Oat and Chocolate Cookies

This recipe is loosely based on Loving It Vegan's Oatmeal Cookies. 

Ingredients
150g rolled oats
125g Dove Farm SR flour

115g vegan butter
100g (200g) light brown  sugar
3 Tsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tsp oat milk

90g vegan chocolate (I used Cadbury's Plant Bar Chocolate with Almonds)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Cream the vegan butter and brown sugar together. Then add the syrup, vanilla and oat milk. Mix well. 

Add the flour in batches, then the oats. Lastly, add the chopped chocolate, and mix.

Roll the dough into around 20 balls. Place on a lined baking sheet. Give the dough lots of space to spread.

Bake for 12 minutes. The edges should be firm and the tops lightly browned. They will be soft but will firm up while cooling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool and firm up directly on the tray.

Notes

1. Americans use 'oatmeal' to mean 'rolled oats'. Strange, but strange.

2. There was too much sugar in this recipe. It meant the cookies when cooked and cooled had a distinct snap to them. Not the sort of cookies I was after. Next time I'm going to reduce it by 50%.

3. However, I'm going to tweak this recipe with the 200g of sugar and make Florentines. To the mix, I'll add flaked almonds, candied peel, and cranberries. The chocolate will be melted and drizzled over the top.

4. The original recipe said they will keep in a sealed box for 1 week, or 3 months in the freezer. It would be interesting to be able to test either of those claims!

Buckwheat Pancakes with Salmon in a Lemon and Garlic Sauce

Ingredients
2 cups buckwheat flour
3 cups oat milk

1/2 cup water

pinch of salt

6 slices of smoked salmon, or 2 cooked salmon fillets

125g cream cheese

2 Tsp mayonnaise

1tsp garlic powder

chopped fresh herbs

lemon slices

Method

Mix the buckwheat flour, oat milk, water and salt in a bowl. 

Lightly oil a crepe pan, bring to a low-medium heat. Pour enough batter into the crepe pan to coat the bottom, but not too much. Flip the pancake when cooked on one side, and cook the other. Place the pancake on a plate lined with a clean cloth. Cover the pancake with a cloth to keep the heat and moisture in.

Repeat until the batter has been finished.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder and herbs. If you are using fillets of salmon, break up the salmon into flakes and add to the bowl. Mix until combined. If using smoked salmon put it on a plate.

Place some of the cream cheese mix onto  a pancake, (add the smoked salmon if using), roll up, and serve with fresh herbs, lemon wedges and a salad.

Good Bye, Good Dog

We can't quite believe it. We've had our final walk with Ava.

The medication prescribed for Ava helped her a great deal. However, the damage done to the disks in her spine caught up with her, and she was finding it very difficult to walk. 

We've taken the hardest decision, and went with tears in our eyes to visit the vet. She took one look at us and knew why we were here. I put on a pretense of wanting her opinion. The vet, Louisa,  was very kind and listened to my description of Ava's deterioration. I then asked for her opinion. She replied that in our position, she would put the dog to sleep. Technically, that's when we made the decision, but we knew the day before that Ava would not be coming home with us.  

Ava was given a sedative, and we sat around her telling her what a good dog she was, and that we loved her. Then Louisa gave Ava the final injection, and she slowly stopped. There was one spasm, and it looks so much like Ava was snuggling into C for one last hug. 

A friend said, "Better a week too early than a day too late."  If we'd left it any later, I don't think Ava would have been able to walk. It would have been very distressing for her. 

A terrible decision to make, but ultimately the right one.

Breaded Chicken Breasts in Orange Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups of gluten-free died bread crumbs

2 oranges

2 tsp of garlic powder

2 tsp dried mixed herbs

pinch of black pepper

1 egg, beaten

5 chicken breasts

oil for frying

2 Tsp lemon juice

1 Tsp gluten-free flour

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

Zest the orange into a flat dish with the breadcrumbs. Add the garlic powder, herbs, and pepper. Mix well.

In a separate dish, beat the egg.

Heat oil in an oven-safe skillet.

Dip each chicken breast in egg, and then in the breadcrumb mixture. Then add to the skillet. Fry on a medium high heat until golden brown. Then cook in the oven for 20 minutes, until the chicken has been cooked.

To make the orange sauce, juice, and strain the oranges. Add to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Mix the lemon juice and flour into a slurry, and add to the orange juice. Stir until the sauce thicken. Adjust seasoning.

Notes

Serve the chicken with mashed potatoes, vegetables, and the orange sauce. Add lemon or orange slices, and fresh herbs to garnish.

Stilton and Walnut Scones

Ingredients

225g gluten-free SR flour (I used Dove Farm Gluten-Free)

50g butter

100g Stilton cheese

50g walnuts

1 egg

milk (the egg and milk together make 150ml)

1Tsp wholegrain mustard

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 220C.

Rub the butter into the flour. Cube the Stilton, and chop the walnuts. Add to the bowl. Break the egg into a jug, beat it and then top up to the 150ml mark with milk. Add the wholegrain mustard.

Mix the milk/egg mixture into the flour. Line a muffin tin with silicon or paper case. Evenly divide the mixture between 12 cases. Bake for about 10 -12 minutes.

Ava- Update

On Saturday, Ava was prescribed two forms of medication for pain. We were warned the gabapentin might make her sleepy.  And it most certainly made her sleepy. She did not want to get up for her night time walk. She wouldn't even get up to have a wee in the garden.

We've decided to only use one medication for a little while so she can get used to it. Then we can add in the other one when it becomes necessary. This will be less of a shock to her system.

A mattress has been moved down into the dining room. Ava and I are sleeping there now. She was delighted not to have to climb the stairs to get to her bed.

Chicken Piccata

This is an incredibly tasty recipe. We are not fond of capers, so leave them out. But the lemon, garlic and butter sauce packs such a punch it stands without the capers.

Ingredients

4 chicken fillets

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp ground black pepper

2 Tsp olive oil 

3 Tsp butter

2 Tsp lemon juice

(3 Tsp capers)

1 lemon, sliced into wheels

chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Method
Preheat oven to 200C.

Season the chicken thighs generously on both sides with pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. 

Heat the olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the butter, lemon juice and sliced lemon.

Transfer to the oven, and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, and scrape up and mix in any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Plate the chicken and pour the sauce over top. Garnish with fresh parsley. 

Notes

This is wonderful served with steamed veggies and rice.

Ava's Diagnosis

 

Ava has been with us for just over a five years. She is now 13 and a half years old, which is a good age for a large dog. However, she's been finding it harder and harder to stand up from lying down, and her ability to walk safely on laminate floors has plummeted.  'Bambi on ice' is a good description.

We've been to visit the vet today, and mentioned her problems. Whilst the vet was examining Ava she found a lump on an anal glad. The vet became serious, and explained she had found a tumour, and that it was most like cancer. This was most definitely not the news we were expecting to hear.

The vet has recommended palliative care for Ava. This is based on her age, and hip/spine problems. We agree. We don't want Ava to be put through CT scans, surgery, chemo therapy, etc. She is an old lady, and we want the rest of life is good, and with as little pain as possible.

Afterwards, we took a car trip to the beach. The humans had hot food (it is January!) and Ava had ice cream. She was delighted with this. We then had a walk along the promenade, said hello to puppies, and received cuddles from other humans. 

Large Gift Bags

 

A good few years ago, a faux silk duvet was placed in the dryer. It did not go well. The faux silk melted in a few places, and resulted in crunchy, brittle fabric. It was no longer suitable for use as a duvet cover.

However, I still loved the fabric. Instead of tossing it out, I chopped it up and made it into gift bags. These bags have been used again, and again. Birthdays, Christmases, other gift giving times, these bags have been use.

Over the years I have made more fabric gift bags. This Christmas, I was so very smug. I'd managed to make enough gift bags for all bar two Christmas gifts. And, today, I added to their number. These bags are big enough to contain a chunky sweater, a dressing gown, a large jigsaw.

Stilton and Broccoli Soup

Ingredients 

2 tbsp oil 

1 onion, finely chopped 

2 large potatoes, diced 

1 knob butter

2l stock

1kg frozen broccoli

450g Stilton

Method

Into  large soup pan, add the oil, and cook the onion until soft. Then add the potato. and  knob of butter. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the broccoli and stock. Bring to the boil. Then lower to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Cut the Stilton into chunks, and add to the soup pan.

Using a blender,  blitz until smooth. 

Notes

This soup freezes beautifully.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

Ingredients

4 Tsp olive oil

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

0.5 tsp ground turmeric

2 large onions, cut into chunks

8 large carrots, cut to chunks

4 parsnips, cut into chunks

1 Tsp chopped garlic

2 Tsp shredded ginger

2 litres vegetable stock

1 tsp dijon mustard

2 Tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 220C.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, coriander, cumin, and turmeric  Add the onion, parsnips and carrots. Mix well. Spread over a heavy baking sheet, then roast for 30 mins. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook for 5 more minutes.

Put the veggies, stock, mustard and lemon juice into a blender and process until smooth. This will need to be done in batches. 

Bring the soup to a simmer, and check seasoning.

Notes

This soup freezes beautifully. 

It is wonderful with croutons, or a sprinkling of mixed seeds.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Curry

Ingredients
2 Tsp oil

1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic

1Tsp ginger, grated

700g sweet potato, cubed

1.5 Tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

400g coconut milk

200ml vegetable stock

300g cherry tomatoes

400g black beans

300g green beans

Method

Heat the oven to 200C.

Heat the oil, and par- cook the onion and sweet potato. The idea is to get a bit of colour onto the veggies.  Add the chopped garlic and ginger. Then add the coconut milk, stock, curry powder, lemon zest  and cinnamon. Transfer into an oven-proof dish and cook for 30 minutes.

Add the green beans and black beans, stir, and top with the tomatoes. Cook for another 20 minutes.

Serve with rice.

Notes

The original recipe used lemongrass instead of lemon zest, but I really don't like lemongrass. It also called for 400ml of stock, but this made the dish very, very runny.  

We are not a fan of HOT, so I cut the curry powder down from 3 Tsps to 2. Next time I make it, I'm going to try 1 and a half.

Update - eating curry on a regular basis increases ones tolerance for curry powder. We're back up to 2 tablespoons.

Mini Dauphinoise

 

Ingredients

800 g potatoes thinly sliced

4 tbsp double cream

4 tbsp grated fresh parmesan

cooking/olive oil spray

2 garlic cloves crushed/minced

Method

Pre heat oven to 200c.

Grease a 12 hole muffin tin with olive oil/cooking spray.

Add cream, parmesan, and garlic to potatoes and mix, making sure slices are well coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Divide potato mixture evenly between muffin tin holes.

Bake for 50 mins or until potato is cooked through and the tops are crisp.

Chicken and Spinach Pasta

Ingredients

500g pasta
500g cooked chicken strips
2 x 480g jars Dolmio Carbonara Pasta Bake sauce
300g frozen spinach
100g grated cheese

Method
Pre-heat oven to 200C.

Cook the pasta. Defrost the chicken strips and heat them through in a large saucepan. Add the two jars of sauce, and bring to a simmer. Crumble the frozen spinach leaves. Add the pasta and spinach to the sauce. Mix well.

Place the saucy pasta in a large glass baking dish (35x25cm). Top with grated cheese. Bake for 25-ish minutes until hot and the cheese has melted and become golden brown.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
200g (7 oz) margarine, cold

125g soft light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g plain flour (Dove Farm gluten-free)
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp sodium bicarbonate
200g dark chocolate chips
1 Tbsp non-dairy milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Cream the margarine, sugars and vanilla extract. Sift in the flour, baking powder and sodium bicarbonate. Mix until well combined. Add the milk, and then the chocolate chips.

Roll the dough into balls, and place on the baking tray. Leave lots of space as these cookies will spread during cooking.

Bake for around 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool on the baking trays.

Asparagus and Basil Pasta

Ingredients

300g penne

300g asparagus

150g cherry tomatoes

40g pine nuts

4 Tsp olive oil

black pepper

50g basil, plus a few sprigs for garnish

Method

Cook the penne until al dente. Drain. 

Peel the bottom third of the asparagus and cut on the diagonal into about 2cm pieces. Rinse and halve the tomatoes. Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until golden brown and set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan and gently sauté the asparagus pieces for about 5 minutes. Season. Add a little water. When the asparagus is tender add the tomatoes just until warm, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the drained penne, the pine nuts, and the basil. Toss to combine.

Transfer to plates and serve garnished with basil leaves.

Back to Decluttering

The time has come to get back to decluttering. I have attacked the dining room. Amongst the haul were 10 fat quarters. All were bought from Joan's, and now they are returning home.

Work in the dining room yielded  around 91 items, and I scoured the house for other items to bring the total up to 100. In a group I belong to, there's a challenge to declutter your pantry. This I did and found an empty jar waiting to be returned to the farmers market, two items way passed their use by dates, and a small bottle of oil. Nope of us were happy with the flavour of the oil, and so it was ditched.

Tofu Tacos

Ingredients

1 Tbsp oil

100g extra firm tofu, drained

3 Tbsp soy sauce

400ml  passata (or can of tomatoes, blended)

1/2 tsp medium curry powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 can of red kidney beans (~450g)

Method

Crumble the drained tofu into a bowl.

Mix the soy sauce, passata, curry powder, garlic powder, cumin and black pepper.

Heat the oil in a skillet over a medium high heat. Then add the tofu and cook for about 5 minutes. Whilst this is cooking, drain and rinse the kidney beans. Add the kidney beans, and tomato sauce mixture to the tofu and cook for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture will become brown and fragrant.

Serve with tortillas, lettuce, tomato, vegan cheese, and mayo.

Lightly Spiced Chickpeas with Feta

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas (about 450g) 

1tsp garlic granules 

1tsp cumin 

1/2tsp medium curry powder 

1tsp dried coriander 

3Tsp lemon juice 

3Tsp orange juice 

3 Tsp oil 

50g cranberries 

Method

Heat the chickpeas according to the instructions on the can. Whilst that is happening, mix all of the other ingredients in a bowl. Drain the chickpeas and add to the bowl. Mix well, and put in the fridge, for a few hours, preferably overnight.

Serve with a mix of basmati and wild rice, salad leaves, and small cubes of feta. 

Notes

I used vegan feta. For someone who doesn't like hot, spicy foods, it hit the mark rather nicely. For people who like HOT, you'd need to add a shed-load of chilli powder.

February 2022 Review

 

The goals were the same as last month, to lose 3kg, make or remake an item of clothing, and to try a new vegan recipe.  

Three kilos have gone.

The Dancing in Paris wrap skirt has been completed, and a crocheted shawl has been started.

The vegan recipes I've tried this month are:

• Shepherd's Pie
• Pea and Lentil Soup
• Tofu Stir Fry

and an old recipe rediscovered, Banana and Walnut Muffins.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients

300 g granulated or caster sugar
65 g cornflour
1 pinch of salt
235 ml oat milk
115 ml water
235 ml lemon juice
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
15 g vegan butter

Method

Mix the cornflour with the water, and then into the oat milk.

Into a saucepan, place the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and turmeric powder. Stir in the cornflour-water-oat milk mix. 

Over a medium heat, cook the ingredient, whisking continually. After about 5 minutes, the lemon curd will be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the vegan butter. 

Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally. Then transfer into a sterilised glass jar. Store in the fridge.

Banana and Walnut Muffins

Ingredients
280g plain GF flour

1tsp baking powder

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

3 ripe bananas

110g sugar

90ml oat milk, or water

90ml vegetable oil

60g-80g walnuts

Method

Prepare muffins cases. Preheat oven to 190C.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and sugar. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas, and mix in the oat milk, and oil. Stir the two together until just mixed. Add the chopped walnuts, and give a final stir.

Spoon into the cases. then bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned. 

Pea and Leek Soup

Ingredients

700ml vegetable stock

2Tsp vegetable oil

1 large onion

1 large leek

2 large potatoes

500g frozen peas

2Tsp lemon jiuce

4tbsp mixed seeds

10g fresh mint

Method

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add finely diced onion and potato. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes, then add sliced leeks.  Continue to cook until the vegetables have softened but have not become too brown.

Add the stock, cover with a lid and cook on a low to medium heat for 10 minutes

Add the frozen peas and 300mls of just boiled water and let simmer for a couple of minutes - until the peas are cooked through. Blend the mixture until smooth. Add the lemon juice and stir.

Serve the soup,  and garnish with a tablespoon of the seeds and a sprinkle of chopped mint.

Notes

The original recipe did not have onion it. I added it before even making the recipe once. After the soup was made, I added lemon juice as the soup was dull and lifeless. The addition of the lemon juice perked it up.

Dancing in Paris

At the shop we have a new fabric distributer, and we now have access to a huge range of Moda fabrics. The one that really caught my eye was from the range, "Dancing in Paris".  This will become a summer, wrap skirt for me.

Started: 4th February 2022

Finished: 17th February 2022

Fabric: Dancing in Paris

Amount: 1.75m

Two pieces (85cm by width of fabric) were cut. The fabric was stacked right side to right ride, and a seam sewn along one of the selvedges. This was pressed open. Six darts were sewn, two in the front, two in the back, and two in the wrap section. These were my hand width long, and two thumb widths wide. The side and bottom edges were hemmed, and the skirt ironed.

A strip of 5cm by width of fabric was cut. This was cut in two, to make the ties for the skirt. A tie was folded over (rs togetheer),  sewn along the cut sides, It was turned inside out, and pressed. The second tie was worked in the same manner. 

The waist of the skirt was turned over, and the ties pinned in place. This was sewn down, taking care to ensure the ties were securely fastened.

Thoughts on Vegan Shepherd's Pie

I made the Shepherd's Pie the night before, but didn't assemble it. It 'rested' in the fridge overnight. This made for a very easy weekday meal - assemble and put in the oven for 40 minutes. It was also rather tasty.

Next time I make it I'll use clapshot instead of mash. That will add another layer of taste.

On the whole, very tasty, and worked well as lunches the following day.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

1 Tsp olive oil

6 mushrooms, finely diced

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

3 cloves garlic

1 Tsp soy sauce

1 Tsp Worcestershire sauce

300ml passata

1 tsp mixed herbs, dried

250ml dried red lentils

250ml red wine

250ml vegetable stock

Topping

4 large potatoes

4 Tsp vegan butter

120ml oat milk

1 Tsp  olive oil

salt and pepper

Method

Saute the onions in the oil. Add the carrots, and mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes. Then add the garlic. Cook for 3 minutes more, then add the lentils, red wine, stock, passata, herbs, soy sauce,  and Worcestershire sauce.

Meanwhile, make your mash potato for the topping.

Add your potatoes to a medium saucepan and cover over with water. Place the pan over medium heat & cook the potatoes for around 10-12 minutes, or until they are soft enough to mash.

When the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a colander draining away the water. Let the potatoes dry for 2-3 minutes, then pass them through a potato ricer to mash them. Stir in the milk, vegan butter, olive oil and seasoning. Set the potato aside until you’re ready to top your pie.

When the lentils have cooked, and the liquid has reduced to a sauce, transfer it to your baking dish and top with the creamy mash. 

Bake for 25-35 minutes, at 180C, or until the mash on top has gone crispy and golden.

Serve right away.

January 2022 Review

 

My three goals for January were to lose 3kg, make or remake an item of clothing, and to try a new vegan recipe.

Losing weight was 3kg.

My new skirt is rather missing. The pattern was created, and as I was going to cut out the pieces I realised the fabric had been sun-bleached, and so wasn't suitable. The plan for this fabric is to set it aside, and use it for a straight skirt when I have lost more weight. I'll make 2 items in a month later on.

We are enjoying the Spiced Parsnip soup, the lemon and poppy seed muffins, and also the onion and walnut savory cake. The pumpkin falafels were a pile of 'meh'. One of the local shops has falafels, and they are rather nice, we've been eating them instead. 

Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredient

250g self-raising flour (Dove Farm Flour for gluten-free)

100g white sugar

20g poppy seeds

1Tsp chia seeds

3Tsp water

240ml apple juice or oat milk

90ml vegetable oil

1 lemon

icing sugar

Method

Prepare muffin tin with paper or silicon muffin cases. 

Preheat the oven to 190-200°C.

Put the chia seeds and water in a bowl, leave the seeds to swell.

Place the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix.  Grate the rind of the lemon into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the chia seeds. Mix the contents of each bowl.

Combine the wet with the dry, mixing thoroughly, but quickly.

Divide the mixture between the 12 cases, and bake for 22 minutes.

 

Whilst the muffins are cooking, use a lemon reamer to extract the juice from the lemon. Strain the lemon juice. Slowly add icing sugar to the lemon juice, stirring as you go. This will be about 3Tsp of icing sugar. Combine it well. This is the lemon glaze.

When the muffins have cooked and are still hot, spoon a little lemon glaze over each one. Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes, and then place on a cooling rack.

The muffins freeze well, but they are best served warm. 

Onion, Spinach and Walnut Savory Cake

Ingredients

Onion marmalade

2 Tsp olive oil

4 large sweet onions, thinly sliced 

3 Tsp balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 Tsp light brown sugar

1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme

Cake

1 1/2 cups plain, gluten-free flour

1 Tsp baking powder

1 tsp  salt

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp medium curry powder

2 Tsp chia seeds

6 Tsp warm water

1/2 cup  yogurt (vegan)

5 Tsp olive oil

1 cup spinach (coarsely chopped)

1/3 cup toasted walnuts, (chopped)

Method

To make Onion Marmalade: Heat oil. Add onions, and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar, brown sugar, and thyme, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 40 minutes, or until onions are caramelized. Cool.

To make Cake: Preheat oven to 175C. Line loaf pan with parchment paper.

Mix the chia seeds and water in a bowl. Then measure, and chop, ingredient. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices in bowl. Mix chia seeds, yogurt, and oil in separate bowl. Stir the wet mixture into the dry. 

Fold in the spinach, walnuts and 1/2 cup  of onion marmalade. Spoon into the loaf pan, and bake for 45 minutes.

Notes

This would be great for a buffet or picnic.

Christmas Under the Stairs

 

Whilst the Beloved was taking the decorations of the Christmas tree, I was busy under the stairs decluttering, organising and tidying.  This large cupboard is used to store the Christmas tree, all the decorations, the recycling boxes, cake decorating supplies, and a number of  small kitchen appliances. 
The space has been re-organised - the items used most frequently are now most easy to reach.  

The Christmas tree and decorations have been decluttered and put away too. 

A Vegan Cook

 

A new person , F, came along to Shut Up and Write. She is a friend of MJ and also DH. As well as being friendly, she is a vegan cook, and works in one of the local cafes. She has given me some tips and pointers for falafels.

F suggested using a bit of cinnamon, and some curry powder to bump up the flavour, and agree with the addition of onion and the need for more fresh herbs. She also said pumpkin and butternut squash were to soft and squishy. Grated carrot would give a better texture.

Something I am finding is vegans are incredibly supportive of others learning to cook vegan foods. They are patient and kind.

Second Day Falafels

Oh my goodness! The difference a day (and an onion) can make. 

A quarter of the falafel mixture was left in the fridge overnight, and this morning, half a grated onion was added. The falafels were shallow fried, and placed on top of my lunchtime salad, along with some garlic cream cheese (vegan).  So much better! SO MUCH!

It was still too sloppy, but there are plans in place. Next time, I'm going to use a couple of sweet potatoes. These will be roasted in their skins whilst another meal is being cooked. The spices will be bumped up, as will the parsley and garlic. A grated onion will be added too.

I'm also wondering about whether it would be worth trying to deep fry them instead of baking or shallow frying.

My plan is to experiment with the new falafel recipe on Saturday, and to leave it overnight in the fridge. This has the potential to create a really quick and easy meal if the work can be done the night before, rather than straight after I come in from work. 

Pumpkin Falafels

 

I tried a recipe for pumpkin falafels, and it achieved a rating of 'meh', but interesting also 'has potential'. 

My new blender is not a suitable bit of kit for this recipe. It wasn't able to blend everything, and there were huge chunks. Water was added to try to enable blending. It worked (sort of), and naturally made a very sloppy mixture. The potato ricer worked far, far better. 

The plan is to switch to sweet potatoes, and roast them in their skins in the oven whilst cooking another meal. I'll also increase the spices, and the parsley to see if that makes a difference.

I'm generally reckoned to be a pretty good cook, and it's weird learning to cook in a new style, and finding practise is most definitely needed.

Spiced Parsnip Soup

Ingredients

4 Tsp olive oil

2 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp ground cumin

0.5 tsp ground turmeric

2 large onions, cut into chunks

8 parsnips, diced

4 large carrots, diced

1 Tsp chopped garlic

2 litres vegetable stock

1 tsp dijon mustard

2 Tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 220C.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, coriander, cumin, and turmeric  Add the onion, parsnips and carrots. Mix well. Spread over a heavy baking sheet, then roast for 30 mins. Add the garlic and cook for 5 more minutes.

Put the veggies, stock, mustard and lemon juice into a blender and process until smooth. This will need to be done in batches. 

Bring the soup to a simmer, and check seasoning.

January Goals

• lose 3kg
• make or remake 1 item of clothing 
• try 1 new vegan recipe

The excess me created during lockdown has gone, but there's more of me to go. 3kg a month seems like a very achievable goal.

After the year of buying no clothes, I had a very hard job finding clothing I actively liked. The result was 10 new identical (bar colour) tops, and two pairs of trousers. The linen trousers could not stand the strain, and the crotch has gone. I'm going to remake the remaining fabric into a skirt, and use a bit of the left over material to patch my navy cord skirt. 

The vegan mushroom soup was not a success, but I'm hopeful other recipes will be better. 

Christmas Sweater

One of  the Beloved's Christmas presents this year was 12 balls of King Cole Explorer Super Chunky in the colourway Raleigh. This is being worked into a sweater. 

I'm roughly following a pattern.  The largest size is two sizes too small, so I'm grading it to fit. It was also written as flat pieces to be worked separately, and then sewn together. This is not my style at all! This sweater is being worked in the round, and will have Raglan sleeves rather than drop sleeves.... oooh, I'm going to make a 4 stitch cable pattern going up the Raglan.

The pattern was also created without a chart for the cabling on the front and back. One of my tasks this morning is to take the jumble of numbers and letters, and make a pretty picture. 

Mushroom Gloop

 My first attempt at Mushroom soup was not a success. It started out as a vegan experiment, and was only rescued by the addition of a pair of chicken stock pots, and half a pint of double cream!  These additions moved the soup from the 'It's food, I suppose' into 'Yeah, it's okay...ish'. 

My next foray into vegan soups will be spiced parsnip. This sounds like it has the possibility for tastiness.

Decluttering Clothes

From July 2020 for a year, I took part in a challenge not to buy any new clothes. There were a couple of exceptions, underwear and emergencies. The challenge went well, and I only bought two items outside of the exceptions - a party dress and a wrap.

In August, I bought 10 new tops, and two pairs of trousers. These were to replace worn out clothing. The worn out items have yet to be disposed of. That's what happening today. I'm going to go through my clothing and declutter.

In the past, I've asked such questions as:

• do I like it
• do I wear it
• does it fit
• does it need to be repaired

This year, I'm going to take a different approach. I shall be thinking about what I need and want, and whether my current wardrobe meets those needs.

I need 3 pairs of pjs, 2 night shirts, 3 bras, 14 pairs of knickers, 14 pairs of socks, 5 pairs of woollen socks, 5 pairs of tights, 2 slips, 2 strappy tops, 1 swim suit, 14 tops, 4 pairs of trousers, 4 winter skirts, 1 party outfit, 3 jackets, 5 sweaters, 5 cardigans, 5 pairs of shoes. (Closer to summer, I'll look at what I need for warmer weather.)

My clean clothing has been sorted and decluttered. As I work my way through Mount Washmore, I'll declutter as I go. 

Back to Decluttering

Decluttering isn't a 'once and done' event. It needs to be done again and again until people can find a balance of things entering the house, and leaving it. I'm good at decluttering, but woefully bad regarding bringing new items into the house. 

Being the boss, means I decide when the shop opens, and closes. This means the shop closes between Christmas and New Year to allow the staff to have a good long holiday. For me, this is 10 days. Three of these days have been used. One day for Christmas celebrations, and two days doing very little apart from resting. Now, my need to 'accomplish stuff' has kicked in, and it's time to turn my mind to decluttering.

• declutter DVDs
• declutter games
• declutter jigsaws

The grand total from this round of decluttering is 12 DVDs. In previous years, it's been far more. The objective is not to simply get rid of stuff, but to get rid of the things we don't need. I would happily have said goodbye to much, much more, however, I'm not the only person in the house who has a say in it. 

Contentment

 

The last few weeks have been busy. I've been working 6 days weeks, and staying late. But this weekend, I have two whole days off. I am relaxed. I am content.

There's some things I want to do, like make an apple crumble, a lemon cream cake, mend my grey sweater, and a bit of decluttering. Mostly, it will just be a time to relax, and not think about work. It's about closing my eyes, deeply inhaling the smell and sounds of the sea, and smiling. 

Currently, I'm sitting in a cafe, looking out at waves crashing over rocks. The sea is fascinating colour #B9BBB6 - a mid-light grey-green, with the tips of the waves being white. It's a misty day, with a soft grey sky. The whole vista is desaturated.

I love watching the sea.

Hello, October!

 

The start of a new month, new things to do, new creative outlets to explore. 

This month, I have a few things to accomplish:

o new passport

o create pumpkins for the shop

o create bats for the shop

o declutter, deep clean, and tidy the loo and bathroom