkin.  Cook until tender and then toss in the callaloo. Add salt to taste.
I sprinkled nutritional yeast on top and it was delicious!

Banana bread muffins

    1 cup sugar
    1/4 teaspoon baking powder
    1-1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
    1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium-sized bananas)
    1 cup coconut milk
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract


 Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease your muffin pan.

 In a bowl, combine sugar, baking powder, and flour.

 In a separate bowl using a fork, beat banana, coconut milk, and vanilla. Pour over flour mixture. Gently stir to  combine. Do not overmix. Spoon mixture into muffin tin and bake for 25 min.  

*1-1/2 cups self-rising flour = 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour + 2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder + 3/4 teaspoon salt

Opting Out

We vote every time we hand over our money at the grocery store and we as consumers need to know that we have a choice and we have the power to vote no.
Here are some of the hallmarks of the industrialized food system in the US that aren't sustainable and things we need to say no to:

Centralized production and processing of foods
Mono-speciation and genetic manipulation of plants and animals
Ready-to-eat food with unpronounceable ingredients
No trespassing signs and high tinsel fencing at "farms", slaughterhouses, and processing plants
Long distance transportation of foods
Non therapeutic antibiotics used as growth promotants in food animals
External costs of inexpensive foods
CAFO's (confined animal feeding operations)

We instead need to learn how to cook, buy locally grown food, learn what's in season, and maybe even plant a garden and get to know our farmers.

Chocolate Cake!!!

I got this recipe from a non vegan friend when I was in college.  Her mom called it the "Wacky Cake" recipe because you don't use eggs yet it is moist and delicious.


    1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
    5 Tbs of sifted cocoa
    1 tsp baking soda
    1 cup white or brown sugar
    1/2 tsp salt
    5 Tbs canola oil (can substitute with any veg. oil)
    1 Tbs white vinegar
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    1 cup ice cold water


1. Put your flour into mixing bowl, add cocoa, baking soda, sugar and salt and mix well.

2. Make three deep holes in the dry mixture. Into one, pour the oil, into the next, pour the vinegar into the next, pour the vanilla.

3. Pour the water into the bowl, over all of it.

4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until there aren't any more lumps and pour into a 9 inch by 9 inch baking pan, two inches deep, it doesn't even have to be greased.

5. Bake at 350F for about half an hour, test with a fork.

Pumpkin in Yellow Thai Curry Sauce

    2 cups of fresh pumpkin cubed
    1 large bunch of broccoli
    1 package firm tofu
    1 small yellow onion
    1 inch of fresh ginger
    2 cloves garlic
    Red chili pepper to taste
    1 tsp fresh lime juice
    8 oz. coconut milk or use fresh
    1 tsp turmeric
    1/2 tsp cumin
    1 tsp coriander
    1 tsp salt
    1 Tbs sugar


While frying the tofu, combine ginger, garlic, onion, and chili pepper with enough water to blend and saute mixture for 10 minutes.

Add spices and continue to saute for 5-8 mins (add water as necessary).

Add pumpkin and saute under med-low heat for 10 mins adding water as necessary. Then add the broccoli and saute for 5 mins or until al dente. Turn down heat to low.

Combine the coconut milk, lime juice, sugar and salt. Add to veggies. Cook for a few minutes and remove from heat.

Toss in the tofu and serve over rice.

Frozen dessert

This is a delicious and easy treat with 2 simple ingredients:

Frozen banana (or any fruit)
coconut milk

Blend to the consistency you like.  I like it thick so I have to use a spoon to eat.  This is great when you notice you won't be able to eat your bananas fast enough. Just slice them and put them in the freezer.  The coconut milk makes it creamy and light with just a hint of caribbean.  I also do this with Guavas if they start to over-ripen, I'll just throw them in a blender, strain out the seeds and freeze the pulp.
If you need a little protein boost just add some protein powder or nuts to the mix.  I throw a handful of raw nuts (almond or cashew) in my coffee grinder until its a fine powder and add.

Enjoy!

What's wrong with America's Food System

Birke Baehr, an 11-year-old kid from Asheville, N.C., recently gave speech at the TEDx Next Generation Asheville Event talking about what's wrong with the food system and the changes and choices people can make to make a difference
Watch him on Youtube and be inspired!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Id9caYw-Y&feature=player_embedded

Becoming part of the solution

What is our ecological footprint, as humans, as a society, and as individuals? And how do our demands compare to the earth’s resources and its ability to regenerate? One of the easiest ways to reduce your ecological footprint is to change the way you look at, think about and treat the food you eat.

These are some of the questions you can start to ask yourself:

What are all these ingredients and are they healthy for our bodies? Where did this product come from and how far did it have to go to get here? What kind of packaging does it come in and is it biodegradable or recyclable? And then dig a little deeper and question how was this food grown? Was it done in a sustainable way? Did it pollute the groundwater, deplete the soils, cause harm to the humans in contact with it or near it? Ask yourself how are the workers treated who plant the crops, harvest it, and process the product that finally ends up on the shelf. Are they given fare wages? Are they putting themselves at risk handling it? How much energy is used to produce it? How much do we spend on it and if it’s cheap, where are all the hidden costs? Who’s paying for it, the earth, the animals, and/or all the other people behind the curtain?

Then ask yourself is it worth it and what are some alternatives?

Start thinking Globally by eating locally and supporting your local farmers and producers.

Choose to buy fresh foods grown locally and start messing around in the kitchen. You’ll be surprised how delicious it is and how fun it can be.

“We consider ourselves co-producers, not consumers, because by being informed about how our food is produced and actively supporting those who produce it, we become a part of and a partner in the production process.” Taken from the mission of Slow Food International

Sloppy Joes

1 lg onion diced

1/2 cup celery diced

2 T cider vinegar

1 T brown sugar

3-4 T lemon juice

1 cup ketchup

3 T worchestershire

1 t chile powder

1 package of Morning Star crumbles or Soya mince equivalent

Sautee onion in a large pan, then add celery, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, lemon, worchestershire and chili powder. Add water if consistency is too thick.

Lastly add in the crumbles, stir and serve.

DIY energy bars :-)

• 2 cups oats
• 2/3 cups dried fruit
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts and/or almonds
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup dried coconut
• 1/2 cup nut butter
• 1/4 cup syrup (in Grenada I use local honey or nutmeg syrup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, mix oats, dried fruit, nuts, dried coconut, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.
2. In a small saucepan, combine nut butter and syrup. Cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally until thoroughly mixed. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over oat mixture and stir until completely coated.
3. Transfer mixture to a lightly oiled pan. Press mixture evenly and firmly into pan. Chill for 30 minutes. Cut with a sharp knife et voila! Homemade energy bars.

Mexican delight

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice or quinoa

1 can or 2 cups black beans

1 can or 2 cups corn

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tomato diced

1 avocado cubed

minced onion to taste

salt to taste

Cook grain and combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Eat warm or cold, in a wrap or on a bed of lettuce. Its easy, quick and delicious!

Need a little kick? then add hot sauce or some diced jalapeno

Sweet Potato Butter

So we don't have sweet potatoes like the sweet potatoes found in the states but this recipe sounded delicious. Maybe it could be done with canned sweet potatoes if those are available?

4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced

2 cups apples, cored, peeled, and chopped

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and stir. Cook on high until potato/apples are soft (4-6 hrs)

Put in food processor or blender and enjoy! Spread on bagels or fresh biscuits or toast. Yum Yum.

Yummy Cilantro Ginger noodles

This was a fun dish that came about when I had lots of fresh ginger on my hands and my friend had lots of cilantro that needed to be used.

1 package of rice noodles

3 tbsp oil

2 medium onions

2 tomatoes

2 tbsp fresh ginger

1 tsp cumin

1 tbsp sugar

1 cup lite coconut milk

3 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

salt to taste

red pepper flakes to taste

Soak the rice noodles for 20 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

In a pan heat the oil over medium heat and add the onions. Stir occasionally, until golden brown. Add the tomatoes, ginger, red pepper flakes, and cumin and saute.

Add the noodles, sugar, and coconut milk. Stir often, until noodles soften, for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add the lime juice, cilantro, and salt to taste.

Awesome vegan chili

3 tablespoon olive oil
3 chopped onions
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bell peppers, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 large can, undrained, of tomatoes, chopped
1 cup water
1 can kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups corn

1 avocado
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro


In a large pan, saute the onions and garlic. Add bell peppers for a few min. Add spices, cocoa, tomatoes, and water; bring to a boil. Add kidney beans, black beans, and corn. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 min. Add salt and pepper to taste. To serve, sprinkle with cilantro and diced avocado.

Sweet n Sour tofu and broccoli

1 cup rice

1 package of firm tofu
egg substitute for 1 egg
3/4 cup cornstarch
vegetable oil for frying
1 small onion
1 Tablespoon minced ginger
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2/3 cup vegetable stock
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
4 Tablespoons sugar
red pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
steamed broccoli


Drain, dry and cube tofu. Mix the egg replacer as specified on the box and add an additional 3 tablespoons water. Dip tofu in egg replacer/water mixture and coat completely. Then coat tofu in cornstarch.

Heat oil in pan and fry tofu pieces until golden. Put to the side.

Heat 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil in pan on medium heat. Add onion, ginger and garlic, and brown. Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper and vinegar. Mix 2 Tablespoons water with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch and pour into mixture stirring well.

Add steamed broccoli and the fried tofu and serve over rice.

Hearty Quinoa Breakfast

1 cup cooked Quinoa

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped walnuts and almonds

1/2 cup chopped dates and or other dried fruits

1 banana

salt to taste

Mix warm quinoa with spices, nuts, and dried fruits

Slice banana on top and sprinkle with flax seeds or pumpkin seeds

Quinoa salad

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 cup water

1 can black beans

1 avocado

1 carrot or red bell pepper to add color

1 cup corn

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon fresh ginger

salt to taste

sprinkle with raw sunflower seeds

Mix, chill, and serve.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 & 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 can pumpkin puree

1 cup veg oil ( or 1/2 oil and 1/2 cup apple butter)

2/3 cup coconut milk

1 C chopped walnuts

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Toast walnuts on ungreased cookie sheet bake until light brown.

3. In large bowl, stir together flour, sugars, baking soda, salt, & spices. Add pumpkin puree, oil, nuts, and coconut milk. Mix until all of flour is absorbed.

4. Bake for I wanna say 20-30 min. You just have to keep your eye on them because it really varies.

Once cooled smother with vanilla icing and coconut flakes.

Chocolate Heaven

2 cups flour
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup baking cocoa ( I use Grenada Choc. Co. cocoa)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips ( I use Grenada Chocolate Co. bar and cut into chunks)

Directions:

1. Boil water and 1/2 cup of the flour over low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches the consistency of a thin gluey paste. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

2. Mix vegan sugar, salt, vanilla, cocoa and oil. Then add the rest flour-water mixture. Mix well.

3. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour, baking powder and the chocolate chips, if you choose to add those.

4. Spread mixture into a greased 11 x 7 pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until a knife can be inserted and come out clean.

Make your own tasty veggie burgers

1 cup textured soy protein granules or soya mince
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 can kidney beans
1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste



Pour boiling water over textured soy protein and tomato paste in a bowl. Stir and let rest for 10 minutes. In a blender or with your clean hands, combine textured soy protein mixture and remaining ingredients. Shape mixture into burgers and refrigerate for one hour. Cook on a grill covered with foil for about 10 minutes on each side or in a pan with a little olive oil in the stove.

Fried Tofu in a Spicy Peanut Sauce

1 package rice noodles

1 package of firm tofu
2-3 medium carrots
1 large broccoli
1/2 cup toasted peanuts
1/2 cup unsweetened peanut butter
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sweetener of choice

1 tablespoon of fresh ginger
red pepper flakes to taste

First cubes tofu and cook in pan with oil. This will take awhile.

Then you can start steaming broccoli and cooking noodles.

Whisk Peanut Butter and Water together over medium heat. Add Vinegar, Soy sauce, ginger, sweetener, and red pepper flakes and heat through. In a small pan, toast the nuts over a medium-high flame. Drain the noodles and broccoli, toss with sauce, tofu, and nuts, and grate raw carrot over all.

Delicious chickpea dish

This recipe is quick and easy and unbelievably addictive

1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed (or 2 cups home cooked)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped small
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1.5 teaspoon curry powder
1 can coconut milk
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste

Combine everything in a saucepan and simmer 30 minutes. Serve with rice or quinoa