It’s expensive to buy fresh herbs at the grocery store, and buying a little herb plant costs about the same as one bunch of herbs. It seemed to make sense to just plant herbs that I use often to keep on hand. There’s a flower market every year about two blocks from where we live, and they had a big selection of herbs. I ended up getting Silver Edge thyme, creeping Prostrate rosemary, dwarf sage, apple mint, dill, sweet basil, and Mini Purple basil.

I’m not convinced that the dill and Mini Purple basil are going to make it, but the rest look pretty hardy. The mini purple basil just doesn’t seem to be thriving as much as it was when I first bought it, and the dill promptly threw itself over sideways as soon as I planted it. We’ll see if it rights itself again.

The neighbor’s very friendly cat also came over for a snuggle, which he does just about every day.

He also rolled around in the potting soil getting himself all dirty. Sometimes I think he’s trying to move in with us because he hangs out at the back door quite often. The neighbors have dogs and I think he knows we’re an all cat household and wants in on that. He’s a real sweetheart.

And last but not least, I potted up some hanging baskets for the front porch. I got the hanging pots at Joann Fabrics for a good price. They were $19.99 to start, but were 50% off, and then I had an additional 20% off coupon so they were only about $8 each. Then, of course, add in the plants which were about $40 total, so it ended up being about $28 per hanging basket. Pre-potted ones in that type of basket can run a bit more than that at most garden centers, usually $30-$40 around here, so we saved a little bit by doing it ourselves. We filled the hanging baskets with Calibrachoa (Callie’s Peach), Dichondra (Silver Falls), and Amstel Begonias (Dark Britt).

So that’s just about it for our spring planting. Are any of you planting up any herbs or flowers? What’s in your garden this year?

This recipe originally came from Vegetarian Times many years ago, and I’ve made a few modifications to it over the years. This pie is pretty easy and quick to make, and it’s perfect for sharing! Who doesn’t love peanut butter, chocolate, and berries? I wish I could give each of you a slice in real life!

I make the crust from scratch because many store bought graham cracker crusts aren’t vegan. Most graham crackers contain honey, but Nabisco Originals don’t. Making a graham cracker crust from scratch isn’t too hard and doesn’t take much time. I think they’re tastier than the store bought versions too! You can also use ginger snaps, vanilla or chocolate wafer cookies, or any other type of cookie or cracker that is dry and crumbly to make a crust. That’s one of the things I like so much about this pie, it’s easily customizable. In addition to changing the flavor of the crust you could substitute almond butter or cashew butter for the peanut butter, and you could top the pie with anything you like – nuts, vegan whipped cream, bananas, etc. Make it your own!

Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 10-11 whole crackers)

1/4 cup sugar

dash of salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

5 Tbsp melted vegan butter (Earth Balance or organic Smart Balance)

Graham Cracker Crust Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375°.
• Place the graham crackers in a ziploc bag and seal it shut. Use a rolling pin or a wooden spoon to crush the crackers into crumbs.
• Pour the crumbs into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, salt, and cinnamon to the crumbs. Stir until combined.
• Melt the vegan butter and drizzle it over the crumbs. Mix it with a fork until combined.
• Pour the crumbs into a 9 inch pie plate. Press them into the bottom of the pie plate and up the edges. They should stick together. If any holes form, make sure you fill them in.
• Bake the crust for about 10-15 minutes. If the sides of the crust slouch down after baking, gently use the back of a spoon to push the crust back up the sides of your pie plate. Let the crust cool fully before putting the filling in.

Ingredients for Pie Filling:

Since I was nominated for two blog awards and the Liebster once before as well, I’m going to bend the rules a bit. A lot of the blogs I follow I have either already nominated for the Liebster last time or Lidia nominated, so rather than nominate another 23 blogs or repeat nominations, I’ll just nominate a few more for each. Here are the rules for how the Liebster Blog Award works.

The Rules:
• Post 11 random facts about yourself.
• Answer the 11 questions made by the person who nominated you.
• Create 11 questions for the bloggers you pass the award to.
• Choose 11 bloggers to pass the award to and mention them in your post.
• Go to their blogs and let them know that they have been nominated
• No tag backs.

11 Random Facts about me:

1. I have no middle name.
2. I hate mushrooms, which is weird for a vegan I think. Lots of vegan food contains mushrooms, but I can’t stand them. I keep trying them every now and then to see if I will grow to like them, but the texture is awful and they don’t seem like food.
3. I used to not like olives, artichokes, and eggplant, but now I do like them. This is why I keep trying mushrooms.
4. I like to travel, and I would really like to go to Iceland someday (among many places).
5. I really want to take a couple months and drive across the US stopping at interesting places along the way.
6. Someday I would like to write and direct my own feature length film. I have already started on a couple different scripts, but they’re only partially written.
7. I am a big fan of This American Life and Radiolab.
8. I have had a lot of pets since I was a child… a parakeet, 2 hamsters, 2 gerbils, a guinea pig, 2 cockatiels, 5 cats, and a handful of fish.
9. I enjoy working with my hands and have been pushing myself to learn more DIY skills over the last few months.
10. I have a cat that likes to eat everything…shoe laces, towels, plastic bags, wooden doors, curtains, blankets, cat beds…so I have to pretty much baby proof everything for him.
11. My favorite flowers are daffodils followed closely by ranunculus.

Lidia’s Question

1. What was the first dish you ever prepared by yourself?

I can’t remember. I’ve been cooking and baking with my parents for as long as I can remember, so the first thing I prepared entirely by myself was probably when I was a young teenager. Most likely it was a cake or cookies or something like that.

2. How adventurous are you in your cooking/baking?

I like to try using new ingredients and recipes from various cultures and regions. I will pretty much try any food as long as it’s vegan. With that said, I do tend to get in ruts and make the same dishes for dinner, but I like to mix it up and find new recipes and ingredients to try when I get bored of the same meals. I also like to make modifications to recipes and rarely follow them exactly as written.

3. What gave you the inspiration to write your blog?

My first inspiration to create The Vegan Kat was the question I would often get, “What do vegans eat?” This was always a hard question to answer because vegans eat a lot of different things. I thought it would be a good idea to start compiling and sharing some recipes so that I had something to point to when asked this question. Also, the blog is helpful as a way to keep track of my favorite recipes, some of which only existed in my head or were scattered about in different places. The blog is an easy way to reference back to recipes and always have them on hand and ready to share with others. Also, I wanted it to be accessible to people who aren’t vegan, but might want to try out a vegan meal or who needed ideas to cook for a vegan friend or relative.

4. What’s your favourite movie?

My career is as a producer and I went to school for TV & Film, so picking a favorite movie is a bit of a challenge for me! I have a lot of favorites so I’ll just list out a few – Amelie, Easy Rider, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Moulin Rouge, Pariah, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, The Fantastic Mr. Fox. I’m sure I’m missing a few. I tend to like movies that are realistic with a fantastical element.

5. What book can you not live without?

This is a tough one. My favorite books are A Handmaid’s Tale and the collective works of Kurt Vonnegut. I love to read and have loved many other books, but Margaret Atwood and Kurt Vonnegut always stand out to me. And of course, my Dad is also an author (www.murdomorrison.com). He has written a few books now and is working on another!

6. What’s the best concert you’ve ever seen?

Another tough question! Again I don’t think I can come up with just one answer. Some of my favorites that I’ve seen perform live are Ben Sollee, Erin McKeown, Weezer, Kaki King, Jess Klein, and Jose Gonzalez.

7. How many times have you moved in your life?

I think 7 times, unless I’m missing one.

8. Who inspires you?

So many people inspire me. I would say my first inspiration is my family. Everyone in my immediate family is very talented and creative in their own ways, and being the youngest of the family I always looked up to them and learned a lot from them. In the broader world, I am inspired by Ira Glass for his storytelling on This American Life, Jad Abumrad for his storytelling and editing on Radiolab, all of the musicians I listed in answer #6, Baz Luhrmann, Dee Rees, Margaret Atwood, Kurt Vonnegut, many of the people I have interviewed for segments over the years, Edie Windsor, the Gee’s Bend quilters, Gwen Marston, Vincent Van Gogh… this list could really go on forever.

9. What’s been the best dish you’ve ever made?

It’s too hard to pick just one, so here are a few of my favorite recipes from The Vegan Kat.

Cinnamon Buns from Vegan Yum Yum

Cardamom Cookies

Griddle Scones

Potato Latkes

Stuffing

Pumpkin Bread with Oatmeal Crumble Topping

10. Do you have any fur babies?

We have three cats, Tucker, Zoey, and Juniper.

11. What are your blog goals?

My blog goals are to continue to post new recipes, try new ingredients and new foods, post more about my art, and just continue to grow and hopefully provide recipes that people are interested in trying out.

My questions for the nominees:

1. What’s your favorite book that you think everyone should read?
2. What movie or TV series would you recommend watching?
3. What’s one of your favorite recipes?
4. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
5. If you enjoy traveling, where is your dream destination and why?
6. Where’s your favorite place that you have travelled even if it’s somewhere close to home?
7. What are some of your hobbies beyond your blog?
8. What did you want to be when you grew up? Did you become that?
9. Stealing one from Lidia… who inspires you?
10. Name one thing on your bucket list.
11. Who is your favorite musician or band?

My nominations for the Liebster Blog Award:

• Made of Stars
• Lorna’s Tearoom Delights
• My Sister’s Pantry
• Bacon is Not an Herb
• Poppy’s Patisserie|Bunny Kitchen

And now, the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award:

The rules for Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award are:

1   Visit and thank the blogger who nominated you.
2   Acknowledge that blogger on your blog and a link back.
3   Answer 10 questions given.
4   Nominate up to 12 bloggers for Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award, provide a link to their blogs in your post, and notify them on their blogs.
5   Copy and paste the award somewhere on your blog.

10 Questions:
What is your favorite color?   — Blue, Green, Purple… I kind of love all colors.
Your favorite animal?   —  Cats, elephants
Your favorite non-alcoholic drinks?  — Peet’s Pumphrey’s Blend Tea, soy lattes, apple cider
Facebook or Twitter?   —  Facebook
Your favorite pattern?   —  plaid, stripes, polka dots
Do you prefer getting or giving presents?  — Giving, especially homemade ones
Your favorite number?    — I don’t really have one
Your favorite day of the week?    — Saturday
Your favorite flower?    — Daffodils and Ranunculus
What is your passion?   —  filmmaking, photography, quilting, cooking, working with my hands, creativity

My nominations for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award!

• An Unrefined Vegan
• Luminous Vegans
• Air Eater
• The Recipes and Ramblings of a Vegan Goddess
• Rachel in Veganland

I also followed the butter-cream icing recipe from that blog post. I added in some lemon extract and it tasted good and did the job, but it came out more like a thick glaze or thin icing than I was expecting. I probably need to adjust the ratio of powdered sugar to vegan butter next time, or I’ll use the chocolate peanut butter frosting that I make for the Moosewood Chocolate Cake. If you have a good vegan icing recipe that you like, feel free to post it in the comments. I haven’t found a basic vanilla one that I love yet.

For the ice cream filling, I made a basic vegan ice cream base and added in fresh strawberries and chocolate. The fresh strawberries made the texture of the ice cream a little too icy, but fresh fruit tends to do that. It was still yummy though! I would recommend using my Mint Chocolate Chip, Coffee Chocolate Chip, or Almond Pistachio recipes, or invent your own flavor! You could also use a store bought vegan ice cream.

Ingredients for Ice Cream Layer:

2 cups soy creamer
1 cup soy milk divided
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
3/4 cup of sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
Any extracts or add-ins you choose

Directions for Ice Cream Layer:

• Note that the ice cream needs to be made the day before so it can be frozen into the same shape as the cakes over night.
• Mix 1/4 cup of soy milk with 2 tablespoons of arrowroot powder and set aside.
• Heat up the remaining soy milk, soy creamer, and sugar over medium heat until boiling.
• Remove from heat and add the vanilla and any other extracts you choose. Then add the soy milk and arrowroot powder mixture. The liquid will thicken because of the arrowroot powder.
• Put the mixture in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours to fully cool. Freeze according to your ice cream maker directions. The bowl for the ice cream maker usually has to freeze over night before churning.
• In the last few minutes of churning, add anything else you choose to create the flavor you want – for example chocolate chips, cookie dough, nuts, candy, etc. Line an 8 or 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper, and pour the mixture into the pan. Place it into the fridge overnight to firm up.

Cake Ingredients:

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups cold water
1 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp lemon juice

Cake Directions:

• This recipe makes two 8 or 9 inch cakes for layering. Preheat oven to 375°. Line the bottom of two 8 inch or 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper. Lightly oil or grease the top of the parchment paper and sides of the pans.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, combine the water, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
• Once the batter is mixed, add the freshly squeezed lemon juice. The lemon juice won’t make the cake taste lemony. The acidity of the lemon juice interacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise. Give the batter a quick stir to combine the lemon juice and then immediately pour the batter evenly into the two pans.
• Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes. They are done when a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes. Then, gently turn the pans over, supporting the cake with your hand, until the cake comes loose from the bottom of the pan. Flip it over onto the surface you want to ice the cake on. Gently remove the other cake from the pan and place it onto a plate or cooling rack with the bottom facing up. This will make it easier to layer the cakes once they’re cool.
• Allow the cakes to fully cool. You can put them in the fridge to speed up the process. You don’t want them to be warm since you will be layering ice cream in the middle and it will melt.

Assembling the Ice Cream Cake:

• While your cake layers are cooling, make your icing. Choose your own favorite icing recipe, try The Vegan Goddess’ recipe, or if you want a chocolate frosting try the Moosewood recipe.
• Once the layers are completely cool, you are ready to start assembling. Your first cake layer should be on the tray or surface that you want to use to ice and serve the cake. If the cake top is very rounded and puffy, you might want to slice the top off to make it flat. When I made this recipe, however, this wasn’t necessary. Pop the ice cream layer out of the cake pan, using the parchment paper to help you pry it out if needed. Place the ice cream layer centered on top of the bottom cake layer. Place the top cake layer on top of the ice cream layer.
• Ice the top and sides of the cake. You can decorate the top however you like. I decided to keep it simple, and I dusted some cocoa powder over the top and placed a strawberry in the middle. Keep the cake in the freezer until you’re ready to serve it. If it melts, the ice cream and frosting will run down the sides, so you don’t want to leave it out too long.

I could kick myself for not taking a before picture to show how big the change has been, but let me set the scene. The front of the house used to have 8 Emerald Green Arborvitae. Three were behind the bushes you see in the photo. Two of those bushes used to be near the tree and we moved them back to be in a row of four. There was also a large unidentified bush in the back on the right. The other 5 arborvitae were in a row right behind the tree. Basically there were so many bushes you could barely see the house. We dug up and moved all of the arborvitae to the back yard. The large unidentifiable bush wasn’t in great shape, so we cut it down and dug out the root ball.

Update! I did find an old picture after posting this! Here it is:

As you can see in the photo, all that work left us with a blank slate this past weekend, hence the many garden center trips.

We put in a lot of new small plants around the tree including Elijah Blue Fescue, Silvermound Artemesia, marigolds, coleus, and candytuft.

We also potted a few plants for the steps and the porch including Gerbera daisies, ranunculus, and some more coleus and Candytuft.

I couldn’t resist adding a few new little succulents to my growing window garden. I’ve been eying up various types of stonecrop, and had to buy this cute little light green one when I saw it. I got a couple other little succulents to add to the pot.

I also fell for this tiny little fern. It’s hard to get the scale from this photo, but the fern is only about 3 inches tall and I potted it in a little bonsai pot.

And here’s another shot of the whole window succulent garden.

It got really cold out the past couple nights, so I’m hoping that the outdoor plants survive. They seem to be doing okay so far. Hopefully we are past the point of frost! Anyway, all of this gardening has kept me from cooking as much, but I do have a few new recipes in the works for upcoming posts. I just wanted to share what I’ve been up to these past couple weeks. I’m glad to have most of the gardening finished. Turns out it’s also a good way to meet neighbors! Everyone who walked by said hi and commented on the gardening. It helped keep up the momentum to continue working even though it was pretty exhausting at times. I have to say, despite the hard work, it was also fun and I’m happy with the results of my first time landscaping efforts!

Growing up, my mom always made her own pie crusts, and she’s really good at it. Maybe I’m just spoiled, but I think homemade pie crust is so much better than frozen store bought crust! It’s really worth the effort to make it yourself. Try out this recipe with your favorite filling. It makes enough for the top and bottom crust for a 9 inch pie plate. It could also work as the top of a pot pie if you added in some savory spices like thyme or rosemary.

A few tips before you start… The recipe calls for using ice cold water. The reason that you want cold water is so the shortening and vegan butter don’t melt in the dough. On that note, the shortening and vegan butter should also be cold when you start working with them. Don’t leave the vegan butter out to soften up. Another important thing is not to overwork the dough or it will get tough. Just do enough to get everything combined. The amount of water you need to add can also vary greatly depending on a lot of different factors. Just pay attention to the dough and only add a little at a time until you have just enough. If you’re wondering what a pie bird is, it’s a little ceramic bird that is open on the bottom and the beak. It helps vent steam out of your pie while it bakes. They help prevent the filling from boiling up and breaking through the crust.

If you want some very detailed and more scientific info about making pie crust and the various factors that come into play, check out this post on Serious Eats called The Food Lab: The Science of Pie Dough.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp vegan sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup Spectrum vegetable shortening
1 cup vegan butter (Earth Balance or Smart Balance) or another cup of vegetable shortening
1/3 + 1 tbsp (and maybe more) of ice cold water

Directions:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Stir so they are well combined.
• Break the vegan butter and shortening into chunks and add them to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut the shortening into the dry ingredients. The mixture will start to form crumbs, with some of the shortening and vegan butter remaining in about pea size clumps. Don’t over mix it. It should be dry and crumby, not pasty like a dough or batter.
• Slowly drizzle 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp of ice cold water over the mixture. Using a spatula, gently cut the water into the mixture so it’s evenly distributed. It will start to form into balls of dough that should stick together if you press them together. If the dough won’t come together, continue to add ice cold water 1 tbsp at a time until it does. The dough should be a little on the dry and flaky side however, so don’t add too much water. You can use your hands or the spatula to gently coax the dough together. It’s not going to look smooth like bread dough. It will be a rougher texture. It’s okay to still see little bits of the shortening and butter in the dough. Don’t overwork the dough. Just do enough to get everything combined.
• Separate the dough into two even balls and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate them for at least half an hour, but it’s best to leave it several hours.
• When you’re ready to use the dough, preheat the oven to 425°. Roll the dough out on a floured surface using a floured rolling pin until it has formed a circle big enough for your pie plate. If any holes form, patch them with extra dough. Using the rolling pin to support the dough, pick it up and place it flat in the pie plate. Pinch off excess dough that hangs over the sides.
• If you’re using a pie bird, place the pie bird in the middle of the crust and fill the pie with your favorite fruit filling around the pie bird. The bird’s head should be sticking out of the top of the fruit. Then roll out the dough for the top in the same way you rolled the bottom. Lift it up with the rolling pin and place it on top of the filling. Cut a little x in the center of the dough so the head of the pie bird can peak through the crust. Crimp down the edges of the dough to form a seal, removing excess dough as you go. If you aren’t using a pie bird, you’ll want to poke the top crust with a fork 6-8 times around the top so the steam can vent.
• Before baking the pie, I brushed on a little soy milk and sprinkled on some cinnamon sugar, but this is optional. I like the texture and golden color it creates on top though.
• Bake the pie at 425° for 30 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350° and bake 30 to 45 minutes more. The top of the pie should look golden brown and you should see thick juice bubbling around the edges when it’s done. Pull the pie out of the oven and let it cool. Enjoy!

As a side note, before we get to the recipe, I wanted to share a link. I don’t usually post anything political on this blog, but I wanted to share a video I created at my last job about Edie Windsor called Edie Takes on DOMA. Her case is being heard by the Supreme Court today. If you don’t already know the details, take a few minutes to watch this video. It gives a quick background on her situation. If you’re up for a longer watch, check out another segment I made about the Defense of Marriage Act, called Married But Not Equal. It goes through a few of the many ways that DOMA negatively affects LGBT couples. Okay, that’s it for the politics. I just wanted to share some background info in case anyone was interested. Now on to the recipe!

Soup Ingredients

1 box of Manischewitz Matzo Ball & Soup Mix or 6 cups of vegetable broth
1 bag of mini golden potatoes (about 2 cups) or 2-3 potatoes cubed
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 shallots
olive oil for sauteing
4-5 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 container of seitan
Black Pepper
Dried Basil
Dried Thyme

Dumpling Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegan butter
3/4 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon dried or fresh dill (use a little more if using fresh dill)

Directions

• If you’re using Manischewitz Matzo & Soup Mix, you only need the soup packet, not the matzo ball packet. Follow the directions on the back of the box for just the soup mix. It will tell you how much water you need for the mix you bought. If you’re using broth, bring the broth up to a simmer in a soup pot. I like to use the Manischewitz soup mix because it creates a broth that is similar to chicken broth, but it’s vegan.
• If you’re using whole potatoes, peel and chop them. If you’re using mini potatoes, they’re already bite size, so there’s no prep work. Add the potatoes to the simmering broth.
• Chop the onions and shallots, and press or mince the garlic. Saute them in a little olive oil until the onions are translucent. Peel and chop the carrots. Chop the celery. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery to the simmering broth.
• While the soup simmers, make the dough for your dumplings.  In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the vegan butter using a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the soy milk and dill, and stir until the dough is combined.
• Add the dough in rounded tablespoonfuls to the simmering broth. Sprinkle in dried thyme, basil, and black pepper to taste. Allow the dumplings to simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then cover the pot and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
• While the dumplings are simmering, saute the seitan in a little bit of olive oil. Add the seitan to the soup at the end, right before serving.

I started with the Irish Soda Bread recipe from Simply Recipes, posted by Elise Bauer, and then made my own adjustments. This recipe is not very sweet, but I liked it that way. If you want it sweeter, you can add a little more sugar. The texture of the bread came out perfect, dense but also fluffy like a scone. There’s also a variety of things you can add or leave out based on your preferences, including raisins, currants, caraway seeds, lemon zest, orange zest, etc. I included raisins and lemon zest. I meant to put caraway seeds in as well, but I forgot to add them, despite making a trip to the store to buy them before I started baking. Sigh. I’m including them in the recipe anyway, in hopes that I remember them next time!

If you’re looking for other Saint Patrick’s Day recipes, check out the recipe for Vegan Irish Potatoes that I posted last year!

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tbsp vegan butter
3/4 cup raisins
1 1/2 Tbsp Ener-G egg replacer powder
2 Tbsp warm water
1 3/4 cup soy milk
2 lemons – I used Meyer lemons, which are a little smaller than regular lemons.
1 Tbsp caraway seeds

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Cut in the vegan butter using a pastry cutter or a fork. It will form course crumbs in the flour. Add your raisins to the mix.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg replacer powder and warm water.
• Zest and juice your lemons. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk and 2 Tbsp of the lemon juice. This creates a vegan version of buttermilk.
• Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients. Add the egg replacer mixture, the vegan buttermilk, the lemon zest, and the caraway seeds. Stir the dough until just combined. It will start to pull together into a rough ball. Coat your hands lightly with flour and knead the dough gently. If it’s really sticky, add a little more flour, though this dough is meant to be sticky and rough, not smooth like a yeast bread dough. Don’t over-knead the dough or the bread will be tough. You just need to get it into a ball that you can transfer to a baking pan.
• Line a baking pan with parchment paper if you have it, or lightly grease the pan. Transfer your ball of dough to the pan. Score the top with a large X.
• Bake the bread for 35-40 minutes. I checked it with a chopstick to see if the center was done. If the chopstick comes out clean, it’s ready. Happy St. Patty’s Day!

A huge resource in this endeavor has been The Free Motion Quilting Project. The creator of this project, Leah Day, has posted hundreds of different free motion quilting designs. You can sort them in various ways, including by difficulty level. I’ve been tackling some of the beginner ones. My stitches are definitely a bit wobbly, but you have to start somewhere! While my FMQ still needs a lot of work, I can already see that I’m starting to improve and gain more control over my stitches.

To practice, I’ve been making place mats. I bought a couple of panel fabrics to use as centers. I pretty much never use panels, but I thought quilting around the images would be good practice. I’m using up bits of fat quarters that I won’t really use in other projects. These aren’t my favorite fabrics, but that also makes it much easier to practice on them. I’m not hung up on making mistakes or messing up the fabric or quilting, since I don’t really have a strong attachment to these.

The guild that I attend has a community service project through Meals on Wheels. They deliver place mats to their clients around the holidays to brighten their day. So not only am I getting tons of practice in, but these will go to a good cause as well, and I’m using up some of my fabric stash. It’s a win, win all around!

I stuck to the recipe pretty closely, but instead of jalapenos, I used a sweet bell pepper. I don’t like food to be too spicy, but I might try it with the jalapenos sometime, since they’re usually milder than other peppers, especially without the seeds. I also left out the mushrooms, as I seem to be the only vegan who hates mushrooms! Next time I will also increase the quantity of cilantro, because I just really like cilantro.

This recipe is definitely worth a try, and we’ll be adding it to our usual dinner rotation. Play with the flavors to make it your own!

The other recipe that I tried from Post Punk Kitchen was Tofu Omelets. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture, because we ate them up too quickly! She’s got a great photo on her website though. They were really yummy and pretty simple to make. Again, I pretty much stuck to the recipe with the exception of black salt. I couldn’t find it at the store, but I will keep my eye out for it to use in the next batch. I was surprised by how much these looked like actual omelets. The taste and texture weren’t quite the same as eggs, but pretty close. They were really yummy as their own thing.

Has anyone else tried some recipes recently that they really enjoyed? I’m always on the lookout for new dinner ideas to keep things interesting!