Oldham Family Punch

Sometimes you like things because they provide a nice memory.  This punch reminds me of holidays with my family.  A punch bowl full of this is mandatory.  It is nothing fancy but I still enjoy the taste and make it from time to time.

Mix together:

1 Big Can of Pineapple Juice

1 (same) Can of Water

2 packet of Cherry Kool-Aid

1 packet of Lemonade Kool-Aid

1/2 Cup of Sugar (or more to taste)

Fun Fact: These days my mammaw makes this with already sweetened Kool-Aid and then adds even more sugar.  Typically, a cup of sugar is called for but I like it a bit more tart.

This is nice with some blood orange juice too.  Or Sprite or ginger ale in place of the water.

Hot Chocolate

For an easy hot chocolate, over a medium burner, heat up 2 cups of unsweetened original almond milk.  Once hot, mix in 1/2 cup chocolate chips- I use the ones from Enjoy Life as they're free of all the major allergens.  Stir well until the chips melt and everything incorporates.  Pour into a mug.  I like a splash of Bourbon in mine and some Dandies marshmallows.

Homemade Hummus

I think it is well established that I love a good hummus plate/snack.  Of course it's easy to buy a container of it at the store but making your own is easy and cheap!  Here's how I like to do it...

Get a can of chickpeas and open it (but don't drain it!).  For a really smooth hummus recipe, remove the skin from each pea--it's really easy, just put between your fingers and squeeze a bit.  Place each pea in a food processor.  Pulse.

Add, pulsing as you go along:

One clove of garlic, chopped

1/3 Cup Tahini Paste

Juice from 1 1/2 Lemons

Zest from half of lemon, or more to taste

1 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pinch of Cayenne

Salt to taste

Use the reserved chickpea liquid to thin to desired texture

Just keep processing until it's wonderfully smooth.

Top with some more olive oil and any spices you like.

A few notes:

I add even more lemon sometimes because I love lemon.

This recipe is light on garlic since I love eating hummus with roasted garlic, feel free to add another clove or two.

Change it up by adding roasted red peppers, jalapenos, etc.

Quick gnocchi with arugula pesto

I love planning my meals so that even the smallest bit of leftovers become something else.  I ended up with just a few mashed potatoes left after making a potato enchilada recently.  Mix mashed potatoes with a bit of gluten-free flour mix and a touch of olive oil and gnocchi are ready to go.  Boil and serve with your favorite sauce.  Since I have a tub of arugula right now, I made a pesto of baby arugula, olive oil, vegan parmesan, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and dried parsley and basil.  Ready in under ten minutes--closer to five!

Green Sauce (with enchiladas)

Enchiladas aren't really the prettiest of meals so prepare for some not-so-fantastic photos.

I recently made some of my fresh tomatillo salsa--using jalapenos this go-round.  I had more produce than I needed so a few days later I decided I wanted some enchiladas verde.

Broil the following with just a spray of oil:

3 Tomatillos, husked, rinsed, chopped in half or quartered

1/2 Onion, quartered

2 Jalapenos, stem removed

2-3 cloves of garlic

You want some char and for everything to soften up a bit.  It won't take long.

Throw everything into a food processor.  Add the juice from at least one lime (more to taste, I like a lot of lime sometimes) along with a bit of zest.  Pulse in a handful of cilantro and a tablespoon of apricot jam.  Salt to taste.

I couldn't quite decide what kind of enchiladas I wanted so I ended up making three different kinds, as seen above--all with a bit of Teese Vegan Mozzarella Cheese.  I had mashed potato, black bean, and sauteed arugula/mushroom.

To help with messiness I don't always dip my tortillas in the sauce.  Instead I cover the bottom of my pan with sauce and then surround each enchilada with sauce as I place it on the pan.  Then cover the entire thing.

Bake at 350 until set.

Cornbread

I love cornbread.  I grew up on southern cornbread, the kind that isn't sweet.  While I appreciate a nice sweet corn muffin, it's something I prefer alone--not really to go along with my savory meal.  A bit of sweet is nice though and so you'll see the slightest bit of honey in my recipe.  Maple syrup or sorghum would taste lovely as well.  A few easy substitutions make the bread gluten and dairy-free.  Play with the cornmeal/flour proportions until you decide just what you like.  I go heavy on the cornmeal as I think it works better for gluten-free, but you may prefer more flour.  AND BUY GOOD CORNMEAL.  I get mine from Carriage House Farm through Green Bean Delivery but look locally for wonderful stone-ground goodness.

As I've yet to acquire my very own cast iron cornbread pan, this bread was made in a pie pan.  Any round cake, square, or muffin pan will work great.  My favorite way to cook cornbread is actually fried.  I first had fried cornbread as a little kid; made by my great-grandmother Mrs. Grant.   Fun fact about the great-grandparents Grant: even when I was a kid (I'm only 30) they still only had an outhouse. 

Heat your oven to 375

Mix together:

1 1/2 Cups Cornmeal

1/2 Cup King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt (or to taste)

1 Egg

1 Cup Unsweetened Original Almond Milk

1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 Cup Canola Oil

I usually start off with this mix and may add more flour or liquid (just hot water) if the texture isn't quite right.

Lightly oil your pan and pour your mixture into it.  At this point, lightly drizzle honey over the top.  Do this to taste, somewhere between a teaspoon and a tablespoon.  I use a straw to drizzle.  Bake for 25 minutes or so until the top is brown and the edges begin pulling away from the pan.

Flip onto a plate.

Slice and enjoy.  I like a bit of Earth Balance on mine.

Cherry BBQ Jackfruit

I look forward to posting more and more this year.  I think knowing what people eat is helpful--things that are thrown together from this and that...not necessarily an exact recipe each time.  Maybe something you see here will inspire your own dinner.

Have fun with the recipes you find online, change things around, make them your own.  Combine ones that you like!

Over the last year or so I happily became a huge fan of jackfruit.  Mostly due to Bake and Destroy's mention and basic recipe for All-Purpose BBQ Jackfruit.  It really is a wonderful substitution for BBQ and I recommend her recipe as is.  Throw in your favorite sauce and enjoy.

After picking up some beautiful cherries at the store last week I was in the mood for one of my favorite sauces-- it is a cherry BBQ sauce that has a great tangy/sweet taste.  To save time, I decide to make everything at once.  I use the ingredients for around half a batch of sauce to go along with the one can of jackfruit.  I threw all ingredients into the pot at once.  Switch the butter for Earth Balance, make sure your Worcestershire sauce is vegan, and make any changes you want.  I exchanged sorghum for brown sugar, added some cayenne.  Adjust the sweet and vinegar to taste as you cook!

A few hours later and look what you get:

Enjoy on a bun, in a taco, on a potato, salad, as is, any way you want...  This particular night I had it on a bun with my favorite potato salad on the side--recipe for that coming along soon!