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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...





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


assemble ingredients


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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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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Fruit Compote

April 7th 2008 09:43
This mm-yeah fruit dessert can be made with either fresh or dried fruit - it masquerades as both a warming winter dessert and a light summer sweet treat.

Fruit Compote


Fruit Compote (serves 4)

What you need:

225g fresh or dried fruit (apricot, peaches, pears, prunes, figs...)
300ml water
1 clove
1 cinnamon stick
grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange

What to do:

If using dried fruit, soak overnight in water with clove, cinnamon and zest. The next day, put all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes or until fruit is tender. Remove cinnamon stick and clove.

Chill before serving with yoghurt, ice cream or custard.

Image from Flickr.com
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A warming winter dessert that all kids love, fruit crumble can be made with apples and other fruits. This recipe uses apples complemented with the exotic fig. Make this recipe vegan-friendly by switching butter for a dairy-free spread.

Fruit Crumble


Apple & Fig Crumble (serves 6)

What you need:

100g wholemeal flour
50g caster sugar
50g butter
4 apples
6 dried figs
50g butter or dairy-free spread
4 apples
6 dried figs
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon / mixed spice

What to do:

Preheat oven to 220C. Place flour and caster sugar in a large bowl and rub in butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Put the prepared fruit into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with brown sugar and spices. Sprinkle crumble mixture on top and bake until golden brown.

Serve with plain yoghurt, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Image from Flickr.com
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An Easy Blackberry and Apple Tart

March 24th 2008 04:25
If you were to look up tart in the dictionary, you'd find that it comes from the slang jam tart, to rhyme with sweetheart.

Well, this here's no sickly-sweet romance; this is a true tart - that is, agreeably sharp or acid to the taste, thanks to the tastes of apples (choose 'em green) and blackberries (fresh picked are best).

As a vegetarian, one of the most frustrating things in life has to be the search for pastry without animal fat. I mean, The Search For Pastry Without Animal Fat - it really is a quest of epic proportions. For this recipe, you can continue the quest (there are some brands available) or use this recipe for vegetarian pastry. I promise it's 100% vegetarian and can even be vegan-friendly by substituting dairy-free spread for butter!

Apples


Blackberry and Apple Tart

What you need:

500g cooking apples, peeled
fresh lemon juice
250g blackberries
caster sugar
250g sweetcrust pastry

What to do:

Slice apples, sprinkling them with lemon juice. Mix apples with blackberries and put them into a pie dish, making a pile that rises a little in the centre. Sprinkle with sugar as you add fruit. Roll out pastry to fit a 28cm pie dish. Moisten edge with water and lay pastry on top. Crimp edges with your fingers, trim, then sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake at 200C for 45 minutes, then turn heat down to 180C for 25 minutes or until light brown. Cool for 10 minutes.

Image from Flickr.com
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Vegetarian Sweetcrust Pastry

March 21st 2008 05:25
As mentioned earlier, vegetarians are often banging their heads against brick walls (or supermarket freezers) in frustration over animal fats which seem to be in almost all mainstream brands of pastry.

This recipe is vegetarian, and can be vegan if you use dairy free spread instead of butter.

Sweetcrust pastry (makes 525g)

What you need:

350g flour
1 Tbsp sugar
175g butter (or dairy free spread)
3 Tbsp cold water

What to do:

Sift flour into large bowl, then stir in sugar, rub in spread, add water and mix to dough. Knead lightly then roll out.

Great for this homemade apple tart...
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