Happy Chanukkah! Vegan Latkes, Organic Gelt, and Dreidle Madness

Shalom!  Mazel Tov!  All that good stuff!

It's the third day of Chanukkah, and thus far I have eaten about 20 latke's and an entire jar of apple sauce.  It's wonderful.  I love it--it's good being Jewish.  Why?  'cause everything tastes much better when I'm Jewish, as opposed to when I'm not Jewish.  Make sense?  It should!  MmmMMMmmmmMMMMmMmm!

I was lucky enough to have found some Organic, Fairly-traded and Vegan Gelt this year.  Whoop whoop!  Want some?  Just visit Mama Ganache's online store.  Get to gettin' while the gettin' is good!  And when you get at gettin', I challenge you to a Du-Du-DUDUDUDUDUEL... with dreidle's.  I am so going to win.  And if I can't win I'll just frustrate you and keep spinning my dreidle off of the table like an adamant, not-happy-when-I-keep-losing 10 year old child.  Heed the warning.  And if you don't know how to play with dreidle's properly (what have you been doing with your life?  Go back to start!), then you can read-up on the basics here.

I'm actually rather exhausted at this moment.  I have officially entered 3 recipes in to the Cupcake Category for Earth Balance's 3rd Annual Holiday Bake-Off, and that $&!# is effin' EX-SAWST-EENG (exhausting. Derp!).  I am hoping to win.  I wanna win.  I am doing visualization exercises, imagining myself having an AMAZING TIME in Las Vegas.  I am so going to win.  And if I don't win the "Grand Prize" I'll at the very least PLACE WELL and get my name out there, which will turn-out to be the best thing.  I can't loose.  There is no such thing!

Without further adieu I now share with you my simple, delicious, and o'course VEGAN latke recipe!  


What I listened to while I wrote this blog:
Shake Your Bon-Bon - Ricky Martin
(click to watch/listen) 

6 ingredient Vegan Latkes
10 large potato's
2 red onions
Sea Salt (I like Celtic Sea Salt), about two dashes
Black Pepper, two dashes
3 tablespoons High-Heat Sunflower Oil
3 tablespoons Millet Flour or Garbanzo Bean Flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease 2 stainless steel cookie sheets with oil and set aside.
Grate the potato's and onion in to a bowl.  Add the black pepper, Sea Salt, Oil and Millet or Garbanzo Bean flour.  
Pick-up about 1/2 cup of the Latke mixture and squeeze it tight between your hands, getting out much of the liquid out of the vegetables (and obviously the oil).
Form in to about 3 inch diameter, dome-shaped "balls" and set on to the cookie sheet.
Once you have 1 tray filled, put it in the oven.  They should take about 20-25 minutes to cook completely.
You should get about 12 to 14 Latkes if you follow this recipe exactly.
Top the latkes with Apple Sauce and dairy-free Sour Cream.  



Mazel tov?  Mazel tov!  NUNGIMELHAYSHINNNN!

Love, Aubrie

Aubrie is an avid food blogger.  She lives on a farm, listens to 90's music, and likes to eat Latke's with perfect proportions of Apple Sauce and Sour Cream.

Crazy Delicious Carrot Cake Cupcakes w/ Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Almond Buttercream

Another day, another dol-errr, blog post! 


I have been watching Extreme Couponing a couple of days per week (I watch it on-demand on Netflix) and man, has it ever got my antsy to do some couponing of my own!  The hard part about couponing for me is that I eat almost 100% Organic food, and I use only biodegradable, ethically sourced, chemical-free cleaning products.  Well, even though I haven't figured out how to save as much money (or in some cases MAKE money!) as the people on this show save (but I wouldn't eat that so-called "food" any way!) I HAVE learned a few things from them; such as look for sale items in the store, see if the store has a coupon for that item, and then see if they'll allow another coupon to be used with the sale item that they already have a coupon for.  It's also helpful to know ahead of time what items might be on sale.  For example; I took into consideration that it is the Holiday Season and stores put things that are commonly used in Holiday dishes (think chocolate chips, tea, sparkling cider and apples for pie) on sale.  Well, if I can figure out which items are on sale then I search the interweb to see if I can find even a .50 cent coupon -- it adds up!  Collectively between 2 stores I save about $18, AND since I use my own bags at the store I get an additional .10 cents, .05 of which goes to the local Food Bank, so it's a double feel-good whammy!  Yippee!

If you want to start couponing then type in the name of the company that you want a coupon from in to your browser (I like to type something like, "Ecover Printable Coupons") and search around.  It's not always huge savings, but it adds up!  I figured that if I saved $18 every two weeks that I would save $36/month on grocery and household items. Multiply 36 in to 12 (for 12 months in the year) and I would save $432 yearly.  See!  That IS a lot of savings!  And if you can get items on sale AND use a coupon then your pockets will definitely be singing a happy money-saving song.

And now, before I share with you the recipe that you came here for I must, must MUST rave about Daiya's Jalapeno Garlic Havarti wedges. I found them in the dairy/dairy-free section at the grocery store, and even though it was not on sale I snagged myself a package and took it home where I made a Daiya/Tempeh/Baby Spinach sandwich in the cast iron pan.  Delish!  If you haven't yet tried this dairy-free cheese then you're missing out.

Now, on to the recipe!

While I wrote this blog, I listened to:
That's What You Get - Paramore
(click to watch/listen)

Crazy Delicious Carrot Cake Cupcakes w/ Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Almond buttercream

I love these little cupcakes--and other people do, too!  In fact my friend's, Meredith and Brad love these cupcakes SO MUCH that they hired me to make them 100 of them for their wedding this summer (flowery cupcakes featured below. I stuck Calendula flowers in each cupcake).  I have never made so many cupcakes in my life, and I certainly don't want it to be the last time that I make that many cupcakes (although I wouldn't mind having someone to prep and clean-up after me).
They are the perfect mixture of softness, chewiness, and crunchiness!  I love adding various spices to this recipe, too!  This is such a strong, delicious little cupcake that you can try-out almost any spice or spice mix in place of the ones I recommend, I believe that the flavour will often (if not always) turn-out super-swell.  This little cupcake is a definite crowd-pleaser, and makes for a great little gift – to you or to someone that needs a little somethin’-somethin’.

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose Gluten-Free flour

 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg 
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
2/3 cup brown sugar or Sucanat 
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
1/3 cup Earth Balance Original Soymilk (or other dairy-free alternative)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup raisins

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 325.  Line muffin or cupcake tin with 12 cupcake liners.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, oil, coconut cream, vanilla, flax seeds and lemon juice/vinegar and freshly grated ginger, leaving the dry spices out for now.  Whisk until smooth.
Add the carrots, chopped pumpkin seeds and spices.
Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir until no clumps remain.
These cupcakes are dense and very moist because of all the fresh carrot.

Fill the cupcake/muffin tins ¾ of the way full.  Bake for about 10 minutes, but be aware that gluten-free flour cooks a little fast so I would recommend sticking a toothpick or fork in to one of them at about 8 minutes to see if they are done (the utensil should come out relatively goo-free).
When they are done remove them from the oven and let them sit in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack or a plate by an open window.  Top generously with the Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Almond buttercream (below).  You can put use pumpkin seeds as a garnish (featured above) and sprinkle them lightly with cinnamon to make them extra appealing.

Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Almond buttercream

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
3 cups of confectioners’ sugar, sifted if clumpy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon Almond Butter


Directions: cream the shortening, Earth Balance Buttery Spread, Vanilla, Brown Sugar Cinnamon and Almond butter together until fluffy, then sift in the sugar in 2 batches, mixing between the first and second batch.  
You can cut this recipe by 1/3 if you are going to spread the butter cream instead of piping it.  I prefer piping!

XOXOX

Love, Aubrie

Raw Chocolate Pumpkin Spice "Cheesecake", Anime, and Daft Punk

Another recipe, another joy.

And yet I am putting up two in the same day?  What kind of insanity is this?!  It's the kind of insanity that I enjoy.  But before I share the recipe with you, you'll have the opportunity to engage with me on an intimate level.  Maybe you didn't know this about me but I have one heckuva history with Japanese Animation, or for short; "Anime".

I recently started watching Ouran Highschool Host Club -- FINALLY!  I had read some of the manga before I had ever watched any of the anime, but I was looking for a fun, non-sadistic and romantic-comedy anime series to indulge in; and boy have I ever indulged!  I can (proudly?) say that I was awake until what felt like well after midnight the other night, watching it obsessively.  After I turned off the television and powered down the Wii, I went to bed.  I laid there wide awake for another half an hour or so, thinking, "if I keep watching Ouran like this then it's going to be over too quickly.  There aren't that many episodes in the series, and I'll be really sad when it's all over, and even sadder if it's over in a couple of days.  I really should slow down the pace that I am watching this series at!"
I feel a bit like someone whom knows their relationship won't last for very long but doesn't want it to end too quickly, because it's really fun.  I am trying to recall the last time I was ever love with an anime series like this?  I don't think it's been since I discovered FruBa/Fruits Basket, Full Metal Panic?: Fumoffu, and Strawberry Eggs. Ahh, the beauty of romantic comedies (although I still get a pretty intense knee-jerk/laughing reaction when I watch Golden Boy and Kekko Kamen.  Oh boy.)




Raw Chocolate Pumpkin Spice "Cheesecake"

I came up with this recipe on the fly.  It was just a couple of weeks ago that I put it all together for a Gentle Thanksgiving, and it's been on my mind to remake ever since.  It is absolutely amazing tasting and has a robust pumpkin flavour, which is greatly complimented by the chocolate base.  Mmm, just thinking about it makes me smile.  I am very pleased with this creation.  It truly was a stroke of creative, delicious genius.

While I wrote this blog I listened to:
Daft Punk - Digital Love
(Click to watch/listen)



What you'll need:
Food processor

Vitamix (you may use a food processor, but the consistency will be chunkier.  Which is delicious, too!)

Springform Pan

Wax Paper

Ingredients:
For the base
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raw Chia seeds
1 Tbs raw almond butter
1 1/2 cup raisins
2-3 Tbs raw cacao power or cocoa powder
1 tsp Celtic or Himalayan Salt

For the "Cheescake"
2 cups raw dates (I prefer Medjool), soaked
2-3 cups raw pumpkin, roughly chopped in to 1-2 inch pieces.  If you are using a food processor I recommend making the pieces as small as possible.
3/4 Tbs Pumpkin Pie Spice, plus 1 tsp (optional)
1/2 cup Earth Balance Coconut Spread, melted
Pinch of Celtic or Himalayan Salt
1 tsp chia seeds optional

Directions: 
Cut the wax paper to fit into the bottom of the spring form pan, set aside.
In a food processor, combine the seeds, raisins, cacao or cocoa and salt.  Pulse until well combined with a sticky consistency.
Slowly pour the base into the spring form pan and press it down so that it reaches all edges, making it as level as you possibly can.  I find that a very small, circular jar (shot glass, anyone?) works well for making the top smooth and flat.

Melt the Earth Balance Coconut Spread in a small saucepan over low heat, keeping the temperature as low as possible. Note: This may take a few minutes if you have it in medium to large chunks.  I recommend making the pieces as small as possible or doing this step before you begin mixing ingredients in the food processor to allow plenty of time for the oil to melt.

Put the dates, pumpkin, salt, and the melted Earth Balance Coconut Spread in to your Vitamix or food processor.  Pulse or blend until well blended, making it as smooth as possible.  Pour the spices in and blend/pulse for about 5 seconds in the Vitamix or 10 seconds in the food processor.  Use a spatula to scoop the "Cheesecake" into the spring form pan.  Top with a pinch or two of chia seeds and spices if you like!

Set in the refrigerator to set-up for about 30 minutes.  Great served with coconut ice cream or eaten on it's own.  I love eating this for breakfast.  It is a truly yummy and nutrient rich way to start your day, and is also quite filling!

Enjoy! ~Aubrie

Nixie's Little Nom-Bombs (cookies), Earth Balance: 3rd Annual Holiday Bake-Off, and to top it all off I think I am turning Japanese!

Good-afternoon, folks!

It's a gnarly, rainy day in Washington state and I am happily cuddled indoors on my extremely "fluffy", "cushy" couch.  Need I mention that my infamous laptop is doing a fine job keeping my legs warm? (even though my feet are now resembling freezer-burned Popsicles)

I love rainy days.  Especially rainy days where I am forced outdoors due to a mandatory prior engagement  What could I possibly schedule into my life that would force me into such a vulnerable position?  Why getting all 4 horses hooves trimmed o'course!  Not to mention I took the time to fully clean out the duck/chicken night house and brush and super-hydrate the goats with Vega Electrolytes .  They seriously love those electrolytes!  I scrubbed out all of their feed buckets and then I filled one bucket with hot-hot water and electrolytes, set it in their barn and 1/4 of it was gone within about 10 minutes!  Dietrich wasn't too keen on sharing with the girls, Euncine, Gladyse or Alice though, so I gave them some other treats while he drank.                                            

(Pictured right, from front to back: Alice, Eunice, Gladyse)

I have continued the life-long process of learning Japanese.  I got the first collection of Pimsleur Japanese I from my local library a few years ago and never took the time to finish it.  Well, I have recently started becoming more-'n-more interested in learning more languages, and challenging my brain so I opted to check it out again.  I am also eagerly anticipating Pimsleur's Korean I, but I am 8th on the list of people waiting for it, so... I'll just have to eagerly await it's inevitable availability a bit longer.

In the midst of all this busy-ness, I took the time time to look around as I was running errands and did notice that a local Mexican restaurant, Tres Gringos Tamales, has put the glorious word "Vegan" on their menu; which I had not noticed prior to seeing it today, even though they have happily made me Veg-Friendly food in the past, per my request.  The menu features a variety of delectable Vegan items that have delighted my taste buds in the past, and by the pitter-patter of my plant-powered heart they will likely grace my taste-buds yet again, and again... and again.  To be perfectly honest, I strongly recommend that you solicit these awesome folks for some delish grub!  Make sure you give them a call first though, 'cause it's not a "walk-in and eat" style restaurant.  You have to pre-order items that will be made the day they are in their kitchen, which they rent and must share the time and space with other culinary gods and goddesses.

Alright, alright.  I bet you're wondering when I am going to share with you my absolutely amazing cookie recipe, right?  Well, now's the time babe!  But first and foremost, make sure that you check-out the music that I am diggin' on right now.  Yes, this is a mandatory step in the cookie-creating process, so-much-so that I will actually insert it as a step into the "Directions" section.

Just so you know: I am entering this exact recipe (and two others) into Earth Balance: 3rd Annual Holiday Bake-Off, in hopes that I will be the grand-prize winner and be honoured with a trip to Las Vegas, PLUS $1,000.  I know that I will at LEAST place well, if not win.  And if I don't win anything this year (I'll cry), then at least I would have learned something AND put my delicacies out there, right?  Right!

  

Nixie’s Little Nom-Bombs

Created by Aubrie Rose Keegan

Nixie was a goat.  I started, although have never really begun; a business that I named after her, called “Nixie’s Kitchen”.  Needless to say Nixie was an adorable little Lamancha Doe, and also had brown and white colouring.  I decided to make a “token cookie” that represented my business idea and Nixie herself:  this cookie is what I came up with!  These little cookies, filled with delicious chocolate, coconut, oats, flax and raw pumpkin seeds are dedicated to her (don’t the ingredients sound like things a goat would just love?); hence the name.

Note: I use mostly, if not ALL, Organic ingredients.  If you want to experience the true, unrequited love that these cookies will give to you then you oughta put your money where your oven mitts are and... don't burn the whole house down.

While I baked these treats, I listened to:

The Vapors - Turning Japanese

(click to listen/watch)

2 Cups of Gluten-Free oats

2 cups, plus 1 tbsp. Gluten-Free all-purpose flour (I use Bob’s Redmill)

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of Celtic or Himalayan Salt, finely ground

2/3 cup Earth Balance Coconut Spread, melted (coconut oil works well, too)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup cane sugar

1 Cup firmly packed brown sugar, or another dark sugar (Sucanat, Coconut Palm Sugar)

½ cup non-dairy milk
2-3 tablespoons ground Flax seeds

1 cup shredded Coconut (I prefer a medium shred)

¾ cup Chocolate Chips or Chunks

1 ¼ cups raw pumpkin seeds

Directions:
TURN ON MUSIC THAT I SHARED, ABOVE!

Preheat the oven to 325 degree Fahrenheit.  Cut 2 pieces of non-silicone coated parchment paper to fit your baking sheet, and set aside. 

Put a few large spoonfuls of Earth Balance Coconut Spread in a pan on a med/low heat to melt.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, flax, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.

Now whisk  the oil, sugars, nondairy milk, flax seeds, and vanilla into the dry ingredients.  Mix in the coconut, chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds before the mixture is fully combined. 

You can make these cookies any size that you like, but I have found that a cookie the equivalent of 3 tbsp. to ¼ cup works well.  Feel free to experiment.  Wet your hands lightly with water before rolling the dough into little balls, as this mixture is really sticky and dry hands make it harder to roll.  Flatten the balls a bit when you put them on the cookie sheet, and make sure to place them about 1 inch apart as they will spread.
Place on the center of the rack in the oven, and allow to bake for about 7-8 minutes.

Remember: gluten-free flour burns more easily than regular flour, so the shorter baking time makes them less likely to burn.
Pull them out of the oven and allow to set for about 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack, or a plate by an open window (yes, I am old fashioned and enjoy this method best!).

*if you do not eat these cookies straight away, when they are completely cool make sure to place them in a container or an airtight bag in the refrigerator.  The Earth Balance will harden a bit at room temperature (assuming your room isn't over about 75 degrees!) or colder which will bind the cookies and prevent them from crumbling.  You may also freeze these cookies and pull them out at a later point.  Make sure they are completely cool before putting them in a container, though!

Bon appetit!

Sweet 'n Salty Coconut Blackberry Cupcakes

Wow, it has been quite some time since I last updated my blog!  I must say that I have been handling quite a lot, and although my lack of frequent posts is obvious my life is still hustling and bustling along, with a hitch or two tossed in for the sake of my character developing well.  Whew!

So, I'm backatchya with a great little cupcake that I just "invented", and it's called...

Sweet 'n Salty Coconut Blackberry Cupcake
I love this little cupcake, and so does anyone who's tried it sooo... here's the recipe!

Please note: I am writing down the ingredients and instructions based on how I begin the process and throughout assembly.  It may be a bit unconventional but it works well for me, so I hope you find it easy to follow.  Feedback is always appreciated.

Please use ALL ORGANIC food items, folks.  For your health, and for the sanity of the world.  Thank-you!

While I baked these treats, I listened to:
Black Eyed Peas - Hey Mama
(click to listen/watch)

For the Cake

3/4 to 1 cup coconut milk

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup teaspoon coconut oil

1 large ripe banana (not an overripe banana)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, plus 1 teaspoon coconut extract, and (optional) 1 teaspoon almond extract

3/4 cup brown sugar, sucanat, or coconut palm sugar*1

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup brown rice flour

1/3 cup millet flour

1/3 cup arrowroot flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon plus another 1/4 teaspoon Celtic, French, Himalayan or unrefined sea salt*2

1/2 cup fine or medium shred dried coconut

-Preheat the oven to 325 Fahrenheit, or 163 Celsius

-Line your cupcake tin with liners and set aside.

-Put 3/4 cup coconut oil into a pan on low-medium heat to melt.
-Pour 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar into a large bowl, then follow with about 3/4 cup warm coconut milk, leaving as much cream behind in the can as possible.
-Whisk the vinegar and the coconut milk together in a large bowl until it becomes moderately fluffy.  Set aside for about 5 minutes to allow time for curdling.

-While you wait for the coconut milk to curdle; peel 1 large ripe banana, and place into a separate medium-sized bowl.  Pour the vanilla, coconut, and (optional) almond extract directly onto the banana and then begin mashing the banana into a thick paste with a large spoon, ladle, or whatever you find works best, making sure that the extracts are combined well with the banana.  For the sake of fun and flavour, you may choose to let the banana marinate in the extractives, which gives it a nice full-bodied flavour, or you can simple add brown sugar and mix the two together. until well combined.

-Sift all flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the same bowl the banana is in, then add the shredded coconut.  Mix well.
-Now is the time to take the melted coconut oil off of the stove and add it to the curdled coconut milk mixture.  Stir.
-Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until no lumps, large or small remain.
-Fill cupcake molds about 3/4 of the way full.
-Put cupcake pan on the middle rack in the center of the oven, and cook for about 10-15 minutes.  I use a fine-tipped chopstick to check if my cupcakes are done by inserting it into the center of a cupcake, and it should come out mostly clean.

Note: due to the density of these cupcakes I find it's best to "undercook" them a little, but not a lot.  If you pull your "sticker" out and batter sticks to the tip only, then that's good enough for me.  This allows for a very moist, delicious and a little bit of a sticky cupcake.

For the Fluffy Buttercream:

1/4 cup Organic Earth Balance

3/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (I use "Spectrum Organic Shortening")  

1/4 cup coconut cream

3 cups confectioners/powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, plus 1 teaspoon coconut extract

For a SOY-FREE version (here's looking at you, Joan) of this buttercream, just remove the Organic Earth Balance and replace it with an extra 1/4 cup of shortening.  It's still really delicious.  

Cream the Earth Balance, Shortening and coconut cream, or just the Shortening and the coconut cream.  Add the extracts and half of the sugar.  Blend well in a food processor or with a handheld mixer, then add the other half of the sugar.  If you have a piping bag, pick your favourite tip and decorate these cupcakes for added pizazz, or just smear the buttercream on top and add the Sweet 'n Salty Toasted Coconut and the blackberries.

Sweet 'n Salty Toasted Coconut

-1 Teaspoon coconut oil

-1/4 cup shredded coconut

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

In a small frying pan (the one you used for initially melting the coconut oil is fine) melt what's left of the coconut oil, and add the remaining dry coconut, sugar, and salt.  Stir well and allow to cook until the coconut is browned on both sides.  I highly recommend allowing extra time for the coconut to cool completely outside of the pan, prior to using it as a garnish: if the coconut is hot and you put it on the buttercream then the buttercream will melt, and that just won't do!  If you are in a hurry, put the coconut into a small bowl or cup and place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes.  

*1 -  When baking Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free the end result has the increased potential to be really heavy or dry, especially when using highly absorbent flour such as coconut flour.  This is why I recommend sugar's that have retained moisture in them, which not only adds a nice texture and richness to the baked goods, but also adds extra moisture without having to add more liquids or oils.

*2 - I do not condone the use of generic, refined table salt.  It has been so highly refined that all that is left in this bastardized version of salt is sodium.  If you use a high-grade, unrefined sea salt like mentioned above then you are also adding naturally occurring minerals to your food as unrefined celtic, french and himalayan salt contain all 84 minerals.  It also tastes a lot better, has a robust flavour and makes things "sweat"  more than table salt does which increases the overall flavour in the food that it's in.

Enjoy your day, my sweet loves!
Love, Aubrie

Dear, Kindred Spirit

This blog post is lovingly dedicated to Angel Hennikins, the hen.  She passed away on Saturday, February 4th.  I love her and miss her desperately...  My heart will always be with you, my Angel Hen.
In hindsight I realized that the poem I am about to share with you, my readers; must have been written intentionally by Angel Hennikins, through me.  Yes, I would say I am a channel-er of spirits, information, words, etc. -- in fact, I would say that we all channel, whether we are privy to it or not.  Basically, this poem was written by me (and Angel, I presume) in order to share with me, what she would say as her departing words.  I also believe that these words are similarly spoken by many dying, or deceased nonhuman animals and human animals alike.

PHOTO/VIDEO COMING SOON

Dear, Kindred Spirit;

so honest, so true

so magnificently wonderful

so kind, so sure;

You have gained my love

for lifetimes it shall stay,

love this enormous lasts more than a day.

Genuine, you always were;

You spoke with your heart,

You took me in, made me kin,

and do not worry, for now it is time for our real journey together to start

While I may have departed, in body not soul

I will always adore you, my love you must hold

Please, try not to question this;

I am being honest when I say,

"There will come another day,

when I guide another to you -- although not necessarily in the same form,

They will remind you of me,"

and with these sweet memories, make certain you bestow on them the grace

and the unyielding love that you gave to me

I love you so, my dear;

and it will always remain so, 

You mean so much to me, I hope you now know...

And with that, I bid you all farewell.  I am in no mental or emotionally comfortable place to share a recipe, or a funny story with you on this night.  Many blessings, and all of my love to you...

Love, Aubrie

Purple Powerhouse - Tingling tastebuds, glittery eyes, and a Triangular Dude.

Happy New-Week, everyone!  So sorry for the rather extended delay - the last post came so easily when the snow was falling, as I was much more inclined to be indoors, and was unable to go to work!  Go figure, eh?!

I have been working hard on various recipes; for smoothies, desserts, salad dressings, salads, and the like.  Believe it or not I really haven't been going "cooking crazy" since the snow stopped falling all over the place, but I certainly still have made some time to be creative in the kitchen.  And without pushing the wait out even more, I now present you with a delicious Smoothie recipe: Purple Powerhouse

This smoothie is an ABSOLUTE POWERHOUSE, and delicious to boot!  It combines superfoods like Chlorella and Maca, as well some more commonly known things like Raw Almond Butter and ground Flax Seeds.  I made this incredibly creamy, beautifully coloured, amazingly delicious, and almost-orgasm-inducing-'cause-it's-that-damn-good smoothie before my boyfriend and I loaded, and offloaded over 5,000 pounds of hay.  Yes, we were rather tired, but after a VERY short rest (about 10 to 15 minutes or so.  No joke!  I get about 4-5 "winds" per day!) I was rarin' to go do something else!  I'll credit that to this smoothie... and my naturally large sums of energy and enthusiasm for working outdoors.  Ahh, delicious fresh air, how I love you so!

Purple Powerhouse

1 cup Water (if you want it thicker or more filling use 1 cup Coconut, Almond, or Hemp Milk in place of water)

2-3 Tbs (depending on desired thickness) Raw Almond Butter

1/2 cup frozen Blackberries

1 frozen Banana, sliced

1 Tbs ground Flax Seed

1 tsp Chlorella, Powder

1/2 tsp Maca, Powder

1 level scoop Vega Performance Protein, in desired flavour
*Note: Click on the links above to see what I'm using, and why!

(Credit Incredible Smoothies for this photo! Sadly, I did not get a photo of my smoothie, it looked a lot like this one though!)

 

Believe it or not, I do not own a blender!  My little ole' blender croaked (ribbit!) years ago, and I have never gotten around to replacing it.  With that said I have made great use of what I have, and that's not too hard since I am usually, shall we say "blessed" with things?  I think that sounds about right.  One day I hope that a Vitamix will more-or-less "fall" from the ether, on to my counter, and not break into large, misshapen chunks in the process.  If that were to ever happen I know that I would be extremely surprised and confused, and also extremely happy (practical joke, anyone?  I would love you forever!).

OH, right!  The "How-To" part of this recipe is important, isn't it?  

Honestly, if you do not have a blender (like me!) then I would recommend using a handy-dandy-super-pro food processor!  I do caution this way of blending the ingredients, because if you put too much liquid into the processor it may drip/overflow and you will end up with smoothie all over the counter (or bed? Do people blend smoothies on their bed?), and I don't know about you but I am not not too thrilled about having to lapp my food up off of the counter.  Honestly, I've done it before (It was so delicious... and SO worth it!), but I am not too partial to this avenue for consumption. I actually prefer to drink my smoothies through Bubble Tea Straws, which I have a plethora of, and all in different colours!  So fun!  The counter licking however, I think I will leave that to the dogs, whom seem to enjoy it enough for everyone.

If you DO have a blender (can I borrow it some time? *wink wink, nudge nudge*) then all you have to do is combine the ingredients, and not in any particular order either!  I did find that this smoothie is easily blended, but if you are having trouble just add more liquid; it is as simple as that.  Now get to blending, you healthy person you!

Triangle Dude, done by the amazing Mr. David Gray.  I keep-up with this online comic strip more often than any other one, and I highly recommend it!