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Friday, November 30, 2012

Oven roasted chicken with chorizo #WeeknightSupper #Dairyfree

One of many great things about being a part of the #SundaySupper team is to see all the great recipes everyone else is cooking.  When reading the posts from the other team members I always end up pinning a bunch of recipes.  So when when chicken was on sale this week at New Season's I knew just what to make this week; this beautiful recipe for Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes from Crispy Bits and Burnt Ends.  We love oven baked potatoes, and who does not love chorizo, right?!

As I had a whole chicken {used 1/2 of it}, no thyme, and no orange on hand I ended up changing the recipe a bit.  I added juice of 1/2 lemon to the olive oil to baste the chicken,  added Herbs the Provence to the liquid, and sprinkled all of it with lemon rind instead of orange rind.  It was so delicious - this is definitively a keep and next time I will have only legs, as well as oranges on hand :)

Oh, and just in case you are wondering.  I served it with a big bowl of salad; the girls ended up eating the potatoes {yellow}, onions {yellow}, and chorizo as they are not huge chicken fans.  Well, I should say it is hit or miss with Mia Rosie - she sometimes loves it but generally is not so keen if it is still on the bone...


Thursday, November 29, 2012

Potato Soup #WeeknightSupper #Dairyfree

Did you miss me?!  Well, no posts for just a couple of days...all is good here it just was my Birthday and my dearest husband took us out for dinner.  It was Pok Pok with the entire family - the most amazing Thai food to be found here in Portland.

Meatloaf, smashed potatoes, and broccoli salad



In any case, we had meatloaf the other day and you know what the perfect side to that is, right? Yes, {s}mashed potatoes; I made enough to have plenty of leftovers for soup. Potato soup is a quick, and delicious meal for any day.  It is warm, creamy, and delicious.  This is a basic recipe and you can increase the potatoes as you like.  The more potatoes, the thicker the soup; or the less water the thicker the soup...

Potato Soup

Potato Soup
2 slices of bacon chopped {if you like the soup vegan use Olive Oil}
1 onion diced
2 carrots diced
2 small celery stalks diced
2-3 C leftover {s}mashed potatoes {or more}
5 C water {or more}
1 C Soy Creamer {I used Wildwood}
1 bullion cube {make sure it is vegan/dairyfree}
   Little Sausages, or Wieners cut into little bite size pieces {optional}
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Using a large stock pot, add chopped bacon and render the fat. Make sure that they do not  burn;
2. Add onion and sautee {with lid} adding a pinch of salt.  When onions are soft add,
3. Carrots, as well as celery - sautee for another 5 minutes or so, stirring frequently; then
4. Add {s}mashed potatoes and stir them under the vegetables/bacon mixture, after a minute,
5. Add water, soy creamer, and bullion cube and bring to a slow simmer.  Cover and leave it at a slow
    simmer {do not boil} for about 20 minutes, then
6. Add the sausages {if using} - the soup is ready when the the sausages are heated through

Serve with thick slices of crusty bread and enjoy!



Monday, November 26, 2012

City Trip & Quick #Pasta

Did everyone have a good weekend?  With the Thanksgiving Holiday we did enjoy a super long weekend.  We spent Thanksgiving in Portland, and on Friday drove up to...take a guess...


 ...yup, Seattle.  This is somewhat of an annual trip for us.  A fun way to start off the holiday season and Ron {my runner husband} loves to run the Seattle 1/2 Marathon.

We started the trip with a visit to the American Girl Place where each of the girls took a look the beautiful dolls.  Let me just say, that both now know what they will ask for from Santa ;).  And no, we did not make a purchase but still both girls said "this was the best day ever". Now that is what the parental units really wanted to hear :), oh yes a hotel with a nice pool and fantastic view sweetened the deal ...


One of the great things about travelling to Seattle is that we really do not have to worry about food choices for the girls.  A Whole Foods is in walking distance from the hotel, and vegan options, soy milk, etc.  are available in most restaurants. We even had vegan pancakes....- The girls rode the carrousel, we explored the city, and Ron had a fantastic run.  Take a look....

Oh, and yes I did make dinner last night.  Let me just call this Cheater's Quick Pasta Dinner.  A jar of Newman's Own Sockaroni Sauce {enhanced with some Paremsiano Rind}, a box of Farfalle Barialla Pasta, and a sprinkling of fresh parsley. Voila - perfect cheater's dinner plus leftovers for the lunchbox.  Hooray...does it not look fancy ;)





Marble Cake {Marmorkuchen} #Dairyfree - #SundaySupper #HelpingHands

The theme for this week's Sunday Supper is Helping Hands Dishes for Friends in Need. Our host this week is Liz who writes this fantastic blog. We have come together to raise awareness and help those that have been affected by the havoc Hurricane Sandy caused.  The damage this storm is unimaginable - So many homes have been destroyed, families displaced, many have lived without power for weeks. For those effected it has been devastating and so much help is still needed.


The #SundaySupper team has come together today and brings to the table dishes for those in need. I am bringing Marmorkuchen {Marble Cake}; a nice, comforting cake, that can be dunked in coffee, or tea to help warm you up and give a little "pick-me-up" with its flavors of chocolate and vanilla.

Marble Cake {Marmorkuchen} Dairyfree

- 2 sticks plus 5 Tbl Earth Balance or other Vegan Margarine {300 gr)
- 1-1/2 C of sugar {275 gr}
- Vanilla Sugar
- pinch of salt
- 5 Eggs
- 2-1/2 (generous) C of flour {375 gr}
-  4 tsp Baking Powder
- 3 Tbl of Soy, Rice, Almond, or Hemp Milk
- 2 Tbl Chocolate Powder {I use Ghiradelli's - make sure it is dairyfree}
- 1 Tbl of Soy, Rice, Almond, or Hemp Milk
- Powder Sugar

*Preheat oven to 375F
1. Cream margarine in a blender, and slowly add sugar, vanilla and pinch of salt.  When it is blended
    thoroughly and smooth, add
2. eggs - one at a time and blend each for about half a minute,
3. in a separate bowl mix flour with baking powder,
4. add the flour in steps - 1/2 C at a time, blend well - add Soy Milk as needed; when all the flour {and
    liquid - only use as much as you need to keep the dough smooth} is incorporated,
5. fill about 2/3 of the dough into a bundt cake pan and smooth out;
6. add the chocolate powder and additional Soy Milk to the remaining dough. Mix up until it is smooth,
    and rich with chocolate; next
7. Spread the chocolate dough over the vanilla dough in the pan. Smooth out, then - using a fork - swirl
    the chocolate dough under the vanilla dough. When done smooth top of dough,
8. Put in preheated oven and bake for app. 50 minutes to an hour; or until an inserted toothpick {be careful not to burn yourself} comes out clean.
9. Remove from pan once it has cooled off a little.  For finishing dust with powdered sugar.

Do you need a recipe to make to bring a dear friend? Take a look...



Breakfast and Brunch:
Comforting Casseroles and Entrées:
Warming Soups and Sides:
Sweet Endings:

Do you want to help those affected by Sandy?

Here are links to a few organizations





There is also an organization that helps families who have lost everything in the New York area;  the Family-to-Family Organization  Hurricane Sandy Relief Effort Page

Please join on us on Twitter for #SundaySupper on November 25, 2012, throughout the day. In the evening, we will meet at 7 PM EST for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat.
All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.
We would love to feature your recipe ideas for #HelpingHands on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board so we can share them with all of our followers.





Saturday, November 24, 2012

Hazelnut-Chocolate-Cherry Cake #Dairyfree #Glutenfree

This year for her birthday, Alena requested a chocolate cake with something else.  Plain chocolate cake seemed to boring - all of us like nuts, and cherries so this is perfect.  Oh, and did you that Oregon is the biggest producer of hazelnuts in the US?  Yup,  so maybe we should name this cake the Oregon-Chocolate-Cherry Cake...;)


Hazelnut-Chocolate-Cherry Cake -
Jar of Morello Cherries {Trader Joe's} - drained well; or  fresh/frozen cherries
4 eggs
10 Tbl Earth Balance {150 gr}
app. 3/4 C Sugar {150 gr}
3-1/2 oz chocolate {100 gr - ground, or chips - be sure that chocolate is dairy free}
7 oz hazelnuts, ground {200 gr}
*Preheat oven to 350F
1. Separate egg yolk and egg whites;
2. Whisk egg whites until firm
3. In a separate bowl cream Earth Balance with sugar; when well blended add
4. chocolate, and hazelnuts - blend well
5. carefully add the firm egg whites
6. grease a baking pan - pour the dough into the pan and top with the cherries
7. Bake for about 60 minutes, and leave in oven for another 10 minutes after baking

Enjoy!








adapted from http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/1449941249890405/Kirsch-Nuss-Kuchen.html

Friday, November 23, 2012

Chocolate Tart #Dairyfree



This is one of the easiest and most amazing desserts; rich chocolate so dense that only a true chocolate lover like Alena can take seconds :)  The source of this recipe is my lovely neighbor. She treated us to a slice a couple of years ago. It was so delicious but not Galactosemia safe; so I tweaked the recipe and yes, it is perfect.



Chocolate Tart
1 frozen pastry shell {be sure to double check the label - I found several that are parve}
8 oz of - this is key - good chocolate; I use Scharfenberger
1 egg
1 C of Soy Creamer {I used Wildwood this time - Silk also works well}

1. Preheat oven to 375F   - take frozen pie crust out of the freezer
2. Chop or break chocolate into pieces
3. Bring Soy Creamer to a simmer
4. Melt chocolate in the cream - stir frequently {I start the melting process in a water bath}
5. Let chocolate / soy creamer mixture cool down a little before adding the egg
6. Pour mixture into the frozen pie crust
7. Bake for 15-18 minutes

Enjoy with side of dairy free whipped "cream"

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Wonder what Mia Rose is #thankful for?

Here it is all documented on video - and would you please let her know what you are thankful for?  Just leave a comment :)


Oh, and yes that is Alena in the background....

#Thankful for #Newbornscreening {#video} by Alena

Here is Alena telling us what she is thankful for this 2012 Thanksgiving Holiday.  We took the video at our hike at Tryon Creek :)


Alena would really love to hear from you :)  Thank you!




Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Cauliflower & Tomato Curry - Vulcano Walk

How is everyone doing this Thanksgiving week?  - Ready for the big day? You, know with or without turkey but with friends or family?  I know we are ;)  The girlies are out of school this week so it is a lot of Mommy and us time.  Today is my baby, little sister's birthday... we are scattered all over the world.  I live in Portland, she lives in Helsinki so there are no birthday get togethers. However,  first thing we did this morning is wish Kati a Happy Birthday.  I really, really enjoy it when the girlies are home and it is generally all fun and games;  yesterday I was able to work some...today was a slightly different story.  Yes, there was some Public Television time, and we also made some crafts {whoo-hoo} there was however also some defiance from my older girl.  That  my friends, was not fun...I do not think it was fun for either of us. Certainly, I know it is all usual kid stuff and she is getting older, gaining her voice, but truth be said it was quite hard on this mothership...

Anyway, enough of the complaining. After everyone cooled off, we headed to the playground on Mt. Tabor.  Mt. Tabor is an extinct volcano that is in the middle of South East Portland.  It is an amazing city park, and walking distance from our house.  We took a different way today, walked through the woods {collected a bunch of greens for Xmas decorations}, took the extra loop and stopped at the playground.  Yes, it did rain but we had fun.  We took another walk back down; headed back home took a break to enjoy the view....



and then walked back home where we enjoyed Peppermint Hot {Soy} Chocolate with marshmallows.  The walk and the hot chocolate really did make everything better.


For dinner, we had Cauliflower & Tomato Curry which I made out of my other favorite cookbook from Mollie Katzen - Vegetable Heaven, with a side of rice, and oven baked tofu.  I changed the recipe a little by adding a small can of coconut milk as well as a squeeze of lemon.  The girls absolutely loved this meal - Alena had seconds and finished all of it; it was however {at least that is what I think} not Ron's favorite.  But you know, the girls loved, loved, loved it...

Monday, November 19, 2012

Jubelale Beef #Stew - #Dairyfree

It has been rainy, dreary, and chilly here in Portland; November weather.  It is the time that winter ales hit the stores and Jubelale from Deschutes Brewery in Bend is one of our favorites.  This is also the time to cook filling meals, one that take a long time to cook and make you feel all warm as well as cozy inside.  The #SundaySupper team a couple of weeks ago was Dishes that keep you warm and I made a Chicken Mushroom Stew.  There were so many fantastic dishes and I finally tried one of them yesterday, Beer-Braised Beef from Chris who blogs as The Sustainable Dad.  Let me just say, this recipe is a winner!!!

I made the following modifications but followed the rest of the recipe

-  2 lbs. of beef stew {instead of 3 lbs}
-  added 2 rustic chopped carrots with the onions
-  added 1 Tbl Herbs de Provence
- added 3 medium sized, diced yellow skinned potatoes for the last hour
oh, and yes I used 1 bottle of Jubelale which was delicious.


This is an amazing recipe - so, so good!!!

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Zwiebelkuchen {Onion Tart} #Dairyfree

copyright galactopdx 2012Zwiebelkuchen is one of my favorite dishes and my Mom HAS to make it for us at least once when we are visiting  home {Germany} in the fall, or winter.  It just spells comfort, home, and it is {if a food can be that } absolute coziness on a plate.  Delicious with Suser - which I {unfortunately} have not been able to find in Portland - but really anything works well with it.

The original recipe is laden with butter, and sour cream - clearly not  Galactosemia safe. My Mom first was skeptical that a dairyfree version would be just as good.  The first time, she tried it - which is now  several years ago - all of us were thrilled that it was even better than just as good as the "cow" version :)
A couple of years ago my Mom gave me her recipe and I have been making it like clock work every fall.  It is great for parties, but also - like we had it - on a quiet Saturday family dinner....The recipe makes two cakes; which means that in our house there is plenty for Sunday brunch :)


copyright galactopdx 2012

Zwiebelkuchen {Onion Tart}
Crust
4 C Flour
copyright galactopdx 20123 egg yolks
2-1/2 tsp yeast
1 pinch salt
1 pinch sugar
9 Tbl Earth Balance {125 gr.}
1  C water
1. Mix all of the ingredients together until you have a dough.  Cover and let rise in a warm spot for
    at least 2 hrs.

Filling
2-1/2 lb onion diced
7 oz lean Speck {or lean bacon}, diced
5 eggs
1 C Tofutti Sour Cream
Pinch of salt
1  tsp caraway seeds {or less or more to taste - we really like it so I use 1-1/2 tsp}

1.  Fry up the speck until most of the fat has rendered and it is nice and brown,
2.  Add onions, and cover.  Cook until onions are soft {make sure that they do not brown};
3.  Pour onion/speck mixture into a bowl and let cool down,
4.  Mix eggs with Tofutti sour cream.  Pour over the cooled onion/speck mixture - mix up well,
     add salt and caraway seeds

Tart
1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Roll out the dough and fit them into two springform pans,
3. Divide the onion mixture between the two pans, and pour on top of the dough {you will need to pull
    the dough up around the sids}
4. Bake for about 30-45 minutes, or until filling is cooked through and crust is golden


Thursday, November 15, 2012

Broccoli-Walnut Pasta w/ side of raw Ginger Kale Salad #WeeknightSupper

Here it is...
Another week, another version of the raw Kale salad.  It is maybe not a weekly thing, but we just love, love, love raw Kale and I do need to mix it up a big, right?!  Tonight it was  raw Ginger Kale Salad - ginger was a great addition giving it a little hint of warmth, and flavor burst.

So today - sorry to disappoint - I do not have a real recipe; but here is what I put together

Scallions, toasted sesame seed oil, rice vinegar, salt, pepper, 1 Tbl. grated lemon peel, app. 1/2" ginger finely minced {not grated}, a couple of carrots {diced}, and a bunch of lacinato kale finely chopped.  1. Put together all the ingredients for the dressing {hold the carrots and kale}.  Mix well, and then add
2. Kale and carrots. Mix up and let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving!

The Broccoli-Walnut Pasta was also an absolute hit.  Fresh broccoli we received today from our CSA box was delicious.  This is such a quick and easy meal.  Toasted Walnuts, broccoli sauteed with garlic, edamame, finely chopped lemon peel. Toss everything with a little Olive Oil and season it with salt and pepper.  The recipe is not mine - it is from one of my favorite cookbooks Simple Suppers. Top it with toasted {350F for about 10-15 minutes}. Serve it with Parmesiano Regiano  - we did because the girls need the calcium, or keep it vegan.  Delicious either way.



Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Happy - belated - National #GuacamoleDay

and yes, I know it is also National Pickle Day but today we celebrated Guacamole Day.  I told Alena about Guacamole Day over the weekend and first thing she said was "can we have tacos with Guacamole, please?!"  Well, how can I resist, right?  Plus all of us - yes the entire family - love, love, love Guacamole.  So yes,  Taco's it was for dinner with a big bowl of Guacamole.

To celebrate we added Cilantro.  Besides that just Avocados, Garlic, Lime Juice, Salt and Pepper


Alena mashed up the Avocados......



while Mia Rose squeezed the limes...


and Alena crushed the garlic.  We added the salt and pepper in happy Guacamole bliss ;)


and here the girlies are....eating their dinner on the 2012 National Guacamole Day - Tacos, with Guacamole, ground beef {for Mia Rosie}, and refried beans {for Alena}...I

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Udon noodles with Tofu in Vegetable Coconut Soup

It is the beginning of the week and we still have some vegetables left over from our weekly CSA delivery.  So today it was time to use most of it up.  For some reason I am getting tired of bean soup, but something in coconut milk? Yes, that did sound good.

This is more of a hodgepodge kind of recipe.  As usual I did not take exact measurements, but the end result?  Well, it was really good.  Let me see this is what I used - oh, and I loosely based it off this recipe 

Udon noodles with Tofu Vegetables Coconut Soup
1 can coconut milk
2 tsp red chili paste
1 Tbl vegetarian Tom Yum Paste
copyright galactopdx 2012
1 medium onion coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
app. 1" ginger grated - or finely minced
1 Delicata Squash (or other squash) peeled and cut into chunks
2 carrots cut into rustic pieces
4 C of water
2 bullion cubes
1 potato peeled, and cut into pieces
1 can of water chestnuts
1 large head of broccoli - florets cut off
1 package of round Udon noodles {cooked and reserved}
1 pack of extra firm Tofu cut into chunks, marinated - follow this recipe - and fried

1. melt cream from coconut - when melted add chili, and tom yum paste, Then,
2. add garlic, onion, and ginger.  Give it a good stir and when onion is soft,
3. add squash, carrots, coconut water, water, potatoes, and bullion cubes.  Stir and bring to a rolling
    boil.  Cover,  and reduce to a low simmer until vegetables are soft,
4. Blend soup with an immersion blender {be careful not to burn yourself as the soup will splash}
5. Add broccoli to soup and cover.
6. In a separate pan fry up the tofu until soft {follow this recipe}
7. When broccoli is still firm but cooked through to your liking, add Udon noodles to the pot.

Serve in soup bowls, and top with tofu.  Oh, and yes I added Siracha sauce to my bowl as the rest of the family prefers mild flavors....




Monday, November 12, 2012

Gnocchi in Florentine Sauce & the last day of the long weekend

The last day of our long weekend...I very much enjoyed the slower pace of the days.  No rush to pack lunch bags in the morning, no need to rush the girlies...and time to get work done early in the morning. Yes, thank you Oregon Public Broadcasting :)  -  Both girls have wanted to go back to Playdate PDX for a long time.  It is such a fun place for them {to me it is stressful} and they play for hours; so it is a nice treat but you know I can still get work done.  Hey, it is a win-win situation.  The girlies play while the mothership works.  -  I have to say it worked out great...one thing I should have done was take a picture.  What was I thinking?!

But now on to dinner - one of my all time favorite dishes to make when in a bind is gnocchi. It is easy and yet so delicious.  All you need is potatoes, flour, salt, and olive oil.  And yes, a little time but it all comes together quite easy.  - We had a bunch of fresh spinach left from last week's CSA delivery so the perfect topping for tonight's Gnocchi...

First make the Gnocchi
Florentine Sauce
Splash of Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves minced
1 bunch of spinach - washed and coarsely chopped
2 Tbl lemon juice
2 Tbl pesto {I had frozen pesto without cheese that I made in the summer}
2 Tbl Tofuti Sour Cream
Salt, and pepper to taste
1. heat olive oil and when warm add garlic. After a minute or so, add
2. Spinach,  lemon juice and cover pot.  When spinach is wilted add,
3. Pesto {reduce heat}, and Tofuti.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste

Place Gnocchi on a serving dish - top with Florentine Sauce and toss.  Serve - optional - with generous serving of grated Parmesiano Regiano.

Okay here is the picture...it was really good, I know the picture is not very good {as Ron said you cannot make it look good}

copyright galactopdx 2012







Weekend #Fun and #Food

We are having a long weekend here in Portland.  No school this past Friday, and neither on Monday.  I have to say, that all of us are enjoying it.  Yes, I did work on Friday morning but the girls were able to enjoy some PBS Kids Television time, and by late morning we headed off to OMSI for the Grossologie  Exhibit {it is a lot of fun}. On Saturday both girlies were invited to a Birthday party.  We usually go to German Sophie Scholl Schule every Saturday morning but it is too much for me {and for the girlies} with two things going on.  So this week we decided - shame on me - to take a "mental health" Saturday morning and skip school.  It honestly felt so good, not having to drive out to the suburbs and take the time of {I usually work when the girls are in school}.  I think that my body really needed that time of relaxation.  Plus I took time to make a Saturday morning breakfast of "Eggs in Toast" with Pomegrante. - take a look :) Now if only the girls would really like eggs...
copyright galactopdx 2012


The girls had so much fun at the Birthday party.  It was at a gymnastics studio with cake and treats afterwards.  I offered - as I usually do - to bring cupcakes for the girlies, but the Mom of the birthday girl had already taken care of it.  Two special vegan cupcakes for our girlies while the rest of the kids had birthday cake.  We were told by the parents that all of the kids ended up wanting to have cupcakes instead of the birthday cake.  Honestly,  I am so excited that it is not the other way around.  You know, our kids being sad about not having birthday cake.  It is a good thing.

Today - Sunday - we spent some time at the Oregon Zoo.  You know the thing about Oregonians?!  We - yes, I do consider myself an Oregonian after ten years in this beautiful state - go out even if it rains; the rain does not hold us back.  The really nice thing about going to the Zoo in the rain is that you do not have to beat the crowds :)
Alena reading about the life cycle of Salmon
Mia Rosie and Ron 
Oh, and there even was a treat of "Elephant Ears".  All those years I always assumed that the batter contains whey, but it is safe.  Whoo-hoo; I know, I know the old saying about assume...ha - we ordered it without the butter and voila both girlies had a sweet treat...
Alena enjoying her portion of the "Elephant Ear"

And yes, it has been getting really cold by now {40's F}, it is rainy, grey, and just beautifully cozy.  So for dinner it is Spaghetti Bolognese.  This is the recipe of one of my very best friends and it just delicious, comforting and warming.  What a beautiful weekend this is...
Spaghetti Bolognese


#Dairyfree #Vegan Caramels for #SundaySupper

This week the them for #SundaySupper is Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen.  Yes, can you believe that it already this time a year again.  What happened to the time?!  Is this not a fantastic theme, just at the right time?  The host of today's fantastic event is Susan the person blogging as the The Wimpy Vegetarian.  

As you can see in the title, I am bringing Dairyfree, Vegan Caramels.  I really like caramel a lot, but have not been able to find caramel that the girls can eat.  So this, is the perfect opportunity to give Vegan Caramel's a try.  The title should be properly be titled Adventures in Caramel, or Caramel a Family Event because it was quite an adventure to get it right.

I first figured out how to make Vegan Condensed Milk {thank you, VeganWolf} - and it worked out perfect.  Yes, it is very yummy - certainly not a low calorie type of food but we are making caramels.
Copyright Galactodpx 2012

I made the first batch, and used Light Agave Syrup.  We brought it to a boil, poured it into the pan and waited for it to set.  Well, we are pretty much still waiting and now we have caramel sauce to give {it is rather thick, but not thick enough to cut}. And yes, it is delicious.  I added some espresso salt to it for an extra taste.  Put on apples - yes, you can eat caramel apples also after the Holidays and our girls never had caramel apples before...
copyright galactopdx 2012

The second batch I made with Karo Corn Syrup - and took the temperature quite a bit higher.  We tasted it - yum - and poured it into our pan.  This batch did set - but...ahmmmm let me just say that one will need to chisel it out.  It tastes like Werther's Originals - now if I can just get it out of the pan...
           
The third batch finally turned into the soft caramels that I had envisioned.  Yes, success!!! The third time was a charm.  I added some espresso salt to the top, and after cutting it we rolled it in a little more espresso salt, or cyprus sea salt.  Take a look - the entire family helped rolling the caramel.  Oh, and just as a word of caution it is Soft Caramel so I will keep mine in the fridge until I give them away.  They are really, really good so they certainly will not last a long time :)
copyright galactopdx 2012

Vegan Condensed Milk - recipe by the VeganWolf 
*this makes enough for two batches
- 3/4 C Dry Soy Milk Powder {I used "Better than Milk"}
- 3/4 C Water
- 6 Tbl Earth Balance {or another Vegan Margarine}
- 1/2 C Sugar
- Pinch of salt

1. Mix Soy Milk Powder with Water; bring mixture to a boil
2. Melt margarine in a pan. When melted add,
3. sugar stirring it constantly until it begins to melt, then add
4. Soy Milk Mixture {step 1} and a pinch of salt.  Stir and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for
    about 5 minutes.

Let it cool down and store in fridge {covered}.

Dairyfree Vegan Caramels {Sauce and Soft}
1-1/3 C Vegan Condensed Milk
       2 C Sugar 
       1 C Earth Balance {or another Vegan Margarine}
    1/2 tsp Salt
1-1/2 C  light Corn Syrup {Karo} for Soft Caramels or Light Agave Syrup for Caramel Sauce
      Espresso, or coarse sea salt 

1. Add all ingredients to a pan and bring to a boil - Stir mixture CONSTANTLY with a wooden
    spoon until the temperature reaches 240 F.
2. Pour mixture into a 9x13" glass dish 
3. Drizzle salt over the top once it has set a little - cool down 
    in the fridge.  When cool, either cut to roll soft caramels; 
    or if you made caramel sauce fill it into little {4 oz.}.  We 
    dipped the soft caramels into a little salt for extra crunch.


copyright galactopdx 2012

Not so much into this recipe - well check out the Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen #SundaySupper team.

Take a look at this amazing selection of breads, drinks, condiments, snacks, and desserts.

Breads / Breakfast

Condiments / Ingredients

Soup and Snacks

Sweets

Drinks

Please join on us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper.  At 7 pm EST we are meeting for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat.

All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.
We would also love to feature your own posts for Gifts From the Kitchen on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board to share them with all of our followers, too.