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The Friendly Vegetarian - Welcome :)

I am vegetarian and have been vegetarian for many years. Most of my closest friends and family are not vegetarian, yet they eat vegetarian meals more often because I am in their lives. WELCOME to my Friendly Vegetarian blog. Will you welcome me and my blog into your life? Come and read, chat & eat vegetarian with me...

Multi- Grain, half the fat, drop biscuits

August 13th 2010 19:50

Multi- Grain, half the fat, drop biscuits

4 cups flour:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup cornmeal flour
½ cup oatmeal
1 teaspoon salt
8 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup apple sauce
1/3 olive oil
2 cups soymilk

sometimes I add:

nutritional yeast
flax seed or flax seed meal
greens or
raisins or
carob/chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 425 o F

Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly, in large bowl.
Mix last three wet ingredients in separate bowl.
Quickly ( before oil separates ), add wet ingredients to dry ingredients & mix well.

Drop several teaspoonfuls for each biscuit on an ungreased doubled baking sheet.

Bake for approximately 12 - 16 minutes.

Repeat last two steps until all biscuits are baked

Took a picture of the last 3 before they were gobbled up

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Posted By: True1 - Category: Baking

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Low-fat Whole Wheat, Oats & Flax seed Bread recipe for your breadmaker

June 19th 2010 15:57

Alternate title: A whole house air freshener you can eat!

The aroma of Fresh baked bread just draws the family members into the kitchen asking, "How many minutes until fresh bread?!" Have your slicing knife, plates and butter ( or in my house: Smart Balance ) ready. Make sure you get a slice before it's gone!

Put these ingredients in your breadmaker in this order:

1 cup & 3 tbsp - Water
1 tbsp - oil or margarine or butter
2 tbsp - apple sauce
2 eggs or mix 2 tbsp soy flour & 2 tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tbsp sugar
2 2/3 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 rolled oats or oat bran
1/4 flax seed or sesame seeds
2 1/2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast ( don't add quite, yet ) - first make a well/hole in the flour and add the yeast to the well ( to keep the yeast dry and unmixed with the rest of the ingredients )- see picture below

now you can add 2 1/2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast to the well

Turn on your breadmaker

Set a timer for 5 minutes and check if your dough is a nice not too dry or too wet consistency. If not add water or flour by the teaspoonfull until it's just right.

This recipe works well on my breadmaker's 2 hour setting.

When I use my breadmaker's 1 hour setting I increase the yeast to 4 1/2 tsps so it will rise in time.

If I'm using a 3 hour or longer setting I reduce the yeast to 1 1/2 tsps

If in your location & in your breadmaker; these yeast amounts don't work feel free to experiment. I had to alter my amounts when I bought a new breadmaker.

Remember no loud noises while the bread is rising!

Slice while hot and enjoy this healthy comfort food!

Sometimes, I add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of chopped greens ( spinach, kale, salad greens, green onions tops - use your imagination ) to this recipe.

Adding greens results in a flecked bread with more nutrients

103

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Posted By: True1 - Category: Baking

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Volunteer this Sunday at The Gentle Barn

May 28th 2010 17:49

If you are in the Los Angeles area why not spend this Sunday volunteering at The Gentle Barn - a safe haven for abused farm animals.

The Gentle Barn
15825 Sierra Highway
Santa Clarita, 91390
(661) 252-2440
Visit The Gentle Barn's website

photo courtesy of The Gentle Barn

Below is a copy of The Gentle Barn's email plea for volunteers needed this Sunday:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Volunteer Sunday with Gentle Barn Animals

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We have had an incredible response from The Ellen DeGeneres Show and expect to have a record number of visitors this Sunday, May 30th.

We need up to 40 volunteers to help ensure that everyone, animals and people, has a safe and delightful time this Sunday.

So, come join your Gentle Barn family and spend some quality time with the animals.

Thank you so much for your support, we can't wait to see you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To sign up for volunteering this Sunday, please call the office at (661) 252-2440.

Respectfully,

Ellie, Jay, and The Gentle Barn Animals

The following is reprinted from the home page of The Gentle Barn website:

Our Mission: To rescue, rehabilitate and give sanctuary to abused animals. Through the interaction with our animals children learn reverence for all life.

The Gentle Barn Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1999 as a safe haven and place of recovery for abused farm animals and children. We are home to over 120 rescued animals and we are host to at-risk, inner-city and special needs kids.

Our unique treatment philosophy rehabilitates animals and connects their stories of survival and healing to the personal experiences of at-risk and special needs children who have suffered physical, mental or emotional trauma.
Through the interaction with our animals, the children learn forgiveness, courage, strength, leadership skills, trust, empathy and kindness. The healing that takes place is truly miraculous!

100

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Posted By: True1 - Category: Messages from The Friendly Vegetarian

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Fresh Fruit & Flax Seed Vegan Smoothie or Frozen Dessert - Sweet & Sugar Free :)

May 27th 2010 01:44

This is a quick whip up in your blender recipe! No cooking involved

It's fruity, creamy and naturally sweet.

The key to the sweetness is the banana, vanilla soymilk and the mango. I try to use all three when I have them although you can definitely experiment and use different fruits. ( Look closely at my picture of assembled ingredients and you'll notice the banana is a paper cutout! Yes, I had no banana.

I just doubled up on the mango and the smoothie was delicious, anyway ) If you like it even sweeter you can add a little fruit juice ( white grape goes nicely ). If you want more of a sweet slushie just omit the soymilk and replace with fruit juice.

Add less or more soymilk to control the the consistency of this recipe so you can serve it as a frozen dessert with a spoon or plunk in a couple of straws and slurp up as a smoothie. ( One straw is a struggle for a thick smoothie, like this ). I try to use mostly frozen fruit which makes the smoothie cold and thick. Really great qualities in a smoothie.

If you try this and like it or have any suggestions, please let me know

Okay, here we go; get out your blender and ...

Assemble your ingredients:

2 tbsp flax seed
1 1/2 - 2 cups soymilk
1 cup frozen mango
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 large banana

Put flax seed in empty and dry blender. ( important, if blender is wet seeds will stick and not grind properly)

Grind seeds, making sure the blender top is on securely because the seeds will fly furiously up and around the blender like a tornado - I usually set the blender on high, stopping and starting a few times, periodically thumping the top of the blender to knock the seeds off the walls and back down into the blades.

Voila... ground flax seed - add 1 cup of the soymilk and blend so your seed mixes well and doesn't stick to the bottom of the blender jar.

Add fruit and then pour in second cup of soymilk.

Blend well, depending on your blender strength you may have to stop blender, mix a little and reblend. Taste it. If you want it thicker you can add a little more frozen fruit of your choice. If you want it thinner you can add a little more soymilk. If you want it sweeter you can add a little fruit juice.

Makes about 4 cups ( 32 ounces ) Serve & enjoy

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Posted By: True1 - Category: Breakfast, Desserts, Beverages

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Restaurant Remorse

May 25th 2010 04:17

The restaurant we wanted to patronize is closed on Mondays. We know this because we read the sign as we pulled into the parking space. We had been looking forward to trying this "new to us" restaurant which is about a 40 minute drive from our home. We had to be in the area today and thought what better time to try it out. Apparently, Tuesday would have been better. Or Wednesday. Or any day other than today; take your pick.

Well, we were hungry so we didn't want to waste too much time figuring out where to go. Hey, we had a coupon for a local franchise so that was decided quickly. Looking back, I realize we decided too quickly.

Coupons are a trap. Really good restaurants don't need coupons. More hard earned wisdom. Problem is I can't afford the really good restaurants without the coupons that they don't have.

Anyway, the coupon made us order too much food so we could get the discount. So we ended up paying what we would normally pay and we left overfull. The food was nothing to write home about. Home...

Home cooked food:
It's better... It's fresh and It tastes better.
You know what's in it and it's better for you...
It's affordable.
Did I mention it's better?

Photo of half of my uninspired $7.50 Veggie Sandwich:

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Posted By: True1 - Category: No Category

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Google's gone mad; not everything should taste like bacon!

May 24th 2010 01:32

Multi-grain chocolate chip raisin nut cookies - now made with bacon salt?!

Smack dab in my cookie recipe on my Friendly Vegetarian blog Google places the following ad:

graphic is advertisement from the Bacon Salt Company

Too funny! Not exactly the viewership the Bacon Salt company was targeting

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Posted By: True1 - Category: Messages from The Friendly Vegetarian

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Mom, you should sell these on Ebay! - Recipe for multi-grain chocolate chip raisin nut cookies

May 23rd 2010 20:01

That made me smile - big! Since I wouldn't know quite how to package and get fresh cookies to people how 'bout I just share the recipe on The Friendly Vegetarian?

Here goes:

Assemble your ingredients - I usually double this recipe, double bag the cookies by the dozen and put them in the freezer. They freeze well and we just take a bag out every week or two and put them on the counter 'til they reach room temperature. They taste great with no freezer taste.

As you can see I use Organic as much as I can. For this picture I was out of apple sauce and I'd already mixed my different flours and oats and put them in a single container

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour or all- purpose flour
1 cup 100% whole wheat flour
1/4 cup rolled oats or oat bran or combination of the two
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup apple sauce ( I use unsweetened )
1/4 cup butter or butter substitute ( I use Smart Balance light )
1/4 cup oil ( I use Olive oil )
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp of soy flour mixed with 2 tbsp. water or 2 large eggs

1/2 cup chopped nuts ( I've used almond, walnut, cashew, pistachio and different combinations - they're all good! )
1/2 cup raisins
1 - 1 1/2 cups ( I've cut it down to 1 cup but 1 1/2 is more chocolatey! ) chocolate chips or carob chips

By the way, if you use a butter substitute and carob chips, this could be a Vegan cookie recipe

You'll also need two bowls. One smaller bowl for the dry ingredients and one larger bowl as the main mixing bowl.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Put the first five dry ingredients in the smaller bowl and mix really well.

Did you mix really well?

Good

Put the next six ingredients in the larger bowl and beat well.

Add the soy flour mixture or the 2 large eggs and beat well.

Gradually beat in the dry ingredients that you mixed earlier.

Stir, ( don't beat ) in the last three ingredients.

Drop rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking pan. ( I double my pans so the bottom of my cookies don't burn. Sometimes you might have to bake them a few minutes longer if you double pan )

Bake for 9 - 14 minutes or until cookies turn golden brown. Set a timer so you don't forget

Remove from oven and let sit for a couple of minutes.

Transfer to wire racks, baking sheets or plates. They will firm up as they cool down. We love to eat them warm but you can wait for them to cool, also. Don't forget to put in your next batch(es) and reset your timer. The recipe as given will make 3 - 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Mmm cookies ...

These cookies are softer and somewhat more cake- like in the middle because we reduced the amount of fat used in traditional cookies. They also have a more complex flavor due to the different flours and rolled oats used. My family prefers the taste and texture of these to the traditional chocolate chip cookies. I feel happier knowing they are getting good nutrition while they are snacking. Please try this recipe and let me know what you think

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Posted By: True1 - Category: Desserts, Baking

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The Friendly Vegetarian's First Recipe Ideas

May 20th 2010 07:04

Shall we kick this website off with an entree?
An Appetizer?
A Salad?
Homemade Bread?
A smoothie?
Cooookiesss! ( Said in my best Cookie Monster voice )

Hmmm...

I shall sleep on it and perhaps I'll wake up with a recipe in mind

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Posted By: True1 - Category: Messages from The Friendly Vegetarian

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What you won't find here at The Friendly Vegetarian :)

May 20th 2010 06:22

Someone claiming to be an expert - I do not know and would not want to know everything there is about Vegetarianism. I have other interests and while I am definitely proud of being a Vegetarian I sure hope there is more to me than the label! If I don't know something I won't pretend I do. However, if you want my personal opinion I'd be honored to share it with you.

Condemnation of non-vegetarians - Some of my favorite people in this world are not vegetarian. I don't love them any less. Now, would I want more people to be vegetarian? Yes, please... Aw, Cmon

No videos designed turn you Vegetarian - Anyone who is interested in viewing those videos can easily search, view, and cry for themselves. I don't want any part of it.

Pictures of me as a perfectly fit specimen due to my Vegetarianism - Ha! Double Ha! There are plenty of fat and carbohydrates in the Vegetarian pantry and I like to eat. Additionally, I don't get enough exercise and I know it! This blog probably won't help with that

Recipes for junk food with totally empty calories - There are enough of those recipes floating around and if I'm going to cook I'm going to try to make it better than what I can buy at my grocery store or local food joints. While I love to bake cookies and other treats I will try to make my recipes as healthy as possible without sacrificing taste. I incorporate Organic Food and whole grains whenever I can. I almost always substitute apple sauce for a good portion of the fat in baked goods. I tend toward less processed foods. The closer the food is to the way it grew from the ground, tree or vine the happier I am serving it to my family .

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Posted By: True1 - Category: Messages from The Friendly Vegetarian

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Welcome to The Friendly Vegetarian

May 20th 2010 01:55

I am vegetarian and have been vegetarian for many years. Most of my closest friends and family are not vegetarian, yet they eat vegetarian meals more often because I am in their lives.

Welcome to my Friendly Vegetarian blog. Will you welcome me and my blog into your life? Come and read, chat & eat vegetarian with me...