Carrot Cake

All I have to say about this one is YUM! I'm pretty picky about carrot cake--I don't like raisins or nuts or big hunks of carrot in it, so I didn't include them. Of course, they can certainly be added for those of you who like that stuff.

Carrot Cake
1 c. flour
1/3 c. rice flour
1 c. sugar
1-1/2 t. baking soda
1-1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. cloves
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
3 T. flaxseeds, ground, mixed with 9 T. water
2/3 c. vegetable oil
1-1/2 c. finely shredded carrots

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients and set aside. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine flax mixture and vegetable oil. Add to flour mixture and stir until combined. Add carrots. Spread batter into two greased and floured 9-inch round pans or on 9x13 pan. Bake 35-45 minutes. Let cool, then frost.

Cream "Cheese" Frosting
8 oz. vegan cream cheese
5 T. Earth Balance buttery sticks, softened
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract
a few drops of coconut extract (optional)
4 c. powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients except powdered sugar, and mix until well blended. Beat powdered sugar in one cup at a time, until frosting reaches desired consistency.

Veggie Pigs in a Pretzel

I got the idea for these little guys from Vegan Dad. They were easy, tasty, and I can't wait to make them for my next party!

Vegan Pull-Apart Caramel Rolls

Preheat oven to 350. Pour half of caramel sauce into an 8x8 baking dish. Cut dough into small-ish pieces and toss into the pan, then cover with remaining caramel. Bake about 30 minutes. Alternately, you can roll out the dough, sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar, then roll up and cut into rolls (proceed as with pull-aparts).

Dough
1/4 c. warm water
2 1/4 t. yeast
2-1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. soy milk
2 T flaxseeds, ground, mixed with 6 T. water
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
6 T. margarine, soft

Combine water and yeast in a large bowl and let stand about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the flour, and the sugar, soy milk, flax mixture, vanilla and salt. Mix well. Gradually add remaining flour and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Add margarine and knead until dough is nice and smooth again (it will feel gross and wrong for a while before it's ready). Cover bowl and let rise until doubled, about an hour and a half.

Caramel Sauce
1/2 c. margarine (Earth Balance buttery sticks work well)
2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. soy milk
2 T. arrowroot powder

Combine 1/4 cup of the soy milk with the arrowroot and set aside. Melt margarine and brown sugar in a sauce pan, then add remaining soy milk. Boil 4 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in soy milk mixture.

Gyros

I've always loved the idea of gyros, but even when I did eat meat lamb wasn't really my thing. In Europe I ate my fair share of veg gyros (or kebabs, as they're known as over there), but I wanted something with a little more substance, and I'm not a huge fan of falafel so I decided to create a gyro with mock lamb made from seitan. It's easy and delicious, so go ahead and give it a try!

Gyros
1 recipe seitan (below), chopped into smallish bits and pieces
1 small white onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced finely
3 T. olive oil
4 t. cumin
2 t. rosemary
4 t. marjoram
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. water
Cucumber-mint sauce (recipe below)
Flatbread
Lettuce, chopped
Tomatoes, diced
>>> Heat olive oil over med-high heat, then add onion and garlic and sautee until soft. Add remaining spices and continue to sautee for a minute or two, then add seitan. Cook, stirring often, until seitan begins to brown. Lower heat and add water, and cook for about 10 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed. Brush flatbread with olive oil and broil for about 30 seconds (or just stick the bread--no oil--in the microwave to get it all soft and chewy). To assemble: top flatbread with seitan, lettuce, tomato, and a drizzle of cucumber sauce. Fold, eat, enjoy!

Seitan
2 c. Vital Wheat Gluten flour
1 1/4 c. water
3 T. soy sauce or Bragg
>>> Add liquid to flour and knead for a minute or two, then divide into about six or eight equal parts and knead each one in your hand for a bit then flatten into a disc shape. Bring a pot of water to a boil then add seitan, and simmer for about 45 minute (or you can cover with water in a casserole dish and bake at 350 for about an hour). [note: you can totally skip this step by buying seitan from the grocery store, but just be aware that this recipe makes about three times that of your typical store-bought stuff, so you'll need to adjust the spices accordingly.]

Cucumber sauce
1 small cucumber, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 c. vegan mayo
1 t. red wine vinegar
5-6 mint leaves, chopped
pinch of salt
>>> Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend until just a few small bits of cucumber remain.

Vegan Veggie Pizza

There's no better time for a pizza party than the weekend, so that's what we decided to do on Saturday night. It took me like three hours, from start to finish, to make this baby, but it was pretty yummy and slightly inventive, if I might say so. I got the idea from a pretty decent Amy's frozen pizza that I sometimes buy. But eight bucks for a pretty small frozen pizza just doesn't sit well with me, so I figured I could make it bigger and better, for less. I made a whole wheat crust, rolled it really thin, and baked it for a bit before adding the toppings. Instead of the typical tomato-based sauce, I made a caramelized onion base by slowly sauteeing a few thinly-sliced onions with about a 1/4 cup of brown sugar until they are completely gooey and broken down. Then I pureed the mixture and added a bit of red wine and balsamic vinegar. Yum. I love anything that involves caramelized onions! I topped the pizza with diced roasted red peppers, artichokes (I actually used a whole artichoke, rather than the jarred version, for the first time ever! It was quite a process, but definitely a worthwhile experience.), sliced crimini mushrooms sauteed with some garlic, and of course my personal favorite, sliced green olives. Baked it for about 20 minutes, and ended up with a giant pizza, two full tummies, and lots of leftovers.

Oh, here's the pizza that
I was trying to replicate:

Why yes, that IS homemade gnocchi

I know I've found a hit recipe when my boyfriend downs two platefuls in under five minutes. We wanted to make something fun and new for dinner tonight, so I settled on the Gnocchi and Asparagus in Basil Mint Pesto from Isa over on the PPK (I'm beginning to think her vegan culinary skills are not quite of this world). It's a pretty simple dish that combines sauteed onions and asparagus with gnocchi in a lovely, lovely pesto sauce, all topped of with diced tomatoes. The thing that made this meal so exciting to me, besides its deliciousness factor, was that everything was made from scratch. Even the gnocchi. I'm so freakin' proud of myself. Yeah, I'm a dork. I've never attempted to make gnocchi before since it seemed to me on par with making my own pasta, or like, building a computer from scratch--you know, something I possess neither the necessary equipment nor the patience and skill to create. I didn't have a recipe for gnocchi, of course, so I just Google searched for a vegan recipe. I found what appeared to be a really simple recipe on a blog called Spoof (which I definitely have to start reading). Surprisingly, it was probably one of the simplest things I've made: the ingredient list consists of potatoes, flour, and salt. I've had lots of bad gnocchi, especially the kind that can be found in the grocery store. I wasn't expecting much from this, being that it was my first attempt, but the dumplings turned out perfectly chewy and just all around pleasing. Well, I guess I still need to work on the shape/appearance, but I still have lots of dough (or whatever you'd call it) leftover to practice on. Hooray for new favorites!

Miso Soup

There are lots of meals that I love when I go out to eat, but never actually make at home because I don't realize how insanely easy they are. Miso soup is a perfect example. I order it pretty much every time I go out for sushi, so why haven't I ever thought to make it myself? Well, last night I actually did. Well, a version of it at least. I got a recipe from my mom for this fabulous tofu-spinach soup she makes, and with a few simple changes it turned into a miso soup of sorts. Here's my super simple recipe:

Easy Miso Soup
3-4 tablespoons miso paste (I used the brown kind, but I'm sure any will do)
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 package extra-firm tofu, cut into small cubes or strips
5-ounce bag of spinach (or more!), chopped

Fill a pot with about 6 cups of water. Add miso and heat to a simmer until it's all dissolved. Add ginger and tofu, and bring it to a light boil for a few minutes. Add spinach and simmer for another minute or two. Season with salt and white pepper (if you have it--mine wasn't ground yet, so that would have been way too much work for me). Serve and enjoy.

The Wonders of Tempeh

One of Chris' (and mine, too) favorite dishes from Veganomicon is the Spicy Tempeh and Broccoli Rabe Pasta. I've probably made it a half a dozen times, but the version I made the other night was by far the best. In the past I've used regular broccoli instead of the rabe since the coop in my neighborhood doesn't carry that. But last weekend I randomly decided to do my grocery shopping at Minneapolis' newly remodeled Whole Foods--and of course they have pretty much anything you could ever want or need. Except pumpernickel bread, wtf? I've been quietly boycotting Whole Foods since I read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (if you've read the book, you get it). I may have felt a twinge of guilt as I entered the store, but after filling my cart with a bouquet of tulips, cans of 99-cent store brand chickpeas, and loads of super fresh produce, I have to admit I might become more of a regular again. Okay, that was quit a tangent--back to the main story. While at Whole Foods I noticed they had broccoli rabe, and I grabbed a small bunch figuring I could use it somewhere. The other night Chris was feeling down, so I figured that called for a fabulous dinner (yes, I use food to fix things). I had most of the ingredients for the spicy tempeh dish, so that's what I made. The one thing I usually do differently is really mash up the tempeh instead of leaving some small cubes. I've found that this makes it more flavorful (sort of like ground sausage) and you can't even tell it's tempeh. Well, the recipe calls for two tablespoons of tomato paste, which is something I always have on hand. I pulled the jar out of the fridge and realized that was once tomato paste was now raspberry preserves (no, it didn't morph--I reuse jars). I had a can of tomato sauce in the cupboard though, so I figured that would be a fine substitute. But after measuring out my two tablespoons of sauce, I realized that the rest of the can would probably end up getting lost in the back of the fridge and going to waste, so I just dumped the remainder in with the tempeh. It made the dish a little saucier but not at all runny, and I figure it added some extra nutrients from the additional tomato. As you can see from the photo, it's not a pretty dish (at least when I make it!), but the taste more than makes up for its appearance. Oh, and we'd already devoured our portions by the time I decided to take a picture, so that's another reason it looks so yucky.

Birthday Cupcakes!!!

Since it was my birthday I decided that just one variety of cupcake would never do, so I made three: vanilla with (purple) vanilla frosting, mocha with Bailey's frosting, and choco-banana with peanut butter frosting. My initial grand idea was to make three completely different frostings for the cupcakes, but after an hour-long failed attempt at my childhood favorite--fluffy white frosting--I was out of time and energy. I ended up just whipping up a big batch of my vegan vanilla icing and dividing it into three bowls before the addition of the soy milk. In the first I added the soy milk and some blue and red food coloring to use for the vanilla cupcakes. Chris finished off the other two, adding peanut butter and soy milk to one, and a bit of Bailey's Irish Cream (we cheated--I'm pretty sure that's not vegan) to the other. It was fabulous because we ended up with three distinct frostings from a single recipe/batch.

Baby Shower Cupcakes

These cupcakes are my new favorite. I made them for Mel's baby shower this weekend, and everyone seemed to like them. I've only made them twice so far, but I'm hoping to try some fun variations eventually.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups soy milk
2 1/8 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (yeah, sounds odd, but it gives it a nice buttery flavor)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine vinegar and soy milk, set aside to curdle. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds in). Whisk with a fork (or you can use a sifter, if that's they way you roll). In another, smaller bowl, mix the oil, extracts, and soy milk mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and beat with a handheld mixer until nice and smooth. Fill greased or lined muffin cups about 2/3 full of batter, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the tops start to brown a bit. Let cool, then douse with frosting.

Can't believe it's Vegan Frosting
1/2 cup (one stick) Earth Balance shortening
1/2 cup (one stick) Earth Balance buttery sticks
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup soy milk

(I recommend using a large bowl for this, as the frosting tends to splatter whenever I make it.) Beat shortening and margarine until fluffy, then add the sugar and beat for a few minutes. Add the vanilla and soy milk, and beat for a few minutes longer (five or so if you can make it that long) until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. Add a little food coloring, and spread or pipe onto cupcakes.

Cas-ou-let is fun to say

It doesn't look like much, but this cassoulet was a pretty tasty, hearty winter dish. And it was super easy to make. All you do is sautée some veggies, add a roux, throw in a can of white beans, and let it simmer until nice and thick. Then make a simple batch of baking powder biscuits, throw little pieces of the dough on top of the whole mess, and stick it in the oven for 15 minutes or so. I added a little bit of brown sugar and sage to the biscuits, which made them extra yummy. Here's the recipe:

1 pound of potatoes (yukon gold), diced
3 cups veggie broth
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 leeks, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 cup frozen peas
1 can white beans

Boil potatoes until tender, about ten minutes, then drain and set aside. Make a roux by whisking broth and cornstarch, set aside. Sautee leeks, onions and carrots in a bit of olive oil until all are nice and tender--but watch the leeks so they don't burn. Stir in the garlic and thyme, and salt and pepper. Add the potatoes, peas and roux, and season as needed. Let simmer until thick, then top with biscuit dough (recipe below), and stick it in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until the biscuits are nice and fluffy and just starting to brown. Let sit for a few minutes, then enjoy!

Biscuit Topping

3/4 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup (half stick) Earth Balance shortening
a few dashes of salt
1-2 teaspoons sage
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Combine soy milk and vinegar, and set aside to curdle. Then mix dry ingredients, and cut in shortening. Slowly add the soy milk mixture, then knead the dough with a bit of extra flour until it's all nice and smooth.

Amore Avocado Ice Cream

I am a huge fan of ice cream, but don't get to enjoy it very often due to Mr. Chris' lactose intolerance (I'm still in denial about my own dairy sensitivity), and I don't really dig that soy-based stuff for some reason (except for Temptation, which is fabulously delicious). So a few weeks ago Chris comes home raving about this avocado concoction that someone's brother had in Morocco or something. I love avocados, and guacamole is one of my faves, but I couldn't imagine a mixture of avocado, soy milk, sugar and ice tasting anything like ice cream. So Chris whipped up a batch and proved me wrong. So simple, yet so exotic and delicious. All you do is blend those four ingredients (we used our 'magic bullet'), and the result is an uber-creamy, lightly sweet frozen dessert.

Seitan is Not Evil

I'm not sure if yellow was the best color for plating this meal, but I can assure you it tasted better than it looked. Last week I tried out yet a few more new recipes from my ever faithful Veganomicon cookbook. This meal took me two-and-a-half hours to make. No, your eyes are not deceiving you, it is what it looks like: a simple sandwich and greens (Vietnamese seitan baguette and sesame baby bok choy to be a bit more specific). What made it so excruciatingly long, was that I made the seitan. Until recently I didn't know there was any other way of obtaining this meaty delight other than tearing open a plastic pouch from the grocery store, or ordering up a nice mock duck dish at my favorite Thai restaurant (King & I Thai, in case you were wondering). In fact, it was relatively simple to make. Just mix up some vital wheat gluten with a few other simple ingredients that I can't remember, then simmer it in a broth mixture for about an hour. It made quite a bit of seitan--probably about 3-4 times as much as you get in those wimpy little store packets--and only cost me a few bucks to make. Hooray! I sliced and pan-fried the finished seitan, and stuffed it into warm baguettes along with a bit of vegan mayo, and thinly sliced cucumber and red onion. I made a spicy ginger-garlic broth (sort of like an au jus) to dip the sandwiches in. Did I mention they were delicious? The bok choy on the side was yummy and easy, and a nice departure from our usual kale or Brussels sprouts. Here's a great photo of Chris enjoying the meal:

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

Yum! This is the perfect ooey, gooey treat to whip up when you're in desperate need of a chocolate fix.

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix in a 8"x8" square pan:

• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Add:

• 1/2 cup milk (I use soy milk)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix until smooth, then sprinkle batter with:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa

Next, pour 1 3/4 cups hot tap water over the entire thing (don't stir), and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Once it's all bubbly and gooey, take it out and serve (with vanilla ice cream, if possible!)

Vegan Mac & Cheese

So last night during a short break in my painting fiasco (more on that later), I decided to whip up a comforting batch of my fabulous vegan macaroni and cheese. I pretty much change the recipe slightly each time I make it to accomodate what I have or don't have on hand at the time--luckily this is a very forgiving recipe and nothing needs to be too precise. I wouldn't say it tastes much like the Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese I grew up with, but it's totally hits the spot. I even tested it out on my teenage cousins and they had no idea it was a cheeseless dish--now that's success!

Ingredients

• 1 package elbow macaroni, shells or any other type of pasta you'd like, cooked (should make about six cups when cooked)
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes (available in the bulk bins at most coops)
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 4-6 teaspoons dried herbs/seasoning (I use whatever I have on hand. Last night it was basil, oregano, marjoram and a pinch of chili powder.)
• Salt and pepper to your liking
• 1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or Bragg

Preheat oven to 350. Mix yeast flakes and flour in a small saucepan over med-low heat until they start to smell nice and toasty (but don't let them burn!). Then slowly whisk in the vegetable broth and water to form a smooth sauce. Add the seasonings, tomato sauce and soy sauce, and mix until blended. Put cooked pasta in a 9"x13" pan/casserole dish, and add sauce. Stir until all the past is coated with the sauce, then stick it in the oven for about 30 minutes. Usually I just forget about it until the timer goes off and the top is a little crusty and chewy (fine by me!), but if you like all your noodles to be tender and coated in sauce, be sure to stir it a few times while it's baking. Let cool for a few minutes, season to taste and serve. Yum!