I belong amongst the blueberry bushes, of this I am certain.
If you thought I was going to let our previous blueberry tragedy get me down for long you were mistaken. After our sad, sad trip up to Hatcher Pass, I was on a blueberry mission! And our mission paid off! We were not disappointed, we hit the jackpot. So long Hatcher, we have a new place to pick. Yes, it's an hour and half away, but it's up by where Todd and I got married, it's beautiful and it's rich with wild Alaskan blueberries!
I was worried that we wouldn't find any, after being slightly traumatized (but not demoralized) from the Hatcher's trip...but...as soon as Todd opened the car door...look!
We could literally pick them from inside the car! I went beserk...obvs.
Bob was with of us of course. I was worried about how he'd do after Todd's hike on Saturday. In case you missed it on Produce On Parade's Facebook page, Bob had to be carried down Lazy Mountain by Todd and my little brother because his muscles gave out! But he was okay on the blueberry mission, thank goodness! He was definitely competition for the prime bushes! As soon as we'd find a good spot to settle down and pick he'd come rushing over and start nibbling before you could beat him to it!
I think we got enough to last us through the winter...though we may have to go back up this weekend just for the joy of it. Expect some sweet blueberry recipes in the near future! I have to say my utter favorite use of blueberries is to have them freshly picked and popped into warm oatmeal in the morning after a long backpacking trip, while still in the tent. There's no better way to have them! Trust me.
It was one wet and soggy trip, though we were tickled to be back up by where we got married again.
Here's half our harvest in the freezer. Yes, we use socket wrench sockets to stack the trays. We're real professional-like. Don't judge.
I cannot believe Todd's 27th birthday was a few days ago! How did we get so...mature? I remember thinking when I was in highschool, that when I was married, had a house and a career that I would have it all figured out and I would know who I was. Yea...I was wrong. I'm still finding out who I am! We had a family birthday bash for Mr. Todd outside our tiny little house. I'm not a big social person and it was the first "gathering" we really had at our house, so it was a big day all around! For Todd, myself and our home!
I made some amazing veggie burgers and a wonderful herbed potato salad. Todd always wants an ice cream cake for this birthday, but seeing that we're vegan now and the fact that I've never made an ice cream cake before (god, what a task!), I couldn't just hop on over to Dairy Queen or wherever and buy one.
I do not like ice cream cakes. One, because they're usually bought pre-made and I like to actually make cakes from scratch and two, I don't like my ice cream and cake to touch. You heard me! No touchy-touchy! Anyways, feeling bad for Todd, this being his first year sans-ice-cream-cake, I wanted to make him something special.
The last cake I made was for my birthday I believe. It was a vegan chocolate "cheese"cake, aka cashew based cake and pretty much everyone told me it tasted like bread. I happened to like it quite fine but the non-vegans were less than impressed. And so I vowed to never ever make a faux-dessert anything again.
Obviously for this birthday, a straight up chocolate cake would be hard to bastardize. This cake however is no ordinary chocolate cake. It's super special because it is an Oreo cake...and it is vegan...and it rocked my world and surely the non-vegs as well. Who is seriously going about life hating Oreos? No one. This chocolate cake has Oreo cookies baked right into the cake itself as well as incorporated into the frosting and then crumbled on top too! But wait, I even used "Birthday Cake" Oreos.
If you haven't had these yet, I will need to you stop reading this post, drop whatever else important thing you're doing and go get some. They smell like what I imagine heaven would smell like, and they taste exactly like how they smell...like heaven. Birthday Cake Oreos are heaven on Earth. Yes, my health conscious friends...this recipe comes with a warning (yes, I did make that sign above, heh heh). What? I can't always be perfect. This cake is so delicious though, you should sneakily make it before your parents come home!
Here's the birthday boy with a new Jetboil camping stove! Um, awesomeness! We're super excited to have a new camping stove. One seriously cannot have enough. They're like wool socks in that regard.
For a little hermit like myself, we threw a pretty good bash! This cake was one for the books. Surprise your next birthday boy or girl with this beautifully delicious cake. Sorry about the scrubs, yo. Hey, I got frosting ALL over them so it's a good thing I never found time to change when I got home from work! All's well. Except that I seemed to have lost my glass cake stand during our move last year! Sad face.
Take notice to Bailey being in every damn picture. He's like the dog version of Where's Waldo. I need to get him a red and white striped bandana...and maybe we should start calling him "Baldo"?
Birthday Oreo Cake for Todd
Serves: 12 (makes 2 9" cakes to be stacked and frosted)
Inspired by Life In Limbo
This chocolate cake has Oreo cookies baked right into the cake itself as well as incorporated into the frosting and then crumbled on top. Use "Birthday Cake" Oreos for a birthday surprise!
Ingredients
-- For the Cakes --
2 cups coconut milk (Silk) - I used unsweetened, plain
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. ground flaxseed
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
3 tsp. Kahlua or vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 heaping cup crushed Oreos - I used "Birthday Cake" Oreos...oh yes
-- For the Frosting --
1 cup of vegan butter, room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. Kahlua or vanilla extract
1/4 cup of coconut milk (Silk)
1 cup crushed Oreos
5 Oreos - for topping
birthday sprinkles - for topping (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F and then spray the crap out of two 9" cake pans.
First, whisk the milk, vinegar and ground flaxseed together and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl (preferably an electric stand mixer bowl!), combine the sugar, oil and Kahlua. Beat very well.
In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the remaining cake ingredients except the crushed Oreos. Whisk well to combine. Now, add the milk and vinegar mixture to the sugar and oil mixture and whisk well to combine.
Then, slowly add in the dry mixture. Whisk well, ensuring that the batter is smooth. Stir in the 1 heaping cup of crushed oreos.
Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake at 350 F for 20-30 minutes.
After 20 minutes, check the doneness with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cakes are finished cooking, if not then allow to the bake another 5 minutes and then check again.
Once they are done, leave them in the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Time to work on the frosting! Add the room temperature butter to that electric stand mixer bowl (wash it first!), and beat the heck out of the butter on high speed. Next, add the sugar slowly and then mix on high for about 3 minutes. Add in the Kahlua and milk and mix again on high for another 3 minutes, slowly adding in the crushed Oreos towards the end.
Once the cakes have cooled, carefully remove them from the pans. Use a flexible spatula and go around the edges beforehand.
Frost the top of one, then place the other on top of that one and continue to frost the rest of the cake.
Add some leftover crushed Oreos on top to finish! I also added a few whole Oreos and some birthday sprinkles.
Confession time! I've only had baked beans probably like twice in my entire life. I think both times I found them as side dishes that someone brought to some random BBQ. Why only twice? I can't be sure, but maybe it's because I've never liked ribs and baked beans usually accompany ribs. Right? Eh, who knows. My family certainly never made them, though I don't know if there was a particular reason for that. Maybe they're not really an Alaska thing? Or maybe baked beans are something that my family just never really embraced. A shame I should think, reflecting.
Either way, I have embraced them. I saw this vegan recipe for baked beans a little while back and for about a week now, I have been transfixed, yearning for baked beans! I'm so weird. Hey, if it's sweet, I'm on board.
So, these I am sure are not "authentic"...whatever that means with regards to baked beans. I'll freely admit I have no idea. I can tell you though, that this dish was awesome. It was sweet, creamy, warm and comforting. The best part may have been how super easy it was to make. With Todd's birthday party tomorrow (I'll be making homemade veggie burgers, vegan potato salad, grilled corn on the cob and a surprise homemade cake) and working to get back into the swing of things with work and home, I just didn't have time or energy to make something that required a lot of effort. Okay, any effort. Other effortless meals this week included pasta with beet greens, Amy's dairy-free bean burritos and copious smoothies. I didn't record those though. Sorry!
Doesn't that look like the perfect end-of-summer-beginning-of-fall meal? Yes, I agree that it does.
So, if you're short on time but don't want to sacrifice a great, nutritious and comforting early fall meal, then this dish is for you!
1 large bunch of rainbow chard, washed, de-stemmed and chopped (or kale, spinach or any kind of chard)
1-2 large handfuls of spinach
2 tsp. stone ground mustard
2 15 oz. cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup vegan BBQ sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground chipotle chili powder
sprinkle of ground black pepper
Bring the water to boil in a small saucepan. Add the rinsed quinoa and stir. Turn to low and allow to simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Once done cooking, fluff with a fork.
While quinoa does it's thing, heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the onion, pepper, spinach and rainbow chard. Saute for about 5 minutes over low heat.
Drain and rinse the beans. Add them to the saucepan with the onion, red pepper and greens, along with the remaining ingredients.
Cover, turn to low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve the baked bean mixture over a bed of quinoa and enjoy!
That was easy enough, right?
I am fairly ignorant to proper baked beans, so if you have a family or a favorite baked bean recipe let me know! I'd love to hear about it. Are beans popular where you live? I imagine they're found a lot in the South. I have no science to back me up on this one, it's just a hunch.
Healthy Baked Beans with Rainbow Chard and Quinoa
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Katie - Produce On Parade
Serves: 4-6
If you’re short on time but don’t want to sacrifice a great, nutritious and comforting fall meal, then this dish is for you!
Ingredients
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups dry quinoa, rinsed
2 tsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, minced
1 red bell pepper, minced
1 large bunch of rainbow chard, washed, de-stemmed and chopped (or kale, spinach or any kind of chard)
1-2 large handfuls of spinach
2 tsp. stone ground mustard
2 15 oz. cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup vegan BBQ sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground chipotle chili powder
sprinkle of ground black pepper
Instructions
Bring the water to boil in a small saucepan. Add the rinsed quinoa and stir. Turn to low and allow to simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Once done cooking, fluff with a fork.
While quinoa does it’s thing, heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the onion, pepper and rainbow chard. Saute for about 5 minutes over low heat.
Drain and rinse the beans and add to the saucepan along with the remaining ingredients.
Cover, turn to low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve the baked beans mixture over a bed of quinoa and enjoy!
3.2.1251
I had lots of yellow leaves on my car this morning. Fall is coming. Now back to preparing for a special birthday!
I belong amongst the blueberry bushes, of this I am certain.
If you thought I was going to let our previous blueberry tragedy get me down for long you were mistaken. After our sad, sad trip up to Hatcher Pass, I was on a blueberry mission! And our mission paid off! We were not disappointed, we hit the jackpot. So long Hatcher, we have a new place to pick. Yes, it's an hour and half away, but it's up by where Todd and I got married, it's beautiful and it's rich with wild Alaskan blueberries!
Bob was with of us of course. I was worried about how he'd do after Todd's hike on Saturday. In case you missed it on Produce On Parade's Facebook page, Bob had to be carried down Lazy Mountain by Todd and my little brother because his muscles gave out! But he was okay on the blueberry mission, thank goodness! He was definitely competition for the prime bushes! As soon as we'd find a good spot to settle down and pick he'd come rushing over and start nibbling before you could beat him to it!
I think we got enough to last us through the winter...though we may have to go back up this weekend just for the joy of it. Expect some sweet blueberry recipes in the near future! I have to say my utter favorite use of blueberries is to have them freshly picked and popped into warm oatmeal in the morning after a long backpacking trip, while still in the tent. There's no better way to have them! Trust me.
It was one wet and soggy trip, though we were tickled to be back up by where we got married again.
Here's half our harvest in the freezer. Yes, we use socket wrench sockets to stack the trays. We're real professional-like. Don't judge.
How do you like your blueberries?
