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There is an art to forming fortune cookies, but once you catch onto it, the process is very easy.  The cookies must be formed while warm, so you may need to just cook two or three cookies at a time. Luckily, they are simple to make and don’t take long to form, either.  I would heartily recommend that, once formed, they are put into a muffin tin  or tiny tea cup to keep their shape until they are fully cooled.

History of Fortune Cookies

Fortune cookies are actually an American invention, created by either a Cantonese or Japanese man in the early 1920s, probably in California, but they have become a standard post-meal offering in Chinese restaurants in the U.S.

Have strips of fortunes prepared before you begin making the cookie dough.  Type them on the computer or write them by hand, but be sure they are ready before the cookies are begun.  Once the fortune cookies come out of the oven, you will need to move quickly, so the fortunes must be handy and ready to insert. Have gloves ready if possible, too, because the fortune cookie shape needs to be formed while the cookies are hot.

How to Make Fortune Cookies

The recipe below makes about a dozen cookies. Once you learn how to make them more quickly, double the recipe.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Blend with a stick blender or electric beater:

• 1 TB ground flax seeds
• 5 TB water

Puree until very creamy, about one minute.

In a bowl, add:

• 1/2 C. unbleached flour
• 3/4 C. powdered sugar, packed

Mix together.  Add:

• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp vegan butter
• the contents of the blender.

Mix together gently.  Add enough water, if needed, to make a batter, somewhat like pancake batter, only stickier and a little thicker.  The batter must be liquid enough to spread on the silpat cookie sheet but thick enough to hold its shape.

Use a silpat if you have one, or grease the cookie sheet with vegan butter or oil.

Use a tablespoon measure, and put 1 TB of dough on sheet for each cookie. Spread the batter thinly and evenly, but not so thin there are any holes. You should have two or three nice rounds.  Pop into the oven and check back in a few minutes. Within ten minutes, they should be lightly browned around the edges and cooked through in the center.  Try to keep your cookies even in depth so they will cook evenly. If the edges are too thin, they will brown too quickly.

Now is the fun part.  Take them out of the oven when ready. Use a large spatula, and remove one circle. If you have heat resistant gloves, use them; otherwise, be aware that the cookies will be HOT! Put a fortune in the middle of the cookie and bring the edges together, into a “D” shape.  Fold the spine of the “D” backwards over the edge of a teacup and put to rest in a small muffin tin or in the teacup.  Allow to cool.

Working quickly, repeat the procedure.  Then put another batch back in the oven and repeat.

This is time consuming, but a simple procedure.  You can personalize the fortunes for special people and put them in a Chinese takeout package for a very lovely gift.  They are also great to have on hand for parties with special fortunes designed just for the group at hand: your book club, tennis partners, or vegan meetup group.  Once you have learned to keep the cookies nice, even and lightly browned, you should have a crunchy sweet fortune cookie to share with your friends!

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There he was – a hungry little varmint with a gleam in his eye. I needed something special and quick for breakfast before his patience ran out and his attention was diverted from that video game. There was the orange juice, there were the chocolate chips…..and before you know it, we had some delicious orange chocolate chip scones.  Not a scrap lived to see the next day.  In fact, on day two, he requested another batch, only this time “make about nineteen forty dozen!”  Which in his parlance is about the same as a hundred kazillion — and taken as high praise.

Recipe for Orange Chocolate Chip Scones

Mix together:

• 1 C. unbleached flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 heaping tsp. orange zest

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Yellow split mung beans are a versatile and healthy addition to your diet. They can be purchased in Asian markets, in the ethnic food section of some general markets, and are also available online.  I discovered them originally when I stumbled upon a great Asian soup recipe that utilized them.  Since that time, I have found them to be invaluable.  One of my favorite uses is in Korean-style pancakes, called Pajeon.  These easy pancakes can be cut into strips and dipped into a delicious sauce; they can be served for lunch or dinner and are great reheated.  Here is an easy way to make them your favorites, too.

Use one cup of split mung beans; rinse and soak in clear water for two or more hours.

Recipe for Korean Pancakes Vegan-American Style

Drain the mung beans.  Prepare shredded and chopped vegetables (1 large carrot, shredded; 2 stalks scallions, finely chopped; 1 C. shredded cabbage or squash (optional).  Other vegetables may be substituted, according to taste, but be sure to add the scallions!  Set the vegetables aside.

Add to blender, along with the soaked and drained mung beans:

4 cloves garlic

2 TB. sesame oil

1 – 2 TB. water

Blend with the soaked mung beans.

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The thought of luscious red cherries and the almond flavoring reminiscent of marzipan were beckoning to me. Thus was the inspiration for this recipe.  I added some cherry frosting and a big cherry on top (not shown in this photo) and was all set to give to my favorite Valentine in the junior set – you can see by the photo below it was well received.

Cherry Almond Cupcakes

• 1/2 C. cherry pie filling
• 1/3 C. vegan buttery spread (or oil)
• 1-1/4 C. soymilk or almond milk
• 1 tsp. almond flavoring

Blend the above ingredients until smooth. Set aside.

In another medium large bowl, mix:

• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-1/2 C. unbleached flour
• 1/2 C. vegan sugar

Stir to mix well.

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I was hungry for some good homemade wheat bread despite not having bread pans.  This recipe is probably better in traditional pans, but it worked out just fine as braided loaves baked on cookie sheets.  The entire family, bar none, loved this bread, so I am happy to share it with everyone.

Dissolve 2 packets yeast in warm water – set aside (1/4 C. water)

Put 1/4 C. vegan butter spread (oil may be substituted), 2 C. hot water, 1/2 C. agave nectar, and 1 tsp salt in large bow.  Allow to cool until spread is dissolved and water is lukewarm. Then add the yeast mixture.

Add 3 C. whole wheat flour and beat with a wooden spoon, one cup at a time, until mixture is well blended.

Have 2 C. unbleached flour ready.  Prepare cutting board by sprinkling generously with unbleached flour.  Add in the 2 C. flour and blend well. Pour (it will be solid) out the dough onto the board. Begin kneading until all the flour is blended, adding more periodically until the dough is not sticky.  Knead for about five minutes and set aside in warm place (not hot), covered with towel or plastic wrap.

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My sister’s mother-in-law, Lucy, is one of the most likable people you will ever meet. During a recent visit to my sister’s home, she showed me (via iChat) how to make Guatemalan tamales with great patience. (She left me a recipe for some Mexican tamales too.) These intriguing tamales have a sauce made with pumpkin and/or squash seeds, finely ground, with fillings of prune, green olive, and blanched almonds. Served with a fresh green salad and some salsa, they are wonderful and provide a unique taste treat.  You can make a large pot of these and freeze them, so you will have a large stash of tamales to get you through the next few months. I made half Mexican and half Guatemalan tamales, using 5 lbs of masa, but Lucy uses 10 lbs of masa when she makes them for her family. They all love her and fight to get her tamales every Christmas!

Lucy’s Tamale Sauce

• 1/2 C. roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 C. roasted sesame seeds
• 4 oz. New Mexico chiles, dried and soaked (use California chiles if you want milder sauce)
• 4 oz. chili ancho (optional), dried, and soaked
• Large can tomatoes (add more if needed)
• veggie broth
• 1/2 C. olive oil

Remove seeds from chiles and discard; boil peppers in water for five to ten minutes. Grind the pumpkin and sesame seeds very finely.  Add to blender with chiles, olive oil, tomatoes. Blend well with enough veggie broth to taste, about 1-2 cups. Pour mixture into a saucepan and simmer for about 30 minutes on low. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The true Guatemalan tamales call for banana leaves, which you can find in a Mexican grocery in the freezer department.  If you do not have such a grocer, you can use parchment paper encased in aluminum foil. The traditional corn husks can also be used; they are shown here because I did not have time to get to the specialty grocers, tied with string.  The exterior is just to hold all the goodness together and is not mandatory, but it is better to use the traditional coverings if you can find them.  Use whatever you can find because it all works just fine.  For the traditional Guatemalan tamales, the masa is cooked, but it is not necessary to do so.  I mixed the Masa in a large stockpot, along with the veggie broth and olive oil, and it turned out great. The consistency is like a fluffy cookie dough. If you do decide to cook the masa, I would suggest using a large wooden dowel because it can bend other utensils.

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