Seasonings , Beverages, & Sundries
Beverages
Almond Milk (off-site) - Milk has started giving me a belly ache, so I decided it was time to switch to a vegan version. However, many of the commercial versions seem to be expensive and/or full of "stuff" that isn't really food... so I looked online, and discovered that nut-based milk is super easy to make!! It basically involves soaking a cup of nuts overnight and then throwing them in a blender with 4 cups of water - strain out the milk, and that's it! There are lots of interesting things that one can do with the leftover nut pulp - I used mine to make fake mozzarella cheese! :) From the Lovely Morning web site. - Link posted September 29, 2016.
French Press Iced Coffee (off-site) - It's summer and it's time for iced coffee! I used to make it by the drip-filter method (pouring boiling water through coffee grounds), and then letting it sit on the counter until it was cool enough to put in the fridge, and then letting it sit in the fridge until cool enough to drink... kind of a messy pain, but cheap! I was looking through the latest issue of Consumer Reports, and read a letter from John Caddle in New Hampshire, who suggested using a French press to make iced coffee: Put grounds and water into the press, put the whole thing in the fridge overnight, press out the grounds, and the iced coffee is ready. Sounded too good to be true... but it is really that easy! I looked up directions on line and bought an inexpensive French press from Amazon by Utopia Kitchen ($11.99) and gave it a try. It really works and the coffee comes out super yummy! There are many sites that post directions on how to make iced coffee with a French press, but I thought that the gentlemen of "The Bitten Word" web site do the best job (and they include excellent pictures, too!). - Link posted July 7, 2016.
Cheese & Cheese Substitutes
Basic Almond Cheese (off-site) - A very nice nut cheese from the Lands & Flavors web site. - Link posted March 2, 2017.
Cheese Making 101: Making Cheese with Ricki Carroll (off-site) - an article by : Don Lessor, posted on his blog.
Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozzarella (off-site) - Another neat vegan recipe - it doesn't taste exactly like real mozzarella cheese, but it's good, and has the right texture. So far I've tried it on pizza and eggplant "parmesan" (yes, there are vegan parmesan cheese recipes out there, too!), and it was really good! The recipe calls for cashews - I tried it that way and it's great! It's an excellent way to use up almond pulp leftover from homemade almond milk too. :) From the It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken web site. - Link posted September 29, 2016.
Vegan Mozzarella Cheese (off-site) - A very nice fake "cheese" - I wouldn't say it tastes like real mozzarella, but it tastes pretty darn good on a pizza. :) I use sunflower seeds instead of cashews (this trick seems to work well in any fake dairy recipe that calls for cashews). I added some paprika in place of the granulated onion and garlic (not that I have anything against onion and garlic except that I can't eat them), and it was very good! I like this for topping Gluten-Free Pizza Crust. From Jennifer's Kitchen. - Link posted April 1, 2017.
Vegan Parmesan Cheese (off-site) - From Simple Vegan Blog. - Link posted September 29, 2016.
Salad Dressings
Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette - Basic vinaigrette dressing, based on recipe from the New York Times.
Seasonings
Sundries
Homemade Tahini (off-site) - Not easy to come by in rural New Hampshire. A lot easier to make than you might think! From Food.com.
How to Deal with Chestnuts (off-site) - Julia Childs describes how to serve and prepare chestnuts in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Posted on Google Books.
How to Freeze Eggs (off-site) - I don't know why I never thought of this before - every year my hens lay lots of eggs in the nice weather and then go on strike once it gets cold; so I end up with too many eggs in the summer, and too few in the winter. I know one can leave lights on in the henhouse to force the hens into continual laying mode, but I think that seems sort of mean - they deserve a rest (plus I figure that an annual break is better for their general health - these ladies are pets as well as egg suppliers, after all)! :) I recently found that I had way more eggs than I could deal with, so I looked into the possibility of freezing them - and found these instructions posted by the American Egg Board. It's easy as pie - I beat each egg with a little salt and pour it into an ice cube tray; once the eggs freeze, I dump the cubes into freezer bags and put them away for the fast approaching cold, eggless future. Each egg makes up about two cubes (more or less). So now I'll be able to eat my nice "happy hen eggs" during the winter, too! - Link posted September 14, 2017.
Not Fish Sauce (off-site) - I don't know what real fish sauce tastes like, but this stuff is pretty good! Posted on "The Kitchn" web site. - Link posted February 23. 2016.
Slow Cooker Ketchup (off-site) - Very easy to make, and while it doesn't really taste like the commercial version, it's quite tasty - plus, I suspect, a lot healthier than anything you can buy at the store! I couldn't find any commercial brand that didn't include garlic and/or onions (which are verboten on a low-FODMAP diet)... so I made my own, just leaving out the onions called for in this recipe. It's very good as is, but a bit too sweet for my taste, so I'll probably use only half the sugar next time - try doing that with a commercial brand! :) Posted on "The Kitchn" web site. - Link posted March 2, 2017.