Ok,I realize this is not the normal way to share cooking stuff- click on each photo for the next steps…
For the marinade I use a drizzle/ sprinkle of:
sweet: honey, maple syrup, mirim, brown sugar
Spicy: chili powder, paprika, pepper
Salty: soy sauce, teriyaki sauce
You choose your flavours and have fun.
Using the same container the tofu came in works for me, and I let it sit for about 10 -15 minutes after slicing it and adding the marinade.
You can slice more thinly and let it cook a bit more to get a crispy bacon type of tofu- just watch it doesn’t burn.
400 g extra firm tofu, frozen and defrosted, then drained
Use a straight edge to slice it into 3 mm strips
Leave in the container it came in to add the marinade: sweet, salty, spicy of your choice.
Oven pre heated to 425F ( sorry)
Lay out strips on parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle on any remaining marinade
Bake for 15 minutes
First side starting to brown
Bake another 14-15 minutes
Final look- dark golden ( the darker pieces are thinner cuts- still practicing the slicing)
Cool on rack and divide up- I usually use 4-5 strips per sandwich
Make some fresh pita bread
Roll it up with your choice of sandwich fixings and toast
Another moment on the Rideau River and I was noticing in the moments when the traffic was still, and the curve of the river hid the buildings, I could have been deep in a forest.
Sunday morning paddle
In the middle of the city
Listen to the birds
And see the scenery so pretty.
I was told I should share this adventure, but I don’t feel I have a lot of info to give but here are some fun photos and a bit of the beginning of this journey…more to come if I can keep myself writing…
I have only had my paddle board since the fall of 2023 – I bought it on sale at the end of the season. I spent the winter months checking out online groups where folks offer advice, and share photos of their adventures on their boards. Some folks are purists and pretty much belittle those who choose to not/ cannot actually stand, but I have found a good amount of supportive folk who understand that standing on the SUP board is not the best for everyone who gets a board. I’ll just call it a paddle board and skip the reference to standing at all.
I purchased a discount inflatable from Amazon < I know…> called “Oddpaddle”. The company does not have website anymore. But that’s ok. I bought a package deal that included a pump, patch kit, board with a leash, one attached set of d rings and criss crossed bungees at the front and a separating, extendable paddle.
I had to think about how I wanted to carry the board to the nearby park. I decided I did not want to inflate it at the park, so carrying it already inflated and ready to go was important.
I created a rope system that loops around the nose and butt end, avoiding the 3 fins – and with a small piece of foam padding, allows me to carry it like a very large cross body bag. So far, so good for anything up to a 5 minute walk. I wear my life jacket/pfd over and my water shoes, and the paddle locks into the bungees and to the mid-board handle by wrapping the velcro ankle wrap part of the leash there.
I like kneeling and can do so – folks with knee issues might need a low chair. This position resembles how I have sat to paddle in a canoe for years and allows me that familiar feeling as I wander about on the river or small lake. I can shift myself up to a 90 degree at the knee position too, and I’m good with that.
Eventually, there might be standing but I won’t rush it.
So far, I’m comfortable with about 45-50 minutes on the water, and that gives me time to wander around the area and check things out. On the day of the video at the bottom of this post, I was fighting the wind most of the time!
One thing I am enjoying is the chance to take photos from a different direction and seeing the beauty from the water…
Thanks for reading!
Tracey/ TAV
the Rideau river on an overcast dayPhoto taken by a neighbour as I was coming back after an hour paddle – Minto bridge in the back ground.Two bridges and a reflection on the Rideau River – photo by me!My 90 degree position is pretty comfy! photo by Sandra Miltonhelping me dock… photo by Sandra MiltonClick on image to see a quick video of my jaunt around Mew Lake
Last week I made a no-knead loaf and thought, why not separate out a bit of the batter and see if I could create some sort of sour dough starter. It had added yeast and was quite feisty, so I let it sit out on the counter and it grew quickly. I read that I could store it in the fridge, so I moved it in there and today gave it a feed.
When I fed the jar, I had scooped out some of the batter and spent some time thinking about what I wanted to create.
I decided to make a fake vegan chocolate babka.
Fake because I chose to just wing it. Vegan just because…
The dough:
⅓ cup sour dough starter ( flour, water, yeast from the no knead dough recipe)
2 cups sugar
⅓ cup olive oil
Enough water to make a nice bread dough- ¾ to 1 cup ish
Mix it, knead it( yes, this one I chose to knead), let it sit covered for 2 hours, because that’s how much time I had.
Preheat the oven to 375F
Roll out into a square or rectangle about 1 cm thick on a lightly floured surface.
The filling
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips – melt in microwave 30 second bursts
1 tablespoon peanut butter – stir into the melted chocolate
1 teaspoon cinnamon- sprinkled on the filling
Pour the filling onto the dough and roll it up into a log.
Cut through the centre of the log lengthwise, leaving 2 cm dough still attached at one end.
Braid the two pieces carefully, and gently place into a lined loaf pan or greased pan.
*probably could let this proof more now, I chose not to .*
Bake for 35 minutes or until an inserted tester comes out clean. Technically a babka would have a glaze, I’m going to skip that step and just try it as is for this time around…or maybe make a simple vanilla icing sugar glaze… but for now:
Sweet potato eggless cheesecakes
Ingredients For the homemade cookie crust:
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
3/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter/ margarine, room temperature 1/2 teaspoon vanilla For the filling:
2- 250 gram packages cream cheese, room temperature or 1 blocks medium firm 454 grams- drained and pressed lightly
2⁄3 cup mashed sweet potato
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or combination cinnamon, cloves, ginger/allspice
1 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar or brown sugar 6 tablespoons milk (dairy or non dairy)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1⁄4 teaspoon salt Directions : For the homemade crust:
1. Grease a 9″ springform pan on the bottom and up the sides. Or fill 24 muffin cups with paper
2. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (176 °C).
3. Place the crust ingredients in a food processor. Process for about 30 seconds or until when pinched together, it easily holds together.
4. Pat over the bottom and up the sides of the prepared springform pan. It won’t make it all the way to the top. Or divide evenly amongst the 24 cups and tamp down with the bottom of a glass.
5. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until lightly brown (prepare the filling while the crust bakes).
6. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before pouring in the cheesecake filling.
To bake the cheesecake:
1. Poke and microwave your sweet potato for 3-4 minutes on high until baked through. Allow to cool slightly, then peel and mash/ puree.
2. Turn the oven down to 325°F(163°C).
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese < or drained soft tofu> and sugar using an electric hand mixer at medium speed. Beat just until well combined and creamy.
4. Mix together the milk and cornstarch until no lumps remain. Add this, the mashed sweet potato and the remaining ingredients to the cream cheese mixture. Beat on low until well incorporated. Over beating will make cracks so don’t over mix.
5. Pour over the crust/ divide evenly amongst the muffin cups.
6. Bake for 45 minutes for the full cake, 15-20 minutes for the muffin cups. The middle will still be a little jiggly.
7. Remove to a rack to cool for 2 1/2 hours.
8. Use a knife to run around the inside of the pan to loosen the crust from the pan.
9. Chill for at least 4 hours before cutting.
10. If the homemade oat crust is very firm and too difficult to cut straight from the fridge, let the cheesecake sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
11. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen whole or in pieces and thawed overnight in the fridge.
It has been a while! But tonight I had some chickpeas that I puréed and decided to go sweet… so I searched through my recipes and found one that I modified to create these fibre filled beauties!
Tavalonia’s Chickpea chocolate chip cookies:
preheat the oven to 350
1 can of chickpeas (14?ounce), drained ( save your aqua faba!)
purée them up well!
add:
⅓ cup chunky peanut butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp each baking powder and soda
Mix well and add:
1 tsp vanilla extract
⅓ cup unsweetened coconut
⅓ cup rolled oats
Mix well and scoop out 12-14 cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Add chocolate chips to the top of each cookie( this makes the clean up easier as the melted chocolate stays on the cookies) . I usually add 3-4 per cookie.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Enjoy! And share with your gluten free, vegan friends!
These are “Artist Trading Cards” – so the size is 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches and I cut a sheet of watercolour paper to play with these smaller scale pieces.
www.flickr.com/gp/t2camping/0NE086
