Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Colorado Dreaming Chowder | Hemp Creamed Spring Onion & Potato Soup



cebollines - mexican spring onions
Vegan Potato Chowder | Hemp foods recipe | Gluten Free Potato Chowder

COLORADO DREAMING CHOWDER
hemp creamed spring onion & potato soup


My body felt blissfully sore, exhausted, yet inspired by a bluebird day spent snowboarding in perfect March powder. I wanted warmth and comfort. I wanted the deep nourishment that only soup can satisfy. It begins with a confetti dotted mirepoix. It ends with shelled hemp seed cream. Yukon golds bring silky body while white miso adds inches of flavor depth. But this soup is really about Cebollines, mexican spring onions. Cebollines (seh-boh-yee-nehs) are the onion of choice in Pacific Mexican cuisine and are found at Mercados (mexican grocers). They come in bunches and look like big green onions. Their character is bright and fresh. Like springtime. Like high altitude sunshine. Like the permagrin after a Colorado dreaming powder day.



COLORADO DREAMING CHOWDER
Hemp Creamed Spring Onion & Yukon Gold Soup

The Hemp Cream
Soak ½ c shelled hemp seeds with 1/2c water. 
Let soak a minimum of 2 hours.
Blend on high with:
2T avocado oil
2T white miso
Set aside

The Mirepoix
Cut the following vegetables into a small dice size and saute in medium pot with 1 tablespoon Avocado or Olive oil until onions are glossy:
1 celery stick,
2 carrots, medium sized
1 parsnip, medium sized
2 Cebollinas or 1 Leek
½ red pepper
½ green pepper


Add:
8c water, spring or reverse osmosis
4 Yukon Golds, medium sized, diced
1-2t dried basil, garden fresh dried if available*
1-2t dried thyme, garden fresh dried if available*

Let simmer for 30 minutes. Take off heat. Puree half of the soup in blender and then return pureed soup to pot. Place a towel over blender top and hold down when blending. This eliminates hot soup explosions! Add hemp cream and stir soup. The hemp cream curdles at high temperatures so it is important that the heat is turned off while adding it. 

Final touches:
1-2t sea salt, to taste

fresh cracked black pepper
onion greens garnish, finely chopped
sliced avocado

*Dry your own herbs for garden fresh flavor to brighten winter/late spring meals. Pick whole stems of herbs such as basil, thyme, tarragon & oregano. Tie into bunches and hang upside down in dark, dry place. Store in glass mason jars after thoroughly dried.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Hemp Buttermilk Biscuits | Perfect Gluten Free Biscuits | Vegan


Best vegan biscuits ever | gluten free baking | vegan bakingbest vegan biscuit recipe | gluten free biscuit recipe

HEMP BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
I’ve spent decades experimenting on the perfect biscuit. One that’s’ light, moist, and slightly fluffy. A good biscuit can soak up vegetarian gravy or strawberry shortcake fixings without getting soggy. The Hemp Buttermilk proved to be the missing ingredient to earlier trials. If making the Shortcake Biscuit variation, the quick hemp buttermilk recipe can be used. Using our house GF flour blend is the other secret ingredient to perfection. Gluten free flour blends are easy to make and economical. I always double or triple the recipe and save extra for another recipe, another time. This specific gluten free blend uses GF oat flour which is a light, whole grain and naturally binding flour. Going gluten free and vegan can be a great combination in baking. When done right, a light crumb, perfect moistness, and great flavor arises. Trust me on this… like I said, I’ve spent decades.

About Biscuit making: Its’ all about the magic touch in this department. I prefer to use my hands when incorporating the flour with the fat. It is important to NOT overmix the shortening/fat into the flour. Also- make sure the fats are chilled first. The key to a flaky biscuit is for some of the fats to remain solid and not to melt during mixing. Follow the instructions and you’ll be just fine. Biscuit making takes practice. Relax, and enjoy the process.

This recipe is my plant based, gluten free, hemp infused version inspired by the classic biscuit recipe published by the cookbook: The Joy of Cooking.
  
Recipe makes eight 4inch drop biscuits

Chill in freezer for 10 minutes:
3T Organic vegetable shortening (Spectrum a good brand)
3T Vegan Butter (Earth Balance)

In medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together:
2c   Basic GF Flour blend, link to recipe 
1.5t baking powder
1/2t baking soda
1/2t salt

 Cut chilled fats with knife into 1 inch pieces. Add to flour mixture and cut in with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small pea size pieces . Alternatively, hands can be used. With fingers rub the fats with the flour until pea size pieces occur. Don’t overdo this step. It is important for the fats to not melt and to stay solid.

Add:
½ c   Hemp Buttermilk, link to recipe
1/4c Full fat coconut milk, stirred first

Mix with spoon until everything holds together and is incorporating. Again, it is important NOT to overmix. Just mix together enough to create a batter. The batter will be moist and sticky, but not smooth. Drop large spoonfuls of batter (about 1/3c) onto ungreased cookie sheet 1.5inches apart. Brush with melted vegan butter or coconut oil for lightly browned crust, optional.

Bake 8-10 minutes @ 425. Finished biscuits will have slightly browned peaks on top of biscuit. It is better to err on the side of underbaking. Overbaked Biscuits will be dry, especially if you are baking in high altitude conditions.

VARIATION: STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE BISCUITS                                              Add 1T cane sugar to dry ingredients and follow recipe above.
         Then proceed to our Strawberry Shortcake recipe.

Copyright Disclaimer:  The information provided here is copyright protected and used with written permission. Recipes are for personal use only and may not be used for any other purpose(s) without the written consent of Revolution in the Kitchen, Herban Kitchen, Sarah Gordon and/or Veg Fresh Cookery. Commercial use is not authorized. We offer restaurant menu consultations and food industry consultations. For more information email: revolutioninthekitchen@hotmail.com

Gluten Free Flour Blends

BASIC GLUTEN FREE FLOUR BLEND
makes 5 cups

2c    Oat Flour, certified gluten free
1/2c Brown Rice Flour
1.5c White Rice Flour
1c    Tapioca Starch
2t     Xantham Gum

Mix together in medium bowl

Strawberry Shortcake | Cali Girl Style | Best Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Ever | Gluten Free


Best vegan biscuits ever | gluten free baking | vegan bakingbest vegan biscuit recipe | gluten free biscuit recipe

CALI GIRL STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE 
Strawberry Shortcake is my favorite dessert and I hold it dear to my heart. I am pretty sure it is the first baked good I ever made, but only my mom knows the answer to that (RIP). I have beautiful memories of visiting the local strawberry fields with her near my childhood home. We'd bring home a flat of strawberries about 3ft x 1.5ft large. Visualize the standard 1lb strawberry package at the grocery store and multiply by 10. These strawberries were incredibly juicy and sweet, soft to the touch, and dark red. And we had about 5 days to eat all of them before they went bad! 
In my family, Strawberry Shortcake is served on top of a from scratch baked biscuit. Juicy strawberries soak into the biscuit and fresh whipped cream graces above. 

Find the juiciest, sweetest, and ripest strawberries possible. Make sure to get Organic. Commercially grown strawberries are on the dirty dozen list for pesticides. They are heavily sprayed and have ZERO flavor. The best strawberries I have found here in Colorado were at Whole Foods. Yeah I spent an extra buck or 2, but dessert shouldn't be toxic.

This recipe has from scratch components. Follow the links for making our house gluten free flour blend, hemp buttermilk, and hemp buttermilk biscuits. You can choose to use the "So Delicious" brand coconut whipped topping or make your own coconut milk whipped cream. Both are equally delicious. 

RECIPE

1 lb strawberries, organic or farm fresh only
1/2c organic cane sugar
1 recipe Hemp Buttermilk Biscuits
1 batch Coconut Milk Whipped Cream *

Prepare strawberries by cutting off all the green tops. Slice about 1/4 inch thick and place in small bowl. Add sugar and stir. Let sit for a minimum of 30 minutes until juicy.

Assembly:
Gently slice open biscuit. Place one biscuit half on dessert plate/bowl. Spoon about 1/4c strawberry mixture on top of biscuit. Dollop generously with whipped cream. Top with other biscuit half. Eat immediately. 

*About Whipped Cream:
I love the So Delicious brand "Coco Whip", see picture. Its' vegan/plant based and one of my favorite products to use in desserts. I also use it as a whipped filling for in between cake layers. And in my Ambrosia fruit salad. Buy the full fat version. Its' at Sprouts, Vitamin Cottage/Natural Grocers, and Whole Foods here in Denver.
There are many recipes on the internet for making fresh Whipped Cream out of Coconut Milk. Its' incredible and worth the effort. 
I have had success with the following recipe:
http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2011/09/how-to-make-whipped-coconut-cream-from.html

Copyright Disclaimer:  The information provided here is copyright protected and used with written permission. Recipes are for personal use only and may not be used for any other purpose(s) without the written consent of Revolution in the Kitchen, Herban Kitchen, Sarah Gordon and/or Veg Fresh Cookery. Commercial use is not authorized. We offer restaurant menu consultations and food industry consultations. For more information email: revolutioninthekitchen@hotmail.com