Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Buckwheat Groats Are An Amazing Food

This morning I surfed a link to the movie FOOD INC while eating my homemade rawnola and having tea. It will never show up in my town but a friend has it backordered online. Then after a few other distraction, petition signing and updates on the metro crash I looked back at my cereal bowl and said to my self " I want to blog about organic buckwheat groats".


BUCKWHEAT GROATS - (taken from a book by Gary Null) When roasted these gems are known as kasha. Buckwheat has more then 90 percent of the protein value of milk solids, and more then 80 percent of eggs. A pound of buckwheat provides protein equivalent to a half-pound of beef. It contains high amounts of all eight essential amino acids and is closer to be a complete protein than any other plant source, including soy beans. You can purchase them at a whole foods. I get mine from a the bins at Native Sun in Jacksonville, FL.

Cheers for buckwheat pancakes but that isn't the only thing you can do with buckwheat. Here is a link from the sunnyrawkitchen for granola. This recipe is similar to mine and is flexible to what you have on hand.

Here are links to a couple simple pancake recipes. Of course it is cruelty free of eggs and dairy products which are better for our health, the environment and the baby cows and chickens. ( side bar- did you know that all animals that are confined in factory farms are pumped up to a ripe age of a baby and then slaughtered?. Yes! All the animals that people consume are still babies. That is a fact.

Banana Buckwheat Pancakes, Serves 3 or 4
1 1/4 cups soy or rice milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus more for serving
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or white spelt flour (substitute rice flour to make pancakes completely gluten-free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bananas, thinly sliced

Mix all the wet ingredients together in a small bowl. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a slightly bigger bowl. Add the wet to the dry and stir just enough to combine. Don't overmix which is how you get tough pancakes. Place banana slices on as you cook or afterwards.

Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes by Cassie Young

Pancakes can be a nice "breakfast for dinner" especially in the heat of summer. Sprinkle the blueberries on top of the pancake after you pour the batter into the pan. This will keep the batter from turning blue, which happens when you stir the berries into the batter. 

Dry ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup whole grain buckwheat flour
  • 1/2 cup white flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of salt
Wet ingredients:
  • 1 cup soy milk
  • squeeze of fresh lemon juice
  • 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of Ener-G Egg Replacer
  • 1 tablespoon melted vegan margarine
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • blueberries, fresh or frozen
Directions:
Squeeze a bit of lemon juice into the soy milk and let it sit a few minutes to thicken up. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside. 

Once the soy milk has thickened up, give it a stir and pour a small amount of it into a dish and whisk in a slightly heaping teaspoon of egg replacer powder. Stir the remaining wet ingredients into the soy milk mixture and pour over dry ingredients. Mix batter until ingredients are just combined. Lumps are fine. At this point you can either gently fold in blueberries (if using frozen berries, don't bother to thaw them) or sprinkle the blueberries over the pancake batter after you pour it into the skillet (they'll sink into the batter). 

Cook pancakes in a lightly oiled and preheated non-stick skillet. I use a 1/3 cup measure to pour the batter into the skillet and end up with a total of six pancakes everytime. Serve pancakes with maple syrup. 

Cassie Young's blog Veggie Meal Plans

Gluten Free Pancakes

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Visiting Family in Blairstown and Princeton Junction, NJ

My sister from Texas and I are meeting up next weekend in NJ to celebrate one of my nieces getting married and also to spend some quality time with our Dad and rest of scattered family members. I have 6 siblings which included one set of twins and one set of triplets. I promised my sister in law who is putting us up that I would cook a vegan dinner next Friday night for a group maybe as large as 16 - 20. I often feel like a vegan chef or caterer when I cook for a group but it is rewarding. The menu will consist of Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna, a big salad, bread, dipping sauce and Zucchini Brownies for desert. The vegan recipes are easy to come by but I might have a challenge with the ingredients. I'm an organic snob and may have to settle for the conventional produce, regular sauces and bring tofu, nutri yeast, cocoa and seasonings with me. The lasagna recipe comes from Susan at her http://www.fatfreevegan.com website and she calls it her "Favorite Lasagna" and now it is my favorite for these kinds of occasions or a potluck. The zucchini brownies come from allrecipes.com. They aren't the healthiest but have a lot less fat and oil than some recipes. The trick to these brownies is to read the recipe and follow it exactly.

Update on the garden: We had so much rain in May that my Cucumber leaves got white powdery spots on them. I harvested 2 large ones so far but have to stop the fungus before it kills the plant. I just tried a solution that included baking soda and dish soap. I'm now down to two tomato plants that also look like they had to much to drink.

I'll post some pictures of the NJ dinner and my vegetable garden in about a week..

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Environmentally Friendly Biodynamic Food System

What does an environmentally friendly biodynamic food system capable of feeding everyone actually look like? This film is a blueprint for a post-industrial future. It takes you into the heart of It takes you into the heart of the world's most important renaissance.The outcome of the battle for agricultural control in India may just dictate the future of the earth.

One Man, One Cow, One Planet DVD - Cloud South Films - How to Save the World - Biodynamic Documentar. http://howtosavetheworld.co.nz

PCRM News and Media Center Nation's Weight Gain Attributed to Excess Food, Not Lack of Exercise

PCRM News and Media Center Nation's Weight Gain Attributed to Excess Food, Not Lack of Exercise

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Monday, June 1, 2009

Vegan Food List and tips for Maho Bay Adventure

Update:
The list of foods that I brought to Maho Bay is to extensive to post here. If you'd like to check it out, please email me. At the bottom of this posting, I listed some information and travel tips if you are going to Maho Bay.

Tips for staying at Maho Bay: Bring lots of insect repellant. There may be a lot of mosquitoes on certain parts of the island depending on when it rains and where you are when they hatch. You can plan on detoxing when you get home if you don’t like bug spray. We live in Florida where we have killer mosquitoes but the swarms in Maho were unbelievable. Wear Light colors clothes and leave anything black at home as those suckers are attracted to dark colors. When the mosquitoes are swarming take off to the other side of the island where the wind blows. Go to Ram Head for a great hike, East End for the drive and scenery, have a veggie burger at Skinny Legs or stop at the roadside spicy vegan place in Coral Bay for me. I’m bummed that is was closed when I was there. Rent a jeep and go to Caneel Bay to see the ruins on their property. If there are no mosquitoes – get out and hike as there are trails everywhere. You do not need hiking boots but it is a really good idea to wear a good pair of hiking sandals such as Keens for some of the off-road trails. Always try to bring your snorkel gear with you as you. Have fun and email me if you have any questions.

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