Pignolata

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey now...
It's time to face the music.  It's the holidays and with the great tradition in keeping up with our relatives of days gone by...we BAKE, and bake and bake and bake. And since you are here on my blog looking at all the yummy sweet treats that I simply can't seem to get enough of, I'm going to assume you are here looking for recipes or simple recipes at best. (If you are just here to  dream or browse, that's alright too but mind your keypad, you don't want to get it all goopy from drooling,  just saying.)
But, perhaps you are here to pass off a to do list of things to bake, to your mom, kids, friend or loved one to make for you this Holiday season or New Year. And if that's true, Great, because this is one of the easiest quickest recipes around.
When my kiddos were younger, I tried to keep our Italian family traditions alive and made delicious meals of Pasta and Italian cookies just like Great Grandma used to make. I would try and make her potatoes, eggs and anything the family talked about...I'd attempt it.
So a few years ago, I was talking to my mother and told her I had found this Pignolata recipe that I had wanted to make for Christmas.  She proceeded to tell me her mom and grandma always made this when she was younger.  Well hello momma...
Did you miss the memo  (Laughing out loud)  about me wanting recipes for our traditions?  Perhaps I jogged her mind of Holiday's past but I was super excited to take an Italian tradition, twist it a bit and make it our own holiday treasure.  So here it is.  And this Pignolata recipe is as easy and simple as you can get. Sweet and Crunchy, we've made this our Dessert and Christmas morning breakfast tradition, just like Great Grandma Randazzo did.

Pignolata Recipe:

1 Can Ready made Biscuit dough
Oil for frying
1/2 Cup Agave
1 Tbs Orange Marmalade
Pinch Cinnamon
Candy sprinkles

Add Oil to a deep pan.  Make sure the oil is about two inches deep.  Heat on high for about 2-3 minutes. Cut each biscuit into 9 small pieces if the biscuits are large, and 6 pieces if the biscuits are small.  Add about 9 pieces at a time to the hot oil stirring while they are cooking.  Once they turn golden brown, remove them with a slotted spoon and place on Paper towel to drain. Finish remaining biscuits.
In a large bowl, mix agave, cinnamon and orange marmalade with a whisk. Add the fried dough to the bowl and stir until all pieces are covered with the mixture.  Place on a dish or bowl and sprinkle with candy sprinkles.  Eat a few and then call your family in to enjoy.  Or go ahead and be nice since tis the season... and share from the get go.  (I was just trying to help you out since they do go really quickly!) 
Enjoy...


Hey Lovely...

Thank you for stopping by to see me.  I'd love it if we could meet up again. Let me know what you think about this recipe and my others by joining me here on the blog, facebook or instagram and share a little love.  Why?  Well, it's because I love you too...

So stay awhile, have a nice beverage of your choice, grab a treat or two and enjoy....

                                                   ©2015 MyDeliciousVeganDiary

 

Ranch Cheezball Dip

Here I sit, out in the middle of the Sequoia Trees in the middle of Kern County, California, in a little cabin that used to be a tiny home in a logging town. R Ranch of the Sequoias, as the place is called, is a step back in time. There are no phones, no interruptions from the outside world, just nature and all the creatures that live there. But this place does have a few attractions to keep you connected. It has a huge pool, spa, family game room, adult game room with internet wifi if you don’t mind the 10 minute wait to connect and slow service, a small lake with paddle boats and a way to connect with your family and friends around a fire pit with s’mores and chit chat. This place is heavenly. We love spending our 4th of July here with family and friends, just enjoying each other’s company away from the hustle and bustle of life. It’s our bit of solace and sanity to disconnect from the world and reconnect with those most important to us. And to wake up to the deer running around, the bears hanging out and the fox and raccoon near your door is amazing. The setting is fantastic and since I have done most of my meal prep already, I did a little photo shoot in this amazing setting with my granddaughter this morning too.

 

Another great thing about R Ranch, we do have basic stocked kitchens, cook tops and refrigerators. So when I decided to make this easy Ranch Cheezball Dip recipe, I knew it’d be a snap to make in little than 10 minutes and then I’d be back to my family/ friend time. My inspiration to make this delicious treat came from trying Beanfield’s Bean and Rice Chips at the Vida Vegan Convention in Austin, Texas recently. I couldn’t believe the flavors were so incredibly flavorful and that this chip was crunchy but almost airy too. I fell in love and had the company send me some more. It didn’t take long to know that these chips were heading to my holiday camping vacation with me and that I’d use it a couple ways. And I’m glad I did… and my friends and family were too.


Ranch Cheezball Dip Recipe
8 oz Vegan Cream Cheese
¼ tsp Onion Powder
¼ tsp Garlic Powder
¼ tsp Chopped Dried Dill
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp pepper (I used a mix of white, green, black and pink pepper)
1 tsp Dried Parsley
2/3 cup crushed Ranch Bean and Rice Chips, Beanfields Brand (I do half crushed and half finely crushed)
Assorted Chips and Crackers to serve

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well mixed. Chill in bowl for 5 minutes in your freezer while crushing chips. Remove mixture from bowl and roll into a ball, gently. Roll cream cheezball into chips and place in the refrigerator for about an hour (though, if you are impatient like myself, I dug in immediately. It will just be a bit softer and on a hot day in summer, it won’t keep its pretty shape as long.) Place in center of a dish and layer chips and crackers around the Ranch Cheezball. I added a sprig of fresh Parsley under my Cheezball for not only looks, but to also add a bit of fresh flavor to each bite. Think this is just a dip recipe? Oh gosh no! This is a delicious flavorful spread for a sandwich too and it adds just that perfect bit of crunch that we all crave. Add a slice of vegan turkey, a tomato slice and lettuce and you’ll have a delightful and satisfying meal. Go For it! (I even like to add a few more whole chip pieces on my sandwich too.) You deserve it. Not only for a holiday but for anytime!

Get your coupon Here for Beanfields chips

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Polenta Bar

Having a Party or Holiday Celebration?  Want an easy food recipe that'll help feed a crowd in a creative way?   Try having a Polenta Bar.  It's easy, fun and inexpensive plus your family and friends will be happy to create their "own" tasty masterpieces.  I love the beautifully creamy consistency of Polenta and the hearty meal it makes. My family thoroughly enjoyed our Polenta Bar and I can't wait to make it again!

 

 

Easy Polenta Recipe(This feeds up to 14 people as a side. It'll make about Eight 1/2 cup portions for a larger portion) 

7 cups water

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups Polenta or yellow cornmeal

3 tablespoons vegan margarine

 

Boil water in a large pan or polenta pan on high heat. Add salt.  Whisk in cornmeal. Reduce heat to low and cook about 15 minutes, making sure to stir it every couple of minutes (this is where having kids can come in handy).

Turn off heat, add the vegan margarine, and stir until Polenta is nice and creamy.

I love to serve mine on a nice piece of wood or wooden cutting board.

 

 Here are some mix in ideas.  Have fun and create your own too.

Mix ins~

 

Grilled Mushrooms,

Grilled Red Onion,

Grilled White Onion,

Tomato Sauce,

Vegan Parmesan or Vegan Shredded Cheese,

Vegan Sour Cream,

Fresh Herbs like Rosemary, Oregano or Basil,

Grilled Vegetables like zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower,

Salsa,

Black Beans,

and the list could go on and on and on.

 

Enjoy!

 

Need a quick meal to go? I packed up these left overs and took it to my parent's house since my daddy just had surgery.  They heated in the oven when they were ready to eat.

 

Crock Pot Cactus Corn Chili

As the holidays are now over and life is starting to get back in order, Superbowl will be fast approaching. No, I am not a fan of the Superbowl except for watching a few occasional commercials however, my hubby has made it an event for me also.  How?  Well, as the caterer. Yes, I am invited to his party since I am the personal chef in my household.

Trust me, I don't mind one bit.  Generally I'll prepare the food and once in awhile have the wives come by for a poker or card game while the men hoot and holler. It's all great fun and I love cooking and baking, but sometimes crowd cooking can be intimidating.  That's why I love one pot cooking and for the most part, this is.  You can make it, let it cook while you move on to bigger and better things...like cards!  And when the guest arrive, they can serve themselves and you can simply enjoy your friends and family instead of slaving over the stove while they are there.

So party on...

Be part of the party...

And Celebrate the good times!



Crock Pot Cactus Corn Chili

Cactus Corn Chili for a crowd~

Need: one large crock pot (mine holds 19 cups of water)

2 white onions diced

1 red pepper diced

1 green bell pepper diced

1 jalapeno diced

2 Tbs fresh garlic minced

1/4 of a lime

12 oz package of Melissa's Soyrizo

12 oz package Yves Veggie Cuisine (Veggie Ground)

7 oz can of green Ortega chile's diced

1 paddle of nopales cactus

2 ears of corn

30 oz  can Black beans

30 oz  can Pinto beans

30 oz can kidney beans

2- 28 oz cans tomato sauce

1 c water

2 Tbs Cumin

2 Tbs Chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

In a shallow pan, grill onions, red and green bell peppers, jalapeno and garlic until onions start to get translucent.  (Cooking these veggies bring out the flavors in them.)  Add to a crock pot, squeeze the 1/4 slice of lime over them and turn on high heat.  Then add soyrizo, veggie Ground, Ortega chile's, all beans and stir. At this point, your crock pot will be close to full. Add tomato sauce, water and spices. Stir and cover.

Clean and prepare Nopales Cactus by grilling it in a little oil seasoned with salt and pepper. Once the nopales is slightly turning yellow slice it into long strips but do not cut all the way through keeping it intact at the bottom, add water to the fry pan until the cactus is covered.  Boil for 3 mins, cool and dice. Add diced cactus to Crock pot and discard water, which will look slimy.  Cook on high for 1 hour and then turn down to low and cook for 4 more hours.  Right before serving, cut corn off cobs and add to chili. 

Serve with cilantro, avocado and/ or a dollop of vegan sour cream and cheddar style non-dairy shreds.

This serves a big crowd 15-20 people.  If you want it to go even further, serve a scoop of chili over a 1/2 cup of cooked noodles and you'll have a delicious Hungarian style goulash as my grandma called it.

Grilled veggies...



Grilled Nopales Cactus paddle

Here's where you insert (oooh and aaaaah and yummmm!)

Crowd pleaser for Vegans and non-vegans alike, this delicious chili has the beauty of warmth on a Cold winter day, warmth of a seat closest to the fireplace and taste that'll knock your socks off.
With this, you'll rock the next party, Superbowl or simply dinner at home for your family and you can have some the next day and freeze the rest.
Try these options too for your extra frozen chili:
Chili Spaghetti~
Thaw, heat, process in food processor and serve over spaghetti noodles and sprinkle with Hungarian paprika and Cheddar Cheese-like non dairy shreds.
Or:
Chili Cheese Chip Dip~
Food Process 1 cup thawed chili with any Teese Vegan cheese or cheese sauces like Nacho, creamy Cheddar or Cheddar Cheese, heat in microwave on stove until bubbly.  Mix in diced fresh tomatoes and  serve with Chips.  This dip is the bomb.