Homemade Matzah & The Feast of Unleavened Bread

We are in the season of the Feast of Unleavened bread. We had a lovely Passover Seder with friends of ours this past Shabbat. So in light of this season, I thought I would share a homemade matzah recipe, no matter how you spell it (matzo, etc).

To get a recipe for Apple Walnut Charoset, click here. 

 Whole Grain Matzah - Unleavened Bread

Move two oven racks to the top and near top positions. You will be baking these in the top 1/2 to 1/3 of your oven. Prepare cookie sheets with silpat mats or parchment paper. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine in a bowl (or in a food processor):

3 cups whole grain flour (I used a combination of spelt, wheat, corn and einkorn flours, and a few whole seeds of millet, flax and sunflower)
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix well (if using food processor, use "s" blade or dough blade on pulse setting until combined well). Add flour as needed to get a dough that isn't sticky, but not too dry. Divide into 12 pieces (or for the size above, they were more like 14-16 pieces per batch). Roll out, adding flour as needed, to keep from sticking. You can roll out extra thin for a more cracker-like type of matzah or you can roll a little thicker to get a softer and thicker matzah. After rolling, make sure to pierce with a fork or dough docker to keep the matzah from rising. Bake on prepared sheets for 6 minutes per side, for a total of 12 minutes baking time. (The size of matzah in the photo above is about a larger hamburger bun size that is flat, but not as thin as cracker type.)

Variations: I added basil and sun-dried tomatoes to one batch. My son added honey to another batch. He also added basil and oregano to a batch that we eventually made into small matzah pizzas last evening. I want to try adding some garlic next. You can come up with variations just by adding favorite seasonings or add in finely chopped fruits or vegetables.

Preparing the Seder and Apple Walnut Charoset

This is a mixture on the Passover Seder plate symbolizing the mortar used by Hebrew slaves in Egypt. You may use a mixture of different kinds of apples. I used only Gala apples this year and it was delicious. This is Ashkenazic style charoset (or haroset, depending on how you spell it). 

To get a homemade matzah recipe, click here.

Apple Walnut Charoset

Combine in a bowl:

3 large apples, cored and chopped
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped (black preferred, but English will work)
1/3 cup Concord grape juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
honey or maple syrup, optional - to taste

Cover and chill. This recipe may be prepared using a food processor on the pulse setting to desired consistency. I like mine a little more on the finely chopped side.

Fire Cider - Part 2

You can read Part 1 here.

I waited six weeks to strain my Fire Cider. I guess because I wanted it good and strong!

Before and after...

October 10, 2017 - Day one

November 28, 2017 - Six weeks later

I had another gallon jar to put my strainer bag in so I could transfer it all over.

I squeezed out as much as I could from the strainer bag. The next photo shows the bulk of vegetables I had after six weeks.

And here is the unsweetened amount of liquid I got today below. The straight Fire Cider, to which I added honey to taste. I would've used maple syrup, but I am out at present. Honey is a good soother when dealing with sickness. 

These are quart jars. After I added honey, I netted about 2 ¾ quarts total of Fire Cider. The leftover strained vegetables are in my freezer, because I figure it can give good flavor to other recipes. Today we used some in a dressing to add some zing to a cabbage and zucchini slaw we made for lunch. I can add them straight from the freezer/partially thawed to blended salad dressings, hummus and other sauces and blended soups to add flavor. Nothing goes to waste if I can help it! 

Freezing the vegetables for other uses. 

So that is how things turned out. Now I am officially ready for the cold season that is now upon us. This week ends in December, so none too soon. I hope you stay warm this season. If not, make a little Fire Cider for your own house! Just an ounce or two will do, every day.  Enjoy!

Sweet Garlic Soy Sauce

I cannot take credit for this. I have had this recipe for a long time and do not know where it came from. If anyone knows of the original inventor of this recipe, please let me know. It is so good!

Sweet Garlic Soy Sauce

Whisk together in a small saucepan:
2 tablespoons arrowroot
1/4 cup water

Then add:
2 Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup shiitake mushroom broth* or water

Put on stove to heat until boiling, keeping a close watch. Then simmer, stirring occasionally until mixture thickens.

Stir in:
1 clove garlic, crushed first, then minced

Turn off heat and let thicken further. Serve any temperature. Can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator in a glass jar. Goes well with nori rolls and spring rolls.

*Note: I routinely rehydrate shiitake mushrooms when I make spring rolls or nori rolls, so I often have this broth freshly made. One time I decided to use it for this and it added so much flavor that I kept it in the recipe.

Coconut Vanilla Mango Ice Cream

What do you do when your electric 6 quart ice cream maker doesn't sell in your yard sale? You make ice cream, of course! I was glad it didn't sell, but I hadn't used it for a while. So when I came across some bargain priced organic coconut milk, I knew what I had to do. An extended family gathering made a perfect reason to whip up some of the homemade variety and share. I told my children, only when Papa is home, can we bring it out of the freezer to enjoy some more.

I made a full batch (a full 6 quarts, my capacity for our ice cream maker). I'll share the amounts I used for the entire batch. Adjust as needed for your use. I based my recipe on one I found over at The Nourishing Gourmet (essentially, I made three recipe's worth with added mango).

Coconut Vanilla Mango Ice Cream

10 and 1/2  cups coconut milk
1 cup honey
6 Tablespoons homemade vanilla extract (recipe coming soon!)
2 pounds frozen mango chunks (about 6 cups)

In batches, I blended the ingredients together in my Vitamix and poured it all into the ice cream maker's metal canister and followed the directions for the ice and rock salt to process it into ice cream. It took an 1 hour for it to freeze. Then I put it all into containers and put into the freezer to harden.

We served it the next day. Good stuff. I used ice that wasn't crushed, so it came out the consistency of snow, but it was still delicious and creamy because of the coconut milk. Next time I will just pulse blend the mangoes into the mix to keep it in small pieces instead of pureeing it. I think it would have a bigger mango flavor that way. Also, when adding the vanilla, I'm going to stir it in instead so there are larger vanilla bean flecks.

I think my daughter likes it. =)

 

 

Tahini Fudge

I recently attended a family reunion in Virginia and took some of this (similar to Simple Fudge) along to share. It was a hit, along with Truffles and another recipe, Date Pecan Treats, I'll share later. It is best a day or two after it's made, so plan accordingly. Enjoy!

Tahini Fudge

1 cup tahini (sesame seed paste/butter)
1 cup carob (or cocoa) powder
3/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Optional mix-ins:
coconut
granola
nuts

Mix together well. The mixture will be a bit like thick frosting. Put into a small flat pan in the freezer and chill for a few hours (up to 24). Cut into bite size pieces and place them separately onto another dish and return to freezer until ready to serve. You'll lick your fingers, these are so good (and gooey!).

Energy Bites

We've been snacking on these sweet morsels lately. They are popular at our house. If anyone knows me, they know that it's difficult for me to follow recipes to the letter. I'm always changing things out, probably because I didn't have the exact ingredients on hand.

So in usual fashion, I substituted similar items to achieve the desired result. I found the basis for my version here. Following is my "chocolate covered cherries" version. Easy to mix up. No further cooking or heat is used. Enjoy.

Energy Bites

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup almond butter
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
3/4 cup sunflower seeds, made into a coarse meal
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup dried bing cherries, chopped
1/4 cup dried goji berries, crushed/chopped
1/4 cup carob powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a bowl with your hands. Cover and chill for an hour or so. You may find using a tablespoon or two, more almond butter will help to keep it together. Roll the mixture into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Store in fridge, or for longer than a few days, in the freezer.

Options: You could use raisins for the dried fruit. Peanut butter could be used instead of almond butter. Remember to be creative and use what you have and add here and there as desired. It's your creation! =)

Sweet and Sour Ginger Marinade for Mushrooms

I recently made this as a marinade for mushrooms. I wanted something raw or nearly raw to prepare mushrooms. It's as if you cooked them, without the cooking. Great flavor!

Sweet and Sour Ginger Marinade

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup shoyu (soy sauce)
1/4 cup honey

4 cloves fresh garlic, sliced thin or minced (about 1 Tablespoon)

1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon dried)

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Put everything in a jar and shake well. Can use as a salad dressing or use to marinate vegetables, mushrooms or tofu. Makes about 1 1/4 cup.

To marinate mushrooms or vegetables, put into a jar (with tight fitting canning jar lid and ring)together and marinate for 24 hours, turning and shaking every few hours for best flavor. Great right out of the jar.

I was able to pack in a full pound of trimmed and cleaned mushrooms into a quart jar with a recipe's worth of marinade. It took a little waiting for the mushrooms to start absorbing the marinade before I could get them all in, but they finally all went in. I cut them into quarters before marinading. Use leftover marinade as salad dressing.

Simple Fudge

One thing I like is to have a few treat recipes for when the urge comes (read: cravings). You don't need to eat much if its a treat. What makes a treat a "treat" is that you eat it rarely and not everyday.

The following is a recipe for a simple fudge that we like. I actually used macadamia nut butter for this most recently, but you can use any nut butter or even peanut butter if you like. I used raw honey as it tends to be thicker than the usual store variety. The thicker your nut butter, the more solid the end product will be. Although around here, we just eat it straight from the freezer, cut into small cubes and then lick our fingers. =)

If you didn't catch the recipe here, I've posted the following:
Enjoy! =)

Simple Fudge

1 cup nut butter
1/2 cup carob powder (or cocoa)
1/2 cup honey

Mix together and freeze. Slice into small pieces for serving. Can roll in coconut or sesame seeds if desired.

Old World Black Bread

This recipe is for all those bakers out there wondering if they will ever like rye bread. If you are like me and just can't get to liking rye bread because of the strong caraway seed taste, this bread is for you. The nice thing about making things from scratch is that you can change things depending on your preference.

I honestly cannot remember if there ever was caraway seeds in this recipe someone gave me. I've been making it so long this way, I heartily enjoy this lovely dark rye bread sans caraway. This is a wonderful dark pumpernickel bread which lends itself to baking as a round bread giving lovely oval slices.

Old World Black Bread

Combine:
2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

Stir together separately, then add to yeast mixture:
2 cups rye flour
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup rolled oats (optional)
1/4 cup carob powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir in:
1/3 cup molasses

Let everything stand for 10 minutes. Add:
2 cups whole wheat flour (or 2 1/2 cup spelt flour)

Add additional whole wheat flour as needed until you have a stiff dough. Knead vigorously for 10 minutes, or until dough is moist, but not sticky. Allow to rise until double (about 1 hour) in a lightly oiled bowl covered with a slightly damp thin towel (I like flour "sack" towels for this).

Punch down and shape into round or oval loaf and place on (oiled or lined with parchment paper) cookie sheet. You can, at this point, lightly "dust" your loaves with additional rolled oats, if desired, and press gently. Then slash with a sharp knife an "X" (about 1/2 inch deep) on top of a round loaf before rising. Or two to three parallel slashes across an longer oval loaf before rising. Let rise 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes or until it sounds hollow when loaf is tapped on the bottom. Yields one 22 oz. loaf.

Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies

This is another recipe I found in a children's magazine. This makes a large batch. You can freeze unbaked dough, or for that matter, bake them ahead and freeze the cookies.

Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix together the following:
7/8 cup oil
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup honey
2 cups applesauce (unsweetened)

Mix together separately and add to the wet ingredients:
2 cups flour (I used whole grain flour)
6 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup raisins (optional)

Chilling the dough will help form better cookies. The original recipe reads "drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet." I used a cookie scoop, like a very small ice cream scoop. Flatten some before baking as they will not flatten on their own. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until done.

Peanut Butter Banana Chip Ice Cream

I love it when I can make a previous dairy treat into something without dairy! And who doesn't love a little ice cream now and then? I tell people I don't have a sweet tooth...and that would generally be true, but on occasion I do enjoy something like this with my family.

Add to that a few things... I recently came across an almost new ice cream maker (I know I have a Vitamix, but there's something about getting out the ice and salt to make it the "old fashioned" way) at a second hand store for only $2.50. It is a Sunbeam 6 quart capacity electric...ok, so not too old fashioned! =)... ice cream maker.

The other is a recipe on the Eating with Wisdom blog (thanks, Mindi) that struck my fancy. And I had everything to make it! Whoo-hooo! =) So, my friends, a vegan ice cream that you can make and it is delicious.

Peanut Butter Banana Chip Ice Cream

1 can (13-14 oz.) coconut milk or non-dairy milk/creamer
1/2 cup sucanat
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
3 bananas (divided use)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup grain sweetened carob/chocolate chips
optional: chopped peanuts

Blend 2 bananas, milk, sucanat, peanut butter, and vanilla in blender until smooth and sweetener is dissolved (uniformly distributed). Transfer to ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Add the third banana (chopped) with the chips about 5 minutes before the ice cream is done in the maker.
I used coconut milk and carob chips in our version. Nice and rich!

Kristen's (Almost Raw) Almond - Cacao Nibs Ice Cream

1 can (13-14 oz.) coconut milk
1/4 cup raw honey
1/2 cup raw almond butter
3 bananas (divided use)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup (or less) raw organic cacao nibs

Follow directions for Peanut Butter Banana Chip Ice Cream above.

One thing that really helps develop the flavor (especially the peanut butter version) is to "ripen" the ice cream in your refrigerator freezer (or deep freezer).

My Mother's Granola

For at least 20 years, my mother owned and operated a health food store. Though it is no longer around, this recipe for her granola was made many times to sell. I hope you enjoy it.


Ravae's Granola



Mix together:


4 1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup sunflower seeds*

1 cup coconut*

1 cup wheat germ*

1 cup slivered almonds or chopped pecans/walnuts*

1/2 cup sesame seeds*

Mix separately:

1/2 cup oil (I used sunflower)

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Mix together dry and wet ingredients. Spread mixture onto two oiled (or use parchment paper) jelly roll pans (cookie sheets with sides) and bake at 300 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until done as desired. Stir every 15 minutes or so for even baking. After it has sufficiently cooled, put into airtight container.

Optional: After baking, you can add up to 1 cup of raisins/currants or chopped dates/apricots* stirring well to combine.

*Note: I always use raw, unsalted, unsweetened coconut, wheat germ, dried fruit, nuts and seeds.

Photo: this batch of granola was made using chopped walnuts and raisins. I believe I also added a bit more rolled oats as well.

Basic Honey Vanilla Ice Cream

To one lovely couple who today celebrate their 39th wedding anniversary... Dad & Mother, this is for you. Happy Anniversary!

For a treat for your honey on that special day...

Basic Honey Vanilla Ice Cream

1/2 c. honey
4 c. milk/cream mixture*
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, dissolve honey in 1/2 cup milk/cream over very low heat, stirring until well blended. Pour this and remaining ingredients into the canister of an ice cream maker. Stir well together. Process until mixture thickens and freezes. Serve immediately as soft serve. Or take out of ice cream maker canister and put into an airtight container, putting it into the freezer to harden.

*You can use soy milk/soy cream mix for this (Silk brand sells a soy creamer). The more milk you use, the more it will be like "ice milk." The more cream, the more like "ice cream" it will be.

Vitamix: Freeze part or all of the milk/cream into ice cubes adding honey & vanilla when processing in Vitamix, skipping the stove top and the ice cream maker steps. Proceed as directed to harden in freezer.


Flavor ideas:

mint: use mint extract to sub for the vanilla (same for other extract flavors)
carob/chocolate: add in carob or cocoa powder
strawberry: use some strawberry jam to replace some of the honey

Stir-in ideas (to be mixed in when putting into ice cream maker or into freezer after blending in Vitamix :

carob/chocolate chips
fruit or berries (ie: strawberries, peaches, pineapple, raisins, banana, etc.)
nuts: any ones you like, chopped (ie: pecans, walnuts, peanuts, macadamia, cashew, etc.)
coconut

Have a great vegan cookie dough you like? Mix up a small batch of cookie dough as usual and put onto a pan thin (flatten to about 1/4") like a bar cookie, but don't bake. Then score into very small squares. Now freeze it, still in the pan. When frozen, break up into small squares. Add as a mix-in to the recipe above.

Ok, now I'll have to start posting some cookie recipes! I must be craving something sweet! =)

This would work well with baked oatmeal or carob cake too!

My Food "Philosophy" - Part 3...A Little On What We Eat And What We Don't

Back to “going” vegetarian…We initially cut out all flesh meats, including fish, and gelatin, meat broths. We did eat dairy and eggs. We ate lots of cheese then. And omelets…LOL! Yes, we tried tofu and other things “only the veggies eat” like soybeans and stuff. We learned a lot about foods we never tried before. And you know what? We loved it. And we changed things along the way.

One thing we changed was that we began to see that especially dairy was not helping us. We eventually cut that out as well. Eggs? We don’t need them to survive either. So began our journey in the vegan world, at least diet wise.

Just a slight change of thought for a minute…a “tangent” if you will… on being strict vegans…we are not…we are still vegetarians…we still eat no flesh meats or fish or any animal product that required the animal to be killed. However, we have felt that being very strict everyday in our world is not likely. In our own kitchen, it is entirely vegan. When we are away, we eat what we like, sometimes that includes having a little egg in the fried rice, or a little shredded cheese on the salad made for us, or even “cheesefood” sauce for our haystacks (the recipe coming for the haystacks soon…no, not the cheese sauce!) =) We don’t fuss and we enjoy it, guilt free. It works for us.

We happen to live in Ghana, West Africa at the present time. We have found it easy to eat a vegetarian diet here (and tropical fruits, yummy!). We also know that in some cases, it is better to eat what is served to you than to say anything. We have found everyone to be very helpful when they learn we eat no meat. From restaurants to other people’s homes, we have been happy with the food served. We do not mind other people eating meat when we are with them. It is something that not all vegetarians (or vegans, for that matter) would do.

We feel that the relationship with others is much more important. We hold that when it’s our home, we can eat and serve to others what we normally would eat, making something they would enjoy when we have guests. And we are very grateful when others do the same when we are at their house. I have yet to be somewhere lately, where I didn’t get more than enough to eat and then some. Really. And as far as restaurants, I ask questions, but I don’t require them to bring me the ingredient lists of all the foods on the menu or buffet (in Ghana or in the states).

Just so you know, I intend to post only vegan recipes on this blog. As most people know how to change out ingredients to “veganize” they can go the other way just as easily. I just happen to like searching for vegan recipes, since that is how I cook at home.

With that said, there are a couple of notes that I wish to add so you are “in the know”… I do use honey. Not all vegans do…I do…I use bee “products” like bee pollen, bee propolis, royal jelly, and honey. I don’t think the other bee products will come up in my recipes (if at all), however honey will. People can replace it with another liquid sweetener or replace with a dry sweetener. More in another post sometime. I do use stevia occasionally and other sweeteners depending on availability, time and place. I do believe people should buy honey from a reputable bee keeper or nearby crop farmer (preferably who grows things the organic way) who bottles their own if they do decide to use it. It is better business and much better for you. If you can get “raw” honey, go for it. As each person’s tastes change and seasons change, so will what’s in my cupboard. I happen to have honey (from the states) here to use (Thanks, mom!). I have not tried the local Ghana honey. I have enough to last until we move back this summer. Yeah! =)

I plan to include more raw things into our diet and so you will see recipes that reflect that too. I don’t think that I’ll ever be all raw anytime soon. So there will be plenty of “cooking” recipes on here eventually.