Category Archives: Mostly Vegan

Medievil Hummus Recipe

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Enough ugly reality; now we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming of avoidant, happy posts…

This isn’t the smooth, creamy dip we know today, but a rustic, nutty dish called Himmas Kassa from a recipe preserved in a medieval 14th-century Egyptian cookbook.

The marriage of ingredients elevates the humble chickpea into a dish worthy of royalty. I’ll definitely make it for Thanksgiving this year.

This is my very own, very basic Hummus Recipe. It’s SO easy! https://enchantedseashells.com/2023/06/14/zesty-veggie-hummus-vegan-pinwheels/

Instead of blended until silky smooth, Himmas Kassa was coarse, full of texture, and mixed with walnuts, fresh herbs, and spices like cinnamon, ginger, and caraway. It was served at banquets as one of the opening courses, to showcase the host’s refinement and generosity.

Recipe

  • 1 cup boiled chickpeas
  • 2 tablespoons tahini stirred with 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup finely ground walnuts stirred with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 teaspoon wine vinegar
  • ½ cup chopped parsley
  • ¼ cup chopped mint
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon each of caraway coriander, black pepper, ginger, and cinnamon, all crushed
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • For garnish: olive oil, olives, chopped pistachios

Instructions 

  • In a mixing bowl, mash the boiled chickpeas until they form a coarse paste.
  • Stir in the tahini mixture and the walnut mixture until combined.
  • Fold in the parsley, mint, olive oil, and spices. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
  • Transfer to a shallow serving dish. Garnish with olive oil, olives, and pistachios.
  • Serve with flatbread, pita, or crackers. Also delicious spread on tortillas.
  • I’d also serve with carrot sticks and cucumbers, sliced apples and jicama.

https://eatshistory.com/medieval-hummus-recipe-one-of-the-first-recorded-recipes-himmas-kassa/

Featured image courtesy of Pinterest

Easy Crockpot Apple Butter Recipe 🍎

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Is there anything better than homemade apple butter?

Apple butter is not a single invention by one person, but rather a preservation method with roots in medieval Europe. It originated in Germany and the Netherlands, with monasteries in those areas using it to preserve their apple harvest. 

The Pennsylvania Dutch, who are actually of German origin, later brought the practice to North America, particularly to Pennsylvania, and it then spread throughout Appalachia and the American South. 

This is how they used to make apple butter! It was a slow, laborious process.

My mom and I made apple butter every year. We’d get a bushel of apples and spend a fun day working together.

Cooking apple butter typically takes eight to twelve hours in a slow cooker on low heat. This long, slow cooking process allows the apples to break down, caramelize, and develop the rich, sweet flavor characteristic of apple butter. 

Here’s my easy recipe. Even though it’s easy ingredient-wise, it’s going to take a long time for the apples to cook down, so be patient, otherwise, you’ll end up with a lot of applesauce.

Ingredients:

🍎 Apples, a lot of apples. I used the ones from my tree so I know they’re organic and free of any pesticides.

🍎 Cinnamon…I add a massive amount of cinnamon because that’s how we like it, so add as much or as little as your taste dictates.

🍎 Water

🍎 That’s all you need, except this time toward the end of cooking, I tasted the concoction and added two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and three tablespoons of sugar because my apples were VERY tart. (ACV brings out the sweetness, too.)

First, core and cut the apples into medium size pieces or chop them smaller, whatever you feel like doing is fine. No need to peel.

I started the cooking process on the stovetop, rather than in the crockpot, because I had too many apples to fit and I needed to wait until they cooked down before transferring. This is when you add water, about 1/2 cup to one cup depending on the amount of apples you have.

Add cinnamon.

Cook over medium heat for about an hour, stirring ever so often so the bottom doesn’t burn. I used a potato masher to make sure the apples were all getting softened.

When it looks like applesauce, carefully spoon into a blender and zap until smooth.

After that, transfer it into the crock pot and cook on high for four hours. Stir every once in a while.

After that initial four hours, turn the crockpot on low for twelve hours to cook overnight. Keep the crockpot top cracked open or condensation will form and drip into the pot and make the apple butter too watery.

If you like it super smooth and creamy like we do, blend it one final time.

And this is the finished product, so good you’ll want to eat it with a spoon. It looks like chocolate, doesn’t it? YUM!

While it’s still warm, I store some in glass canning jars in the refrigerator to eat right away, and freeze the rest.

Easy Vegan Chocolate Mug Cake

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This is such an easy recipe — just a few minutes mixing and cooking in the microwave.

Since I have zero impulse control when it comes to being able to STOP eating chocolate, and since I was literally dying for some chocolate cake, and knowing my propensity to eat the whole thing, I decided to try a recipe for a single serving microwave chocolate cake.

I choose one of my favorite Grandma mugs…

I have to confess that my very first mug cake was way more delicious than I anticipated! What a pleasant surprise! I will definitely make this again. But to be completely honest, those few bites weren’t quite enough to satisfy my cravings.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon oil or melted vegan butter
  • 3 tablespoons plant based milk or half plant based milk and cold black coffee
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons dairy free chocolate chips (I didn’t have any in the pantry.)

Add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt and baking powder to a mug. Whisk to combine.
Pour in the oil, non-dairy milk and vanilla into the mug with the dry ingredients and stir well with a spoon. If you have them, sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
Cook in the microwave for 40 seconds. It will likely be a little undercooked in the middle at this point, but if you want it cooked more, microwave another 10-20 seconds. 
Serve immediately. 

What’s YOUR Guilty Pleasure?

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We still have a few days left in November to observe World Vegan Month and it’s perfect timing to share a guilty snacky pleasure that’s actually guilt-free.

My current guilty pleasure is this: Everything But The Bagel seasoned bite size crackers from Trader Joe’s.

They are crunchily yummy with hummus and flavorfully satisfying all by themselves.

Best of all, they’re vegan (not gluten-free FYI).

Each serving of 14 crackers is 140 calories and contains 3 grams of protein, so it really seems like an innocent indulgence.

What’s YOUR guilty pleasure?

*This is an honest review; I received no free product nor any compensation.

The Plot Express: Vegan Fast Food Restaurant Review

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I’m always excited when a new vegan eatery opens up near me. I don’t often eat out, so it’s a real treat.

I’ve visited Veggie Grill at least a dozen times. It’s a fast-casual vegan restaurant chain that operates in California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York. 

I’ve always been happy with my menu choices at VG. I love their soups and incredible (vegan, of course) Caesar salad. It’s described as romaine and tender kale tossed with Caesar dressing, mushroom crisps, ciabatta croutons, capers, almond Parmesan, and hemp hearts.

It’s consistently fresh and delicious. When I bring home what I can’t finish at the time, it holds up well.

The Plot Express. sister to the Plot Restaurant in Oceanside (haven’t been there), opened a while ago with positive online reviews, so I looked forward to giving it a try.

The first time I had the Superior Crunch Wrap with faux chorizo. I’m not usually a fan of meat replicas, but this was crunchy and yummy, albeit a bit heavy on the sodium for my taste buds.

The next time I tried The Plot Express, I thought I’d order their version of a Caesar salad for a real comparison with The Veggie Grill. The menu describes it as romaine lettuce, pickled onions, house parmesan, lemon preserves, croutons, and zesty Caesar dressing with Plot faux chicken bites.

It was a disappointment in every way. The lettuce was old, mostly full of white romaine ribs, not many leafy greens, and to make it even worse, I bit into the giant stem end of the romaine. The entire salad was drenched in so much dressing that it was barely edible with far too many croutons. The faux chicken bites were OK, but not necessary. They didn’t seem to have been freshly prepared, although I don’t really know for sure.

We were served in the outside patio. I brought the salad inside to show them the romaine stem end and the giant white ribs, but only received a lukewarm and not satisfying response.

Here’s a photo of the salad where you can see the stem end and inedible romaine ribs. It doesn’t look very appealing but I did appreciate the compostable plates and forks.

The other comparison was in their version of french fries. I LOVE french fries, but rarely indulge myself because I don’t often eat fried foods OR potatoes, so it’s a real treat when I discover great ones.

The Plot Express only offers cheesy (vegan) truffle fries. I know truffle anything is trendy right now, but I don’t like it, never have. I desire a pure, unadulterated fry that’s crispy on the outside and comfortingly squidgy on the inside, served piping hot. A friend ordered it and I searched for a fry that wasn’t completely saturated in the sauce, but it wasn’t yummy enough to make me want another bite.

Veggie Grill’s Golden fries are everything one would hope for in a fry and I’ve never been let down. I’ve also tried their Sweet Potato fries which are equally yummy.

Here’s my overall independent and non-biased review of these two vegan “fast casual” restaurants.

  1. Veggie Grill is consistently fresh, tasty, and delightful. I WILL always be happy to eat there.
  2. The Plot Express is more expensive and not up to my standards. Expensive, soggy old lettuce gets a failing grade from me. Although I like the location in Carlsbad, I won’t return. It was not a great experience.

To sum it up, for me, Veggie Grill is a consistent winner, not so much for The Plot Express. Thanks to a comment by Kevin from https://adifferentkitchen.org/, I’ll update the review to clarify that VG is also more affordable. Here’s their menu: https://veggiegrill.com/menu/

DISCLAIMER
I received no payment or other compensation for this review. I paid full retail price for my food. I have no affiliation or relationship with either restaurant. My opinion is simply my opinion.

Holiday Recipes | Grandma’s Best Kugel Noodle Pudding

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Are you thinking about what to serve this year for family gatherings? I swear, Angel Boy 2.0 could eat kugel every single day. It’s his most requested dish but I only make it a few times a year.

Let me introduce you to one of our family traditions. My mom’s recipe is NOT vegan, but it can easily be adapted if you substitute eggless noodles and eliminate eggs. It’s just as delicious.

What IS Kugel?

Of German/Jewish origin, Kugel is a savory or sweet pudding built around layered potatoes or noodles (lokshen), usually served as a side dish. Some recipes use cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, and raisins, but that’s not how we make it.

Our family’s traditional Kugel is the sweet noodle version. It’s to die for. Really. Spectacular hot or cold or reheated, it’s one of those recipes you can make a day in advance and gets better and better.

If you have any leftovers– which we never do — it freezes well, too.

Grandma’s Kugel

Ingredients:
One large package wide egg noodles (or eggless wide noodles)
One large can fruit cocktail in juice
One small can pineapple pieces in juice
One large can canned peaches and pears in heavy syrup, yes, you read that right
At least 3 Granny Smith apples, sliced with about 1/4 cup sugar and 1-2 TBS cinnamon
3 eggs (or not)
2 tsp vanilla
Approx 2 tablespoons cinnamon
Crisco (YES)
One lemon, juiced and zested

Directions: This is a good dish to make in advance especially if you’re also planning to make apple pie (which I am) ‘cos you can just prep all the apples for both dishes. The secret to this dish is a LOT of cinnamon. If you think you have enough, add a little bit more. More is better, trust me!

1. Cook a whole package of wide egg noodles and drain.
2. Add 3 beaten eggs with vanilla, 2 tablespoons cinnamon and 1.4 cup sugar ; it will be super slippery.
3. Add the lemon juice and zest to the apple slices.
4. Drain all the canned fruit but keep the juices; you’ll need them.
5. Mix together all the canned fruits.
6, Use Crisco to oil one large and one medium deep baking dish.
7. Add a layer of noodles, then a layer of canned fruit, a layer of apples, then another layer of noodles, a layer of the canned fruit, sliced apples, more noodles, more canned fruit and apples, ending with a final layer of noodles.
8. Pour over any remaining egg mixture, and a cup or so of the fruit juices. Be very liberal with the juice. It will all get soaked up as the kugel bakes.
9. My mom would dot the whole thing with a bunch of Crisco, like ¼ cup, which sounds gross, but I still follow her recipe. Some people use butter, but we don’t.
10. Bake covered at 300 degrees for about an hour or so depending on the pan size. Take cover off for final 15/20 minutes. Excellent reheated and/or cold.

Recipe by Enchanted Seashells

Featured pic is not mine, Found on Pinterest.

Witches Brew | Fresh Juice Detox

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I haven’t done a food related post in a while…

I think I was inspired by my garden beets to revisit the addition of fresh veggie juices to my diet, as a liver detox cleanse and all around desire to only bring good things into my body.

Not too much prep; it’s easy!

I used beets, cucumbers, carrots, cilantro, ginger water (previously prepared*), celery, an apple, a little broccoli, and some garden kale/chard.

This time I didn’t use a juicer, I cut the veggies into smaller pieces to make it easy for the blender along with 32 ounces of water and zapped the life out of them.

What I got was more actual nutrition than a juicer because I strained it and added the small amount of leftover pulp to a pot of veggie soup I was cooking. It would be equally beneficial to add to the mix for veggie burgers.

It was absolutely delicious.I added an extra shot of ginger water because I love the spiciness. I’m out of lemons or that would have been an awesome flavor, too.

Why cilantro, you might ask? Cilantro is a powerful antioxidant and has been used to remedy a variety of liver and pancreas problems. Some people love it, some don’t.

Drink this juice to help cleanse your liver. I’m not aware of any specific issues with my own liver but I simply wanted to give it a little TLC, and if it energizes my metabolism to lose a couple pounds, I’d be ecstatic.

Our liver is not the loudest of organs as it’s not quick to show visible symptoms when something is wrong. It’s actually a multi-tasking hero that often doesn’t get enough credit. Our liver supports digestion, metabolism, detoxification, blood and hormone regulation, the immune system, and more and we mostly ignore it — or abuse it with alcohol and fatty fried foods, and MEAT.

I’ve been drinking this concoction for a few days — not a fast, although it would be great for that, too. Simply knowing I’m helping this hardworking part of my body makes me feel like I’m doing a lot of necessary self-care and preventative maintenance, like changing the oil on your car, which I confess I NEVER do.( Uh oh.)

Love your liver!

Recipe by Enchanted Seashells

*To make ginger water: Take a decent sized piece of ginger, scrape the skin, slice into rounds. Toss in a pot of filtered water to heat until simmering. Cook for fifteen or so minutes, let cool, and store in a glass jar in refrigerator. I add it to smoothies, juices, and tea.

From Seed to Harvest | The Essential and Humble Beet

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Have you ever grown beets? They’re humble and rustic, sweet and solid, packed full of heart healthy nutrition, even the leaves.

Beets are full of antioxidants that fight cell damage and reduce the risk of heart disease. They’re one of the few vegetables that contain betalains, a powerful antioxidant that gives beets their vibrant color. Betalains reduce inflammation and may help protect against cancer and other diseases.

No part of this beauty is wasted, whether it’s cooked or shaved raw in a salad.

My mom used to make borscht, a Ukrainian cold beet soup, because my dad loved it, but I thought it looked and tasted disgusting, especially since she topped it with a dollop of sour cream.

I now think that I might have been mistaken about my revulsion for borscht, well maybe…except for the sour cream, which I still don’t like.

I’ll scrub and slice the beets, then steam them with the leaves just until tender, to enjoy eating unadorned just like they are, fresh and wholesome. YUM!

Zesty Veggie Hummus #Vegan Pinwheels

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FINALzesty

Veggie Hummus Pinwheels are the perfect choice for a summer party or barbecue.

Hummus is so easy to prepare from scratch that it’s a staple here at Casa de Enchanted Seashells. (Recipe below.)

It’s mostly all prep work. Organizing your ingredients makes it easy. I don’t like onions, but the addition of a thinly sliced red onion would be a wonderful crunchy flavor enhancer.

veggie roll up 4

I used a handheld mandolin to thinly slice the veggies. Carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms, cucumber, and freshly steamed, chopped spinach. Make sure you squeeze out all of the cooking juice and save for soup stock later in the week.

I had some leftover guacamole and used that too. Organic pea shoots and cilantro (coriander to you all from across the pond) rounded out the healthy deliciousness. Add a squeeze of sweet chili sauce or sriracha (if you can find it!) to make it super zesty.

veggie rollup5

**For a really low calorie option, use a large lettuce leaf instead of a carb-filled tortilla.

Simply spread, layer, roll, and cut.

Spread with hummus, guacamole, spinach (this one doesn’t have spinach, but I used a slice of veggie cheddar cheese. The important part is to layer all the veggies on the side of the wrap or tortilla closest to you. Sometimes I heat the tortilla to make it a little more pliable.

vegroll1
vegroll2
vegroll3

Start rolling, keeping it tight. That’s the secret to a successful roll up. If you’ve ever made sushi, it’s the same principle, without using a bamboo mat. Tah dah! A fat little cigar shaped roll of yumminess.Cut in half with a sharp knife. 

vegroll4
veggie rollup3

Keep cutting…eating the ends as you go. Well, at least that’s what I did.
Turn them up so they’re smiling pinwheels, choose a special serving platter, and add a little garnish: here I used cilantro, pea shoots, and thinly sliced LIME.  

FINALzesty

Beautiful, festive, healthy!

BASIC HUMMUS

One 15 oz. can unsalted garbanzo beans (or your own from scratch)
Four garlic cloves
Six tablespoons lemon juice
One-third cup tahini
Salt, pepper, hot pepper sauce

Drain beans, but save juice. Toss it all into a food processor and blend until desired consistency. Add a little juice from the beans as needed. Season to taste.
That’s it! Couldn’t be any easier, right?
Options: Add chopped, drained spinach, jalapeños, roasted red peppers, etc. Use your imagination and experiment. It’s all tasty. Especially if you add a squeeze of lime…

“I’m going to invite you to my birthday party.”

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We’re drawing pictures at the dining room table. I’m not a very good artist and can really only draw butterflies and whales while my companion was creating something that could only be described as nothing I could identify (of course I’d never reveal that.)

She’s an extremely chatty and precociously verbal 3.5 year old, a nonstop talker from the moment she wakes up until the moment she closes her eyes, exactly like her big brother.

Honestly, they are both the most interesting people I know—of any age. I love to spend hours upon hours conversing with them about whatever is in their hearts and minds.

“Here you go. I drew this for you, Grandma!”

“Oh my, that is SO beautiful. Thank you!”

“Grandma, do you know what? I’m going to invite you to my birthday party.”

The way she said it was like a queen bestowing an honor upon one of her subjects. This upcoming birthday is the subject of many conversations. Turning four is a BIG deal.

“That’s awesome, Angel Girl! I accept your invitation. I will love to come to your party. Who else will you invite?”

“Some of my friends from preschool and my brother and that’s it.”

A couple minutes later…

“Can you make a unicorn cake, Grandma?”

“Hmmm, let me think. Yes, I believe I can, Are you sure that you’ll want a unicorn cake for your birthday?”

“Yes. I’m sure.”

“Well, you’re planning well in advance as your birthday isn’t for a few months. Do you think you might change your mind?”

“No, I won’t. I want a pink and purple unicorn cake.”

“You got it, a pink and purple unicorn, no problem. BUT if you change your mind, that’s OK, too.”

Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that my party invitation might somehow be connected to my ability to bake? Am I being cynical?

Upon reflection, if I could accomplish a decent job on her brother’s Pokemon Ball cake for his 7th birthday (and I did) I think I can attempt a unicorn cake for Angel Girl’s 4th year around the sun. It’s really just a horse shaped cake with an upside down ice cream cone in the center of its head, but don’t tell HER,

There’s nothing better than to be able to grant those kinds of wishes.