Drink More Wassail

Even though holidays are officially over, the holiday spirit does not have to be! Celebrate the New Year with Wassail, a traditional hot mulled cider drank during the holidays to ensure a good harvest and promote happiness. Read more about it later. Here is a great Wassail recipe:

Ingredients:

• 8 cinnamon sticks
• 14 whole cloves
• 2 quarts apple cider
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• dash of cinnamon powder
• dash of nutmeg powder

Preparation:

In a large pot, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to simmer for at least one hour, depending on how flavorful you want it. Keeping the wassail simmering will intensify the cinnamon and clove in the drink. 

Enjoy this wonderfully wintery, warm wassail! 

Happy Holidays! 

Did you know?

Ever heard the holiday song, "Here we come a-wassailing"? If not, familiarize yourself with the culture of olde England and click here. Traditionally, there were two types of wassailing. The first, House-Visiting wassail, was a group of carolers traveling door to door singing songs of joy and prosperity. The second, Orchard-Visiting wassail, was a group of people visiting orchards to recite incantations and sing to the trees for a good harvest season. Wassail was consumed during both events. Some examples of songs they would sing are:

"Wassaile the trees, that they may beare / You many a Plum and many a Peare: / For more or lesse fruits they will bring, / As you do give them Wassailing.”

“Here's to thee, old apple tree, That blooms well, bears well. Hats full, caps full, Three bushel bags full, An' all under one tree. Hurrah! Hurrah!”

"Apple tree, apple tree, we all come to wassail thee, Bear this year and next year to bloom and to blow, Hat fulls, cap fulls, three cornered sack fills, Hip, Hip, Hip, hurrah, Holler biys, holler hurrah."

May this New Year bring success and happiness! 

Black Eyed Pea Hummus, Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! As is tradition, black-eyed peas are served to bring good fortune, prosperity, and all those nice things we like say we are going to resolve to do but never make it through the whole year. Pork products are usually used to garnish or marinate, but seeing as this is a vegan blog, I thought it best to refrain from the meat and meat substitutes. Try this awesome hummus made from black eyed peas instead of chick peas!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked black-eyed peas                 ($0.46)
• 4 tsp. minced garlic                                    ($0.32)
• 6 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice            ($0.12)
• 2 tsp. salt                                                        
• 2 tbsp. olive oil                                               
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 4 tbsp. tahini                                               ($0.95)

Preparation:

Soak the black-eyed peas for at least 6 hours, or overnight. Drain and place them in a large sauce pot filled with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 90 minutes. Drain them thoroughly. Add them to a blender or food processor. Add the garlic, lemon juice, salt, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and tahini and blend until very smooth. Once it is smooth, blend it again until it is very, very smooth. The hummus should be very smooth. Place in a serving bowl and garnish paprika and a drizzle of olive oil. You can use canned black-eyed peas for quicker preparation. I made a salad to go with the hummus. Baby spinach leaves, diced yellow peppers, and chunks of Daiya havarti cheese with an aged balsamic vinaigrette dressing. 

Save the water from draining the beans
It can be used as a broth or a base for a soup or stew!
It contains some leftover nutrition from boiling the beans

I got new adjustable measuring spoons for christmas!
They are a great, space saving tool for my tiny 500 sq-ft apartment

An easy way to prevent lemon seeds from getting into your food
is to slice a lemon and hold it up to the light
You can use a knife to poke the seeds out

Tahini is the heart behind hummus
It gives it the creamy texture and smooth flavor
It also combines nicely with other flavors like garlic

Blend all ingredients until very smooth
THE HUMMUS SHOULD BE SMOOTH

The olive oil will keep the top from getting too dry and crusty

The sweetness of the yellow peppers contrasts nicely
with the tartness of the vinaigrette and sharpness of the havarti cheese

I hope the New Year is filled with joy and success and plenty of great vegan meals!