Cast Iron Vegan Cornbread

Granted this recipe doesn't have the buttermilk & all the a lot of the other traditional ingredients normally found in cornbread but it's very easy & very good.

Cast Iron Vegan Cornbread

EVERYONE who had some fell in love with it.

• 3 cups of cornmeal
• 3 1/2 cups soft flour
• 1/8 cup baking powder
• 1/4 Tbsp salt

• 2 cups margarine
• 2 ½ cups sugar
• 3 ½ cups of water

1, Mix first 4 ingredients well.

2, In a separate bowl, cream margarine & sugar, then add the water.

3, Combine wet & dry ingredients.

Pour into 2 greased cast iron skillets or equivalent cake pan.

Bake convection oven at 250 degrees for 30 minutes, then turn up to 325 degrees until golden.

Gas oven at 425 degrees for 45 minutes

Cast Iron cooking is the absolute best.

Yea I went a little crazy with the camera but what can I say, I've wanted to try a cast iron cornbread for a very long time now.

I'll save you the last piece.

Sorrel Juice

What can I say except that I've been converted to sorrel.  Its good and good for you.  It reduces high blood pressure and acts like an air conditioner whether you're suffering from a fever or even if it's just an unbearably hot day, it will cool you down.  Usually sorrel packages come with instructions in the back but if it doesn't here's a very simple & basic recipe.

Sorrel steeping with a stick of
cinnamon.  (No, I'm not canning
it.  I just like steeping in glass as
opposed to plastic.)

Sorrel Juice
ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of dried sorrel blooms
• 4 cups of water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• sugar or honey to taste 

1, Boil the water and steep the sorrel blooms & cinnamon stick for at least 4 hours.  (Some like to steep overnight.)

2, Strain out the blooms & cinnamon stick, sweeten  and enjoy. Now seriously, how easy is that?

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I've been coming across the medical benefits of this delicious juice.  If you're interested, click on one of the links below...

http://doctorschar.com/features/jamacian-sorrel/

http://health.wikinut.com/Health-Benefits-of-Sorrel-Roselle/12f7l1qa/

http://www.ageless.co.za/rosella.htm 

http://caribrock.blogspot.com/2008/12/health-benefits-of-jamaican-sorrel.html

Juice Jelly

Sorrel Jelly made with this Juice Jelly recipe

Granted I did play around with the original recipe a little, I used golden brown sugar instead of white and I made my own juice from dried sorrel flowers instead of just using fruit juice.  But still I recommend that you give this a try because you can make it in any flavor you like.  It's for that reason that I'm giving just the basic recipe for juice jelly.  I found this recipe at cooks.com, here's the link.  It was originally a raspberry juice jelly. 


Juice Jelly

• 2 cups of fruit juice

• 4 cups of golden brown sugar

• 2 (3 oz.) pkg.s liquid fruit pectin

In an *oversized pot, combine juice and sugar. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and bring to a rolling boil.

Stir in pectin. Stirring constantly, bring to a rolling boil again and boil 1 minute longer.

Remove from heat, skim off foam. Store in sealed jars. If you're not familiar with canning, here's a link to a good site that shows you how.

Yield: 2 pints.

I used Certo pectin.

*I specified an oversized pot because in order to activate pectin, you HAVE to let it boil in a good hard rolling boil for a minute or it won't set right.  In an oversized pot the boiling liquid won't overflow into a mess.

Carrot Pineapple Muffins

Again this came from an industrial kitchen so if you don't want to make 120 muffins, cut back on the ingredients.  Also, these muffins are a little on the greasy side so you might want to cut back on the oil a little more.

Carrot Pineapple Muffins
dry ingredients:

• 15 cups of soft flour
• 9 cups of sugar (unpacked)
• 1/2 cup of baking powder
• 3 Tbsp +1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp +1 tsp of salt

wet ingredients:

• 5 cups of water
• 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp of vanilla
• 6 2/3 cups of oil
• 10 cups of grated carrots
• 5 cups of crushed pineapple with juice

1, Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl.
2, Beat together the water, oil & vanilla.
3, Blend the crushed pineapple in a blender or food processor.
4, Mix well all the ingredients together.
5, Use 1/3 cup ice cream scoop to fill muffin cups.
6, Bake in convection oven at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Banana Ice Cream

Now here's a very delicious & very healthy alternative to fattening ice cream.

Banana Ice Cream

It only get better with your
favorite toppings on it.

• 5-6 spotty  bananas

• 1/8 cup of milk or juice (more if the bananas are huge, less if they're small)

• toppings (of your choice)

 1. Peel & string the bananas.  Cut them in little pieces, wrap them in plastic wrap to make sure they don't get freezer burn and put them in a freezer until they are thoroughly frozen.

Note: Don't take the bananas out of the freezer until you are ready to work with them as they will thaw.  When you do take the bananas out, work quickly.

2. Take the bananas out of the freezer and put them in a blender or food processor with just the tiniest bit of milk and blend.  Add only so much milk at a time because if you put to much, you'll get a smoothie instead.  Blend until the bananas turn into a firm & smooth cream.

3. If you want to mix things like chips into the ice cream stop the blender, add the chips & blend for about 5 to 10 seconds.  Serve with toppings or in between two cookies as an ice cream sandwich.

Note:  It can be refrozen but remember that there are no additives or preservatives so don't leave it in the freezer for to long.