Your Co-op Kitchen will once again offer delicious ready-to-heat-and-eat Thanksgiving dishes to help make holiday meal preparation a breeze. With many vegan and gluten-free options on the menu, you will feel confident in serving everyone who may gather for your holiday feast.

This year we are offering single-serving complete meals in traditional and vegetarian style. Also, a pre-portioned meal that includes all the side dishes needed to feed a party of up to ten people for just $54.99. Our menu includes traditional side dishes; such as lentil walnut loaf, maple-glazed yams, cranberry sauce, classic and vegan mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cornbread dressing, home-style poultry gravy and vegan golden gravy.

As always, hand-made desserts such as traditional and vegan pumpkin pies, apple cranberry galette, and our popular carrot cake will be available to special order or find in the Bakery case. We’ll also prepare extra special party dips and spreads; like artichoke spinach dip, walnut pecan pate, roasted red pepper torta and holiday cheese balls among our Grab-and-Go selections.

Orders must be placed by November 21st.  Orders may be picked up on Wednesday November 23rd.  For more information or to place an order, stop by the Co-op Kitchen counter or call 910.799.2667 ext250.

Vegan Love Buzz Cake

A recipe from Jennifer Andreas, Tidal Creek Cooperative Food Market

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp kosher salt

2 cups unbleached raw sugar

1 cups fair trade cocoa powder

8 oz fair trade brewed coffee

12 oz warm water

4 oz apple butter

10 oz safflower oil

2 tbs + 1 ½ tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pans with pan spray. This can be mixed by hand or in an electric mixer.

In large bowl, mix dry ingredients with a whisk and set aside. In a second bowl add coffee and cocoa, whisk together. Add the warm water to coffee/chocolate mixture, mix until smooth. Add apple butter, vinegar, vanilla and oil together in the coffee/chocolate mixture. Mix until combined.

Add wet mixture to dry mixture, mixing by hand (or mixer) until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared pans. For bundts add 2oz batter to each cake or fill 3/4 full. For each 9-inch round, divide batter equally.

Bake immediately for 15 – 20 minutes (for 9-inch rounds, bake 25 to 30 minutes) or until the toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  After cooling for 10 minutes, flip mini cake bundts out of cake pan and allow to cool completely before icing. If you keep the mini cakes inside the bundt pan till completely cooled, it is very difficult to get them to release without breaking apart.

Vegan Chocolate Ganache:

8 oz soymilk

2 cups dark chocolate chips

Heat soymilk in a pan over medium heat until hot.

Add chips to a stainless steel bowl.

Once soymilk is heated up, pour over the chips. With a rubber spatula, mix chips until melted and smooth. Allow the ganache to cool slightly.

Place cooled bundts on a cooling rack. Then place the cooling rack over a large bowl that’s big enough to catch the chocolate that falls off the cakes. Pour the ganache over each bundt cake making sure they are coated entirely (except the bottoms). You can repeat this step to create a thicker layer of ganache. You will want to re-use the chocolate that drips down into the bowl to cover all of the bundts.  Now you’ve created a little Love Buzz to share.

Yield:  2 ½ dozen mini bundts or 2 9-inch rounds

As featured in Lumina News Thursday February 10th, 2011

Yield – 2 lbs

• 1 1/4 tsp                         sesame oil
• 1/4 cup + 1/2 tsp         olive oil
• 1 tblsp + 1/2 tsp           curry powder
• 1 1/4 lb                           seitan – cut into 1/4 pieces
• 1 7/8 oz                          cashew nuts – roasted
• 1/4 cup                           raisins
• 1/4 cup                           dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp           veganaise
• 2 1/2 oz                          lemon juice
• 1 1/4 oz                          maple syrup
• 1/3 tsp                           salt
• 1/2 lb                            celery

Heat sesame and olive oils in a large sauce pan until hot.

Add curry powder and seitan, and heat for 1 minute while stirring.

Let cool and then mix with other ingredients.

Starting with the basics: whole grains

By Kirsten Lovan

The basics are the place to start when trying to incorporate whole foods into the diet.  Heidi Swanson has a beautiful cookbook, packed with useful information about whole foods, titled Super Natural Cooking. You may also want to check out her website.

I have found that an easy way to incorporate whole grains into my diet is by using them as a main course.  Combining whole grains with other nuts and seeds or legumes makes a complete protein, thus cutting down on the amount of meat we consume.  Whole grains are a powerhouse of health promoting nutrients. They are high in protein, phyto-nutrients, vitamins and healthy fats.  Quinoa, wheat berries, millet, and barley are some of our family’s favorites.  Whole grains are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased in the bulk bins, which means you can buy as much or as little as you need.  At home we store our grains in mason jars in the refrigerator to ensure that the oils don’t become rancid.

We also are beginning the practice of soaking and fermenting our grains before we cook and consume them, making them easier to digest.  I will talk more about this process in detail in an upcoming post.

A recipe that we use at home is one that can be made as a side dish to a meal and then what is left over can be saved and eaten hot or cold the following day.

Wheat Berry Salad

With citrus, almonds, feta and spinach

2 cups soft wheat berries, rinsed

6 cups water

2 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt,

plus more as needed

Combine wheat berries, water and 2 teaspoons salt in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered, until plump and chewy, about an hour or so.  Drain and season to taste with more salt.

Citrus Dressing:

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange

1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 Tablespoon of finely chopped shallot

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

fine-grain sea salt and black pepper to taste

Combine orange zest and juice, lemon juice and shallot.  Whisk in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3 generous handfuls of fresh spinach

1 cup of sliced almonds

(The original recipe calls for toasted pine nuts, but to save time and money sliced almonds are a yummy alternative)

½ cup of crumbled feta cheese

Toss the hot wheat berries with the spinach, almonds and dressing, the top with feta.

This recipe serves 4-6 people.

(recipe copied from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson)

Brownie and Cookie Trays are available for your holiday weekend. Order Today!

Call 910-799-2667 or order in person.

Brownie Bar Tray – $8 dozen, 2 dozen minimum order

Pick up to 3 varieties:

+Classic Brownie

+Peanut Butter Chip

+Red Velvet

+Vegan Walnut

+Fig Bar

+Vegan & GF Fruit and Nut Bar

+Vegan & GF Wonder Bar

Cookie Tray – $5 dozen, 2 dozen minimum, $2 extra for thumbprints

Pick up to 3 varieties:

+Chocolate Chip

+Sugar

+Snicker doodle

+Ginger

+Wedding

+Vegan Oatmeal Raisin

+Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip

+Vegan Oatmeal Raspberry Ginger

+Vegan Hemp Nut Sandies

+Thumbprints

1 1/4 lb           asparagus – 2″ pieces, blanched
1 1/4 lb           artichoke hearts (1 can)
2/3 cup           red onion thin sliced
1 tbsp + 1 tsp safflower oil
1 tbsp + 1 tsp lemon oil
1 tbsp             olive oil
1 tbsp             red wine
2 tsp               dried tarragon
2 tsp               dijon mustard
3/4 tsp            salt
3/4 tsp            black pepper

Combine asparagus, artichoke hearts, and red onion in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix all of the oils, red wine, tarragon, mustard, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over the veggies, toss together and serve.