Weekend Goodies

For the first weekend after school started, what better way to celebrate and relax than enjoying some yummy food?! Last night, we had a pot luck and bonfire...perfect for commemorating the end of summer! Here are some of the things people brought (and almost everything was vegan! what good friends!):

A green bean and almond salad:

Fresh Watermelon...in lovely ball form:

Vegan Rice Krispie Treats:
And homemade sausages!! These were soooo awesome!!

Here is Sarah making up the brats...she based them on Julie Hasson's recipe, which is apparently super-easy! and tasty! Sarah is an awesome cook!!And here's the Picnic Potato Salad I made, with three different kinds of potatoes-purple, new, and sweet:

Picnic Potato Salad (makes about 4 qts.)

1 lb. new potatoes, diced

1/2 lb. purple Peruvian potatoes, diced

1/2 lb. sweet potatoes, diced

3 carrots, shredded

1 cup peas

1 red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup celery, diced

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup Vegenaise

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp dill

In a large pot of salted water, boil the potatoes until just tender...but don't overcook! please!

Drain potatoes and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process. Set aside to cool.

Combine all of the vegetables and cooled potatoes in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine the lemon juice, mustard, veganaise, and spices. Pour dressing over potato-veggie mix and gently stir to coat everything evenly. Chill for 30 minutes or so before serving.

For the bonfire, Steve and I bought some Sweet & Sara marshmallows...in toasted coconut flavor! These made AMAZING s'mores!!! I am now obsessed.
For our Sunday morning breakfast tradition, a bunch of us met up at the awesome Cafe Berlin...seriously the best breakfast in town! There are tons of vegan options, they use local veggies, and the staff is wonderful. What's not to love??
I had the Mediterranean Breakfast--a favorite for sure!!
It's a big plate of tofu scrambled with scallions, parsley, and spinach...with a mound of their homemade hummus, homemade (delicious) pita bread, local cherry tomatoes, and kalamata olives. This is worth getting up early for!

Have a good Labor Day! :)

White Chocolate Chips!!!

Now I've seen it all (ok, maybe not "all," but a lot)! I recently received a box of goodies in the mail that I ordered off of the Pangaea Vegan Superstore. In this happy little box was: a bag of VEGAN WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS! It has been almost 3 years since I have had white chocolate, folks!! Too long. I have only found these on one other website, but the ingredients in the kind I bought on Pangaea seemed much better. But if you like another brand, holla at me so I can try them! When I was younger, my favorite kind of cookie was white chocolate chip macadamia nut, because it has a perfect balance of salty and sweet and rich and chewy...and because it has a ridiculously long name! So, this bag of yumminess went straight into a batch of Vegan White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies. I took the recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Joy of Vegan Baking, but swapped out white chocolate for regular chocolate chips, and added roasted macadamia nuts. These might be the best cookies I have ever made. ever. They were so chewy and moist, but not too soft so they could fully support the insane amount of chips and nuts in the dough! And they were so buttery...God, they are so buttery and salty and good!! They just scream for a glass of soymilk :) Here's the original recipe and the pretty bag o' chips (empty bag...yeah, I snatched a few before putting them in the cookies. can you blame me?)
And here they are all baked up and huggin on each other, waiting to be consumed by my hungry vegan belly!

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies (makes 12 big fat cookies)

4 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer

6 Tbs water

1 cup Earth Balance vegan margarine

3/4 cup granulated sugar (I use sucanant)

3/4 cup firmly-packed brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups vegan white chocolate chips

1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

Whip the Egg Replacer and water together in a small bowl or with your food processor, until all combined and foamy.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugars, and vanilla together. Add the "egg" mixture from above and combine thoroughly. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the wet mixture until it forms a dough. When almost completely combined, fold in the chips and nuts and stir to distribute evenly. Roll into 12 evenly-sized balls and place about an inch or two apart on greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown (or until you can't stand it anymore and HAVE TO eat these freakin cookies!!!) Let stand for 2 minutes after removing from oven. Transfer to wire rack to let cool completely. Pig out.

(Adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

No, seriously. Make these.

The Vegan's Hundred!

After reading Hannah's post about the Vegan Hundred on Bittersweet ( http://bittersweetblog.blogspot.com ) I was excited to see that I had tried so many, and even more psyched on the challenge of having so many more to try! So, to jump on the vegan blogging bandwagon (yay for that even existing!), here is my go at the Vegan's Hundred...now you do it too! :)

1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!

1. Natto ( i can't find it!!)
2. Green Smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. Haggis
5. Mangosteen
6. Creme brulee
7. Fondue
8. Marmite/Vegemite
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. PB&J sandwich (and AB&J, CB&J, MNB&J, SFB&J, PB&H, PB&B, PB&P, etc.etc.)
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart
16. Boba Tea
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza
20. Vanilla ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper (only in things, not alone. my tongue burns just thinkin about it!)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Caviar
29. Baklava
30. Pate
31. Wasabi peas
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Mango lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Mulled cider
37. Scones with buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly (never heard of it, but ooooh!)
39. Gumbo
40. Fast food french fries
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans
43. Dahl
44. Homemade Soymilk
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more (i won't cross this out, but i am broke as a joke.)
46. Stroopwafle
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi (in vinegar form)
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi
57. Piña colada (in the non-alcoholic form.)
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Soy curls (i just got a package in the mail a few days ago, though!!!)
63. Chickpea cutlets
64. Curry
65. Durian
66. Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain (i also just purchased some plantains...)
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can
76. Pomegranate
77. Fauxstess Cupcake (unfortunately, i have only had the icky real versions when i was little)
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky
80. Croissants
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes (only sweet. darn!)
83. Tings
84. A meal at Candle 79 (omg. omg. omg.)
85. Moussaka
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and “cheese”
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. White chocolate
91. Seitan
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate
96. Bagel and Tofutti
97. Potato milk (i had never heard of it before this list! what a shame!)
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Raw cookie dough

There is nothing on this list that I wouldn't try...I'm not picky and I love food-ventures! I had even made some of the items at home pretty recently, so I felt good about that, too. A few of the items I have had in their non-vegan versions, but I guess that still counts. if not, i will try their superior vegan counterparts asap! Some of the items might be hard for me to get here in mid-missouri, but I am willing to hunt. and travel. I WILL conquer this list!! you should too!

(Hemp) Milk and Cookies

First off, a brief product review/comparison of one of my favorite "vegan-y" things: Hemp Milk!
No offense to our dear friend soy, but hemp milk and hemp in general, is such an awesome thing to have in a vegan diet! Great protein, fatty acids, calcium, fiber, etc. etc.
There are two kinds of hemp milk that are really popular out there and I will quickly address them both: one is like heaven in an aseptic package, and the other is, I hate to say, almost vile.

First, Living Harvest Hemp Milk (original flavor)....

This is my favorite thing to put on granola, cereal, in smoothies and ice cream, or just have a huge glass of with cookies or a big, fat PB and J sandwich. It is so thick and creamy and not too sweet, and it has a distinctive flavor, but no bad aftertaste or funk. Pure yum. I'm not sure how they milk a hemp, though :)

Then, there's Manitoba Harvest Hemp Milk (also original flavor)...

I was really excited about this product because it is made with whole hemp seeds and is certified organic and the nutrition is wonderful. Unfortunately, I could barely finish a glass. I was nearly gagging because of the taste. I am NOT picky normally and I can find good things about most foods, but I could not drink this. I feel really bad, because I'm sure this is a wonderful company, and, besides the taste it is a good product. But I must be honest and this is honestly undrinkable.

Now for the good stuff!! I was in a baking mood this week and that copy of My Sweet Vegan keeps staring at me in my apartment, so what else was I to do?!

First, I made a batch of scones to have for breakfast this week before going to classes!

I was inspired by Hannah's use of peanut butter as a butter or shortening substitute in the Chocolate-Glazed Peanut Butter Scone recipe in My Sweet Vegan. But I decided to mix it up a bit and swapped almond butter for the peanut butter and nixxed the chocolate glaze...instead, I added a big handful of dried cherries to create these Cherry-Almond Scones!

These were SO wonderful! They were dense and flaky like a good scone should be, but not bran-muffiny or anything. They are a little sweet, but also have a nice savory quality from the nut butter! Perfect for slathering with Earth Balance or some cherry preserves...and definitely delicious with a big 'ol glass of Hemp Milk (Living Harvest, of course)!!

Cherry-Almond Scones (makes 4)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 Tbs turbinado sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 T margarine...Earth Balance, baby!!

1/4 cup almond butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup soymilk

1 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or just spray it with non-stick spray like I did. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the margarine into small pieces an use a fork or pastry cutter to cut in the margarine and almond butter into the flour mixture. When the mixture is coarse and crumbly, add in the vanilla. Slowly drizzle in the soymilk, one Tbs at a time until the dough becomes cohesive...but don't overwork it. Work in the dried cherries just a little bit so they are evenly dispersed. Drop the ball of dough onto a floured surface and shape into a circle, about an inch thick or so. Cut into four wedges and space evenly on cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Then, let them cool slightly, and slap on some Earth Balance and jam, then enjoy for a guaranteed great morning! (Adapted from Hannah Kaminsky's My Sweet Vegan)

To celebrate the ending of summer and satisfy my sweet tooth, I also made cookie sundaes! The peanut butter-banana-chocolate trifecta is my favorite combination in the world, so I made peanut butter-banana ice cream from A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise. For the sundaes, I put a big scoop of the ice cream.... (here she is in my ice cream maker, gettin all pretty and creamy)

Then, I baked a batch of Chocolate-Chocolate Chip (sans walnuts) Cookies from Veganomicon. I put two yummy cookies in the bowl with the ice cream... (here they are on the cooling rack, lookin all chocolatey and naughty)

And voila! A yummy ice cream-cookie sundae! Perfect for a summer treat, or anytime you want to be happy :) If I had some in my cupboard, I would have topped these with some vegan whipped cream, chopped nuts, or chocolate sprinkles...but I'm broke. And these were still great!

(They were even better because we enjoyed them while watching Sailor Moon on DVD!!)

Mochi and Yogurt...not together, though.

So my post today isn't really about anything I created or made, but these were some good treats, nonetheless!
First, a product review: So Delicious Coconut Milk yogurt! I know several people have blogged about this stuff already, so I may just be reiterating what they have already said. Anyway, I love this stuff! As far as vegan yogurts go, I still like the So Delicious soy yogurt better in terms of texture and creaminess, but this coconut version has a wonderful flavor and is surprisingly light and refreshing. I also like the nutritional aspect, as it is made with very few ingredients and has the great fatty acids that coconut provides. And it's soy-free if you are sensitive AND it has probiotics! yay! I would eat this everyday if it weren't so pricey :)
Out of the few flavors I have tried, I like this plain (which I guess would be coconut then...) and the Passionate Mango flavors. If you have a place near you that sells these, give them a try!
Another new-to-me treat that I tried last night was this Mochi that Steve brought me back from his trip to Colorado last week! I have had mochi once before, a few years ago, but this particular brand is different than what I have previously eaten. This is Harvest Moon brand, made and sold in Boulder, CO, so it was a local product when he was visiting there! He picked up two different varieties: the one we tried last night was the Sesame and he also got a cinnamon raisin, which will get eaten soon, I'm sure!
Here it is in the package, pre-baked (the label was foil, so it would NOT photograph well! ah!!)

And here it is all baked and puffed up. The directions say to cut it into strips so it would puff up properly, so I sliced it into french fry-like shapes, and it worked great!

I served them with some almond butter for our dipping pleasure...yuuuuuum city, u.s.a, population: me!!

I will tell you how the cinnamon raisin variety is soon! I'm sure it won't disappoint...

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I swear, I will never get sick of all this wonderful local summer produce! This week, I picked up some local organic carrots at the market...and they were so freakin good, I knew exactly what to do with them: carrot cake cupcakes! I used the recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, but I added about 1/2 cup of chopped crystallized ginger to the batter with the raisins and walnuts. These were so tasty! Perfectly moist and full of carrot-y goodness! And of course, they were even more awesome with cream cheeze icing and a lovely toasted walnut half on top!
If you can get your hands on some nice local carrots, give these a try! (oh, p.s. sorry about the blurry crappy picture! my apt has awful lighting...i'm workin' on it)

Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes (makes 12)

(the ingredients with a * are my additions to the recipe)

2/3 c whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

*pinch of nutmeg

2/3 cup turbinado sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup plaiin soy yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup finely grated carrots

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup raisins

*1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.

In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, yogurt, and vanilla. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the walnuts, raisins, and ginger pieces.

Spray the liners with non-stick spray. Fill each liner with batter to 2/3 full. Bake for 26 to 28 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool completely and frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. Then stuff your face.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine (ok, Earth Balance. let's be honest.)

1/4 cup vegan cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Cream together the softened margarine and cream cheese until smooth and fully combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time and whip until fluffy and creamy. Stir in the vanilla and whip for a few more minutes. Smear onto fully cooled cupcakes and place toasted walnuts on top to make them all pretty like.

**Adapted from Isa and Terry's Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World**

Muhammara

Like I have said before, I love dips. I think it's such a shame that many vegans seem to be confined to plain old hummus (not that it's not incredible!!) when it comes to creating an amazing mezze platter! So, when I first tried muhammara at a Middle Eastern restaurant in Kansas City, I was hooked! Then, the most recent issue of Vegetarian Times had a recipe for it in their "easy entertaining" section! yay!

Luckily, summer has blessed me with lots of red bell peppers and our local Middle Eastern foods store had a great selection of pomegranate molasses...so this recipe was really a breeze! Try it next time you want to have a mezze platter for dinner with friends or just a good dip for snacking!

Muhammara (makes 2 cups or so)

2 cups walnuts

3 large red bell peppers

4 Tbs olive oil

4 cloves garlic

2 tsp salt

2 Tbs pomegranate molasses

**pinch each of cumin and crushed red pepper (my addition!)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Spread walnuts on baking sheet and toast until light brown and you can smell them...about 10 minutes. Place peppers on greased baking seperate baking sheet and bake at the same time as the walnuts, for about an hour, until the skins are blackened and super soft. (The recipe calls for you to peel the peppers after you bake them, but I left the skins on, cuz that's how I like it, and it was still rockin'). Saute the garlic in 2 Tbs of the olive oil for about a minute until fragrant and caramelized. Puree all of the ingredients in food processor until smooth and creamy, then season with salt and pepper to taste. **I served mine with veggies and toasted pita bread and it was awesome! It also tastes good with a little Sriracha sauce...if you like it hot :)

Recipe from July/August 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times