FROM STAY AT HOME DAD TO HOMESTEADING DAD

As  the title suggests, there are going to be some changes around here.

 I haven't posted in a while because we have moved -- literally.  We have decided to chuck it all in and move to the country.  We bought 40 acres a while back, and were planning on making this move, but not so quickly.  You see, my wife's father, Harry Eugene Orcutt, had a dream for years to live in the country and in a log home.  His entire family, his wife, children and their spouses (myself included) share in that dream.  I have lived in big cities all my life, but have always enjoyed trips to the country, and to tell you the truth, I prefer the wide open spaces to living on top of other people, and they on top of me.  Harry had put off his dream time and time again in deference to taking care of his family in the here and now.  Well, as cruel fate would have it, he was LITERALLY 8 hours away from retirement and bringing that dream to reality when he was struck by a massive, fatal heart attack. 

We were all planning on making this move a little later, but Harry's sudden departure shocked us into action.  Why have a dream is you don't actually work to fulfill it?  We're not waiting.  So we are forging full speed ahead to the 40 acres we all bought together to make Harry's dream come true. 

Here's where it gets interesting.  Our land is in central Arizona.  It's high desert, cattle country.  We are quite literally 30 miles from nowhere.  Oh sure, there's a general store and a gas station here or there, but if you want a Starbucks you're driving 30 miles one way.  When we startedearlier this year, there was nothing but a barren scrath patch of desert, all bugs and dust.  Today, there isn't much else.  We've had a couple acres of it scraped and cleared, and we have parked our camping trailers atop.  The whole fam-damly is here, 5 adults and 5 kids.  The kids range from 10 years old down to 3 months old.  yeah, we're a little nuts!

So anyway, not to make this a novel-length post, this blog will be shifting focus from a stay at home dad's perspective to a home MAKING dad's perspective.  I won't have time for a while to post recipes.  For the time being, I really don't even have a kitchen.  Instead, I will be chronicling the steps we are taking to carve out our little slice of heaven, and to fulfill Harry's dream.  I'll be touching on things like setting up camp, fighting off bugs, beating the heat, finding/making shade, living with a well not suitable for drinking (yet), no pressurized water (yet), generator power, swamp coolers, M*A*S*H* style tents, solar PV systems, and so on, and on...

So let the adventure begin!  I used to say that being a stay at home dad was the hardest, yet most rewarding job I've ever had.  Now I'm not so sure.  I'll blog later about our struggles to get that water cleaned up and running, and how glorious it feels to finally take a REAL running shower after many many days of teapot sponge baths.

Vegan Lasagna

Per the request of a Facebook friend. :) The original inspiration for this recipe came from Naturally Gourmet, by Karen Houghton. Page 141 contains a recipe for stuffed shells. I liked that recipe very much and wanted to have it one night for dinner. I couldn't find the shells in any of my local grocery stores at that time, but I did find organic, whole wheat no-boil lasagna noodles. So, I figured, why not? Here's my adaptation.

"Cheese" filling:

4 cups (about 2 packages) tofu, extra firm, water packed

1-2 tsp salt (to taste)

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

3/4 cup Vegenaise (a vegan mayonaise, available at Whole Foods and Sunflower Market. A bit more expensive than real mayo, but it's vegan, and quite worth it)

2 sprigs fresh basil OR 2 tsp dried

1-2 tsp lemon juice

Don't be too concerned about getting the amounts exactly perfect here.  Many of these ingredients are "to taste".  Adjust to suit your family's tastes. 

Take tofu out of it's water packaging, squeeze a bit to get out the excess, crumble into a big bowl. Add all the other above ingredients and smash up with your hands.

The Rest:
Nutritional yeast (available at Whole Foods or Sunflower Market)
1-2 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 box of lasagna noodles, regular or "no boil".

Spread a layer of sauce in a 13" x 9"(ish) baking pan, then a layer of uncooked noodles, then a layer of the tofu mixture, then sprinkle a layer of Nutritional yeast. Repeat as necessary until you reach the top of the pan. Make sure you leave a little bit of the tofu mixture to dollop on the very top, plus another sprinkling of the nutritional yeast. (It gives a savory, parmesan type flavor, not to mention it's loaded with B-vitamins, minerals and protein)

Cover the pan with aluminum foil, place in a 350 degree oven. If you are using no-boil noodles, cook covered for 30 minutes, then remove foil and cook for another 15. If using regular noodles, cook covered for 45 minutes, remove foil and then cook uncovered for 15. After cooking, let stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes to "rest" before serving.

If you like this recipe, please buy Ms. Houghton's book.  Admittedly, a little pricey, but well worth it.  There are TONS of great plant based recipes in there.  We have tried quite a few recipes from this book and have been amazed at how wonderfully tasty they all are. Who knows, you may even be able to convince the most hardened of carnivores to eat his veggies.  :)

Butternut Squash Curry

I adapted this recipe from Naturally Gourmet, by Karen Houghton.  It's not that there was anything wrong with the original recipe, it's just that I didn't have everything that was on the author's ingredients list.  And then, once I started down my own path, well...

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 Tbs crushed garlic
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2-4 Tbs yellow curry powder (to taste)
• 1/2 package onion soup mix
• 1tsp imitation chicken seasoning (McKay's, Bill's Best, etc.)
• 1 large potato
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 - 1 1/2 tsp salt (to taste) 
• 2 small tomatoes, chopped
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 package extra firm tofu, cubed

The original recipe calls for peeling the squash and cutting it into cubes while it's raw.  Puh-LEEZ!  That's too difficult.  Do this instead:  Put the whole squash in a 350 degree oven for an hour or two. (Poke/slice a few holes in it first, to vent the steam, and place it on a baking pan, in case it drips.)   Let it cool completely, like, maybe in the refrigerator overnight.  Then you can easily peel and de-seed the squash in a jiffy.  The skin should have separated from the flesh already, so it should just come right off, so this method of cooking gives you the most yield from the squash too.  

Then add the chopped butternut squash, plus all the other ingredients, minus the tofu, cilantro and coconut milk, in a stock pot, simmer for about 30 minutes.  Then add the rest and heat through.  

Serve over rice.  I like brown jasmine [boiled with a spoonful of coconut oil added to the water to make it slightly sweet] for this dish.

Enjoy!

Grilled Pizza

This recipe should probably have been posted during the summer months, but here in the Desert Southwest, the temperatures are finally dropping to a tolerable level.  We can pretty much grill all winter long!

Last Saturday, I was sitting with my youngest while he was working a superhero puzzle (48 pieces).  I don't know exactly why I was thumbing through Steven Raichlen's BBQ USA, being pretty much, exclusively vegan nowadays, (Remember, I still will eat a good, organic, grass fed, certified humane steak once in a while).  We don't get much chance to do much serious grilling or BBQ-ing anymore.  I stumbled across the recipes for grilled pizza on pages 150-159.  

I first tried these on the gas grille, but ran out of propane just as I was placing the first crust down on the grille.  I switched to the ol' Weber grille, but I was impatient, and the first pie tasted of residual lighter fluid.  The second pie tasted fantastic, having been cooked on more mature coals.  So, let that be a lesson to you:  Let your fire mature before you start grilling these pizzas.  Be patient.  Plan ahead.

I'll be trying these on a wood fueled camp fire this weekend while camping.  I'll let you know how it goes.


First, the dough:  

• 1 3/4 cups warm water
• 2 packages of active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 1/2 cups white all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, maybe more
•  

1) place the water, yeast and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer, stir to mix.  Let stand until slightly foamy, about 5-10 minutes.

2)Add the salt and 2 tablespoons of oil and mix with a dough hook until combined, about 2 minutes.  Add the flours and mix on low speed until a smooth dough forms and pulls away from the side of the bowl without sticking.  The dough should be soft and moist but not sticky.  If it's too wet, add a little more flour.  If it's too dry, add a little water.  Every type and brand of flour is different!


3)  Use the remaining tablespoon of oil to coat the inside of a large bowl.  Gather the dough into a ball and place it in the oiled bowl, turning to coat it on all sides.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a quiet place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or in the refrigerator overnight.


4)  Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured board.  Knead the dough a few times by hand, until it has returned down to original size.


5)  Divide the dough into 6 even pieces, about 3 inches in diameter.  Place the balls on an oiled baking sheet, brush with a bit of olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 20 to 40 minutes, until they puff up again.


Now, Let's make some pizzas!  

You can use anything you want on your pizza, these are just two suggestions.  Keep in mind, with this grilling method, it cooks really fast, so don't count on your topping to actually cook, they will simply warm through.  So, adjust accordingly.

Recipe #1:  Grilled Pizza Margherita

• Roma tomatoes, chopped
• Fresh basil, chopped
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes 

Roll or stretch or spin out a dough ball to make a really thin crust.  Brush olive oil on one side and place it on the grille for about 2 minutes.  You'll see the center start to bubble up, and the edges crisp up.  Brush the top side with olive oil and flip over.  Immediately place the cheese first, then all the other ingredients on the pizza and put the cover down.  Let cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the crust is crispy and the cheese is melted.  Check to make sure the crust isn't burning,and rotate it if you need to.  You're cooking directly on a fire, so the heat may not be exactly even.

Recipe #2:  Grilled Garlic and Rosemary Pizza

• Olive oil
• 6 clove fresh garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
• 3 cups grated vegan mozzarella cheese (OK, use the real deal if you want)  
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes

Place 3 tablespoons of oil in a small saucepan and saute the garlic and rosemary until the garlic is just barely browned, about 3 minutes.  

Cook the dough as described above and use this mixture on top of the pizza AFTER you add the cheese.  The book says to add the cheese first to aid in it's quick melting.  It also helps the other ingredients stick to the pie too.

Vegan "Chicken" Stew and Pot-Pie Filling

Just threw this together off the top of my head last night.  Wow!  Everybody chowed!

• 3-4 potatoes, cubed into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups onion, chopped
• 2 cups carrots, chopped
• 2 cups onion, chopped
• 2 cups celery, chopped
• 1 cup corn, it can be fresh, canned, or frozen
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• various herbs such as rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup MimicCreme Almond and Cashew Cream   
• a splash of cooking sherry (Optional, but oh so yummy!)
• 4-6 cups of chopped fried gluten steak.  (LINK to Recipe) 

First, boil the potatoes until done, drain.  Put them back into the pot, then add all the other ingredients, minus the chopped gluten steak.  Simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add the chopped gluten steak at the end and heat through and then serve.

This also works quite well in a pie filling, as chicken pot-pie.

Mimic Cream

A common challenge with the plant based diet is finding substitutes for cream.  With this stuff you can again make cream based sauces and gravies, thicken soups and stews, make cream based pies, etc. 

 MimicCreme Almond and Cashew Cream is USDA organic, soy free, dairy free, with no trans fats, no saturated fats.  Granted, it does have fat, so people on a very strict plant based diet, such as those with sever heart disease, should probably use this sparingly, if at all. 

Walnut Cream Sauce

My wife found this recipe in  Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health .  The original recipe calls for putting this over steamed Kale.  I am not at all a fan of cooked greens.  But I believe this sauce would be great with various other vegetables, such as carrots, asparagus, cauliflower, etc.

1/2 cup walniuts.  shelled, of course.

2-3 cloves garlic.

1-2 tablespoons of Tamari.  (a different kind of soy sauce, it's gluten free!)

1/2 cup water.

Throw it all in a food processor, and run it until it's smooth.  Use more or less water to get the consistency the way you like.

Yum!  I actually ate kale last night with the help of this stuff!