it has been a long time since i blogged, but a dear friend of mine told me i should do it more often. so...
i really enjoy cooking and have been coming up with some crazy good dishes lately. some of them are a bit strange, but none lack flavor. i'm compelled to document them.
some of the ingredients are not specific in these recipes because cooking is a personal thing. modify or omit any ingredient or measurement to suit your taste.
Broccoli & Black Eyed Pea Slaw
3 large broccoli stalks peeled & grated
1 can or 15.5oz black eyes peas (or dried ones that have been soaked, cooked & cooled)
1/3 medium sized onion finely diced
1 medium sized clove garlic finely diced
2 T Veganaise® or mayo
1/2 t. apple cider vinager
1/4 t. sea salt
1/4 t. fresh ground black pepper
1 dash of your favorite hot sauce
mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and chill until served
Pesto & Soysage Bruschetta
Pesto
3 big bunches of fresh basil
3 cloves of garlic
1 c. olive oil
1/2 t. sea salt
2 T. nutritional yeast (traditional pesto would have finely ground Parmesan cheese)
fresh dill & oregano to taste or not
mix all ingredients in the blender on the lowest setting. put into storage containers and store in the refrigerator.
Easy Delicious Bread
3 c. all purpose flour
1 T. sea salt
1 t. active dry yeast
1 1/2 c. purified water
in a large mixing bowl mix the dry ingredients and slowly begin to whisk in the water. when water and flour are completely mixed, turn mixture onto a floured cutting board. begin to fold and kneed dough until texture is smooth and forms a ball.
cover with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.
to maintain moisture while cooking your bread, bake in a stoneware dish with a lid. prepare the dish by smoothing on a little olive oil to prevent sticking. place the risen dough into the dish, paint on olive oil and sprinkle on a pinch of salt to give your bread a crusty brown top.
preheat oven to 450ºF
cook dough for a half hour with the lid on and another half hour with the lid off. during the last 15 minutes turn oven up to 500ºF.
allow bread to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing to desired width. place slices into warm oven.
Soysage Ragu
1/2 a package of Gimmie Lean® Soy "Sausage"
2 small ripe tomatoes diced
1/2 medium onion diced
1/3 T. olive oil
2 dashes cayenne pepper
1/4 c. Jarlsberg Norweigen Swiss Cheese (or your favorite or none)
in a sauce pan saute the soysage on medium-low heat. you will have to break the soysage up and it is sticky. wet your fingers with water or olive oil before you handle it to make it easier to work with. use a spatula to break it into small pieces.
throw in the onions and saute until translucent, tomatoes go in last along with the cayenne pepper and cheese. allow the mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes then reduce the heat to it's lowest setting.
take the bread slices out of the oven and spoon a thin layer of pesto on each slice. top with the soysage ragu and garnish with crumbled ricotta and parsley.
serve with a scoop of Broccoli & Black Eyed Pea Slaw immediately and enjoy.
