Maka's Borschy - NOT What I Thought Borscht Was!

Many of you know that we had an exchange student from Georgia (near Russia and partially occupied by Russia, American Ally). She was one fun and funny gal and we enjoyed having her here. Thankfully for her, she enjoyed my cooking, because she wasn't too excited about spending time in the kitchen. But she did make one recipe while she was here, which she called "Borschy." We got a giggle out of her pronunciation of the (somewhat infamous) type of vegetable soup, but it was yummy. So here you go!

Maka's Borschy

6 cups Water
1 cup Beets
1 small Carrots
1 cup Cabbage
1 small Onions
1 Tomatoes
1 Potatoes
2 teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper, optional
⅔ cup Veganaise, or to taste

1. Chop all vegetables fine.

2. Bring all but the Vegannaise to a boil. Turn down to medium heat, and continue at a low boil for 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Stir in Vegannaise and serve.

Vegan Mac N Cheese

I very rarely post other people's recipes, but some folks really wanted this recipe that I tried recently. :-)

Vegan Mac N Cheese
Thanks Natalia!!


3 cups Dry Macaroni Noodles
1 cup Coconut Milk
2 cups Water
¼ cup Yeast Flakes
2 teaspoons Salt
½ cup Raw Cashews (rinsed)
¼ cup Pimentos
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
¼ cup Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Onion Powder

1. Cook macaroni noodles in 3 qt boiling water with 2 t of salt. (extra) Cook until soft.

2. Blend all ingredients about 2 min until very smooth. (blend coconut milk first-then add the rest)

3. Add to noodles and cook on stove until thick, stirring gently.

4. Cover and let sit for 5-10 min before serving or put in oiled baking dish, cover with seasoned bread crumbs, and bake.



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Location:Woodrun Rd,Ferry Pass,United States

Succulent Sweet Potato Thai Curry

Jealousy just might be the mother of invention! My Papa was bragging about some amazing sweet potato curry that he had last week, I was a bit envious... Not that I wished at all that he wasn't enjoying this odd-sounding treat, but that I wished I could enjoy it with him! So I did what I do and poked around for recipes, which I found, combined, altered and created. As usual, ENJOY!

Sweet Potato Thai Curry

4 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 Onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons fresh ginger
3 tablespoons olive oil
2-4  tablespoons red curry paste
1 can coconut milk
1 pound spinach, frozen, thawed
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 ½ teaspoons salt
4 cups water

1. In a large skillet, heat oil on medium. Sauté onions for about 3 minutes, then add ginger and garlic. Continue to sauté this, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Add water and salt, and bring to boil.

3. Add remaining ingredients and boil on low until potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.

4. Serve over rice.


Note* 4 tablespoons of curry paste make it quite spicy! Just about my speed. :-)

Grapenut Muffins - Delicious and Filling

I've always loved how filling Grapenuts are, but they are an acquired taste, I know. Want the same filling goodness with a fresh new taste? These muffins are filling and delicious! Freeze up the leftovers and take them to work or school Yum.

Grapenut Muffins

2 ½ cups Whole wheat flour
1 cup Grape-Nuts
1 tablespoon Baking powder
¾ teaspoon Salt
½ cup Turbinado sugar
⅓ cup Raisins
½ cup Pecans
½ cup Applesauce
2 tablespoons Vanilla
1 ½ cups Water

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mix all dry ingredients and set aside.

3. Mix wet ingredients.

4. Combine all quickly and pour into greased muffin tin.

5. Bake until top browns slightly, about 25 minutes.

Au Gratin Potatoes

So I think scalloped potatoes are pretty awesome... so comfortingly creamy and simple. Sigh!

Well, now you need to try them the healthy way. I think these are better than the traditional kind!

Au Gratin Potatoes

6 potatoes, sliced thin
½ cup cashews, raw
⅓ cup cornstarch
¼ cup nutrional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
¼ cup parsley, chopped, fresh if possible
1 tablespoon salt
6 cups water
12 ounces cheddar cheese, I like "Daiya" best (Dairy and Soy free)

1. Preheat oven to 300.

2. Set aside 1/2 cup of the cheese.

3. Blend cashews, cornstarch, yeast flakes, garlic, onion, salt and remaining cheese in 2-3 cups of the water until very smooth. Then add remaining water and blend until smooth. Add parsley and blend briefly, about 5 to 10 seconds.

4. Pour about 1 cup of the mixture evenly over the bottom of a 9x13" casserole dish.

5. Spread potatoes evenly in the casserole dish and pour remaining sauce over them. Move potatoes around a slight bit to ensure that the sauce surrounds individual potatoes.

6. Bake until top is golden brown and potatoes soften, 40-50 minutes.

An Interesting Substitute - Apple Cider Vinegar

You know, vinegar is a wonderful for cleaning around the house, it's great for toning your skin, it's even good for really cool science experiments! But what about to eat?


Long story short, we get a lot of vinegar in our foods and it is a very powerful and, in excess, unhealthful acid. So for the sake of cutting this down, there are other things we can use to substitute. Watch excess acids anyway, as they can hurt your teeth, but eat mixtures of sour and bitter, and vary the healthful food sources of acids or alkalines (bitters) you eat!

Here is a neat little substitute for apple cider vinegar and it's high in Vitamin C, too. :-)

Apple Cider Un-Vinegar

1 cup water, or 2 tsp citric acid
10,000 mg vitamin C
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons turbinado sugar
1 ½ tablespoons apple juice concentrate

This is a less-irritating substitute for vinegar to be used in recipes.
Blend all until very smooth. Use in place of vinegar in recipes.

Alien Juice

So good and fresh!

Alien Juice

1 small head green leaf lettuce
1 pineapple


1. Wash lettuce and set aside.

2. Scrub pineapple with a brush to clean. Cut off the "hat" and the very bottom round "cork." Cut into long strips, narrow enough to feed into juicer. You ARE juicing the skin and core as well. :-)

3. Juice all, alternating pineapple and lettuce, beginning and ending with pineapple.

Something Fresh for the New Year (I'm Back!)

Sorry it's been awhile! We've going through the grueling process of moving... and all it entails! This includes new schools for 4 of us, and my working with my own schooling still, of course! I can't wait until I graduate in May... Don't forget the traveling and holidays and family visits from Ohio, to Indiana, back to Alabama. Also, I guess the stress and exhaustion finally got to us, as 4 of the 5 of us have come down with the flu - first time in many, many years that we've had more than a little cold or stomach bug, so it's been rough.

But I'm back, and in time to share a great fresh treat with you for all your New Year's resolutions:


Okay, everyone. It's gluten free and super low calorie. This stuff is fresh and amazing!



Nutty Strawberry Salad

Strawberry Salad Dressing (to taste, but don't be shy, this stuff is low-calorie!)
1 recipe Strawberry glazed pecans
6 cups mixed greens
1 can mandarin oranges
1 cup strawberries, chopped, dried or fresh

Mix all and serve!


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Strawberry Glazed Pecans (These are really wonderful enough to keep on hand!)

½ cup strawberries
⅓ cup sugar
2 cups pecans

1. Blend strawberries and sugar until very smooth. Mix in with pecans to evenly coat.

2. Spread thin on a slightly oiled, foil-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

3. Allow to cool completely, break up if necessary and serve as a snack or on salads.

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Strawberry Salad Dressing

⅓ cup strawberries
⅓ cup manderine juice (can use water if you need to)
½ lemon , juiced
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Blend all ingredients until very smooth.