Biscuit Life

I don't know why, but lately I have been a complete biscuit monster.  I make them every morning, adding all kinds of weird things to this recipe... and then munching hard.  Use this as a basic sweet biscuit recipe, and then add 1/2 cup of whatever berries, nuts, or chopped dried fruit you feel like.  You can also add 1/2 tsp. cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, lavender, etc, depending on the occasion!!  Make these for brunch and friends, and serve them HOT and FRESH outta the oven!!!!

Sweet Strawberry Drop Biscuits

Feeds one touring band for breakfast.

2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose Flour

1/3 cup vegan granulated Sugar

4 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

6 TBSP Vegan Margarine (Earth Balance Coconut Spread works awesome!)

1 cup Soy or Coconut mylk

1/2 cup diced, fresh, organic Strawberries

Pre heat oven to 350°.

Turn on the following Pandora station, according to daily chart:

Monday: Duo Gadjo

Tuesday: Blood Ceremony

Wednesday: Julie Ruin

Thursday: The Buzzcocks

Friday: Metric

Saturday: Lynyrd Skynyrd

Sunday: Electric Wizard

  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add the margarine tablespoons in separate scoops, then use your hand to break it up into your dry mixture.  Once thoroughly broken down, add half of your mylk and mix well.  Add the remaining mylk, mix well, then use a spatula to fold in your berries.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and use an ice cream scoop to portion out and drop biscuits one at a time an inch apart from each other.  Bake for 15 minutes or until golden, and remove from oven.  EATTTTTT.

Beet Burgers

Why are beets so awesome?! They are jam packed with potassium and antioxidants, low in calories, and are the most beautiful color of all time!!!! I use the juice to dye frostings and sprinkles, and the beet greens are full of vitamin C and taste great in salads!  Beets are versatile and can be found in pink, gold, or candy striped hues.  Some people say they taste like dirt, and I don't disagree with them, but I prefer to use the word "earthy."  Regardless, this recipe does not have a strong beet flavor, and kind of look like real meat, so just don't tell anyone there are beets in it until after they tell you how delicious it is.  Suckers!!!!

BEET BURGER PATTIES

Makes 2-3 patties

1/2 TBSP ground Flaxseed

1 TBSP Water

2/3 cup cooked Lentils

1/3 cup cooked Quinoa

2 TBSP raw Beet shreds

1/2 tsp. Steak Seasoning

1 tsp. Onion Powder

1 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 tsp. Marjoram

1/4 cup ground Oats

1/4 tsp. Liquid Smoke

1 TBSP minced Purple Onion

1 TBSP Canola Oil

Pre heat oven at 350°.  In a small bowl, combine flax seed and water, whisk well and set aside.  In a medium sized bowl, combine all other ingredients and use hands to mix well by squeezing and forming a ball.  Add flax seed glob and mix again.  Grease a cookie sheet and form 2-3 patties about 1/3 inch thick.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Place on an oiled skillet and cook until charred a bit on both sides.  Serve hot on a bun with mustard, ketchup, beet greens, tomato, and avocado!! Dang!!!

This is what Mia and I look like when we have to make 100 at a time...

Tamarind Ketchup and BBQ Sauce

On Wednesday, May 22nd, Mike and I taught our first vegan cooking class since we moved to the Pearl Brewery!  We are neighbors to the Culinary Institute of America, and were able to rent out one of their beautiful kitchen classrooms to cook in... it was amazing!!  The kitchen was so fancy. We did a Summer BBQ theme, so I whipped up these two sauces that I consider a summer essential. 

TAMARIND KETCHUP

1/2 cup white onion chopped

3 cloves garlic

1 1/2 cups tomato paste

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp chili powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

5 TBSP agave

1/2 cup olive oil

2 TBSP tamarind puree

1/3 tsp cayenne

Chop onion and garlic into small chunks.  Heat a sauté pan, and use half of your olive oil to sauté onion and garlic.  Sauté for one minute, turn ht down to a simmer, then add tomato paste and stir continuously.  Slowly add the rest of your ingredients while stirring over low heat for approximately 5 minutes.  Once all ingredients have been incorporated and the ketchup has thickened up, remove from heat.  Let ketchup cool before pouring it into a blender or food processor and blend on high.  Remove from processor and serve right away.  Or, place in air tight container and refrigerate for up to one week.

BBQ SAUCE

2 cups Tamarind Ketchup

1/3 cup Molasses

1/2 tsp. Cloves

2 TBSP Lemon juice

3 TBSP Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos

2 TBSP Agave nectar

1 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend on high.  Remove and serve right away.

5th Annual Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale

The Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale started in 2009. Every year, a week in April is designated, and groups and individuals host vegan bake sales in their towns to benefit a charity of their choice. Participants sign up at www.veganbakesale.org and promote their cause and ideas thru vegan yumminess. I am proud to say I have participated every year since it began, and have seen it grow in enormous amounts. This year, over 150 bake sales took place, and ours was the best one yet. At Green, we donate $1 from every dessert sold at both locations, and this year raised $649 dollars for the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Boerne, TX. If you live in the area and are unfamiliar with WRR, please take a second to check out their website at www.wildlife-rescue.org. I think you will be impressed with the amount of animals they help and provide care for. They also have a wonderful thrift store called the Squirrel's Nest on the Main drag in The center of Boerne. Please donate to them if you are getting rid of anything, and shop there when you're in town!!

Our menu at Green at Pearl was ginormous, and everything was made by Mia, Midge, and I. Thanks to our BFF Snickerdoodle for helping us too!!!


Cinnamon Rolls
Candy Bar Cupcakes
Banana Split Cupcakes
Hostess Who? Cupcakes
Banana Almond Cupcakes
Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Gluten Free Sno Ball Cupcakes
Chocolate Chip Pecan Brownies
Graham Cracker Pecan Cookies
Gluten Free Twinkies
Almond Pecan Chocolate Macaroons
Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Apple Cream Tart
Chocolate Cream Pie
Peanut Butter Pie
Cherry Berry Pie
Gluten Free Chocolate Cream Whoopie Pies
And, we sold recipe zines, as well as cruelty free cupcake and piggy buttons we made!

The menu at Green at Alon was eclectic too!! Kristen and KD baked there.

Gluten Free Pom Pom Cupcakes
Gluten Free Blueberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Gluten Free German Chocolate Cupcakes
Virgin Margarita Cupcakes
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Hostess Who? Cupcakes
Chocolate and Pecan Brownies
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten Free Almond Pecan Macaroons
Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Thank you to everyone that came to support!!!

Www.veganbakesale.org

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gluten free cookies rule. They are just as easy to make as regular cookies, and even though this recipe is for classic chocolate chip ones, you can easily fold in oatmeal, pecans, peanuts, coconut, or whatever else your heart desires. I use pumpkin purée to add to the soft texture, and it helps keep your cookies light, not dense.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour
1/2 TBSP Xanthan Gum
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 cup ground Flaxseed
1/2 cup cold Earth Balance Vegan Margarine
3/4 granulated Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
5 TBSP. Pumpkin Puree
1 TBSP. Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup vegan, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips


Pre heat oven to 350°.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, preferably a deep one, combine cold margarine, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin.. Use a your hands or a hand mixer to cream together all ingredients and stop when there are no more lumps of margarine. In a seperate bowl, sift together your gluten free flour, Xanthan gum, baking powder, flaxseed, and salt. Pour 3/4 of your flour mixture into your creamed margarine mixture and use your hands to combine and create a dough. Add the last of your flour mixture and finish combining dough should be moist and sticky. Fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and use a small ice cream scoop to portion out your cookies. Flatten them with your hand to be 1/4 inch thick and set them an inch apart from each other. Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on the size you've made them. They should be golden around the edges when ready to be removed from the oven. Let them cool at least 5 minutes so they settle into their shape and firm up. ENJOY.

Obscene Extreme Day 2

All the food I saw inside the Fest was vegan...lucky me.
I ate homemade flour tortillas, delicious chapatas (ciabatta loaf sandwiches), a ratatouille burrito, a burger with mushrooms and pineapple and other stuff...and some super spicy salsa!!! The spiciest one I had was bright yellow, and was served backstage with burritos we had coupons for. The only thing I regret not having while I was there was a piña colada!!! Thank you to all my new friends down in Mexico!!! Especially Chaba and Tiny Parrot!! I had a great time!!

Obscene Extreme Fest Day 1

March 29, 2013
La Marquesa, MX

Today, I discovered the only supermarket near our hotel was a Walmart. I haven't been in one in years because I don't approve of their corporation's lack of environmental responsibility, lack of fair wages, and disregard for child labor producing their items. Not to mention, female employees of theirs are treated even worse than their male counterparts. So, needless to say, it was a stretch for my band mates to convince me if I wanted produce, we had to go there.
When we did go, security followed us around the whole time, and as I frantically searched for hummus, I settled on just fruits, veggies, and bread instead. They have a whole panaderia with all kinds of fresh pastries and bread loaves, and Calum pointed out the oval style rolls called pan agua that he knew never contain dairy. All that Calum bought for lunch by the way, was vegan black refried beans in a bag...anyways, I could smell the guavas from the time I walked near the produce, and I was happy to find a huge section full of the little yellow pieces of heaven. Guava is my second favorite fruit of all time (strawberries being the first), but they are a rare commodity in San Antonio. When we do have them, they are over ripe and bruised badly, so I was ecstatic about my find. (Guava is also one of my favorite Synergy Kombucha flavors!! Try it!!!)
When we returned to the hotel, I made two sandwiches using Calum's leatherman knife and a towel for a cutting board. My friend from Philadelphia, Greg Daly, is staying in the hotel too, so I invited him for a picnic at the duck pond next to the hotel. Our sandwiches had avocado, cucumber, and tomato. Then I quartered a few guavas, grabbed two Indio beers, and we were on our way.
The pan agua was the most delicious, almost hoagie style bread I've ever had. Crispy on the outside, but very soft and fluffy on the inside. The ducks wanted in on our picnic, and hung around us while we tossed them bits of cucumber. Then, Calum, Bryan, and a couple of the guys from Doom came and sat and drank beers with us under the willow tree by the pond. Somehow, these guys didn't hesitate when I invited them across the street to the mall with me to look at a pair of boots I had seen the first day we were here. So, we all made the small journey over to the outlet mall, just to find some of Napalm Death and Destroyed In Seconds, wandering the mall for food. I pointed them in the direction of the Walmart (UGH!), ordered another cafe latte con leche de soya, and my little crew and I headed towards the Mexican style Forever 21, called Sasha. I got the approval from the guys on these dark brown, vegan boots with buckles, and found Calum some black aviator sunglasses. I also bought a white pair of heart shaped glasses (which I collect!!), then we finished our journey back at the Walmart. I stayed outside this time while the guys bought some food and alcohol essentials.
When we eventually made it to the Fest, it was rainy and cold. I used my soup ticket right away and it had zucchini, mushrooms (shiitake I think), and dark greens that tasted like collards. I drank a few Indio beers, but was waiting til after we played to eat. It was 6 hours later that we did play and it was a really strange set. The stage was super lopsided and really hard to keep your balance on. I kind of just took a power stance and stayed there. Also, since it was so cold, my guitar had a hard time staying in tune and my fingers didn't move how I wanted them to. Not to mention, there was an insane amount of colored strobe light effects going on and it made me super dizzy!! Regardless, we got thru the set, and afterwards, Bruce from DIS had started a great campfire in the back, and we were finally warming up. I found a tent making tamales, and ordered one for $15 pesos. It was great because I was so hungry, but it was mostly masa, and barely any frijole filling. The salsa was amazing though. Since I have all day to do whatever I want at the Fest tomorrow, I'm going to eat all day long and try all the different options!! Also, I am gonna shop my ass off because there are a ton of vendors with all kinds of band stuff for dirt cheap (they're bootlegs....)