crEATe is back, now writing from Greensboro, NC!

Hello, friends!  My apologies for the lapse in writing.  I wanted to let you know that I'm now writing from Greensboro, NC (no longer Ann Arbor).  Having been here over a week at this point, Cody and I have been discovering all of the natural food joys Greensboro has to offer.  One of the first new items we purchased after moving is a shiny red barbeque, which produced some fantastic grilled portabella mushrooms (recipe below).  Now that we have a backyard, we've also planted several vegetables and herbs--tomatoes, onions, peppers, basil, rosemary, and dill--which will hopefully be the subject of recipes in posts later this summer.


As for the cooking saga, I'm finally back to work, making new vegan recipes, baking new breads, and continuing the soap-making experiment.  Here's a few recipes to kick things off:

Grilled Portabella Mushroom Sandwiches
Grilled portabella mushrooms are a great entree to serve for friends who may not be vegetarian because they take on a meaty flavor when barbequed.  Seasonings can be altered depending on your preferences.

6 medium-sized portabella mushrooms
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. coriander

12 slices fresh bread (I used my homemade sourdough)
Your choice of condiments: ketchup, mustard, relish, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, vegan cheese, etc.

1. Wash portabella mushrooms and pat dry.  
2. In a small bowl, mix olive oil and seasonings.  Using a pastry brush, rub seasoning mixture into the underside of the mushrooms and on top.  Place mushrooms in an airtight container and refrigerate to marinate for four hours.
3. Heat the grill.  Place mushrooms directly on grill and cook until tender, approximately 10-15 minutes. 
4. Serve on fresh bread with desired condiments.  Enjoy!

 For the sourdough fans, here's a brand new recipe

Whole Grain Sourdough Bread
Using all of the whole grains I had in my pantry.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 cup rye flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup quinoa
1/4 cup flaxseed
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups distilled water
1/2 cup sourdough starter
1 Tbsp. agave syrup

1. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.  Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients.  Thoroughly the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, kneading slightly and adding more water if the dough becomes too dry.
3. Cover dough with plastic and allow to proof in a warm place for 18 hours.
4. After 18 hours, place dough on on a floured surface, fold in thirds and then in half on itself.  Place back in the bowl, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for 5-6 hours.
5. After five hours, grease a Dutch oven or clay baker and place in the oven.  Preheat at 500 degrees for 30 minutes.  
6. Uncover Dutch oven, place bread inside, recover, and bake for 40 minutes at 500 degrees.
7. After 40 minutes, reduce temperature to 450 degrees, remove lid from the Dutch oven, and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.
8. Remove bread from Dutch oven and let cool.  Enjoy!

crEATe is changing!

Hello crEATe friends!

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting me through my blogging adventures so far, continuously inspiring and challenging me with topic suggestions, questions, compliments, and criticisms. What began as more or less of an exploration into a healthier and more natural way of life has turned into a plethora of learning opportunities, recipe creation, and a deeper look into the way in which we live.

I’m very excited to announce that in two weeks (hopefully!) crEATe will be undergoing some changes, and I’d like to open things up for your comments and suggestions.  I’m currently working on a Wordpress blog format that will make crEATe more user-friendly.  crEATe will also have its own domain name so more readers can engage in discussions.  It is my goal for crEATe to ultimately become a sustainable, eco-friendly business that offers its supporters products and/or services to help them engage in a healthy, natural lifestyle.

I would love and appreciate your input on as many of the following questions as you'd like:
What is crEATe offering you that you like?
What would make crEATe better?
What topics would you like to see discussed?
What products and/or services would you like to see crEATe offer?
How do you read crEATe (ex. AnnArbor.com, Blogger, a reader, etc.)?
Should crEATe be more engaged in social media? In what way(s)?
Would you like to see crEATe offer other multimedia forms on the website (video, podcast, etc.)?
Do you have a URL name suggestion for crEATe (for a “.com” website)?
What would make you more excited about crEATe?

Feel free to post your thoughts as comments, email me directly at emilyweingarten@gmail.com, or respond anonymously via Google Forms here.  Thank you again for your support so far and looking forward to hearing from you!

Vegan Cinco de Mayo Celebration

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I made my favorite vegan enchilada recipe this week and, realizing that I hadn’t shared it with crEATe yet, decided to make it the subject of this week’s blog post in case readers feel so inspired to have a post-Cinco de Mayo celebration. 

If you’re vegan—or enjoy vegan cooking—and don’t own a copy of Robin Robertson’s Vegan Planet, this book should be your next cookbook purchase.  Robertson offers a short guide to eating vegan, explains foods that may be unfamiliar to non-vegans (tofu, tempeh, seitan, nutritional yeast, etc.), suggests dairy and egg substitutions, and lays the foundation for a successful vegan kitchen.  The cookbook’s 400 recipes are divided into nineteen sections that include appetizers, soups, salads, pastas, “food that sizzles,” “the global oven,” vegan pizza, desserts, breakfasts, and many others.  Her recipes are generally simple, require ingredients that can be found in most grocery stores, and cost-effective. 

I modified Robertson’s recipe for Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas, adding tempeh for extra protein.  Soy cheese on top would also be delicious!