Coming Soon...

I got some food porn I'm going to post some pictures of, I also have a few recipes up my sleeve (in addition to the ones I mentioned a little while back). I will be moving to a new apartment in two weeks and I seriously need to cook out all the stuff in my pantry, especially since I'll be going from living alone to living with two other people who want pantry space also! So here's what I got going on:

Mayan Stew with Savory Pumpkin Cornbread (I want this in my belly now!)

Good ol' fashioned Pumpkin Bread

Split Pea Stew of some sort

Lentil stew of some sort

Baked tofu of some sort

I need collard greens and I need them now!! Ahem... yes, those as a side

I also really want to cook up some seitan and make a few dishes with that.

Mmm.... I'm gonna go make some food.

S'mores Cupcakes!

And people whispered that it couldn't be done...

These were so freakin' good. I made them for a friend's birthday and they vanished! The frosting especially got some rave reviews! It's so soft and fluffy, yet rich and decadent. I used a pastry bag to fill the cupcakes and to top them.

I was really surprised when I found out that Smucker's Marshmallow ice cream topping was vegan. I checked the label for myself and sure enough, it is. I sprinkled the top of the cupcakes with a "graham dust" to get that s'more-sy effect. When I subbed some of the graham cracker flour for the regular flour I didn't notice any difference in taste so for the sake of easiness I just went ahead and made a batch using regular flour.

They're soooo good! And they very much remind me of s'mores. Goal achieved!

Chocolate Cupcakes:
1 Tb. rice vinegar
1 1/2 c. soymilk
2 c. flour
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
5 Tb. cocoa
1/2 c. coconut oil, warmed until liquid
2 Tb. chocolate syrup (most are vegan, but double check)
1/2 Tb. vanilla

Filling:
Marshmallow ice cream topping. You'll use about half the jar, I suppose.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
1/2 c. vegan margarine, softened
2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. cocoa powder
dash of salt
1/2 Tb. vanilla
2 Tb. soymilk
1 Tb. chocolate syrup
1 Tb. marshmallow ice cream topping

Garnish:
3-4 vegan graham crackers, ground to a powder in a coffee grinder/food processor

To make the cuppy cakes:
1. Combine the rice vinegar and the soymilk in a bowl and set aside to curdle. About 5 minutes.
2. Combine the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa in a large bowl. I ususally use a whisk because it does a real good job of "sifting" and breaking up any clumps.
3. To the curdled soymilk add the liquid coconut oil, vanilla, and chocolate syrup.
4. Mix the soymilk mixture in with the dry mixture and stir until combined.
5. Place into sprayed muffin tins or paper cups and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack or on their side so that the bottoms don't get soggy.

To make the frosting:
1. Beat the margarine until fluffy.
2. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt, and beat a little bit more until combined.
3. Add the soymilk, vanilla, chocolate syrup, and marshmallow topping. Beat some more until combined.

Once the cupcakes are COMPLETELY COOLED, fill the pastry bag with marshmallow ice cream topping. In each cupcake, poke the pastry bag in and give a good squeeze to fill the center of the cupcake. Try not to overdo it.

Once all the cupcakes are filled, use the pastry bag once again to frost all the cupcakes. Then sprinkle the graham cracker dust over the top of them all.

Ta-da! Now go enjoy your cupcake-y goodness!

Tofu Fried Quinoa

Ahh, leftover foodstuffs are a great thing!

I like my fried rice with a little heat and not a lot of sweet, but full of veggie deliciousness and quinoa goodness. It's best to have all the veggies chopped up and ready to go because this meal just takes a few minutes to prepare. I tried to take a picture but alas, I have a really crappy camera and the steam just kept messing everything up. And I was hungry. Just saying.

Tofu Fried Quinoa:
1 c. cold, leftover quinoa
1/4 c. green pepper, chopped
1/4 c. red pepper, chopped
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. fresh or frozen peas
1/2 carton or 1 slab pre-cooked/leftover tofu
2 mushrooms, sliced
1/8 c. tamari
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. chile-garlic paste
drizzle of agave nectar

1. In a small bowl, combine tamari, ginger, chile-garlic paste, and agave nectar. Set aside.

2. Over high heat, saute red and green pepper, onion, and tofu for about 3-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and peas. Saute another minute or until mushrooms start to soften.

3. Add leftover quinoa to the skillet and stir.

4. Add tamari mixture and stir until sauce is well-distributed and coats everything pretty evenly. Enjoy.


On another note: I'm making those s'mores cupcakes Friday! They're gonna be delicious!

It's Coming...

I'll keep this short and simple:

Maple-Oat-Walnut Scones

Mallow Cream Filled S'mores Cupcakes (I've actually been commissioned to create these goodies!)

Thai-Spiced Stir Fry with Tofu and Baby Cabbages

Pumpkin Spice Morning Muffins

Cornmeal Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

AND...

I'm making a vegan zine for my newly veg aunt! The cover has some killer tofu leading an army of black-eyed peas... I'll post up it up, just for fun.

This moist, cool, and windy Midwest October weather has got me baking, cooking, and creating. I love fall! Have a great day!