Vegan Recipes - A Trial and Error Approach

Vegan Chocolate Pudding Cake with Caramelized Banana and Almond Topping - Online

2010-10-21T21:49:00.002-04:00

Link to Vegan Chocolate Pudding Cake
Ingredients:

1 c. flour

1 TBL. baking powder

1/4 c. cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. dry sweetener (I used organic sugar or cane juice)

1/3 c. oil

1/2 c. soymilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 c. dry sweetener

1/4 c. cocoa powder

2 c. boiling water

What to do:

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl stir together the first 4 ingredients (flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt).

2) Add in the 1/2 c. sugar, oil, soy milk and vanilla. Mix gently until just combined (don't overmix). 3) ~~The mixture will resemble cookie dough more than cake batter.~~ Spread it into a lightly oiled casserole dish or loaf pan and set aside. (My batter was fluid-like cake batter. Also, I used either a 8 X 8 inch pan)

4) Clean and dry out your bowl then mix together the 3/4 c. of sugar and the other 1/4 c. of cocoa. Sprinkle this evenly on top of the cake mixture.

5) Carefully pour the boiling water over top of everything - and DO NOT MIX! it really does do it's own thing in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes and enjoy!

Not going to lie, this one made me nervous! Since the recipe didn't specific what size pan to use, I pulled out the first reasonably sized pan from the cabinet. The recipe is fairly straightforward and then throws a complete curve ball - pour 2 cups of boiling water over top of everything, really?! Fortunately, the water did not spill over the top of the 8 X 8 inch pan but it certainly came close.

Now, folks, on to the Caramelized Banana and Almond Topping...

Link for Banana Topping with Variations

Ingredients:

1/4 c. unsalted ~~butter~~ Earth Balance

4 small bananas (approx 1 pound) (I only had three 'nonnies lying around so I just used scant measurements of all the other ingredients)

1/2 c. ~~sugar~~ brown sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 TBL. ~~banana liqueur (optional) or 2 tablespoons syrup (optional)~~ Disaronno Amaretto

1 tsp. ~~vanilla extract~~ almond extract

What to do:

1) Melt the Earth Balance in a large saucepan.

2) Slice the bananas and heat in the butter until they soften. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon and ground nutmeg.

3) Add the Amaretto and the almond extract

4) Serve warm or at room temperature

First of all, I am really liking the "strike-through" font as you can see vegan substitutions for the ingredients. Quite possibly my new favorite font.

MM enjoyed this dessert recipe enough to have a large serving before embarking on a 7 mile run.

NMcL was a little turned off by the banana topping.

Try it for yourself and YOU decide!

Caramelized Onion Tart with Sweet Potato Sage Crust - 500 Vegan Recipes - p.182

2010-10-21T21:07:00.000-04:00

For the crust:
1/2 c. sweet potato puree, at room temperature (For this, I nuked a sweet potato in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes, then let it cool for a bit before tossing it into the magic bullet and blending)
1/4 c. water heated to 100 degrees
2 TBL. canola oil, plus more for coating the bowl
1 TBL. agave nectar
1 c. white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour (I used regular whole wheat flour because I am not racist)
3/4 c. light spelt flour (versus dark spelt flour? what the hay?)
1 tsp. dried sage
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. fine salt
1 tsp. bread machine yeast (and yes folks, there is a difference between bread machine yeast and regular yeast)

For the caramelized onions:
3 TBL. peanut oil
2 softball sized red onions, cut into rings first, then into half moons
2 large shallots
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt

For the Parmesan-like sprinkles:
2 TBL. roasted, salted sunflower seeds (since my were raw and unsalted, I just roasted them on the stove top for a few minutes until they became brown and fragrant. I refrained from adding salt)
2 TBL. sesame seeds
2 TBL. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 tsp. dried sage

Directions:
1) To make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the sweet potato puree, water, oil, and sage.
2) In a large bowl, combine the flours, sage, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, salt, and yeast.
3) Stir the flour into the sweet potato mixture.
4) Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and pliable, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky. Shape dough into a ball.
5) Lightly coat a large bowl with oil, add the dough, and turn the dough to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, for 60-90 minutes. While the dough is rising, prepare the caramelized onions and Parmesan-like sprinkles.
6) To make the onions, place all the onion ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook for about 20 minutes over medium low heat, or until the onions are caramelized and brown. Set aside.
7) To make the Parmesan-like sprinkles: Place all sprinkle ingredients into a coffee grinder or food processor (or Bullet). Blend until pulverized into a fine powder. Set aside.
8) Twenty or thirty minutes before the dough is done rising, pre-heat the oven to 400. Roll out the dough into an 8 x 10 inch rectangle on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
9) Spread the caramelized onions and Parmesan-like sprinkles on the dough.
10) Bake the Tart for 18 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are golden brown.
11) Serve with mixed greens!

This was a fairly labor intensive meal - though it was well worth it. The caramelized onions took about 2 hours to caramelize fully - but boy were they delicious and was the wait worth it. (Watching Hulu + a bout of insomnia helped to pass the time!) Next time, I'll set the heat a little higher to speed up the process.

The juxtaposition of the salty from the onions and the Parmesan-like crumbles and the sweet from the sweet potato was delightful. The sweet potato tart was almost like a sweet potato pizza crust. There were some nice hunks of sweet potato spread throughout the dough that gave the tart an interesting texture.

The Parmesan-like crumbles made quite a few crumbles. And they were plenty salty enough using the unsalted sunflower seeds.

MH and DH, especially MH, enjoyed this recipe.

Banana Nut Waffles - Veganomicon - p. 75-76

2010-09-19T15:11:00.041-04:00

Ingredients:

1 and 3/4 c. soy milk
1/4 c. water
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 average sized bananas
3 TBL canola oil
3 TBL pure maple syrup or agave syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 and 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 c. walnuts, finely chopped (I substituted pecans)
non-stick cooking spray

What to do:
1) Pre-heat the waffle iron. Pour the soy milk, water, and vinegar into a measuring cup and set aside to curdle (um, eww)
2) Mash the bananas very well in a large mixing bowl. Add the soy milk mixture, oil, syrup, vanilla, and stir.
3) Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Use a fork to combine, but do not overmix. Fold in the chopped nuts.
4) Spray the cooking spray on the waffle iron and cook the waffle according to the iron's directions. I found that using a 1/3 c. of batter per waffle was the right amount and the waffles took about 4 minutes to cook to perfection. Serve with sliced strawberries and plenty of maple syrup.

This was a good recipe. Interestingly enough, the banana flavor was very subtle, if discernible at all, the first day. Honestly, they just tasted like "original-flavored" waffles the first day - the banana-flavor was much more pronounced the second day.

Leftover wise, these re-heated very well the next day in the toaster oven. They were crispy, and quite delicious left over. Yes, I did freeze the remaining waffles - first I wrapped each waffle duo in tinfoil, then threw all of the wrapped waffles in a large Ziplock bag in the freezer. Each night, I would remove a duo from the freezer and transport them to the fridge, to thaw out. Essentially, the waffles were a healthier and heartier version of Eggo Waffles! I'd highly recommend reheating the waffles in the toaster oven, directly on the rack, for best results. The Earth Balance marg. smears and dusting of powder sugar were key, though maple syrup, as the authors suggest, would probably be good too!

One thing I noticed was a slightly bitter taste. This was due to the pecans. It has been suggested that "Pecan nuts are covered with a layer of tannins, which causes a bitter taste. The bitter taste can be removed by washing the nuts and soaking them in lukewarm water will enhance their sweetness. Allow the pecans to dry for 15 minutes on a paper towel." From: Iowa State U's Take on Pecans. This is something I might experiment with in the future. But I will note that the slight bitter taste really wasn't THAT offensive. Overall, this is a solid waffle recipe that I would recommend to anyone!

Sticky Pecan Squares- 125 Best Vegan Recipes By Maxine Effenson Chuck & Beth Gurney - p. 166

2010-09-19T15:11:00.006-04:00

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/2 c. soy margarine

Topping:
1/3 c. soy margarine
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1.5 TBL. soy creamer
1/4 c. pure maple syrup (author recommends dark, rich Grade B type)
pinch of salt
1 and 1/3 c. coarsely chopped pecans

What to do:
1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Grease a 8-inch square cake pan
3) Crust: In a bowl, mix flour with sugar. Cut in soy margarine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press evenly into a prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden and firm. Don't worry if the dough doesn't stick together when you are mixing it because it will meld as it bakes.
4) Topping: Meanwhile, in a pot, melt soy margarine over medium heat. Add brown sugar and soy creamer and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low. Add maple syrup and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add pecans and stir until evenly coated. Remove from heat.
5) Spread the pecan mixture over the hot crust. Bake entire dish for an additional 20 to 23 minutes, until the topping is set and the pecans are fragrant. Let cool to room temperature in pan on wire rack. Using a serrated knife dipped in water, cut into neat squares.

Homemade Pesto on Spaghetti Squash with Spinach and Tomato

2010-09-19T15:10:00.001-04:00

This pesto sauce was thrown together in the magic bullet.

It consisted of:

pinenuts
garlic
olive oil
fresh basil
lemon juice

Exact measurements were not computed (tee hee on word choice) but rather eyeballed and measured to taste.

In the past, I had baked my spaghetti squash. However, MM taught me how to nuke the bad boy in the microwave. We cut the squash in half lengthwise, scooped out the seeds then put one-half, flat-side down, in a microwave-safe dish. Then we placed about an inch of water in the dish and microwaved for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, we sauted the spinach in olive oil and chopped up a large plum tomato. After the squash had cooked and cooled a little, we plated the everything together and doused the dish in the pesto sauce.

The pesto sauce was absolutely delicious on its own, but we realized that it became much more mild with the addition of the squash, spinach and tomatoes. In the future, the dish would be much more enjoyable with (at least) double the quantity of the pesto. Regardless, this dish was enjoyed and also it is worth mentioning that in addition to being vegan, the dish is paleo, for those of you experimenting with various diets.

Another exciting vegan chocolate chip option!

2010-09-19T14:55:00.001-04:00

Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips

Ingredients: semi-sweet chocolate (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla)

Vegan Pizza with Homemade Vegan Pizza Dough

2010-09-19T14:52:00.001-04:00

Who needs cheese with a recipe like this?! This is the recipe that I used for the vegan pizza dough: Slow Rise Pizza Dough. I opted to use the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer option; the dough hook made making this dough a breeze!

Our pizza toppings included:

Mushroom Red Wine Tomato Sauce (from a jar - a brand that was purchase on impulse, and will be purchased again in the future with intent: Bove's)
minced garlic
diced shallots
diced onion
fresh organic white mushrooms
spinach
roasted red peppers
dried oregano

The picture should speak for itself! I was very pleased with this recipe, which we just kind of made up as we went along. The mushroom red wine sauce flavor was greatly enhanced with the addition of the garlic, shallots, onion and of course, the mushrooms.

The dough recipe yielded extra dough. The author suggests to split the dough evenly among 6 pieces for 6 individual pizzas. I split mine into 3 separate pieces; I froze the other two pieces in Ziplock bags for a rainy day. NMcL commented on my pizza and said "Whoa, how did you get your crust so thin?!" She also enjoyed a nibble of my leftover pizza at lunch the following afternoon. The other night, DP and I were talking pizza dough and we both commented on how whole grain pizza dough, albeit healthier, is just not the same as traditional white crust pizza dough. Playing with the proportions, say 3/4 white flour and 1/4 whole wheat, or 50-50 may or may not be something I experiment with the future. Emphasis on maybe not...

I am wondering why the author suggested that the all-purpose flour be chilled. I skipped this minor detail and used room-temperature flour, which did not seem to negatively affect the outcome of the recipe.

No big deal or anything but in terms of assembly, it might make more sense to lay the fresh spinach down prior to the other toppings, or saute the spinach in a little olive oil beforehand.

Vegan Leek Quiche - Online

2010-09-15T21:40:00.003-04:00

Vegan Leek Quiche Recipe Available Here

The recipe, courtesy of above referenced website:

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c. pine nuts
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 c. plain, unsweetened soy milk
2 TBL. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt

Filling:
4 TBL. olive oil
2 medium leeks, white and green parts chopped (approximately 3 cups)
1 lb. light-firm or extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1.5 inch cubes
2 TBL. fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced (approximately 1 tsp.)
2 tsp. miso paste (I used red miso)
3/4 tsp. salt
1 c. whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1/4 c. chopped, reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes, drained

Procedure:
1) To make the crust: Preheat oven to 350. Coat 9-inch spring form pan with cooking spray. (I used a 9-inch, glass pie pan, since the bottom of our spring form pan went M.I.A. Also, I used Smart Balance Omega cooking spray.) Pulse the flour, pinenuts, and baking powder in a food processor (I used the Magic Bullet, duhh) until finely ground. Whisk together the soy milk, olive oil and salt in a bowl. Stir in the flour mixture. Press into the pan. Bake for 5 minutes, then cool dish.

2) To make the filling: Heat 1 TBL. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the chopped leeks for about 8 minutes, or until softened. Set aside.

3) Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add tofu and simmer for 5 minutes. (Here I will note that I just plunked the entire brick of tofu into the boiling water since I inadvertently forgot to cube the tofu before-hand, as the recipe suggests. Nothing to cry over, everything turned out just mighty fine.) Simmer the tofu for 5 minutes. Drain then pat dry with paper towels.

4) Whisk together the remaining 3 TBL. of olive oil, lemon juice, miso, minced garlic and salt in a large bowl. Mash in tofu, using a fork. Stir in breadcrumbs, basil, sun-dried tomatoes and leeks.

5) Spoon the filling into the crust. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust is browned. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut and serve.

This is quite possibly my favorite vegan quiche recipe! I really enjoyed the pine nut crust, and would definitely use this crust recipe for other quiche recipes in the future. The sun-dried tomatoes were 365 Whole Foods Generic brand - they were packed in olive oil. I did not rinse or pat the oil off, I just shook most of the oil off. It seems a little weird, but Craisins actually made a delicious complementary topping. The dish had such a nice fall flavor and is definitely worth repeating.

Veganized Potato Leek Soup from M.O.C.

2010-09-12T21:28:00.006-04:00

This is a recipe was given to me by M.O.C. I went ahead and took the liberty of veganizing the recipe.

Potato Leek Soup:

2.5 pounds potatoes (I used about half red potatoes and half white potatoes)

3 cups chicken broth (I substituted veggie broth)

2 cups milk (I substituted soy milk)

3 leeks

2 Tbs butter (I substituted Earth Balance and olive oil)

Boil potatoes until soft (which took approximately 20 minutes). While potatoes are boiling, chop leeks and saute in butter until translucent. Puree potatoes, and leeks with chicken (or veggie!) stock in blender. Place back in pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer. Stir in (non-dairy!) milk and remove from heat. Voila.

M,O.C.'s Tip: "My soup was on the thicker side. If you would like yours thinner, I would say use maybe just under 2 pounds of potato or add another cup or so of chicken (or veggie) broth (it usually comes 4 cups to a box of stock anyway)."

M.O.C.'s Afterthought: "Also, another potato leek recipe I saw suggested adding about 1/4 cup white wine. If you have any open already and want to try, that's something else you could add." This is something that I did not do. The only open white I had lying around was a sweet, sweet white, and that would not be appropriate for this recipe.

Commentary: This soup was very mild tasting. The flavor definitely improved with a generous addition of sea salt. M.O.C. said her soup was also mild. I didn't care for the soup at first, but the soup grew on me the second day, after the flavors had melded a bit better.

There were many types of potatoes to choose from at the supermarket. For the next potato soup I experiment with, I will use Yukon Gold Potatoes. From a site called Wise Geek: Yukon Gold potatoes "are usually waxy, and highly delicious in soups."

Here is another link that describes the different types of potatoes: OChef. "Now, there are some potatoes that fall in the middle, in the "all-purpose" category, such as the Yukon Gold, Peruvian Blue, Superior, Kennebec, and Katahdin. They are moister than baking potatoes and will hold together in boiling water. They are particularly well-suited to roasting, pan frying, and using in soups, stews, and gratins."

Seitan Piccata With Olives and Green Beans - Veganomicon (174)

2010-09-06T12:54:00.001-04:00

Ingredients:
1 pound seitan
about 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan)
1 scant cup thinly sliced shallots (about 3 to 5 shallots, depending on size)
4 cloves chopped garlic
1/3 c. dry white wine
2. c. veggie broth
1/4 tsp. salt
several pinched of freshly ground black pepper
small pinch of dried thyme (I subbed dried rosemary since there was no time to run to the store to buy thyme)
1/4 c. capers with a little brine
1/2 c. pitted kalamata or black olives, cut in half
juice of one lemon (omitted as I didn't have one)
2 TBL. fresh parsley
1/2 lb. green beans, ends trimmed
___________________________________
What to do:
1) Preheat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat.
2) Cut the seitan into long, thin pieces. The seitan I purchased was pre-cut into slices (they were more like small, think chunks)
3) Coat the bottom of the skillet with oil and let it get hot. Dredge the seitan in the flour, add to the pan and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side.
4) After cooking all of the seitan, saute the shallots and garlic, adding more olive oil if necessary. Saute for about 5 minutes, taking care not to let burn.
5) Add the white wine, raise the heat to bring to a rolling boil. Add vegetable broth, salt, black pepper, and thyme (or rosemary). Again, bring the sauce to a boil, let reduce by half. The author suggests the reduction should take about 7 to 10 minutes...I found the sauce took much longer to reduce.
6) Add the capers and olives to heat through (about 3 minutes). Add parsley and lemon (if you have one!) to the sauce.
7) Boil the green beans for about 2 minutes, then strain.
8) Mix the green beans and seitan together (over mashed potatoes, if you are so inclined as the author suggests - I used white rice) then douse everything in plenty of sauce.

This dish was interesting. It is very good for the olive lover. I think the best thing about this dish was learning how to prepare the seitan. Dredging the flour in the seitan then pan frying it tasted delicious. Breaded (/bread-crumbed) seitan cooked in the same manner would also probably be delicious. Cooking with seitan is not as scary as it used to be, though the seitan still looks not very appealing... Next up is actually making my own seitan from scratch, using vital wheat gluten!

Sauteed Spinach and Tomatoes - Veganomicon - p. 106

2010-05-23T08:30:00.001-04:00

Ingredients for the Italian version:
1 bunch spinach, roots discarded, washed well (about 6 loosely-packed cups)
2 TBL. olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into a little less than a 1/2 inch dice
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
toasted pine nuts

Procedure:
Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onions for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and salt. Saute for another 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and saute for anouther 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until it is wilted, adding water, which allows the spinach to cook faster without burning. Toss in the toasted pine nuts, sprinkle with lemon juice, and serve!

The Indian version of this recipe includes substituting the olive oil with peanut oil, omitting the toasted pine nuts, and including in 2 tsp. fresh grated ginger.

(Revised) Creamy Tomato Barley Risotto – Vegan Yum Yum – p. 139

2010-05-23T07:58:00.002-04:00

Ingredients:
1 c. pearled barley (I revised the recipe and used Arborio Rice)
1 TBL. olive oil
½ tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 clove garlic, minced
1.5 c. fresh or canned diced tomatoes, mashed a bit [I used fresh plum tomatoes]
1 c. soy milk [I used rice milk]
½ c. water
¼ c. nutritional yeast
3 TBL. miso mixed with 3 TBL. water [The recipe says to use mellow or white miso, I used red miso]
¼ to ½ tsp. salt [I omitted]

Procedure:

1) Put the barley, olive oil, oregano, and basil into your Le Cresuet. Turn heat to medium high and stir until barley is coated in oil.
2) One the barley begins sizzling (about a minute), add the garlic. Cook for another minute.
3) Add the tomatoes, non-dairy milk, water, nutritional yeast, miso, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is creamy, but not soupy, and the grains are cooked through but not mushy.

Comments:

This was delicious! The substitutions I used worked beautifully. Also, from my Williams Sonoma Technique classes, I learned that when making risotto, it helps if the liquid that you add in (in this case, the non-dairy milk and water) is heated rather than cold. The heated liquid penetrates the grains better, which in turn, leads to a decreased cooking time length. This is such a delicious dish, it gets a 5-star rating.

Raw Vegan Cilantro Pesto Recipe - Online

2010-05-23T07:55:00.001-04:00

I had quite a bit of fresh cilantro that I wanted to use before it wilted, so I was happy to stumble across this recipe for Raw Vegan Cilantro Pesto.

Heads up - the recipe was quite garlicy, which may or may not be a good thing. I used the pesto to dress some whole wheat penne, though a pesto-covered linguine might also be nice. Also, tossing in some halved cherry tomatoes might have added a nice complementary flavor as well as dash of color to the dish.

Quiche Du Jour – The Urban Vegan – p. 33

2010-05-06T21:53:00.001-04:00

Ingredients:
Flaky pie crust dough (see below)
1 – 14 oz. aseptic box of extra-firm silken tofu (do not use refrigerated tofu; it is not creamy enough)
3 TBL. fresh parsley, chopped
5 TBL. nutritional yeast
2 tsp. cornstarch
½ tsp. salt [I omitted this]
2 TBL. soy cream or soy milk [I used soy cream]

Filling Ingredient Du Jour:
1 c. sliced tomato [I used plum tomatoes]
1 c. fresh basil [It’s time to start my own herb garden at home!]

Procedure:
1) Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a 10- or 11-inch quiche pan.
2) Roll out dough and press into quiche pan. Set aside.
3) In a food processor, blend together tofu, parsley, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, salt, and milk or cream until creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
4) Pour the tofu mixture into the pie crust. Gently arrange filling (i.e. tomatoes and basil) on top. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the tofu is set.
If your filling is browning too quickly, simply cover the quiche with aluminum foil.
5) Cool on a wire rack and let sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Filling Ingredients Pour Les Jours Autres:
-Mushrooms sauteed in sherry or marsala
-1 package of tempeh bacon, steamed for 10 minutes, drained, and crumbled (Quiche Lorraine)
- roasted red pepper & marinated artichoke hearts, drained very well before using
-sun dried tomatoes
-1/2 c. vegan cheese

Flaky Pie Crust – p. 160
Ingredients:

¾ c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 + 1/8 c. flour
Scant 3/8 tsp. salt
3/8 c. (equivalent to 6 TBL.) non-hydrogenated shortening
3/8 c. (equivalent to 6 TBL.) Earth Balance
3-6 TBL. ice water

Procedure:

1) Mix dry ingredients.
2) Cut in shortening and Earth Balance. Don’t overmix!
3) Add enough ice water to make the dough stick together when you squeeze it. Let the dough chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
4) Roll into one disk on a lightly floured surface.

Comments:

After an extensive search for Mori-Nu brand tofu in my area, I finally was able to locate some in nearby Hoboken! There is a health food store, right on Washington Ave., that carries Mori-Nu. Mori-Nu tofu is different because it is packed in an aseptic, cardboard package whereas “traditional” tofu, such as the Nasoya brand, is packed in water in a vacuum-sealed plastic container. The texture of Mori-Nu is much creamier and less grainy than traditional tofu and lends itself nicely for a quiche recipe. I could imagine using the creamy Mori-Nu in vegan cheesecake recipes, delicious! As for the quantity of Mori-Nu, I used a full box, which is 12.3 oz., plus a guesstimate of a second box to total 14 oz., as required by the recipe.

My neurotic nitpicking: My quiche pan was only 9 inches (not 10 inches or 11-inches as the recipe suggests) but the smaller pan size had no discernible negative affect on the outcome. Also, although I did not grease the quiche pan as the recipe suggests, I did not have any problems seamlessly cutting out the slices. Eliminating the extra grease was a good way to save calories – there was plenty of fat within the dough recipe itself!

After assembling the quiche, I liberally sprinkled some vegan parmesan cheese on top, which added to the complexity of flavors in the quiche.

I baked the quiche for 15 minutes uncovered and then noticed that the basil was getting a little too toasty, so for the remaining time, I loosely covered the dish with tin. The tinfoil trick worked wonders – the basil did not end up burning at all. On a tangent – is the word “tinfoil” no longer P.C.? Is the proper terminology “aluminum foil”? Haha. It took 35 minutes for the crust to brown and the tofu mixture to set.

After about 10 minutes of cooling time, I couldn’t resist any longer and had to cut myself a slice! While I enjoyed the quiche, it seemed to be lacking in the flavor department. In a future experimentation, I might double the quantity of the tomatoes and basil and create layers, or add some more spices or herbs to the tofu mixture. The crust though, was deliciously flaky and perfect. The next two quiches I’d like to experiment with is the Quiche Lorraine (with the tempeh bacon crumbles) and then also, broccoli and vegan cheddar in honor of my co-worker, MT’s quiche, which was absolutely phenomenal, albeit non-vegan friendly.

Lemon Poppy Seed Tempeh - The Urban Vegan - p. 138

2010-05-06T21:50:00.000-04:00

Ingredients:
1 pound tempeh [I used Lightlife Flax]
Juice of 4 lemons
Zest of 4 lemons
6 TBL. olive oil
4 TBL. poppy seeds
2 TBL. brown rice syrup or agave nectar or maple syrup
2 TBL. cornstarch
3 scallions, chopped finely
Healthy pinch of sea salt (versus an unhealthy pinch?)

Procedure:
1) Cut the tempeh into 4 triangles. Steam for 10 minutes, to, as the author states, “chase away the tempeh’s inherent bitterness”.
2) In a baking pan, mix the remaining ingredients, making sure that the cornstarch and sweetener are completely dissolved. Coat the tempeh with the marinade and let sit for at least an hour, preferably for 24 hours. Be sure to baste the tempeh from time to time.
3) Preheat oven to 400F. Re-baste the tempeh once more, and bake for 15-20 minutes, re-basting every 5 minutes.
4) Serve over your grain of choice with pan drippings.

This was a decent dish. I am becoming more familiar and comfortable with cooking tempeh and am excited to experiment with the different versions (i.e. flax, three grain, etc.). I found that the flax version used in this recipe crumbled a little more after it was steamed, as compared to the version ET and I used in the Lemon-Ginger Tempeh.

Coconut-Lime Bars – The Urban Vegan – p. 16

2010-05-06T21:40:00.000-04:00

Ingredients:

½ c. flour
(additionally) 3 TBL. flour
1/3 c. sugar
(additionally) 2/3 c. sugar
Pinch of salt [I omitted]
¼ c. coconut oil
1/3 c. nuts, ground to a flour using a food processor [Although the recipe doesn’t specify which type of nut, NMcL and I decided that pecans would be our best bet]
2 tsp. lime zest (from about 2 limes)
3.5-4 TBL. lime juice (from about 2 limes) [I used 3.5 TBL]
1 TBL. soy or rice milk
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 c. shredded coconut

Procedure:

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9-inch pan.
2) In a medium bowl, cut together ½ c. flour, 1/3 c. sugar, salt, and coconut until crumbly. Stir in ground nuts, then press into prepared pan.
3) Bake crust for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
4) In a medium bowl, using a fork, still together 2/3 c. sugar, lime zest, lime juice, milk, 3 TBL. flour, and coconut extract until smooth. Mix in shredded coconut.
5) Spread over baked crust and bake for 20 to 27 minutes or until set and just starting to turn golden.
6) Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Then chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes before cutting into bars.

These were a zesty, refreshing, light dessert, perfect for summer. My bars turned out a little on the thin side - in the future, to plumpen them up, I'd probably look to use a smaller pan so that the finished product would be thicker. This would be delicious with KeKe Liqueur + vanilla soy milk over ice.

Quoting Myra Kornfield

2010-05-05T09:44:00.002-04:00

"Cooking is one of the most basic forms of nurturing – a deeply grounding experience, an active, meditative immersion in nature."

Revisiting Cookbooks

2010-05-02T08:11:00.000-04:00

I love skimming through cookbooks and marking recipes that catch my eye. Then, after some period of time passing, I love going through cookbooks a second, (third, fourth...) time and discovering new recipes that were intially overlooked. It seems to show how different one's tastes and the level at which one is willing to experiment with food changes over time, perhaps depending on one's mood, salient influences, and life experiences.

Tempeh With Lemon Ginger Glaze - Everyday Vegan - p.252

2010-04-24T08:43:00.002-04:00

Ingredients:

1 package of tempeh

½ c. lemon juice
¼ c. brown rice syrup
¼ c. veggie broth
2 TBL. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
½ tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. lemon peel, grated
2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
1-2 TBL. oil [We used olive oil]
3 garlic cloves, miced
2 TBL. arrowroot
2 TBL. water

Procedure:
1) Steam tempeh for 10 minutes. Cool. Slice into strips or ¼ inch cubes.
2) Place lemon juice, brown rice syrup, veggie stock, Bragg’s, salt, lemon peel, and ginger in a small saucepan. Set aside.
3) Saute garlic and tempeh in oil until tempeh is golden brown.
4) Simmer sauce for 5 minutes. Dissolve arrowroot in water, then stir into the sauce until a thick glaze is achieved. Stir sauce into tempeh and serve immediately.

ET and I cooked a romantical, delicious vegan meal the other night to celebrate her return to the East Coast for the upcoming summer months. The final product of our cooking experimentation was a delicious vegan tempeh dish, topped with a citrus-flavored glaze plus "greens". Our greens were zucchinis, (courtesy of Mama and Papa T's kitchen - thank you!), sauteed in olive oil and a little garlic. I'm just thinking about how this is when a grill pan would have come into handy - grilled zucchini, yum! A grill pan, in red obviously, is quite possibly the next item to purchase on my growing kitchen wishlist... The other high-priority purchase is a funnel, haha.

We first steamed our tempeh for a total of 10 mintues, or approximately 5 minutes on each side. The recipe says that after cooling, the tempeh should be cut into either strips or cubes...after considerable discussion of the pros and cons of each cut, ET and I ultimately agreed upon tempeh strips, haha.

Since we ran out of lemon juice (the one smallish/medium lemon yielded a little less than a quarter-cup) and lemon zest (the same lemon yielded about 1 tsp. of lemon zest), we needed to keep our cool and improvise. We substituted in fresh-squeezed orange juice and fresh-zested orange zest in place of the lemon juice and lemon zest. ET and I both agree that the substition was acceptable and the resulting citrus glaze was a success.

Thanks to ET and her food arrangement skills, which she had honed with a foodie friend out west, this photo is, by far, one of the nicest pics on the blog.

Drizzling Observation

2010-04-23T17:29:00.001-04:00

My "drizzles" are always so goopy looking. Usually I just pour the sauce directly out of the pan on top of the dish, hoping for an attractive looking-end result, but usually not getting one, ha. In the future, for completely aesthetic purposes, I need to figure out a better technique for "drizzling"... I am thinking of using a squeeze-bottle... Or maybe a piping bag...Hmmm...

Oriental Quinoa Pilaf - Everyday Vegan: 300 Recipes for Heathful Living By Jeani-Rose Atchison - p. 174

2010-04-23T16:46:00.000-04:00

Ingredients:

2 c. veggie stock
2 TBL. Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 tsp. grated orange peel
pinch red pepper flakes
2 TBL. oil [I used olive]
2-3 garlic cloves [I used 3]
1/2 onion, diced [I used a full, small yellow onion]
1 c. quinoa
1/4 c. toasted sesame seeds
1/2 c. green onions a.k.a. scallions
1/2 c. red bell pepper
1/4 c. chopped raisins [optional - I opted in]
3 TBL. cilantro

Procedure:

1) Combine veggie stock, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, orange peel, and pepper flakes. Set aside.
2) Saute garlic and onion in oil. Add in quinoa.
3) Pour in sauce. Cover. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed.
4) Add in sesame seeds, green onions, red pepper, raisins, and cilantro to quinoa. Serve immediately.

Notes:

Quinoa! - the wonder grain!

This was my first time cooking with Bragg's Liquid Aminos. I found this dish to be very salty - and I think the Bragg's may be the culprit. Although the recipe says to serve this dish immediately, I thought it was better cold, the next day, after allowing the flavors to meld. Also, the saltiness was less pronounced the second day as well.

Crepes with Almond Sauce and Fresh Raspberries - The Urban Vegan - p. 6

2010-04-23T16:08:00.000-04:00

Ingredients:

Almond Sauce:
1/2 c. soy creamer
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 TBL. sugar
1 tsp. Earth Balance
1 tsp. cornstarch

Crepes:
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 c. plain soy milk [We used vanilla soy milk...REBELS!]
1/2 c. water
2 TBL. soy flour
1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract [We used almond extract]
2 TBL. Earth Balance, melted
cooking spray
fresh raspberries [Why limit yourself to only raspberries? MM and I used blackberries, blueberries, bananas, and strawberries - delicious!]
toasted slivered almonds, as garnish

Procedure:

Almond Sauce:
1) Whisk all sauce ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Turn down heat and cook until thickened, again whisking constantly. Remove from heat.

Crepes:
1) Whisk flour, soy milk, water, soy flour, extract, and Earth Balance together in a medium bowl until no lumps remain. Batter should be thin - add a bit more soy milk if necessary.
2) Heat pan over medium high and spray with cooking spray. Pour about 2 TBL. of batter and immediately twist the pan in one direction so that a thin layer of batter evenly coats the pan. Cook until the bottom is golden. Set aside on a plate while you make the rest of the crepes.
3) Fold each crepe into quarters, drizzle almond sauce, top with berries, garnish with almonds and serve!

The almond flavor in both the crepes and sauce was delicious! Fresh summer berries make me smile! Overall the recipe was a solid dish.

Granada Paella - The Urban Vegan By Dynise Balcavage - p. 78

2010-04-18T13:15:00.000-04:00

After much muffin making, it was time to do some real cookin, Spanish-style! The above referenced recipe is from: The Urban Vegan: 250 Simple, Sumptuous Recipes from Street Cart Favorites to Haute Cuisine (Ch-ch-Check It Out!)

Ingredients:

2 TBL olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 c. chopped red pepper
1 large vegan chorizo link (The author recommends, and I use, Trader Joe's brand)
2 c. Arborio rice
1/2 c. frozen peas
2 tomatoes, cubed
1 tsp. saffron
4-5 c. veggie stock
sea salt, to taste
lemon wedges for garnish

Procedure:

1) In a large pot (Finally making use of NMcL's new(ish) Le Creuset!), heat the oil over medium low heat and saute garlic.
2) Raise heat to medium and add the peppers. Saute for 2. (minutes, duhh)
3) Add the crumbled chorizo. Saute for 10.
4) Add the rice. Stir well and cook for 1.
5) Add peas, tomatoes, saffron, and veggie stock. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer and cover pan. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed. It should be slighlty wetter than risotto.
6) Garnish with a lemon wedge and serve hot!

The author suggests that in lieu of the chorizo, you can use 1) 1 c. white beans + 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes or 2) 1 c. chopped seitan. Since, I am trying to reduce my intake of soy products, I would definitely consider trying out these protein-rich alternatives. Though I would imagine I would need to add some additional spices, since I think that the vegan chorizo added a lot of the spiciness and flavor to the dish. Also, to add complexity to the dish, the author suggests adding in 1 tsp. fennel seeds while adding the veggie stock.

So True...

2010-04-12T17:33:00.002-04:00

“Learning to cook and developing your own style in the kitchen does not mean following recipes religiously. Cooking should be fun and creative” – Dynise Balcavage

Strawberry Bread - Edible Jersey Spring 2010 - p. 20

2010-04-10T14:42:00.004-04:00

Picked up a copy of Edible Jersey while at DePiero's the other day. The lady at the register suggested the above referenced recipe, so I went ahead and veganized it, which worked beautifully.

Ingredients:

2.25 c. sliced fresh strawberries
2 large eggs (I substituted ground flax seeds...please see: Post Punk Kitchen's Guide to Egg Replacement for the proportions)
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. veggie oil (I substituted safflower oil, again, flawless substitution)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1.5 c. unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powpow
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped nuts (The recipe suggests almonds - in lieu of almonds, I used walnuts)

Procedure:

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan and set it aside. Place berries in a blender and puree. Blend in egg replacer, sugar, oil, and vanilla.

2) In a separate bowl, sift all dry ingredients, save the nuts, and then fold into the wet mixture. Next, fold in nuts then transfer to loaf pan. Bake bread for 50-60 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes in pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Serve! (As per my M.O., I went the muffin route and baked these bad boys for about 15-20 minutes at 400F.)

Conclusion:

These are phenomenal muffins. Again, NMcL commented on how delicious the aroma in the apartment was. The muffins were pretty incredible, not gunna lie, and tasted phenomenal with a little schmear of Better Than Cream Cheese.

Grammy Cooks Banana Bread - Online

2010-04-10T14:32:00.000-04:00

ANOTHER muffin recipe?! Here's a hilarious Muffins Video for your viewing pleasure.

Here is the Recipe for Grammy's Banana Bread.

Ingredients:

1.5 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 TBL. flax seed meal (ground in the blender)
2 TBL. corn meal
1/4 c. oil [I used canola]
1/2 c. cane juice crystal or sucanat or combination [I used 100 % sucanat]
1 c. mashed bananas [My two small, overripe bananas yielded a scant 1 c.]
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans, optional [I used walnuts]
[I also felt the urge to sprinkle in 2 tsp. cinnamon]
Procedure:

1) Mix first 6 ingredients well.
2) Mix next 4 ingredients well.
3) Mix both together and stir in nuts if you want.

Pour into sprayed loaf pan and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes. [Since I was short on time (hey, a girl has to find time for the gym!), I poured my batter into a lined muffin tin, and baked at 400F for 10-20 minutes instead.]
Conclusion:

Wow, the aroma of these muffins baking in the oven made the entire apartment smell bakery-fresh! These muffins were not too sweet and not overwhelmingly banana-flavored. They appeared and tasted “very healthy”.

From the glowing reviews that followed the recipe on vegweb, I expected a "5-star recipe" yield from this recipe. I thought the muffins were ever-so-slightly dry and would have preferred a moister finished product.

Since the muffins were not too sweet, the addition of chocolate chips (in lieu of the walnuts) might be nice in the event I replicate the experimentation again.

Vegan Yum-Yum - Lemon Cranberry Muffins - p. 22

2010-04-04T21:46:00.004-04:00

Ingredients

1/2 rounded cup dried cranberries in 1/2 c. water
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 TBL. cornstarch or arrowroot [I used cornstarch]
zest from 1 lemon
1 c. unsweetened almond milk [I substituted vanilla soy milk]
juice from 1 lemon [my lemon yielded just under 1/4 c. juice]
1/3 c. veggie oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract [I subbed vanilla extract]

What to do:

1) Preheat oven to 400F.
2) Place the cranberries and water in a small saucepan and heat until simmering. Simmer for 3 minutes then remove from heat.
3) In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cornstarch, and lemon zest.
4) In a separate bowl, mix together the non-dairy milk, lemon juice, veggie oil, vanilla, and almond extracts.
5) Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until almost combined. Drain the cranberries and fold into the batter, mixing until just combined.
6) Fill a lined muffin tin with batter, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Allow muffys to cool then serve.

More Vegan Chocolate Chips/ Chunks

2010-04-04T21:00:00.001-04:00

365 Everyday Value Vegan Chocolate Chips

365 Everyday Value Organic Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Chips

Soft, Spicy, Heavenly Ginger Cookies - Online

2010-03-28T21:07:00.000-04:00

This RecipeZaar Recipe for Ginger Cookies is absolutely phenomenal. RecipeZaar is quickly becoming my favorite resource for finding recipes online for several reasons. First, the user ratings are helpful in determining which recipes are worth experimenting with - obviously the better the rating by the larger number of users is a pretty good tip-off that, unless I royally screw up, the recipe will be decent. And secondly, the user reviews are worth reading for additional experimentation suggestions such as ingredient substitutions.

Ingredients
3/4 c. margarine, softened (I used Earth Balance)
1 c. white sugar
1/4 c. molasses
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg....[I ended up using pumpkin pie spice as a substitute for all of the powdered spices because I was too lazy to fish out each individual spice since my spices are so unorganized - note to self: purchase spice rack.]
1 TBS. fresh ginger, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. raisins (optional - I opted out)
2 TBL. white sugar - I accidentally omitted this, but didn't miss it!

What To Do:
1) In a large bowl, cream together the vegan marg. and 1 c. sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the molasses. Finally, mix in the water and baking soda. [I used my sexy KitchenAid Stand Mixer]

2) Sift together the flour, salt, and dry spices; add gradually to the wet mixture. Fold in the minced ginger and raisins. [Again, I omitted the raisins, but think that chocolate chips might be a nice addition when I make these cookies in the future. Also, my dough was on the wet side, so I let it sit for overnight in the fridge - worked like a charm!].

3) (The next day,) shape the dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 TBS of sugar. [I used a TBS. measuring spoon to create perfectly uniform cookies. And, I did not roll the dough into the additional sugar, and really, the extra sugar wasn't missed.]

4) Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly. [I lined the cookie sheet with parchment paper, and forgot to "flatten slightly" but again, the cookies turned out damn delicious.] Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. [I baked the cookies for the full 12 minutes and they came out wonderfully golden brown.]

Collard Greens With Panfried Walnuts - Online

2010-03-24T21:06:00.003-04:00

Here is a link to the RECIPE. In short, I used this recipe from Epicurious.com as a guideline, and toyed with the proportions of the ingredients to taste.

Be mindful of your nuts (no, perv. not those). My walnuts got a little on the well-done side (suppose thats my euphemism for saying "burnt") since I left them unattended as I chifonnaded my collard greens. I de-stemmed the collard greens, stacked up a few, then cut them into little ribbons.

I described to NMcL the texture of collard greens as being thick, tough spinach. They were chewier greens than what I was used to. Because of their thickness, I'd recommend boiling them first to make them tender (love me tender), as the recipe suggests. I want to experiment with all types of greens (kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, etc.) because they really pack a nutritional punch!

Caramelized Onion, Walnut, and Sage Pizza - Students Go Vegan Cookbook – p.187 & 191

2010-03-24T21:02:00.002-04:00

Pizza Dough Recipe
½ c. warm water (110 F)
½ tsp. pure maple syrup
1 TBS. active dry baking yeast (1 package)
2 TBL. olive oil
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
½ c. whole wheat flour
½ c. to ¾ c. unbleached white flour
1 to 4 tsp. white flour for rolling out the dough

1) In a large bowl, combine the warm water and maple syrup. Stir in the yeast. Set it aside to proof (bubble and foam) for 10-12 minutes. Add the olive oil, salt, pepper, and whole-wheat flour. Mix well, gradually adding the ½ c. white flour. Use the other ¼ c. white flour if needed, until the product is a soft, workable dough that can be handled easily and does not stick to your hands.

2) Turn out the dough until a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth, springy, and pliant. Take care not to over dust your work surface with flour, as too much flour will make the crust tough.

3) Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and turn once so the entire surface is coated. Cover with a towel and set aside in a warm place to rise for 30-40 minutes, until the ball doubles in bulk.

4) Preheat oven to 450F. When the dough is ready, roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle or rectangle, using a rolling pin or your hands, sprinkling the surface with flour to prevent sticking as you go. Lightly oil the crust, add your chosen topping, and bake.

Caramelized Onion, Walnut, and Sage Topping

1 TBL. olive oil, plus more for brushing on top of dough
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
½ tsp. salt
Ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1-2 TBL. water
1 recipe of pizza dough, ready to roll out
1/3 c. walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. dried sage leaves

1) Warm 1 TBL. olive oil in a medium skillet. Add onion slices, salt, and a few pinches of pepper. Saute over medium/ medium-low heat, gently stirring to prevent the onions from sticking as they caramelize. After about 35 minutes, the onions should be golden and very sweet. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Add 1-2 TBL. water to help scrape the flavors left on the bottom of the pan. Set the onions aside to cool.

2) Preheat the oven to 450F. Roll out the dough and brush lightly with olive oil. Spread the caramelized onions and walnuts on top of the dough. Bake the pizza for 8 to 10 minutes, until the crust is golden. Remove the pizza from the onion and crumble the sage leaves on top.

Crib Notes: The pizza crust is delicious. It made enough for a 12 inch pie, which was 2 servings for me, though in the future, if making dough for a larger crowd (or an individual with a larger appetite) it might be nice to double the recipe. The dough recipe is definitely a keeper. The topping was pretty good too, though I noticed that the flavors seemed to meld better a day later. The dried sage I used was a little weird - the texture was bizarre, very earthy and natural...I might try using another brand...it was weird man, weird. Anyhoo, it is fun making vegan pizzas, and this recipe is decent.

Pumpkin Scones - Students Go Vegan Cookbook by Carole Raymond - p. 92

2010-03-21T16:39:00.001-04:00

1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. dried cranberries or raisins (or, for all you fellow chocoholics, chocolate chips!)
3/4 c. canned pumpkin
3/4 c. soy milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Combine dry ingredients well. Stir in the chocolate chips.

In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, soy milk, oil, and maple syrup. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just to combine. Do not overmix or the scones will be tough. Drop the batter by 1/4 c. onto baking sheet, 1-inch apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned on top.

Crib notes: The scones were not too sweet and not too pumpkiny. The scones were not a disaster nor incredibly delicious...they were tasty, just not a memorable experimentation - they were simply take-it-or-leave it.

Extreme Dream Cheesecake - The PETA Celebrity Cookbook - p. 110

2010-03-21T16:26:00.004-04:00

Filling:
2 - 8 oz. containers plain nondairy cream cheese (While the book recommended Tofutti brand, my rebellious streak kicked in and I used Follow Your Heart brand)
1 c. sugar
Juice of one whole lemon (I used a Meyer Lemon)
1 tsp. vanilla

Crust:
2 c. vegan graham cracker or cookie crumbs
1/8 c. sugar
1/4 c. margarine, softened

For the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and margarine and mix well. Transfer to an 8 inch pie pan, and press the dough firmly against the sides and bottom of the pan. Chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 350. Blend the nondairy cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Pour into the graham cracker crust. Place the entire cheesecake in the oven and bake for 60 minutes. Allow to cool.

Crib Notes:
When making the crust as per the recipe, the crust was much too dry. I added quite a bit of extra vegan margarine, perhaps too much. Oh well! Overall, the taste of the vegan cheesecake was good, but the texture was whack. The cheesecake never set properly - when I pulled it from the oven, the cheesecake was still a bubbling, gloopy mess. The crust was on the well-done side, so I had no choice but to remove the cake from the oven, and I had hoped that when it cooled it would congeal (the word "congeal" may or not be an appropriate culinary term, haha), but it never did.

MH enjoyed the taste a lot - it was quite citrusy, as far as cheesecakes go. In the future, if I were to retry this recipe, I would
a) try using Tofutti brand cream "cheese and/or
b) use less lemon juice
The recipe called for 2 TBL. of lemon juice or the juice of one lemon. As I squeezed my lemon, it definitely seemed like much more than 2 TBL. of juice was produced. So maybe too much liquid was the reason why the cake never set this time.

What Veganism Means To Me - Some Thoughts

2010-03-06T22:51:00.001-05:00

To some, its a way to protect the animals, save the earth. Personally, veganism is a way for me to organize the world, to help make sense of the world, to reduce some of the endless possibilities in our crazy lives. It represents guidelines for my actions, my choices in everyday life. Maybe its just a phase, a hobby, maybe I'm a freak - regardless, I am enjoying the challenge of eating a vegan diet, which is both restricting, for obvious reasons, but also extremely eye-opening in terms of discovering new foods and having different culinary experiences.

You've Got (Vegan) Options - Chocolate Chips/ Chunks (3rd Time...and More to Come!)

2010-03-06T22:30:00.005-05:00

I am falling in love with a generic brand - 365 Everyday Value - from Whole Foods Market. I think I'll buy stock in Whole Foods :)

Dark Chocolate Mini Chunks, contain 70 % Cacao Content (time to load up on those antioxidants!). Listed ingredients are as follows: Chocolate Liquor, Sugar, Dextrose, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla Extract.

See the other options:
Edition 2
Wait! There's More - First Edition

"Meatloaf" With Mashed Potatoes and Gravy - Skinny Bitch (118)

2010-03-01T21:47:00.019-05:00

“Meatloaf” Recipe (All Recipes are Courtesy of Above Referenced Book)

1 TBL. refined coconut oil
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 onion, diced
3 oz. cremini, shiitake, or portobello mushrooms, diced (about 2 cups) [I used a combination of baby bellas and white mushrooms]
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 slices vegan whole wheat bread [Be on the lookout for a “You’ve Got Options” post on Vegan-Friendly Breads]
1 c. toasted walnuts [Mine were raw, so I just toasted them in a pan over the stovetop for a bit]
2 14-oz. packages of Gimme Lean Ground Beef

½ c. rolled oats
½ c. ketchup
2 TBL. chopped fresh Italian parsley

1) Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 10 x 4 x 3 in. loaf pan and set aside.
2) In an 8 to 10 in. skillet, heat the oil on medium heat. Saute carrot and celery for about 2 minutes. Add onion, sauté for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, salt, and pepper, sauté for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool a little.
3) In a food processor, process bread and toasted walnuts to form a coarse meal. Transfer the coarse meal to a large bowl, add the “beef,” oats, ketchup, parsley, and veggie mixture. Use your hands to mix well. Transfer mixture to the loaf pan, spread it in an even layer, then bake for 45 minutes. The bitches (ahem, the skinny ones) recommend letting the loaf sit for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Boil water and a bit o’ salt in a large pot over high heat. Add approximately 2.25 pounds of peeled and cubed russet potatoes [I guesstimated the weight using approximately a little less than half of a five pound bag of potatoes.] Cook the potatoes for about 15 or 20 minutes, or until they are very tender. Drain the water, add the soy milk, a scoop of vegan butter, and salt and pepper to your hearts desire, then mash ‘em up, using a whisk. Or, if you have fancy (uni-tasking) kitchen gadgets a la Williams Sonoma, you can press the potatoes through a potato ricer.

Brown Gravy Recipe

¼ c. refined coconut oil
½ c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 c. veggie broth
4 TBL. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or 8 tsp. tamari or soy sauce

1) Heat the coconut oil in a 2 to 3 (small) quart saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Cook and stir constantly, until the mixture is browned and smells nutty (about 5 minutes). Add in the veggie broth, a little at a time, continuing to stir. Remove from heat, and whisk in the Bragg’s/ soy/ tamari.

Thoughts

This was an excellent recipe, I'd say that my fellow B+ vegans (or C vegans), haha, agree. Cooking with the coconut oil imparted a slightly sweet taste to both the meatloaf and the brown gravy, which was unique but pleasant. MO brought a nice Merlot which went well with the "meatloaf" and MD prepared a delicious vegan broccoli rabe dish. The meal was finished with a tasty sweet treat - Newman-O's, which, in my opinion are 110 % better than its non-vegan counterpart, i.e. Oreo brand cookies.

As far as the blogging format, there are some exciting changes on the horizon. JL suggested that I make use of these so-called jump breaks for my blog posts. I couldn't agree more - now its just a matter of sitting down and figuring out how to properly insert them. Ultimately, I envision each post containing just photos, then the readers (all 3 of you, haha) will click the pictures, which will contain a live link that redirects you to a new page that shows the recipe. If anyone has any suggestions on how to do this (ahem, SW!) please, comments are appreciated.

You've Got (Vegan) Options - Chocolate Chips/Chunks Edition 2

2010-02-27T22:50:00.001-05:00

ShopRite Real Chocolate Chips (Semi-Sweet), which contain: Sugar, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla

(See other vegan chocolate chip/chunk possibilities:) The Original Post

Vegan Chocolate Walnut Biscotti - Online

2010-02-27T22:13:00.000-05:00

Recipe adapted from and inspired by: Vegan Biscotti Recipe - Vegan Chocolate Walnut Biscotti
2 c. all-purpose flour [We used 50% white, all-purpose flour and 50% whole wheat]
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa
3 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped walnuts [We subbed pecans instead]
1/2 c. (1 stick) dairy-free soy margarine [Earth Balance to the rescue!]
2/3 c. agave nectar or maple syrup [We used 50% agave and 50% maple syrup]
1/3 c. raw cashew butter
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 c. Egg Replacer whisked with 1/3 cup hot water [Ener-G brand, of course, though I did see a Bob's Red Mill version that will be my next purchase once the Ener-G needs to be replaced]
2 T. almond milk or soy milk [We used Silk Vanilla Soy]
1 c. dairy-free dark chocolate chips
__________________________________________
1) Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix in the chopped nuts [We pulsed them in the mini-food processor]. Set aside.
3) In another large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the dairy-free soy margarine for about 1 minute, or until lightly fluffy. Add in the agave nectar, cashew butter and vanilla extract, beating until creamy and well mixed. Add in the Egg Replacer mixture and almond milk. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until forming a soft dough.
4) Form the dough into two slightly-flattened logs, and place on the prepared sheet. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove and allow the logs to cool for 15 minutes on a wire cooling rack. Turn down the oven to 300 F.
5) After the logs have cooled for 15 minutes, use a sharp knife and cut the logs crosswise diagonally into 20-24 biscotti. Lay each biscotti on its side on the prepared sheet, and bake again for another 10 minutes, flipping the biscotti with a spatula half-way through. The biscotti should be lightly golden brown, but not burned, when done. Allow the biscotti to cool on a parchment lined sheet on a wire cooling rack.
6) Meanwhile, in a double boiler or a stainless steel bowl set over boiling water, melt the chocolate chips. Once melted, brush the underside of each biscotti with melted chocolate and return to the parchment lined sheet to cool completely. Biscotti (or, as the Italians would say "BISH GOAT") should be enjoyed and kept at room temperature.

COMMENTS: While this biscotti recipe tastes good, something else didn't go right - the biscotti doesn't hold together well and is not hard and crispy - it is somewhat chewy, which, is good for a cookie, but not so great for biscotti. The biscotti's gotta be crispy for dipping, duh!

The directions say to bake the biscotti until lightly golden brown, which puzzled NMcL and I since, due to the presence of the dark cocoa powder, it was impossible to discern a light, golden brown tone. Duh! I suspect that the dough was simply underbaked which would explain why the softness of the finished product.

We skipped the melted chocolate step since we didn't have any vegan chocolate chips. It might have helped to bind the biscotti together.

In the future, I might just try experimenting with this recipe to make regular circular cookies since despite the texture being off, the taste is good (rich and chocolately but not overly sweet.) It would probably make a good, chewy cookie, but as far as vegan biscotti, I'd try other recipes before trying to tweak this one.

I get a sick pleasure...

2010-02-21T15:36:00.000-05:00

...out of learning about new foods, cooking techniques, etc. and sharing my passion with others by feeding them. Don't you just love how you get the warm and fuzzies feeding others?

Zucchini Brownies (Vegan) Recipe #384645 - Online

2010-02-21T15:19:00.000-05:00

Recipe Courtesy Of RecipeZaar

1/2 c. applesauce
1 c. raw sugar
2 tsp. maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. all-purpose whole wheat flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1.5 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. shredded zucchini [I peeled the zuc first, then used a box grater]
½ c. chopped walnuts (optional) [I opted out, and used chocolate chunks instead]
1/2 c. semisweet vegan chocolate chips (optional) [I opted in, thereby doubling the amount of chocolate chips called for. Party like a chocstar!]

1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the applesauce, sugar, syrup and vanilla.
3. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt - stir into wet ingredients (it will look pretty dry at this point - don't worry, it moistens up with the zucchini. However, if necessary, add a little more applesauce). [I added in an additional 3 tsp. of applesauce]
4. Stir in zucchini - if batter is still too dry, add a couple tbs of applesauce.
5. Add any optional ingredients (walnuts, chocolate chips).
6. Spread into baking pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.

This was an interesting recipe to say the least! As the recipe indicates, the batter was a little on the dry point. It was very very gummy like. The finished product was interesting too.

It was weird to see what looked like a baked good contain little chunks of green! The zuc shreds were visible, even after cooking the brownies. There were quite a few of favorable reviews. Aside, one of my coworkers said that it tasted like a magic brownie, minus the magical ingredient of course!

The title of the recipe, which includes the word “brownie,” is, in my opinion, a little misleading. I think a better name for the recipe would include the word “bread” or “loaf”. With the word “brownie” I was just expecting something much more chocolatey, fudgy, and sweet. My upstairs neighbor said that she liked the finished product precisely for that reason, because it wasn’t too sweet.

The chocolate chunks were AWESOME in this recipe. Even upon cooling completely, the chocolate chunks did not re-harden but rather maintained that gooey, melty chocolate texture. I used the semi-sweet chocolate chunks from the yellow bag. If I made these again, I’d definitely double up on the chocolate chunks and leave out the nuts…the chunks kind of made the recipe!

Another discovery is that the finished product tasted better after a few days. For whatever reason, the squares seemed denser and fudgier after being left out on the countertop (wrapped in plastic, though) for a few days. Overall, it was a successful, repeat-worthy recipe, especially given the healthful-ness of the recipe.

Just a thought: Zucchini has been bastardized! Ha ha, it never ceases to surprise me how we can take something so healthful and bastardize it into something unhealthy! C'est la vie!

Vegan for Lent?

2010-02-16T17:14:00.001-05:00

Hmm, here's a crazy thought. Can I keep a vegan diet for the next 6 weeks starting tomorrow, in honor of lent? Hmm, toying with this idea...

Online - Papaya Walnut Bread - http://www.recipezaar.com/Papaya-Bread-118766

2010-02-09T21:35:00.001-05:00

Papaya Bread Courtesy of Recipezar
THE RECIPE: (COURTESY OF AND ADAPTED FROM ABOVE MENTIONED WEBSITE)

1 cup shredded firm papaya (I simply diced an overripe papaya into small mini chunks)
1/2 cup vegan butter/ marg, softened (I used Earth Balance Brand)
1 cup sugar
2 portions of egg replacer (See the note on the egg replacement that I used)
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (I used pumpkin pie spice)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I used pumpkin pie spice)
1/2 cup raisins (I omitted the raisins)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (Since I omitted the raisins, I doubled the usage of walnuts to ½ c.)

1) Cream Earth Balance in a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg substitute (see note below) and beat well.

2) In another bowl, mix together the flour, and next 6 ingredients. Add dry mixture to creamed mixture, blending well.

3) Stir in papaya and chopped walnuts.

4) Spoon batter by the ¼ c. full into a muffin tin, lined with muffy liners. Bake at 400° oven for 20 minutes. Let entire muffin tin cool completely on a wire rack. Remove muffys, then enjoy!

Veganization: I used ground flax and water in place of eggs - it worked phenomenally. As per the suggestion of The Post Punk Kitchen, I used 2 1/2 tablespoons pre-ground flaxseeds plus 3 Tablespoons of hot tap water. In a small bowl, whisk both ingredients well together – the mixture will become gooey and gelatinous. The flax seeds were whole, I used THE BULLET to grind em!

NOTES AND THE VERDICT:

These muffins were awesome! Everyone at the office seemed to enjoy them - little did they know they were eating vegan delights, muahahaha! Papaya is pretty cool. This was my first time working with a fresh papaya and I found this YouTube Video on Cutting Papaya useful.

Originally, I had full intentions to process the papaya in the food processor, but I completely forgot…but its all good! The diced papaya worked wonderfully and imparted nice papaya bits n pieces to the finished product.

Earth Balance seems to be the superior butter sub to be used for baking. Many of the vegan books and websites agree that this is the gold standard. Also, the flaxination to replace the use of egg in the recipe worked like a charm too!

Veganizing recipes is great experimentation, especially when everything works out better than expected!

You've Got (Vegan) Options - Chocolate Chips/Chunks Edition

2010-02-09T21:09:00.000-05:00

The title of course, needs to be said in the old-school, AOL electronica voice.

Here are a few options for your vegan baking needs and desires.

Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate, which contains: sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla.

Baker's Real Semi-sweet Chocolate Chunks, which contain: sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract, and salt.

Saco Real Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks, which contain: sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, lecithin, and real vanilla.

How To Use the Broiler?

2010-02-07T10:16:00.001-05:00

Um, I have never broiled anything in my life. This needs to be changed. Experimentation to follow!

B+ Vegan

2010-01-20T08:34:00.001-05:00

That's what I am!

Cheezy Sauce - Veganomican (p.214)

2010-01-19T19:52:00.000-05:00

The authors call this a quick, tangy, flavorful and low-fat sauce suitable for dressing nachos, pasta, and veggies.

2 c. veggie broth or water [I used veggie broth]
1/4 c. flour
1 TBL. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
pinch of dried thyme (crumbled)
1/4 tsp. salt
several pinches of fresh ground black pepper
1/s tsp. tumeric
3/4 c. nutritional yeast
1 TBL. lemon juice
1 tsp. prepared (versus unprepared, come again?) yellow mustard [I used the contents of one packet that comes from Chinese takeout, which was a gift from M upstairs ...so bootleg, I know]
________________________________
1) Combine the broth or the flour and whisk until mostly dissolved.
2) Saute the garlic in the olive oil and gently cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often and being careful not to burn the garlic (Burning garlic stinks!)
3) Add thyme, salt, and pepper and cook for about 15 seconds. Raise the heat to medium. Use a whisk to stir constantly. The mixture should bubble and thicken for about three minutes (Crank the heat if it doesn't. CRANK IT, hahah DP).
4) Once the mixture is bubbling and thickening, stir for about 2 more minutes. Add the lemon juice and mustard. The mixture should resemble a thick, melty cheese.
Pour the sauce over your goodies (no, not those goodies, you perv!) and serve hot!

This cheesy sauce was on the spicy side, which may be attributable to the fact that I used veggie broth rather than water as my main liquid. Also, I did not precisely measure the turmeric, so this pungent spice might explain why the sauce came out so spicy. It was an interesting, robust flavor, and if I remember correctly, not as creamy as the other “cheese” sauce I made awhile back.

There is some sauce left, and I am curious to see how it tastes after a day in the fridge. Perhaps the sauce will mellow out a bit. It’ll probably be a nice dip for some cauliflower and other veggies. And because of the spice factor, I can see this sauce being good for nachos. Mmm, I am thinking about this sauce paired with the Toffutti Better Than Sour Cream, which would balance out the spiciness. In terms of making "cheese" sauce again, I am going to experiement with different recipes first before trying to tweak this recipe.

Potato “Cheese” Perogies – How It All Vegan: Irresistible Recipes For An Animal Free Diet By Tayna Barnard and Sarah Kramer – p. 113.

2010-01-18T20:17:00.000-05:00

Filling:
2 medium or large potatoes, cubed [I used golden potatoes, and peeled them first]
1.5 c. soy cheese, grated [I used cheddar]
1 TBSP. lemon juice
1 tsp. dried dill [I used thyme because I did not have dill]
Dash of pepper

Dough:
1.5 c. flour
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Egg replacer equal to 2 eggs
4 TBSP. margarine or veggie shortening
Sour cream for garnish [I used Tofutti brand “Better than Sour Cream” ... quite possibly a new obsession]
1)In a medium pot of water, boil the potatoes until they can be pierced easily with a fork. Drain. In a medium bowl, combine the potatoes, cheese, lemon juice, mustard, dill [or thyme in this case], and pepper. Mash well with a potato masher or fork [A fork works fine]. Set aside.
2)In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, and egg replacer. Cut the margarine into the flour until well blended. If necessary, add water if the dough is dry. Divide the dough into 16 balls and roll each ball into 3-inch circles. Put 1.5 TBL. Of potato mixture in each center. Fold dough over and press edges down with a fork.
3)In a large pot of boiling water, add 3 or 4 perogies at a time and cook for 5 minutes on low boil. Remove perogies with a slotted spoon and serve with “Sour Cream”. Alternatively, fry the perogies [I used a little olive oil] in a frying pan until crispy.

Commentary to come at another time (i.e. after laundry and bill paying, welcome the real world, ladies and gents)

So these perogies were pretty good save the dough. The dough recipe is not one I would ever repeat because the dough was tough and chewy. It really wasn't pleasantly textured at all. Also, the recipe did not yield enough dough for the amount of filling made.

On the other hand, the potato filling was delicious. I picked up a brick of vegan cheddar cheese (Unfortunately, I forgot the brand and the wrapper is long gone in the garbage!) The potato cheese filling got deliciously melty after cooking. In fact, at a later date, I made the potato cheese filling in a larger quantity and served it as mashed potatoes, that were well-received by my guests.

The boiling method vs. the frying method...I had no real preference. Though, the fried ones are more photgenic, methinks. EL, we will have to make perogies together sometime!

Baked Acorn Squash and Apples - Online

2010-01-13T22:13:00.000-05:00

Today at the supermarket I picked up an acorn squash to try something new. SA got me hooked on spaghetti squash, but I wanted to spice things up a bit. I stumbled upon this recipe for Baked Acorn Squash and Apples at the PostPunkKitchen website. It looks like a promising site for all things vegan.

When cutting the squash in half, an article from about.com, Acorn Squash Cooking Tips , recommends microwaving the entire squash to ease the slicing. Also, the article recommends cutting the squash in half through the stem end to the point, rather than across the diameter. The internet is great for learning how to cook (vegan and otherwise)! Its full of handy information!

The recipe did not include walnuts, rather, the addition of the nuts was suggested by a person in the comments section of the article. Always concerned with the protein content of my diet, I forged ahead and added two fistfuls (haha my coworkers) of (wal)nuts to the apple mix! How nicely the walnuts browned in the oven! In the future, I might omit the canola oil from the recipe - it didn't seem to add much to the dish, with the exception of unnecessary fat...there didn't seem to be any functional benefit of the oil...

There is a recipe for Glazed Acorn Squash on the sticker...it simply entails adding orange marmalade and butter to the squash. Might try this for my next experimentation, and will veganize the recipe by using my Smart Balance Light. Again, the reviews of the different versions of Smart Balance butter sub is to come!

Time Test

2010-01-11T16:02:00.001-05:00

Why is the time on all of my posts wrong?

Lemon Bars - Veganomican (p.244)

2010-01-11T14:15:00.000-05:00

This was somewhat of a disaster, albeit a comical one. Please read about my trials and tribulations below.

THE RECIPE (COURTESY OF ABOVE REFERENCED BOOK):

Crust:
1.75 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. confectioner's sugar, plus more for dusting the finished product
1/4 c. cornstarch
1 c. non-hyrogenated vegan margarine

Filling:
1.33 repeating (1 and 1/3) c. water
3 TBL. agar flakes [Found them at Whole Foods in the Asian section]
1.25 c. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. tumeric
2/3 c. fresh lemon juice [approximately 3 medium sized lemons]
3 TBL. arrowroot powder
1 TBL. finely grated lemon zest [Thanks to NMcL's skill on the box grater...I think she used the 2nd smallest grate]
1/4 c. soy milk
___________________________
Prepare the crust:
Pulse flour, confectioner's sugar, and cornstarch in a food processor. Add the margarine in spoonfuls and blend for 8 to 10 seconds and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle mixture into the prepared 9 X 13 inch prepared (aka lightly greased baking pan) and press firmly into an even layer with slightly raised sides. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350. Bake the unfilled crust for 25 minutes. Remove from oven then cool.

Prepare the filling:
1) In a sauce pot, soak the agar in the water for 15 minutes.
2) Zest the lemons and squeeze the lemon juice. Mix the arrowroot in the lemon juice to dissolve.
3) After the allotted time for soaking the agar, turn on the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes or until the agar is completely dissolved [it took MUCH less time for my agar to dissolve]. Add the granulated sugar and tumeric, and boil until they have dissolved (approximately 3 minutes). Turn down the heat to medium, add the arrowroot mixture, then add the lemon zest and soy milk. Whisk constantly for about 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens (approximately 5 minutes). It should not be rapidly boiling, but low bubbling is OK.
4) Pour the mixture into the prepared crust. Let cool for 20 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until the filling is only slightly jiggly and has set. Sprinkle the bars with confectioner's sugar, cut, and serve!

Holy lemony goodness. This were extremely robustly flavored - You must be a lemon lover in order to enjoy these bars.

I had severe technical difficulties in creating this recipe. Nothing to cry over, only events to laugh over.

First, upon coming home from Whole Foods (This recipe required a special trip for the agar flakes), I realized that I did not have arrowroot powder, as I thought I did...Not to fear, I fooled myself. A simple google search revealed that cornstarch is a perfect substitute for arrowroot (Joy of Baking) but, I warn you, do not be fooled yourself! The lemon filling using cornstarch in place of the arrowroot did not have a desirable consistency - despite chilling for 3 hours, the consistency remained too jiggly and jelly. Despite the funky consistency, the flavor was robust and lemony-delicious. The other comical aspect of making the filling was that on more than one occasion, the filling boiled over the pot and unto the stove top. Need to improve my kitchen finesse still!

The crust was also another mini disaster. The vegan butter substitute, Smart Balance Light, has a very creamy, spreadable consistency. Therefore, the dough the reference produced was very creamy, and not very dough like... it was more like a batter consistency. So, I impulsively dumped in another 3/4 c. flour to thicken up the batter. Still, since the Smart Balance Light is so creamy, the texture never became "coarse meal" -like, as the recipe suggests it would. In my next post, I am going to investigate the differences between Smart Balance and Smart Balance Light...be on the lookout for that post in the near future!

The other space cadet thing I did when making this recipe was a result of not carefully reading the recipe before proceeding. If you read the recipe (what a concept, haha!) you will note that you are supposed to bake the unfilled pie crust then let it cool before filling the crust with the lemon filling. Being the space cadet I have become post-college life, I poured the lemon filling into the unbaked pie crust, with the intention of baking the entire dish. Fortunately, I realized my error before putting the entire dish into the oven! So I ended up scraping as much of the lemon filling off of the unbaked crust as possible.

Such a disaster of a vegan experimentation! I learned a lot of baking lessons. I am not sure I'd bother trying to make this dessert again, since I am not a huge fan of lemon-bars, but if I did, I'd do many steps differently, haha. Just a short brainstorm of independent variables (yes, I went there) to experiment with:
1) Will arrowroot give the lemon filling the desired consistency?
2) Will Smart Balance margarine (Regular version, not the Light) give the crust the desired consistency? Will Earth Balance Margarine (the favored brand by the authors) give the crust the desired consistency?

The lemon flavor was truly out of this world, although the consistency of the filling was off. As far as the crust, the addition of the flour worked, but the crust was not especially good. This baking experiment was a big silly mess!

Lime Peanut Noodles with Seitan, Kale, and Carrots - Vegan Yum Yum (p. 197)

2010-01-07T20:51:00.000-05:00

THE RECIPE (COURTESY OF ABOVE REFERENCED BOOK):

1 package wide, flat rice noodles (10 oz.) [Trader Joe's package was a little bigger - 13.25 oz. if I remember correctly...Therefore, I was generous in my measurements for the rest of the ingredients]

1/4 c. low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
3 TBL. PB
2.5 TBL. lime juice, fresh
1 TBL. sugar
1/2 tsp. chili flakes
1/4 tsp. ginger powder (optional) [I opted in]
1 to 2 tsp. canola or peanut [I opted to use peanut]
2 cups of kale, shredded [I deveined the kale first, then just tore it into bite-friendly pieces]
1.5 c. seitan, cut into strips [I used an entire package of West Soy brand, which is in a blue 8 oz. cardboard box]

1 large carrot, shredded [I used a box grater; seriously considering purchasing a large food processor with a grating blade...]
2 handfuls of cashews, crushed
__________________________________
1) Cook rice noodles according to package. Prepare peanut sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, PB, lime juice, sugar, chili flakes, and ginger powder.
2) When finished cooking, rinse noodles with cold water. Drain well. Use kitchen shears to cut noodles into bite-friendly pieces, then set noodles aside.
3) Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Add kale and cook until cooked through and browning in some parts. Add seitan strips and carrots, and then turn down heat a bit.
4) Add noodles, sauce, then crushed cashews. Serve!

COMMENTS:

WHAT THE HELL IS SEITAN? I have seen seitan used as an ingredient in quite a few recipes and have been intrigued. It looks gruesome, but is pretty awesome. According to the package, "seitan is a low-fat, high-protein alternative to beef and poultry." Its vegan, cholesterol-free, and has only 1 gram of fat per serving! It is made from wheat gluten. The seitan was tasty, but it still freaks me out a little.

The yield on the recipe was easily enough for 4 to 5 people. Next time, I’d reduce the recipe by half because as is, I have leftovers up the wazoo.

Playing around with the proportions would result in a healthier version. As is, the recipe is fit for a carbohydrate queen. Next time, I’d add much more kale and carrots – I might even try to make this a kale-based dish, rather than a noodle-based dish (that is, having kale be the main ingredient and the noodles the accent ingredient, rather than vice versa).

The seitan coupled with the cashews lends a lot of protein to this dish! (Ma, where’s the PROTEIN?!) Overall, it was a decent dish.

Sun-Dried Tomato Dip - Veganomicon (p. 64)

2010-01-07T20:38:00.000-05:00

THE RECIPE (COURTESY OF ABOVE REFERENCED COOKBOOK):

2 c. sun-dried tomatoes (dry ones, not packed in oil)
2 c. boiling water
1/2 c. slivered or sliced almonds
1/2 c. cooked white beans [The authors recommend using navy beans...I find it ironic that navy beans are a type of white bean...Anyway, I couldn't find navy beans so I used butter beans instead]
2 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
1/4 olive oil
2 TBL. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt [I omitted this]
several pinches of fresh ground pepper
________________________________________
1) Place the tomatoes in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let sit and soak for 15 minutes.
2) In a blender or food processor, grind the almonds to a powder. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the tomatoes from the water (do not discard the water) and add them to the almonds. Add the remaining ingredients and puree, adding up to 1/4 c. of the tomato water. Scrape down sides as necessary.
3) Cover, chill for at least an hour, then serve. [The authors recommend using this dip as a spread on a grilled veggie sandwich - I dipped carrots and Triscuits]

COMMENTS: Beware when eating this dip! B sampled just a taste of the dip and ended up cracking a tooth! I am so sorry! The culprit must have been an almond piece...? WTF.

The dip was overly garlic...2 cloves was way too intense, in my opinion. For the sheer fact that someone chipped a tooth, I am reluctant to make this dip again. But if I did, I'd use a single garlic clove. Or, maybe I'd use two ROASTED garlic cloves instead!

To make roasted garlic, take an entire bulb of garlic and peel off as much outer skin as possible. Chop off the top. Spread a little olive oil on the top, making sure to coat each individual clove. Wrap in foil and bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes. I baked mine for about 35 minutes, and next time, I'd roast it for even longer, so the consistency becomes spreadable, as people purports it does. Roasted garlic is absolutely delicious and tastes a lot more mild than the raw version.

Butternut Squash Soup with Carmelized Onions - My Mind

2009-12-30T18:34:00.000-05:00

After perusing a few websites that had various recipes (both vegan and non-vegan) with butternut squash as the main ingredient, I decided I would try my hand at inventing an original VEGAN recipe. I am slowly building my kitchen confidence and intuition - breaking out of my "strictly-follow-the-recipe" mentality is challenging and fun.

This recipe yielded 2 large bowls.

1 butternut squash
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 c. cashews
3/4 to 1 c. plain soy milk
1 tsp. Better than Boullion
1/2 c. water
1/4 tsp. sage (from the spice rack, next time I'll try fresh!)
squirt of maple syrup
black and cayenne pepper to taste
parsley for garnish
_____________________________________
1) Preheat oven to 350. Place butternut squash into a baking dish and bake for 1 hour. Let the squash cool to the point that it can be (man) handled. Peel skin then gut and toss the seeds. Slice the butternut in half; cut one half into small chunks. Reserve other half for another exciting vegan recipe. [I wrapped the other 1/2 in plastic wrap and will store in the fridge until I can think of something to do with it...any vegan-friendly suggestions?]
2) Thinly slice and caramelize onion in a bit of olive oil.
3) Blend until creamy the cashews and soy milk. Add in Better than Boullion, water, sage, and a medium squirt (how precise!) of maple syrup.
4) Add the squash cubes and blend, blend, blend! until creamy.
5) Transfer soup into a pot, toss in the caramelized onions, season with the peppers, and heat through. Garnish, if wanted, and serve immediately!

Some thoughts:

The soup was pretty good. The blended cashews lent the soup a thick, creamy texture. In the event that you wanted soupier soup, you could always add in more water until desired thinness is achieved. But I liked the viscosity of the recipe - its just a matter of personal preference, all!

I rushed the caramelization process, so my onions were not as tender or as sweet as they could have been. Next time, I won't rush the process - if I remember correctly, Martha (Stewart, of course) suggests that the process should take at least 1/2 hour. Since it was late at night, I rushed the process, and let the onion slices cook for a scant 10 minutes or so...Next time, I'll try to improve on this aspect of the recipe.

RA suggested the combination of butternut squash and sage. She is a proponent of fresh herbs - I used what I had around the kitchen at the time, which is the powdered sage from a spice rack. Next time, I'd try fresh sage.

What's Better Than Bouillon, you ask? Basically, it is a concentrated veggie paste that you add to water to make veggie broth. Alternatively, using real (homemade or store-bought) veggie broth would be an acceptable substitution.

At Raymonds, I once ordered their Chipolte Butternut Squash Soup and thought it was good, but a tad spicy. In comparison, my soup was extremely mild. Adding more black and/or cayenne and/or other type of pepper is another variation that I might play around with on a rainy day.

When heating the soup, the soup kept splattering out of the pot! Next time, I might use a lower heat for a longer length of time as to avoid the mess left on the stove.

I am excited to see if and how the flavors meld after 24 hours.

Decent soup!

To Be (Vegan) or Not To Be...

2009-12-30T18:25:00.001-05:00

Carb Queen

2009-12-27T10:25:00.000-05:00

So many of my vegan recipes rely heavily on pasta! I'd like to experiment with more dishes that do not!

JL's Vegan Saag Paneer - JL's Brilliant Mind

2009-12-24T19:14:00.001-05:00

ORIGINAL Homemade vegan Indian food at its finest. JL experimented and came up with this recipe.

In a food processor, [If its a new, shiny, and white Cuisinart one - all the better!] process: sauted onions, fresh spinach, and chunks of carrot.

JL - what type of oil did you use to saute the onions?
JL - did you cook the carrots before processing or where they raw?
JL - are there any ingredients missing?

Saute some cubed tofu too. Serve hot with oven-baked pita (our version of naan (sp?)].

This is a simple recipe! It might be fun to experiment with various (Indian) spices. Great dish, Julia and thanks for taking care of the dishes, SW! Let's do it again soon :)

Apple-Peanut Butter-Caramel Bars - Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook (p.242)

2009-12-22T23:30:00.000-05:00

Holy Christmas Day! This recipe produces an insanely sweet dessert much like warm apple pie (..."It's like warm apple pie" teehee.

THE RECIPE (FROM ABOVE REFERENCED BOOK):

Crust:
3 cups graham cracker crumbs [If you are truly taking the whole vegan thing to heart, you'll have to be sure that your graham crackers do not contain any honey. I used Keebler Cinnamon Grahams:
1/2 c. canola oil
3 TBL. plain soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

I placed my graham crackers in a gallon-sized Ziplock bag, wrapped the baggie in a dish towel, then proceeded to pound the sh** out of the crackers using a heavy, metal mallet utensil thing. Great way to release frustration!

Crumb topping:
1/2 c. all purpose flour
3 TBL. sugar
2 TBL. canola oil
pinch each of cinnamon, ginger, and allspice [I did not have allspice, so I subbed pumpkin pie mix instead]

Apple filling:
6 granny smiths, cored and sliced thinly (peeling is optional) [I peeled]
1 TBL. canola oil
1/3 c. sugar
3 TBL. flour
1 TBL. water
pinch each of cinna, ginger [Kill all gingers!...Yes, this will the first and only South Park reference in my blog], and allspice [again, I used pumpkin pie mix]

Peanut Butter Caramel:
2/3 c. chunky PB
1/4 c. maple syrup
3 TBL. brown rice syrup
______________________________
I've assembled all of the ingredients, now what?...
Prepare the Crust:
1) Place grahams in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with oil and mix until moistened. Gradually add in the soy milk. Mix with your fingers; the crumbs should hold together if pinched. Press the wet crumbs into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan to make a crust. [My crust didn't extend up the sides, it was a flat-bottom crust]

Prepare the topping:
1) Place flour, sugar, and spices in a mixing bowl. Drizzle two TBL. of oil into the flour and mix with your fingers until crumbs start to form. Add more oil if necessary [it wans't!]

Prepare the apple filling:
1) Combing all the ingredients in a bowl, coating all the apples. [I advise combing the oil, sugar, flour, water, and spices first to make a paste, even before peeling, coring, and slicing the apples. The peeling, coring, and slicing of the apples should come last, as to avoid the apples from turning brown on you. I found that immediately after slicing the apples, if I coated the slices in the paste, they did not turn brown...would that be the apples oxidizing?...rando question...]

Assemble:
1) Layer the apples onto the crust.
2) Sprinkle with crumb topping. The authors note that the topping won't solidly cover the entire pan; just sprinkle it evenly over the top.
3) Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the apples are tender.

Prepare the Peanut Butter Caramel: [Do this about 40 minutes into the bake time]
1) Mix all the ingredients very well, in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until the mixture "softens and slides of the fork in ribbons" [My mixture never became ribbon-like, rather, it thinned out considerably while hot.]
2) When the bars are done baking [ding!], drizzle the caramel over the top. Please let the dish cool completely before slicing and serving; to speed up the waiting process, its OK to stick the entire pan in the fridge.

Notes: The recipe recommends eating this dish cooled and cut into bars; I say live a little and eat it warm, fresh out of the oven!

I poured my caramel right out of the saucepan and it never really gave that "drizzled" look, rather it just kind of looked gloppy. Of course, it was still delicious, but in the event that presentation matters, I'd recommend putting the sauce into a squirt bottle to achieve that "drizzle" effect. Or alternatively, dumping the caramel into a Ziplock baggie, cutting of a corner, and squeezing it out the opening would result in a more aesthetically-pleasing drizzle.

The sheer amount of oil in this recipe is a cause for concern. I've read that applesauce can sub for oil in baking, so next time I might experiment with this healthier alternative.

JL and SW, I hope you enjoyed this dessert as much as I did!

"Vegan Hobbyist" - Coined by MD on 12/13/09

2009-12-13T22:41:00.001-05:00

Pumpkin Baked Ziti With Caramelized Onions and Sage Bread Crumb Topping - Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry

2009-12-13T21:59:00.000-05:00

...Hope Romero (p.194)
Vegannomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook (A BIG thanks, SW, for helping me to troubleshoot linking websites! GENIUS!)

Thanks to JL and SW for getting me this cookbook for my birthday! This is the first of many recipes from this book that I will be experimenting with. Thanks again! You guys are phenomenal friends. And your vegan wedding will be out of this world :)
P.S. If you are reading this, when are we going to do our vegan dinner???

Just the name of this dish gives me goosebumps. MD, myself, and Lady GaGa collaborated on Saturday night to make this baked ziti dish.

THE RECIPE (COURTESY OF THE ABOVE REFERENCED BOOK):

3/4 lb. uncooked ziti or penne pasta [We used whole wheat ziti and guesstimated the amount of pasta. We used a full 13.25 oz box plus 3 large handful of zitis from a second box. If you were concerned, the pasta did all fit into the cooking pot, hahah MD!)
2 onions thinly sliced
3 TBL. olive oil
1 recipe Cashew Ricotta (recipe to follow)
1 TBL. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
white pepper and cayenne [We didn't have white so we omitted it, we aren't pepper racists, we swear!]
2 c. pumpkin puree or one 15 oz. canned pumpkin puree
1/4 c. veggie broth

SAGE BREAD CRUMBS:
2.5 c. breadcrumbs [The authors strongly advised using homemade bread crumbs, but we used unsalted breadcrumbs straight from the canister]
1/3 c. walnut pieces, chopped in a food processor until resembling coarse crumbs [I am pretty sure MD just chopped the nuts by hand.]
1/4 c. non-hydrogenated vegan marg. [We used either Earth Balance or Smart Balance, whatever is currently in my fridge]
2 tsp. dried rubbed sage [rubbed? haha]
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. ground paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper [Lunchtime poll: Can you really detect a difference from regular black pepper and fresh ground pepper?"

[The bolded parts are quotes from two of my favorite movies. Hint: the first is straight up 80's and the second is classic 90's...Can you name those films?]

1) Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly grease an 9 x 11 inch lasagne-type baking pan (ours was glass) with olive oil.
2) Prepare ziti according to package directions. Drain then rinse with cool water to stop cooking. Set aside.
3) While the pasta is cooking, caramelize the onions. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and saute the onions until brown and caramelized. Set aside. See Notes.
4) Prepare Cashew Ricotta:
RECIPE:
1/2 c. raw cashew pieces
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 TBL. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 lb. firm tofu, drained.
1.5 tsp. dried basil
1.5 tsp. salt

1a) In a food processor, blend cashews, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic until thick, creamy paste forms. Add crumbled tofu and blend. Blend in basil and salt.

BACK TO THE MAIN RECIPE:
5) Place the Cashew Ricotta in a large bowl and fold in pumpkin, brown sugar, nutmeg, white pepper, cayenne, and vegetable broth. Add the cooked ziti and caramelized onions, stirring to coat the pasta. Pour the mixture into the baking pan and spread it out evenly.

SAGE BREADCRUMB PREPARATION:
1a) Melt the marg. in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the breadcrumbs, walnuts, dried herbs, paprika, and season with salt and pepper. Stir constantly until the mixture is lightly coated, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle evenly over the ziti.

BACK TO THE MAIN RECIPE (YOU'RE ALMOST DONE!)
6) Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Let dish cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

WHOA! What a dish! This is delicious for the fall. The pumpkin flavor was subtle and lent a nice creaminess to the dish. The mushiness of the ziti contrasted well with the dry, crunchiness of the breadcrumbs. The sweetness of the pumpkin was a phenomenal compliment to the zing of the pepper. Both MD and I were ecstatic with the results of this recipe. This is a 5-star recipe. [Note: Going forward, I will be tagging certain entries as being 5-star.]

As far as caramelizing onions, the onions were caramelized to perfection. I used a bronze-y/ copper colored pan from our kitchen, and I do believe that the specific pan really helped to make a difference. I seem to remember that I used a standard, dark non-stick pan to make the caramelized onions for the Onion Tart Recipe, and the results were not as impressive. LESSON LEARNED: When caramelizing onions, go for the bronze cookware! In addition to the olive oil, I added a few small scoops of the marg. to coat the onions in the pan and at one point, I added in a small scoop or two of sugar, to really get the caramelization process rolling. PERFECTION.

One thing I might do differently is to initially under cook the ziti in the pot since the ziti presumably continues to cook in the oven. This might give the dish an even better, al dente texture.

Health-conscious MD made a great substitution in the recipe. In place of about 1/2 c. of the bread crumbs, she subbed in wheat germ! MD also dazzled me and Lady G with her knowledge of the health benefits of wheat-germ. And she also took advantage of her "cooking license" [much akin to poetic license, obviously] by adding in fresh parsley to the sage breadcrumb recipe.

Again, this is a definite 5-star recipe. I cannot wait to experiment with the other recipes in this particular cookbook!

Pepita Fettucini with Spinach & Cranberries - Vegan Yum Yum (p.208)

2009-12-13T14:41:00.000-05:00

THE RECIPE COURTESY OF ABOVE-REFERENCED BOOK:
Fettucini for one [Wow, that's fairly nondescript...it lends itself an "aura of mysteriousness" haha, MD :)]
1/3 c. raw, unsalted pepitas or pumpkin seeds [Couldn't find pepitas, I used pumpkin seeds]
1 TBL. oil
2 large handfuls of spinach, torn
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 TBL. tamari or soy sauce
1 TBL. maple syrup
2 or 3 fresh thyme sprigs (optional) [I opted out of this option]
1/4 c. dried cranberries [Craisins to the rescue!]
____________________________________
1) Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the fettucini. While the pasta is cooking, pulse the pepitas in a food processor or blender until chopped fairly fine, then set aside. [I just chopped the pumpkin seeds by hand to the best of my ability with a chef's knife]
2) Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the spinach. Use tongs to coat the spinach in the hot oil. Add the red pepper flakes, tamari, maple syrup, and (optional) thyme. Toss in the cranberries and mix everything well. Turn off heat.
3) Drain the fettucini and add to the skillet. Add chopped pepitas and toss everything until coated. Serve immediately.

This dish looked impressive, though I wasn't particularly impressed by the taste. The sauce was on the "hot" side - perhaps I just used a heavy hand when tossing in the red pepper flakes...Regardless, I did not think that this was a spectacular recipe. However, in the event that I do, I will double the sauce recipe. Perhaps extra sauce will improve the dish.

Brococoli Almond Sweet-and-Sour Tofu - Vegan Yum Yum (p. 40)

2009-12-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

THE RECIPE:
1 tub extra firm tofu, pressed
2 tsp. Ener-G Egg Replacer, plus 4 tsp. water, mixed
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 peanut or canola oil [I used peanut]
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1 to 2. c steamed broccoli
sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

RECIPE FOR SWEET-AND-SOUR SAUCE:
3.5 TBL. seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 c. + 1 TBL. H20 [H2 the izzo!]
2 TBL. + 2 tsp. sugar
2 TBL. tamari
2 tsp. ketchup
1 tsp. molasses
1/4 tsp. ginger powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1.5 TSP. cornstarch + 2 TBL. water, mixed.
_________________________________________
1) Slice the tofu into triangles or small cubes. [Lauren (the author, of course) suggests that smaller is better. This is where the pre-cubed tofu in the tub would be very handy, since my hand-cut cubes were fairly sizable pieces.]
2) Toss the tofu with the egg replacer/water mixture until coated. Then toss in cornstarch until each piece is coated and dry, adding more cornstarch if needed.
3) Heat oil in a large wok.
4) While the oil is heating, make the sweet-and-sour sauce. In a small sauce pan, mix rice vinegar, water, sugar, tamari, ketchup, molasses, ginger powder, and salt and whisk until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and whisk until the sauce thickens. Lauren cautions to keep your eye on the sauce and whisk frequently, as the sauce will burn is left unattended. When thick, turn off heat and set aside.
5) Place tofu in the hot oil, and fry for 3 to 5 minutes until golden on the bottom, then flip and brown the other side. Lauren suggests not crowding the tofu cubes and advises cooking the tofu in batches, if necessary. Right before you are going to take the tofu out, add the almonds and fry them for about 30 seconds.
6) When done cooking tofu and almonds, drain the oil and place the mix into a large bowl.
7) Pour sweet-and-sour sauce over tofu and almonds, add fresh steamed broccoli, and gently toss to coat. Optionally, garnish with sesame seeds, and serve immediately.

Comments: What a slimy and sticky mess the tofu was! My methodology was to place the tofu cubes in a bowl, dump in the peanut oil, then dump in the cornstarch on top. This resulted in a sticky, gooey gunk. And the large tofu cubes did not hold their shape well. That said, if I were to make this dish again, I would lightly coat the tofu cubes in the oil, then roll each cube around a plate of cornstarch, much like one does when coating a chicken breast with breadcrumbs.

That said, I am not sure I would bother trying to pan-fry the tofu again. It doesn't seem the healthiest way to prepare the 'fu and, as previously insinuated, the results were underwhelming. ["I know you can overwhelmed and I know that you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever, just be whemled?" "I think you can in Europe" - Name the movie, win a bike!]

On the other hand, the sweet-and-sour sauce was a delight! This would be a great sauce for dipping vegan egg rolls (Note to self: Find recipe for vegan egg rolls) or even drizzled over steamed veggies and rice.

Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta - Vegan Yum Yum...(p. 216)

2009-12-13T13:39:00.000-05:00

This is easily one of my new favorite meals, hands down. The "cream" sauce is made by blending well cashews and other ingredients - the KitchenAid blender worked like a charm.

THE RECIPE:

6 to 8 oz. uncooked whole wheat spaghetti [I eyeballed the amount]
1 to 2 large, ripe tomatoes [I opted to use 2]
1/2 c. raw cashews
1/4 c. water
1 TBL. tomato paste
2 TBL. olive oil
2 to 4 cloves garlic [I don't remember how many I used, but I am going say that I used 2 or 3 and definitely not 4 for fear of rancid garlic breath)
1 tsp. salt
2 to 3 TBL. wine or water [Whoa, that's like comparing apples to oranges]
1 or 2 tsp. black pepper
1 large handful fresh basil leaves, chopped
_______________________________________________
1) Boil water and cook pasta.
2) Core then roughly chop the tomato(s). Add to blender, along with cashews, water (or wine) and tomato paste. Blend until very smooth.
3) Add olive oil to large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and saute until golden.
4) Pour the sauce from the blender into the saute pan and bring to a simmer. Add salt, and let cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5) Add the drained pasta to the saute pan along with the black pepper and freshly chopped basil leaves. Toss to coat and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

This recipe is delicious, as is. No changes or suggestions necessary. This recipe will be incorporated to my meal rotation.

Random Thought

2009-12-07T21:48:00.000-05:00

So, as I was reading JL's blog, I noticed that she "tags" her entries. Going forward, I will be tagging entries for quicker reference in the future.

P.S. Damn "Insert Link" button on Blogger is still not functional! In any event, here is the link to her blog. You'll just have to bear with old school cutting and pasting for the time being! http://soapparently.wordpress.com/

Stir-Fry 2004 Plus! - An ORIGINAL by SDP and LH

2009-12-07T21:37:00.001-05:00

SDP and I wanted to make dinner together and I suggested stir-fry...Little did she know that we were making a vegan meal! Again, like Stir-Fry 2004, we did not follow a recipe and instead used our kitchen intuition to throw together this dish. The results were phenomenal.

To start, heat up some tamari, water, and sugar in a wok. Add veggies. SDP bought and brought over a vacuum-packed assortment of pre-washed, pre-cut vegetables, that included carrots, broccoli, onions, red/yellow/green peppers, mushrooms, etc. This was a pleasant convenience. We also added in some finely chopped garlic and ginger. Towards the end of the cooking time, we tossed in cooked brown rice. At the end of the cooking time, SDP added some pan-fried chicken and I added my pan-fried tofu for protein.

Just as good, if not better, than last time!

Nutritious British Broccoli and Spinach Quiche - The PETA Celebrity Cookbook by Ingrid Newkirk (p. 69)

2009-12-07T21:12:00.000-05:00

Cookbook:

I had made this quiche B.B. (Before Blog) and had enjoyed it very much so. Why is it "British" quiche? That I do not know! Or care!

THE RECIPE (COURTESY OF ABOVE REFERENCED BOOK):

2-3 garlic cloves
1.5 c. broccoli
2 c. spinach
1 lb. tofu, drained and cut into chunks
2-3 TBS. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional)
1 vegan pie crust (See 11/08/08 Entry for recipe)
1 tsp. paprika
________________________________
1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Combine garlic, broccoli, spinach, tofu chunks, nutritional yeast, salt, cayenne.
3) Combine in food processor (option) [I opted out of this step; instead I just chopped everything really well]
4) Roll out pie crust and place in pie dish.
5) Spoon tofu mixture into pie crust.
6) Sprinkle paprika on top.
7) Bake for 1 hour and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Why is my link not working?! Must play around with Blogger to create active and visible links. In the meantime, the following is the url for the cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/Peta-Celebrity-Cookbook-Ingrid-Newkirk/dp/1590560272/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260239543&sr=8-1

Ten Minute Brownies Revisited - See 11.15.09 Entry

2009-12-03T21:14:00.001-05:00

Did not have any vegan chips, but I did have a hunk of Trader Joe's chocolate. At TJ's there is a physical list of Vegan Friendly Products - just ask at the customer service center! This bar of chocolate is a real value item too. For the recipe, I used a chef's knife and chopped the sh** out of a small hunk of the bar.

Again, there are some issues with pan size/ baking time/ proportions of wet and dry ingredients...the brownies were not cohesive squares when cut. They were crumbly but delicious and fudgy nonetheless. In fact, DP's dad wolfed down two at the dinner table! The brownies were extra energy needed to banish all helicopters on the front lawn!

Homemade Lara Bars - http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/2008/02/home-made-lara-bars-energy-bars-part-3.html

2009-12-03T20:52:00.000-05:00

Its a well known fact of life that Lara Bars are delicious. These homemade Lara Bars, courtesy of the above referenced website, were really good too! The recipe yields two bars.

Here's the recipe:

Very Cherry Bars

1/4 cup chopped dates (roughly chopped whole dates, not pre-chopped)
1/4 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries [I used Craisins]
1/3 cup whole pecans, almonds or walnuts [I used cashews]
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 TBSP peanut butter [I used crunchy Skippy]*

____________________________________________________
1)Pulse dates and cherries in a food processor (This is where my Magic Bullet came into handy) until processed to a paste; transfer to medium bowl.

2) Add the nuts and cinnamon to the Magic Bullet and pulse until finely chopped. Add the nut mixture to the fruit paste.

3) Use your fingers to knead the nuts into the fruit paste.

4) Divide mixture in half. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap, and use hands to form the bars.

Notes: * While the peanut butter was not included in the original recipe, I added it to the mixture since it was so dry and did not hold its form well. It was a tasty addition. It would be fun to roll out the dough and use cookie cutters!

As far as the mixture being a little on the arid side, it may be attributable to the dates I used. The ones I used were purchased in a plastic container. Word on the street from my coworker, RA, is that there are more juicy, fresh dates. She might have mentioned these plumper dates being readily available in a barrel? I'll have to investigate this further...

Also, I encourage you to check out the website mentioned above...the blogger makes suggestions for different variations of Lara Bars. HELLO chocolate chip cookie dough Lara Bars!

Stir-Fry 2004 - An ORIGINAL by LH, MOC, and ET

2009-11-28T20:41:00.000-05:00

Here's the recipe for an original dish, dubbed Stir-Fry 2004 in honor of our high school reunion we attended the same night of its creation.

In a wok, add a splash of tamari, small scoop of sugar, and a little water. Heat and saute Chinese broccoli. Add tofu cubes, fresh minced ginger, and Soy Vay sauce. Top with a few chopped scallions. Cook until hot.

This was a simple, delicious dish that was thrown together fairly last minute by three inexperienced chefs. It is a dish I'd like to recreate in the future!

We wanted to add some minced garlic, but last minute decided against doing so for fear that we'd have horrible breath whilst "catching up" with former classmates of ours. Haha! Next time, a little garlic might be a nice touch. Also, serving this dish over some sticky rice or noodles would make this a "complete meal".

***Unfortunately, there are no pictures because blogging didn't even cross my mind - I was pretty preoccupied with pre-reunion jitters (if you want to call them that, haha!)

Woo hoo to building confidence in the kitchen and experimenting sans formal recipe!

Pad See Ew - Vegan Yum Yum (p. 202)

2009-11-28T20:15:00.000-05:00

One night during her visit, SA and I had the hardest time agreeing upon a meal to eat for dinner. After much deliberation (we even considered ordering take out!), we finally agreed upon trying a vegan recipe. We took a trip to the local Chinese market (http://yellowpages.mapquest.com/business/nj/east-hanover/Kam-Man-Foods-Inc/0-110478811/?query=kam%20man&icid=oneclick_mapquestyp&invocationType=oneClick.freelisting&flv=1)to pick up the specialty ingredients required for this recipe.

THE RECIPE:

3/4 package of chow fun (about 1.8 lbs.) Chow fun are fresh noodles that we purchased from the Chinese market especially for this dish. They are gushy sheets that I needed to cut into smaller, more manageable strips for this dish.
2 TBL. veggie oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes --> SA, a seasoned chef, recommended we use fresh ground chili paste as a replacement for the red pepper flakes.
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1 lb. Chinese broccoli --> chop it into manageable pieces and halve the stems as to shorten their cooking time.
1.5 cups wheat gluten (a.k.a. seitan), sliced thin --> Please read notes at bottom
3 TBL. light soy sauce
3 TBL. dark soy sauce
2 TBL. sugar
________________________________________________
1) Cut noodles into manageable pieces
2) Heat oil in wok. Saute garlic over medium heat.
3) Add pepper flakes and ginger
4) Add broccoli and stir-fry until tender crisp, just a few minutes.
5) Add gluten, soy sauce, sugar, and noodels. Stir well, cooking for a a few minutes. Serve immediately.

Some notes: The recipe called for seitan, but Sarah the Carnivore and I subbed in chicken and tofu, respectively. I just sauted a little tofu in vegetable oil with salt and pepper in a separate pan, then added it to the broccoli concoction at the end of the cooking time.

Right off the bat, Sarah suggested that we double the recipe for the soy sauce sauce mixture. We used tamari and sushi soy sauce...The book details how using a light and a dark soy sauces is recommended for the best flavor, we used what we had handy. (Thanks NMcL for the sushi soy sauce).

It was a pretty good recipe and meal but definitely does not rival that of my new favorite Thai restaurant (http://www.yelp.com/biz/pimaan-thai-restaurant-emerson)! But for newbie Thai cookers, it was a fun experience and a success!

Pear Banana Bread - http://www.recipezaar.com/Pear-Banana-Bread-Low-Fat-353285

2009-11-19T20:54:00.000-05:00

Veganized this muffin recipe using my Ener-G egg replacer. Ate two muffins (practically) right out of the oven. They were cooked through and the center was moist. The "edges" of the muffins stuck to the muffin liners pretty badly...Maybe that problem will dissipate once the muffins have cooled completely, I hope. If not, I'll just eat muffin centers. Muffin top, haha.

The recipe yielded 12 muffins when using 1/4 c. scoop + 1 very tiny bread pan.

In the event that the website is removed:

THE RECIPE:

1 banana (I used one and three quarters because the nonnies were small)
3 medium pears
1 + 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg (or veganized, the equivalent of 1 egg)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1.5 tsp. vanilla
___________________________________
1) Chop and blend fruit. I was able to use a regular, old-fashioned hand mixer and encountered few lumps since the fruit was chopped and so ripe.
2) Add all other ingredients, save 3/4 c. flour. Blend. Then add the remaining 3/4 c. flour.
3) Pour batter into greased pan or into lined muffin tin.
4) Bake at 425 F for 20 minutes. (The original recipe suggested 45-60 minutes at 350 - I was feeling rebellious. Let cool (if you had self-control) then Enjoy :)

Ten Minute Brownies - Student's Go Vegan Cookbook by Carole Raymond (p. 206)

2009-11-15T20:16:00.000-05:00

I had made this recipe over the summer and made the most fudgy, dense, deliciously moist, undercooked brownies. This time, my end result was drier and more cake-like. Possible reasons: First time around I used vegan cane sugar from Whole Foods. Second time around I used regular sugar - perhaps there is some sort of functional difference between the two? Also, first time I omitted the nuts. Second time around I added a combination of chopped walnuts and chopped Craisins.

The recipe calls for a 6 x 9 bake pan, but I used what I had handy, which was an 8 x 8. Also, both times the recipe's recommended bake time was not nearly enough. In both instances, the edges cooked perfectly but the center of the pan did not. I am not sure what this is attributable to...? The beauty of vegan baking, however, is that it is 100 % safe to eat the egg-free batter, so raw, undercooked brownies are not a threat!

This time, the brownies were good, but definitely not anything like I remembered from the first time I made them. C'est la vie, I suppose!

1/4 c. canola oil
1 c. vegan chocolate chips
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
3/4 c. suagr
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. finely chopped walnuts
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1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Lightly oil a 6 x 9 baking pan. A coworker of mine believes this might be a small loaf pan...
3) In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips in oil. Stir occasionally and set aside when fully melted.
4) To a large bowl, add applesauce, sugar, and vanilla. Blend well. Stir in the chocolate mixture. Whip (it good) and blend well. Add the flour, baking powder and nuts and mix, just enough to combine.
5) Spoon the batter into the baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top springs when lightly touched. Let cool completely and cut into squares.

Pasta Fagioli

2009-11-15T20:03:00.000-05:00

This is a recipe from a coworker that has become a staple. Eyeball all ingredients.

1) Saute onion and garlic in olive oil (I used half an onion and 1/2 a clove.) Add 1/2 can tomato paste. Add a bit of water. Again, just eyeball the measurements and do use as much as your gut tells you. Add kidney beans (rinsed and drained, of course). Cook through and then simmer.

2) In a separate pot, cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Combine all ingredients, adding red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, to taste.

Lesson learned: Pasta increases when cooked. I measured out 2 c. of dried pasta thinking the end result would be 2 c. cooked pasta...NOT SO! In reality, I had well over 3 c. cooked pasta. So, next time, measure out less pasta from the get-go.

Pad Thai - The Vegan Table... (p.26)

2009-11-10T22:04:00.000-05:00

After two disappointing experiences (one mildly disappointing, the other moderately) with Thai food at local restaurants downtown, I decided I would try my hand with Thai food in my very own kitchen - The results were pretty good for a first attempt at cooking Thai cuisine! MD and myself were pleased with the end result.

The rice noodles were found in the "international section" of a regular supermarket.

TRUE STORY: Bean Sprouts are a hot commodity. Yesterday I visited 3 grocery stores in search of the all-too-elusive bean sprout. Failing on my quest, I called Whole Foods to check their bean sprout inventory...CHECK! As of 10 pm last night, bean sprouts were in stock. However, our sprouts were sold out as of 7 pm tonight! Who knew that there was such a demand for sprouts?! So in lieu of sprouts, we used both broccoli and snow peas. (Or were they snap peas - what's the difference anyway? Whatevers...)

THE RECIPE (Courtesy of Above-Referenced Book)
8 oz. rice noodles
sesame or canola oil, for sauteing tofu (we used canola)
1 package of extra-firm (we like it firm) tofu, pressed and cubed
salt n peppa, to taste.
1/4 c. peanut butter (we used crunchy)
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. tamari soy sauce
1/3 c. lemon or lime juice
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chopped broccoli or snow peas, steamed or stir-fried
1 bunch of scallions, chopped (including green parts)
1 c. bean sprouts
Optional: For garnish: sliced limes or lemons and chopped cilantro (MM would definitely NOT approve)

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1) Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and immediately return to pot and cover with lid.
2) Heat oil in pan and saute tofu until golden brown. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3) In a bowl (where else?) mix PB, sugar, tamari, lime juice and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
4) In a separate large saute pan, heat oil and/or a little water and add garlic and broccoli. Stir-fry for 5-10 minutes, until broccoli turns bright green. Add scallions then saute for a few more minutes.
5) To that pan, add cooked noodles, tofu, PB mixture, and bean sprouts. Combine well, and cook until all ingredients are heated through. Optionally garnish, then serve immediately!

Wok's Up, Bitches?

NEXT TIME: MD suggested we marinate the tofu in the peanut sauce before sauteing to give the tofu cubes more flavor - while the dish was flavorful, I whole-heartedly agree that the tofu itself was mildly flavored.

I would want more peanutty goodness in the dish. Maybe add chopped peanuts or use a more potent PB next time!

Yay for international cooking with MD.

Biggie Biggie Biggie Can't You See, Sometimes Your Words Just VEGANIZE ME

2009-11-08T23:16:00.000-05:00

French Onion Pie - The Vegan Table: 200 Unforgettable Recipes for Entertaining Every Guest at Every Occasion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (p. 128)

2009-11-08T23:04:00.000-05:00

FOUND THE RECIPE! Again, I halved all ingredients.

1 uncooked pie shell, thawed
1/2 TBL. non-dairy butter, oil, or water for sauteing
2.5 large yellow or white onions, thinly sliced
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. soy milk
7.5 oz. extra-firm tofu (Which is approximately a little more than 1/2 a block)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2.5 TBL. unbleached flour
1 TBL. nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
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1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Bake pie crust for 10 minutes, remove from oven, then set aside.
3) In a large saute pan, cook onions and garlic in non-dairy butter until onions become translucent. Add sugar and salt to taste. Cook for 15-25 minutes or until onions become carmelized.
4) In a blender or large food processor, combine milk, tofu, salt, pepper, nutmeg, flour, and nutritional yeast until mixture is smooth. (Smooooth operator.) In a large bowl, add contents of blender to sauted onions. Mix.
5) Bake for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling sets. Serve immediately.

Onion Tart...Recipe to Follow Once I Figure Out Where I Found It - Whoops!

2009-11-08T22:30:00.000-05:00

This was a dish I made awhile ago. CH and I ate about half of it before I took a picture of it, whoopsie. CH is not into vegan eating and enjoyed it nonetheless! We enjoyed it with a glass of KungFu Girl white.

Some thoughts: Bake time--> Increase it.

Used a recipe for vegan pie crust, which is ridiculously delicious and from the PETA Celebrity Cookbook (p.117):

2 c. flour
1.5 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. + 2TBS marg
2 TBS veggie oil
3 TBL cold water
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1) Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
2) Cut marg. into small pieces and mix into the flour. Mixture is crumbly.
3) Thoroughly mix oil and water in a small bowl and combine with the flour/marg. mixture. Knead until dough barely holds together. Don't overwork the dough. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes.

Note: I have made this dough in the past according to recipe and found it on the greasy side, so I made the executive decision to reduce the marg. to 1/2 c. (Eliminating the additional 2TBS of marg.) As a result, the dough was a little too crumbly...Therefore, next time I'll try 1/2 c. + 1 TBS. marg in the recipe.

Vegan Yum Yum... - Coconut Lime Tofu (p. 136-137)

2009-10-27T22:58:00.000-04:00

THE RECIPE (Courtesy of Above Referenced Book)
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1 brick of tofu, drained and well pressed
2/3 c. coconut milk
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 half lime
2 tsp. sugar
Zest of 1 lime

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. It's getting hot in herrre.
2) Cut tofu. The book recommends cutting fancy "bricks", I just did my usual "strips".
3) Add every ingredient save the tofu into a food processor and blend well. This is where my Magic Bullet came into handy, though the roomie does own a fancy food processor I am getting excited to try out sometime soon.
4) Add the tofu to a casserole dish and pour sauce over it. Bake for 25 minutes. Flip tofu, then bake additional 10 minutes until the vast majority of sauce has been absorbed and evaporated. Remove from oven and let dish cool a bit before (photographing) and eating.

Low-Down on the recipe:

For starters, I halved the entire recipe since I am cooking for one and did not want ridiculous amounts of leftovers, like my last experiment. My sauce used tamari, instead of soy sauce, and I found the taste to be on the salty side. (Tamari vs. Soy: What's the diff?: http://ideas.thenest.com/dinner-recipes/cooking-advice/qa/cooking-q-a-tamari-vs-soy-sauce.aspx)

Next bottle, I'll definitely buy low-sodium. Despite the saltiness though, the taste was good / on the exotic side!

This was also my first attempt at using frozen tofu. Freezing tofu definitely changes the texture - freezing it gives the tofu a light and spongy density.

Speaking of firsts, another first of mine was using a zester. Pretty cool tool!

Also, my brown basmati rice was an appropriate side. Next time, I'll reserve some sauce to add over the rice and finished tofu product.

Afterthoughts II on Snickerdoodles

2009-10-27T22:57:00.000-04:00

MAKE LESS CINNAMON SUGAR! HALVE THE RECIPE! The leftover cinnasugar was insanely addictive - I added it to popcorn, my morning oatmeal, hell, I even ate some straight. Note to self: Avoid future cavities and make less next time!

Suggestion From a Friend

2009-10-24T12:09:00.000-04:00

JL recommended that I post recipes online. That was my original intention, but then I decided against it in case that the recipes were protected by copyright. As a result of JL's feedback, I am posting recipes and hopefully providing adequate credit to the respective authors. In the event that I am infringing on any copyrights or laws, I am more than happy to remove recipes.

Afterthoughts on Snickerdoodles

2009-10-19T21:16:00.001-04:00

The cookies are EXTREMELY CRIPSY (rock hard!) On the plus side, the greasiness is not as noticeable one day later. They are great cookies for dunking in hot tea, which I found out today at work. Next time, I plan on reducing oven time - perhaps that will give the cookies a more palatable texture.

Hurry Up Alfredo - Vegan Yum Yum...(p. 196)

2009-10-19T21:05:00.000-04:00

This is a pretty good dish! Following the recipe, I used 3 c. of any small pasta shape - I chose elbows. The recipe yields 2 or 3 servings - they come out to be very largeeee servings. Next time, I plan on halving the recipe, and anticipate having more than plenty pasta.

The cashews did not grind smoothly - but rather left an interesting texture for the dish.

There is small "kick" to the sauce - I would not call it a substitute for Alfredo sauce... it tastes different, but quite delicious!

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THE RECIPE (Courtesy of Above Referenced Book):

3 c. any shaped small pasta
1 c. soy milk
1/3 c. rounded raw, unsalted cashews
1/4 c. nutritional yeast
3 TBL. low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
2 TBL. Earth Balance Marg
1 TBL. tahini
1 TBL. lemon juice
2 tsp. Dijon or stone ground mustard
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch salt
Black Pepper, to taste
2-4 garlic cloves

1) Boil water; pasta until tender, not mushy.
2) Mix soy milk, cashews, yeast, tamari (or soy sauce), marg., tahini, lemon juice, garlic in a blender on high until smooth.
3)Drain noodles, pour sauce over, and combine.

Snickerdoodles - Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining & Everyday (p. 246)

2009-10-18T19:04:00.000-04:00

This is my first documented experiment in vegan fare! The recipe calls for cinnamon sugar - I found a recipe online, as follows: 1/2 c. sugar + 1 TBS. cinnamon. Finished cookies were on the hard/ cripsy side. The second batch came out better than the first - they were a little softer. As with my other vegan baking experiences, I found the finished product to be on the greasy side. Need to start experimenting with different types of vegan "butter" - for this recipe, I used Earth Balance Original, in a circular tub. Similarly, as with other vegan baked goods, the cookies were a tad salty. Pretty good snickerdoodles, nonetheless.

Thoughts for next time:
+ experiement with different "butter"
+ cook for less time

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THE RECIPE (COURTESY OF ABOVE REFERENCED BOOK):

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. Earth Balance marg.
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 tesp. Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 2 TBL. hot water
1.5 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. cream of tartarrrr
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Cinnamon sugar (see recipe above)

1) Cream sugar, marg, and vanilla extract in a med. size bowl
2) In small bowl, whisk egg replacer and water until foamy. Add it to the marg. and sugar mixture, then whip all together until its light and fluffy (In Scattergories, perhaps a term of endearment)
3) In a separate bowk, mix flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Add portions of the dry ingredients to the wet, whipped mixture then whip until combined. Alternately add dry, wet ingredients. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill for one hour.
4) Preheat oven to 375.
5) Using a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, use 1TBL. measuring spoon to measure out dough. Roll into balls and roll each ball into cinna-sugar.
6) Using fork, lightly flatten cookie.
7) "Bake for 10 minutes for chewy cookies or 12 minutes for cruchy ones." Remove from oven and let them sit for 30 sec. Gently remove cookes and cool on wire rack. --> As discussed, next time I'd reduce the baking time to 8 minutes to see if that improves the cookies texture.