have cake, will travel!

I don’t think I ever posted a pic of the wonderful Raw Brownies from 28 Cooks. this has now been fixed!
see? I made them into balls. uh-huh.

everyone who’s tried them keeps on saying these things are packed with energy, and they’re telling no lies: I swear I have never walked as fast as I did for my daily workout. most definitely recommended if you know you’re gonna need to move a lot during the day. I love to eat mine straight from the freezer.

1/2 c dried dates
1/2 c dried cherries
1/4 c carob powder
1 c walnuts
3 tbsp agave nectar

Process all in food processor until ingredients are well mixed and chopped. Press into a small square baking pan and freeze for 1 hour. Slice brownies into however many pieces you want. Store in fridge or freezer.

something I discovered: kale is sometimes hard (pun intended) to get cooked just right. I sautéed mine the other day in olive oil with some garlic, for just about 5 minutes or so *, only to realize I already had enough food prepared for that day: I simply had it hop into the freezer and what do you know? it came out perfectly tender and still bright green, the way it’s supposed to! so if you feel yours is always a bit chewy, do the same and I promise you won’t regret it.

* it was still bright green and with a bite to it after this time…

remember how I made an apple pah yesterday? ok, so I was a little too impatient with the custard; I should have made it the day prior to baking the pie, and let it sit in the fridge until then.
it now has the consistency and appearance of yogurt! no kidding. and it’s delicious too. I’m thinking of not bothering with buying soy yogurt anymore, since it is so easy to make it yourself, and at least you know exactly what goes into it. I’ll have to see how it works when using almond/rice/hazelnut/oat/hemp/yougettheidea milk(s).

but the pie is absolutely mind-blowingly good. I’ll try and be more patient (as if) next time and make it exactly the way I wanted it to be. in the meantime, I will use the leftover custard by putting it in a pre-made graham cracker crust, and covering it with fresh organic strawberries and blueberries.

a lot of people asked about the why of putting vodka in the crust, does it replace the egg and if yes, how?
as I mentioned in yesterday’s entry, the original recipe found in Vegetarian Times used an egg but also offered the alternative of using water instead. I simply stuck to my habit of using alcohol in every possible way I can, and since I had already seen other pie crust recipes list vodka as an ingredient, I chose to go for it too: no other reason hidden behind it.
the verdict? it’s not really worth it. you can’t taste the vodka, and the texture is absolutely no different from when water is used. in this case, why waste perfectly good (and expensive) alcohol, eh?

(you can see the custard on the right side of the strawberry)

I think that’s all the talking I have in me for today. I received the vital wheat gluten and nooch I had ordered a week or so ago, so I need to go take care of that. I also went crazy at Olcott’s and bought lots of pretty little plates and other useless items, because self-control? what is that?

(pretty kitchen towels, wouldn’t you say?)

over and trout.