Pequeños placeres: #1 - Material interesante para leer encontrado por casualidad

Hoy he decidido que en mi intento por ver la vida de una forma más positiva, este blog va a tener una nueva perspectiva. La inspiración ha venido de 1000awesomethings.com y me he propuesto armar 1000 posts con esos pequeños placeres

que simplemente hacen que la vida sea más alegre, aquellos detalles que no son necesariamente pomposos pero que me hacen sonreír igual.

Allí va el primero de esta lista de 1000, aunque me tarde una eternidad, esta lista la voy a terminar.

#1: Encontrarse con lecturas entretenidas, interesantes o diferentes por casualidad.

Hay quienes usan servicios como Reddit para encontrar sus artículos. A mí me gusta más cuando los encuentro sin querer, me los mandan o simplemente estaban allí en mi lista esperando a ser leídos. No, no se confundan. Detesto las charlas motivacionales y los libros de auto-ayuda. Una lectura interesante no tiene que ser necesariamente 'bonita' o 'inspiracional'.

Hoy encontré o me compartieron:

* Gunkanjima: Ruins of a Forbidden Island

* What's up El Salvador, American expat woman living abroad

* "Mi plato", símbolo que reemplaza a la pirámide alimenticia

* Women in Ancient Egypt

* Vintage Printable

* Serial K, Calendar

Cooking, cooking...

.... un par de recetas veganas para una querida amiga. ¡Que las disfrutes!

Tofu Frittata with Zucchini and Onion

Ingredient list

Serves 8

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 small red onion, diced (3/4 cup)
• 2 small carrots, diced (1 cup)
• 5 green onions, chopped (3/4 cup)
• 1 small zucchini, diced (3/4 cup)
• 1 12-oz. pkg. extra-firm tofu, drained
• 3 Tbs. grated vegan mozzarella
• 3 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
• 6 plum tomatoes, sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 10-inch casserole dish or 24-cup mini-muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Sauté red onion 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft. Add carrots, green onions, and zucchini, and sauté 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and cook 3 minutes more, or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from heat.
3. Purée tofu, mozzarella, and soy sauce 2 minutes in food processor, or until smooth and thick. Stir tofu mixture into vegetable mixture, and spoon into prepared casserole dish or muffin tin. Arrange tomato slices on top of frittata. Bake 40 to 45 minutes for large frittata, 25 to 30 minutes for mini frittatas, or until top is firm to the touch. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.



MINI BROCCOLI QUICHE

Crust
• 2 2/3c all-purpose whole wheat flour
• 2t Italian seasoning
• 1t salt
• 1t sugar
• 1c canola oil
• 1/4c soy milk

Mix the dry ingredients well, then add the wet and stir until everything is all mixed up and doughy. Press about 1/3c dough into each cup of a regular muffin pan, forming the dough up the sides of the tins, and making certain there aren’t any holes in the dough.

Filling
• 1 brick soft silken tofu
• 2T nutritional yeast
• 1/2t tumeric
• 1t Italian seasoning
• 1/2t salt
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2T olive oil
• 1 1/2c frozen broccoli, defrosted

Preheat the oven to 350.
Place everything but the broccoli into a blender or food processor, and whizz until it’s smooth. Transfer it to a bowl and mix in the broccoli.
Spoon the broccoli mixture into each little quiche, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the tops start to brown. Cool until you can pop them gently out of the pan with a butter knife, and serve!


BANANA BREAD
A simple, no frills banana bread. Perfect for, um, eating. I recently edited the amount of sugar needed, so this should be perfect now.

Ingredients
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup margarine, at room temp
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk, mixed with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 8×4 bread pan with non stick cooking spray, or lightly coat with margarine.
Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
Cream together the margarine and sugars. Add bananas, soy milk and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well. Pour batter into pan. Bake for an hour to an hour 10 minutes.

- COOKING WITHOUT EGGS

What an egg does

Within a recipe, an egg adds moisture and also performs one of two functions: leavening or binding.
When the egg is binding, it means that it is holding everything in the recipe together. A binding agent is what makes food stick together.
When an egg is a leavening agent, it means that the egg is trapping air inside the food as it cooks. For example, this gives nice and fluffy cake.

Binding replacements for denser treats like bread, muffins, pancakes and meatloaf

You know an egg is a binding agent if there is very little to no beating required, such as in brownies and cookies. Depending on what goes well with your recipe, you can use one of the following items as a binding replacement for one egg:

• Half of a banana, mashed
• 1/4 cup of applesauce
• 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes

Leavening replacement for lighter goodies like cake

An egg is a leavener when there is a lot of beating required, such as with cakes and meringues. When an egg is leavening, it is more difficult to replace. Generally, the more eggs there are to replace, the less satisfied you may be with the results. For recipes with only a few eggs, try these replacements for one leavening egg:

• Half of banana, mashed, plus 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Ener-G Egg Replacer, plus 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1 teaspoon baking powder, plus 1 teaspoon vinegar

Replacements for recipes where egg is a main ingredient

You’re probably out of luck if you wish to make angel food cake or eggs benedict, but you can try to use tofu to make scrambled “eggs” or quiche.
Tofu is not for everyone, but it has the texture of cooked eggs can taste really good when properly prepared. It absorbs the flavor of the food it is cooking with, so use lots of delicious vegetables and seasonings.
If you’ve never tried tofu before, try these recipes with an open mind, and you won’t be disappointed:

Just because there is a massive egg recall doesn’t mean that you can’t make your breakfast and goodies.

References:
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=7678.0

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Spinach Mushroom Quiche Recipe

For the crust:
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or whole spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper
1/3 cup unflavored soy milk or water
1/3 cup light sesame oil or pure olive oil plus more for brushing the pan

For the filling:
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely diced onion
10 ounces white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons dry white wine or water
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
3 garlic cloves, slice crosswise into 1/8-inch rounds
10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
Pinch hot red pepper flakes
1 pound firm tofu, rinsed and patted dry
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 pounds fresh spinach
Paprika for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. To make the crust, spread the oats and sesame seeds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8 minutes.
3. Transfer the toasted oats and sesame seeds to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper, and process until the oats are finely ground.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy milk and oil. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the dry ingredients to form a dough.
5. Lightly brush a 9-inch or 10-inch tart pan with oil. Put the dough in the tart pan. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the dough and press down evenly, making sure to fill in the fluted sides of the pan. Trim the tart of any excess dough and refrigerate while you make the filling.
6. To make the filling, in a wide saute pan over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and mushroom, raise the heat to high, and saute for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring and shaking the pan until the vegetables are caramelized. Add the wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and continue to cook until dry. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the vegetables into a mixing bowl and set aside.
7. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the remaining 5 tablespoons of oil. Add the garlic, basil, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes or until the garlic is golden. Do not let the garlic brown or it will become bitter. With a rubber spatula, scrape the garlic oil into the bowl of a food processor.
8. Crumble the tofu into the bowl of the food processor. Add the lemon juice, vinegar, and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and puree until smooth. With a rubber spatula, scrape the puree into the mushroom-onion mixture.
9. Remove and discard the tough stems of the spinach. Wash the leaves in a large bowl with several changes of cold water. Transfer the spinach to a pot and cooke, covered, over high heat for several minutes, just until wilted. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to arrest the cooking. Drain well and squeeze dry. Transfer the spinach to a cutting board and chop fine. Add the spinach to the rest of the filling and stir well to combine.
10. Fill the tart shell with the tofu and vegetable mixture and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Dust with Paprika. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes,until firm.
11.Let the tart cool for 8 to 10 minutes before slicing and serving.



Vegan Scrambled 'Eggs'

Ingredients

splash vegetable oil
1/4 medium onion, grated or finely diced
8 ounces tofu, crumbled
1 teaspoon turmeric
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet with oil and add onion, heating over low heat.

2. Add crumbled tofu to skillet and sprinkle with turmeric, stirring to mix and make the tofu evenly yellow.

3. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for about 5 more minutes, or until heated though. Enjoy!

I gave my 10 month old son some and he loved it. Actually, he ended up stealing half of it, but at least it doesn't take too long to do, so I could whip more up quickly enough!

Source of recipe: I remember seeing a recipe similar to this one, but forgot it, so made it up as I went along, and made it a little easier I hope.

Makes: 1 serving, Preparation time: A minute or two, Cooking time: 5 minutes

Here’s a fast and easy recipe for a brown rice crust that’s a perfect base for quiche and savory pies. It’s gluten-free, lighter than the classical pie pastry crust, and delicious.

Brown Rice Crust:

• 2 cups of cooked brown rice
• 1/4 cup of grated cheese
• 1 egg

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Mix the rice, cheese, and egg in a bowl.
Press the rice mixture into the bottom and along the sides of a pie plate, about 1/4 inch thick.
Bake until the edges and bottom just start turning golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Don’t over-bake the crust because it will continue to brown when you pop it back into the oven with your filling.
This crust works great for quiche, savory pies, and even deep-dish pizzas. Find a recipe for quiche below.

Broccoli, Portobello, and Gouda Quiche with a Brown Rice Crust:

• 1/2 pound of sliced portobello mushrooms or baby bellas
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup of milk (or 3/4 cup of coconut milk)
• 1 cup of grated gouda cheese (I like goat gouda)
• 1/2 pound of chopped broccoli florets
• 4 green onions or scallions, chopped
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Brown rice crust (use gouda cheese in the crust recipe above)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Heat a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the mushrooms until tender. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
Mix the eggs, milk, and cheese in a bowl. Add the broccoli, scallions, and mushrooms. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust.
Bake until golden brown and set in the center, about 30-35 minutes.