Posts filed under ‘vegan’
Autumnal Treats of the Pumpkin & Apple Variety.
Today was a perfect fall Saturday, definitely the way I imagine all fall weekends should be: chilly and sunny and spent outdoors with a hoodie. Last night I got the baking itch and with 1/2 a cup of pumpkin left from my oatmeal this week, I knew that pumpkin chocolate cookies were exactly what was called for.
D and I made these together in California four Octobers ago (I can’t believe it was that long ago!) when he was visiting me after a day of pumpkin picking and goat petting – and we haven’t returned to them since. I followed the recipe from The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes for “Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies”. What turned out was exactly as light and fluffy as the non-vegan cookies D and I made years ago. The only change I’d make is subbing pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon – more of that pumpkiny flavor! Dee-lish!
Apple Cider Donuts!
Okay so back to tonight – we were closing out our day out and passed by some apple cider. My eyes lit up and I told D I could make us apple cider donuts. He asked if I was serious – and the jug came home with us. The recipe search was far more complicated. I decided to wing it and just used vegan margarine (Earth Balance) and 2 Ener-G egg replacers and followed Emeril’s recipe. Instead of frying, I baked the donuts in my donut pan at 350 degrees for 13 minutes. Glazed with a 1 cup powder sugar + 1/4c apple cider glaze dipped in sugar/cinnamon. D approved!
Best enjoyed with some hot apple cider (check!) and a horror movie (check!).
This Bread is Bananas!
I adore anything and everything pumpkin. Back in college my roommate and I would wait impatiently for the pumpkin muffins to become in season – which would officially mark Halloween season. One year we went overboard way too early. It was September, and we started to buy anything and everything of the pumpkin variety. Well only a week into October and we were over it. We ruined the season too early and felt like we rushed fall. This was the year we learned our lesson and instated our cardinal October 1st rule. No pumpkin flavored items to be enjoyed before October!!
So that delicious baked good you see above? It’s not pumpkin bread. It’s banana bread. Because after this week, it’s full out pumpkin party time! I followed the recipe from More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally by Fran Costigan (Book Publishing Co.). All the recipes in the book truly are comprised of natural ingredients, making for quite a healthy treat! The recipe was for “Banana Walnut Bread” (sans walnuts) on page 122.
There is no sugar in the recipe. Seriously. Just maple syrup, ripe bananas, and a drop of vanilla extract as natural sweeteners. And this is quite delicious! It’s very flavorful and doesn’t scream “healthy” the way it so naturally is. I’ve even done the specs for you – a whopping 95 calories for each of 12 servings. The servings aren’t that large – it actually didn’t rise too high, but the bread isn’t overly dense and is just right.
Book Publishing Co. is promoting “Luscious Vegan Desserts” through the end of October. If you visit their promotion page, you can register to win yourself a dessert book! Check it out!
Today I ran a 5k – which was supposed to be a 10k. Unfortunately my right knee has been all swelly and painful after I stopped going to yoga 3x a week, so I dropped to the 5k. Still, the first mile was characterized by shooting pains at every step – which eventually subsided (thank you 800mg Ibuprofen). No PR here, just needed to get through it.
But making banana bread is obviously the best way to recover from masochism.
What’s your favorite food season? Pumpkin is definitely mine and I cannot wait to get into it!
Seasonal dinner reversal.
Today I got down to it. Rather, I really really tried to get down to figuring out what I wanted to eat this week. Nearly a month ago I purchased American Vegan Kitchen by Vegan Appetite‘s Tamasin Noyes, and haven’t gone further than throwing some flags in the recipes that I wanted to try. So when D offered that chili was a food he’d be willing to eat, I knew right where to turn. Sure it’s over 90 degrees and humid, but this solved a dinner dilemma and a dusty new cookbook dilemma. I cranked the a/c and scurried down to Whole Foods to stock up on all the necessary ingredients for “Chase-the-Chill Chili”, and made sure that I had ingredients on hand at home for “Yankee Cornbread”.
I pretty much stuck to both recipes, however subbed a bag of Boca crumbles for the seitan, went with a cherry flavored beer (recipe calls for beer), didn’t use any vegetable broth (I like my chili thick), and cut down on the cumin since that is a “no no” taste around here. As for the cornbread, I just threw in 1/3 cup frozen corn kernals (all I had) – and got to cookin’!
Look at how hearty that chili is! And yes, my cornbread chunk was really about half the size of my bowl. And I had more.
I think this chili was fantastic! It was definitely on the hot side – which was awesome for me, but not so much for D (he is more of a bland/mild chili guy). The sweet cornbread really was necessary to balance out chili kick. I have to say, I wasn’t sure all the flavors were going to mix (beer? cocoa? molasses?) but they work together fabulously! This made a huge portion and since D couldn’t deal with too much of it, I froze half and will enjoy the rest for lunch this week.
The rest of my week’s dinners are going to be pretty simple and sort of “the norm”, but hopefully I can find a way to twist it up. I’ll leave you with my princess cat Veruca, enjoying some of her homegrown treats D has been working on this summer.
What special treats do you make/buy for your pet family? And major thanks to Gail at Hungry Vegan – I won 30 Minute Vegan and can’t wait to start cooking through it!
Introducing: Wally the Waffle Iron!
I mentioned earlier in the week that I have never been so lucky as to enjoy home-made waffles anywhere but in diners or breakfast joints. They aren’t my #1 breakfast food, but they sure are a delicious treat that I’ve wanted to try veganized. So last week I bought Wally, the Waffle Iron. I couldn’t wait for “Sunday Breakfast” and started on it today. I followed Isa’s Recipe on PPK, however subbed the lemon juice with 1 tsp. vanilla extract. I also added 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar to the soy milk and let it sit a minute before adding it to the wet ingredients, to thicken it up a little. The soy yogurt I used was vanilla flavor.
I had to “prep” the waffle iron, so the first pancake was a little greasy.
I then got a little creative, and decided to powder the waffles.
And caramelize bananas & strawberries. Best decision yet!
The caramelized fruit totally stole the show, turning the waffle more into the vessel for sugary fruit consumption. However, I did manage a few bites sans fruity delight and the waffle was pretty damn good. It does have a grainier aspect to it, due to the cornmeal, however this recipe fluffed right up and maintains a thick consistency, with no holes or breaks in the waffle (which I hear can be a bit of an issue with vegan waffles).
D is eating these right now, sans fruit because I ate it all, but with powdery goodness and maple syrup. They’re actually reheated because he woke up late and he says they are really good. Hip hip hooray! Off to a day full of hanging curtains and World Cup. Happy Saturday!!
No Questions: Best Pizza I’ve Ever Made!
A few years ago I went around telling people that my dream was to own a pizzeria. I became so die-hard that I didn’t eat pizza for 4-months in anticipation of a trip to Italy, where I made sure to sample the alleged “First Pizza” in Naples, and the “Best Pizza” in Naples, and consequently almost made us miss our train back to Rome. Point is, pizza has played a big part in my life for a very very long time. And I’m not here to tell you that it’s place in my heart has changed at all.
During the past year and a half of living with D I have tried on countless occasions to make us all sorts of pizza, each an attempt to perfect the art and call it my own. I consistently have come face to face with the ultimate obstacle: soggy crust. This is all just background info before I introduce to you the “BEST PIZZA” I’ve made to date! That’s right, straight from D’s lips to your computer screen. It was fresh, gourmet, and fantastical.
The Bruschetta Pizza.
- 5 ripe Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 medium red onion, diced
- 1 cup basil, chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves, pressed
- sprinkling of garlic salt, to taste
- drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
- your favorite, or easiest, pizza dough recipe
Simply mix all the ingredients, drizzle with olive oil and garlic salt, and let sit at least 30-minutes to let the flavors mix. Meanwhile, prep and bake your dough without adding the topping (well we did drizzle a little olive oil)! This is essential to gain the crisp, crunchy crust that compliments the pizza style. When pizza crust is ready, remove and add the room-temperature bruschetta. Slice & serve!
D’s half was topped with sliced mozzarella, and he couldn’t say enough good things about the pizza. I mean all the flavors and textures were perfect – and this took all of about 15-minutes to throw together. Can you really beat that? Mind you, all the ingredients cost me about $12 – the price of a pizza – but nothing really beats homemade pizza, where you are in control of the ingredients and flavors. This is now my #1 in a rush-ready to impress- recipe. Give it a try!
Whats your favorite food of past and present? Have you perfected it?
Chocolate covered… everything!
Today D and I met for lunch and I started to bug him about all the bananas we bought and how he better get to eating them. He then turned it around on me and reminded me how much he loved chocolate covered bananas *cough cough*. I considered this a simple mission that I was eager to knock out during the World Cup game half-time.
These were so, so simple to make.
- Cut (3) peeled bananas in half
- Insert popsicle stick (or if you’re out – halved skewers) halfway through the banana
- Lay naked (non-dipped) banana on wax/parchment paper in freezer for at least 2 hours
- When it’s time for dipping, melt 1/2 a bag of semi-sweet (vegan) chocolate chips and 3 tbsp. of Earth Balance together. I can’t figure out double boilers for the life of me, so I microwave my chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 30-second intervals on Low Power (or Level 50 – whatever that means).
- Dip and swirl banana in chocolate, sprinkle with toppings if desired (wish I had cookie crumbs and toffee, booh) and lay back on paper and return to freezer until solid.
While those were chilling, I found myself with a bit of leftover melty chocolate and a tremendous need to coat things in it. So I added the #1 fruit for chocolate dipping into the equation.
Did I mention that on Monday in the 100 degree heat I decided to bake a gazzilion chocolate chip cookies (I used this recipe)? The cookies were good, but not until after they cooled off as they were of the more soft than crispy variety. D said they were like the soft Chips Ahoy in the red package, and everyone at work ate them up yesterday without question. So I dipped some of them into the remaining chocolate and added some sprinkles to the mix – with the plan to make ice cream sandwiches. I used the Turtle Trails variety from So Delicious Coconut flavors.
Super delish!!!! Best idea in awhile. Don’t worry Cynthia – I made sure to eat these after dinner! 
Dinner was “Pad Thai” from The Vegan Table with Gardein Chik’n Scallopini. D was a little confused about the chik’n (tofu? fake chicken? which?) but said it was “pretty good”! Hooray!
It was delicious. I think it’s fair to say I had a pretty darn good eating day, and have more than my fair share of chocolate to dig into as time allows. The icing on the cake with all of these chocolate covered treats is that they are impressive tasting, and even though people at work comment “these are so delicious and I know you never use eggs”, I know that a compliment lies in there.
I’m off to continue flaunting my bragging rights. D was Germany, I was Spain. I watched the game in real time but kept the end a secret so D and I could re-watch it after he got in from work. He felt 110% certain Germany was going to kick Spain’s butt, and I kept mum. VIVA ESPANA! Look for some vegan Spanish meals on Sunday in celebration of the World Cup aka Amanda’s 50% heritage day!
Blueberry Day Off Pancakes!
Yesterday I took the liberty to cancel my clients (wooh) and sit outside my friend’s pool and take in the 100+ degree heat in style. But before that, I really wanted waffles – and I didn’t have a waffle iron to get my needs met. So I turned to Isa and Vegan Brunch and attacked the “Classic Pancake” recipe (also in Vegan with a Vengeance). I added a cup of fresh blueberries I got to flipping one.pancake.at.a.time.
These were delicious and filling and really way too warm to eat on a hot hot morning with hot hot coffee. There’s not much else to say about these, except vegan or not no one would ever know. That carries a lot of weight around here.
And really, this post is dedicated to my new boyfriend: Mr. Waffle Iron. He’s way too shy for an unveiling just now, but I brought him home today because I had a $20 thingy for Kohls from my mama and Mr. Waffle Iron ended up being $10. FYI: I did not grow up with homemade waffles and feel like I’m missing out big time during my weekend breakfasts, being limited to pancakes and french toast. In fact, when I called my sister and told her the good news – she shared my enthusiasm with “That’s going to be so fun! I’m jealous”. It’s the little things people.
Look forward to my first ever waffle post soon!
An All American Vegan Holiday!
I’m always looking for a reason to bake cupcakes or whip up a new recipe, so Independence Day must not go unnoticed. Consider this a double whammy of American Vegan goodness that brings some pride to the food that passing our mouths on another American holiday associated with food. At least we can be patriotic and cruelty free, right?
Inspired after my visit to Sweet Freedom Bakery, I couldn’t shake the flavors associated with the Blueberry-Lemon Cupcakes. So I took to the bible – Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I followed the recipe for a Lemon Cupcake with Lemon Buttercream, and added 3/4 cup of blueberries to the badder after combining all ingredients.
These were AMAZING! For serious! I know that I say that all the time, but these were – dare I say – better than the cupcakes I had at the bakery. So moist and refreshing – all the flavors complimented one another to form PERFECTION! D ate three, nearly in a row. He was utterly disappointed when I gave away more than 1/2 of the batch (only makes a dozen) to our neighbors. These are a true winner and the perfect choice for a summer barbecue dessert.
So a big hit around here is potato salad from the deli. Unfortunately, it’s both expensive and laden with dairy and egg products. Today’s mission was an attempt to replicate our favorite potato salad without those elements. I had to work completely on looks – as I peered into the deli counter to see what ingredients appeared to be present. I also relied a bit on taste memory, and what I think was essential. Here’s what we came up with for my Vegan Red-Skin Potato Salad.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 lbs ( about 8 ) red skin potatoes, quartered
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
- 1/2 tbsp. pickle juice
- 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
- 3/4 c. Veganaise
- 1/2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
- ground pepper to taste.
Boil potatoes in salted pot of water until tender to fork but without falling apart (need to keep an eye on this!). Meanwhile, mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and set aside to chill in refrigerator. When potatoes are ready, drain and set aside until cool. When cooled, cut into 1-inch chunks and mix with remaining ingredients. Chill for 2 hours (or until cold) before serving. Enjoy!
This is pretty damn good if you ask me! I love the dill/pickle juice flavor – and I do think the inclusion of both onions are necessary for the right crunch and intensity. I’m still waiting for D to try this - but I found it delicious and can’t wait to eat it during lunch all week! D loves it! He didn’t even pick around any of the onions or dill, just gobbled it all up . Hooray! I served mine up with a veggie burger (topped with guac) and a half-sour pickle. YUM!
Hope you’re having a delicious holiday weekend as well – can’t wait to see what everyone has been up to (and eating)!!
Philly [Vegan] Eating
Against my better holiday-traffic judgment, yesterday I drove down to Philly to visit one of my best friends from graduate school. We road tripped across the country together 2 years ago, so she knows just how food-centric I can be [the entire trip was planned around cupcakeries], and likewise we had a lovely day traveling around the city and stuffing our faces.
Steph & I circa 2008.
We started off with lunch at Mugshots Coffeehouse – we had gone here for coffee and dessert the last time I visited her, and I was secretly hoping we would return. Their menu is jampacked with organic fare, and I’d say 50% of their menu is vegan – how about that?? Sandwiches, wraps, smoothies, muffins, cakes, cupcakes, cream cheese, etc. – all vegan options. I had a terrible time choosing what to eat, and ended up having the barista choose for me: The Slammer: Lettuce, tomato, vegan meatballs, and avocado in a wheat wrap. It was different, messy, and delicious. That’s why there is no photo of this – I stuffed it down faster than I was able to remember to whip out my camera. But I 100% recommend visiting this cafe – and I can say their vanilla soy latte and vegan carrot cake are creamy and flavorful – my non-vegan friend and I had to alternate spoonfuls to keep it “fair”. Yup. Also bringing this location over the top is their prime location facing Eastern State Penitentiary – D and I will be returning next month to hit up both spots.
Steph and I then traveled across town (literally) to Sweet Freedom Bakery, which specializes in baking allergen-free: so they are vegan (dairy-free & egg-free), gluten-free, corn-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, and even soy-free! With a list of restrictions that long, I was anxious to see how well they could pull off the goods.
The shop is cute & sweet (with nearly blue everything), and they offer a list of ingredients for each item in front of the display. It was a hot day yesterday so I went with the Lemon Blueberry cupcake & Steph went for the mint chocolate cookie sandwich.
I was extremely wary about how tasty these were going to be – especially since I’ve had some terrible gluten-free cupcakes in the past. These were phenomenal, and I give it to you straight – especially with cupcakes. Really, so so moist and flavorful. The lemon and blueberry balanced and I cannot for the life of me figure out how they were able to maintain all elements of a cupcake without so many “traditional” ingredients. These ladies are masterminds! The cookie sandwich was also out of control delicious – also very moist (but with a good crunch) and a fluffy sweet filling. I can’t recommend this spot enough – especially if you have a lot of allergies. After explaining my delight in enjoying these treats, an old woman inside (a “regular”) proclaimed she has celiac’s and this bakeshop is her lifeline! Props to Sweet Freedom, we were happy chicas!
We walked back across town, shopped, people-watched, and then decided we could use one last food trip before I hit the road again. We hit up The Belgian Cafe, also in her neighborhood. She piqued my interest when she said she brought her dad here and he fell in love with their vegan chicken wings. I’m in! I sipped on a Dogfish Festinal Peche – perfectly light for my developing beer palate. We split the Vegan Spring Rolls (marinated tempeh and fresh vegetables with sour cherry compote) & Stuffed Tofu (tofu marinated in Spaten Optimator, stuffed with dried cherries, cashews, cilantro, & garlic and served on a bed of sesame spinach).
While the spring rolls were good – they were nothing different than any other I’ve had before. The stuffed tofu, however, is worth mentioning. It was delicious – I can’t even describe the flavors because they were too busy dancing in my mouth for me to break down. They totally hit it home with this dish and you can absolutely consider me a fan of this establishment. They offer various other vegan options on the breakfast/sandwich/entree menus, we just ordered off the appetizers. Also – if you are a beer person, their list is pages long with a nice selection on tap.
Overall, after a day of walking and eating I was pretty wiped. I had a fantastic start to my long weekend, and today was spent watching Europe dominate the World Cup quarter-finals and doing a little baking. How has your weekend been so far?
Mediterranean Feta Pasta
First and foremost – thanks for the hair support friends. I know that post was way off topic, however it really rocked my boat to have my hair all skunky brewster and I needed to be able to share some of that energy with the world. After the hair fiasco culminated, I continued the June pantry cleanse with another simple yet tasty meal. I dub this Mediterranean Feta Pasta [for fools]. this is really that simple and tasty.
Ingredients
- 28oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 18oz can of cannellini beans, drained/rinsed
- 10oz box chopped frozen spinach [let that 15-20 minutes]
- 1/2 box penne
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 block crumbled soy feta [tomato garlic] – or more if you so desire!
Cook pasta in boiling water per box directions. Meanwhile, saute garlic in olive oil over medium heat until golden/fragrant. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, and beans and bring to boil. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add spinach and cook another 5-10 minutes, raising heat to medium, until most excess liquid reduced. Stir in feta, then mix in pasta. Enjoy!
The meal was so quick to throw together and so delicious! I especially love the chunks of tomatoes and the feta combo – it’s a different take on a traditional basil-centric summer pasta that is often consumed around here these days, and far more decadent thanks to the feta. D even said it was “really good” – he also felt the need to add “it would be better without the beans”. I know you all disagree, as do I! You can barely even tell there are beans in the dish quite frankly. Mind over matter D, even if you do have spidey sense for beans.
This recipe made a ton of pasta, even using only half a box. I tried so hard to push off leftovers on my friends last night, but to no avail. No one eats leftovers around here, such spoiled brats! So tonight we are eating leftovers, and D can sulk about it all he wants unless he wants to pull dinner together.
On a personal note, I’d like to add that for the second time in my adult-life I’ve left the dentist without cavities! Mind you, both visits occurred within the past 365 days, however prior to that I was glutton for punishment and feared the almighty dentist like the boogey man. I’ve learned that flossing and a sonic-care tooth brush can keep the dentist away the same way that an apple can for the doctor. This is a moderate adult accomplishment for me. Hooray!
