Tag Archives: vegan

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Prep Time: 25 minutes / Cook Time: 10-12 minutes per batch / Preheated 375 degree Fahrenheit oven

1 cup of Earth Balance (or similar) butter

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 cups of granulated sugar

2 flax eggs (1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp warm water + 5 minutes = 1 egg)

2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the flax eggs: In a small bowl, mix 2 Tbsp of ground flax seed with 6 Tbsp warm water. Let this mixture sit and thicken for at least 5 minutes before adding it to the recipe.

In a large bowl, beat butter, peanut butter, and sugars with an electric mixer on medium until creamed. Add the flax eggs and vanilla and beat well.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix well.

Form dough into a big hunk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

When chilled and firm, using a big spoon, drop about 2 rounded Tbsp of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2” apart. Flatten with a fork dipped in warm water with a crisscross pattern.

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit on center oven rack for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Chewy Cocoa Cookies

Prep Time: 25 minutes / Cook Time: 8-10 minutes per batch / Preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven

1 ¼ cups of Earth Balance (or similar) butter

2 cups of granulated sugar

2 flax eggs (1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp warm water + 5 minutes = 1 egg)

2 tsps vanilla extract

2 cups of all-purpose flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the flax eggs: In a small bowl, mix 2 Tbsp of ground flax seed with 6 Tbsp warm water. Let this mixture sit and thicken for at least 5 minutes before adding it to the recipe.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium until creamed. Add the flax eggs and vanilla and beat well.

Combine flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix well.

At this point I put the mixer away and use a rubber spatula. Fold in the walnuts (optional) until distributed evenly.

Using a big spoon, drop about 2 Tbsp of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2” apart.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit on center oven rack for 8-10 minutes or until the edges have firmed up. Let cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Variation: Substitute up to 1 cup of the flour with Vega Vanilla Chai or Chocolate…a tasty and healthful twist.

Another Variation: Sub the walnuts for chocolate chips or chopped peanuts.

Enjoy!

Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Prep Time: 25 minutes / Cook Time: 8-10 minutes per batch / Preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven

1 stick plus 6 Tbsp, Earth Balance (or similar) sticks, softened

¾ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 flax eggs (1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp warm water + 5 minutes = 1 egg)

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

3 cups “Old Fashioned” oats (uncooked)

1 cup raisins

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the flax eggs: In a small bowl, mix 2 Tbsp of ground flax seed with 6 Tbsp warm water. Let this mixture sit and thicken for at least 5 minutes before adding it to the recipe.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium until creamed. Add the flax eggs and vanilla and beat well.

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix well.

At this point I put the mixer away and use a rubber spatula. Add in the oats and raisins and mix well.

Using a big spoon, drop about 2 Tbsp of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2” apart.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit on center oven rack for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Easy Cornbread

Prep Time: 15 minutes / Cook Time: 20 minutes / Preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

½ cup Earth Balance Sticks (or similar), melted and cooled slightly

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp Agave syrup

1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp warm water + 5 minutes = 1 egg)

1 cup plant milk (I use unsweetened almond milk

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

For the flax egg: In a small bowl, mix 1 Tbsp of ground flax seed with 3 Tbsp warm water. Let this mixture sit and thicken for at least 5 minutes before adding it to the recipe.

Mix plant milk and apple cider vinegar together and let it come to room temperature to make “buttermilk”.

Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

Next, mix the melted butter, brown sugar, and agave together until smooth. Whisk in the room temperature “buttermilk” mixture and flax egg.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry and combine – Don’t overmix.

Pour batter into a greased 8 or 9 inch square or round baking pan and place on the center oven rack. Bake for 20 minutes. The top should brown a bit and the edges should pull away from the sides of the pan. An inserted toothpick should come out clean.

Let it cool and rest. Slice.

Variations: Add vegan cheddar shreds and/or fresh jalapeños to the dry ingredients and coat before adding the wet ingredients. Not too much though or you’ll have to adjust the wet ingredient proportions to compensate for the extra moisture.

Enjoy!

Fiesta Chickpea Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes / Refrigerate for 2 hours to rest and blend / Serve at room temp

2 cans of garbanzo beans drained – around 2 cups

1 small can diced green chilies

1 medium onion – chopped

2 garlic cloves – chopped

3 medium tomatoes – chopped

2 jalapeños – chopped

3 Tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro

1 ½ tsps. cumin

½ cup fresh lime juice

¼ cup olive oil

Salt and black pepper to taste

Get a bowl and mix everything together. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours but serve at room temperature.

You can leave out the green chilies if you want or replace them with a couple canned chipotle chilies in adobo.

Get fancy and grate a little lime zest on top before serving…why not!

Another crazy variation: Blend the whole thing into a hummus consistency and serve with tortilla chips and salsa!

Enjoy!

Fennel Orzo Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes / Cook Time: 10-12 minutes for Orzo / Refrigerate for 1 hour

1 pound (1 package) cooked Orzo – Drained and shocked with cold water to stop cooking

1 cup finely chopped green onions

1 cup finely chopped fresh fennel (can substitute celery)

¼ finely chopped fresh parsley

1 ½ cups of plant-based plain Greek yogurt (about 2 store-sized packages)

¼ olive oil

¼ Tabasco

¼ dried dill

½ tsp black pepper and salt

Cook the orzo according to the package directions and shock to cool…drain well. In a large bowl mix the orzo with the veggies, parsley, and olive oil. Add the yogurt, spices, and tabasco. Mix well and refrigerate to rest and blend the flavors. The starches will tighten up a bit so toss again before serving…add some additional olive oil, salt and pepper if needed before serving.

Variation: Add some thawed frozen baby peas or edamame for some extra protein or top with some toasted pistachios or walnuts for an additional crunch.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Krispie Bars

These crispy treats will raise your body temperature a little, but in a good way! Easy to make and experiment with…change up your nut butters and rice cereal, layer them with coconut, or sprinkle them with nuts, any way you make ’em they’ll be the most popular sweet at the potluck!

Prep Time: 5 minutes / Cook Time: 10 Minutes / Refrigeration Time: 2 hours

3 cups of Cocoa Crisp Rice Cereal

1/2 cup unsweetened Almond Butter (or other unsweetened nut butter)

1/2 Raw Agave Syrup

1/2 Dark Chocolate Chips or Chunks

Grease an 8 x 11″ glass baking dish with coconut oil.

Pour the Rice Cereal in a large bowl. In a double boiler (or gently in a saucepan) soften the almond butter and agave, stirring it smooth in the process. Once this has become warm, turn off your heat and add the chocolate chunks. Fold in once or twice – they should just start to melt. Pour over the rice cereal and fold to combine with a rubber spatula. Working quickly, scrape the mixture into the baking dish and press to flatten evenly to the perimeter.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Cut into domino size pieces as needed and serve. Best kept refrigerated.

Enjoy!

 

Some Thoughts on Cooking Oils

IMG_3222Fats are important! They absorb flavor, can add flavor, distribute heat, provide a mouth feel, and generally add satisfying notes to everything we cook.

There are high-heat oils and low-heat oils (smoking points), flavorful oils and neutral. Simply put, the oils you use when cooking, baking, and finishing can make a world of difference in your dish.

The challenges are even greater for vegan cooks, we don’t have meat to add fat or moisture and animal fats are very specific in texture, density, and heat-resistance. Getting a vegan dish “just right” requires some fiddling with fats.

Here are some of the Cooking Oils and Fats I have in my Pantry and how I use them:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Probably use this the most and you really must buy the “Extra Virgin” standard. EVOO is a medium-high heat oil. Good for a quick sauté, but anything more and I’ll fortify it with a little Grape Seed Oil (see below). Of course use EVOO in all salad dressings and when finishing pasta salads and when cooking Italian, Greek, or in any Mediterranean style. I like mildly fruity, so Whole Food’s Spanish Olive Oil is my go to. And please don’t cook pancakes with it.

Really Expensive EVOO: I don’t buy this. I will usually have a small bottle on hand that someone gave to me as a gift or I’ll pick one up for an important dish or dinner party. Essentially, if you buy a decent 10 buck EVOO, that’ll do for most finishing needs. These delicate Olive Oils have low-smoking points and will burn easily, so best not used for cooking.

Flavored EVOO: Hard Pass. Flavor your own damn oil!

Grape Seed Oil: My oil for high-heat pan cooking and extended sautés or caramelizing. I also use Grade Seed Oil often to fortify EVOO for things like Tomato Sauces where you’re sautéing first, but want the fruitiness of EVOO carrying the flavor or spice.

Coconut Oils: Remember this…Virgin Coconut Oil tastes like coconut…Refined Coconut Oil does not. Refined coconut oil is a nice high-heat oil, you can use it to fry, but there are cheaper alternatives for that, but if you cook too high with unrefined coconut oil, you’ll start to burn the residual fruit left in and burnt coconut is nasty. In it’s natural semi-solid form it can be used in baking and pastries almost like a butter alternative. I like to use Virgin Coconut oil in cookies and Thai Food dishes.

Toasted Sesame Seed Oil: A must for Asian dishes, but this is a finishing oil, don’t cook with it! The “Toasted” part is very important…adds a nutty nose and flavor. Be careful not to buy just Sesame Seed Oil without the “Toasted.”

Canola Oil: I have a big jug of this under the counter. I fry with this, bake with it, and use it when i need a nice neutral oil in volume. I use canola when cooking my Mexican, Asian and Indian dishes. I feel like it can make a dish oily though and make your lips feel greasy (?!?) so don’t go crazy.

Cooking Sprays: I use these mostly for baking – I have a Canola (neutral) and an Olive Oil Spray (very little flavor).

There are a lot more out there! Avocado Oil is big and trendy and fortunately for everyone everywhere Truffle Oil seems to be crawling back under the rock from whence it came.

I hope this offers a good, simple overview!

Enjoy!

 

 

Smokey Maple Shiitake Bacon

Prep time: 15 minutes/Cook time: 40 minutes

Marinating time: 1-2 days

Shiitakes are an excellent blank slate for flavors and just the right structure to crisp and crumble when baked, provided you add a measured amount of fat and salt.

There are quite a few recipes out there for this excellent plant-based alternative. Most of the others have a little less wait time and use fresh shiitakes. My recipe adds a considerable amount of marinating time and uses dried shiitakes. I use dry for three reasons, they tend to pick up and hold the flavors better, they’re pre-sliced nice and thin, and they’re sooooo much cheaper!!! Head to your local Asian Market and you can pick up an 8oz pack of dried, sliced shiitakes for a couple bucks.

2 oz of dried sliced shiitake mushrooms – pick through for the larger slices

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Maple Syrup

1/4 cup Grape Seed oil

2 Tbs Kosher Salt

1 Tbs Braggs Aminos or Tamari Soy Sauce

1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke

Rinse your dried shiitakes a couple times with cold water. In a bowl is best. During your second rinse, fill the bowl with water and lift the mushrooms out with your hands (this allows any nasty stuff to sink to the bottom) and place in a clean bowl. Cover with approximately 3 cups of luke-warm (not boiling) water and rehydrate for 45 minutes.

When rehydrated, again lift the shiitakes out of the water and transfer to a nest of paper towels. Using a cheesecloth-lined strainer slowly pour the mushroom liquid into a mason jar or other container for storing. You’re not going to use this liquid in the recipe, but now you have about 2 cups of a light mushroom stock that you can use to cook rice, etc.

Gently squeeze most of the water out of the mushrooms in your nest of paper towels and lay out each shiitake flat in an 8 x 11 glass baking dish. Set aside.

For the marinade, wisk all ingredients in a small bowl and pour evenly over the top of the mushrooms.

Using plastic wrap, carefully cover and gently press the plastic wrap directly on to the mushrooms and marinade and create a loose seal around the perimeter.

IMG_3175

Put in the fridge and let it hang out for a day or two.

When you’re ready for bacon, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle lightly and evenly with kosher salt. Remove the plastic wrap covering and carefully lay each mushroom flat on the salt-lined parchment.

Bake on the middle rack for a total of 30 minutes, you’re going to turn the mushrooms several times and rotate the baking sheet in the oven to ensure even browning, so stay alert!!

Keep a close eye, ovens vary. You may want to crack the oven door a couple times to release the moisture, to stare in wonder, and to allow your sinuses to be filled with plant-based love.

Depending on how crisp you want you bacon, you may want to turn the oven off after the 30 minutes are up and let the bacon hang out in the warm oven for another 10 minutes.

Chop or crumble it, throw it in a tofu scramble, or stack up a vBLT!!!

Enjoy!

Quick Vegan Chocolate Cake

I don’t know who the heck Eva Howes is, but she makes a damn good chocolate cake!

My friend Lisa texted me this recipe:

Eva Howes' Chocolate Cake

Turns out this is her family’s go-to cake recipe and it’s simple and delicious! Passed down, clipped from a newspaper, and glued on and index card…these are my favorite kind of recipes…well worn and well loved. Dairy free, egg free, and you can literally make this anytime from what you’ve already got in your pantry.

As you can see, I made frosted cake squares, but this cake is certainly hearty enough for stacking and frosting. I substituted the 2 cups of water for 2 cup of cold coffee and I used dairy free store-bought frosting (most brands are) but jazzed it up with some shredded coconut tossed in cacao powder!

Enjoy!

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