December 25, 2011 in Uncategorized
I won’t have any posts for the next few days since I’m so busy enjoying the Christmas festivities, but I just wanted to pop in and wish you all a very merry Christmas! I hope it it’s filled with as much love, joy, giving, family, friends, smiles, laughter, and merriment as mine. This truly is the best time of year to look back and reflect upon what you are so blessed to have, and to be so eternally thankful for it.
Enjoy your holiday!
December 22, 2011 in Cookies & Bars, Featured
It’s almost Christmas!
It’s almost time to relax for a few days, to spend some well-needed time with my family, and to give thanks for my blessings. It’s almost time to take a few days off work, revel in the cool air, and think about nothing but food and gifts and love.
Almost.
Unfortunately, though, it hasn’t felt much like Christmas around here. We went on a walk around the neighborhood yesterday, and very few houses had any decorations up – maybe about one in five. And the decorations were fairly sad – one light-up penguin, a string of lights if we were lucky. Whatever happened to getting into the season? Whatever happened to the plethora of lights and sounds I remember as a child?
Maybe those days are gone. Maybe the Christmas season isn’t really as big a deal as the movies and my childhood memory like to portray.
Or maybe, just maybe, it’s waiting until I get home. Maybe my house – my family – is what feels like the Christmas season. The Santa calendar hanging on the wall; the “8 days til Christmas!” I hear from my sister every morning.
Home.
I baked these cookies this morning to try to feel a little festive. And they definitely helped. I can’t imagine baking these cookies any time of year other than the Holiday Season. And they’re so warm and chocolatey and gooey, they can’t help but lift my spirits.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Print this recipe!
2 Tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance)
4 oz chocolate chips, something you like to eat on its own
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg replacer (I used 1 1/2 tsp Ener-G + 3 Tbsp water)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup AP flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring between each interval. Do not overcook! Let cool to room temperature.
Make your egg. Combine sugar, egg replacer, and vanilla. Beat until very well combined, 1-2 minutes. Add chocolate mixture and mix until well incorporated.
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in another bowl. Add to chocolate mixture and mix until just combined.
Refrigerate dough at least 2 hours, but it’s best to leave it overnight.
Preheat the oven to 325F. Shape refrigerated dough into 1″ balls and coat in powdered sugar.
Bake about 9 minutes. The centers will still be soft, but don’t overcook them, as they will dry out and become hard. Let cool for a couple minutes, and then enjoy!
December 18, 2011 in Breads and Muffins, Featured
So far, winter break has been incredible. I’ve ridden my bike 4 times this week, three of them on dirt.
I just got back from a short backpacking trip with my boyfriend and some other friends.
We bought a Christmas tree, which is so tiny and cute!
I’ve also worked a bunch, hung out with friends, and even found some time to read The Grapes of Wrath. Unfortunately, that means I haven’t found much time to cook or post! But that’s okay. I’ve got to mix it up sometimes. I did finally get around to baking some bread, though. I’ve used this recipe for a long time, but made a mistake last night and added a bit too much water. Turns out I actually really like it that way! It ended up making the bread a lot softer and lighter.
On another note, I know honey isn’t a “true” vegan food. But, like some of you, I have exceptions. The bees themselves aren’t being eaten as food, and I buy locally farmed honey that comes from well-taken-care-of-bees. And yes, I am sure of this – they teach classes on beekeeping. And having the bees around is really good for the environment. If you don’t eat honey, omit from the recipe. It won’t change the texture a bit, and the flavor will still be delicious. If you’re an adamant bee advocate, email me with some info! I might change my mind. In the mean time, here’s a great recipe!
Honey Wheat Bread
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8 oz AP flour
3.25 oz bread flour
6.75 oz whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp butter, melted
8 oz soy milk (or other milk of your choice)
5.5 oz water
1.5 Tbsp honey
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp yeast
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Knead for 7-9 minutes, or until stretchy and smooth. You may not reach the “windowpane” state because of the whole wheat.
Let rise in an oiled bowl for 60-90 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Roll into a log, making sure to create surface tension as you roll. Seal the seam and place into an oiled 9×5″ bread pan (notice the huge mushroom top? I tried to use an 8×4″….). Let rise another 60-90 minutes, or until risen 1″ over the rim of the pan.
About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350F.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is golden and registers an internal temp of 190F. Let cool at least 2 hours before serving. Enjoy!
December 11, 2011 in Entrees, Featured
Sometimes – just sometimes – you need to eat unhealthy food. You need to eat ice cream covered with chocolate sauce.You need to eat a hamburger veggie burger covered with all sorts of catsup (ketchup?) and unhealthy things. You need to eat that candy bar you’ve been lusting after.
And you need to eat jalapeno poppers.
I’m sad to say these aren’t baked. I’m sad to say I didn’t use whole-wheat flour instead of white. I’m sad to say I ate way more than I should. But that’s not all.
I’m proud too. I’m proud to say these are vegan! I’m proud to say they taste like cheese. I’m proud to say I made them and they’re amazing.
So give in to your cravings. And be proud that you made some of the most unhealthy food just that much healthier.
Jalapeno Poppers!
Print this recipe!
3 medium jalapenos
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
3 Tbsp water
1 cup soy milk
1-2 cups AP flour
1 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2-3 Tbsp canola oil
Slice your jalapenos into 1/4″ slices. Combine flax and water and let sit for 3 minutes.
In separate bowls, place the soy milk, flour, and nutritional yeast. Add the cayenne pepper to the nutritional yeast and mix well.
Heat the oil over medium heat. If it starts popping, it is too hot! It will burn you if it gets on you.
Place some slices of jalapeno in the soy milk. Drain the milk into another bowl and dump jalapenos into the flour. Toss to coat. I like to let them sit there for a couple minutes to let the flour really stick.
Next, place the slices in the flax mixture and coat them as well as you can. Transfer the slices to the nutritional yeast and coat them in that, too. Again, I like to let them sit there a bit.
Place the slices in the oil and let them fry for 1.5 – 2 minutes. Flip them over and let them fry again. Let cool on a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Enjoy!
