Entry 14: Personal Favorite - The Demands of the Qun - It's Snack Time

You've worked hard, let's have some snacks. But not just any snacks, we're going to have gourmet snacks. And the Qun demands we use up the small amounts of baking and cooking goods that are crowding up the pantry and refrigerator. So today's entry is all about how to quickly put together gourmet snacks while making the most of your leftover ingredients.

Today's entry, however, breaks form a bit as I do not have images available. I made all the listed recipes in the spur of the moment. Sometimes a hunger demon visits and the only way to keep from consorting with it is to make a gourmet snack... Or three. Be sure to check out the sources section below for more details.

In Entry #8 I briefly mentioned ideas around the demands of the Qun and their parallels to sustainable living. Now let's explore further. Qunari culture is built on the concept of the whole before the self. Everyone must act as a collective for the collective's sake. The Dragon Age Wiki describes this concept as such: "The individual is not truly 'individual', but part of the whole." And as a whole, all parts of that whole live and consume and produce throughout their lives, day after day. Providing for the collective to ensure long term stability demands resource sustainability. As Fenris puts it, "The Qunari waste nothing."

The "demands of the Qun" is basically a poetic way of describing the need for individuals to take action that favors the group or community over oneself. Ghil Dirthalen on YouTube has an excellent video on the Qun that explores this topic. She states "'The demands of the Qun' is to ensure the success of the whole." And sometimes that means some sacrifices need to be made, from reheating and seasoning unsavory leftovers to the Chargers.

The general idea of conglomerations of people working together for the common cause of each other's welfare is very appealing. It is very altruistic in concept, but in reality, for such cooperative structure and focus to exist on such a grand scale, it has to be each individual's choice to participate. A person needs to have the right to make that choice for themselves. Otherwise, it is forced and as Kirkwall showed us, that does not begin or end well.

However, there are broad concepts that are worth choosing and easy to incorporate into anyone's routine right now, such as making full use of every resource. Make the most of every tool you have, from the short-term to the long. Think of every angle to problems to find the most effective solutions. These basics practiced routinely make up a large part of Qunari practices and have far reaching benefits. Creative and sustainable thinking can result in great advantages, for the self and a community. So from cleaning plastic bags you store your smoothie mix in to reducing food waste, you can make the most of what you have available to you. I believe every effort can have a broad impact. And if I want any of the altruistic ideas of the Qun to become reality, then I have to put what is practical into practice.

Now then, to the pantry!


Here we have three easy gourmet snacks that will make the best use of those odd leftover ingredients and stale goods:

Edible Cookie Dough
Almond Sugar Spread
Lemon-Lime Sriracha Tahini Sauce

Let's begin with the Edible Cookie Dough. This recipe is based off of a delicious recipe from Wyld Four. Look around for:

1/2 c vegan butter (or coconut oil)
1/2 c  brown sugar, packed
1/4 c white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp soy or almond milk (if using coconut oil, increase to 2 tbsp)
1 1/3 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda

Cream sugars and butter. I prefer to melt my vegan butter over low heat on the stove before mixing in the sugars. For smaller amounts, like cookie dough fixings for one, I like to cream by hand. A hand mixer works as well, but avoid using a standing mixer. Then whip in the milk and vanilla. Stir in flour and baking soda. Stir until fluffy and doughy. From here you can add fixings and customize as you like: chocolate or carab chips, cracker or cookie crumbs, crushed nuts, dried fruit, the possibilities are as varied as your tastes. You can store this delightful and quick treat in your refrigerator for 3 to 5 days or freeze it for up to 2 weeks.


Next up, we have an original Gourmet Vegan* Thedas recipe! Say we have more sugar and butter than we realized (always a good thing in Skyhold - means that neither Sera nor Cole have found where I hid them... yet). So let's make a sweet spread:

1/4 c vegan butter
1/4 c white or brown sugar
A handful of almonds, finely crushed

Heat vegan butter in a small pot over medium heat. Stir occasionally and allow it to brown slightly. Be mindful to watch it carefully, if it burns, you will have burned spread. Once just slightly browned, add sugar and stir quickly and continuously. Allow to bubble and keep stirring until sugar has largely dissolved and mixture is slightly thick. This can take up to 10 or 12 minutes. Then remove from heat and add crushed nuts. I prefer to use almonds, but you can add almost any kind: walnuts, cashews or peanuts. It all depends on what you want and have immediately available. Allow spread to sit for 3 to 5 minutes, stir once more, and then pour into a container. You can serve this spread in a variety of ways, like as a dip with pretzels or spread on crackers and top with raspberry or strawberry jam. And you can store this gooey, delicious mess in your refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. I do not recommend freezing it for long term storage. Just enjoy this treat over the course your work week.


Finally, we are going to make something that balances between spicy, savory, and sour with such delicate finesse, I can hardly believe it isn't from the Fade itself. Let's pick up that nearly-empty bottle of sriracha to make Lemon-Lime Sriracha Tahini Sauce. This recipe is based on a fantastic original by The Viet Vegan. We will need:

2 to 3 tbsp of water
Half of a lemon, juiced
Half of a lime, juiced
1/2 to 3/4 c tahini
1 to 3 tbsp of sriracha

You can use the juice of a whole lemon and skip the lime if you do not have that available. Stir lemon and lime juice in with the water, then stir in the tahini sauce. Add sriracha sauce and keep stirring until well mixed and slightly thick. You may want to add more tahini if the sauce is watery. To serve, use as a sauce for dipping crackers or pretzels or spread over toast. You can also use this sauce as a salad dressing or as a spread on a sandwich. Or you can drink it down and lick the bowl. Not that I've done that or anything... ahem. 


And there we have it! Three excellent snack fixings to bring a gourmet touch to your impulsive snacking habit! So, can you satisfy this demand of the Qun? Can you make up some gourmet snacks with what you have tucked away in your Skyhold's kitchen? Be sure to give any of these (or all three) and try and share your results on social media using the hashtag (#)gourmetveganthedas.


Like what you are reading? Great! Come back for a new entry on Thursday, July 12. And have a look at my previous entries for other recipes and Dragon Age trivia and oddities!

Have any friendly suggestions or cool ideas? What me to veganize your favorite recipe? Please feel free to comment below. You can also email me at foodsofthedas@gmail.com, message me at AGSamuels on Reddit, or tweet me at @FoodsofThedas  on Twitter.
You can also follow me on Instagram, @gourmetveganthedas.

Walk always in the Maker's light.

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Sources:

Dragon Age Wiki: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Age_Wiki
Dragon Age Wiki, The Qun: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Qun
Dragon Age Wiki, Fenris/Dialogue: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Fenris/Dialogue

Ghil Dirthalen: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUWYiR2a5iD0cZktuODPoVw
Ghil Dirthalen, The Qun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-DAOL1qVFQ&index=43&list=PL-YksST7-Pyn6CIkmkSbS9Zke7HDUcOnY

Wyld Four: http://www.wyldflour.com/
Wyld Flour: Edible Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: http://www.wyldflour.com/edible-vegan-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough/

The Viet Vegan: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPOgooHtYIfgotZsHA7_wZw
The Viet Vegan, Vegan Lentil Patties and Sriracha Tahini Sauce: https://thevietvegan.com/vegan-lentil-patties/

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