All posts by ken.sayers@gmail.com

Cashew Nut Coconut Cream Frozen Dessert

This is a super creamy nut based ice cream.  The combination of cashews and coconut cream seems to be the secret behind the creaminess of this one.

Cashew Nut Coconut Cream Frozen Dessert
Print Recipe
Super creamy nut based vegan ice cream.
Servings Prep Time
4-8 Bowls depending on gluttony 2 Hours
Servings Prep Time
4-8 Bowls depending on gluttony 2 Hours
Cashew Nut Coconut Cream Frozen Dessert
Print Recipe
Super creamy nut based vegan ice cream.
Servings Prep Time
4-8 Bowls depending on gluttony 2 Hours
Servings Prep Time
4-8 Bowls depending on gluttony 2 Hours
Ingredients
Servings: Bowls depending on gluttony
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients (except chocolate chunks if using) into the a blender and blend on high speed for three minutes. It should be quite creamy and somewhat thick.
  2. Pour into the ice cream maker and use as instructed.
  3. If using any additional chunks like the dark chocolate, let the ice cream get thick and start to create peaks before adding the chunks.
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Vegan Nut and Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Super simple recipe.   Just blend all the ingredients till they make a smooth semi paste, then put it into your ice cream maker.

You can also just refrigerate without the ice cream maker and it’s kinda moussy.

Vegan Nut and Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Print Recipe
Creamy nut based dessert with organic and vegan friendly ingredients.
Servings Prep Time
8-12 Servings 15 minutes
Passive Time
4 Hours
Servings Prep Time
8-12 Servings 15 minutes
Passive Time
4 Hours
Vegan Nut and Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Print Recipe
Creamy nut based dessert with organic and vegan friendly ingredients.
Servings Prep Time
8-12 Servings 15 minutes
Passive Time
4 Hours
Servings Prep Time
8-12 Servings 15 minutes
Passive Time
4 Hours
Ingredients
Servings: Servings
Instructions
  1. Put all ingredients into a blender
  2. Blend starting on low and work up to high
  3. Make sure all the nuts are creamed
  4. If too thick, add water or more coconut milk
  5. If too thin, add nuts
  6. It's up to you what is too thick or thin, I find it to be pretty forgiving
  7. Place into your ice cream maker for ice cream or put in fridge for a mousse
  8. Experiment
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Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Rich, smooth, chocolaty vegan mousse.

A tasty, rich guilt free and relatively low glycemic load dessert.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse
Print Recipe
Using nuts and coconut milk with other organic ingredients and agave for sweetness, this is a great way to have that occasional dessert.
Servings Prep Time
4 - 8 people 20 minutes
Passive Time
1 hour chilling
Servings Prep Time
4 - 8 people 20 minutes
Passive Time
1 hour chilling
Vegan Chocolate Mousse
Print Recipe
Using nuts and coconut milk with other organic ingredients and agave for sweetness, this is a great way to have that occasional dessert.
Servings Prep Time
4 - 8 people 20 minutes
Passive Time
1 hour chilling
Servings Prep Time
4 - 8 people 20 minutes
Passive Time
1 hour chilling
Ingredients
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Put all ingredients into a blender. Start on low speed and work up to higher speeds. Total blending at least 3 minutes. Be careful to watch the consistency and add water if it looks too pasty after a long time blending.
Recipe Notes

This recipe is a riff based on multiple other recipes and a little experience and a little experimentation.  Use the ingredients as a starting point.  I find that the nuts behave differently at different times so you may need to add water or not.

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Egypt Leg 1: The Desert

We started our Egyptian journey in the Desert.  We were picked up at the Cairo airport by our French connection.  They informed us that the Djed travel agency had contacted the police, telling them what we were planning and identifying where we would be staying: Eden Garden.  Talat, the owner of Eden Garden had to grease a few palms to make it possible for us to visit the desert and we ended up reimbursing him a good amount of extra money for this.  Thanks Djed for all the extra pain and money you cost us!

Why is it “illegal” for tourists to visit the desert?  A few years ago, 12 were killed and 10 injured in the western desert.  The tour was run by a large tourism company which was told not to enter the area.  The local tour companies knew of the activities in the area and were avoiding them.  Since then, the government has banned travel into the desert for tourists.  All the operators in the area are now suffering because a non-local company ignored warnings and got some innocent tourists killed.

Long Drive into the Desert

We started with a long drive into the desert.  We were handed off by our French hosts to a young man and his wife, the sister of Talat, the owner of Eden Garden.  She was in full cover with only her eyes showing.  We were told it would only take four hours, but it took at least two hours longer.  I was thinking we were going to end up in Libya!  We were not sure who these people were or where we were going.  Well, there was no reason to worry.  After the long drive in the dark, we found ourselves at Eden Garden where a warm fire awaited us and shortly there after a wonderful fresh cooked meal.

Welcome to Eden Garden

We are later escorted to our “room”, a lovely stand alone building with attached bathroom.  The hole in the bathroom door where someone must have unlocked the door is interesting.  We sleep under heavy camel hair blankets.

Breakfast

Before heading off into the desert, we have breakfast with Adri, our fellow traveler for the day.  We have fuul, eggs, vegetables, potatoes and the ever present pita bread.  The coffee is what is called Nescafe.  It is just instant coffee packets in water.

 

Black Desert

The black desert is so named because of all the Basalt found on the surface.  It lay in small pieces all over.  Many small mounds can be seen, all of which were once active volcanoes.

Sandboarding

Lunch in the Desert
Four Wheeling over a Sand Dune
Panorama of the Desert

White Desert

The Black Desert with it’s basalt was wonderful, but the White Desert is magical. The white limestone looks like snow on the ground and it shines in the moonlight.

Our Dinner and Sleeping Arrangements in the White Desert

Dinner is cooked up on site with a gas fire for the rice and vegetables with the fire for barbecue.  The night is very cold.  Sitting by the fire keeps our fronts warm while our backs are cold.  We are given camel hair blankets to wrap ourselves in.  There are little barks in the night from all directions.  These are the foxes keeping us under surveillance.

A cozy fire on a cold night in the White Desert

The next day we venture out after breakfast to see some of the interesting formations, then back to Eden Garden.

The Mushroom and the Chicken
The Rabbit

When we get back to Eden Garden, we all get a gift of wool socks hand made by Talat’s family.  They are very warm, comfortable and functional in the desert. Ahead of us lies a 6 hour drive to Giza to catch the overnight train to the second leg of our journey.

Baksheesh

Baksheesh became such a major part of my experience in Egypt, I thought it warranted a blog entry of its own.

Baksheesh – Wikipedia, in Egypt

We started with a budget for this trip that included Baksheesh.  We wanted to make sure we had enough cash on hand to cover this very important aspect of tourism in Egypt.  We also had some requirements for US dollars in cash from some of the people we were patronizing.  So, we withdrew a bunch of cash to bring with us.  We distributed this among the family to carry in money belts so not all would be lost if someone was robbed.  

US dollars is acceptable but not preferred for Baksheesh.  Most of the time, the amount small.  Using foreign currency for tipping in small amounts makes it hard on the Egyptian, since it can be extra effort to get currency converted.  So, we tried to keep cash available in Egyptian Pounds.

Getting enough Egyptian currency was a challenge.  With a conversion rate of 20 Egyptian Pounds to a Dollar, we needed to withdraw bundles of pounds at a time.  The egyptian ATM system limits withdrawals to 3000EL per day.  I had two cards to use so I usually withdrew 6000EL each time.  Misr bank ATMs didn’t work for me.  The Misr network seems to be the largest, so I would hop from bank to bank finding the Misr ATM most of the time.  When I found a Bank of Egypt or other ATM, I could usually withdraw the funds.  The error at Misr was “You have withdrawn your maximum for the day” so I called my bank and made sure there was no fraud.  A max of $300 per day didn’t go far as you will see when you read what kind of baksheesh is required.  And since, the ATMs were hit and miss and many places in Egypt don’t have ATMs at all, keeping enough cash on hand can be a challenge.

After Egypt devalued its currency in November 2016, it went into freefall.  Prices doubled and it’s value against the dollar went from 9 EL for 1 USD to 19 EL for 1 USD.  With a 1 to 20 Dollar to Pound conversion rate, taking 3000 EL per day amounted to only $150.  Using two cards, I was able to get $300 per day. 

Who gets Baksheesh and how much?

Our travel agent publishes a helpful hints document for his clients.  This included a section on tipping.  He recommends specific amounts in USD for different services.  We tried to follow these guidelines even though they seemed a little high.  We questioned why they were tied to USD instead of EL and it seems the USD is more stable relative to the value of the services rendered.

The internet has a lot of advice on Baksheesh amounts.  Unfortunately, the devaluation of the currency was very recent rendering the numbers out of date since they were mostly in Egyptian Pounds.  If we followed them, we’d be giving people half the value they would have received only two months earlier.  We leaned on our guides to help us when we were in doubt.

So here are the recommendations for daily baksheesh (each is per day per person):

[table “” not found /]

We used the lower end of this range and found ourselves shelling out up to $80 more per day.  Over 16 days that adds up to over $1200 more dollars or 24000EL!

Other baksheesh

[table “” not found /]

So, be sure to bring more than one card for withdrawing Egyptian cash.  Make sure to get it when you can (when ATMs area available and work for your card).  Try to keep lots of smaller bills.  Some ATMs distribute with smaller bills, but I never figured out how to get single Pound coins except in change or by asking my guide to change a 5EL note.

Preparing for Egypt

We’ve had Egypt on the bucket list for a long time.  This fall, Geeta (my wife) decided this would be the year we finally visit.  Preparing for a trip to a place like egypt takes a lot of work and Geeta was up to the task.

Research

Geeta spent many hours on the internet finding information on all aspects of the trip from tips for travelers, to information about the sites, to reviews of travel agencies.  It was several months of many hours per day she put into this.

Shopping

In advance of the trip we needed to have a number of specific items with us.  Here are some of the things we added to our inventory:

  • Money Belts
  • RFID protection sleeves
  • Travel Insurance
  • Wipes
  • Toilet Paper
  • Zip Pants and Tactical Shirts

Things we missed

Warm clothes (it was much colder than we expected for December)

Travel Agent

Geeta worked with several separate travel agents before we decided on one:

Djed – they ran the Dahabiya cruise which was at the center of our itinerary

Hesham’s Recommendation

Others

Desert Operators

Germans

French

 

Steel Cut Oats Breakfast Bars

These bars are an experiment using Steel Cut Oats.  I will update the recipe from time to time to fix things as I try variations.

My first try, I baked them for 30 minutes at 350. 

File Feb 21, 18 56 02

Steel Cut Oats Breakfast Bars
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
8 Bars 15 Minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
30 Minutes 3 Hours
Servings Prep Time
8 Bars 15 Minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
30 Minutes 3 Hours
Steel Cut Oats Breakfast Bars
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
8 Bars 15 Minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
30 Minutes 3 Hours
Servings Prep Time
8 Bars 15 Minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
30 Minutes 3 Hours
Ingredients
Servings: Bars
Instructions
  1. Combine oats, coconut and cranberries in food processor
  2. Process until cranberries are down to 1/4 inch chunks
  3. Combine honey and Almond Butter. You may want to heat them to get them to combine nicely
  4. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a spoon or fork or your fingers
  5. Line 8 X 8 or other similar sized container, metal or glass and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
  6. Cool on counter
  7. Put into refrigerator until completely cooled and stiffened.
  8. Cut into bars
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Thai Red Curry Zoodles with Cashews Stir Fry

This is a recipe I tried tonight.  It came out great.  It’s not full Paleo, but it is vegan.

Thai Red Curry Zoodles with Cashews
Serves 2
A delicious and hardy red curry sauce over spiralized zucchini with cashew and seeds.
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
  2. 3 Medium Zucchini, spiralized
  3. 1/2 Red Onion sliced thin
  4. 1 Bell Pepper sliced into thin strips
  5. 1/2 Cup Raw Cashews
  6. 1/4 Cup Raw Seeds (Pumpkin and Sunflower)
  7. 3 Tablespoons Red Curry Paste (I used Thai Kitchen)
  8. 1 Can Full Fat Coconut Milk
  9. 1/4 to 1/2 Cup Soya Granules (Indian Store is a great place to find these)
  10. Green Onions
  11. Hot Pepper
Instructions
  1. Combine the Coconut Milk, Curry Paste and Soya Granules in a Sauce Pan and heat on low
  2. Start by stir frying the onions in the coconut oil
  3. Throw in the Bell Pepper after a few minutes
  4. Once the vegetables are soft add the nuts and seeds
  5. Stir fry until the nuts are cooking a little bit
  6. Stir in the spiralized zucchini
  7. Cook until you get the desired consistency of the squash
  8. Now, you can add in the curry sauce. I make separate sauces (with and without soya) so I put the curry sauce on after stir frying.
  9. Sprinkle with green onions and hot pepper as desired
  10. Enjoy
Jack Bubba https://jackbubba.com/

Homemade Crackers

Homemade Crackers without Egg Whites
Simple crackers that do not include egg whites or any wheat flour
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Prep Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
  2. 1/2 Cup Rye Flour
  3. 1/2 Cup Almond Flour
  4. 1/2 Cup Ground Seeds (Sunflower and Pumpkin)
  5. 1 to 1-1/4 Cup Water
  6. Olive Oil
  7. Salt
Instructions
  1. In medium bowl, combine all flour and ground seeds
  2. Add water starting with a cup
  3. Add more water until the dough hangs together
  4. Split into two halves
For each half
  1. Place ball of dough onto parchment paper sized for a cookie sheet
  2. Place clear plastic wrap of same size on top
  3. Spread first with hands then with rolling pin to consistent depth (around 1/8 inch)
  4. Thickness will affect cooking time
  5. Remove plastic wrap and brush with olive oil
  6. Sprinkle on Salt
  7. Cut with knife or pizza wheel into desired shapes
  8. Place in preheated 325 degree oven
  9. Start watching after 10 minutes taking out crackers with brown
  10. Watch every 5 minutes after that until all are done
  11. The edges will cook first
  12. I usually get them all done by 30 minutes
  13. These cook slower than recipes that use egg whites
  14. Feel free to use egg whites instead of water (two for this recipe)
  15. Try not to eat them all at once!
Jack Bubba https://jackbubba.com/