Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Archives for June 2020

Easy Pickling Recipe for Veggies with a seasoning packet.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Condiments, Gluten Free, Pantry, Side dish, Snacks, Vegan, Wheat Free

While exploring one of my favorite little markets this past weekend I noticed packets of pickling spices. I haven’t used them before but we have quite a crop of cucumbers in our garden and I thought it would be fun to make my own pickles…the way we like them. Using a seasoning packet makes pickling very fast and easy needless to say. This recipe is extremely flexible and so easy. These little jars will sit in our fridge for about 2-3 weeks before consuming. Also, make a great hostess gift if you’re attending a party or bbq.

Tip: Save any glass jars you have in your pantry. My favorite are my artichoke jars that are empty. Perfect for overnight oats or pickles!

Ingredients:

Packet or two of pickling spices
3 cups of vinegar (white or apple cider vinegar are perfect)
3 cups of water
5 tbl of organic white sugar
2 tbl of salt
4 small/medium sized cucumbers
2 large beets
3 jalapenos
1 small red onion
5 cloves of garlic
Dill or your favorite herbs
Other veggies that would work well:
Green beans
Okra
Asparagus
Carrots
Radishes

These are all estimates of portions. Depending on your jars, you can fit more or less. I just prefer to cut the veggies thinner so more surface can be pickled. Place the herbs in the bottom, garlic if using and 1 tbl or so of the spice blend. Then pack in the veggies along with another 1 tbl or more of the spice blend. Then top off with more veggies. Pour the liquid over the top and fill to the top of the jar. Once cooled, place the lid on top and store in the fridge for 2-3 weeks prior to consuming. The longer you allow to pickle, the more intense the flavor.

So for my batch of beets I added no herbs but just the pickling spice and liquid.

The cukes got dill, garlic, jalapeño, spice blend and liquid.

I then pickled the red onion with just the spices/liquid.

I did one jar of jalapeños with spices/liquid.

Add what you love. Have fun with this food project. 🙂


Method:

Into a saucepan, add your vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Turn the heat up to medium and whisk to combine. The sugar and salt will take about 2 minutes to melt. Once done, turn the heat off and allow to cool a bit.

Into you jars, pour the liquid carefully over your veggies filling to the top of each jar. Allow to cool a bit and place the lid on. Refrigerate for at least 2 weeks. The longer, the more intense the flavors.

If you’re pickling beets- my tip is after slicing them add some coarse salt to the palms of your hands and “wash” to remove the red color from your skin. Then wash with soap and water.

Can’t wait to hear what you pickle!

~ox

— Knead to Cook

The best chocolate chip carob cookies EVER. NY Times.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Cookies, Holiday Baking Ideas, Snacks, Vegan

You know those cookies…. the ones you grew up eating. Nestle tollhouse, hot-from-the-oven, ooey, gooey circles of perfection? Yeah… the NY Time nailed it in this kicked up VEGAN version. I morphed it so that my chocolate-allergic (I know, smh) husband could eat using carob chips. But how has this recipe eluded me? I feel like I’m a chocolate chip cookie connoisseur. I mean really, who doesn’t love this all-American staple? Well these cookies, needless to say are heaven. I made them huge! Perfect to be used in ice cream (vegan, of course) sandwich. Warmed up with a matcha latte or coffee. Or frozen…. yep! The original genius recipe can be found here. Okay, let’s get started!

Ingredients:

225 grams or 1 3/4 cup of all purpose flour (I highly recommend organic)
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
140 grams or 5 ounces of vegan butter (I used Earth Balance sticks) room temp.
125 grams or 1/2 cup organic sugar
125 grams or 1/2 cup of brown sugar (coconut sugar doesn’t add as much to the flavor as brown does)
1 flax egg (1 tbl flax meal mixed with 2 tbl water -stirred and allow to thicken for 3 minutes or so)
2 tsp of vanilla extract
12 ounces of vegan chocolate chips or carob chips
Maldon flaked salt (I used smoked salt) but this is optional


Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside. Into your stand mixer, cream the room temp butter with both sugars for about 3 minutes. While that’s working, make your flax egg. Then add it to the sugar/butter mixture. Add vanilla. Then add your flour mixture. Blend until JUST combined. Avoid over-mixing. Then add whatever chips (chocolate or carob) to the mixture and blend by hand. I used a large scoop and scoop out each ball of dough, add to your prepared pan. Then I add a pinch of Maldon salt to the top of each one. I gently push the cookies down a bit. Then bake for 15-16 minutes. I prefer a bit underdone but you do you. If making smaller cookies, adjust the time to 8-10 minutes or so.

When the cookies are done baking, remove the sheet pan and allow to cool and firm up for about 4-5 minutes.

Crunchy exterior, chewy interior.
Devour.

Hope you enjoy! ~ox

— Knead to Cook

TTLA Tempeh Tomato Lettuce Avocado Sandwich.

by Filed Under: Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins

Let me begin by saying we are VERY late to the TTLA game & I’m not quite sure why. I mean we LOVE Whole Foods so…. we’re here & loving it!

This sandwich is perfect for lunch or dinner. And with summer tomatoes fresh from you garden?! Hello beautiful. This sandwich I used my leftover taco Tuesday guac but you can use sliced avocado as Whole Foods OG does. Okay, less chatting more cooking!

Ingredients:
1 package of Lightlife tempeh bacon
Some oil to spray the pan with (avocado is perfect)
Romaine
Fresh sliced tomatoes
Everything but the bagel seasoning
Guacamole or 1 avocado sliced
Vegenaise mayo
Ciabatta rolls, sliced and toasted

Method:

Begin by slicing and toasting your rolls. Set them aside. I heat up my cast iron pan pretty hot, spray with a small amount of oil and add my tempeh bacon. I normally cut the slices in half because they break while cooking normally. Flip after a few minutes of cooking and when they are nicely browned. Cook on the other side.

To assemble:

Take you roll and add a schmear of guac (if using) on one slide and mayo on the other half.
If using slices of avocado, just add them here.
I add mayo to the other slice and top with everything but the bagel seasoning.
I add 2 Romaine leaves to either side of the bread and add tomato slices on top of that.
Pair it up with a pickle and your favorite chips and you’re set! This recipe normally yield 3 sandwiches.

Enjoy!

~ox

— Knead to Cook

Vegan Mongolian Beef with Soy Curls.

by Filed Under: Asian inspired, Gluten Free, Sauces, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

If you haven’t tried soy curls, what have you been waiting for? They are the vegan version of chicken but so much better! Much like chicken, soy curls, once rehydrated, take on any flavor you throw at them. Here is one of my favorite recipes. They are so easy and unbelievably good! I took a stab at my favorite dish, Mongolian beef (minus the beef) and this recipe came out beautifully. As noted, you can bake or pan sauté the soy curls to cook the water out of them and get them nice and golden. The recipe is quite adaptable too, so add more or less of what you love. ~ox

Ingredients:

2 lbs or about 2 bags of soy curls
Water for soaking
Avocado oil

Sauce:

1 tbl of cornstarch mixed
1 tbl water (you’ll need more water to thin out the sauce later)
1/3 cup of liquid aminos or soy sauce
1 tbl of chili paste
1 tbl grated ginger
3-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbl of Hoisin sauce
1 tbl coconut or brown sugar
1/3 cup of water
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:
Black sesame seeds
Green onions

You can cook the soy curls on the stove top or in the oven. Regardless, toss with some kind of oil and cook until lightly golden. For this recipe I cooked them in the oven as I had it on from prior baking. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Begin by dumping your dried soy curls in a big bowl. Cover with hot tap water and allow to sit for 8-10 minutes. Once hydrated, I dump the curls into a large colander and allow to drain for a few minutes. Then I push them down firmly into the bowl to release any extra water. Drier soy curls work best! Once most of the water is out, spread evenly onto a baking sheet and spray with oil. Toss to coat. Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden checking on and tossing occassionally.

Every time I look at this picture I realize I need to make my garlic knife cuts more precise.

In the meantime, add the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Whisk to combine then add that along with the other sauce ingredients to a small pot over low heat. Whisk to combine. If the sauce thickens too much, simple add some water and whisk. I probably added 1/3 cup of additional water as it thickened.

Remove the soy curls and add to a large bowl. Pour the sauce over top and toss to coat. Serve over rice or your favorite grain. I topped with black sesame seeds and green onions.



I’ve linked where I buy my organic soy curls with my Amazon affiliate link. But you can also purchase at an Asian market.

You’re looking for them to get slightly golden but avoid over cooking as they can become too tough.

I hope you enjoy! ~ox

— Knead to Cook

How to make sun tea.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Fruit, Vegan, Wheat Free

Today was our first really hot day, therefore I immediately thought to make some sun tea. Super easy and I love having a pitcher in the fridge for a cool treat instead of water. I’m going to share the basics with a bunch of different options that you can take. Sun tea is super easy to make so fear not, you can totally do this!

So let’s get started…

Into a pitcher, add filtered water. My pitcher holds about 1 gallon of water.
For each gallon of water you want to add 8 tea bags.
I did complimentary flavors of mint and ginger. Please experiment and use flavors you love.
Because I went with mint – I added a sprig of fresh mint from my garden to the pitcher as well.
Allow the tea to sit in direct sunlight for 3-6 hours.

Once the tea is done, remove the tea bags and you may wish to add sweetener. If you do, you can add agave, honey (if you use it) or a simple syrup. Simple syrup is made by heating equal parts sugar and water to the stove over low temp. Stir until the sugar is melted. Allow to cool and you can add as much to your tea as you prefer. We drink it with some fresh lemon and muddled mint leaves with ice. Your choice! Store leftovers in the fridge.


Some other flavors that work really well together:
Fennel and lemon
Turmeric and lemon
Lemon with basil leaves
Breakfast tea with lemon
Mint and ginger
Turmeric and ginger
Berry tea with lemon
Green tea and citrus (orange or lemon slices) or lemongrass
Oolong with a fruitier/berry tea

Can’t wait to hear what combinations you create! Enjoy.

x~

— Knead to Cook

Crumbled skillet spicy tofu.

by Filed Under: Gluten Free, Tofu, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

I’ve been a long time fan of tofu and yes, I know, there are so many bad tofu dishes out there however there are many great ones! I’ve found that extra firm, requiring no pressing, always works best for this type of recipe. It’s firm, holds up well baking or air frying and is perfect in my salads. Today I was in a rush and opted to crumble the tofu and put in my marinade. It worked out so well. It absorbed the marinade completely and sautéed up perfectly. I’m excited to use this in tacos.

The recipe took minutes to make and sauté in a cast iron skillet. Super easy and a great meal prep idea. I hope you give this one a whirl!

Ingredients:

1 block of extra firm tofu (I prefer Wildwood), drained and crumbled
1/4 cup of chili paste
2 tbl of ground or chopped fresh ginger
1/4 cup of liquid aminos or soy sauce
2 tsp of smoked paprika

Method:

Whisk in a large bowl, the chili paste, ginger, aminos and spoked paprika. Then add your crumbled tofu and toss to coat. It will take about 10 minutes to absorb all the marinade. Get your cast iron skillet hot and spray a small amount of oil in your pan. Add your tofu and sauté until golden. Serve hot or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight containers.

*The grated ginger looks to add “hair-like” strands to the dish. It doesn’t impact flavor or texture.

— Knead to Cook

Nut and Seed Breakfast Cookies. Vegan & GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Gluten Free, Nuts, Snacks, Vegan, Wheat Free

I’ve been transitioning away from making breads for the weekly snack as the temperatures rise. They always get too moldy too fast with the humidity (despite my a/c running non stop) so I’ve been whipping up some breakfast cookies. I morphed this recipe to work with what I have on hand and what I wanted to use.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
6 tablespoons filtered water
1 cup rolled oats (certified GF and organic is a must)
¾ cup almond flour
1 tbl ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup chopped pecans (whatever nuts you prefer go ahead and use those)
Sesame seeds for the topping
¼ cup of coconut oil (whatever neutral oil you have you should be able to use)
¼ cup smooth peanut or almond butter
⅓ cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method:
Prepare the flax egg by mixing the water and ground flax. Allow to thicken for several minutes. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. If you have, use a baking mat on your baking sheet.

Once your flax egg is ready, add to you mixer along with your oats, flour, cinnamon, salt, & baking soda. Blend well. Then add your oil, nut butter, syrup and vanilla. Blend. Finally add your seeds/nuts – omitting sesame seeds as I prefer to use them on top of the cookies.

Using a small or large scoop, scoop out the dough and place on your sheet. I sprinkled the sesame seeds on top. Bake for 24-28 minutes – my cookies are large. If you are making tinier cookies, bake for about 12-14 minutes but check them occasionally. Remove and allow to cool and firm up.

Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook