afternoon baking

these babies are fresh out of the oven. mexican chocolate snicker doodles from the new-ish cookie book by isa.

chocolatey. chewy. spicy. sugary. yummy.

cocoa & beet cake with coconut milk cream

banana muffins

i had some bananas that over ripened very quickly, so i took the opportunity to try out the lower fat banana bread recipe in veganomicon. to save time, i made muffins instead. needless to say, they were perfectly delicious.

summer pies

rhubarb banana pie

mom arens modified a rhubarb pie recipe to veganize it, substituting banana for the eggs.  it worked like a charm.  she gave me the recipe, so i'll find it and post it here soon.

strawberry pie

we went strawberry picking with dad and owen in montague and turned many strawberries into jam, but we saved some to make a vegan strawberry pie.  this recipe uses cornstarch to thicken up a strawberry and sugar glaze.  add a little soyatoo and you're all set.

butterfinger smoothie

in brooklyn, foodswings serves up a vegan butterfinger smoothie. this one is just as delicious and probably healthier because a banana and soy milk are subbed for the soy chocolate ice cream. it's also incredibly easy to make.


makes 2-3 servings

ingredients:
10 large ice cubes
1 cup plain or chocolate soy milk
3 T hershey's syrup, if using plain soy milk
1 med/large ripe banana
2 T natural peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
chick-o-sticks

start with just the ice in the blender (we've found this is the only way to ensure it all gets crushed up) and pulse it until all the ice is crushed. then add all the ingredients, saving some of the chick-o-sticks. blend it all until smooth then add more chick-o-sticks and blend briefly.

also delicious is the simpler smoothie of banana, chocolate soy milk and ice. yum!

let him eat cake

what's the best part about graduating after working hard for your bfa for 5 years? cake, of course! in honor of the event, dad put the calvin knight atop a vegan cake. it was delish!

valentine cookies

for valentines day i made up a batch of heart shaped chocolate chip cookies. i veganized the toll house recipe with willow run margarine, corn starch for the eggs (2T+2T water=1 egg), and ghirardelli semisweet chips. before baking, i formed the dough into little hearts.

thanksgiving

the thanksgiving 2008 rundown: salad with squash, wild mushrooms, apple, and homemade dressing, roasted brussel sprouts, corn, garlic mashed redskins, chickpea cutlets, brown gravy, and field roast. paired with pacifico, trader joe's wine, and peanut butter chocolate pie, this was an all-out fantastic meal.

ingredients piled high in anticipation.

introducing.....the field roast!

delicious pie that's a cinch to make.

blend/process 1/2 C melted chocolate chips, 1/2 C creamy peanutbutter, and 1 package of mori-nu silken tofu. then put it in a pie crust & chill.

time to give thanks, relax and enjoy.

cupcake in a pod!

i haven't even eaten this yet, but it's too cute to not love. it's such a sweet little cupcake pod. it's from 'snice in brooklyn (where we also enjoyed a triple decker club and sesame chicken wrap).

update: banana muffin recipe

here is the recipe for the chocolate chip banana muffins posted earlier this summer

ingredients:

1/2 C butter

1 t vanilla

3/4 C sugar

egg replacer for 2 eggs (1 egg = 2T H2O + 2T cornstarch)

1 1/4 C flour

3/4 C oats

1 t baking soda

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 C over-ripe bananas, mashed

3/4 C vegan chocolate chips (optional, but delightful)

preparations:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. cream butter, sugar, and vanilla. add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each. (i also make sure to mix up the eggs with a fork while pouring to ensure all the cornstarch stays in the water).

3. in a second bowl, mix flour, oats, salt, soda, and powder.

4. add the dry mix to the wet mix in two additions.

5. add mashed bananas and mix.

6. add chocolate chips.

7. i make mine in a mini muffin tin, but either will work well. grease it and bake the batter for about 25 minutes.

marble cupcakes

these little delights come from vegan cupcakes take over the world.

chocolate chip banana muffins

banana oatmeal raisin waffles

the joy of owning a waffle maker and vegan with a vengeance.

black bean burgers (and cookies!)

you may wonder if i ever get sick of burgers, but it's not possible. there are too many kinds...lentil, boca, portobello, black bean. plus they're a great excuse to stop and pick up some french fries.  and for dessert, you ask? cookie monsters, of course. a little rice dream and chocolate syrup on a homemade cookie, and you're all set.

my notes on the burger recipe: it took about 3/4 of a cup of bread crumbs to take up enough of the moisture to make the burgers feasible.  also, i think i bought the wrong stuff for the chili sauce...i came home with a 4 oz can of green chilies (that worked fine).  for each burger, i scooped up 1/3 cup of the mixture, so i will probably get 6-7 burgers out of a batch, rather than 4. finally, i didn't find them spicy. your palate might be different, but i wouldn't be too afraid of the spices in there.

rice krispie treats

i initially wasn't planning on blogging about this one because it's probably really bad for you, but joe raved about it being the best sweet snack i've ever made. with a review like that, how could i not post it?

these rice krispie treats are very easy, but for some reason mine got really hard after they cooled. next time, as a precaution, i will cut them into squares while they are still warm so they're easier to get apart. about 15 seconds in the microwave was enough to get them soft again. the recipe called for plain rice krispies, but why not enjoy some chocolate with your treat? i used chocolate rice krispies to make these even better.

here's what you need

1 C sugar

1 C peanut butter

1 C corn syrup

6 C rice krispies

here's what to do

mix the sugar, peanut butter, and corn syrup in a sauce pan over low heat until they're well combined. increase the heat and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. boil the mixture for 3 minutes. toss the syrupy mixture with the rice krispies and press them into a greased 9x13 pan.

soda cake

i know this can NEVER compare to dad's cakes, but if you're looking to make a cake and only need two or three ingredients, try this one out.

1 box cake mix (vegans check ingredients)

1 1/4 C diet cola or 7up (depending on color of cake chosen)

try a white cake with crushed up oreos in it. just bake the cake according to the box's instructions. frost it with some homemade frosting or buy a pre-fab can of it (some of those are vegan, too).

soda cakes will have to suffice until another vegan birthday comes along. then one of these oreo cakes might show up.

heavenly brownies

i made these brownies this week, and they disappeared quickly. the picture shows the gross step of adding the flour paste to the sugar/cocoa/oil mess. needless to say, the final product looked a little bit prettier.