Maple Apple Scones

I went apple picking this week and thought scones would be the perfect outlet for my abundance of sweet and juicy apples! These are lovely for an autumn afternoon with tea, slathered with plenty of Earth Balance, of course. They would probably lend themselves well to a nice helping of homemade apple butter as well! I wanted to make a scone recipe that was sweetened only with maple syrup, and it is made with whole grain flour, so they're pretty good for you, too! Maple Apple Scones (makes 12 scones)
5 cups whole spelt flour (or gluten free baking flour)
1 tsp sea salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice

1/2 cup vegan margarine, cold
1/2 cup vegan non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, cold

3 cups apples, diced small

1 cup soymilk + whisked with 1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp maple extract
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbs oil or melted margarine

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice.
Cut in the margarine and shortening with a strong fork or pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly and the margarine/shortening are in tiny pieces.
Fold in the diced apples, stirring to coat with the flour.
Add in the soymilk-cornstarch mixture, maple syrup, extracts, and vinegar. Stir until just combined, being careful to not overmix.
Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Form dough into 2 separate rounds, about 2 inches tall and 6 inches across. Slice each round into 6 wedges. Place wedges onto prepared sheet pans, allowing for about 1" between scones. Using a pastry brush, brush tops of scones with oil or margarine. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, checking halfway through to ensure they are rising properly and not burning, etc.
Remove from oven when tops are golden and scones are firm to the touch. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling, or serve warm. Store uneaten scones in an airtight container until ready to use.
*If you don't necessarily want to keep these sugar-free, feel free to sprinkle each scone top with some turbinado (or other unrefined) sugar after brushing with oil, before baking.

Summer Projects and Such

So I haven't blogged in a while. A long while! I decided to kinda take the summer off of blogging (I think I posted, like, twice!) and just cook stuff and eat stuff and relax and whatnot. Ha. But now summer has turned into fall and I'm ready to start blogging again! I'm excited to get back into the groove of blogging and updating and taking pictures and all that jazz!

A lot of my cooking over the summer was done for cookbook testing, for Carla (of The Vegan Year blog) for her upcoming One Dish Vegan cookbook, and for Bianca (Vegan Crunk blog) for her Cookin' Crunk cookbook.

Here's some pics!

First, from Cookin' Crunk (I only remembered to take pics of one thing! boo!):

PB Oatmeal Cream Pies

Then, from One Dish Vegan:

Banana Spelt WafflesRaspberry Balsamic Glazed Seitan, Cabbage and Pistachio Rice
Peanut Potato Salad, Mango Orange Tempeh with Ginger

Gringa's Tacu Tacu

Fennel and Rosemary Polenta

Tofu with Olives and Basil

Mojito-Inspired Tofu

Roasted Red Pepper and White Bean Hummus

Lemon Sour Cream Dressing, on greensCorn Slaw

Sweet Chipotle Tempeh with Berry Glaze

Ok, cool! Now I'm all ready to go for the awesomeness of fall food blogging! See you on the flipside!

Lemony Lima Bean Spread and Zucchini Sandwich. Heavenly.

First off, sorry for the long absence!! My camera has been broken, so I have a lot of blogging to make up for!

If you're like most people around this time in the summer, you have zucchini basically coming out of your ears by now. I know I do, and I won't complain one little bit! Especially when there is this sandwich to be made. I dreamt of making this sandwich for a while, and I am so so so glad it finally came to fruition! One, because sandwiches are the best. Two, because zucchini just screams summer to me, and I scream back, I love you!!Lima Bean Spread and Zucchini Sandwich
Lemony Lima Bean Spread (below)
Toasted whole grain bread
Grilled or sauteed zucchini, in half moon slices
Thinly sliced red onion
Greens (arugula or spinach would work nicely)
Garlic-Dill Aioli (below)

This sandwich is best served open-faced, because there are so many goodies on it, they are likely to fall out if eaten all together! So start off by slathering the lima bean spread on one side of each slice of bread. Lay down the greens, then the grilled/sauteed zucchini, and then the red onion slices. Drizzle with the dill aioli and serve.

Lemony Lima Bean Spread (makes about 4 cups)
3 cups baby lima beans, fresh or frozen (if frozen, thaw to room temperature)
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup tahini
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
2 Tbs water, or more as needed

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse to break up large pieces, and then puree until smooth, adding more water as needed 1 Tbs at a time. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Garlic-Dill Aioli (makes about 2 cups)
1 block soft silken tofu
1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 Tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs agave nectar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs dill seeds
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped

Place all ingredients together in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.


A tasty summertime meal deserves to be ended with a tasty summertime treat: Local Blackberry-Peach Pie!! I didn't really use any recipe, but it turned out great...what a delightful combination!

Holy Muffuletta!

How in the world had I never made and/or eaten a muffuletta sandwich before???? Sandwiches are my favorite food ever! Well, I'm glad I finally did it, whatever the hold up was. I made the Muffuletta Sandwich recipe from the Veganomicon cookbook, but modified it by adding Tofurkey brand Italian Deli Slices and subbed some herb-marinated tempeh for the eggplant, since it's not yet available at the farmers' market. When it is, I'll be sure to make it again!!! Olives are just wonderful, and a showstopping sandwich like this is a perfect way to let them shine! This awesome recipe was made even better by using a delicious locally-baked crusty bread, from KC-based Farm to Market bread company. Yum City, USA!! ps this went perfectly with a side of tasty vegan potato salad! duh!

Rhubarb All Day Long: Big Crumb Rhubarb Coffee Cake!

Because rhubarb is still in season and even breakfast deserves dessert: Big Crumb Rhubarb Coffee Cake!!
I veganized the recipe from the Smitten Kitchen blog, using Earth Balance for the butter, Tofutti for the sour cream, flaxseed for the yolks, and Ener-G Egg Replacer for the egg. It turned out perfectly! The cake itself is buttery and rich, but still light enough, like a good coffee cake should be. The rhubarb, which came from my friend's garden, was delicious!!! Obviously. And the BIG crumbs were simply perfect. Dry in a good way, crumbly, and amazing. I could have eaten the whole pan!!This wonderful coffee cake was preceded by an equally wonderful brunch: my Ultimate Vegan Breakfast Sandwiches and Herb-Roasted Local Potatoes. The sandwiches were made up of baked tofu "eggs, " my breakfast sausage patties, fresh spinach, melted Daiya cheddar, and a maple cream cheeze spread I whipped up. All on locally-baked multi-grain toast. It was brunch perfection!

Rustic Rhubarb Crisp

Dessert in a cast iron skillet? Yes, please!I seriously cannot get enough rhubarb!!! Here's an awesome rhubarb crisp, made in a cast iron skillet, and the only utensils you need are a knife and mixing spoon. It's sooooo good!!

Rustic Rhubarb Crisp (serves 8-10)

4-5 cups rhubarb, diced into 1" pieces

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup vegan margarine

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 400 F. Thoroughly oil a 9" or 10" cast iron skillet. You may also use a 9" square or round baking dish for this if cast iron is unavailable.

In a large bowl, combine the rhubarb, sugar, flour, vanilla, and salt. Let sit while you make the crust.

In a separate bowl, toss together the oats, pecans, flour, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar. Add in the vanilla and oil, and stir until fully incorporated.

Pour rhubarb mixture into greased skillet in an even layer. Then pour the crisp mixture over the top of the rhubarb, spreading evenly. Lightly pat dough to create a flat surface.

Place skillet in preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, until the topping is browned and the rhubarb begins to bubble out of the sides. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Best served with vanilla vegan ice cream!

Recent Tester Goodies

Being a tester for cookbooks is soooo much fun!!! And tasty, too!

Almond Lime Cake with Rosemary Lime Frosting, from the upcoming Vegan Girl's Guide to Life by The Urban Housewife. One of the best cakes ever!!! And the most beautiful! Sweet Potato Pie, from the upcoming Vegan Bakesale by Carla of The Vegan Year blog! I loooooove me some pie, and anything sweet potatoes, too. Perfect combo!

And finally, Chocolate Cereal Squares, also from the Vegan Bakesale cookbook. So much crispiness and chocolatiness all in one!!! Yummmm!