Change and Vegan Hungarian Mushroom Soup!!

I have a few moments! The house is quiet, I have errands to run, but not quite now. I have this hour all to myself. It's morning, the sun is finally coming back to the north! That is a cause to celebrate, no matter what!!! Sickness made a rude appearance in our home, but is finally begrudgingly leaving. So there is much much hope in the air. Regardless of what circumstances may look like in your life, if you live in the north, when the hint of spring comes your way, hope comes with the sun. You may just have to live here to truly understand.

I was reading over the past several entries....Wow! A whole lot of change has occurred in my life since November. I am not sure where to begin. First, our Xmas was a refreshing time with God and family. My relationship with the Lord has simply grown, and continues to change everything about me...what I thought was important, who He is, my utter dependency on Him...for...everything!, and so as a chasm forms between what I believed and was is true...change takes place all around my life, beginning with the inside.

We came home from our vacation and had the opportunity to take in a teenager with her then 4 month old. We jumped at the chance, and prayed through the whole experience (and continue to). It has been a choice that has brought about much more noise, patience, laughter, and joy in our home. The transition is still happening, but it has been smoother than I could have ever imagined. Our family of 5 jumped up to  7. And technically I have become a "nana". I feel very cool! Parenting a teenager is a whole different ball game. I know I am in over my head, so I pray, a lot.

I am officially a Romanian citizen. I was elated to get the paperwork. Unfortunately, it seems when one door opens, all that is on the other side is 7 more bolted doors, and all I have is a feather to try to open them with. In order to get my Romanian passport I must make an appointment and fly out, in person, to the embassy in Washington DC, but I cannot got there without a current greencard. So what should be extremely simple...getting my green-card renewed, apparently is not.  I won't bother you with my rants, but it should be as simple as turning it the paperwork, them sending me to a place to get fingerprinted and have a new photo taken....then voila. The max time that they said they take is 90 days.  I applied on Oct. 1st of 2012, I still have not heard back. Until then, I cannot go to the Romanian embassy. After I get the Romanian paperwork settled and done, I will have to get the American paperwork done, as well.  I am not discouraged, but it is daunting and seems impossible. I must have a current Romanian AND American passport before I can start the actual adoption paperwork. sigh. So I pray, and wait.

One of the biggest changes about having a teenager and infant in my life is the unending hours of driving them around. I have a new route for dropping and picking up kids from school (none of my kids ride the bus) and top it off with doctor's appointments, glasses appointments, and everything else, and you have a mom, very motivated to teach her teen how to drive!

So when I have a moment to finally be in the kitchen, I feel grateful! I came up with this recipe out of a need. Thursday mornings are my favorite mornings. I have a bible study that I go to, and afterwards, I go to a local bookstore and get a salad. The problem is I want their Hungarian mushroom soup!! They have the soup in containers to buy. I stare at them, trying not to hear their taunts "Eat me, Eat me" it calls. Alas, with all the diary, there is no way I ever eat it. Surely there must be a better way. So I set out to make one of my favorite soups, and I was not dissapointed!

Here's what you need:

a medium onion chopped
2T of soy free earth balance (you can use olive oil, but for the buttery taste, I really recommend this!)
2 12 ozs of mushrooms (if you can do a variety of kinds, it's better, more textures)
2T of paprika (the fresher, the better)
1T of dried dill
3T of flour (I used buckwheat)
1 can of coconut milk (I prefer native forrests brand)
3-4 c of broth or water
salt and pepper to taste

super simple....set pot on medium heat, put diced up onions and earth balance, still till onions are translucent....add paprika, dill, flour, and stir......add broth and mushroom.....let heat on high till a slight boil comes on, then let simmer....gently pour the coconut milk, stir...and enjoy!!!

My teenager, who doesn't like mushrooms, gobbled it up, which equals great success in my world!



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Gluten Free Vegan Blondies

It's one of those mornings. I am procrastinating the chores that I have to do outside. It's -8 out, and for us, up in the hills, that is soooo cold! I will have to put on my carhart overalls, a brand name I'd never heard of till I met my husband, and brave the cold to feed the chickens and haul in some fire wood.  I'm by our warm fire, my two younger children, who don't have school, are bothering me to entertain them. The sun is lazily making it's rising appearance (it's 9:30) and I am content to just sit and type.

This year I am making all the presents that we are going to give for Xmas. It's a first. I have completed 2 of the 7 blankets that I am gifting to only close family. I have made various cowls, mittens, and hats for the few outskirts of friends that I feel to give to. In the past I have gotten carried away with trying to buy the perfect gift.....for everyone. I no longer feel that fits me. It's strange to look back and see how much one can change. In the past name brand gifts made me squeal...now, not so much. I'm content to watch my kids open a few gifts, while I sip some warm tea by the fire, with my husband.

This year we are also blessed enough to get to spend the Xmas and New Year holiday season with my bother in law and sister in law, and their mob! My mother in law and father in law will fly down with us and the kids and we will all be together. That is the extent of our Xmas spending. We are all super excited to leave the dark cold and spend it with people we really like, who happen to also be family. There will be 12 children, and I can't help but wonder where our two little girls are. I am praying a lot, as I wait on two countries to answer my paperwork. And it also makes me wonder what next year will be like. Sigh.

On to some recipes

Ever since I first discovered blondies, I became a huge fan! You can bake them in a glass dish, spread the dough, layer with jelly, chocolate chips and then add a little bit of the batter on top....but,  I prefer them in bite size mini muffin tins. It's much easier to ration your portion, or tell yourself..."it's just a little bite".... Oh, but what a bite! (be careful those bites do add up and before you know it....someone ate them all!!)


The batter will harden the more time that it is exposed, so you want to try to add the jelly as quickly as you can. Finding some really good organic jam/jelly and mini chocolate chips is important to this treat. I was using the cascadian farm raspberry jam, but learned that they spent money supporting the fight for Americans to not have Gmo's labelled (proposition 37 in California), so I am promptly moving on to another source. I'll let you know what I find.

Blondies!

Preheat oven to 340 and prepare your pan of mini muffin tray with liners
first your dry ingredients....

1/2c of garbanzo/fava bean mixture (I grind my own and mix 3/4 c fava/1c garb) you can use bob's
1/3c buckwheat flour
1/3c quinoa flour (If you wanted to make this grainless, you could simply mix 1/2c of buckwheat and quinoa, instead of the 1/3c ratios)...ahh! I just saw how expensive this is!! it costs about what I pay for a 25lb bag of quinoa! read below!
1/3c millet flour (again, I buy all these grains, and grind in my vita mix, saves LOTS of money!)
2/3c of coconut palm sugar
1/2t salt
2t of baking powder
1/2t baking soda
1/4c of ground flax or chia (chia is much kinder to the digestive tract)
 --mix all--

add your wet ingredients...
1/3c of applesauce
2T of vanilla extract
1/3c oil (coconut, or whatever you prefer)

 Once you have your batter, you will scoop to the 2/3 of the tins with batter and using a butter knife I put dabs of jam on top followed by a few chocolate chips (4?) and then I add another touch of the batter to top it off and sprinkle a few more chocolate chips

If you're using a baking glass dish, the same would apply...spread the batter on the bottom of the dish, saving some of the batter to plop on top....layer with jam, and chocolate chips...followed by remaining batter and more chocolate chips...bake in the over about 15 minutes..... depending on your oven....when they come out, they will be mushy, so let them cool down before attempting your bite, or cutting into the dish......mmmm!


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Grain-less, Gluten Free, Vegan, Uh-maze-ing Scones

this cracks me up! Big shout out to my friend Kristine who I got this from....

Oh Happy Halloween everybody! I must be candid....this is my least liked of all the holidays. I know, I know.... I have a whole lot of people that enjoy dressing up, and getting candy. But I remember being terrified as a child. It seemed frightening to me that grown ups dress up and try to scare kids. As a child, I hated that it was dark out, and going to stranger's houses, but I did like the candy! Halloween is not celebrated in Romania we celebrated the day of the dead, I have some hazy memories of the day. Massive amounts of people would migrate to cemeteries and put flowers and candles around the graves of loved ones. Though the roots of the holiday are just as creepy, as a child, seeing all those hundreds of candles in the dark, and remembering our elders, hearing stories of who they were.....well, it was way less scary.

My displeasure with the massive amounts of candy given to my children on this day, has increased every year. So this year, instead of trick-or-treating, we did a family party. What's a family party? Well, we sort of made it up. I got the kids each a small toy (legos for the boys and some fairy figurine for Bella) along with a chocolate bar (I love enjoy life's)and an organic lollipop. The all had to perform for Grandma Mary, Toby, and I. We set up a stage, complete with a microphone and speaker. We had a blast, and still got too much sugar! I made some donuts (yes, I'll post the recipe sometime) and we ended it with us all dancing. Much better than trick or treating. It will be a tradition. I decided to wear the very same costume, this year, that I wore 11 years ago, the first day that Toby referred to me as "his girlfriend". It still fits :)

Mommy the school girl (there's a sentimental story to that), Bella the purple princes, Zaya the little ninja, Isaac Darth Vader, and Daddy the big ninja!

I make scones once in a while. They have vegetable shortening, so it is more of a treat than something that I consider healthy. Nonetheless, it's super easy to have handy on those morning when we are running late. And my oldest, and the most difficult to feed, Isaac likes the chocolate chip version, so I make em from time to time.

What I love about these scones is that I can make them with anything. It is the great thing about scones! add fruit to the batter or chocolate chips....or lemon shaving and poppy seeds. The different flavors are a very long list. I also use a scone tray it's cast iron with a coat of non stick (yes, I know). I find it helpful in gluten free baking to have a mold, because often times the batter is runny.

This recipe has no xanthan gum, which i prefer. I made this one with thinly sliced apples that I poured some lemon juice and mixed some coconut crystals with cinnamon powder and then just topped it off on the scone before putting it in the oven, I also sprinkle more coconut palm sugar on top (same thing as the coconut crystals)....because I believe in using less sugar in the batter, and just sprinkling on top. You taste it better.

Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Scones!

Preheat oven to 400
prepare scone dish (or baking pan)

dry ingredients
1/2 c of garbonzo/fava bean flour (you can use bob's, but I like to mill and mix my own with my vita mix 1c garbonzo to 3/4 c fava)
1/2 c of quinoa flour (grinding your own, saves lots of money)
1/2 c of buckwheat flour (read above)
1/4 c of ground chia seeds (I grind mine in our coffee grinder)
2t of baking powder
1t of baking soda
a dash of salt
1/2c of coconut crystals
1T of vanilla extract (I like to make my own)

mix thoroughly and set aside 1c of coconut milk mixed with 1T of apple cider vinegar (this will curdle)

add 1/2c of vegetable shortening mix with a mixer until there are little crumbles
add the 1c of curdled  and add 3/4 c of chocolate chips.... Put in pan and sprinkle with coconut sugar on top...

this happens to be thinly sliced apples with sprinkled coconut crystals on top

bake for 20-25 minutes (I need 22 minutes in my oven)

Once done, they will be soft, so let them sit for 5 minutes before removing....place on wire rack and let them cool all the way down...they will harden....Enjoy!!!

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Grain-less, Vegan, Gluten free, Double Chocolate Chip Cupcake/Muffins

It seems like summer came and left in a very short and abrupt manner. Usually by the time that winter rolls close, I'm ready to switch gears, to inside activities and blazing fires to keep the viscous weather amusing to watch out my window. And not terrifying because the threat it may bring. In the middle of -50 weather, I am always aware of how brutal the elements can be to us vulnerable humans, when I'm in my home staring out my windows as warmth from my oven and fireplace fill my house. But this year, I'm not quite ready.  Currently I'm typing away, as I see the pounding fall wind, have it's way with my kale, chard, and the few other items that remain from my constant months of cutting.  I will miss my garden. The carrots and potatoes are still needing to be harvested. And the tomatoes are still giving me sweet treats to munch on, freeze, or to juice. Tomatoes from a grocery story are a terrible representation of what the fruit actually tastes like. I grew my garden with organic heirloom seeds and tested my tomatoes with two kinds of seed view...the hybrids (done through regular, selective breeding, not gmo, but organic) and heirloom (seeds from varieties that have been around for a long time).....there are two sides debating the quantity and quality of each. I will no longer grow anything but the heirloom! It has been such fun seeing colors and odd shapes, plants I never find at that grocery store place that I'm dreading having to go to during the winter :(

my bounty

But onward and upward I strive to climb. My children have all been in school almost 3 weeks! Yaye!! Except that I still haven't felt that freedom, yet, that comes from having some free time. Why? Well because I have had to go and deal with behavior issues from my oldest and youngest kids...my boys. Parenting is a humbling, humbling, job. I was way better at it when I didn't have children and I saw how other people "where doing it wrong". How hard can it be? I'd think, watching a child throw a fit, and wishing the parent would just pick up the child and spank. Needless to say, I'm eating massive amounts of Humble Pie, and I think it has gluten and casein in it, cause I constantly feel crazy and sick. 

I have also started school...I am studying online through this college....I am beginning with the nutritional consultant program. I spent several hours last night studying all the different parasites and yeast overgrowth that can and often does occur in the gut, that goes undiagnosed, and untreated in America....I am pretty convinced I have all of them! (yep, I think that way). The amount of material and information I need to absorb is overwhelming. But what really overwhelms me is the research documents/case studies that I'll have to put together. In case you, the reader, haven't noticed...punctuality, and sentence structure...is not my strong suit....what can I say? I love dots!

So I've been dabbling in tinctures. I grew echinacea this spring, and the plant just has been happy and growing, so I will post what I'm doing with it, soon.

In the meantime I will divulge the recipe you came for. I have been trying to bake just the right chocolate muffin....for years!!! (I think I'm going to use this recipe for brownies, if anyone beats me to it, let me know how they come out) I came up with this recipe tonight, so that I could have something to stick in my children's lunches tomorrow (I know, right?!). But since I have a great amount of zucchini, I feel good about this judgement call. No zantham gum or starch flours, because, I just don't think either is great for your body (I have deep suspicions about where zantham gum is grown)

Side note, I'm still trying to figure out, why my first cupcake had a piece of glass in it? I may never know the answer to the disturbing mystery, but it happened. I bit in the cupcake and a hard piece was in my gooey middle experience....I was confident that it was an isolated peice of glass...but where did it come from?

Double Chocolatey Goodness Muffins, oh wait, Cupcakes?

So here's what I did... set oven to 350 and set aside 1 1/4c of coconut milk (I used So Deliscious) and add a Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar, the milk will curdle,  (voila, vegan "buttermilk", without puss or blood:) set aside.

Dry ingredients to mix

1/3c of garbanzo/fava bean flour mix (you can use Bob's mill brand) but I simply ground full beans in my vitamix and have a 3/4c of fava to 1c of garbanzo bean mixture, waiting for me in the fridge

1/3c of buckwheat flour (again I grind mine in the vitamix)

1/3c of quinoa flour (it really saves you money to grind your own)

1/4c of ground chia seeds or ground flax (again I recomend grinding your own in a coffee grinder)

1/2c of cocoa powder

1/2c of coconut palm sugar/crystals (low glycemic)

1t of baking soda (aluminum free)

2t of baking powder (see above)

1/2t of salt
mix your dry ingredients nicely....then add

1T of vanilla extract (I make my own...sooo easy, I'll post how with the echinacea tincture blog)

1/2c of coconut oil melted (you can use olive, if you don't have coconut)

now grab a blender (or a grater) and mix some of the curdled milk with a half a medium sized zucchini....(I tend to use about a cup cubed size).... once all blended...add to the batter and mix thoroughly....

scoop up in tins and bake for 22 minutes (fill tins about 3/4 full, they will rise)... this batter made me 15 muffins (be sure to fill the spots without batter, with water, so the heat distribute evenly) ...shout out to my friend, Tiffany Seale for that great tip! 

It's been a full day, good night

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Rain, Rain....oh Bah, vegan French Onion Soup Delight.

It has been raining for the past couple of days....In a fit of complete overwhelmingness, I took out the dvd player from my older son's room. It is summer in Alaska!! and a completely unacceptable thing, is to see my kids indoors playing Ds' and watching television! (winter activity) So I have felt like a judge and referee the past couple of days. (no tv? lot's of interactions) I am a little tired of the rain. And of all of us cooped up in the house, though.

 Some new events in our home are....we have another family living with us for the next several weeks. They have the whole basement to themselves. It has been an easy transition. This is our second time hosting a family, and the previous experience left everyone involved a whole lot more damaged than when we ever expected. But I didn't want that experience to keep me from doing something that I feel we will be doing for the rest of our lives (living with others in community). So when the opportunity to have another family stay with us, presented itself, well, how could we not say a resounding "yes!" The family sharing our house with us eats a whole lot like us, so that has made it a whole lot easier!!! Bella, my daughter, asked me "mom, do they eat like us?" a few days ago.....it made me smile....my daughter is ever aware that we don't eat what the typical American family eats....sometimes it's hard, when you want to fit in...and your mother doesn't think eating processed foods should be the compromise......sigh...

On the plus side, my garden (along with the massive weeds) are growing at rapid rates.... strawberries should be ready in a few weeks, kale should be harvested any day now, and my greenhouse looks like a jungle, as I have tried to use up every available space! I have 20 tomatoes several peppers, 7 cukes, 5 corn, habenero's, and herbs that I love (the basil is already being used)....it can only get better. This year is my first year using my greenhouse, and possibly, my last....as there is this growing longing for a larger garden and for goats and chickens to take care of....My dog Lexi, got into my newly sprouting baby carrots, and destroyed a bed...I can't tell you how bummed out it made me, and how I wished I could've caught her! Since I didn't, she is happily prancing outside following me while I check on the gardens, unaware that she commited a mortal sin....

 So today I made a recipe from here....I only slightly altered the soup to be vegan.....It is by far, my favorite soup. I shall be making it again, and again.....and again....

Vegan French Onion Soup
1/2 c of earth balance (you can use your favorite oil, I used the soy free earth balance)
3 large onions diced (I gotta wear goggles for this)
1 carton of mushrooms (I love the meaty flavor and I think it complements the onions)
fresh sprigs of thyme
a couple of bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 c of dark red wine
1-2 quarts of veggie broth (make sure it doesn't have "natural flavoring" aka msg on ingredient lists, or make your own :)
a few slices of gf bread
sprinkles of daiya cheese

put first 5 ingredients in a pot and let simmer till onion is tender and caramelized (30-40 minutes depending on your onion cut)

meanwhile preheat oven to 350 and spread some earth balance on your bread....bake bread with butter for 5-10 minutes and then add sprinkles of daiya cheese.....

after it's the onions' ready, add 1 c of dark wine and let simmer till the wine evaporates....mmm... go ahead and add 1-2 quarts of veggie broth and bring to boil.....then reduce heat

cube up the gf toast with daiya and stick desired amount in bottom of a bowl.... scoop up some soup and slowly eat, so you can fully enjoy the extreme flavor delight.....yum!!!

I can almost smell the soup....mmmm...

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Quinoa patties, please! vegan style!

When I decided to cut out meat (hello china study information), it was a gradual process. I can't quite remember the day or time that that i made that decision...it just kinda became something I didn't eat because I didn't feel good eating it....but when I did, I went to garden burgers, from their I went to vegan burgers (amy's)...but as I cut out gluten from my diet...all the processed vegan "meat" substitutes that had been very helpful in my transition, now were not so "healthy" to me....the ingredients always had gluten and then some other unknowns.....so, I have started making my own veggie patties....they are very easy to make. All you really need is patience when working with the batter, since it doesn't hold the same as animal flesh :) i have used rolled oats, any assortment of veggies cut up small.....and the seasoning is whatever you prefer.  Remember to add a binder like ground flax or chia seeds....

I take these type of patties with me when we go to family barbecues.  I keep them in the freezer for whenever I'm feeling like biting into some flavor. Here's what i did with this patty...first set the pan on medium heat. I prefer cast iron pans, but any will work. Also, set up some parchment paper because that is what you will want to transfer your patties onto.

Vegan Quinoa Veggie Patty

1 1/2c of cooked quinoa (cook like rice 1part quinoa to 2 part water/broth)
1/4c of ground flax
1/4c of chia seeds (or you can just double the flax, if you don't have chia)
1t salt
1t pepper
1/2-1c of blanched kale (you can use fresh spinach, whatever type of frozen or fresh greens available)
1/4c of filtered water

make sure your green veggies are cut up into small pieces...then mix all the rest of ingredients in a bowl. Put a tablespoon of preferred oil (i use olive).  You will need to form your patties.  I will usually set down a nice handful of the batter in a ball shape on the pan, and gently push it down to mimic a hamburger patty, with my spatula. About 3 minutes each side is all you will need. Transfer to your parchment paper, let cool down, then stick in freezer.  Once patties are frozen, you  can transfer the patties into individual baggies, ready for whenever you crave some.

i prepared this for Toby on fermented spelt buns that i make....but for me i put it on my raw cracker, spread some hummus and topped off with cucumber and tomatoes. Needless to say, it was a flavor party, and my taste buds danced!

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Vegan Black Bean Soup

it's been a very mellow day...the temperature is hoovering around 0 degrees (a heat wave, compared to the -40 week we had)...i stayed home most of the day but had to drop off and pick up kids from school....i was able to do my yoga x (i am currently in the middle of doing my first round of p90x) and bake and cook....i made some red curry for dinner, and attempted to make a soft, fluffy, light, gluten free lemon/apple cake.....it did not come close to soft or light....sigh.....i will keep on keeping on.....

one of the most difficult things about making food for my family has always been the question "what should i make for dinner?"....breakfast is easy...savory or sweet? lunch has a way of doing it's self....but dinner usually has it's expectations...lol....i used to think what am i going to make...i don't anymore...well, it's not that i don't ask myself that, anymore. it's that i ask "what do i have in the fridge that needs to be used?" this has changed how i cook. it's not stressful to come up with something, anymore.....so if i see a gorgeous produce in the the organic section..i buy it and come up with something to make out of it (i love to juice veggies). i also have bulk bins with beans (black, white, and garbanzo) for meals....i prefer to have them dry, they store better, do not have bpa.....and are very convenient....it wasn't too long ago that i couldn't even tell you how to prepare beans (they come in a can right?). but times have changed. the only issue with dry beans is that you actually have to have the foresight to plan a meal with them the following day, because soaking helps break down the outer shell protection that is hard to digest (aka gas!).  i decided to make another soup this week using black beans and great northern(white). it came out great, but toby and i had quite the experience jumping around and doing our cardio after beans (never again)...

i made this soup without any tomatoes (but you can add them, half the water and add a can of diced tomatoes) because i get terrible acid reflux from tomatoes (i refuse to stop eating them).... this is a great, thick, warm, satisfying soup....with lots of great flavor..here's how to make it

Vegan Black Bean Fiesta Soup

 2-4 cups of water (or veggie broth)
1 medium onion
2 cans of black beans or 2c of black beans
1c of great northern beans (or just add another cup or two of black beans, i just like the color contrast)
1 colored pepper (red or orange....optional)
1 carrot sliced
1 garlic clove (i use my garlic press)
2T of olive oil
2 celery stalks
1/2t of cilantro (the only recipe that i can actually tolerate cilantro)
1/2t of oregano
a few fresh sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2t chili
1/2t of cumin

salt and pepper to taste


warm up a skillet then stick the diced onion and oil together...add sprigs of thyme and bay leaves.....as the onions start to soften...add diced celery....and let cook  some more....go ahead and add all the spices....i prefer to let the spices mingle in the beginning....add carrots and peppers and garlic....then add the water or broth (i made my own broth, you can also use some of the water from cooking the beans....) and finally add the beans....bring soup to boil and let simmer for 30 minutes this is when the salt and pepper are adjusted and tasted.....as the soup cools i add half the mixture in my vita mix (blender would work just fine) and blend away....i get a creamy, but still lumpy soup...... top off with tomatoes and jalapenos.....enjoy!

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