Southern-Style Grits

Nothing like a nice bowl of homemade grits on a Sunday morning...
Fully rested, and after a nice conversation with my dad and little sister, I made my way into the kitchen to make Dane a cup of coffee. As a little girl, and I know this might sound gross to some of you, I would salivate as I passed a Waffle House or a small diner just from thinking about their grits! Being that my family would eat out only once in a very long while, I was always craving the strangest things--and usually foods that are just "fillers" for the main course. Although my mother is an amazing cook, even at that tender little age, I knew I wanted to taste and experience all the other foods that were not on our home menu, which was generally Southern Vietnamese dishes and a combination of other Asian influences. Whereas Vietnamese food is generally a light fare, Southern food was rich, creamy, and comforting. Not the healthiest of options, but I think I can honestly say that this simple dish, grits, was what started my love for Southern food!

If you look at the back of a box of quick (not instant) grits, cooking time is only 5-6 minutes. Not so in the case of Southern grits. You must cook them for at least a half hour before they are the perfect creamy consistency you'd find at a breakfast eatery in the South.

Southern-Style Grits:

2 3/4 c. water
1/2 c. soy creamer (next time, I will use use unsweetened milk and up the amount)
1 t. sea salt
1 c. quick grits (not instant)
2-3 T. Earth Balance margarine

In a small pot, bring water, creamer, and salt to a boil.
Slowly stir in the grits until well mixed.
Cover with a lid and turn the heat down to low.
Let cook for 30 minutes, checking 10 minutes before finished, stir, and add a little more water if the grits are too thick.
When the grits look like a stiff cream of wheat, add the butter and serve immediately.

Vegan "Chicken" Salad

I don't remember ever liking chicken salad...
but for some reason, the presence of a French baguette and the abundance of tempeh packages of left over from Thanksgiving made my curious little mind think of an old vegan chicken salad recipe I came across a while back. Of course, I couldn't find it, but I vaguely remembered the basics and refreshed my memory of the components of a real chicken salad through 'Zaar. It wasn't sufficient for me, so I came up with this in a snap and was quite pleased!

Vegan "Chicken" Salad:
(measurements are approximate)

1/2 a block of tempeh (poached for about 15 minutes)
2 T. vegenaise
1 hefty T. nutritional yeast
1 celery, finely chopped
1 t. mustard
1/3 t. dried, minced onion
1/8 t. garlic powder
a dash of thyme
a couple dashes of bragg's liquid aminos
fine ground pepper to taste
(lettuce, if desired)

Crumble the poached tempeh into a food processor and process slightly until it resembles burger crumbles.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the vegenaise, nutritional yeast, and the rest of the ingredients until combined.
Add tempeh and mix thoroughly.
Adjust seasonings if necessary.

I had mine spread on a fresh baked baguette with a nice, big piece of red leaf lettuce. YUM!!!

Petite Cranberry (or Chocolate) Orange Scones

It has been a LONG time...
My camera has been out of commission for quite some time, and with the burdens of school and travel, I've been out of touch with my experimental side. Yes, I've created some pretty amazing dishes during my absence, and it's a pity that I cannot list all the recipes or photos...but no worries, even with the temporary image-less recipes, I plan on getting back into the posting groove for the holidays ;)

Tonight, my tummy had a hankerin' for some cranberry orange scones...how could I resist the urge to replicate one of my favorite scones?!! Dane, of course, isn't a scone man and the little giddy reaction he had to my sudden excitement and urgency to bake was stifled by the word: SCONE. Even worse to him, the addition of "cranberry orange". So, how did I fix the problem? I agreed to halve the batch and omit the cranberries and throw in a handful of chocolate chunks! BIG smile on Dane's behalf. The man will eat ANYTHING that has chocolate in it.

Petite Cranberry (or Chocolate) Orange Scones:

1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/8 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
tiniest pinch o' salt
1/8 c. margarine
1/4 c. dried cranberries (or chocolate, if using)
1 t. fresh orange zest
1/4 c. soy creamer w/
3 drops of apple cider vinegar (to make faux buttermilk)
1/2 of an ener-g egg replacer (optional)

Didn't use the following icing drizzle, but will include in case you're interested in a sweeter scone:

1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 T. orange juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix together all dry ingredients in a large bowl (except the cranberries) and cut in the margarine until the mix looks like coarse crumbs.
Stir in the orange zest.
Stir in the egg replacer and faux buttermilk, stir, then add the cranberries (or chocolate) and stir again until everything is combined.
Flour your hands and knead briefly.
Place the dough onto an ungreased 9x13 pan.
Lightly flour your hands again, then spread the dough out into a rectangle about 1/3 inch thick.
Using a knife, or a dough scraper, cut into small triangles by slicing first into squares, then diagonally.
Do NOT separate!
Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden.
Drizzle icing over them if desired.
Separate and serve warm!