Peace to the world! Peace to all living creatures!
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| my Christmas tree |
24 Dec 2012
13 Dec 2012
The Cake before Christmas
This easy and delicious chocolate cake is a good match for a cup of tea in winter evenings. Now it's just the time when you'd like to chocolate yourself a bit and think about the upcoming holidays.
For the cake:
plain flour -300g
cocoa powder - 3 tbs
sugar - 100g
walnuts - 100g
baking powder - 1 tsp
baking soda - 1,5 tsp
vinegar, a splash
water - about a cup.
For the cream:
vegan margarine - 100g
cocoa powder - about 2 tsp
sugar - about 2 tbs
coconut chips for topping
Crush walnuts and fry them on a pan without oil.
Preheat an oven at 180C.
Mix well flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and walnuts. Add a drop of vinegar into a spoon of soda and mix into the pastry. Add some water to make the pastry not firm but not fluid. Lay the pastry into the greased round baking form and top with coconut chips. Put into the oven for about 40 min.
Make some creame for layering. Mix mararine, sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl until sugar melts. Put the cream into the fridge.
Take the cake out of the oven and let it get cold. Divide the cake horizontally into 2 parts. I do it this way: cut the cake around (not deeply), take a dense thread, put it into the cut, cross the ends and pull them both ways. The halves get out plane and nice.
Take your cream out of the fridge and spread it on the bottom half. Cover with the upper half, press a little and put into the fridge. Let it settle for a day to become soft and saturated.
My cake rose very well, so it would be ok to cut it even into 3 layers. If you decide to do that, you'll need some more cream.
For the cake:
plain flour -300g
cocoa powder - 3 tbs
sugar - 100g
walnuts - 100g
baking powder - 1 tsp
baking soda - 1,5 tsp
vinegar, a splash
water - about a cup.
For the cream:
vegan margarine - 100g
cocoa powder - about 2 tsp
sugar - about 2 tbs
coconut chips for topping
Crush walnuts and fry them on a pan without oil.
Preheat an oven at 180C.
Mix well flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and walnuts. Add a drop of vinegar into a spoon of soda and mix into the pastry. Add some water to make the pastry not firm but not fluid. Lay the pastry into the greased round baking form and top with coconut chips. Put into the oven for about 40 min.
Make some creame for layering. Mix mararine, sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl until sugar melts. Put the cream into the fridge.
Take the cake out of the oven and let it get cold. Divide the cake horizontally into 2 parts. I do it this way: cut the cake around (not deeply), take a dense thread, put it into the cut, cross the ends and pull them both ways. The halves get out plane and nice.
Take your cream out of the fridge and spread it on the bottom half. Cover with the upper half, press a little and put into the fridge. Let it settle for a day to become soft and saturated.
My cake rose very well, so it would be ok to cut it even into 3 layers. If you decide to do that, you'll need some more cream.
1 Dec 2012
Winter has come
It's snowing all the time. All things around look different, and it's become lighter in the streets because of snow.
A couple of days ago there were some ducks swimming in the city channels, but today there is no one. I wonder where they could fly and whether they have stayed in city.
Here is an autumn picture of ducks at the channel. Female one is a master of diguise )
By the way, it's time to count down to Christmas. Let's start! To begin with, I'd offer an everyday concentration on positive thoughts and things. There are lots of them around! Look: snow, windows shining bright, smells of vegan cooking, smiles, happy family... And eating sweets and chocolates of course!
A couple of days ago there were some ducks swimming in the city channels, but today there is no one. I wonder where they could fly and whether they have stayed in city.
Here is an autumn picture of ducks at the channel. Female one is a master of diguise )
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| Ducks at the city channel |
22 Nov 2012
The last leaves and November reading
Autumn is coming to an end, but some leaves are still on. Colours are incredibly beautiful...
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| November leaves |
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| Colours are lasting |
Another seasonal book is "Moominvalley in November" by Tove Jansson. The fairy-tale, like all stories by this writer, is good for adults as well as for children. I adore all of Tove Jansson's Moominvalley stories, they are very much psychological and humane.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79547.Moominvalley_in_November
It's raining over and over... So, it's just the time of the year for rolling up in an armchair with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate...
20 Nov 2012
Vegan rissoles
A very tasty dish as well as cheap and easy. I make it of different ingredients, so this is only one of many possible variants.
You need:
fine oatmeal flakes - 1 cup
1 middle-sized carrot
1/2 middle-sized onion
ketchup - 2 tb sp
soy flour - 1 tb sp
white flour - 1/2 cup
oil or sunflower oil - 1 tb sp
dry herbs, any you like - 1 tea sp
salt to taste
Finely chop carrot and onion, mix with dry oatmeal flakes and fry. Add ketchup, herbs, soy flour and mix well. Form round rissoles, coat with flour and fry at both sides.
Instead of oatmeal you can take any other flakes, porridge, or boiled rice. You can also add beet, tomatoes, aubergine or squash.
Rissoles are delicious with mased or baked potatoes as well as in a burger with ketcup.
You need:
fine oatmeal flakes - 1 cup
1 middle-sized carrot
1/2 middle-sized onion
ketchup - 2 tb sp
soy flour - 1 tb sp
white flour - 1/2 cup
oil or sunflower oil - 1 tb sp
dry herbs, any you like - 1 tea sp
salt to taste
Finely chop carrot and onion, mix with dry oatmeal flakes and fry. Add ketchup, herbs, soy flour and mix well. Form round rissoles, coat with flour and fry at both sides.
Instead of oatmeal you can take any other flakes, porridge, or boiled rice. You can also add beet, tomatoes, aubergine or squash.
Rissoles are delicious with mased or baked potatoes as well as in a burger with ketcup.
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| Vegan rissoles - one with beet to the right |
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| Delicious...)) |
18 Nov 2012
Frugal tips
Frugal living, I think, doesn't mean stinting yourself in everything. It means just to use things wisely and get the benefits of that. Now we are all looking forward to winter celebrations, adding the cost of presents, decorations and extra food to our everyday spendings. So, maybe it's just the right moment to start thinking of how to spend less and get more.
Here are some pieces of advice I use. They really work and help me to save money. At first, let's look into a fridge, cupboards and shelves with food.
1. Use remains to the end. There may be enough pastry for one more pancake in a bowl, or one more portion of ketchup in a pack while you decided to throw it into a bin. Some expired products may also be used. For example, dry some pieces of stale bread in an oven and make breadcrumbs for coating or stuffing. Soured soya milk may be used for a cake - like this one:
http://whitebirchtree.blogspot.ru/2012/11/chocolate-and-dates-cake.html
2. Grow your own. In winter you can grow herbs indoor. Seeds of parcley or dill cost much less than a single bunch of fresh green in a supermarket but you will get much more than a bunch. For how to grow herbs on your windowsill get to http://ourohio.org/home-gardens/gardening-basics/winter/windowsill-herbs/
The information is quite complete. My shoots do their best )
4. Use empty plastic bottles as pots for plants. You may decorate them with pictures from magazins, cards, chocolate wrappings and all the stuff you like. Here's a pot I made of a plastic bottle, foil and OGGI catalog)
3. Use natural ingredients as cosmetics. E.g. coffee grounds as face scrub (the effect is amazingly soft skin!), a drop of olive oil for hands (the same). It will reduce your spendings in a cosmetics shop.
4. Cereal and tea boxes are good as gift wrapping. Decorated with coloured paper and glittering glue they are as beautiful as ones from shops. And, of course, mind homemade Christmas decorations of salt dough, paper and natural materials such as pine cones and nuts. They are not only cheap but also organic and exclusive. Children will be happy making them too.
So, be creative, use different possibilities and bless you )
Here are some pieces of advice I use. They really work and help me to save money. At first, let's look into a fridge, cupboards and shelves with food.
1. Use remains to the end. There may be enough pastry for one more pancake in a bowl, or one more portion of ketchup in a pack while you decided to throw it into a bin. Some expired products may also be used. For example, dry some pieces of stale bread in an oven and make breadcrumbs for coating or stuffing. Soured soya milk may be used for a cake - like this one:
http://whitebirchtree.blogspot.ru/2012/11/chocolate-and-dates-cake.html
2. Grow your own. In winter you can grow herbs indoor. Seeds of parcley or dill cost much less than a single bunch of fresh green in a supermarket but you will get much more than a bunch. For how to grow herbs on your windowsill get to http://ourohio.org/home-gardens/gardening-basics/winter/windowsill-herbs/
The information is quite complete. My shoots do their best )
4. Use empty plastic bottles as pots for plants. You may decorate them with pictures from magazins, cards, chocolate wrappings and all the stuff you like. Here's a pot I made of a plastic bottle, foil and OGGI catalog)
3. Use natural ingredients as cosmetics. E.g. coffee grounds as face scrub (the effect is amazingly soft skin!), a drop of olive oil for hands (the same). It will reduce your spendings in a cosmetics shop.
4. Cereal and tea boxes are good as gift wrapping. Decorated with coloured paper and glittering glue they are as beautiful as ones from shops. And, of course, mind homemade Christmas decorations of salt dough, paper and natural materials such as pine cones and nuts. They are not only cheap but also organic and exclusive. Children will be happy making them too.
So, be creative, use different possibilities and bless you )
12 Nov 2012
November lights
The sun is rising later and later and it's getting dark more and more early. But the darker around, the brighter lights are. Not only street lamps at nights but also the hawthorn in the daytime. Its berries are burning and shining red against the background of the gloomy grey sky.
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| November hawthorn |
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| Lamp in the darkness |
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