Strawberry Shortcake ~ Plant-based and Awesome!

Info du Jour
     Can you send me a picture of a strawberry tree? Are strawberries sold in 
     brown containers last year's strawberries? Is a sweetener applied to fresh 
     strawberries to make them so sweet? What are those things on the outside
     of strawberries?        
                     ~ CaliforniaStrawberries.com FAQ: Funny Questions we've heard

Spring is Strawberry Season!

My dad enjoyed Strawberry Shortcake for his April birthday nearly every year of his life, which is why re-imagining a plant-based Strawberry Shortcake has been on my mind. It's been a delicious excuse to have lots and lots of strawberries!

I've made it a mission to come up with a recipe for a delicious Strawberry Shortcake made with a plant-based sponge-type cake, and think I've come close. Let me know what you think!

   A rustic, family-style plant-based Strawberry Shortcake, topped with 

  a favorite vegan frozen ice-cream-like dessert, my re-conceived recipe

  for this shortcake gets an A for awesome! And surprise - the cake
  doesn't crumble when cut - it's so moist! Did I mention, yummy?

A vintage linen tablecloth and 
a bowl of strawberries, ready for 
plant-based Strawberry Shortcake
 - yum!

My cake of choice for Strawberry Shortcake 
Sponge Cake
With all kinds of teensy holes to soak up strawberry juices, I love the texture that sponge cake brings to Strawberry Shortcake. Can a spongy texture be achieved without using eggs? 

My thought process...1,2,3
1. Leavening Ingredients Considered

• Baking powder provides a "pancake" texture
• Yeast gives a heavy bread-like texture
• What about baking soda? It needs an acid to activate, for example lemon juice or vinegar. Because of the instant reaction between an acid and baking soda, if the cake can immediately be baked, it might yield all kinds of bubbles that could soak up the strawberry juices...

Juicy strawberries star in this 
deliciously rustic plant-based 
Strawberry Shortcake.

Will the shortcake taste of lemon or vinegar?

2. A supporting - non competitive - flavor
The cake plays a supporting role of soaking up and accentuating the juices from the star of this dessert, the strawberries. 

Baking soda...
3. Avoiding Volcanic Shortcake...

While it's fun to add vinegar to baking soda for the instant fizzy reaction, I need a controlled reaction for my sponge cake.

The internet helps avoid disaster
Since I didn't want cake-batter-lava flows in my kitchen, I googled vegan-shortcake recipes, and came across this cool website and terrific article (please note, as a Cal grad, I am refraining from commenting on UCLA, aren't you proud of me?)(Grrrrah!):

        Shortcake Science Science and Food, UCLA - the science behind 
        creating an egg-free shortcake.

I tweaked the recipe from the Shortcake Science article and switched all-purpose flour for the cake flour, replaced the oil with ground flax seed and warm water, and changed the baking time. 

The result is a moist, spongy cake, that absorbs the strawberry juices, and - nice surprise - holds together when you cut and serve. Plus - super important - it's really good!

Gently mix the sliced strawberries with a few
tablespoons of sugar. Cover, and allow time
for the sugar to draw out juices of from the
strawberries.

Recipe Notes: Prepare the strawberries several hours in advance to allow time for the sugar to draw out the strawberry juices. 

To avoid metallic or off flavors from metal or plastic bowls, I prefer to use glass or porcelain bowls.

Once the dry and wet ingredients are combined, the baking soda and vinegar react instantly. 

Have the baking pan prepared and the oven preheated, ready to bake the cake. Gotta retain those bubbles!

Lining the baking pan with parchment paper makes it easy to remove the cake from the pan. Although I used a spring-form baking pan, a regular baking pan works excellently. Here's how to line a baking pan with parchment paper:

         1. 8-inch cake pan, parchment paper, oil spray and scissors
         2. Spray the bottom and sides of the pan with the oil spray
         3. Fold the parchment paper in half, then in half again. Then
             fold into a triangle, and keep folding until it's too thick to fold again
         4. With the center point of the triangle over the center of the baking 
             pan, visually estimate the distance to the edge of the baking pan, 
             and trim with scissors - it does not need to fit perfectly. I like a bit 
             of the paper to curve up the corner edge of the pan.
         5. Place in the pan, then spray with oil spray. 

Maybe rustic is the wrong word.
Old-fashioned Strawberry
Shortcake, family style. Now,
that's what I mean!

To Serve: Top my Strawberry Shortcake with a plant-based iced topping - remember, it can't be called Ice Cream unless it contains cream. 

Check out plant-based (vegan) frozen non-dairy desserts in the ice cream cases at most grocery stores. 

I really like Rice Dream Vanilla frozen non-dairy dessert. It tastes like the iced-milk my parents would serve when I was growing up.


Strawberry Shortcake - Plant-based and Awesome

Serves 6 (or maybe 8 after a big meal)

Strawberries in a clamshell. Photo from

Robert Mann Packaging website.

Strawberries

       
       1 pint (clamshell) Strawberries 

       2 tablespoons sugar

Clean and slice strawberries into a glass bowl. Sprinkle with sugar, and gently mix together. Cover and let sit for several hours, to give time for the sugar to draw out the strawberry juice. 

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 °F

1 8-inch cake layer - hey, one layer keeps it short!

• Prepare the cake pan: Shortening can be used to grease the pan, but I prefer to minimize the use of fat as much as possible, so I use oil spray. Using parchment paper makes it easier to remove the cake from the pan. See Recipe Notes (above) for how to line a baking pan with parchment paper. 

Dry ingredients

1. Mix dry ingredients together.

2. Whip ground flax and warm

water, then let sit 1-2 minutes.

3. Combine water, vanilla extract

and vinegar

     1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
     1 cup sugar
     1 tsp baking soda
     1/2 tsp salt

Wet ingredients

     3 Tablespoons flax, ground
     1/3 cup warm water

     1 cup warm water
     1 tbsp vanilla extract
     1 tsp white vinegar or apple cider vinegar

In a mixing bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk or whip the ground flax seed and warm water for 1 minute. Set aside and let thicken for 1-2 minutes.

Stir together water, vanilla extract, and vinegar. Add to the ground flax seed mixture and mix well.

50 turns of the mixing spoon and 

the batter is ready to bake.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix until most of the dry ingredients are incorporated, about 50 stirs. (Clear as mud? One turn around the bowl with a spoon counts as one!)

Pour the batter into an 8-inch round cake pan and bake for 35 minutes, until the surface is firm to the touch. Cool in the pan for 15–20 minutes.

I had way too much fun with photos...the instructions are also written...between the photo strips!

1) Cool the baked cake layer 15-20 minutes before removing from pan. 2) Remove the cake from the pan - the parchment paper makes this step easy. 3) Peel off the parchment paper. 4) Center the cake on a serving plate.

Cake Construction: Cut off the top 1/2 inch of the cake, and set aside. 

On the bottom layer of the cake, spoon about 3/4 of the strawberry juices over the cake, letting the cake absorb the juice. Spoon on about half of the strawberries.

Top with the 2nd layer, cut-side-up. Spoon on remaining strawberry juices and remaining strawberries.

1) Cut off the top 1/2 inch of the cake and set aside. 2) Spoon about 3/4 of the strawberry juices over the bottom layer (happy face optional). 3) Place about half of the strawberries over the bottom layer. 4) Spoon remaining juices over the top layer, and top with strawberries. I got carried away and sifted on some powdered sugar. 

Top with a dairy free ice cream, I really like Rice Dream Vanilla.

Delicious by itself, dress up this Strawberry 

Shortcake with a dollop of a plant-based

frozen non-dairy dessert.

Enjoy!

Cartwheeling through California Strawberry Fields! 

 Photo from CaliforniaStrawberries.com website.     

Inspirations for Earth Day 2014

Photo from NASA.gov

Quote du Jour
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. 
              ~ Native American proverb



Oddly enough, the overriding sensation I got looking at the earth was, my god, that little thing is so fragile out there.
              ~ Mike Collins
                 Astronaut, Apollo 11


                                                               


Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. 
           ~ Albert Einstein


...as a WWll veteran, all I hope is that the sacrifices that were made in WWll, before and since, that the younger generation will take to heart what was done and the sacrifices that were made and the environmental degradation and all that was inflicted on the earth in hope that all of this was not in vain...to make a better world. 
            ~ my dad, Russell Wikander

Always leave a place better than you found it. ~ A family value

A tremendous sense of empowerment

A plant-based life contributes to a healthy planet

Besides being delicious, surprise! We had a sharp reduction in garbage when we switched to a plant-based diet. Slowly, we realized that the garbage can we set out every week was always nearly empty. We've composted food scraps for years. Now, without being aware of it, we reduced our carbon footprint! 

This single action - switching from meat and dairy to only plant-based food - is the most important change we've made to help our environment, our world, our earth.

My husband with our teensy garbage can.

Even this small size is never full. It's our 
recycling can that fills up!

What a beautiful world!

Asian Coleslaw Salad: A Plant-based Winner!

Quote du Jour
     Fat has a dulling effect on taste.
          ~ Cook's Illustrated Magazine, March and April 2013 issue, page 30

Oh yum, I got home first!

Colorful Asian Coleslaw is loaded with flavor!

I beat my husband home from a morning meeting, which means I had first dibs on last night's leftover Asian Coleslaw Salad. It's so good!


An Evolving Recipe
Beginning as Chinese Chicken Salad, my coleslaw recipe has undergone many iterations over the years. In 2009, when we converted to plant-based eating, I eliminated chicken as an ingredient. Deleting the chicken actually improved the salad, somehow, the taste was "cleaner." I renamed the salad Chinese Coleslaw. 

Because any fat I eat these days I end up wearing...
I decided to try make this salad without the vegetable oil in the dressing. Afterall, the salad oil could always be added back.

...why use oil if it doesn't add flavor?
It tastes terrific! Without vegetable oil, the bright flavors of ginger, soy sauce, pineapple and orange sing! I keep going back to today's Quote du Jour. It's true, fat blurs flavor.

Some of the fresh ingredients for
Asian Coleslaw Salad

This is the best version yet of Chinese Chicken Salad, Chinese Coleslaw, Asian Coleslaw Salad!

But first

What an odd name, Coleslaw

From Wikipedia: Coleslaw is a salad consisting primarily of shredded raw cabbage....The term "coleslaw" arose in the 18th century as an Anglicisation of the Dutch term "koolsla", a shortening of "koolsalade", which means "cabbage salad."

Recipe notes: A terrific salad for a picnic or potluck, and a cool salad for hot summer days, the flavor and textures improve while sitting, so make ahead. And maybe double the recipe for leftovers!

I like a chunky salad, but the look
of this salad can differ when the
ingredients are finely chopped.

Asian Coleslaw Salad

Main dish servings: 6
Preheat oven to 325*


Dressing 

    1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
    1/2 cup soy sauce
    1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
    1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
    optional, 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Add all the above ingredients into a jar and cover with a tightly fitting lid. Give a good shake, then set aside.

Crunchies

    2 pkgs Top Ramen, any flavor (toss seasoning packets)

While still in the package, I hammer with a

meat tenderizer to break up the noodles.

     1/4 cup chopped almonds

    3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Break up ramen noodles while still in the package. Place dry noodles on a cookie sheet. Add chopped almonds and sesame seeds. Put sheet in the oven and toast to a light brown, 10-20 minutes, checking every 5 minutes or so. Remove from oven and cool.

Toast the ramen noodles, almonds

and sesame seeds to a golden brown.

Veggies   
   1/2 head green cabbage, chopped 
   1/2 head purple cabbage, chopped 
   1 bunch parsley, chopped
   4 green onions, chopped



Fruit          
     Your choice, fresh or canned:
         3 oranges, skinned and cut into chunks, 
            or 2 11-oz cans mandarin oranges, drained
         1 small pineapple, cut into chunks, 
            or 1 20-oz can pineapple chunks, drained

Add the cabbage, dressing, toss then serve!

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, parsley, onions and fruit. Add the cooled toasted crunchies, toss with the dressing and serve. 

The salad only gets better as it sits. Any leftover salad makes a great lunch for the next day...if it lasts that long!

No cartwheels till I'm done!

Having a Fit with a San Francisco Master Tailor

Quote du Jour
     He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his
     head is a craftsmen. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is
     an artist. ~ St. Francis of Assisi

Signatures of a master tailor: careful edge
stitching and slightly elastic hand-threaded
loops to guide bra straps, Every stitch has a
purpose, each one carefully done.

Return to an old hobby
After 20+ years, I'm sewing again, inspired by the wonderful wedding dress experience with my daughter! Here's the story.

We started in the wrong direction...
One year before her wedding, my daughter found "the dress" at a bridal store in another city. Measurements taken, the dress was ordered. 

..said eeks to a dress...

Six months later when it arrived, it was too short. Somehow, my daughter's 5' 11" height wasn't included in the measurements. The skirt didn't even touch the floor. We are so grateful that store refunded our money. However, by this time, the dress was no longer in production.

Phoning around, my daughter found that a San Francisco store, Novella Bridal, had a floor model sample that was very similar to her original choice. Provided it was long enough, and if the dress could be altered to fit my daughter's frame, she'd have a dress. Novella put the dress on hold.

...then navigated to a happy place
My daughter's wedding dress journey now took a happy turn into a world of very special clothing and highly skilled sewing. 

At the heart of the dress experience...
Carol Chu, who would manage the alterations of the dress, was a breath of fresh air. Easy to work with and highly skilled, we felt so lucky. Through the fitting process, I enjoyed seeing how the alterations were done, and learned a lot from Carol, she knows her craft!

...a Master Tailor
Fact-checking for this blog, I find that Carol Chu has been named one of San Francisco's best tailors for 2013. Read the article, 12 Master Tailors to Trust in San Francisco at this link, Alter Egos-12 Master Tailors to Trust. 

My daughter with Carol Chu, head of
alterations at Novella Bridal, in
San Francisco

Carol Chu, head of alterations at Novella Bridal, received training in fine sewing and tailoring as a young woman. Her specialty is becoming rare as mass produced clothing and stretch fabrics have become the global norm. 

What fun to join my daughter at her fitting appointments. Novella Bridal's location, next to San Francisco's Financial District, made it convenient to schedule appointments before work. 

We'd arrive just as Carol was unlocking the door to start her day. 

Part of the beauty of the dress is how the
lace at the hem seems to float on the floor.

Hem and ahah!

Four sizes too large, but it was long...with an inch to spare! Can you imagine how this dress would look...if it was too short?

Beyond Fit: Shaping

Taking a close look at both the design and my daughter's shape, Carol explained that it's important to understand what the designer wants to convey in a design. The design must be shaped to the wearer's body. 

Beyond Seams
To achieve the designer's vision, adjustments may be needed at various places around the body, not just at the side seams. Carol brought my daughter's dress to life.

The Construction
Deceptively simple, the dress is the sum total of many parts:

• Multiple layers of fabric, this dress has 6...you can't alter only one layer
• Each layer is a slightly different shade of ivory
• Some layers have a slight pattern
• Lace is intentionally placed to create a design throughout the garment
• A wearer's favorite undergarments are incorporated for shape, comfort and ease in wearing - nothing stiff 

Design Changes
Changes made to the neckline, front and back, were re-edged with the lace.

A red tailor's chalk line marks the changes to to be made to create a
sweetheart neckline. Notice the hanging lace, which will be reattached.
Pieces of lace are strategically placed throughout the dress, and 
edging the neckline and hem, creating a special design.

  The back of the bodice will change to a V-shape.

In stitches...
Though not on a diet, my daughter kept losing weight. Carol advised her to get a bacon cheeseburger...which she did!

My daughter's smile says it all. Finally the dress! 
Her dad takes this photo while Carol determines
where the train will connect to the dress for 
dancing!

I can't remember how many fittings there were, maybe 4-6, each one with a purpose, and very enjoyable. Novella's bright, large and well organized work space for the sewing staff is an inviting place. I bet they have to wash their hands a lot...working with all shades of white.

...till finally...
Slowly, as the fit was perfected, the dress seemed to recede, and  the person wearing the dress came into focus. Clear as mud? The dress was not wearing my daughter, it was my daughter who was framed by the dress.

...it's "the dress!"
Carol's careful work produced a dream of a dress that fit perfectly, was comfortable to wear, and moved effortlessly with my daughter's body - almost like a 2nd skin - throughout her whole wedding day.  

I am so appreciative of people who take pride in their skills and their work. The alterations experience with Carol Chu was special and will forever be part of our happy wedding memories.

From the ceremony, to dancing, to hands up, the dress fit so well, that 
it moved like a 2nd skin throughout the whole event.

Creative Finishing touches...
As the mother of the bride, the whole alterations process was unexpectedly magical and inspiring. After 20+ years, I've taken up sewing again!

I'd never have imagined that my daughter's wedding dress experience would bring me back to a former hobby. 

And it's a whole new world! All the new stuff...sergers, stretch fabrics, gorgeous tone on tone cottons...YouTube tutorials...sewing blogs...I digress...

It fit so well, I bet the bride could have
cart-wheeled down the aisle!

In a machine age, dressmaking is one of the last refuges of the human, the personal, the inimitable.

Christian Dior

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/christian_dior.html#6AlZhaSrOwA5qKKX.99

Tamale Time

Info du Jour
  In the pre-Columbian era, the Aztecs ate tamales with these ingredients: turkey,

  flamingo, frog..., pocket gopher, rabbit, turkey eggs, bees, honey, fruits, maize 

  flour, squash and beans, as well as with no filling. Aztec tamales differed from 

  modern tamales by not having added fat.~ From Wikipedia

Not your Aztec's Tamales!

I've come up with a tasty tamale recipe that uses no frogs, flamingos or gophers and no lard! Cashew Cream provides a creaminess to the tamale dough. 

Gee Whiz 
This tamale recipe uses corn 3 ways: the husk, ground dried corn, and frozen (or fresh) corn kernels. Together, they bring a depth of flavor, texture, and even provide packaging!

Recipe Notes: To be pliable, the corn husks must soak in water for a few minutes. Start them soaking first, then prepare the dough and filling. Soak 2-3 extra husks to tear into strips to tie the ends of each tamale.

I particularly like the taste and texture of stone-ground cornmeal, the same grind used for polenta. This grind retains some of the hull, the germ, more texture and more of the corn flavor. For this reason,
I used 2 cups of medium stone-ground cornmeal and 2 cups of masa harina - masa harina is made from corn soaked in lime, dried, and then ground.

In place of lard, this recipe uses 1/2 cup of cashew cream. My standard recipe for Cashew Cream is on my October 12, 2013 blog, click this link:

 My Bridge to a Plant-based Diet

Taste Each Time: Taste and season the tamale dough, then taste, season and adjust the heat in the tamale filling. Each element should taste great before assembling. This makes sure that the final tamales taste awesome.

Plant-based and Terrific

   Corn husks, soaking in tap water and 

   weighed down with a measuring cup.

Tamales

Makes 12
These freeze really well

Tamale Wrappers: Corn Husks

    13-15 dried corn husks

In a large bowl, submerge the dried corn husks in enough water to cover. Add a weight to keep the corn husks covered in the water. I used a glass measuring cup.

Cashew Cream replaces lard. Piggy, taking a 

personal interest, is happy to help with this step!

Tamale Dough

    4 cups water
    2 teaspoons salt

    2 cups masa harina
    2 cups stone ground cornmeal
    1 teaspoon baking powder

    ½ cup cashew cream


In a 2 quart sauce pan, bring the water and salt to a boil.

In a separate bowl, combine the masa harina, cornmeal and baking powder.

When the water has come to a boil, turn off the heat, remove from the burner and place on a heat resistant surface. Briskly stir the dry ingredients into the hot water. The dough will thicken, resembling play dough!

Roll the dough into 12 ping-pong size balls.
Piggy's around somewhere...

Mix in the cashew cream until combined. Let cool while the filling is being made. When cool, roll the dough into 12 Ping-Pong sized balls (this helps make sure each tamales has the same amount of dough). Set aside.

Bean, Corn and Pepper Filling

    1 small onion, diced
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1 red pepper, diced
    1 teaspoon cumin
    1 teaspoon chili powder
    a pinch of dried chili flakes

    1 15-oz. can black beans
    1 15-oz. fat-free refried beans
    1 4-oz can green chilies, diced
    1 cup frozen corn kernels (or fresh, when in season)
    2 green onions, chopped

    Salt to taste

Sweat the diced onion in a few tablespoons of water in a sauté pan over medium high heat. As needed, add more water to prevent sticking and scorching.

When the onions are transparent, add the minced garlic, then the diced red pepper. When the red pepper has softened, add the cumin, chili powder and chili flakes, and remove from heat.

    In a small amount of water, sweat onions till transparent. Then add garlic, 
     red pepper and seasonings. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the beans,
     corn diced green chilies, sweated veggies and the green onions.

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, refried beans, diced green chilies, frozen corn and chopped green onion. Add the onion/garlic/pepper mixture and mix. Taste and correct the seasoning. (This filling is good on its own!)

Heat adjustment
Should you crave heat, add some chopped jalapeño or other source of heat 

to taste, to the bean filling. I prefer to have people add their choice of heat at the table, via Cholula, Sriracha, Widow Maker, whatever. To my tender tongue, too much heat masks flavor. But that’s just me…certainly not my kids!

Wrapping up

Place a large towel on the counter, then spread 12 of the soaked corn husks on the towel. 

Pat the corn husks with a dry towel to remove any excess water. 

Place one masa ball in the center of each corn husk.


Spread on the dough…
Here’s a method that makes spreading out the masa dough on the corn husk much easier,

Sandwich the masa dough with a 2nd corn husk... 
Place a 2nd corn husk over the masa ball, then, with a rolling pin, spread out the dough to the edges of the husk, leaving about 1 ½ inch of space at the top and bottom. 


Remove the 2nd corn husk.



Spoon on the filling…
Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the filling down the center of the rolled masa dough.






Roll and tie
Bring the sides together, rolling the dough into the husk. Twist each end of the rolled corn husk.

Tear a fiber strip of corn husk, and use to tie each twisted end of the tamale. 

At this point, you can refrigerate the tamales until an hour before serving, or wrap each tamale in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 weeks. (Allow extra time to steam frozen tamales.)

Tamales ready to steam

Steam…
Place a steam rack in a large pan. Add a few inches of water, not quite touching the steam rack. Bring the water to a boil. Place the 12 tamales on the rack over the steaming hot water. 

Cover and steam for 30+ minutes, adding more water as needed to maintain the steam. 

The tamales are done when they are hot and soft to the touch.

...and Serve
Serve with your favorite salsa and a southwestern salad of cabbage, grated carrots and green peppers tossed with your favorite vinaigrette.

Sabroso!