Raw Almond Cheese and Eggplant Mini Pizza

Greetings!

I wish to share a recipe for a very simple nut cheese that I came up with when making veggie pizza. Now unfortunately this cheese will not melt because it has no liquid in it like water or almond milk, so while I call it a cheese, it is more of a topping, that reminds me a lot of coconut flakes in texture. Now I personally don't think vegetable pizza actually needs cheese, the way I make it (a recipe to followup very soon as I plan to give it a second test tomorrow) so if you are looking for a melting cheese you can try what I have put below which is what I did in my cashew cheese recipe. I have to try it also to see how it will melt. You can also check some other vegan bloggers.

This almond cheese goes perfectly with salad or even a sandwich as a topping. If I still ate tofu eggs I'd definitely add to my omelet. The added bonus is that you can use as much as you would like and not be overpowered in flavour (because of the soaking).



ALMOND CHEESE

TOPPING
1 cup almonds raw
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp dried basil (optional)


Soak almonds overnight in the water or at least 6 hours. Make sure they are well covered. Peel off the skins when time is up. A lot of people do not soak their almonds to retain the great oils and flavour, be that as it may, almonds unsoaked will not digest in the tummy because the blocking enzymes have not been neutralized by soaking.

Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor until it becomes I thick paste that is soft and spreadable.  You have to mix and stop constantly because it is a very dry mixture, it just requires a bit of patience especially if using a plain ole blender.

It will still be grainy in a very fine texture but with no visible chunks of almonds.

Scrape it all into a bowl and mash around with a spoon.

Mould into a ball and place in a ziplock bag. Freeze for at least 2-4 hours.

It should be hard enough to grate over pizza.

The crumble will not melt.


For a cheese that can spread try adding these ingredients:

2 tbs apple cider vinegar or juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic

two stalks of chive
1 cup Water (slightly warm to help the almonds blend)
Blender or food processor

2 tsps nutritional yeast

If you want a mild taste leave out chive and garlic. nutritional yeast just for flavour it is not necessary.

Now for a recipe that will put your new almond cheese to great use!


EGGPLANT PIZZA

This is the same concept as baking or grilling seasoned eggplant slices, but with some fresh grated and chopped veggies on top.

1 eggplant
Turmeric powdered
Cumin powdered
Dried basil
Dried Italian seasoning
Dried parsley
Baking tray
Coconut or olive oil

small piece pumpkin
small carrot
small beet
1/2 sweet pepper
2 medium tomatoes



Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thin circles.
Grate pumpkin, beet, carrot; and chop sweet pepper and tomato. I actually used the veggies from my rainbow salad to whip up these pizzas to show how easily they can be prepared!

Put half in a big bowl and sprinkle all the seasons on the pieces. If it is dry sprinkle a little water to help the seasoning to stick.
Do the same to the rest of the eggplant. 

Transfer to greased pan with or without foil, it is up to you. Cover each piece of eggplant with the vegetables prepared. 

Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes on medium heat around 150 C.

Pull out and allow to cool 15 minutes.

Serve with grated almond cheese on top.
Two bites and they’re gone! Lovely little mini pizza substitutes. 

Will not be a favorite of anyone who doesn’t like "mushy" eggplant however.


Stay tuned for more to come, now that I have internet, I will be able to keep things going here on RastaWifeLine and InI YouTube channel.

Baked or Roasted Vegetable delights for Womb Wellness Livity

Greetings my Sistren,

I really have so much I want to reason about but my time is as always, hard to come by. And I have no internet at home so I can't load my website or blogspot to  update them, yes I sis Ila too can't always manage the bills good and so we go without for a while. But that doesn't get me down, I can still make these small connections to spread some positive vibes with InI, I have good food to eat daily and a happy home because I work hardest on having these things and I hope that no matter what you have or don't have right now, that you too know the value of what is and still find joy and blessing each day. 

I wish to share two baked veggies recipes which are ideally the same steps. While it is good to eat raw salad daily it is also good to have warm foods when on the period cycle as the body itself when losing fluids, needs extra warmth. it. is good to wear a sweater and socks when on the flow to protect the womb structure form excess cold.  So teas and soups and baked veggies are good along with salad and juicing, I personally eat less of any grains like wheat and rice and focus on these more during the seven days before and during the cycle. I have found that no sugar, wheat and soy on the whole are best. No sugar drinks and snacks, I drink my beet juice instead.

Oven baked vegetables (and potato)

Select your vegetables and cut them into cubes, I choose from

Carrot

Squash or pumpkin 

Beans

Okra

Eggplant

Cabbage

Broccoli 

Christophene or chayote

Zucchini and so on

Cube the red potatoes if you are having. Or use sweet potato or omit potato 

In a large bowl mix the veggies with powdered tumeric, "Italian" seasonings, cumin, ginger, seasoning salt. I usually add some, mix well, add again and mix til everything is nicely coated.

Spread foil on a baking dish with depth, spread the veggies flat, cover with foil again 

bake at about 150 c or a medium flame for 25-30 minutes.

Baked eggplant

Slice the eggplant in circles about 1/4 inch thick

Repeat the bowl dressing, mixing the eggplant well with the seasonings

Spread them on a flat sheet like a pizza pan, on foil 

bake ten minutes til brown underneath, flip and bake another five minutes and remove.
You can also try this with potato and sweet potato - it is so delicious!

These dished make great sides with quinoa, peas, or just a salad and sweet potato! I love the eggplant plain too! The bonus is that the kingman will love it!

I wish my Sistren health, success and positive feelings of self love and strength. Whatever you go through, you can overcome. Believe in yourself and Jah's favour and love.

Ila 

Sesame Kale Recipe

Blessed Love


 I do hope this day proved for all Dawtas to blessed and upfull. Today it was a holiday in Trinidad, so we just kicked back at home, but my princess went to the movies with a cousin. Now that the prince is resting I have a moment before a movie, to post the next recipe!

I had never tried cooking kale before, everytime I eat it, it is as lettuce in a salad. But lately the kale is so fibrous and thick that it actually takes too much out of my teeth to chew it for so long! So I decided to sautee it and of course I did it in my own style. It's super fast and a great addition to plantain, jasmine rice and split pea stew/dahl.

So here it is:

finely chop

4 cloves of garlic
1 small onion


 1 pimento
2 chives/green onion
as many leaves of kale as you need for your servings
a few leaves of patchoy (if you wish)
a few okra (if you wish)
grate a thumb of ginger


In sesame oil (tablespoon or more) sautee the fresh seasonings first for 2 minutes
add the greens and sautee for two minutes until they turn bright green
add a few dashes of Braggs Soy Sauce.
Remove from heat and that is it! Remember the idea is just to soften the kale not to actually cook it for too long. you can use a fry pan or stir fry pan or wok, whatever you use for your veggies.


I hope the rest of your strong/week is productive and filled with good thoughts and rewards of Positive living.

JAH RasTafari Alpha Omega Itinue to Shine upon and Guide the I and I
Selah!
Ila

Hold Your Head Up Sis! (and a Quinoa Channa Burger/Patty Recipe)

Blessed Love

Today's and yesterday's reasonings on the group in Facebook have really been deep. And I know some Sistren shy away from saying more than they do, or going too in depth - but I encourage it because we are there to strengthen one another. The reasoning has to be intense in some way or else what's the point lol. Right?
 I know Sistren all over share the same fears, insecurities and struggles as wife, mother, daughter, employee - everything! We all at some point actually go through the same changes in tide, whether it's insecurity about a relationship, parenting, how you live, your job, the list goes on. you can never be altogether perfect for everyone or everything all the time, and sometimes you may want to just break and give up. You might want to escape from something that is at the end of the day, your responsibility.

So it is important to always have faith and to always go deep within yourself and truly find that Irit of JAH within. Relying on the wisdom of other Black Wombman who have put the teaching out there is a blessing waiting to be grabbed. It is important to truly take care of yourself and know yourself as a wombman. Everything in our life is connected to the other: the way we think, feel, how we eat, what we do and don't do, how we feel about others, interact with others - each one of these things is connected to the other. So there must not only be an evaluation and motivation of self to get these things in sync, but a positive outlook on one's life and being. We have to feel accountable to/for ourselves to make and receive the best for ourselves! Without that to hold on to things will fall apart, life wont be manageable, relationships wont sustain. Let's face it - nothing is perfect but we can try to be and do better every day. Feeling defeated one day doesn't mean that you are. The right frame of mind will pull you through everything.

The lesson I take from today is to look within and Iditate on my own vibes - what I am putting out there, what am I receiving as a result. What can I do better. I feel motivated to work harder on things that I let slip. How am I accountable for my own imbalance of happiness/unhappiness?

The journey is never ending and winding, but it is ours to embrace and make the best of in any given situation. I pray that all Sistren in whatever situation they are in will take accountability, criticism and enlightenment and work harder to get to the strong Wombman they see themselves being.


That being said... how about a recipe!

I just made these on a whim

Quinoa Channa Burgers/Patties

1 small or a half of a sweet potato - like 1/2 cup mashed

1 cup chick peas or channa

1/2 cup quinoa

4 chives

2 garlic cloves

1 pimento pepper

1/2 an onion

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp curry powder

dash ginger powder

1 tbsp oil

2 tsp coconut milk powder

2 tsp  arrowroot powder

1 sprig fine leaf thyme

salt and 1/2 lime optional

corn flour

water

Method

1. Boil or bake sweet potato and cook the quinoa - I added the curry, cumin and turmeric to the quinoa as well. You can add it there and put in the mix if you want to.

2. Blend the fresh seasoning with the channa or chick peas, use some water and the oil to make it moist. you can also use a good masher - it doesn't have to be as smooth as I made mine. add lime here also if you use. I also added the coconut powder, arrowroot powder, cumin, saffron and so on at this time to flavour.

3. Mash potato and add to channa and mix those together. let the quinoa cool by spreading it out on a plate and setting by a window. It worked fast for me!

4. Add quinoa to the potato channa mix with 4 1/2 tbsp of corn flour.

5. Mold into small patties or big burgers. This could make about 4 medium burgers. Dust with corn flour on both sides. 

6. Set on foil that is greased and bake on bottom rack for 15 minutes on each side or until golden brown. 150 degree celsius or medium heat . 

7. I really loved these patties - mine were flat so they were more patty like, but next time I am making burgers that are thicker.

I ate them with a  salad

And then as a burger sandwich - I LOVE how they taste with raw food! I would recommend pairing it with a salad or like the sandwich but made with a special homemade bread not store bought! 

  

Channa is often used as "mock fish" because it DOES have a seafoody taste, this is the first time I ever really tasted it like that for myself. There was really a seafood flavour in the patty! So definitely try this patty - overall I think I have a lot more ingredients than might be necessary, but it was a trial and error that worked well!

More Love and Positive Word Sound and Power for the Sabbath Iditation

I am really going to have a blessed sabbath, learning from Dr Jewel Pookram 

Omega Ites!

Sis Ila