Organic – Page 21 – morestomach

blueberry pie smoothie – vegan

Published on August 12, 2014August 11, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach12 Comments

now that the summer
is beginning its wind down
— the days being cooler
— the nights dipping into the 60s
and i can’t decide if the
AC should be kept on or turned off,
we’re finally getting our groove on
with smoothies
and we’re gonna shut the shop down
in a few short weeks
because i don’t want to start
the day freezing my ass off.
figures, right?
it’s a lush time
of ripe peaches
precious leftover blueberries
i’m already lamenting about autumn
and we still have a good 2 months till then!
i’ll shut up now.

last week we picked up running again.
my goals remain the same:
– run safely, no injuries for this girl.
– finish. it may not be pretty but get it done.
after our first run
dw introduced me to a new juice/vegan/hippy/smoothie joint
it is now my new jam
and this smoothie was inspired by them.
(i will admit
that i’m pretty sure i’m negating my run
by consuming their smoothies
but i don’t care.)

blueberry pie smoothie
makes 4 cups, serves 2-4, depending on how generous or stingy you are

note: i didn’t exactly measure everything. it’s all about consistency, how thick or thin you like it. the first time i made this, i used kefir milk (which, btw, is 99% lactose free and i’m able to consume it without wanting to die. WIN!) and for this post, i kept it all vegan. if you don’t have a blueberry pie hanging around, make with fresh blueberries + honey granola or an oatmeal cookie.

2 slices of blueberry pie
1 container of vegan yogurt (6oz), i used Stoneyfield’s O’Soy Yogurt in vanilla
1 cup vegan milk (more or less…), i used almond milk
handful of ice, optional

if you plan this ahead well, make almond milk ice cubes.

in a vitamix, put in the pie slices and vegan milk. whiz until well blended. add the yogurt and whiz some more.

at this point, it’s ready for consumption. it might be thick so you could eat it with a spoon.

you can thin out with more milk (or water). i like to add ice cubes. dw typically doesn’t drink his smoothie until about an hour after i’ve made it, when he’s sitting at his desk at work so the ice keeps it cool and thins it out a little.

either way, it’s delicious. i like the idea of having dessert for breakfast and having the entire day to burn it off.

BAM!

other blueberry recipes:
blueberry clafoutis
blueberry jam danishes
blueberry breakfast cookies

one year ago today:
homemade goldfish crackers!

homemade thai iced tea

Published on July 28, 2014July 24, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach16 Comments

it was a much anticipated week —
one that would bring
joy & laughter,
likely some self examination
(indeed, much reflection)
along with ample weather indecision:
storms & sunshine abound!
for 7 days dw & i hosted
our nephews,
jewel of boys,
long limbed and boisterous,
sweetly affectionate (still.)
(ps. please always be affectionate.)
infinitely curious
boundlessly active.
and so to add to all that frenzied energy
i made thai iced tea
because you know,
adding caffeine + sugar to all that
seemed like a good idea.
plus, it’s one of Q’s fave beverages.

thai iced tea
serves 2-3

note: i am not a tea connoisseur, so i emailed a new fave blogger, Bonnie of Thirsty For Tea for some tips. bless her heart, she was so patient with my incessant questions. under her tutelage i bought the tea from teavana, because the three regular cafes and supermarkets i went to didn’t have what i was looking for. also, don’t be alarmed that the finished product doesn’t have a neon orange hue to it. i did all the freaking out for you. i was worried that i messed the recipe somehow. apparently, thai restaurants and cafes/shops that serve thai iced tea use a mix or add the color artificially. i didn’t know, now i do, and so do you. you’re welcome.

4 cups water
4-6 tsp thai black tea
3-4 tsp simple syrup (just water + sugar, i keep this on hand always in the fridge)

i brewed the tea in my coffee press. bring water to a boil. meanwhile, measure out the desired amount of tea. the package says 1-1.5 tsp for every 8oz/1 cup. i didn’t want too strong of a drink, as Q is only 12 and i’m not sure about giving kids too much caffeine or whatever.

pour boiled water into press carefully. allow to steep for 2-3 minutes. i may have let it go for 5 minutes, i was busy making dinner. carefully press down the plunger. pour the tea into a carafe or in my case, a jar. allow to cool. refrigerate.

to serve, fill a glass with ice. pour tea about 2/3 of way. sweeten with simple syrup to taste, top with half/half or non-dairy milk.

BAM!

pickled beets + urban picnic

Published on July 21, 2014July 21, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach13 Comments

i’ve been into quick pickling
this summer,
mainly because we have a glut
of vegs,
also because
it’s good for digestion,
and because
we have a lot of jars,
either i chuck ’em or use ’em.

when i’m in a mood
and food is the last thing
i want to play with,
we have picnics,
stuffed heaped on bread,
though not as fancy as this,
still very satisfying.

what’s your fave pickled veg?
(and, can you send me some?)

pickled beets

*note: this is the kind of recipe that is going to require you to use some common sense. beets vary in size, you might like your beets more tender, or more al dente. this is just a guideline.

12 small – medium beets, scrubbed and peeled
drizzle of oil (olive oil, i used organic canola oil)
dry italian seasoning (though fresh rosemary or thyme would be nice)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vinegar
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice berries
2 -3 wide strips lemon zest
3 – 5 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks

heat oven to 400F.

meanwhile, with netflix going (i was watching Arrow, i think i’m gonna hit up The Returned next), scrub beets and peel. (i have a love hate relationship with this step. you can roast them first and then it’s easier to peel the skin away while warm, but i find that messy, with oil and random bits of herbs sticking to your hands. it’s up to you.) cut up any large beets so they’re all approximately the same size. place beets on baking dish lined with large piece of foil. drizzle with oil, top with italian seasoning, salt/pepper. cover with another sheet of foil and roast for 45min – 1 hour, until beets have reached desired doneness. this time around i made them tender, but the batch before that were toothier. do what you like.

when beets are warm to the touch, slice them up in either 3/8″ rounds or wedges. (i’ve done it where i sliced the beets before roasting, which made for much quicker roasting time, again, up to you.)

meanwhile, stir sugar, salt + 2 cups in sauce pan. bring to a gentle boil and stir until sugar dissolves. take off heat, stir in the vinegar and remaining seasonings. allow to cool.

in clean mason jars (or in our case, our huge 1/2 gallon mason jar) put the beets in a layer formation. (note: you can also add in sliced onions or cucumbers). half way up, pour a bit of the brine in, along with the various seasonings. continue to layer up with remaining beets and pour the rest of the brine into jar. if there is any leftover space in the jar, add a bit more water & vinegar (1:1 ratio) to top.

refrigerate for a day or so and consume. they do last awhile, just remember to use clean utensils when extracting the beets from the jar to keep from contamination etc.

BAM!

also pictured:
dutch oven bread
bruised cucumber salad

blueberry clafoutis

Published on July 14, 2014July 13, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach19 Comments

i’ve talked about it before
living in the city
has its perks
the vibrancy
the nearness of things
the anonymity
and for me,
the hilarity of it
but sometimes,
just sometimes,
i get that inkling for country living.
the abundance of space
the friendliness
and the farmland for berry picking.
come the warmer months
you’ll likely find us
hands in the dirt
picking some gem or another
it’s just like heaven.
i like to think this dessert
has the perfect balance
of fancy urban life
and laid back country charm.

it’s quiet around here
that’s how summer is,
you know?
hope yours has been just a lovely.

blueberry clafoutis
note: to make this gluten free, use whatever gf flour you like to use, like almond flour. local milk made a gorgeous one recently.

1 ¼ cups coconut milk, i use SO Delicious
6 TBL sugar
6 eggs
¾ cup spelt flour
3 cups blueberries
zest of lemon & juice of half lemon
icing sugar, for dusting

preheat oven to 425°.

grease a 9″ baking dish/pie pan. set aside, forget about it.

in a vitamix or blender, add the coconut milk, eggs, salt & lemon juice. blend until combined, add in the flour and blend until smooth.

pour into prepared pan, then distribute the blueberries evenly throughout. sprinkle with the zest.

bake 30 – 40 minutes, though check on it at the 30 minute mark. depending on how deep your dish is, the middle might still be liquidy. you want the finished product to be nicely browned on top and have some jiggle in the middle. mine puffed up a smidge while in the oven but sank as it cooled.

to serve, sprinkle with icing sugar.

best at room temp, and i prefer it the next day. it reminds me of a denser flan.

BAM!

3 veggie dumplings in spicy sauce

Published on June 24, 2014June 23, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach32 Comments

inexplicably
i’ve been stressed lately,
last week i spent an
inordinate amount of time
fretting over the overabundance of greens
we picked up from our csa.
we went all in this summer,
doing a full family share,
with the thought process of
hitting the stores less,
eating salads more,
thereby providing us with more time
to do other things,
like
fret apparently.
by mid week,
with just barely a dent in
our stash of foliage,
i was decidedly despairing
over the potential of verdant decay
in the fridge
before the next csa day.

—

my discontent has merged
in other areas —
i’ve discovered white strands,
slyly mixed in with the ink
black of my hair,
making it stark in contrast.
i’m so vain i know.
then,
like any other person who goes
through the comparison game
i almost damn near shut this space down.
i’m so dramatical i know.
so what to do?
what do i generally do when i need
some perspective?
i take a break,
i simplify,
i purge.
and that’s exactly what i did.
my rss feed,
purposefully limited,
was trimmed further,
as was the twitter & ig space.
it’s nice to not carry around all
that clutter.
as pushed over the ledge
by this read,
from my fave ballerina baker.

—

this dish is simple:
3 main ingredient filling,
comprised of summer freshness,
it’s light in bulk
so you won’t be left feeling
like donkey ass.

3 veg dumplings in spicy sauce
inspired by olives for dinner
makes 22 dumplings/gyozas

1 1/4 cup fresh peas, i don’t like frozen but it’ll do if that’s what you’ve got
garlic scape, amount up to you, i used just one coil & it was plenty fine
handful greens, i used dinosaur kale, though chard, arugula, spinach are fine
1 tsp sesame oil
1/8 cup (more or less) chickpea flour (any flour would do, i just happened to grab this)
salt/pepper to taste
dumpling/wonton wrappers (the kind i had on hand were made of wheat flour, but if you’re able to find rice flours ones, then this dish would be entirely gluten free)

sauce
1 TBL light soy sauce
1 tbTBL dark soy sauce
1 3/4 cup hot homemade stock
2 TBL chili oil
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sugar

in a food processor whiz up the garlic scape and greens, you want it to be fine and almost mushy. next, whizz the peas, you don’t want it mushy, you want it to be kinda chunk, there may even be some whole peas. transfer mixture into bowl. add in the sesame oil and salt/pepper. if the mixture is wet, add in the flour, you don’t want it super dry, but you don’t want it wet that it will soak the wrappers. use your best judgement.

add about a teaspoon dollop per sheet, and shape however you want, just ensure that it is fully sealed.

you can either steam them, boil them or fry them up. i went the fried and then steamed route.

heat up a pan with a bit of sesame oil. put the gyoza in a fan-like pattern in the pan, fry them, covered, until the bottoms are nice and crispy. pour in 1/4 cup of water and cover, being careful of splatters. steam for about 5 minutes and remove lid, making sure all the water has evaporated.

for the sauce/soup, heat all the ingredients in a sauce pan. you can either dip the dumplings in the thinned out sauce, or you can just pour the soup/sauce over the dumplings.

BAM!