Substitutions

The recipe for the drop biscuits in the above photo may or may not be included in the cookbook. Today, they’re my mini poster child for a post above the joys of using substitutions in recipes. In the absence of soy or almond milk, our usual choice to avoid aggravating sensitivities to non-cultured dairy products, I used a mix of non-dairy creamer, sour cream and water to replace the one cup of milk the recipe lists.
Knowing what to substitute is important for vegans, vegetarians, people with food sensitivities or even people who like to experiment.
Let’s say, for whatever reason, you have a recipe that lists an egg as part of the ingredients. One tablespoon of vinegar plus one teaspoon of baking soda or two tablespoons of cornstarch plus two tablespoons of water can replace that one egg. Some alternatives that can be used in place of one or more eggs are for each egg:
1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce, 1/4 cup of mashed banana, 1/4 cup of soy yogurt, 1/4 cup of blended silken tofu or even one tablespoon of ground flaxseed plus three tablespoons of warm water.
These particular substitutes are courtesy of VeganOutreach.org.

The Next Dish

Black Bean Chili-mmm 😉 I do think I’ll use an extra red, orange or yellow bell pepper next time rather than a green one so I can get a more colorful image for the cookbook though. Presentation & such being so important in an appearance-oriented society;-)
The ingredients include dried black beans (’cause I’m cheap thrifty & have already used my cookbook budget for the month), coconut oil (’cause it is mild on the gall bladder & cholesterol levels), red onion, red/orange/yellow/green bell peppers, roma tomatoes, minced garlic, yukon gold potatoes, baby carrots, cumin, salt, black pepper, & cilantro. It makes a large batch & is vegetarian, vegan & gluten-free friendly-so if you want to feed at least 10 people who are veggie friendly, stay tuned for the completion of the cookbook. The cookbook will be all vegetarian with vegan or gluten-free recipes included.

Back to Regular Posting Soon

My apologies. I usually post via my phone. The whole idea is to create the cookbook using primarily my Samsung. The phone will be working as soon as possible & I already have a pic of some Black Bean Stew to upload at that time. Stick with me here-seat of pants flying & what not, I am still committed to following through & sharing the adventure :]

The First Dish

Friday, I prepared the salsa in the photo. It includes black, garbanzo & dark red kidney beans with golden corn, dried cranberries, onion, garlic, key lime juice, roma tomatoes, salt & just enough hot sauce (tapatio or tabasco) to give it a little kick. Taste tester/guinea pig feedback is that it tastes good. It is also low-cost & easy to make as well as fairly nutritious, meeting my criteria for my first cookbook

Gratitude

I would like to thank Diamond Mike Watson, Chris Martin, Zach Egs, Rick Mallory & anis sat (@anissatb8) for following this blog. Next, thanks to Cristian Mihai, Rick Mallory, oneanna65, frugalfeeding, sleigh14, antiheroine & humanity777 for liking my first post on this blog 😉 To Life is Short. Eat Hard!, frugalfeeding & humanity777-thanks for liking my second post. I really do appreciate you all & would’ve preferred to respond individually if my WordPress app would let me.
Hey, I am too a nerd. Just more of a book nerd still. Give it time & some meditation-I’ll probably learn…something.

The First Dish

Just a small portion of my salsa. I’m also collaborating on a graphic novel which I’ll work on blogging about elsewhere with a different pen name so readers can find my work based upon the pen name set for each type of work.

A New Adventure

Though I set up this blog a while ago, today is the first entry. My mom told me not to play with my food, but I can’t seem to help it. For now, this blog will be my adventure & journey through the process of creating a cookbook.
Today, I have my first creation in the fridge. I wanted to call it Cran-bean Salsa. My middle daughter, Val tells me that sounds gross. I’m open to suggestion…No? Well, perhaps after I upload a photo later today.
Beware! More humor & adventure to follow as things progress. Also, I believe in working with what I have. Currently, that includes a Samsung Transfix smart phone, android apps, unlimited internet access, food (of course, in America that’s real common), imagination & creativity, & occassionly some really humorous moments.