have cake, will travel!

I’m thinking of making these babies bagel-style soon. sehr delicious, with a simple layer of Earth Balance for breakfast. and a cup of black coffee. and a three-week vacation on some deserted island. aaaaaaaaah…

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you like faces on your food? well, you’ve come to the right place. (yes, it’s still vegan!)

this one was prettified by living in a coffin/apple joue. check her out, her pictures are fantastic.

ps: please note that everything having a pretty face makes it really tough for me to eat it later on.

speaking of faces, I’m still working on making the already-delicious peanut butter crackers super-crispy.
almost there with the new batch, but I want to make one more trial run before I set the recipe free to scamper off in this big bad world. (huh?)

uh-oh: I didn’t mean “scamper off” literally, little bunny. quick, have a bite at it!

not face-related: black olive hummus for the yum. yum-mus?
I should mention I just used the recipe as a guide. I added at least twice the amount of olives, no extra salt, far less cumin (probably a scant teaspoon), half the amount of oil & tahini too.

I love how revolting the title sounds. good thing that the results are anything but revolting, though.

a quick unrelated-to-rolls note to say that:

- if you haven’t made V-con’s Black Bean Burgers yet, you’re missing out on something great.
- My Sweet Vegan’s Banana Muffins are deliciously chewy and perfect for breakfast. ditto previous line.

I know I’m more or less stuck on making rolls at the moment, but I’m still using the countertop oven and I find that baking rolls yields more satisfying results with it than a bona fide loaf-shaped bread would: QED.

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how about some cute peanut butter crackers while waiting for me to post something of substance, including perhaps the recipe for these?
Lemon Bon Bon gave them faces. awwww!

it isn’t really Summer without popsicles, so this shall be mine soon.

a favor: please tell me more about the scales you might be using in your kitchen. I’m in the market for one, and a bit overwhelmed by all the choice.
the one that caught my eye thus far is this one.

a few food recs:

- I made these tequila carrots, only a bit different: I splashed the tequila into the pot a few minutes after adding the carrots, and wimped out of setting it all on fire. don’t laugh at me! we have a very sensitive smoke detector that already hates it when we take simple showers.
I also threw in some lime juice for good measure: A+

- also A+, if not more, Yellow Rose Recipes’ Vegan Parmesan. I sprinkled some (ok, a lot) into a spinach tofu scramble, and had to be physically restrained so that I wouldn’t eat the whole thing by myself. I can be greedy like that sometimes.

you know what is great? to go on a bike ride when the temperature is still bearable, and to find a peach tree eager to share its fruit with you.
no, really: it called out to me. I didn’t steal a thing!
it had to be the tastiest peach ever. isn’t it just the way?

Summer isn’t that bad after all. (except for all the sweating, unvegan BBQ-ing everyone and their mother loves to do, wildfires, and a laundry list of other nasty things, of course. but hey, who’s counting?)

popsicle mold picture kidnapped from amazon.

in front: Citrus Beet Roll, in the back: Sour Cream Rolls

these rolls have a crispy crust and a nice crunch from the bulgur. plus, they’re kind of pink thanks to the beets. fun times!

for 6 rolls:

3/4 cup beet purée (you can either use canned beets, not pickled though, or cook your own, then purée it in your blender, food processor, or with a handheld mixer)
2/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, or good-quality (aka: not from concentrate) store-bought orange juice
1 T margarine
2 T agave nectar
2 cups whole wheat flour (lightly spooned and leveled)
1 cup bread flour (same)
1/3 cup bulgur wheat
1/2 t ginger powder
1/4 t ground nutmeg
a few turns of the pepper mill worth of white pepper
3 T vital wheat gluten
1 1/2 t fine sea salt
2 t bread machine yeast

place all ingredients in your bread machine pan. use DOUGH setting and let the good times roll.

20 minutes or so before the dough is done rising, preheat your oven to 375F and prepare an 8×8 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. melt about 2 T margarine to use for brushing on rolls before baking.

punch down dough, divide into 6 equal parts, and shape into rolls. place rolls into baking pan, brush margarine on top.

bake for 28 minutes or until instant-read thermometer finds the rolls to be at about 195-200F in the middle.

remove from pan and let cool on a rack.

these are so soft, fragrant, and delicious, I’m having a hard time saying no to them. stay away from me, sour cream bread rolls. I mean it.

I’m using the bread machine to prepare dough a lot these days. it’s quick, easy, and I can’t be bothered working too hard in the kitchen at the moment. sue me.
I’ll add a picture of them if I get a chance. (considering there’s only 2 of them left, I make no promises.)
update: go here to see them.

how about rolls with faces instead?

(thank you, Lemon Bon Bon.)

adapted from a Betty Crocker recipe.

for 6 rolls:

1/2 cup pure water [I added 2 extra T, but start with the 1/2 cup and add more if need be when the machine is kneading]
1/3 cup Tofutti sour cream
1 Ener-g egg replacer* [1 1/2 t powder vigorously whisked with 2 T warm water, until foamy]
1 T margarine
2 cups whole wheat flour [spoon, do not scoop, and level]
1 cup bread flour [same]
2 T vital wheat gluten
3 T Sucanat
1 1/4 t fine sea salt
2 t bread machine or rapid-rise yeast

place all ingredients in the bread pan, in the order listed above. set machine on dough and let the machine work its magic.

when there is about 15 minutes left on the machine, preheat oven to 375F, and prepare an 8×8 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.

punch dough down and divide into 6 equal parts, shape into rolls. place rolls in the prepared pan, lightly brush with milk alternative or wash, bake for 22 minutes or until instant-read thermometer finds the rolls to be at about 195F in the center.

remove from pan [wear gloves!] and let cool on a rack.

*I’m sure you could replace this with the equivalent of one flax egg instead. or even forget about it altogether, but you’re very likely to have to add more water to the dough if you don’t. keep in mind I haven’t tried the recipe without, though.

I almost find it disturbing how the Barbecued Buffalo Zings look like the “real” thing, so no picture. but they’re damn tasty. and I can see several other uses for the seitan base of it too: it puffs up a lot while baking, it’s fun to watch and to poke with a fork before adding the BBQ sauce to it.

if you don’t have Vegan Vittles, buy the book. or preview the recipe on Google Books to reinforce the idea that you really need to go out and buy it.

same with the Crock Cheez recipe: why did no one ever tell me how tasty the stuff is? it reminds me of the spreadable cheese I used to munch on in my non-vegan days.
I even mixed it with some processed steamed kale, to spread on bread, and it could easily be my newest favorite thing.

speaking of bread, someone on the PPK asked me to add a picture to this recipe, and I felt like being obedient today. for once. don’t get too used to it.

a few recipes I’m itching to try soon:

Tequila Carrots - because pyrotechnics are fun.

Crumbed Top Mung Bean Cake - because I was scratching my head trying to figure out what to do with the bag of mung beans I have.

Pasta Carbonara - because I have one last package of tempeh bacon to use before too long, and I mean: Pasta Carbonara, people!

if you’re digging the holy matrimony of chocolate & tahini, you’d better fasten your seatbelt: as soon as Cassie told me about these, I just knew I’d be a fool not to try them: I’m obviously delighted I didn’t resist the urge, and know you will be too.

(I halved the recipe and made 6 bigger cookies, baking them for the same amount of time Cassie recommends.)

now ’scuse me while I go busy myself munching on them babes…

I can tell you it didn’t take me long to whip up a batch of agave bread rolls* to try Amy’s wonderfully fragrant homemade strawberry jam.

don’t even get me started on the cookies: chewy and mighty tasty, ♥!
I wanted to take an out-of-package picture of them, but then I got too impatient and had to gobble them up.

sidenote: is WordPress being capricious with everyone else or does it hold a grudge against me in particular? I can’t preview posts anymore, and can’t respond to comments directly when logged in. not a big deal either way.

the fires are still going on. considering we live in a valley, we’re catching all the nasty air quality (or lack thereof) to the point it’s advised to stay indoors as much as possible. all the more reason to bake! which I’ve been doing solely relying on the countertop oven, might I add, as both my wallet and I refuse to turn on anything bigger than that. it almost sounds dirty when I put it that way…

*made with this recipe, but with 2 cups whole wheat & 1 1/4 cup bread flour, no bran, shaped into 6 rolls and baked in a greased 8×8 pan at 375F for 25 minutes. watch out for your rolls since they’re made with agave: they could brown up a bit faster, so cover them with foil when checking them out after about 20 minutes for an instant-read thermometer test.

it sounds like a lot of work, but it isn’t so bad: the thing that takes a lot of time is for the dough to rise. now quit whining and get to making deliciously sweet things for your breakfast, already!

variation: for a more piña colada-ish flavor, coarsely chop raisins and soak in rum for 1 hour. throw in 1/2 cup finely shredded sweetened (or not) coconut flakes. nix the cinnamon in the filling, adding 1 t of either rum or coconut extract. you could also add the shredded coconut in the filling instead of in the dough. replace the vanilla in the coconut glaze with rum extract, or save the rum the raisins were soaked in to use for the icing instead of the extract and of some of the coconut milk, if you’re a lush like me.

makes 8 rolls:

for dough:

3/4 cup well drained crushed pineapple (save the (unsweetened) juice!)
1/3 cup pure water, room temperature or lukewarm tops
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 T vegan margarine
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (scooped up and shaken to level)*
1 cup light spelt flour (scooped up and shaken to level)*
2 T instant coconut milk powder
1/4 cup Sucanat
1 t fine sea salt
2 t bread machine, quick-rise, or instant yeast (active dry would work too but you will need to let the rolls rise a second time prior to placing them in the oven. don’t forget to start by proofing it in the water, with sugar too.)

place all ingredients (start with 3 cups of flour and then see if you need the last 1/2 cup) in your stand mixer and start kneading. do the same if using your hands.
even if using the mixer, finish up kneading with your hands for best results.
you want the dough to be elastic, pliable, and tacky, but not too sticky. you will need to knead for up to 10 minutes.

shape dough into a ball. lightly grease a large bowl with a drop of oil, swirl dough around a bit to coat with oil. cover and let rise for 90 minutes in a warm, draft-free area.

in the meantime, prepare the…

filling:

1/2 cup raisins, placed in a cup filled with boiling water to re-plump for about 10 minutes, then drained (or coarsely chop the raisins, soak in rum for 1 hour)
1/2 cup Sucanat
1 T vegan margarine, melted
1 T coconut milk or other milk alternative

once dough is done rising…

preheat oven to 375F.
prepare an 8×8 square pan with non-stick cooking spray. line oven with foil to prevent eventual spills.

place your dough on a lightly floured surface, punch it down. roll out your dough to approximately 9×11 inches. spread filling on top of the dough, leaving about 1 inch from the edges.
roll tightly and seal the edges of the dough by pinching them.
cut into 8 equal slices and place in prepared pan.

(if using active dry yeast, you want to do a second rise: cover with plastic wrap, letting rolls rise in a warm place until doubled in size, for about 30 minutes.)

bake for 25 minutes.
place the baking pan on a cooling rack and let cool a bit before applying coconut glaze on top.

for coconut glaze:

1 cup icing/powdered sugar
1/2 t pure vanilla extract (or rum extract)
2 T coconut milk

sift your sugar, add extract, and milk, a little at a time, so that your glaze remains thick enough to kind of coat the back of your spoon. stir vigorously to eliminate any lump. pour or spread on top of your rolls.

* the quantity of flour you will need might vary depending on humidity and flour quality.

Vegan Dad’s Mac and Cheeze.

don’t know how else to put it, so let’s just cut to the cheeze: you owe it to yourself to try this one.
it’s so simple and quick to prepare, and yet comes out like the comfiest of all comfort food you’ve ever had the pleasure to take a bite of.

(the picture is a bit orange due to the smoke from the local fires that is keeping the sun from shining through. sad…)

coming up later: Pineapple Cinnamon Rolls.

I actually saw a picture of these on either Tastespotting or Food Gawker recently, so blame whoever unknowingly made it irresistible for me to try them.

in my humble opinion, these taste about as close as it’s gonna get to Ikea’s Speculaas, which used to be among my favorite cookies to munch on back in the days when I wasn’t quite so…old?
for extra kick, and if unable to find that Butty mix I’m talking about, I would go for double the amount of cinnamon and ginger the original recipe calls for, i.e. 1 t of each in the scaled down version.

I’m even considering dipping them in chocolate some other time, because one of life’s motto is (or at least should be):
“If you can make something even more sinful, then by golly you fool, go for it.”

this recipe was just slightly adapted, as well as scaled down, from Epicurious.

Spice Sugar Cookies

makes 7 big ones:

preheat oven to 375F. line cookie sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.

in your standing (or with your handheld) mixer, cream together:

6 T vegetable shortening, cold
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

add and combine until well mixed:

2 T blackstrap molasses
1 t Ener-g egg replacer powder vigorously whisked with 1 T warm water

in a medium bowl, sift:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 t baking soda
pinch fine sea salt
1 generous t Butty’s pain d’épices mix, or like the original recipe says: 1/2 t ground cinnamon, 1/2 t ground ginger, 1/4 t ground cloves. double cinnamon and ginger if daring!

add to shortening mix, stir until combined.

divide dough into 7 equal portions, flattening them almost as much as you want your cookies to be: they will spread just a touch, so leave about 1 inch between them.

bake for 10 minutes, let cool on sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

sidenote: someone (whose comment I cannot seem to find anymore) recently asked about the cookie bags Amy had sent for me to try a couple of weeks ago, so here’s a link to where you can purchase them.

I’m almost tempted to call this a cake: the chocolate is enhanced by the tahini, and the tahini is made subtle by the chocolate. if this isn’t a happy union, I don’t know what is.

you could make this into (4-6) standard muffins or x 1.5 the batter in order to get a bigger loaf.
needless to say you will have to play with the baking time if you choose to do it that way: aim for 18 minutes for the muffins, doing the inevitable toothpick test, or at least 40 minutes for the x 1.5 version.

a couple more things:

I’ve been incorporating instant coconut powder a lot into my recipes ever since I used the stuff in these cupcakes, and while it’s only optional, I definitely recommend it for even better texture and flavor. you can find it at your favorite exotic foods store. (I also use the stuff in chocolate mousse and it’s delightful! and of course, if you run out of light (or not) coconut milk, it comes in quite handy.)

also, the tahini I used this time was from a brand new jar and you know how it is: it’s usually hard to mix thoroughly, so there’s always a bit more liquid on top than there is at the bottom, that’s why it’d be best to use a tahini that’s not overly thick for this recipe.

finally, for the ones who have to/prefer to eat gluten-free foods, have a go at Sharon’s adaptation of this recipe.

Chocolate Tahini Bread

preheat oven to 350F, prepare an 8×4 loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

in a large bowl, sift together:

6 T unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
pinch fine sea salt
2 T instant coconut powder (optional)
1 t ground cinnamon

in a large bowl, whisk together:

1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
4oz unsweetened applesauce (one of the individual container = about 1/3 cup + 1 T)
2 t pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup soy creamer or milk alternative

combine wet & dry ingredients together, being careful not to overmix. pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
let cool in pan for about 10 minutes before removing bread and letting cool completely on rack.

these tortilla type o’things are so good! they’re on the crispy side right out of the pan, and when you wrap them in foil once they’ve cooled (for later eats), they get soft and almost have the same texture and taste as an…omelette? craziness! it actually reminds me of my Mom’s version of Pain Perdu.

so basically, they’re the hybrid of a crêpe and a tortilla: a crêpilla.

makes 4:

whisk together in a large bowl:

1/2 t instant yeast
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (spoon and level)
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (spoon and level)
pinch sea salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste (I use a blend of 4 different peppercorns)

whisk together in a small bowl:

1 cup pure water
1/2 T oil of choice
1 t agave nectar

pour into flour mixture, whisk well until no lumps are left. cover and let sit for about 30 minutes, then whisk again.

heat a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. pour about 1/2 cup of the batter and swirl the skillet around to have the “tortilla” be as thin as possible. let cook for about 5 minutes, lifting it after approximately 3 minutes to check that it’s not burning. flip over and let cook for another 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.

repeat with the rest of the batter.