A Cooking Course with Chef Jason - Plant Restaurant Asheville: Risotto and Wild Foods

One of our favorite restaurants in the country (if not our top pick thus far world-wide) is Plant in Asheville.  I am not kidding when I say the Chef Jason Sellers is a culinary master.  His cooking is pure witchcraft and he has to be one of the most innovative chefs around.

We are so lucky to be within driving distance of his genius and we have often made the 2+ hour drive each way to just have dinner at Plant.  We recommend this restaurant to anyone coming anywhere near the Asheville vicinity.  It's so good that the first time we ate dinner there, we called at 10am the next morning to see how soon we could get in again.  Not kidding.

So when we read that Plant was going to be doing intimate (5 or so people) cooking classes on Saturdays we quickly jumped online to schedule our sessions.

And Jason did not disappoint.

The class was for Risotto and Wild Foods.  I love cooking risotto and have posted here a few times about making risotto at home. But I loved the idea of learning from Jason, seeing behind the scenes, asking questions in a small setting and, of course, the lure of what wild foods would be featured was pretty great as well.

Asheville has a lot of wild foods from mushrooms to greens to herbs - the best foodie culture in the South, I think - so it could have been anything!

The restaurant is small which makes it perfect to learn and host a group of this size. Jason cooked and spoke right in front of us and made sure we saw every step of the way. His interaction with the 6 of us was continuous and everyone was interested and engaged.

I was happy to find out that my techniques and philosophies about cooking were something that Jason shared.  Pretty validating for an untrained but enthusiastic home "chef"!  Plus we share a love of salt varietals, so no one say you can ever have too much salt!

Jason showed us some restaurant tips and tricks, including how to pre-cook the risotto for finishing later, and created two separate dishes from the base recipe.

The first risotto was with a nettle pesto (recipe below) and then the addition of crimini and young chicken of the woods mushrooms, topped with sautéed wild watercress.

The second risotto received the addition of an oven-dried tomato confit and was then topped with an herb and black pepper crusted tofu, which was amazing.  It was seriously some of the best tofu ever.

These dishes were paired with two amazing wines and we left there inspired and eager to try out our new insights at home.   I can't speak for the other "students" but I love to make risotto and do a lot, but I usually keep it pretty simple.  I think risotto is an amazing dish on it's own.  But Jason really inspired us to do more with it, which is the mark of a chef that truly loves to cook.

Afterwards we headed over to the new location of French Broad Chocolate Lounge and capped off our day with a variety of chocolate delights - a slice of the Theros Olive Oil cake, gelato, vegan truffles and rose sipping chocolate.

It was a beautiful day in Asheville filled with amazing food!

Recipe for Risotto and Nettle Pesto
(serves 4 - 6)

Jason mentioned you can make risotto from a number of grains but worked with classic Arborio.  He mentioned a more hard to find rice, Vialone Nano, and now I'm eager to find and test that out.   He used their own, made in house stock as well.

Ingredients:
1/4 olive oil (make sure it's not a blend, he used extra virgin)
1 1/2lbs short grain white rice (e.g. Arborio)
2 1/2 oz white onion (1 small), chopped small
3/4 C of wine, room temperature (pinot grigio used)
6 - 8 C stock, kept hot
2 tsp salt, to taste  - sea salt or kosher preferred

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy bottom pot with a wide base and mouth. Add the rice and stir to coat each grain. Cook for 2 minutes.  Add the onion (and 1 grated clove of garlic if preferred) and cook for two minutes until the onions become somewhat translucent. Add the wine and cook until it is mostly absorbed. Begin adding the stock, one ladle (1/2C to 1C) at a time, until the rice is just covered by the liquid. Using a wooden spoon, stir the risotto until the liquid has dropped below the surface of the rice. Continue stirring and adding stock one ladle at a time until the risotto is thick, creamy/starchy, and chewy, and has lost any chalky crunch.

Add in pesto (or confit, etc.) and serve.

We learned you can, before all of the stock is added, take the risotto and cool it by putting it spread out on a baking sheet and then storing it overnight, covered in plastic wrap. You can then "finish" it by bringing it up to a heat again and adding in hot stock.  This will enable you to prep it somewhat in advance and then only need to cook it about 10 minutes, for a party or dinner, etc.

Nettle Pesto
(yield 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients:

2/3 C toasted hazelnuts, skins removed, finely chopped
1 C blanched nettles, dried (not dry), roughly chopped
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley
zest of one lemon
2 big pinches of salt
3 Tbl olive oil

Combine the hazelnuts, nettles, garlic, parsley, lemon zest and salt in a small mixing bowl. Add the olive oil and mix with a rubber spatula until uniform. Adjust lemon and salt to taste.

Tip: the lemon zest will help keep the pesto bright.  You can add lemon juice later before serving, to taste.

Friends Don't Let Friends: Not Have a Trifle or Make Them Miss Gluten

Today we went to a fabulous event put on by The Purple Pig Project, which raises money to give to animal rescue groups and sanctuaries.   It was hosted by a member of the group who always outdoes herself with hospitality and everyone brings amazing, all vegan, dishes to share.

I decided to get a bit crazy in the kitchen last night and we made a bunch of things to share with the group.

The first thing I made were my favorite Chocolate-Chip Walnut Brownies.  I did add in some extra dark cocoa to the cocoa mix and they turned out just as awesome as always.  (The recipe is via VegNews May/June 2009, Issue 67 and the link above.)

But of course I have to test some new recipes, so I made a gluten-free cornbread (trying to work gluten-free recipes into the repertoire) and a Strawberry-blueberry Vanilla  English Trifle.

Yep, they turned out pretty awesome.

The cornbread recipe is from Babycakes' first cookbook and is a bit sweet with a soft crumb.  It calls for being made in a loaf pan.  I haven't tried the more traditional square pan. 

Babycakes Gluten-free Cornbread

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup rice milk
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup corn flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil , plus more for the pan
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1/3 cup homemade applesauce or store-bought unsweetened unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tsp. pure pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 7x4x3-inch loaf pan with oil. (Note: I did not oil the pan, I lined it with parchment instead.)

Pour the rice milk and apple cider vinegar into a small bowl, but do not stir; set aside to develop into "buttermilk." In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, corn flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt. Add the oil, agave nectar, applesauce and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Stir the batter until well combined. Pour in the "buttermilk." Mix gently until the ingredients are fully incorporated and a slightly grainy batter is formed.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the corn bread on the center rack for 32 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 20 minutes. The finished corn bread will bounce back slightly when pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

Let the corn bread stand in the pan for 20 minutes, then gently run a knife around the edge of the bread. Cover the top of the pan with a cutting board, and invert the loaf onto the board. (This last step is not needed if you line your pan.  I just pull it out via the paper.)

The English Trifle takes a few more steps as there are several components to it.  There's the cake, the whipped cream, pastry cream, lemon curd and the macerated berries.  You could leave some of the cream/curd components out but I'd at least do the berries, whipped cream and lemon curd, leaving out the pastry cream if you wish.   But all 3 does give you a delicious result. These recipes are from several sources so I will link as possible.

Here are the steps I took - The night before I, I made the following because they all need to cool/chill:

1. Lemon curd

2. Pastry creme

3. Cake - Victoria Sponge

The morning of, I :

1. Macerate the strawberries (save some just chopped to add on top along with blueberries, raspberries, etc., as you wish)

2. Make the whipped cream

3. Assemble

Lemon Curd

I love lemon curd and have made it a few ways.  The version I used here came from Bryanna Clark Grogan via her site - Vegan Feast Kitchen.

Some notes I would make about how I made this is, first I steamed the parsnips after cubing them.  This freed me up to do other work.  I would have let them drain a bit more than I did.  I also, if I'd had the time instead of making this the night before, would have run this through the VitaMix for an even smoother look.  I used 3 Meyer lemons and part of a standard lemon for the juice and the zest.  It turned out relish.

Pastry Cream

This pastry cream will be a great filling for eclairs and more.  I just loved it and it was super simple. 

This recipe was also from Bryanna Clark Grogan but it took a bit of sleuthing to track it down, since it seems to not be on her site.  I found it on VegSource.com. (not the prettiest site!) and it could not be simpler.  I did grind the cashews in my mini-processor before measuring but that's the only modification.  It was super easy to do and came together fast and was delicious. 

Victoria Sponge Cake

I've been wanting to try a recipe from one of my newest acquisitions - Ms. Cupcake: The Naughtiest Vegan Cakes in Town.  This cake was so easy and great, I can't wait to make more of her recipes.

One note: Unlike its US counterparts, Ms Cupcake’s recipe book uses metric as well as cup measurements. According to Ms Cupcake , if you’re having trouble baking with cups, it could be because you’re doing it wrong. If you’re measuring flour, you have to pour the flour into the cup - not scoop because that compacts the flour and you end up with the wrong amount.

Ingredients

3 Cups + 2 Tbsp self-rising flour

1 Cup + 3 Tbsp (caster) sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 2/3 Cups soy or rice milk (I used rice as that's what I had on hand)

2/3 Cup canola oil (or other flavorless oil)

2 Tbsp vanilla extract

Grease and flour 2 round 8", 9" or 10" cake tins (Note: I used 10" because I wanted a thinner cake to cut up and layer in the trifle bowl. I also lined the bottom of the pans with parchment.) and pre-heat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar and baking powder together. Add the milk, oil and vanilla, stirring until just combined. Tap the bowl onto the work surface to stop the rising agents from working too quickly - you'll see any bubbles pop. Pour half the batter into each cake tin and tap the tins on the work surface to pop the bubbles again.

Bake for about 18 - 20 min or until a toothpick, inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 - 15 minutes in the tins and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Macerated Berries

No real recipe here. I took about 1 1/2 pounds of fresh strawberries, de-hulled them and cut them into quarters and then sprinkled with about 2 - 3 Tbsp of sugar and then the juice of 1 lemon. Stir and let sit in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble, at least 30 min.

Whipped Cream

I always keep about 2 cans of coconut milk in the refrigerator so I have it on hand for easy whipped cream. Let it sit and don't shake it at all! Scoop the solid coconut fat from the top of the cans of coconut milk into a bowl that has been in the freezer for at least an hour (I also keep my whisk attachment in the freezer too). Do not get any of the liquid into the solids, leave some of the solids in the can if you have to.

Whisk the solids briefly until it fluffs up and then add powdered sugar and vanilla extract to taste.

For this trifle, I would use about 4 cans worth of the coconut milk solids to ensure you have enough to cover 3 layers.

Assembly

I cut the two cakes into squares and then layered it into the bowl in the following order:

1. Cake

2. Whipped Cream

3. Macerated berries and fresh blueberries/raspberries

4. Lemon Curd

5. Pastry Cream

6. Cake

7. Whipped Cream

8. Macerated berries and fresh blueberries/raspberries

9. Lemon Curd

10. Pastry Cream

11. Cake

12. Whipped Cream

13. Fresh chopped berries

Dig in!

_______________

We also brought a savory dish to the gathering - a warm Sweet Potato and Chickpea salad (via Blissful Blog adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

We roasted our sweet potatoes for a bit longer than noted and added in some rice vinegar to taste for the dressing.

I traveled well and was delicious room temperature.  I think we need to make it again to have it more warm.

All in all, we ate a ton and are stuffed!  Our gatherings are good for the spirit but dangerous for my waistline!

Sweet Dreams from Sugar Bean Bakery

I have been sooo busy in the last few weeks. From traveling for work, to just working, I feel like I've been out of action.

 But I had to add one more thing to my plate. It was a ton of work, but also a ton of fun.

 I decided to do a Sugar Bean Bakery booth at a local art show on Saturday.  I spent a good 12+ hours baking and packaging and a few days before that planning my decor.  When Saturday came around, I was glad it wasn't raining!  I pulled out my favorite cake stands and set up my goodies.

All proceeds are going to a local farm animal refuge that is in development and, since we totally sold out, I will be getting to give them $360!

I really really loved my booth (as you can tell from the tons of pictures with more going on Flicker), making delicious vegan goodies and can't wait to do it again in the fall!

Friends Don't Let Friends: Miss Blueberry Pie

I am not a huge pie baker.  I'll do an apple pie or a pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving but that tends to be it.  Fussing about with dough isn't my favorite thing and in the past, I have to admit, I would be lazy and buy prepared pie crusts to use.

I know, I know, it's pathetic.  But I just hated to cut in the butter/shortening and then roll the dough out, etc.  But really, I don't have much of an excuse.  The food processor with the dough blade does most of the hard work for you.

So, in honor of our 3 year Veggie-versary (which was this past week) and the fact that my husband came home with 12 pints of blueberries from the Farmer's market, I decided on a whim to make blueberry pies. 

Instead of making 1 big pie, I decided to use my individual pizza pans and make two half-sized pies.  Half the size, double the fun!  I went to my favorite vegan baking cookbook, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's The Joy of Vegan Baking, and found a perfect pie recipe.

One thing to note, this did take me a while with the freezing/refrigerating of the dough and the baking time, but if you get the cookbook, you can actually make dough ahead of time and freeze it, or go for pre-made pie dough.  Once you have that done, the pie filling is easy peasy, so no excuses!

For the crust:

Making pie crust is easier than it seems, but you just have to pay attention to the temperature of your ingredients - keep everything as cold as possible. CPG suggests putting everything - flour mix, cut-up shortening, water and rolling pin - in the freezer for 30 minutes prior to mixing. You also can't mix it too long or it becomes doughy rather than flaky.


This makes enough for a lower and upper pie crust on one 9" pie. When I made my pies I still had plenty of dough leftover for another pie crust bottom or I may make pie pops another day.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup vegetable shortening (alternate: 1/2 c. vegetable shortening and 1/2 c. nondairy butter such as EarthBalance sticks), cut up into little chunks

1/3 - 1/2 c. plus 1 tbsp. ice cold water

Directions:

Measure out all the ingredients and put them in the freezer for 30 minutes before you start cooking.

Use a food processor or hand mixer to combine the flour, sugar, and salt - about 10 seconds.

Add the butter/shortening and pulse until the fat turns to pea-sized pieces.

Drizzle in the ice water and pulse until there are no dry spots left. I scraped down the sides a few times to make sure it was well combined but not a giant clump of dough.

You should be able to press the dough into two balls by hand. If not, add a tiny bit more water.

Press the dough into two flattened balls and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to a few days. You can also freeze it for 6 months.

When the dough is chilled, roll it out on a well-floured surface. Make sure not to warm the dough with your hands.

Transfer the dough to your pie pan by delicately folding it in half and half again (so it looks like a quarter of the circle), and then unfold into the pie pan. I put the crust in the pans back into the fridge another 30 minutes to prevent shrinkage when baking. And I didn't roll out the top crust at this point. It only takes a second to roll it out and cut the shapes so I did that once I filled the pies.

I pre-baked the bottom, so preheat the oven to 450°F.
Poke holes in your pie crust with a fork or use parchment paper and pie weights and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool.

I made this only with fresh berries, but you could certainly make it with frozen berries.


Ingredients:

3/4 c. granulated sugar

3 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp. lemon zest

4-5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, pick out stems and shriveled berries. I used 4 cups for mine.

Almond or soy milk for brushing on your top crust (if you choose to have a top) and granulated sugar for sprinkling on top.

Directions:

If you are using frozen blueberries, let them sit out for about 15 minutes and then strain the juice.

Keep the oven at 450°F.

For the top crust, you can either use another whole crust, make a lattice design, cut shapes with a cookie cutter, or leave it off. If using, roll the crust and leave it in the fridge until you are ready.

In a big bowl, combine/whisk the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

When the mixture is combined, fold in the blueberries.

That's it! Then put the mixture into your pre-baked pie crust. Cover with the other crust (with steam slits) or crust shapes, if you are using. Lightly brush with the almond or soy milk and sprinkle with a bit of sugar.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes (shorter if you are doing smaller pies). Then, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and put a cookie sheet under the pie pan to catch drippings, and cook for another 25-35 minutes until the berries and juice are bubbly. If your edges get too brown, wrap them with strips of foil.

When you take out the pies, let it/them cool for at least 1 hour and preferably 3 hours before cutting and eating. The pies can stay out at room temperature for several days.

Enjoy plain or with (vegan) ice cream!

Friends Don't Let Friends: Not have their cake & Eat it too

I'm a baker from way back. And a cake decorator.  I actually took 3 courses on cake decorating and have shelves of cookbooks on making things like sugar flowers and tiered cakes etc.

Devil's Food Cake

(modified from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) EarthBalance, softened, plus more for pans

• 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for pans

• 1/2 cup boiling water

• 3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 1/4 cups sugar

• 1 Cup unsweetened apple sauce

• 2 Tbl ground flaxseeds whipped with 6 Tbl water
• 1 Tbl pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup soy milk


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease with EarthBalance or vegetable shortening three 8-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment; coat parchment. Dust with cocoa powder; tap out excess. Set aside. Sift cocoa powder into a medium bowl; whisk in boiling water until combined - a thick paste. Set aside to cool.

2. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl; set aside. Put the softened EarthBalance into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until creamy. Gradually mix in sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add applesauce and flaxseed/water mixture , a bit at a time, mixing well between each addition; mix until well blended. Mix in vanilla.

3. Whisk soy milk into reserved cocoa mixture until combined. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the cocoa mixture.

4. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans; smooth tops with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks; remove parchment and re-invert. Let cool completely.

5. Using a serrated knife or cake leveler, trim tops of cakes to make level if needed. To frost: Place the first layer on the cake plate. Spread the top of the first layer with 1 1/2 cups of frosting. Place the second layer on top and repeat process with another 1 1/2 cups of frosting. Place the remaining layer on top of the second layer, bottom side up. Spread entire cake with remaining 3 cups frosting. 

Note: See information about frosting thickness below.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

(modified from Mrs. Millman's Chocolate Frosting)

Ingredients

• 24 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate morsels (Ghirardelli are my faves)

• 4 cups soy creamer

• 1 teaspoon light corn syrup


Directions

1. Place chocolate morsels and cream in a heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until combined and thickened, between 20 and 25 minutes. Increase the heat to medium low; cook, stirring, 3 minutes more. Remove pan from heat.

2. Stir in corn syrup. Transfer frosting to a large bowl. Chill until cool enough to spread, about 2 hours, checking and stirring every 15 to 20 minutes. Use immediately.

Note: my frosting was not as thick as the original recipe produced.  I've been reading more and will test using a combination of soy cream and silken tofu which should add in more of the fat that helps to thicken this up. 

My frosting resulted in a thick ganache style frosting.  Too thin to spread but thicker than traditional ganache.  It set up on the cake after a few minutes and I ladled it on in 3 sets, collecting the run off chocolate and continuing to add it to the cake until is was mostly all used - resulting in about an inch of frosting on the top layer.

This is a very intensely chocolate cake and frosting and is very rich.  The frosting is very milk chocolate-y combined with dark cocoa of the cake.  I'm going to be doing some more experimentation but overall this was good and great for a larger group or party because you don't need to cut big slices to get your chocolate fix.

Friends Don't Let Friends: Miss Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Do you know what a Whoopie Pie is?

I actually had not heard this term until recently because it seems to be regionally New England with Amish origins.  According to food historians, Amish women would bake these (known as hucklebucks at the time) and put them in farmers' lunchboxes. When farmers would find these treats in their lunch, they would shout "Whoopie!"

I would be in agreement with them, because the first time I tasted one from the Menonite farmers at our farmers market, I was hooked.  Soft cake sandwiching a sweet frosting filling.  Not as pretty as a cupcake but, in many ways, I think better tasting and easier to eat.

Traditionally you will find whoopie pies in chocolate, oatmeal or pumpkin.  Mostly with a white sugar frosting center but sometimes with a creme cheese frosting filling. I've also been seeing red velvet cake versions too.  These cakes are firmer than a yellow cake so they hold up to sandwiching.

Pumpkin is my favorite though. Since the sugar pumpkins have been coming in, I've made these twice. I think it is very important to use your own roasted pumpkin over canned.  The results, no matter what you are making with it, are going to be incrementally better.

Roast your pumpkin, scoop out the flesh and puree it (you can do this in advance).

Ingredients:

3 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp fresh gound nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

2 1/2 Cups brown sugar (I do a mix of light and dark)

1 Cup canola oil

2 egg replacers (I use Ener-G brand)*

2 Cups pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla extract

*Note: No matter if you cook vegan or not, you should have a box of this on hand. Besides the obvious cruelty issues, eggs spoil and having a box of this on hand ensures you will have all the ingredients you need when baking.  

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices in a large mixing bowl and whisk together to combine.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, egg replacer (mixed separately first, according to the box instructions), pumpkin and vanilla extract. 

Add wet ingredients to the dry and combine until well mixed.  Drop by rounded tablespoons, not too close together, on a parchment paper lined (ideal) or greased baking sheet.  You should have enough for about 24 - 30 sets.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until the center springs back when lightly pressed. If you bake on parchement, you can transfer the whole sheet off of the baking sheet and onto wire racks to cool.

When thoroughly cooled, pipe or spoon on a dollop of frosting and sandwhich together.

My frosting of choice for cupcakes, cakes and Whoopie pies is the Wilton icing.  It's pure white so it takes colors perfectly and it's pretty stable. Plus you can make it in advance as well.

Wilton Frosting Ingredients:

1 16oz can of Crisco

1 2lb bag of powdered sugar

1 tsp clear vanilla extract

1 tsp clear butter extract*

2 Tbl Meringue Powder (optional)

Pinch of salt

Water

*Note: you can play with the amounts or add other extract flavors as you choose.  Almond is a good one too.

In a stand mixer (ideally) whip the vegetable shortening with 2 Tbl water until fluffy.  Add in half the powdered sugar, 1 Tbl of meringue powder (if applicable) and 1tsp of extract.  Blend in the mixer until well combined.  Remove from the mixer and add 2nd half of the powdered sugar, 1 Tbl of meringue powder (if applicable), pinch of salt, the other extract and 2 Tbl of water.  Blend on medium speed until well-combined.  You can add more water until the fosting is to the consistency you like for decorating or icing.

Whoopie!!!!

This recipe is a part of:

Top image by: Teeny Tiny Turkey
All other images by me.

Friends Don't Let Friends: Miss out on warm Brownies

Brownies are one of my favorite dessert. The only need a few ingredients, they're easy to make and the bake fast. Plus you can lick the bowl! I like mine dense and dark chocolate-y. This recipe was in VegNews and came from a bakery. I'll track down the original sources asap!


Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 ½ cups sugar
1 cup cocoa
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup coffee
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
¾ cups water
1 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Chocolate chips - optional
Nuts - option

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease or line a 9 x 13 baking pan. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

Add coffee, flaxseed, water, oil and vanilla to dry ingredients. Combine with a spatula until just combined and thick. Stir in chocolate chips. I like to add at least a bagful!

Spread batter in prepared pan and bake 30 min or until a toothpick in center comes out clean.

Serve warm with a big scoop of Purely Decadent ice cream.


Image by z_b on flickr