31. December 2011 by admin.

I am still Terri Clauss, but am going into 2012 with a new and different direction. I have tried being an entrepreneur for the last 3 years and have learned a lot. I am happy and proud that I can say I tried these things.I opened and closed an art gallery then opened a bake mix and flour packaging company. The second is available for adoption and is not really closed.  “Failure” ? No. “Adventure”? Yes. “Education”? Yes. Did I lose a lot of money? Yes. Do I wish I had been smarter about what I did? Yes. What am I doing next?

Fortunately, I have been able to return to ESL teaching, and the hiatus did me good. I enjoyed teaching last term and hope the school has classes for me again. I’m considering returning to school to get a Master’s Degree.

In the mean time, I’m praying for peace and abundance for all beings on this planet including me, you and even the mean ones

Posted in Local Living | Print | No Comments »

31. December 2010 by admin.

butter

melted butter with tabasco, worcestershire or tamari

garlic

parmesan

grated cheddar, swiss, pepper jack,  bleu cheese

tabasco

any spice blend: cajun,chili powder BBQ, rosemary & pepper, taco seasoning…

Sweet:

Drizzle with honey,maple syrup, agave syrup, molasses

Melt any jam or jelly & drizzle

Melt any candy bar & drizzle

Shake in red hots while still hot

Drizzle with melted chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter or butterscotch chips

sugar and cinnamon

Posted in Local Living | Print | No Comments »

10. December 2010 by admin.

VEGAN Cuban Black Bean Patties
Prep in advance:
1C chopped tamari roasted tofu
2 C Black Beans
1 1/2 cups beans, garlic, cumin, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl; partially mash with a fork.
Place 1/2 cup beans and 2T  ground flax seed in a food processor; process 30 seconds or until well combined. Add bean puree to mashed beans in bowl, and stir until combined. Add chopped  tofu and onion to bean mixture; stir until combined. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.
Place cornmeal in a shallow dish. Dredge both sides of each patty in cornmeal.

Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with olive oil. Add patties; cook 3 minutes on each side top with Nayonnaise/tabasco mixture or arugula pesto

Posted in Local Living | Print | 1 Comment »

10. December 2010 by admin.

4 C washed and dried arugula

2T almond butter

2T honey

Salt

Pepper

1/4 C olive oil

Puree arugula with salt pepper, honey & almond butter.

Drizzle in olive oil.

Salt & Pepper to taste

Posted in Local Living | Print | 1 Comment »

10. December 2010 by admin.

Cuban Pineapple Rice

Prepare 3C beautiful blend of rices according to directions

Chop 3T fresh Cilantro

Heat 2 T veg oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Add 2C crushed pineapple; sauté pineapple begins to brown. Add pineapple mixture, cilantro, and 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)to rice in bowl; cover and keep warm.

Posted in Local Living | Print | 1 Comment »

10. December 2010 by admin.

     Vegan… We all know what vegetarian is, but vegan? To some people, vegan is to vegetarian as AlQaeda is to Islam. A kind of spooky radical offshoot of  an already mysterious and misjudged community.

Vegan eating a new trend but a growing one. There are already fine vegan cookbooks, recipes, techniques, tricks and creative cooks who have mastered the art.

What new can I add? Here is my approach: What if we are not trying to create replacements for the foods we are leaving out, but that we never ate them to begin with. Combine this idea with my  irreverent sense of creativity in the kitchen and let’s see what comes out. When the Egyptians asked Moses’ people to make bricks without straw, nobody said, “Oooo I like a brick-making challenge like that!” I, however am taking on vegan cuisine with that kind of attitude. I have had to laugh at myself a few times already when I’ve started cooking, reached for the butter and had to stop and think…”Is this an animal product? …Oh yea (duh)” and come to a screeching halt.”

This is the first in a series of blogs with vegan recipes from the Clausshaus.

Parsnip Nips

Cut parsnips into strips and boil in shallow water for aboug 5 min.

Pour off the water and add 2 T olive oil.

Toss to coat and leave for 5 min on med-low.

Add 1/4 C. Brown Sugar

Toss occasionally until browned

Drain

Salt & Pepper

Posted in Local Living | Print | 1 Comment »

2. November 2010 by admin.

Since this IS about Loving Local Living we start with a couple of easily accessible, locally made peanut butter.

Justin’s Nut Butter &

Rose’s Creamery Nut Butters

Both available at Denver Urban Homesteading Farmers Market 200 Santa Fe Dr. Denver

Wed - Fri 1-6 p.m.   Visit with the vendors! Saturday 9a.m. - 3 p.m.

Ingredients:

1T Smooth peanut butter of your choice - or try another nut butter or a chocolate-infused nut butter WOW

2 T Honey

1/4 C. Silken Tofu

Coconut Milk to dipping consistency

Optional: Pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg

Have ingredients at room temperature or warm for 10 sec in a microwave

Wisk together.

Dip your fruit or celery. Use as a fruit salad dressing !

Posted in Local Living | Print | No Comments »

1. November 2010 by admin.

Rock star of marketing, Beth Parish of Regis University took social networking, advertising and promotions  boiled it down to the essentials and put us on the right track. You should be so lucky!

Fascinating how information dissemination has and is changing and what that means for those of us wishing to inform people of the great new businesses we are starting. Newspapers are suffering and social networking is skyrocketing. Informal survey: how do you discover new local businesses that you’d like to try out? Drop your answer in the comment box.

Posted in Local Living | Print | 1 Comment »

29. October 2010 by admin.

Yes we can make it local, but we can’t get the ingredients locally. Awww bummer

.

I’ve just become the proud owner of 2 household vegans and relish the challenge of turning vegan cooking on its head and bringing Colorado local organic flavor fun into a sometimes bland and unimaginative cuisine.

One of the first challenge I find is that our favorite comfort food components like butter, cheese and poultry don’t all have a corresponding component in vegan cooking or if they do, they are just enough “off” in texture or flavor to take the “comfort” out of it entirely.

In addition, finding local ingredients for the best vegan recipes is often not convenient or inexpensive. Hence this adventure.

The first thing my household vegan made  was seitan, the vegetarian “wheat meat” of enough concentrated wheat gluten to send a celiac into  cardiac arrest. My first impression was that it looked like ca-ca. As a subscriber to the Chinese philosophy that  you eat first with your eyes, then your nose, then your mouth, my initial plan was to keep that stuff on a looong spoon as far from my nose and mouth as possible. After a courtesy taste, I conceded that it wasn’t too offensive and had potential. Being at the beginning of this journey I look forward to searching out the  fine seitan craftspeople who have taken this concoction to a high art form. I somehow doubt there is much they can do for how it looks though.

Colorado Organic Seitan
(Makes 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds or 2 to 2-1/2 cups)

This is the basic recipe for gluten.

2 cups gluten flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1-1/4 cups water or vegetable stock
3 Tablespoons lite tamari, Braggs liquid amino acids, or soy sauce
1-3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil (optional)

Add garlic powder and ginger to flour and stir. Mix liquids together and add to flour mixture all at once. Mix vigorously with a fork. When it forms a stiff dough knead it 10 to 15 times.

Let the dough rest 2 to 5 minutes, then knead it a few more times. Let it rest another 15 minutes before proceeding.

Cut gluten into 6 to 8 pieces and stretch into thin cutlets. Simmer in broth for 30 to 60 minutes.

Broth:
4 cups water
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
3-inch piece of kombu (a type of seaweed)
3-4 slices ginger (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring broth to a boil. Add cutlets one at a time. Reduce heat to barely simmer when saucepan is covered. Seitan may be used, refrigerated, or frozen at this point.

After considerable research, I have not found an organic high gluten flour product produced in the state of Colorado. I welcome comments from Colorado producers who make any of the ingredients for this type of recipe.

A courage strains after the corpse.

Posted in Local Living | Print | No Comments »

20. October 2010 by admin.

There are many techniques on the web for making your own yogurt. Some require a machine, a crock pot, a cooler. The method that is working for me does not require anything but a pot, some jars and the oven. It could be that my oven can be turned down low enough. You will have to test yours to see if it will work.

Make a lot of yogurt. It keeps well in the fridge and has soooo many uses!

Step 1: Heat a gallon of milk in a large pot to 180 degrees farenheit. (raw milk,1%, 2%, skim- ANY)

Step 2: Add 1C dry milk powder stir thoroughly with a wisk.

Step 3: Allow mixture to cool to 150 degrees.

Step 4: Pour 1/2 C. milk mixture into 8oz room temperature yogurt of your choice (must be labeled - live cultures) I prefer a greek yogurt. Mix thoroughly

Step 5: Pour into the pot and stir thoroughly with a wisk.

Step 6: Fill and cover uber-clean glass jars with the mixture & place on a cookie sheet.

Step 7: Set oven to 108-112 degrees. Slide jars in & leave overnight.

Step 8: Put jars in fridge - chill - enjoy!

Posted in Local Living | Print | No Comments »