Ganymeder

2 Tab nondairy margarine

2 Tab macadamia butter (or raw cashew butter)

1 teaspoon mustard

1 Tab lemon juice

1 Tab flour

1 Tab Nutritional Yeast (optional)

Soymilk (or your favorite nondairy “milk”)

Box of small pasta shells (prepared according to package directions)

Melt margarine, cashew butter, mustard, and lemon juice in pan, stirring together til creamy consistency.

Sprinkle flour (and nutritional yeast if you are using it) over mixture, stirring all the while, to form a roux.

Slowly add soymilk, stirring continuously, til reaches the consistency of a thick sauce. You may want to add some soymilk, wait til starts to bubble and thicken, and then add some more to thin out til you get it how you like it.

Pour freshly made sauce over the cooked small shells. Stir in so that the sauce coats all the pasta.

Serve and enjoy!

*Tablespoons in this recipe are more “heaping” Tablespoons. It just didn’t seem appropriate to say heaping when not referring to something powdered or granulated. But the Tablespoons are not level.

**Nutritional yeast can be found in Health food stores. Do not substitute for this with any other kind of yeast. If you don’t have it, do without.

*** This is my son’s newest favorite, so I thought I’d share it. I made it up fairly recently, and its survived several servings. He’s notoriously picky, so I’m pretty happy about this.

2 – 1/2 cups soymilk or water
1/4 cup rinsed chopped fresh lavender flowers,
or
2 Tab dried lavender
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
pinch of salt
1/2 tea vanilla

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring soymilk (or water) to steaming but DO NOT BOIL.

Turn off heat.

Stir in lavender, and allow to steep for 20 minutes.

2. Using a strainer over a bowl, strain the lavender out of the soymilk. Discard the lavender.

Return soymilk (or water) to saucepan, and bring to steaming again. Turn off heat.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt.

Slowly add the soymilk mixture, whisking constantly.

Add this combined mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly.

4. Over medium heat, cook custard, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and begins to bubble (about 3 min).

Stir in vanilla.

Pour into custard cups. Set aside to cool.

Refrigerate if serving more than 2 hours later.

*adapted from Veggie Life (Summer 2002)

***Since lavender is being sold now, I thought I’d repost this from my old blog from July 2007.

For the past month or so, I’ve been using “Writer’s Cafe” on my new EEE PC, so I think I have enough experience to review this program for any other novices that might be interested in my opinion based on my admittedly short experience. Whew! Run on sentence. Novice, remember? Anyway, my relative newness to writing, combined with my lack of technical expertise, makes me the perfect person for the job.

Let me explain.

Last year, when I wrote my first novel, I did the bulk of my work using Documents to Go on my Palm Pilot via wireless keyboard. I also did a large amount using Open Office (Writer) on my desktop computer. In this way, I was able to make a decent word count almost every day. The information was daily updated and transferred by using an SD card. I also created backups on Google Docs, a free online service offered by Google. All you have to do is sign up for their free email, and you can use their other features like Google Docs and Notebook.

Google Docs allows you to either create new documents or upload documents from your own computer. The advantage of this, besides having a separate way to back up your work, is that you can access your writing from anywhere with a connection. Out of town and no computer? No problem! Just go to the nearest library, use their computer, sign into Google, and you’re set. The one drawback is that if you’re using something like Open Office, it will change the format. That’s not a terribly big problem unless your work is huge, but then again it might be a pain to go through and reformat 50,000 words if you accidentally erase your Masterpiece entitled “Things that rhyme with Whale and why I hate them.”

It goes without saying that… no, wait. Why lie? I’m saying it. Alway Always ALWAYS back up your work. Whether you paste bits into emails that you send to yourself, go to a Writer’s site like Writerscafe.org, or write it on the back of an envelope, make sure you have at least two copies of your work! Preferably more. My husband can tell you how panicked I was when I accidentally deleted a chapter of another story I was working on. Thank Goodness I had backed up several edits on Google Docs. I updated my work each day as I edited and deleted the older copies on my home computer. Unfortunately, I made the completely stupid mistake of deleting the newer file instead of the older one. Duh for me. By having access to my older copies still stored remotely on Google Docs, I was able to retrieve the information I’d lost with only some minor reformatting. Have I made my case? Yes, I have. I’m an idiot. But that’s not the case I meant. Always back up, and if possible, do it remotely as well.

Where was I? Oh, yeah. So I wrote my 50,000+ words using Documents to Go on my little Palm Pilot and Open Office on our desktop. I saved in Microsoft word format though in order to make everything more compatible and easy to transfer back and forth. Open Office is a GREAT (yes, it does deserve the capital letters) word processing program. Not only is it free, but its open source – so its something everyone should support! By doing my primary work this way and backing up on Google Docs, I was able to write my novel for NaNoWriMo. My son loved the book, my literary Masterpiece written in his honor entitled “The Wonderfully Exciting and Awesome Adventures of Monkey boy“, and all was right with the world.

So why would I want to get another program if I loved Open Office (Writer) so much? The answer is simple. The perks!

When I wrote my novel last year, I’d never done anything like it before. I’d never so much as written a short story. I had always been intimidated by the enormity of such a project, but now that I’d done it I wanted more. It was addictive! I had so many ideas but not much (any) experience organizing them into a comprehensible plot. Enter Writer’s Cafe.

Writer’s cafe, a program that works on several different platforms such as Linux or Windows, works well on both a desktop computer and a new small laptop called an EEE PC. It’s not meant to replace a word processor like Open Office but rather compliment it. It has tons of writing tools to help you organize your ideas in the easiest way possible as well as a ton of other features. You can journal in it daily and use the notebook to jot down ideas or short essays. Other perks include writing advice (in the form of free ebooks), writing themed quotes, writing prompts, and even music to get you “in the mood.” Um…the writing mood. Yeah.

The prime organizational tool this program offers is called “Storylines.” It allows you to organize your thoughts, ideas, character facts, and actual writing in a way that’s both easy to access and to use. Basically, its an index card based system where you can manipulate the cards along time/plot lines to rearrange scenes, experiment with multiple plots, or just write your basic text. After you’re done, SL will even generate an outline for you, allowing you to be able to review your work quickly for any inconsistencies. If you think Storylines is just glorified index cards, it’s index cards to the Nth power.

Plus, its really fun and addictive.

I also recently became the happy owner of a new EEE PC, which is the primary place I use the program. The EEE PC, a very small lightweight laptop, fits inside my purse along with a small portable USB mouse (bought separately). I can run my normal computer programs on it, surf the net, and (more on topic for this article) do the bulk of my writing on it. By saving my work on an SD card, I can easily transfer it to our home desktop computer for backup (as well as the other potential backup resources I mentioned).

Being able to have a larger screen is a big plus when it comes to writing somewhere other than home. My Palm Pilot worked just fine, and I still use it a lot for ebooks, email, and scheduling, but the screen strained my eyes slightly when I tried to type. The necessity of placing it so I could type at the keyboard meant I couldn’t hold it as close to my face as I would a book. Still, I love my Palm Pilot. I’ve even considered naming him “Petey.”

Just kidding.

So, yes, you can write using free sources just fine, but the perks in Writer’s cafe are very useful, fun, and addictive. Yes, I know that I’ve already described it once as addictive. Perhaps I’m addicted to describing it as addictive – O.K.? The point is that I highly recommend getting this tool.

The reason why my newness and lack of expertise make me especially qualified to review these tools is simple. Let’s face it. You either have more experience than me, in which case you probably wouldn’t bother reading this at all, or you’re as technically challenged as I am. And if that’s the case, we newbies need to stick together.

To weed or not to weed. That is the question.

The answer may be as simple as a change of outlook. Weed? Bah… Harvest your dandelions!

When Spring comes, some people groan as they see their grass covered in the cheerful golden faces of dandelions. Others rejoice and then, if at all possible, attend the closest Dandelion Festival. Some see a trip to the local hardware store for some “weed” killer, while others see a beautiful field filled with wonderful edible wildflowers. In both cases, I am in the latter group.

The people who loathe dandelions typically cite the fact that they are so prolific and hard to kill. But these are the very same reasons that European settlers brought these plants over here as a food crop. Why spend time and energy ridding yourself of free food, not to mention an object of beauty?

Every single part of the dandelion is useful, from the blossoms all the way down to the roots. You can make herbal tea, jelly, and even dandy burgers from the blossoms. While holding the blossom at the green base with one hand, grasp and twist out the yellow petals in one turn. If you happen to get any of the white bits on the bottom of the petals, discard that before cooking (though it isn’t harmful if you forget).

The nutritionally dense leaves or greens can be used for salads, pizzas, and casseroles. The leaves are less bitter when harvested before the plant blossoms, but even if you harvest them later it doesn’t really matter if you prepare them correctly. The secret is simple. Always eat the greens with an oil and a starch; they cancel out the bitterness.

The white milky liquid found in the stem and leaves contains latex. Supposedly this will help get rid of both warts and mosquitoes.

The roots can be roasted, oftentimes combined with chicory, to make a tasty caffeine free coffee substitute. I have personally used Dandy Blend as a mocha topping for desserts, though you should easily be able to roast the roots yourself in the oven. Just dig up the roots, cut into small peices, and roast at 250 F for 2 hours until dried out completely. Grind it in a coffee grinder, and when you’re ready you can mix it with hot water. Voila!

Of course it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, that if you harvest this wonderful plant you should make sure it isn’t exposed to harmful chemicals like pesticides or car emissions (near roadways). Always make sure you’ve identified the plant properly.

Now that (I hope) you’ve gained a new appreciation for these lovely plants – go forth, harvest, and enjoy the bounty of your backyard.

*On a recent podcast episode of Vegetarian Food for thought, Colleen Patrick Goudreau of Compassionate Cooks read “Pig” (synopsis) by Roald Dahl. While I found the short story a bit disturbing at the end, the hero of the story was supposedly a master gourmet vegetarian chef. One of the things he made in the story was hominy cutlets. I was practically drooling in the car as I listened; it just sounded so good! I searched, but Alas! I couldn’t find a recipe. So I made one up myself. I hope you like it!

2 (15.5 oz) cans of hominy drained (I prefer yellow, but you can use white if you like)

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 Tab oil

4 Tab water or soymilk

salt and pepper

additional oil for frying

Drain hominy and set aside.

Combine and mix all the dry ingredients. Then stir in the oil, followed by the water or soymilk, and finally the hominy. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Heat about 1/2 ” vegetable oil in pan til crackles when a drop of water is dropped on it (no more than a drop so it doesn’t splatter and burn you).

Form patties out of mixture and place carefully in heated oil. When edges start to brown and stiffen up, turn over.

*I like these with lemon squeezed on them and fresh ground salt and pepper. They might also be nice with some mushroom gravy or a nice white gravy.

nondairy margarine

flour

Soymilk

salt and pepper

Melt about half a stick of nondairy margarine in a frying pan over low to medium heat. When almost completely melted, sprinkle on a little white flour til the mixture forms a roux. The mixture will stiffen up and become pasty.

Before the mixture burns, add soymilk a little at a time, stirring continuously, until it appears homogeneous. The mixture will thicken as it heats and starts to bubble. Add more liquid if it gets too thick. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour over a favorite dish like mashed potatoes or hominy cutlets.

*I know this is terrible, but I can’t give you exact measurements. For me its more of a feel as you go thing, but its just a basic white gravy. The milk’s been replaced with soymilk, and the butter’s been replaced with nondairy margarine.

This post is more to give you a general idea of how to make gravy and sauces. To make pretty much any type of gravy or sauce, this is the general formula. Melt a fat, add a starch, and then add liquid til you get the right consistency. You can experiment with variations by substituting shortening, vegetable broth, and cornstarch. You could add mushrooms. Have fun with it!

*I really hate to see how people disparage this noble and beautiful “weed.” Besides being lovely, every single part of a dandelion is edible – from the roots right up to the beautiful blossom.

1 cup packed dandelion flowers (remove the white bottom part, just the yellow)

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup water or soymilk

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon each basil and oregano

salt and pepper to taste

vegetable oil to fry

Mix all ingredients, and form into patties. Heat oil til a drop of water crackles when dropped on the pan (no more so it doesn’t splatter and burn you).

Cook until lightly browned. These make great sandwiches on a bun with tomato and lettuce!

*I adapted this recipe from the Dandy Burger recipe in “The Great Dandelion Cookbook” compiled by Strauss & Gail.

And just a common sense warning, please only gather where you know they haven’t been sprayed with anything toxic or near roadways (car emmissions).  They absorb the chemicals, and you wouldn’t want to eat that.