Friends Don't Let Friends: Build Bad Bagels

 These bagels are much beloved in our house. And, while I love a good Everything Bagel and always want to control the topping ratio (MORE!), I tend to not get in there and make them that often. 

It's not like they are difficult. I just am an immediate gratification kind of person and these do take time to rise and a few steps. But when I DO make them, they are great! The recipe is one from Family Fun magazine circa 2004. You never know were a great recipe might pop up.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Warm Water
1pkt active dry yeast
4 Tbl Sugar
2 1/2 tsp Salt
3 1/2 - 3 3/4 C Flour

Prepare the Dough
Pour 1/4 C water into small bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it and stir to dissolve. Let it sit for 5 min.

Combine remaining 1 1/4 C water, the yeast/water, 3Tbl of sugar and then salt. Add 2C flour and stir by hand until well mixed (about 100 strokes)

Stir in remaining flour, about 1/4C at a time to make a dough that's firm enough to knead.

Turn out onto a floured surface and need about 10 min using as much flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Dough should be firm, supple and hold the imprint of your hand.

Transfer to an oiled bowl and coat the surface of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and lit sit until doubled, about an hour.

When ready, punch the dough down, turn out onto a floured surface and knead 1 min. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Shape into balls, dust with flour and let rest 2 - 3 min.

Flatten and then make a center hole in each piece. Let sit covered about 10 min.

While dough is resting fill a larger stockpot with water and 1 Tbl sugar and bring to a boil. Heat over to 400 degrees.

After the bagels have rested for 10 min, drop in water 2 at a time and boil 30 seconds on each side. Then remove to a clean towel. After a minute transfer to a baking sheet with parchment. When all bagels are done with the boil, you can brush with oil and add toppings or bake.

Bake 22-25 min until golden.

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.

Recipe: Twice Baked Potatoes with Chao Cheese from Field Roast

We're total fans of the new Chao non-dairy cheeses from Field Roast.

We've had some great sandwiches already but last night took it up a bit by adding them to Twice Baked Potatoes.

Ingredients:
2 very large russet potatoes, scrubbed, baked, and cooled
¼ cup unsweetened dairy-free milk alternative, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon Earth balance spread
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup of minced onion (red or sweet)
⅛ teaspoon sea salt or Himalayan pink salt, plus more as needed
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
 Freshly ground pepper, to taste

 Prep:
Take cooled potatoes and slice off the top to make a canoe shape. Scoop out the insides and combine in a bowl with the other ingredients. Use this to fill the hollowed out potatoes, cover lightly with foil.
Bake at 375 for 20 min on a baking sheet.

Add slice of Chao on each potato and put under broiler until bubbly but not burnt.

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!

Semi-Homemade Crap

Your friends, Pinterest, and FoodNetwork are trying to kill you.

There is a trend in cooking called "semi-homemade". Not originated by, but made popular by Sandra Lee, I use the word cooking in a very loose way, because I would, in no way, consider this cooking... it's basically where you dump a bunch of packaged food stuffs (not food) into a pot or crockpot or oven and then say you've "made" something.

Sure you opened a can, ripped open a box or package and gave it a stir but you did not cook.

I know why these so-called recipes are shared on Facebook and Pinterest and via email so often these days.  You can go to the store, grab some stuff off the shelves, use a bunch of coupons and feel you've actually made some real food for the people you like and love.

 Sorry to say it... but you didn't.

Acutally, you've done them more harm than good.  These recipes aren't good.  They aren't fun and they certainly aren't healthy.  They're not even a step above any fast food place.

The image below is the one that set me off today.  A "Croc-Pot Hot Chocolate" which consists of:

Use two bags of chopped up Ande's mints chips, one bottle of Rum Chata, two small cans of sweetened condensed milk, one small carton of heavy whipping cream, and 4 cups of milk! Double to make a large pot. Just mix everything together, set on high for 2 hours stirring occasionally and then enjoy.

Yep.  Flavored baking chips, alcohol, sweetened condensed milk AND heavy cream AND milk.

Did the math on this one, even using skim milk, 1 6oz serving (less than 1 cup) is about 500 cal, 24g of fat (18 of which is saturated) and 44g of cholesterol. One small serving is about 1/3 of your daily calories and almost all of a day's fat target.

Pinterest is a great source of inspiration but be wise and don't fall of the trap of "easy".  Instead focus on whole and healthy.

Friends Don't Let Friends: Not Eat Tofu

Some of my friends and family who know we are vegan ask us about tofu.  Well, I just saw this great graphic from Nasoya which gives a quick overview on "what the heck is tofu exactly?!?" and thought it did a great job.  Click here to see it BIG.

I also want to add a few bits of information.  First of all, let's get a few common misconceptions out of the way. 

1.There as has been some fear around eating soy and the implications of eating too much.  That was related to Isolated Soy Proteins (ISPs) and has been shown to be mostly groundless.  But like much modified foods, it's always best to modify your intake.  ISPs have been added to many processed foods trying to boost their healthy claims or "extending" the volume or lifespan of foods like ground beef.  They do this by creating Textured Soy Protein which is a processed food, a flour that is reconstituted, itself. 

Tofu and tempeh are whole foods made made from the soy bean.  They are not isolates and you would have to eat a TON to get any issues.  So no worries there!

2. We don't eat a ton of tofu or tempeh.  And we are probably eating less ISPs than the average SAD-eating person because we eat very few processed foods.

Now, onto the good stuff! 

But first I have a confession to make.  When I was in college I had a hippie-ish roommate for a year.  I remember she made tofu once or twice and I was skeptical/disdainful.  What a fool!  (I also had a roommate that ate hummus and I thought it looked vile.  Yep, I was pretty closed-mined about food growing up. There's a lot of stuff we never tried in spite of living in very culturally diverse Miami.  Oh well.)
So, there are two big "types" of tofu which have similar labels.  This can cause some confusion and cooking fear but don't worry. It's all good.

First is the vacuum packed silken tofu.  Being shelf stable, it's good to keep a few packs on hand.

The firmer water-packed kind is a bit more crumbly.  Since the creation process is similar think of these as a brie vs feta.

But what do you do with them, you ask, and what's with this draining process.

Well, the silken you can use straight out of the pack. As noted, this can be used for dips, spreads, baking etc.  It's also what you get in miso soup and I'll even use it for a scramble. 

The water-packed version is much sturdier and absorbable.  You can press the block between your hands when you open it to get out a good amount of the water, or you can press it using a tofu press or between two flat surfaces like cutting boards.  This allows a lot of the water out, allowing your seasonings or marinade in.  Just as people inject marinades into meats,  you're adding the flavors you want to the tofu.  (We all know the flavor comes from sauces and spices.  No surprise there!)

Then you cook.  You can stir-fry, grill, pan fry, bake, kabob, add it as a filling, etc.  Pretty much whatever you want.  And as you can see from this gallery, there are a LOT of options!

One of our first recipes with tofu is making a tofu scramble.  It's now a staple and so yummy.  I typically chop and saute an onion and a tomato but you can add peppers, jalapenos, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.  Whatever strikes your fancy.  I saute this in olive oil, some Braggs, a bit of liquid smoke and Tabasco, as well as a few drops of toasted sesame oil and salt and pepper.  Mix it up this basic recipe with herbs or whatever.

When the veggies are cooked, I add drained and crumbled tofu to the pan.  You are essentially giving the tofu time to absorb the flavors and heat up so you dont' need to leave it in there very long.  But if you need extra time, just put it on low.  You won't overcook it.
Then serve!

I'll talk about tempeh later but in the meantime, here are some additional resources.

1. Colleen Patrick-Godreau's podcast on Tofu and her one on Soy (they may take a moment to load, or you listen to them on iTunes.  Her podcast is Vegetarian Food for Thought).

2. Nasoya also has a downloadable recipe book too.

3. If you want an amazing sandwich, check out the tofu sandwich at Mellow Mushroom.  I get no mayo and they add some Daiya cheese and I'm in squishy sandwich tofu heaven.

New York Times Support Veggie Thanksgiving

Check out the New York Times promoting a veggie Thanksgiving.  They are going to have THREE WEEKS of veggies recipes online.   As I plan my Thanksgiving dinner, I'm so going to be checking this out!

Remember:

Meet Turkeys, Don't Eat Turkeys!

Friends Don't Let Friends: Miss Oktoberfest Soft Pretzels

Eating giant soft pretzels at Oktoberfest is part of the fun annual tradition.  When we opened our new pub, we didn't want to miss out on this delicious treat.

The great thing is that, like most breads, these pretzels* are basically vegan-friendly already!

I whipped up a double batch and made them a bit smaller for easy mustard dunking.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 package active dry yeast

22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups

2 ounces EarthBalance (half a stick), melted

Vegetable oil, for pan

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

Pretzel or kosher salt

Directions:

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and melted EarthBalance and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. (I have even let it sit twice as long with no adverse effect).

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil or use a Sil-pat. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 or 16 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel lightly with vegetable oil sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

These keep well overnight.  If they seem a bit soft the next day, just pop them in a low oven to recrisp.  You can brush with oil and sprinkle with salt again as well.

These pretzels go great with beer or as a snack.

We love them with Lusty Monk mustards...

PROST!

*recipe adapted from Alton Brown via Food Network online

The Ultimate Vegan Baking Cheat Sheet

Source: Peta

Downloadable/Printable version here

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!

Sites for Easy Fun and Tasty Recipes

Vegans love to talk about food and are, on the whole, "foodie" people.  We're concerned with taste, texture, quality, sourcing and freshness.  So, when you're around a group of vegans, foods going to be a topic of conversation eventually.  From our favorite breakfast, to the best tofu cream cheese to where to get a great meal. And while we like to come up with our own veggie creations, it's always fun to get inspiration and ideas from other vegans cooking on the web. 

Vegan Stoner is a great resource for cheap easy but tasty meals.  Plush I love their fun illustrations.

Happy Herbivore is one of my new favorites.  Lindsay has a great cook book as well.  All her recipes are low to non-fat, filled with easy to source ingredients and fast.  I really love her chocolate zucchini muffins and chick-pea tuna salad.

The husband really loves to try out ideas from Vegan Dad.  The recipes here are very kid friendly and are perfect for transitioning vegans because it's filled with lots of familiar favorites and comfort food.  If you're working to change over your whole household, there are great ideas here from "hot wings" (above) to sausages or "fish" fillets.

With so many resources and ideas, you won't be stumped for an answer to the "what do you eat" question.  What's great is while all of these are tasty, you get real life feedback and experiences, and no excuses!

Recipe to try - Vegan Ranch Dressing

I haven't made this yet, but it sounds and looks great and I want to.  So I'm saving the recipe here.  If you make it before I do, let me know how it goes!

Vegan Ranch Dressin'

Source: No Face Plate

1 tub medium-firm tofu

Juice of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons chive oil

3 tablespoons dill pickle juice

4 cloves garlic, minced fine

1 tsp mustard, spicy

1.5 tablespoons each - minced parsley, chives and dill, fresh

20-30 twists of your pepper grinder (yup, I like mine punchy)


In a blender, blend the first 4 ingredients until super-smooth (you can add a little more oil if you need to, and remember to scrape down the sides as you go). Scrape the white sauce into a bowl and add remaining ingredients.

Taste for salt and add a little more if you need, but usually the pickle juice + mustard is enough for moi. Resist the temptation to add nutritional yeast - this is just tangy enough as it is.

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

I just wanted you to know that while not the healthiest thing to eat and something you probably wouldn't indulge in every day, you can have cake as a vegan.  Even a pretty, sugary, decorated cake.

I used to bake a ton and people would hire me to do wedding cakes, baby shower cakes and birthday cakes and even goodies for parties and work events.   I used to bake every week for fun, just to test out new recipes.  I took 3 courses in cake decorating and would make multi-tiered cakes just for fun.

I have quite a collection of tools and tips to assist me.

So when we went vegan, I didn't want to give that up.  And I haven't had to. I made this 10" yellow cake with lavender-tinted sugar icing for a young lady's birthday last week.  She wanted a lavender cake with white trim and powdered donuts. 

In the interest of full disclosure, I picked up donuts for the topper. I may get a donut baking pan to do my own next time.  So the donuts were not vegan but the cake and icing were (as well as being nut free too).

But not everyone has time to make a cake from scratch. No problem!  Cherrybrook Kitchen has vanilla and chocolate cake mixes, as well as a whole slew of other mixes, for you and they are available in most grocery stores.  All you need are EarthBalance sticks to add to the mix and you are good to go.

I keep a box on hand for quick and easy cupcakes.  Never be without cake again!

Friends Don't Let Friends: Loaf out on Loaves

The other day I spotted this cute individual "cupcake" dinner image and have been dying to recreate it ever since.

So last night we made individual Lentil Loaves (in my jumbo cupcake tin) and mashed potatoes, with a green salad on the side.

We didn't get to do the twice baked potato "frosting" because we were just too hungry but now I've got an excuse to make this again soon.

If you're looking for a hearty and comforting dinner, this is it. I love the contrast of the loaf and tomato paste topping and the husband even roasted some garlic to add to the potatoes. He's a star!

Individual Lentil Loaves

(modified from The Clean Eating Mama)

Ingredients

•Ketchup or homemade tomato topping (see below)

•1 1/3 cup plain oatmeal

•1/2 block firm tofu

•1 cup chopped onion

•1 cup chopped bell pepper

•1 cup chopped mushrooms, button’s are fine

•2 tablespoons tomato mixture or ketchup

•3 tablespoons corn meal

•1 cup cooked lentils

•1 tablespoon soy sauce

•1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

•2 tablespoons olive oil

•2 tablespoons dried parsley

•1 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes

•1 tablespoon garlic powder

•1 tablespoon onion powder

•1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, or a combination of thyme, oregano and rosemary

•1 tablespoon stone ground mustard

•salt and pepper to taste

Tomato Sauce Topping

•1 6oz can Tomato Paste

•1 tablespoon sugar

•1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

•1 tablespoon onion powder

•1 teaspoon garlic powder

•pinch of salt


Cook lentils – I always have leftover lentils, but I love lentils so I don’t mind! Be sure to rinse and sort lentils as they could have stones or debris in them. Add 2 cups water to one cup of lentils in a pot and turn burner on high. Once boiling, turn heat to medium low and let simmer for 30 – 45 minutes. The lentils should still be whole yet mushy.


Make tomato topping while lentils are cooking. Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix with a spoon. Taste to see if it may need more salt.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Chop onion, bell pepper and mushrooms. In a large skillet add one tablespoon olive oil and put on medium heat, then add chopped vegetables and a pinch of salt. Stir and cook until onions are soft and transparent – about 5-8 minutes.

In a food processor, pulse oats for a few seconds until oats are small.

Drain tofu well and press between a towel or a few paper towels until all moister is gone. Place in a large mixing bowl and break up with a fork. You want to make sure they are in small crumbles.

In the same mixing bowl, add oats, lentils, vegetables, 2 tablespoons of tomato mixture and the rest of the ingredients. Mix until it is all combined – if it is too dry you can always add small amounts of water. You don’t want it too wet, but it should be able to stick together nicely.
A note about the spices – I know there are a lot of spices but I just took what I had in my cabinet and threw it in. You really do not need to add ALL of my suggested spices, but you want to try to make is as flavorful as possible. Taste the mixture before you put it in the pan, making sure it tastes good and is seasoned to your liking.

Spray the muffin wells with non-stick spray or olive oil. Spoon mixture in, then spread the rest of the tomato topping on top evenly. If you are using ketchup, use enough to cover the top evenly.

Cook for 20 minutes, then cover with foil and cook for another 10 minutes.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

(from The Vegan Chef)

 
12-14 garlic cloves (to taste), unpeeled


4 lbs. potatoes (preferably Yukon golds), peeled, and cut into cubes

2/3 cup soy milk, rice milk, or other non-dairy milk of choice

salt and white pepper, to taste

2 T. freshly snipped chives

paprika, for garnish


Place the unpeeled garlic cloves in a pie pan and bake at 450 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cloves are soft. Remove the pie pan from the oven and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, in a large pot, place the cubed potatoes, cover them with water, and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain the potatoes, saving the cooking liquid for use in the mashed potatoes, and the remaining cooking liquid can be used in soups or sauces. Transfer the drained potatoes to a mixer (or return to the large pot if using a hand mixer or potato masher) and set aside for 5 minutes to dry.

Using your fingers, squeeze the cloves of garlic from their skins, and place them in a small bowl. Using a fork, mash the cloves of garlic to form a paste. Add the mashed garlic, soy milk, sprinkle with a little salt and white pepper, and whip the potatoes until smooth. Add a little of the reserved potato cooking liquid, if needed, to achieve a creamy consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed.

Transfer the mashed potatoes to a large bowl, sprinkle with the snipped chives and a little paprika before serving.

This is warm and yummy food  at it's best, without making you feel comatose!