"Cheese" and Chive Vegan Biscuits

I could (or should?) post a long apology here about my Blogger-delinquency, but suffice it to say this house has three computers, all of ancient origin and design, and all of them have given up and died.

I am on a little, borrowed, slow netbook that seems to want to die as well. Who knows what the future has in store...

My post today was inspired by the chives I recently discovered had lasted over the winter. Who knew? I could have thrown them into some lovely Spring salad, but our weather has NOT been very Spring-like (regardless of what I may have said previously) so warm and cozy is still on the table...

I do not like "drop" biscuits, they look like rock-like lumps of dough to me, and while they are decidedly easier to make and less chance of hockey-puck-like results, I still much prefer rolled and cut-out biscuits.

Enjoy.

"Cheese" and Chive Cut-Out (as opposed to "drop") Biscuits

• 2/3 c. plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk (I prefer soy)
• 1 tsp. cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. Earth Balance or other vegan margarine, cold
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil, cool and solidified but not rock hard (or just use more Earth Balance but I think this makes much more tender and flaky biscuits)
• 1 c. all purpose flour (I use plain ol' white flour, so shoot me)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup finely minced chives or chopped greens from garlic scapes
• 1 cup finely shredded vegan "cheddar"-style cheese of your choice (I've used both Teese and Daiya with good results)
  
  NOTE: I usually "eyeball' this recipe, so please don't shoot me if the results aren't perfect, it takes a bit of playing with...

OK, so add vinegar to soymilk and let sit for five minutes - it should start to "curdle" a bit.
In another bowl, mix flour, salt and baking powder. Using a pastry blender or two forks, gently cut the Earth Balance and coconut oil into the dry mixture until crumbly. Mix wet ingredients with dry, adding just enough milk to make a kneadable dough. Do NOT over mix!

Gently knead in cheese and chives. Yes, with your hands. Add as little flour as possible and knead as little as possible.

Cover dough and put in fridge for 1/2 hour.

Pat dough mixture out 1/2 inch thick onto lightly floured board (If it appears too sticky to do this, GENTLY add a bit more flour, but the less you add the more fluffy and tender the biscuits). Cut into circles with biscuit-cutter or anything round. DO NOT "twist" the cutter, cut straight down!
Bake at 475 degrees for 10 - 14 minutes until dark golden brown and done.

Quinoa and Spring Mint Salad

YAY! My mint has returned after a long, cold winter and spring. I could hardly wait to put the first green leaves in something cool and refreshing and salad-like!

If you've never tried quinoa, this is a super-easy recipe to start with and SOO good! Quinoa is a lovely (and very nutritious) grain, or seed really, that's tasty and fast to cook. Follow the directions on the box, that's all there is to it! Find it in the grains or Natural Foods sections of most grocery stores.
Quinoa-Mint Salad

• 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package directions. I do mine in my rice-cooker with excellent results.

• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 3 green onions, sliced with as much of the green part as is tender
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh peppermint leaves
• 1 clove garlic, crushed in garlic press
• Salt and lemon-pepper to taste
• chopped nuts (optional)

Cook quinoa according to package instructions until light and fluffy. Remove from heat and cool on a cookie sheet.

In a bowl, mix olive oil, garlic and lemon juice into quinoa. Add mint, salt and lemon-pepper, and mix well.

Sprinkle with chopped almonds or other nuts if you so desire. I just happened to have them on hand today.

Serve chilled or at room temp.

Stir-Fry Noodles and Pea Vine Tips

Had a BEAUTIFUL day at the Farmer's Market today!! SUPER crowded with everyone and their dog (literally!) enjoying Washington State's early attempts at appropriate May weather...

My friends Danica and Heather of the fabulous Soundly Vegan blog, made the drive out to the wilds of our little town and poked around the craft stalls, food vendors and millions of tomato plants with my Middle Sprout and me.

It's still a few weeks until produce gets into full swing, but there were plenty of greens, garlic shoots, spring onions and of course, asparagus from eastern Washington.

One of the items I picked up today was tender baby pea vines, or tips (not to be confused with pea sprouts which are sprouted peas), these greens are yet another of my much-looked-forward-to spring veggies.

Pea vine tips are exactly what they sound like - the tender stems, leaves and and even the cute little tendrils of a young pea plant. They are nutritious (lots of protein!), cook in seconds and lend themselves well to stir-fries, especially with noodles (I tend to think anyway). They couldn't be much that's easier to prepare.

Plenty of recipes out there on the Interwebs, this is all I do with them though, plain and simple:

Stir-Fry Pea Vines with Noodles

• 8 oz. package noodles of your choice (I happened to have some sort of Asian brown-rice noodle sort-of like soba noodles)
• 1 "bunch" fresh young pea vine tips, rinsed and cut in manageable lengths (the size of the bunch is up to you)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• Several small hot red peppers (I used Thai chilis that are pretty hot!)
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• soy sauce

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat sesame oil in large skillet or wok to medium. Add peppers and garlic and stir for just a moment until it starts to infuse the oil with some flavor - do not brown the garlic!

Add pea vines and stir until just starting to cook. Add noodles and stir carefully until pea vines are cooked to your liking and noodles are hot. Add soy sauce to taste.

A little grated, fresh ginger or some sesame seeds are a nice addition if you want.

Spring Asparagus Soup

Saturday marked the beginning of the local (like, right here in in the park) Farmer's Market, and I was first in line to grab some beautiful asparagus and a ton of wonderful and mysterious greens. So excited to see the great variety right here in our little town!

Of course I love fresh asparagus just steamed or roasted, but with such an abundance available right now, it's the green-veggie of choice in our kitchen for at least a few more weeks and I tend to get a little more creative.

This soup has been a family favorite for years now; I remember my oldest 'Sprout' (now 18!!) when she was very small and could barely manage soup with a spoon. She would crumble a ton of crackers into her serving and then happily eat the green "mush". Not as appetizing to the adults that way, maybe, but she LOVED it and always asked for "Green Mushy Soup" when she saw asparagus in the store.

I promise it's delicate flavor doesn't really NEED crackers or croûtons but dress it up however you'd like.

Spring Asparagus Soup

• 1 pound fresh asparagus, break where the stalks naturally break to avoid "stringy" bits
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon margarine
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup soy (or other) milk, UNsweetened, of course
• 1/2 cup soy yogurt or soy sour 'cream'
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup vegan Parmesan (optional)

Rinse asparagus and break at their natural breaking point so you just get the most tender part (usually about 2/3 of the stalk). Chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Cook asparagus and onion in a saucepan with 1/2 cup vegetable broth.

Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until the vegetables are tender.
Reserve a few asparagus tips for garnish. Place remaining vegetable mixture in an electric blender and puree until smooth, or use a stick (immersion) blender.

Melt margarine in the pan that was used for simmering the asparagus and onions. Turn heat to low.

Stir with a wire whisk, (this is important) while sprinkling flour, salt, and pepper into the butter. Do not let the flour brown. Allow the mixture to cook only 2 minutes. Slowly (VERY slowly!) stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth and increase the heat. Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.

Turn down heat. Stir the vegetable puree and milk into the saucepan and heat gently.
Whisk yogurt or sour cream into the mixture, followed by lemon juice. Stir until heated through, then ladle into bowls.
Garnish with reserved asparagus tips. Sprinkle with vegan cheese or garnish with some fresh herbs if desired.