Garden Update

It's been raining a lot- look how green everything is!

Bailey has been pouting in the rain:

Here's the latest garden pic (taken in the rain, from my balcony):

I finally moved the bean sprouts and the spinach to bigger containers. This is the spinach outgrowing its previous container:

The spinach has these pretty little tendrils, and flowers: 

The beans were definitely outgrowing their container: 

Now they have these little shoots, and flowers: 

You know I don't have a clue what this means : ) 

Joan says, "Flowers are good"

I feel like a 3rd grader with a science experiment. LOL! I can't believe how clueless I am about gardening. No matter how much I've read about it, the best learning experience has been to just do it and see what happens : )

Green Bean Cole Slaw

I found this recipe through FoodGawker. It was so pretty, I had to click on it. Go to the link below to see the original recipe/photo.

I learned a few things. First of all, a runner bean is similar to a green bean. I believe it's a British term, and from the number of recipes that suggest you "shred" runner beans, I think they must be larger than US green beans. Second... you can "shred" green beans. Who knew! This is good to know for raw green beans. They are much more tender and taste less "green" this way. Third, cole slaw has its name because veggies in the brassica family (i.e. cabbage) are known as "cole crops". Did everyone else know that but me? I never knew that.

So there you go. One minute you're on Food Gawker, looking at a pretty picture of a salad, and the next minute you're learning about British runner beans and that there is a reason behind the name "cole" slaw!

Green Bean Cole Slaw

Ingredients

• 1 bunch fresh green beans
• 1/2 small red cabbage
• 1/2 very large carrot, shredded
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh sweet onion
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise (I used this one)
• 1 Tbsp spicy mustard (I used this one)
• Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Method

• Wash green beans. Cut off the stems on the ends. You can also cut off the other end that has a little string sticking out, but it is not necessary.
• To shred green beans, use the slicing blade in the food processor. Feed a handful of green beans at a time through the chute.
• Repeat for cabbage.
• Change to shredding blade, and shred carrot, onion and garlic.
• Toss all veggies in a large bowl.
• Mix mayonnaise and mustard in a small cup, to taste.
• Toss mayo dressing with veggies. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I added some fresh sprouts on top. I also used a raw vegan mayonnaise so it would be a raw dish, but you could make it with any vegan mayonnaise.

The original recipe for Runner Bean Coleslaw is here

So, I was experimenting...

Remember my post about the pink eyed peas? Well, I wondered what might happen if I planted some.

They grew!

And grew...

and grew... 

and grew...

and grew...

They grow bigger every day! Time for a bigger pot already. Maybe we'll wind up with beans? Cool!

Pink eyed peas

What do you get if you cross:

Pink

with

Black Eyed Peas

Pink Eyed Peas! Hahahahahaha.

OK, I couldn't help it.

On to the real post.
About actual pink-eyed peas.

I was fortunate enough to be in the neighborhood of Beasley Farms a few weeks ago. Beasley Farm is not certified organic, but they practice "sustainable farming methods" and most important to me- they do not use pesticides. I try to stop by their farm stand any time I'm in the area.

This time, I purchased several kinds of Southern peas. Now, I've never cooked Southern peas before, and I had NO idea what to do with them, but was willing to try to figure it out.

Some of the peas were shelled, some were still in the shell. I took some of both.

The owner asked "Are you sure? Those aren't shelled yet" I said "Sure! I'll shell them." (as if I had any idea what I was talking about) Ha!

Lesson learned: When the grower asks "Are you sure" you really ought to pay attention.

Here is my first batch of Pink-eyed peas, in the shell. As you have probably surmised, they are like Black-eyed peas, only pink. I thought they tasted a little milder than black-eyed peas. They are very pretty, don't you think?

Here is a close up:

Unwashed, unshelled peas- straight from the field that morning!

So, I sat down in front of the TV to shell peas. How hard could it be? 

Bailey helped. Bailey loves it when I sit on the floor for a project. He thinks that's his cue to help out.

OK, so it wasn't difficult. But it was tedious. It was fun for about the first 15 minutes. Then I looked at my teeny tiny pile of shelled peas and my huge bag of unshelled peas and it seemed I hadn't gotten anywhere. 

It took a long time. 

They were yummy. But- next time I'll definitely buy them already shelled. I was glad I didn't buy a whole bushel! Did you know they actually sell produce by the bushel? That's an actual measure. This was half a bushel. She warned me that half a bushel wouldn't be very many peas after they were shelled. That was true- but that was ok. I just wanted to try them, and in the end, I was glad there were not more to shell.

Gluten Free Raspberry White Chocolate Scones

The first time I made butter bean cookies, I thought they had a texture similar to a scone. So I experimented, and came up with this recipe.

Gluten Free Raspberry White Chocolate Scones

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten free flour mix
• 1 1/2 tsp corn-free baking powder
• 1/4 tsp organic cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla powder
• Dash himalayan salt
• 1/2 cup canned white beans, liquid reserved (I used cannellini beans)
• 1/2 cup sucanat, or substitute brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup fresh or frozen rasberries (I always recommend using organic berries)
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chunks ( I cheated and used Ghiardelli baking white chocolate- not ideal, since it contains dairy, but you could use this recipe for vegan white chocolate)

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat
• In the food processor, mix dry ingredients: GF flour mix, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla powder, and salt. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• In the food processor, mix white beans, sugar, applesauce, and approximately 1 Tbsp of bean liquid. Process until smooth.
• Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir to combine. If it is too dry, add a little more bean liquid.
• Add raspberries and white chocolate chunks and stir to combine.

• Scoop out a scone-size amount of dough, shape a little with your hands if desired, and put on parchment or silpat-lined cookie sheet.

• Bake at 350F for approximately 20 minutes. Edges will get slightly brown, and the middles will be firm. They will firm up a little more after they cool, so don't overcook.
• Let cool, and enjoy!

These freeze well and defrost nicely in the microwave.
p.s. can you believe I forgot to take a photo of the final product? I will try to remember next time.

Allergy-friendly Egyptian falafel

I am so excited about how these turned out. Honestly, I thought this was going to be one of those recipes that took several attempts to get right. But to my surprise, they were perfect on the first try!

Egyptian falafel use fava beans instead of the traditional chick peas found in Mediterranean falafel. I also omitted the cayenne pepper (nightshade), used corn-free baking powder, and gluten-free flour.

Egyptian Falafel (adapted from this recipe)
Makes approximately 12 falafel

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried fava beans 
• 1 cup onion, roughly chopped 
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced 
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, minced 
• 3-4 cloves of garlic 
• 1 tsp sea salt 
• 1 tsp cumin 
• 1 tsp homemade corn-free baking powder 
• 4-6 Tbsp of your favorite gluten free flour mix (whichever you prefer, or use this one)
• Light olive oil for frying (or any oil you tolerate)

Instructions
Put the dried fava beans in a large bowl and add cold water to cover by a couple inches. Let soak overnight, then drain. (Note: Purchase already shelled dried fava beans, otherwise you will need to shell them after soaking)

Place the drained, uncooked fava beans and the onions in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix.

Add the parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, and cumin. Pulse in food processor until blended but not pureed.

Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. Add enough flour so that the dough will form a small ball and will not stick to your hands. Note: I thought that the dough felt pretty wet, and I wasn't sure it would hold together, but it did.

Place mixture into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.

When mixture has set, form the fava bean mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball.

Heat oil in deep fat fryer or sauce pan to 375°F.

Fry one ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little more flour to the dough mixture.

Then fry in small batches for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels. If your oil is the correct temperature, they will be crisp on the outside, soft on the inside and steaming hot. Not greasy at all, nothing really to "drain" on the paper towel. Yum!

Serve with lettuce wraps along with desired toppings, such as chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, lettuce, and lemon-tahini sauce. I wrapped mine with romaine and shredded carrots and used a raw vegan basil sauce for dipping.

Gluten free vegan chocolate chip cookies- with a secret ingredient

These cookies are low in fat, and have an added protein and fiber boost from the quinoa and, surprise - beans- which you can't even taste!

Free from gluten, corn, soy, dairy, nuts, and oats.

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup of your favorite gluten free flour mix
• ¼ cup quinoa flakes
• 1 tsp corn-free baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• a dash of salt
• ½ tsp vanilla powder
• ¼ tsp cinnamon (optional)
• ½ cup canned white beans, liquid reserved
• ½ cup raw sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chunks (use what works for you; I chopped up an organic dark chocolate candy bar)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F. 

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla powder. 

Whisk together and set aside. Put beans, applesauce, sugar, and 1 tbsp of the bean liquid in in VitaMix and blend until smooth. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir about 10 times. Add the chunks of chocolate, 1/4 cup quinoa flakes and the rest of the bean liquid, stirring until combined. 

If the mixture is too wet, add more quinoa flakes. If it's too dry, add a little water. Drop tablespoons of batter onto a cookie sheet, leaving an inch of room between each. 

Note: flatten them out a little, as I later discovered they don't really spread during baking. Bake 15 minutes, until edges are just turning light brown and middles are firm. They will firm a bit more as they cool. Check the bottoms to make sure they are golden brown. 

this is the first batch- as you can see, they came out the same shape as they went in

this is the second batch- I flattened these out before baking.

Either way, they taste great!

Ideas for next time: For a sweeter cookie, use organic brown sugar. For an even lower glycemic index, use agave in place of sugar (usually 3/4 as much agave as sugar for same sweetness). For oatmeal raisin cookies, use oats in place of quinoa flakes and raisins in place of chocolate chips. I would also use brown sugar and increase the cinnamon for oatmeal-raisin cookies.