cinnamon raisin bread •

Vegan Cinnamon Raisin Bread •

After my success with Multigrain Bread for my bread machine, I wanted to come up with a recipe utilizing soy milk and keep it vegan. This cinnamon raisin bread is not too sweet, is healthy, and toasts up beautifully. Follow your machine’s instructions for layering wet and dry ingredients. All ingredients should be at room temperature or warm. I usually pour hot water into my bread pan first to warm it, assemble my ingredients, then empty the water. I layer my ingredients in this order:

1 cup warm vanilla soy milk

1 cup warm wet okara (this is referring to the okara right from your machine, not drained) or tofu

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons canola oil

2-1/2 cups unbleached white flour

1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour

2/3 cup rolled oats

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2-1/4 teaspoons yeast

1 to 1-1/2 cups raisins (set aside)

Use the setting on your bread machine for a large rapid rise whole wheat loaf. When the bread machine starts the kneading cycle, add the raisins a 1/4 cup at a time, until incorporated. After your machine kneads the dough, open the lid and check that it is coming together into a ball. If not, add warm water, a little at a time, waiting a few minutes in between. If the ball looks too sticky in the beginning of kneading, add some flour a little at a time. 

tastes to remember • apple bars

Sarah over at Homemade: Experiences in the Kitchen has started a new event called Tastes to Remember. I have so many tastes to remember (most of them fondly, except for the occasional “wild game” that my father brought home) as my mother was/is a great cook. Not only did she cook, she baked AND preserved food. AND she did all this with six monsters under her feet. AND her house was cleaner than mine will ever be. *Sigh*  These bars were one of our favorites growing up. My mother always had a plate of these goodies ready with a big glass of cold milk when we arrived home from school. She knew that all that learnin’ gave us an appetite. A great recipe to have at hand,  because it has NO DAIRY ingredients. So when you run out of eggs, milk, and butter and are craving something sweet—reach for this recipe...it will not let you down. Of course, I added okara (the whole point of my blog) but the original recipe follows my altered one. 

Apple Bars •

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together:

1-1/2 cups applesauce (homemade if you have it!)

1 cup safflower oil 

1 cup wet okara (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine, not dried)

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

In another large mixing bowl combine:

4 cups unbleached white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup nuts (I usually use pecans or English walnuts)

1 cup raisins

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons liquid (milk, cream, soy milk or water)

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry; mixing until dry ingredients are incorporated. Grease a 10-1/2" x 15-1/2" jelly roll pan. Spread the batter (it will be thick) evenly in the pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and center tests done. Let cool in pan for approximately one hour, and frost with powdered sugar glaze. Cut into bars.

Original Apple Bar Recipe •

2 cups applesauce

1-1/2 cup oil

2 cups granulated sugar (you can cut back on this)

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

5 cups flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cloves

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup nuts

1 cup raisins

Follow directions above for baking and Powdered Sugar Glaze.

okara hummus •

When the darlings get home from school, they are STARVED! They remind me of this fact every day like it is something new. If I have my act together (sometimes it happens...) I will throw together this hummus. They gobble it up with okara thin bread or pita bread and lots of raw veggies. If they can’t eat much dinner, who cares? They have gotten plenty of nutrition from this snack.

Okara Hummus •

In your blender, puree the following:

1 cup wet okara (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine)

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans (do not drain)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons tahini

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

paprika

extra-virgin olive oil

Transfer to a covered container. Refrigerate hummus for a few hours for the best flavor. Right before serving, warm hummus and sprinkle with olive oil and paprika. Serve with pita bread or okara thin bread, and raw vegetables for dipping. 

okara thin bread •

Way back in art school (okay—way, way back...*sigh* way, way, WAY back) I loved to bake bread from scratch. The mixing, kneading, rising and the smell of the bread when it baked—was very therapeutic for me. In the large city where I attended school it seemed like you rushed everywhere just to get there and wait. The hours (and muscles) needed to bake bread released my stress and it gave me the added benefit of actually eating something that was nutritious. The mother of a fellow art student gave me the original recipe for this thin, crispy bread. The addition of okara makes it a little chewier, but still delicious. You can serve this bread with dips, soups, or anything else that you would normally serve crackers with.

Okara Thin Bread •

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together:

1/2 cup warm water

1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)

Let this mixture rest for 5 minutes. Whisk the yeast mixture up and add:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup wet okara, warmed (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine)

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons sucanat (natural cane sugar) or other sweetener

2 cups white unbleached flour

Beat until smooth, add:

1/2 cup to 1 cup whole wheat flour (add as needed to make a stiff dough)

Knead dough for 10 minutes. Place back in bowl and cover, let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Punch dough down and divide into 4 pieces. Roll a piece into a rectangle roughly 10" x 14" in size. Place on a greased cookie sheet (I usually use vegetable spray) and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until brown. Move bread to a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled, use your hands to break up bread into manageable pieces.

okara pasta •

Okara is a great addition to a bread recipe, but I was curious to see how it would work with pasta. I experimented with making a pasta dough without egg and using the okara as a binder instead. I was content with the outcome. I have since made lasagne with the dough, and it was mighty tasty. 

Okara Pasta •

In a large mixing bowl combine:

3/4 cup unbleached white flour

3/4 cup semolina flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a small mixing bowl whisk together:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup wet okara (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine)

2 tablespoons water (optional; depending on how wet your okara is, you might not need it)

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and pour wet ingredients into it. Mix to make a stiff dough. If the dough seems too dry, add the optional water. If it is too wet, add more flour, two tablespoons at a time. Knead for 10 minutes. Tuck a damp kitchen towel on top of the dough, and let it rest for 20 minutes. Roll out on lightly floured surface and cut into desired shapes. Or use your pasta maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 

If you are using the dough for lasagne, DO NOT BOIL first, just add to your recipe as is. 

Fill a large pot with water, add 1/2 teaspoon oil, and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until “al dente”. Because the pasta is fresh, it will cook incredibly fast. When the pasta floats to the surface— test it, it is usually ready.

olé okara patties •

When we ate these patties, I wasn’t going to post this recipe. Who needs another vegetarian burger recipe anyway? That all changed, though, when the little darlings gobbled them up. I had to stop my youngest from eating the serving that I had set aside for my husband. I swear I don’t starve my children—they really did think these were great!

Olé Patties •

In a large mixing bowl combine:

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups frozen sweet corn, cooked and drained

2 cups wet okara (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine, not drained or dried)

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles (I used mild)

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2 cups cooked rice

In a small mixing bowl combine coating mixture:

1/3 cup yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup unbleached white flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

cracked black pepper

1 cup canola oil

I did not chill my bean mixture, but it might help in the shaping of the patties. Using your hands, scoop out enough mixture to form a golf ball size pattie. Do yourself a favor and make these on the small size. Any bigger and they will fall apart. Flatten slightly. Gently coat it on both sides with the cornmeal mixture. In a heavy skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Carefully place a couple of patties in the skillet and fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper toweling, then transfer to a plate and hold in a warm oven until you have fried as many as you need. This recipe makes 20 to 25 patties.