Poppy Seed Fruit Salad

I've really been hitting up those summer foods. Sandwiches, cole slaw, cool pickled veggies, and now fruit salad. Because really, I love fruit salad. I actually prefer it to other desserts that one might bring to a BBQ or potluck. Cold fruit just tastes better when you're hanging out outside!

That's right. I'm gonna eat this salad. 'Eff you urine test!

There's a lot of recipes out there that call for a creamy dressing made of mayo. Which aside from being not vegan, also makes it more fattening (completely negating the fact that you're eating fruit), and makes it more perishable. Not a good idea when you're going to be bringing a dish somewhere where it will be out in the heat. This fruit salad is unique because it's a perfect blend of ripe, tropical fruit and the summer berries that are at their peak now. Nothing boring in this salad! It also has a "dressing" made of pureed honeydew, which lightens the overall salad and gives it plenty of flavor. Oh, and it's got poppy seeds in it, which I'm a huge fan of, and can eat all the time now because I don't have to worry about losing my job. Lol.

Anywho, this recipe is based on one found on the Whole Foods website, only it's been changed to make it taste better and be more convenient. Don't get me wrong, I love papaya (which is what the original called for), but most of the time in stores they aren't ripe at all. And they're huge! Substituting mango with papaya still gives it plenty of tropical flavor, but they're easier to tell when they're ripe and you aren't left with a bunch of fruit. I also left out the cantaloupe. Cause that stuff is gross. Lol.

Oh, and just a piece of advice. Taste the fruit as you go. Nothing ruins a fruit salad quicker than fruit that's not at it's prime. Oh, and wash that fruit! Just make sure to drain off any excess water before you add the "dressing".

Poppyseed Fruit Salad:
2 c. sliced strawberries
2 c. honeydew melon, cubed, divided
1 c. fresh blueberries
1 c. chopped mango
1 banana, ripe but not overripe (it needs to be somewhat firm), chopped
2 kiwis, peeled and chopped
2 Tb. fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice
1 Tb. liquid sweetener
1 Tb. poppy seeds
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of ginger

1. In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, 1 cup of the honeydew, blueberries, mango, banana, and kiwi. Set aside.

2. In a blender, combine the remaining one cup of honeydew, lemon/lime juice, liquid sweetener, poppy seeds, cinnamon and ginger. Blend thoroughly.

3. Toss the dressing with the fruit, coating all of it. Cover, and let chill for a couple of hours before serving.

I didn't really do the math or anything, but it's about 150 calories a serving, and this recipe makes about six good-sized servings.

Maybe one of these days I'll veganize the fruit salad I grew up eating (swapping out mayo for Veganaise, marshmallows for Dandie's, etc.), but for now, I just really enjoy eating this one in all it's fruity fresh glory!

More From the Pantry: Ethopian and Soup and Stuff

So, I know I've been a little absent lately, but I've been crazy busy! Like, CRAZY busy. Two weeks ago, I flew down to Georgia to look for a place to live. I was kind of freaking out because I plan on moving at the beginning of May, and I literally only had one day to find an apartment (thanks to me not being able to miss any school and only having a limited amount of PTO). We arrived early in the afternoon, got something to eat, and then walked a mile to pick up our rental car (my boyfriend was like, "you know, the commercials say they'll pick you up!!" and I was like, "too bad... we're walking!"). Since Drew was sick (of course, that might've been why he didn't care too much for walking), I ventured out on my own while he was sleeping. I needed a kombucha.

Oh, kombucha. How I adore you!

Luckily, I found some! Athens has an Earth Fare, which is a Southern chain of health foods/natural foods stores. It reminded me a lot of the Wild Oats they used to have in downtown KC back in the day (although Earth Fare is bigger!). I am so stoked to be living in a place that has an actual health food store that sells all the things I love: bulk foods, kombucha, coconut water, and every flavor of Lara Bar, lol. They also have a pretty good selection of organic fruits and veggies and GF products. Yay!

So anywho, I drank my kombucha while I made phone calls and lists like a crazy person. I HAD to find a place to live, this was my only chance to be able to see any of the places in person, and I really didn't like the idea of signing a lease blind. I had only one apartment showing scheduled and it was at 2 pm that Thursday (the only full day we'd be in town). Nothing else worked out. However, that particular apartment was my dream apartment. It was the basement apartment of a log cabin on a local organic farm, six miles from the school. I love basement apartments because I feel all cozy and safe in them (though I'm glad I have windows in my bedroom). It's from growing up in the Midwest where there's always the threat of tornadoes (storms freak me out. I HATE tornado season). Also, this place was dog-friendly (I've been longing for a dog for years), and in the words of Drew, "it's mostly kitchen". The whole place is small, about 600 square feet (but that's what makes it affordable!), and it has an open living room/kitchen plan. I will finally be able to have enough space to put all my kitchen bits! Oh, and stick in a couch somewhere. Lol.

So yeah, dream apartment, but I didn't want to put all my hope in that one place (what if it didn't work out?). So after a nice lunch at The Grit with all my future lab professors, the Plant Biology department chair, and my fungal lab colleagues, I headed out with Drew to see my (hopefully) future home. It was perfect! My landlord and his wife live upstairs and after I looked around, they asked if I wanted to sign the lease. Uh, YEAH. So I did. Immediately, it was like a wave of relief. I had a place to live for when I move down in May, and now I could actually sit back and enjoy the rest of my stay in Georgia.

So I guess now that I have that taken care of, plus the fact that my last day of class is April 30, and I've already turned in my notice at work (so ready to leave the pesticide plant!), I'm just going through the motions these last few weeks (and also filling imaginary shopping carts with all the new furniture I'm going to buy!).

Seriously, is that not the most beautiful rug ever??? It goes perfect with the vintage vibe I want to have going on. Too bad it's expensive, and not vegan. But I digress...

I guess, the point of all that is that it's put some serious fire in my pantry challenge. I've been doing a lot of cooking and I've made some really good things (I also have lots more goodies on the way!). I'm waiting to the very last possible moment to pack up all my cookbooks. Here's a few things I've made:

1. Eastern European Lentil Soup: This is one of my favorite soup recipes, and I think that I finally have it perfected. For one, fire-roasted tomatoes are a must. And for second, earlier this month I made falafel that had a soyogurt sauce made with plain soyogurt, fresh lemon juice and rind, cumin, and parsley. Topping the soup with this instead of the plain stuff added some great flavor. Pantry items used: all my lentils, canned tomatoes, spices.

2. Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Soup with White Beans: This is a Vegetarian Times recipe (and photo!!). I pretty much stuck to the recipe with this one, other than I adapted it to fit my pantry challenge. I basically just used dry Great Northern beans instead of canned white, and I used dried spices. I also used half dry sun-dried tomatoes and half packed in oil. I was able to get rid of all my dried ones that way! Oh, and I also subbed frozen spinach. Pantry items used: dried beans, sun-dried tomatoes, spices, canned tomatoes, frozen spinach.

Mine didn't actually look like this though...

3. Ye'misir Wat and Ye'abesha Gomen: I made some awesome Ethiopian food! Translated it's yellow split peas in a spicy gravy and mild collard greens. I ordered a copy of Papa Tofu Loves Ethiopian Food a month or two ago and I finally got around to making something. It was awesome! I meant to cook some millet to go with it but I forgot. I guess I'll just save it for my next round of Ethiopian food! In general, Kittee has created an awesome zine and I can't wait to try some other recipes from it. Pantry items used: yellow split peas, spices, and the last random 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance stick hanging out in my fridge.I plan on taking a picture of this meal tomorrow.

4. Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip and Mocha Chip Cookies: This was my first attempt at gluten-free cookie baking. I only made a small half-recipe (and then divided the dough in two so that I could make two flavors), and one was more of a success than the other. The recipe suggested that you wait 10 minutes before baking, but the second pan (the mocha chip ones) came out way better. I'm guessing it was because of the additional sit-time. The cookies were still good, but I'm going to tweak the recipe a little more before I post anything. Also, in a bit of PMS ridiculousness, I made some Mocha Chip cookie bits so that I could have gluten-free, vegan cookie dough ice cream. Awww yeah.

And in general I've been eating a lot of bananas and frozen green beans. I'm not really sure what's up with me and the green beans right now (I'm going through 2 pounds a week...), but they seem to taste really amazing with country Dijon mustard. Lol. I'm definitely on a kick right now. It must be spring! I'm so ready for tasty spring fruits and veggies!! Anywho, more cooking, plus recipes, later! 

Almond Joy Cake!

Alright! I baked a cake! I love baking those things! I wanted a cake for my graduation party, and since it was MY party and MY cake I make it the way I wanted. With coconut. Ha ha!

This cake had two layers of moist vanilla-almond cake, a dark chocolate-coconut-almond filling, and a fluffy dark chocolate frosting. It was then garnished with sliced almonds.

 CAKE. VEGAN LAYER CAKE. I win.

So actually, I suppose it's a Mounds cake... with almonds... but eh. I think Almond Joy has more name recognition. Lol. For the chocolate, I used Enjoy Life brand (which is gluten-free, nut-free, and dairy-free. Also, it's affordable). I think that it is a milder chocolate, so it's good for people who don't have as much love for the dark stuff. It also comes in the bag as mini chips so it's fairly easy to measure out and melt.

Almond Joy Cake:
For the cake:
3 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. turbinado sugar
1/4 c. canola oil
1/4 c. coconut oil (warmed to liquid, then measured)
2 Tb. no-sugar-added applesauce
1 1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk
1/2 Tb. rice vinegar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract

For the frosting/filling:
2 c. vegan chocolate chips (12 oz., which is one full bag plus part of another)
1/2 c. plain coconut creamer (or soy creamer)
2 sticks Earth Balance, softened
2 c. powdered sugar (make sure there are no lumps, sift if you have to)

1 c. sweetened, flaked coconut
1/3 c. sliced almonds, plus additional almonds to decorate the top of the cake

FOR THE CAKE:
Preheat oven to 350F, and prepare two 8" rounds by covering the bottom and sides with parchment paper, using a spritz of nonstick to help them adhere to the pan. Spray the bottom of each round with some more nonstick.

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, canola oil, coconut oil, applesauce, almond milk, vinegar, vanilla and almond extracts until completely combined.
3. Beat in half the flour on low speed.
4. Stir in last half the flour until combined.
5. Pour half the batter into each of the cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top springs back when touched and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans about 5 minutes, then let them finish cooling on a wire rack.

FOR THE FROSTING:
1. Combine the chocolate and the coconut creamer in a bowl and heat in the microwave until the chocolate is melted. Stir it every 30 seconds or so until it is completely smooth. Remove it from the microwave and allow it to cool about 15 minutes.
2. Beat together the softened Earth Balance and powdered sugar until it's nice and fluffy, then add the melted chocolate.
3. Beat in the melted chocolate and whip the frosting together about five minutes, so that it is well combined. Set aside.

*It's IMPORTANT that the chocolate has cooled (until it's lukewarm to touch), otherwise it will melt the butter!!*

FOR THE COCONUT-ALMOND FILLING:
1. Remove about 1/3 the prepared frosting and place it into a small bowl.
2. Add in the flaked coconut and sliced almonds and mix completely. Set aside.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
1. Remove the parchment paper and place it onto the platter/cake tray that you plan on serving it on.
2. Place one layer right side up, and cover the top of it with the coconut-almond filling.
3. Place the second layer UPSIDE DOWN so that the flat part is on top. This will give you a nice, smooth surface to decorate. You may need to cut off part of the top of the second layer so that the cake will be level (if you want).
4. Use the rest of the frosting to completely cover the sides and the top of the cake. It helps if you have a flat spatula to smooth it out with. I would frost the cake as soon as the cake is cool enough to handle frosting. Otherwise, it might harden. 

Makes a good breakfast...

Garnish with sliced almonds and flaked coconut! Also, I think that you should leave this cake at room temperature. It tends to harden up if left in the fridge. I also liked to eat my slices nuked in the microwave for about 10 seconds so that the chocolate got slightly melty.

This cake got a thumbs up from all who tried it... even those who didn't care too much for coconut!

Also, it is official. Now that I have eaten cake, I am a university graduate! I'll have an interesting announcement regarding that in February or so, and it may just change the direction my blog is headed... literally... like, the Midwest Vegan will probably be moving to Georgia this summer!

ANYWHO, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! My boyfriend got me a wok, a bamboo steamer, and the Happy Herbivore cookbook (he knows me so well!). Which is good, because I've really wanted to make steamed dumpling for forever. Also, I make a lot of stir-fry and the regular ol' skillet just ain't cutting it. And last but not least, I make some awesome vegan cinnamon rolls for Christmas for my family (who loved them!) and I shall post the recipe before New Year. After all, something-something New Year's resolutions something something, am I right?

(So yes, lots of healthy stuff coming from me in a couple of days!).

Mabon Recipe One: Chocolate-Nut Tart

I recently had a comment on my old Mabon post asking about an ingredient in a recipe. As I looked at the comment, and then looked back at the post, I realized I had never actually gotten around to posting any of my Mabon recipes! Not only that, but my Mabon recipes were actually made a couple of years in a row, so they had been tried and tested all around!

(Oh, and Mabon is a harvest celebration festival that is based around the autumn equinox. The actual post explains it in more detail).

I replied back to the comment about the ingredient, but I then promised I would actually POST the recipes in question! And, since I'm not one to go about breaking promises without abandon, here's the first recipe: a vegan chocolate-nut tart. When I made this, I'm not gonna lie, I think I was the only one who really liked it. HOWEVER, it is a sort-of sophisticated dessert. It will absolutely be enjoyed by your foodie friends, but those who tend to live off the Standard American Diet and enjoy cheap snack cakes and McDonald's won't appreciate it as much (that was the crowd I served it to). You can find the original recipe here. Although, I didn't actually change anything!

 Another great VT photo!

I personally thought this tart was delicious, and I'd definitely make it again if I thought I had the self-control to not eat the whole thing! The bittersweet chocolate contrasts nicely with the buttery nuts, and the cornmeal adds a great texture to the crust. It is a very rich tart... prefect for any holiday or festival gathering!

Triple Nut Chocolate Tart:
Crust:
1 cup pastry flour
½ cup cornmeal
2 Tbs. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup Earth Balance (1 stick)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:
3 cups mixed walnuts, pecans, and almonds (1 cup each), coarsely chopped
¼ cup Earth Balance (½ stick)
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped or in chips
2 Tbs. pastry flour
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. To make Crust: Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in bowl. Rub margarine into flour mixture with fingers until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle in vanilla, and stir. Add 1 to 2 Tbs. cold water until dough clumps together loosely. Press dough into pie dish or tart pan until sides and bottom are covered (I actually used a cookie sheet!). Chill in freezer 30 minutes.

2. To make Filling: Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread nuts on baking sheet, and bake 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned.

3. Melt margarine and chocolate in saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Sprinkle in flour and salt, and stir until smooth. Stir in maple syrup and vanilla. Stir in nuts.

4. Spread nut mixture in piecrust. Bake 25 minutes, or until crust is golden and filling is firm. Cool on wire rack at least 20 minutes before serving.

Now I've got to go back and find my famous pecan and "sausage" stuffing recipe and my signature roasted vegetables. All these recipes have got me longing for the holidays, and I know they'll make a great addition to your Mabon table!

Decadent Rocky Road Brownies

For once, I'm actually delivering a recipe to you in the same week that I promised it! Of course, I'm older and wiser now and I know that when you promise a bunch of vegans rocky road brownies you had better see it through! Though, to tell you the truth, the reason I made these so fast was because I had almost munched my way through the entire bag over the last week and a half. It was obvious to me that they were some tasty sweet snackin', but the real marshmallow test involves baking them in something to see if you get that delicious vanilla goo... Or lighting them on fire, but I didn't have any sticks... Or fire...

These brownies are something I just HAD to try. When I bought my Dandies I browsed tons of recipes that included marshmallows and after weeding everything out, I was finally down to two recipes: Mississippi Mud Cake and Rocky Road Brownies. It was a tough decision, but I already have a go-to brownie recipe so I thought I'd start there. I'll make some Mississippi Mud Cake the next time I pick up a bag of marshies. You know... eventually.

I basically just adapted CCK's Fudge Daddies recipe with the ingredients I had on hand. These brownies are decadent and contain everything you love about that rocky road trio: nuts, chocolate, and marshmallows. I used almonds, but you could also use pecans or walnuts. This makes a nice, small batch, which is great if you're only making brownies for one or two people. They were everything I wanted them to be: fudgy, rich, gooey, nutty, and all around liked by everyone who tried them!

And, by dandy, these marshmallows blew up and melted just like a champ. No-one would know a difference! I will DEFINITELY be baking with these during the holidays! I am so stoked to have such an awesome vegan marshmallow available to me. Thank goodness for Chicago Soy Dairy!

Top Side: Melty!

In this recipe, I use silken tofu, the real smooth kind found in aseptic containers (they may or may not be refrigerated). I also bake them for 20 minutes, turn off the oven, and then let them sit in the oven for an additional five minutes. That way they're completely done, but not overbaked. Overbaking them causes them to lose that fudgy texture. I also refrigerate them once they've completely cooled and for some reason that also makes them really fudgy. I highly recommend chilling them OR eating them warm with some vanilla almond dream! Either way, you can't lose!

Rocky Road Brownies:
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 pkg. silken tofu
1/4 c. liquid sweetener
1/4 c. raw sugar
1/4 c. no-sugar-added applesauce
1/2 a vanilla bean (or 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract)
2 Tb. unsweetened almond milk
2 Tb. canola oil
2 Tb. chopped almonds, toasted
2 Tb. vegan chocolate chips
9 Dandies marshmallows, halved

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 4" x 6" pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until well-combined. Drop in the marshmallow halves and stir to coat them with flour (this separates them and keeps them from clumping together).

2. In a food processor or blender, puree the tofu with the liquid sweetener, raw sugar, applesauce, vanilla bean (or extract), almond milk, and canola oil until completely smooth and well blended.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir well. Add in the chopped almonds and chocolate chips and stir to mix.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350F for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly before cutting.

I thought about making a sort of quick frosting out of melted chocolate chips and coconut butter, but they're pretty rich as it is. Instead, I just eat them with a little CB melted on top. You should make these. For serious.

Side side: Also melty!

Also, you could probably double this recipe and make it in the standard 8" x 8" brownie pan, but I haven't tried it yet so I can't vouch for those results. If you do decide to do that I would only use about 1 1/2 times the amount of marshmallows. Things might get a little crazy if you double those!

Oh, and you wanna know something really crazy? An eighth of the pan only nets you about 175 calories, nuts, chocolate chips, marshies and all! That's still less than regular, plain boxed brownies with a slightly less serving size! 

Cherry-Ginger Oaties!

I'm going to start today's post with my recent score at Big Lots:

It's cereal, baby.

I stumbled upon this when I made my weekly stop. It's Mesa Sunrise, an organic, gluten-free cereal from Nature's Path. Don't let the bag fool you, though. It actually contains 26.4 ounces, which is almost double the amount of cereal that you would find in a regular box. The cereal itself is a wheat- and gluten-free blend of Indian corn, amaranth, and flax. Although I'm not necessarily gluten- or wheat-free, I find that I do feel better and less bloat-y if I start my day out the gluten-free way. Having a nice bowl of GF cereal or a GF hot cereal starts my day off right!

MESA SUNRISE INGREDIENTS: Corn meal, yellow corn flour, evaporated cane juice, flax, buckwheat flour, quinoa, amaranth, sea salt, and tocopherols (natural Vitamin E).

I like to eat it with sliced strawberries or bananas and a couple tablespoons of gluten-free granola. I really like this cereal, but I still think that Nature's Path Organic, Gluten-Free Cornflakes are the best. I LOVE those (also a Big Lots find).

So anywho, the cereal is packaged in a new Eco-Pac. Their goal is to reduce waste and resource use by nixing the cardboard box and packaging in #2 recyclable plastic. On their website, some people were griping because they didn't "know what to do with" the cereal once the bag was opened. Uhhhh.... eat it? How about the same thing you always do to store cereal? The floppy opened cardboard box doesn't keep it from going stale. I just wrap a twisty-tie around that sucker and it stays fresh for weeks. You can also use a glass jar and keep the lid on tight. They make glass (or plastic, ick) jars specifically for storing cereal. But I digress... my main victory in buying this cereal from the cereal aisle at Big Lots is this:

I just got a 26.4 ounce (almost double the regular amount) of gluten-free, vegan, organic cereal at Big Lots for $3.50 when it retails at Whole Foods for over $7. I know, because I checked myself! YAY BIG LOTS!

And, speaking of Whole Foods, I also made a huge score there. This past visit was more like a detour since we actually had other things we needed to do while we were in town (I live about 1 1/2 hours away from Whole Foods), but I was able to stock up on a few dry bulk goods, though sadly, nothing refrigerated (next time!!). I got some awesome dried tart cherries while we were there (which I proceeded to make some cookies with!) and these:

For some reason, these children look like the ones who want to play with Log.

Dandies VEGAN MARSHMALLOWS! I've been to the Overland Park Whole Foods a few times, but I've never seen these in the baking aisle. It's possible that I've just missed them, or they've been sold out, but NOT TODAY! I haven't ate a marshmallow in years, but ever since I got these goodies I haven't been able to keep my hands off them! They melted a little in the car while shopping on the way home, but they're still delicious. The texture is a tad different, but they're still soft and spongy. I also think they have a truer vanilla flavor than their pig-hoof containing counterpart.

BE PREPARED FOR THE ROCKY ROAD BROWNIE RECIPE I'M ABOUT TO THROW AT YOUR FACE! I'VE GOT DANDIES AND TOFU AND I KNOW HOW TO USE THEM!

Anywho... that particular recipe will be made sometime this week. I promise to save some marshmallows for it...

Like I previously mentioned, I also got some dried tart cherries from the bulk bin. I love tart fruit and these cherries really are delicious. I'm going to have to buy way more next time so I can make it through the winter with them on my oatmeal, lol. I knew that some had to be baked in a cookie and as I was browsing through my Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, I found a recipe for "Low-Fat Oatmeal Cookies". They peaked my interest because they contained dried cherries and surprisingly, crystallized ginger. They also only called for a single egg yolk so I knew they were going to be a piece of cake to veganize. I wound up changing the recipe somewhat in order to make the cookies a little more healthy and a little more moist, but I didn't change the fat content at all. My only complaint with this recipe is that even if you make them tiny like the recipe wants you too (a dough ball of 3/4"), you still only get about 2 1/2 dozen, quite a few cookies short of the proclaimed four dozen. But they were delicious, so I'll definitely be making them again... only I'll be doubling the recipe and making the cookies BIGGER!! I might even throw in a couple tablespoons of vegan mini chocolate chips because I think that would add some decadence to them (seriously... chocolate + crystallized ginger + cherry = amazing). But yeah, if you're in search of a cookie that's a little out-of-the-ordinary but just as tasty, you found it!

Oh, and this is the small-batch version. If you want more cookies, just double it.

Cherry-Ginger Oatmeal Cookies:
(adapted from, but not really resembling Martha's version)
3/4 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 Tb. whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3 Tb. dried cherries, finely chopped
2 Tb. crystallized ginger, finely chopped
4 Tb. Earth Balance, softened
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 Tb. liquid sweetener (agave, maple syrup, etc.)
3 Tb. no-sugar-added applesauce
1 Tb. milled flax seed + 2 Tb. warm water
1/2 a vanilla bean, seeds scraped (can use 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract)

Preheat oven to 375 and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix the milled flax seed with warm water, stir a little with a fork, and set aside.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the unbleached flour, whole wheat pastry flour, rolled oats, baking powder, and kosher salt. Add the dried cherries and chopped ginger, and stir to separate the pieces and coat them with flour. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat together the Earth Balance, brown sugar, liquid sweetener, and vanilla bean seeds until fluffy. Add the "flax egg" (flax seed + water) and applesauce and beat until well combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating well after each addition, until well-combined.

3. Drop by teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheets. The dough is kind of sticky, so it won't really roll into balls. Bake at 375 for about 8-12 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway during baking so that they brown evenly. Remove from oven when a toothpick (or fork!) comes out clean. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet another minute or two before placing them on a wire rack to finish cooling. THEN MUNCH! When small, they are like tiny little tea cookies.

Please, sir... may I have some Earl Grey?

NOTE: Placing the dough in the fridge between batches helps the dough to stiffen so that the cookie dough-dropping (???) part goes faster.

Also, since these cookies are low in oil, the parchment paper helps keep them from sticking to the baking sheet. If you don't have parchment paper, you might be able to get away with spraying the sheet with some nonstick cooking spray, but I haven't tried that yet and can't vouch for its cookie-removal-ability.

Well... I made those peach pancakes and they were awesome, but they didn't have quite enough peach flavor for me. I probably should have used regular yellow peaches instead of small white ones because that just made the recipe annoying. I'll get back to them some other time. I also want to make some yeasted potato rolls, but I need to figure out what I want to serve them with. And, lastly, I'd really like to make and freeze some seitan so that I'll have some ready for quick meals when school starts again (only ONE WEEK left! Oh noes!). Can I do it?!

Strawberry Cake and Roasted Garlic Bread!

My boyfriend's birthday was this past August 8th so as his birthday cake I made him my famous Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Buttercreme Frosting. It's a real simple cake that uses strawberry purée to bind, moisten, and flavor the cake. It's actually the same recipe as my strawberry cupcakes, just adapted into cake form. It's a real hit with everyone and I've been asked for the recipe multiple times! I also make him lasagna every year since it's his favorite food, but that recipe isn't vegan so I won't bother you with the details. I know there's some controversy over vegans dating non-vegans, but eh, I'm not bothered by it. Seriously, I live in the Midwest, so I've met one other vegan and one vegetarian in all my life years here. Besides, he'll eat all the vegan food I make and he loves Boca burgers and Chik'n patties, so I think we're doing alright. One meatless meal is another win in my book! However, with his non-vegan lasagna, I did make a vegan roasted garlic bread to go with it. It turned out to be the perfect accompaniment!

For the strawberry cake, I made the strawberry cupcakes recipe just like it said, except I divided the batter evening into two 9-inch cake pans that had been sprayed with nonstick and lined with parchment paper (for easy, pretty removal). I then baked it at 350 for about 20 minutes. It didn't take very long. Once the cakes were completely cooled, I filled the middle layer with about half the buttercreme, topped it with the second cake, and then just frosted the top. I used the same amount of buttercreme as made in the cupcake recipe. You could also garnish the cake with some fresh sliced strawberries, but only do so right before you serve it, as the juice from the strawberries causes them to slip off the icing.

Also, I have tomatoes everywhere.

It doesn't make a very tall cake, so I'm thinking I could do 1 1/2 times the original amount (3 cups flour instead of 2, 3/4 cup strawberry purée instead of 1/2) in order to get more cake. However, I haven't tried that yet so I can't guarantee the results! Lol.

For the roasted garlic bread, I roasted up a couple bulbs of garlic and mashed them into a stick of softened Earth Balance. I only wound up using half the garlic butter on the bread though, so I had lots of delicious garlicky goodness leftover for baked potatoes. If you're only concerned about having enough for the bread, you could reduce the Earth Balance to one-half a stick, but I wouldn't reduce the roasted garlic. It's what makes it delicious! Most French bread you buy in the bakery section of grocery stores are vegan, but double-check the ingredients to make sure. Also by French bread I don't mean the long, skinny baguette. Go for the wider, softer loafs (also called "Italian bread"). I'm afraid a baguette would get too hard if baked again.

Roasted Garlic - Garlic Bread:
2 bulbs garlic, roasted
1/2 c. Earth Balance (one stick)
1 loaf French bread

To roast the garlic:
Remove extra loose skins on the outside, but make sure the bulb stays intact. Cut the top off the garlic to expose the cloves. Place the bulb at the center of a square of aluminium foil and drizzle it with olive oil. Seal up the bulb by making a foil "packet" and then place it in a 350F oven. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until completely soft and golden. If the bulbs are completely soft, they won't be easy to mix into the butter and they will have that "hot" raw garlic flavor. Roasting will sweeten and mellow its flavor. Also, I use a separate foil packet for each bulb.

After the garlic is roasted pop the cloves into the softened (room temperature) Earth Balance. Mix well.

Garlicky buttery goodness.

Split the bread in half and place on a cookie sheet with the cut side up. Butter the bread as desired (I used half for the bread) and then broil for about 4 minutes.

If, however, you are like me and your broiler doesn't work, you can also bake it at 350 for about 10 minutes. It won't be browned on top of the butter, but the bread itself will be browned and crunchy and delicious.

Then enjoy!

You can use this bread anywhere a garlic bread is required, with veggie lasagna, spaghetti (or pasta in general) or with a soup/salad/bread night. The butter can be used on anything. It's especially good with baked potatoes. I'm going to try it with some gnocchi as well!

I've also make some crazy awesome "pizza potatoes" for my friend, the Wandering Hen and her husband. They went over real well! It was an easy recipe, so I'll definitely have to put it in my arsenal. I'll make them again soon and take pictures, lol! I'm going to Whole Foods on Saturday, so expect a post about that! Yay!

Blue Goose Pie!

So, I'm not sure if you guys know this, but I'm a little country. I grew up in a small town and had family I spent time with in even smaller towns. My grandpa was a farmer and my grandma bestowed upon me the love of plants I have to this day. I'd like to be mostly self-sufficient one day, and I daydream about the earth-sheltered home and farm I'm gonna own (did I also mention the goats? 'Cause there will be goats). So anyway, what I'm saying here is that I'm no stranger to going out into the wild and venturing forth with tasty forest produce. It's in my roots!

A couple of weeks ago, my boyfriend and I went out to his parent's house to go hunt some gooseberries. I promised him a gooseberry pie (since boys seem to like pie) and in order for that to happen I had to get ahold of some berries. The wild gooseberry (F: Grossulariaceae) is one of the most common shrubs in forests here in my part of Missouri. It is a notoriously sour berry, but once made into a pie it has a sort of sour apple-grape flavor (in a good way, especially with some rice-cream!). The berries are plump, round, and green, with effing thorns all over the branches and at the end of the berry. There are cultivated varieties of gooseberries, but pfft, who needs that? The wild ones are just as tasty! Besides, I think they still have thorns, lol. And, you still have to pull both ends (the dried flower and the stem) off the berry. This is the part that I wish I had an army of eight-year-olds for, since it can take awhile (8 was about the age I got conned into doing this...):

Anywho, gooseberry pie is well-known to older Midwestern people, but most people my age haven't tried it... unless they have a grandparent with a bush out back. Gooseberries are ripe in the woods right now, (**disclaimer alert**) but I do not advocate eating anything in the woods unless you know EXACTLY what you are eating. I also don't claim any responsibility if you hunt and eat the wrong thing (just gotta be cautious here).

I had originally intended on baking a regular old gooseberry pie, but the other night an older guy at work (who's quite and awesome baker himself), mentioned how he had a Blueberry-Gooseberry Pie and it was a million times more amazing than the plain ones. Since organic blueberries are everywhere right now for a good price, I knew that that was the pie I was going to make!

 "Those things look like peas and they keep messing with my head!"

This pie turned out awesome! My boyfriend had two slices as soon as he saw it! I also used a different pie crust recipe and it was way better than that sorry one I was using before. This one makes a little more crust so it's easier to cover everything. It is absolutely my favorite crust recipe from now on, and it can be used to make things sweet or savory (mmm... empanadas...). Also, when I say "a pinch", I guess I mean about 1/8 of a teaspoon. You can make the crust, wrap it up real tight in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to three days or place it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a week.

Blue Goose Pie:
Recipe for a double pie crust (recipe follows)
Filling:
2 1/2 c. fresh or thawed gooseberries
2 c. fresh blueberries
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 c. turbinado sugar
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. fresh lemon peel
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
1 Tb. Earth Balance

Flaky Pie Crust:
2 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
a pinch of salt
1 c. cold Earth Balance, cut into cubes
1/3 c. ICE water, plus a couple of tablespoons.

To make the crust:
In bowl, whisk flour with salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until in coarse crumbs with a few larger pieces. Stirring briskly with fork, drizzle 1/3 cup of the ice water over flour mixture until pastry holds together, if necessary sprinkling dry spots with more water, 1 tbsp at a time, until pastry holds together.

Divide the pie crusts in half (as evenly as possible). On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the halves to about a 1/4" thickness and place it into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the edges and place the pan in the fridge to chill. Roll out the second half to about 1/4" thickness and place it on a rimless baking sheet and place it into the fridge to chill as well. Pie crusts take practice, so just keep on making them pies if it doesn't turn out. I kid you not, this is the first time that both my bottom crust completely covered my pan and the top crust covered my filling!

I was so stoked it covered the bottom that I danced. Seriously.

Now, move on to making the filling!

To make the filling:
1. In large bowl, toss together the gooseberries, blueberries, and lemon juice.
2.In small bowl, stir together the turbinado sugar, flour, lemon rind, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon; sprinkle over berries and toss to coat.
3. Scrape into chilled pie shell. Dot with Earth Balance.

It is at this point I would like to show you all the ridiculous mess that I was in the process of making:

I get a little ridiculous...

4. Brush pastry on rim of pie shell with water, fit pastry top over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge (MAKE YUMMY PIE CRUSTIES!). Cover edge of pie with aluminum foil.
5. Cut a few slits in the top shell so steam can escape. Bake in bottom third of 425°F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake 25 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil edging and bake another 15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly. Let cool on rack. The pie will be oozy until it has completely cooled, then it should hold up nicely to slicing.

Everybody likes pi!

Serve with your favorite vegan ice cream or whipped "cream" because you really got to have it in order to balance the flavors of this particular pie, lol. And there you have it, the gooseberry pie I promised that's been a long time coming! Have a great afternoon!

A CCK Intervention!

As you might have noticed from my blog roll on the right side of the page, I'm a big fan of Chocolate-Covered Katie. I love her simple, healthy, tasty recipes and her cheerful blogging personality. I definitely think that she is one of those bloggers that make vegan food approachable. As such, I've definitely been munching down on some of her recipes lately!

Since I'm still in a physics-time suck, I'll just briefly post about some of the deliciousness I've been making a la Katie:

First off, I'll give you a hint. Before:

After:

Blueberry Muffin Voluminous Oats!

I love oatmeal. In fact, my roommates often joke about my oatmeal eating habits since I not only eat a bowl for breakfast but for a late-night snack (hey, I gotta refuel if I'm gonna keep kicking their butts in Mortal Kombat studying). The point of this oatmeal is to make it a few hours before eating so that it has time to fluff up and expand. Since I make mine up the night before, it's ready to go as soon as I get up. I pretty much make mine just like hers, except I use 1 cup water plus 1/2 cup almond milk instead of all water (calcium!), and I add 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries to the last minute or two of cooking. Oh, and I add a touch of almond extract along with the vanilla because I love the blueberry-almond flavor combo. This is such a great breakfast!

I also tried out her Voluminous Vanilla Ice Cream:

To make mine, I just swirled the frozen almond milk with a bunch of frozen blackberries and about a tablespoon of vanilla protein powder in my food processor. Talk about quick and easy! 15 seconds and it was DONE! Mine looks really soft, and it was, but that was because I was too impatient to let it freeze completely. Lol. But next time, I'll wait it out! I really loved this, and I'm definitely going to play around with a bunch of different flavors. I also got some Silk Almond to try it with since it's thicker than Almond Breeze. I think that'll help make it more ice cream-like.

So, that's what I've been munching on (other than tofu scrambles and bean burritos!). I got a bunch of garden produce starting to come in: cabbage, potatoes, onions, broccoli, banana peppers... I also have this idea for some grilled veggie wraps with roasted red pepper hummus, which I'll probably get around to making soon. My gooseberries have been safely tucked away in the freezer for now, but I will definitely make a pie eventually, lol. Have a great day!

AfR... How I Love You!

So, I apologize for the lack of blog posts. I've been taking physics as a summer lab course and it has seriously been draining all of my free time. Luckily, it's half over, so in four short weeks I'll be able to enjoy the last of my summer before it all starts again, lol.

Anywho, lately I've been doing a lot of cooking from Appetite for Reduction, which is Isa Chandra Moskowitz's latest cookbook. I seriously love it! Everything in there is pretty quick, made from ingredients you probably have on hand, and good-for-you!

The first dish I made was the Sushi Roll Edamame Salad:

I'm not gonna lie though, I totally left off the nori. I just don't like that stuff. So this was a fishy-less tasting sushi roll salad, but I loved it! I've already made it like, five times. The green onion-miso dressing is awesome too. In fact, I used some of the little bit I had leftover to dip some vegan gyoza in. The only thing I did differently was reduce the amount of toasted sesame seed oil with walnut oil, just since it can be a little strong. Oh, and I always added the optional avocado, since I lurve it so much. 

I also made the Pad Thai Salad:

 

If I launched this salad at 11.89 km/s, how long before it reaches the moon?

This was pretty good. Though I loved the veggie combination (I added a little cucumber and red bell pepper, and like, tripled the red onion...), the dressing was just alright. However, I think that's just a personal preference right now. You know how you go on "kicks" and only eat a bunch of a certain kind of food (hopefully I'm not the only one who does this, lol...), well right now I'm having a food aversion to soy sauce, so the thought of it is kind of grossing me out. I discovered that after making this salad...

Another dish I made was the Black Bean, Zucchini, and Olive Tacos:

These tacos were made from a mixture of black beans, olives, zucchini, and my favorite Mexican salsa and although they may sound a little odd, they were great! But you totally have to put the Lemon-Yogurt Sauce on them. It's what brings them all together. I added some additional chopped romaine and green onion and served them with some leftover brown rice to round it out. 

I also made the Smoky Tempeh and Greens Stew (which was not very photogenic), and although it had great flavor, I just CANNOT get past the texture and odd taste of tempeh. I even steamed it and cut it into very small cubes... they're was just no disguising it. So folks, I have given tempeh THREE tries and it strikes out!! No more for me. I'll just stick to my beloved tofu.

And last but not least, I shall send you off with some dessert. I made Katie's awesome Fudge Daddies and they did not disappoint! I used silken tofu, agave, and applesauce with one tablespoon of coconut oil, as suggested. I also added some 65% cacao dark chocolate chips for extra chocolate-y-ness (is that word even possible?!). My boyfriend and his friends (as well as me!) loved these. It's definitely a keeper recipe and one that I'll play around with to make even more decadent in the future. However, since you can get them down to about a 100 calories per serving, I'd say they'd make an awesome snack for just about anytime (like breakfast...).

Not pictured: the melted coconut butter goodness I slathered on top.

So that's all I've got for you now. I cannot wait for my class to be over because I've got a serious bread-making itch that just will not go away. Also, I've got a special post coming up about an old-fashioned Midwest special: the infamous gooseberry pie. Have a great evening!

VCIYCJ: I Made Cookies!

Like practically every other vegan out there, I love Isa Chandra Moscowitz and Terry Hope Romero's cookbooks. I own "Vegan with a Vengenance" and I've currently been scoping another one I'd like to lay down some cash for (I'll give you a hint... it's Latin and delicious and cruelty-free all over it). We recently had a Border's go out of business (the only bookstore in the entire city), and Mom surprised me with a cookbook:

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar!

I was shocked! I had just been in there the day before and had somehow missed this baby on sale for $5. Luckily, I have a Mom who supports my cookbook habit, so she picked it up for me. Since I've been on a ridiculous ginger kick lately (seriously... ginger green tea, ginger kombucha, ginger chews, ginger beer, ginger stir-fry...) I immediately turned to the Macadamia Ginger Crunch Drops. These cookies are just full of macadamia nuts and crystallized ginger with just a hint of nutmeg (that's what really brought them together). They were glorious!! Isa and Terry have yet to fail me! I won't post the recipe here, because it doesn't belong to me, but I will tell you how my cookie making went down.

There were two things I did different. First thing I did was use a chia seed "egg" instead of a flax seed "egg". I love these because they are just like an egg! They also don't have a taste so you can put them in just about anything. Also, when you use chia seed powder, you don't really get any whole seeds or specks in the cookies (meaning, that even though the seeds are black, you can really see them in the baked cookies).

Chia Seed "Egg":
1 1/2 tsp. chia seeds
about 3-4 Tb. warm water

1. Place the chia seeds in a coffee grinder and grind for a couple of seconds, until powdered.
2. Add the warm water, mix with a fork, and allow to sit until nice and thick (about 10 minutes). Whisk with a fork again before using.

If it doesn't thicken up enough, you can add more chia powder. This will make ONE "egg". You can also grind up chia seeds ahead of time so that you have the powder on hand. They're not like flax seeds, they won't go rancid. However, after my baking fiasco a couple days ago, I wouldn't recommend using more than one chia egg at a time. The gelatinous moisture they contain causes your batter to go all wonky (it can displace any fats or oils your have put in your batter!).

The second thing I did differently was use a split mix of half coconut oil and half vegetable oil. The recipe called for 2/3 cup oil (I almost died!), but I went ahead and used the full amount anyway. HOWEVER, I will definitely reduce the oil next time because they left little grease spots wherever they sat. I'm thinking like, a 1/2-ish cup would be good time. I honestly don't think it will compromise the recipe that much. But seriously, these cookies were awesome. I'll definitely make them again!

I also made the Cherry Almond Cookies:

I kept this recipe the exact same as in the book, except I used 1/2 c. chopped almonds instead of 3/4 c. slivers. I just didn't have those. But man, these cookies were pretty much awesome. I LOVED these! So did my mom. She was like, "these are good.... very good.... very, very good... I think they're better than chocolate chip... and that's saying something!".

I left the majority of the batch at my boyfriends house for two hours, and I when I came back, they were all gone! Success! Everybody that ate them liked them better than the Macadamia-Ginger Crunch Drops, but I think that's just because you have to really like crystallized ginger to enjoy that cookie. Which is a given. It's pretty distinct. Lol.

The third cookie I tried was the Chocolate Agave Trailmixers:

Instead of 2/3 c. oil I used 1/2 cup. This made the cookie a little drier, but it stayed together without many crumbs). I also used only whole wheat pastry flour because I was out of all-purpose. Then, for the nut/fruit/chocolate combo I used chopped, dried cherries with chopped walnuts, and 65% cacao dark chocolate chips. I did reduce the amount of dark chocolate chips, but only because some of the people I bake for don't appreciate it as much as I do... These were awesome as well. I've never made cookies with agave and they really do create a cake-like texture, just like Isa said. These remind me of those cake-mix cookies from days past... only 1000x better!

So anyway, I highly recommend this cookbook! I love, love, love it! Not only that, these cookies are seriously liked by everyone, vegans and non-vegans alike! I'm pretty sure that I'm going to make every single cookie recipe in there by year's end. And I'll let you all know how each one turns out. Have a great day!

Adventures at Big Lots and Cocoa Banana Muffin Deliciousness

Well, the other day I made a Big Lots stop. I know I've mentioned that place before, but this time I took a few pictures of my adventures. I didn't want to take too many though, I felt a little weird whipping out my phone and taking pictures of boxes in public...

Big Lots contains a wide variety of food. There always seems to be canned organic soups and beans, as well as organic cereals, dry roasted nuts and seeds, and aseptic cartons of veggie broth. You know, some pretty good basics. I've ran into Amy's brand products, Muir Glen brand products, and even all-natural products from Europe like low-sugar black currant jam (yum, by the way). However, we all know that junk food sells, and Big Lots contains their fair share. I randomly picked up a bag of some chocolatey cereal snack mix, flipped it over, and this was what I found:

Could that ingredients list be any longer?! I didn't bother to count, but I can guarentee there is like, three different forms of milk, four different forms of sugar, a medly of partially hydrogenated oils, and no nutrition. Yuck.

The next item I found I almost bought, just because the box is so damn awesome. I get it, they're made from stone-ground wheat, but when you phrase it like this:

They become epic conversation pieces. Haha... Stoner jokes... Anywho, as I'm going through my photos I found that I only took two, so apparently my adventure at Big Lots was a little less adventure and a little more of a... something that isn't quite as big as an adventure. I shall now leave you with a recipe for some super moist and tasty cocoa-banana muffins. Chocolate and banana just belong together, and the little bits of walnuts and chocolate chips make this a decadent muffin.

Cocoa-Banana Muffins:

3 medium, very ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 c. almond milk + 1/2 Tb. lemon juice
3 Tb. neutral-tasting oil (like good ol' vegetable or canola)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 c. cocoa powder
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Scant 1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 c. unsweetened, plain soyogurt
1/4 c. walnuts, chopped
1/8 c. mini vegan chocolate chips (I love Enjoy Life brand)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a muffin tin for use. I used liners this time because I found some in my cabinet!

2. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas well, until they're mostly pureed. Add the almond milk and lemon juice, stir, then set aside. No use dirtying up a cup, eh?

3. In a large bowl, combine the unbleached AP flour, the whole wheat pastry flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Mix with a whisk until well-combined.

4. To the bowl with the bananas and almond milk, add the brown sugar, vanilla extract, soyogurt, and oil. Whisk together until combined and then pour the wet ingredients into the dry.

5. Stir the muffin batter until just combined (about 50 strokes), then mix in the chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. If I remember right, this batter is a little thick, so no worries. Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full and bake and 350F for 20-25 minutes, or until a fork/toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the tins for a minute or two, and then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. Or, you could just do what I do and pop them out and let them sit in the tin on their sides. Ye-ah!

This makes 24 regular-sized or 12 large muffins. Also, if you use paper cups and want to eat them hot, they'll stick to the paper. Once they're completely cooled, they won't stick. Now here comes the magic, if you make 24 of these babies, their chocolately, walnutty, banana-y goodness comes out to 104 calories per muffin. As for everything else: 3.4 grams fat, 1.7 grams protein, and not much else! Makes for a tasty snack though!

I-Can't-Believe-It's-Vegan Caramel Apple Pie

I'm not sure what it is, exactly, but for some reason men here in the Midwest really love pie. And apple pie at that. So, in honor of Valentine's Day, I made a dessert for the men in my life, because they prefer pie over just about everything else!

This pie is an old recipe that I veganized. It actually has a sort of caramel syrup that you pour over the apples before you bake it, so it's a pleasant twist on the original apple pie recipe.

I wish I had remembered to take a picture of the whole apple pie, because I think for the first time, my top crust actually evenly covered the whole pie! I guess the third time's a charm! For the crust, I used a sort of Pate Brisee, but instead of using all butter, I used half butter and half shortening. I would have used all but I didn't have enough, lol. After remembering to chill the dough thoroughly, I was finally able to get some good rolling action going on. I apologize for the unflattering photo, but it was taken at night with no flash, and it was the last piece of pie! I, and the empty pie plate, can attest to its deliciousness. This is definitely a recipe you can make during the holidays or give to the grandparents without them being able to tell otherwise!

Caramel Apple Pie:
For the crust:
2 1/2 c. unbleached flour (I used the evil white kind 'cause, hey, it's pie, man)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. Earth Balance
1/2 c. nonhydrogenated shortening (I won't compromise here)

For the pie:
1/2 c. Earth Balance
3 Tb. flour
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
4 very large apples (or 6 small), thinly sliced (about 6 cups or so)

To make the crust:
In a bowl, combine the flour, sea salt, and sugar. Whisk to combine. Add in the Earth Balance and the shortening and work in with your fingers until coarse crumbs form. Divide the dough evenly into two disks, then plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for about one hour.

To make the pie:
Preheat the oven to 350F. 

Take one of the pie dough balls from the fridge and form it into the shape of a disc. Sprinkle a clean surface and the rolling pie with some flour and roll the dough out until it's about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. There is enough dough there to completely cover the pie pan, so if it ain't fittin', keep rolling it thinner! Once rolled, place it into a 9-inch pie plate that has been sprayed with a little nonstick. I don't think you need to grease it, but when it doubt, spray it out!

Then slice the apples and place it into the prepared pie crust. Stick all the apples in there, even if it looks like a lot. I don't bother putting them in lemon juice, because you won't be able to tell if they're browned once it's baked.

Roll out the second pie crust in the same manner and just allow it to chill on the surface for a little bit. You'll be using it in a minute. 

Next, make the caramel sauce:
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour to make a paste, then add the water, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for about a minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the sauce evenly over the apples.

Top with the second pie crust. Cut off the extra pie crust (use this to make crusties!) and seal the edges. Spread the top of the pie crust with a little extra Earth Balance and sprinkle it with some extra white sugar and cinnamon. Using a sharp knife, cut a couple slits in the top to allow the steam to vent. Take a small baking sheet and cover it with aluminum foil and place the pie on top of that. This will help prevent the juices from overflowing onto the element. Top the pie with an extra sheet of foil, and place in the oven. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes, then remove the foil from the top of the pie to allow it to brown. Bake it uncovered for another 30-45 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is golden and the apples are soft when a knife is stuck in the center of the pie. Depending on your oven, it may only take about one hour to bake, so start checking it after the one hour mark.

Allow to stand for at least 15 minutes before serving (if you can, lol), and serve it with some vegan whipped topping or ice cream. It's friggin' awesome!

Also, be prepared for some Indian, Korean, and Middle Eastern food! I checked out a bunch of cookbooks from the library and I'm dying to cook from them. Think veggies, tofu, and lentils!

Cranberry Almond Biscotti and the Last of the Sweet Taters

You know how every once in awhile you'll cook or bake a newly veganized item and think to yourself, "oh wow!! This is great!" and it's like you've opened a new door in your travels as a vegan? Well, this is one of those recipes. I LOVE biscotti. As I'm a coffee girl, I love having the perfect crunchy cookie to balance out my cup of dark roast. After not eating a single biscotti in like, three years, I decided that enough was enough and that if a wedding cake could be veganized, some crunchy biscotti could be as well! This recipe turned out so well the first time that I plan on making much more biscotti in the future. Thus, my door to Italian vegan biscotti goodness was proverbially opened!

Baking them was new, since you had to bake them twice. You have to cook the biscotti almost like a loaf a bread and when it's just about done, you slice them to crisp the centers and edges up. So, when the directions say to "shape like a loaf" I mean you shape them kind of like a roundish-long loaf of bread. I'd recommend an insulated cookie pan for biscotti making since it crisps everything up without browning it a whole bunch. I didn't use that pan for this batch, tough I wished I had. It still turned out lovely in the end though.

This biscotti is just lightly sweetened with a smattering of cranberries and almonds. The almond flavor is enhanced by the almond extract, and the orange juice gives such the cranberries a perfect little boost. I recommend using fresh-squeezed though, since you can't ever seem to get any real orange flavor out of boxed juice when cooking (or at least that's my opinion). The egg replacer in this recipe is the tapioca starch-o.j. slurry. It worked really well. I think I might try it in other recipes. I was really pleased at how easy this batter was to mix up and bake. I'm already planning my next batch... maybe some chocolate-hazelnut or some cranberry-pistachio. How about some cardamom-almond...?

Cranberry-Almond Biscotti: 

2 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Juice of 3 juicy oranges (about 3/4 cup)
4 Tb. tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
1 c. sugar + 1 Tb.
2 Tb. coconut oil
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. slivered almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl.

3. Whisk together 1/4 c. orange juice and cornstarch in a large mixing bowl until thick and well-combined. Then, to that mixing bowl, beat in 1 cup sugar, the remaining 1/2 cup orange juice, the coconut oil, and extracts until fluffy.  Fold in cranberries and almonds.

4. Beat in the flour mixture until well-combined. Stir in the cranberries and slivered almonds.

5. Shape the dough into 2 logs on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle them with the 1 Tb. sugar. Bake 35 minutes, or until light brown. Cool 15 minutes on baking sheet.

6. Slice into 1/2-inch thick slices. Return slices to baking sheet, and bake 20 minutes more, or until browned and crisp. Enjoy!

To view the original Vegetarian Times version from this modified one, click here.

Now it's time for a little recipe review...

Well, I think my sweet potato kick has finally ended after a good four or five week run. However, it ended nicely with a small batch of HEAB's Hawaiian Sweet Potatoes. The genius part of this recipe was combining the granola and coconut together in a coffee grinder to get the PERFECT crisp topping (and it was super quick too!). The major thing I changed was I left out the step where she steamed the sweet potatoes. I don't have the capacity to steam in that manner, so I just chunked them up into 1/2 inch cubes and placed them, along with the pineapple juice, in a small (3" x 7" or so) covered baking dish. After about 35 minutes, I topped the potatoes with the crumb mixture and let finish baking until the potatoes were soft.

The Verdict: They were pretty good, but I would've added about one tablespoon of brown sugar to the crumb mixture. Neither my granola nor my coconut was sweetened, so it just needed a little boost in that department. I'll do that the next time I make this dish!

Vegan Milano Cookies and an Old-School Tofu Scramble

My mom and I did a lot of baking this week. We made up a bunch of different cookies and snacks to give out as gifts. We packaged all of the different cookies up in little bags and then placed the bags in a Christmas tin decorated with holiday ribbons and bows. We then gave them out before Christmas so that people wouldn't be too burnt out on holiday food to eat our goodies. Lol. My mom and sister's items were not vegan, but my four items were. This year, I made: gingerbread men, jam thumbprints, cranberry almond biscotti, and these "milano" cookies you see here (or as my boyfriend Drew calls them, "E.L. Fudges"). Nobody else in my family is vegan (or even vegetarian), so I just snuck them in with everything else.

I gotta forewarn you though, I've never ate a Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie. I just know that they're crisp vanilla cookies with a cookie filling. I can't vouch that they're accurate, but I can vouch that they're delicious! If I had rolled them out instead of doing the "flatten-a-ball-with-a-cup" method, they would've been thinner and crispier (and also had a perfect oval shape...). You can do that if you'd like to make them more authentic. When you just flatten a ball of dough with a cup, the cookie tends to be a little softer in the middle and crispy on the edges.

I also added a little orange zest to the chocolate center to just give it a little flair. I thought the flavor went with it quite nicely. Mom said that these were her favorite out of the whole lot of cookies, even more than her white chocolate-macadamia nut cookies. That, my friends, is success!

 Cookie makin' elves ain't got nuthin' on me.

Vegan Milano (or E.L. Fudge) Cookies:
Cookies:
3 2/3 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. Earth Balance (2 sticks), softened
2/3 c. coconut oil
3/4 c. powdered sugar, sifted (just make sure they are no lumps)
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. egg replacer plus 2 Tb. warm water, mixed well
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (or 2 tsp. imitation)

Chocolate filling:
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 tsp. fresh orange zest

To make the cookies:
1. Preheat to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, oil, and sugars for about 2 minutes, until very light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the egg replacer, vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Reduce the speed to low and add about half the flour mixture, mixing to incorporate. By hand, add the remainder of the flour mixture, mixing well. Let the dough stand 10 minutes to firm up slightly.
4. Roll the tablespoon-sized portions of dough between the palms of your hands to form balls; place them on the baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Wipe the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass lightly with oil, then press down on a ball to form a thin cookie round. Continue forming the cookies in this manner.
5. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, for 6 to 9 minutes or until the cookies are just light golden brown around the edges; do not overbake. (Rotate the pan from front to back about halfway through baking to ensure even browning.) Let cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the chocolate filling:
1. Melt the chocolate with the orange zest in a microwave-safe bowl on medium power. Stir about every 30 seconds until the chocolate is completely smooth. This may take 3-5 minutes depending on your microwave.

To assemble the cookies:
Place about 1-2 tsp. worth of chocolate on the backside of one cookie, then top with another cookie and lightly press until the chocolate reaches out to the edge. Allow the chocolate centers to cool and harden before enjoying. The amount of chocolate you use per cookie will kind of depend on how large you made the cookies.

Enjoy the tastiness that are these awesome cookies, and don't forget to share!

Now, let's balance out that massive sugar load with a little savory...

I woke up one morning with an intense craving for a tofu scramble. Tofu scrambles are like introductory vegan food. For most of us, it's one of the first tofu dishes we made ourselves. It's easy, quick to prepare, high in protein, and makes an awesome filling breakfast (or lunch or dinner). I literally have not made one of these in like, three years, (when I first went vegan) but the craving that morning was too strong to deny! Besides, I'm a good little vegan and I always seem to have a block of tofu in my fridge. Lol. Although we all have our favorite recipe, and although most recipes are about the same, I've decided to go ahead and post my version of a tofu scramble here (after I managed to dig out my old recipe). After all, what vegan blog doesn't have a complimentary recipe for a tofu scramble?

And man oh man, did that scramble hit the spot! I embarked onto my plant systematics final ready to go, and truly tofu-powered!

Tofu and Vegetable Scramble:
1/2 (14 or 16 oz.) container of firm tofu, pressed and drained for about 10-15 minutes
2 tsp. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. tamari
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. each garlic and onion powder
1/8 tsp. turmeric
1/8 tsp. smoked paprika

1/4 a green pepper, diced
1/4 a red pepper, diced
3 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 an onion, diced

1. Mash the pressed and drained tofu in a bowl with a fork until it's scrambled egg-looking.

2. Add the nooch, tamari, minced garlic, parsley, garlic and onion powders, turmeric, and smoked paprika with the mashed tofu, and use the fork to blend it all up nicely. If you'd like it a little more yellow, like eggs, you can add some more turmeric. :)

3. In a skilled sprayed with some nonstick, saute the red and green peppers, onions, and mushrooms until soft. About 3-5 minutes.

4. Add the tofu to the skillet and saute for another 2 or 3 minutes. Basically just until the veggies are done, the tofu is hot, and the veggies and tofu are well mixed up.

Enjoy! This dish is also complimented by some black salt, which tends to be a little eggy (due to the sulfur in it), but is also good without it. Serve it alongside some toast and maybe some Gimmie Lean, and you're set! This also makes two average-sized or one large serving.

And it didn't come out of a chicken's butt.