Baking for Saint Patty

We didn't do anything special to celebrate St. Patrick's Day today, but I did bake a loaf of Irish Soda bread using this recipe from VegNews.  I used two cups whole wheat flour and one cup all-purpose flour and it turned out perfectly-- crunchy outside, soft and super moist inside.  It was just enough to satisfy my little Irish craving today!

Pi Day... Why Not?!

I was more excited that today's date, 3/14, is one month until my birthday, that I almost forgot it's also Pi Day.  Luckily, this email reminded me that I should be eating PIE!  So, here is how I celebrated Pi(e) Day:

I sort of winged the recipe, but it turned out as good as I had hoped.  It's a peanut pastry crust with a (thinner than planned) chocolate layer and a peanut butter layer topped with chocolate ganache.  It was just sweet enough, without being too rich.  Here's an idea of what I did...

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pi Day Pie

Crust: (Adapted from "The Best 50 Dessert Tarts")

1/2 c margarine

1-3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 c peanut flour

1/3 c finely chopped peanuts

Mix all ingredients and press into pan.  Bake 10 minutes at 400.  Allow to cool while preparing the filling.

Filling: (this is where I winged it)

1 13 oz carton silken tofu, divided

a few tbsp creamy peanut butter

a few tbsp baker's chocolate 

a few tsp sugar or agave 

a splash of vanilla

Place chocolate and sugar or agave in a small saucepan and melt over low heat, stirring occasionally.  While the chocolate is melting, place half the tofu, peanut butter and vanilla in a food processor.  Process until smooth and creamy.  (Check on chocolate)  Scrape into a small bowl and set aside.  Once chocolate is melted, add the remaining half of tofu, chocolate and a sprinkle of sugar into the food processor.  Process until smooth and creamy.  Scrape into the pie crust and spread evenly.  Carefully spread the peanut butter layer on top.  Refrigerate until almost ready to serve, at least 1 hour.  Before you are ready to serve, prepare chocolate ganache (I used the Quick Melty Ganache from VCTOTW) and drizzle over entire pie.

I don't think you can really mess this up, it's pretty basic.  I'm off to enjoy another piece while watching the finale of "The Bachelor."  Happy Pi Day to all :)

Bye, Bye Wisdom Teeth; Hello Blender!

I had an exciting start to my spring break yesterday-- a visit to the oral surgeon to have my wisdom teeth removed.  This is something I've been putting off for at least the last 10 years, since my orthodontist first told me it would be a good idea.  When we moved to Illinois, my new dentist was the third person to tell me it was a "good idea."  Since my spring break is a week earlier than Chad's this year, I figured now was as good a time as any and finally made the appointment.

I don't know if the doctor gave me a few extra doses of Novocaine or what, but I couldn't tell the difference between my tongue and my bottom lip for a good six hours!  Chad enjoyed making fun of me, since I could barely swallow enough water to take my antibiotics and pain meds.  I finally tried to eat some jello in the early afternoon, which was not as easy as you might expect.  I couldn't move my jaw enough to chew, so I basically slurped it by the spoonful and swallowed the chunks.  I decided if I was going to go through the effort of "eating," I needed to try something a little more worthwhile... which is where the blender comes into play.  We had some leftover Mexican Bean and Rice Bake and broth from last weekend, so Chad threw that in the blender and the resulting drink was much more satisfying than globs of jello.  The other two quick, yet nutritious and delicious "cup-friendly" meals I had are listed below.  The soup was so good, that I might make it again with a big loaf of homemade bread when I can actually chew again!

10-Minute Cheezee Cauliflower Soup

1/2 head cauliflower, washed and broken into large pieces

1 medium carrot, cleaned and cut into thick coins

1/2 c veggie broth

1/4 c cheezee sauce (I used extra from AVK)

Prepare steamer on stove top and add veggies.  Steam until soft, about 10 minutes.  Combine veggies, broth and sauce in a blender.  Blend on high until smooth.  Add more broth or water to achieve desired thickness.  Serves 2.

Banana Milk

Blend 1 ripe banana with 2 cups milk (I used unsweetened almond) on high until no chunks remain.  Pour into glass and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

I have a feeling I'll continue using the blender a lot more often than usual in the next week...

Spinach & Garlic Pinwheels

Chad and I made pizza earlier in the week and my mind has been spinning with ideas for the other half of dough since.  This thought popped into my head the other day and I hoped it would be as delicious as I envisioned... Today, I finally turned it into more than just a ball of pizza dough.  It's so easy, you should try it too!

Spinach & Garlic Pinwheels

1 pound pizza dough (I used this recipe) 

1/4 c olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

3-4 c fresh spinach, chopped

1.  Heat oil and garlic over low heat for 10 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375.

2.  While the oil is heating, roll out pizza dough into a long, skinny rectangle, about 8 X 14.

3.  Toss garlic oil and spinach in a medium bowl.  Spread evenly atop the dough, leaving 1" clear along one long side of the rectangle.

4.  Carefully roll the dough into a log shape.  Place seam down on a cookie sheet (you may have to place it diagonally).  Pinch the ends to seal.  Brush with olive oil.  Using a sharp bread knife, make 4 slices along the top.

5.  Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.  Slice into 2" pieces and serve!

We served them alongside a big ol' salad, which was pretty enough for its own picture.  I topped romaine and spinach with sprouts and tempeh "chicken" salad.  Yum... it made for a fairly light and very satisfying meal!

Spaghetti & Wheatballs.. Homemade!

Since I finished this week's cookbook challenge early this week (and we can't eat dessert for dinner every night), we've been making some simple, but delicious meals this week.  We had snobby joes, taco bar and Thursday night we had spaghetti with homemade sauce and freshly made wheatballs.  For such a simple meal, it was very satisfying.

I made the spaghetti sauce in August with tomatoes from the Farmers' Market.  I had a freezer full by the end of the summer, and I think we now have one bag left!  It was so easy to make and it's great to have this time of the year.  To make it, I blanched (or poached, not sure which term is correct) the tomatoes until the skin split, peeled and chopped into the slow cooker.  I tried different varieties of seasoning, but I think last night was a basic tomato and basil with black pepper.  Next, I just let the slow cooker work it's magic and a few hours later... spaghetti sauce!  

The wheatballs are from a recipe in "Vegan on the Cheap."  I thought we had everything we needed, but we were missing about half of the ingredients.  Last night's "wheatballs" turned into "pantry wheatballs," which turned out unexpectedly better than the original recipe!  Here's what I did:

Pantry Wheatballs (based on Robin Robertson's Wheatballs)

1 can beans (last night I used kidney), rinsed

1 tbsp tomato sauce

3 tbsp veggie broth

2 tbsp fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup prepared couscous (I've also used rice or cashews)
1/2 c bread crumbs
1/2 c vital wheat gluten
1/4 nutritional yeast
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper


1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Drizzle a small amount of oil into a baking dish.
2.  Add the first set of ingredients in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. 
3.  Add remaining ingredients into a medium bowl and mix with beans.  Once combined, knead dough 1-2 minutes.  Then, pull and stretch the dough, folding inside out.  Knead a few more times.
4.  Scoop dough by rounded tablespoon and roll into a ball.  Place each ball into the prepared baking dish.  You should have between 12-15 balls.  Drizzle the full pan with oil and shake until the balls are lightly coated.  Bake 20 minutes, flipping 2-3 times.
5.  Serve hot!

Cook Book Challenge Week #5

Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating

Last Night's Menu: Thai Chick-Un Pizza

Week five already?  I though this challenge would be a lot of work, but it's turning out to be pretty fun.  The only thing that's been a little difficult is that I don't own all of the cookbooks, but with the help of my friendly, local library... problem solved!  This week is another book that I hadn't really looked at before.  There are a ton of things I'd like to try, so it's looking like a promising week.

no cheese to miss her

To start the week, we made Thai Chick-Un Pizza.  Chad was pretty excited about this and I was also looking forward to trying it, because we both liked the Brooklyn Pad Thai last week.  It took me quite a while to (at least an hour) prep the ingredients, because there's a lot of rinsing, chopping and blending to do.  The peanut sauce has all kinds of goodies mixed in and the pizza is loaded with toppings.  I followed this recipe pretty exactly and it turned out great.  The peanut sauce was really rich and flavorful.  I loved the sweetness from the pineapple, and I'm also realizing I love the crunch and taste of bean sprouts.  Finally, the cilantro and green onions added another layer of flavor.  This was definitely the pizza we were both hoping for!  It was so filling, that there are leftovers (which Chad claimed again) for lunch.

Also, I thought I'd include the recipe for the pizza crust.  It's something my mom came up with years ago.  She mixed and matched a bunch of recipes until she came up with this.  It's really quick and if you're making a simple pizza, you can usually have in on the table in thirty minutes. 

Stir and Roll Pizza 

2 c flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour yesterday)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2/3 c non-dairy milk (I used rice)

1/4 c oil 

1.  Heat oven to 425.  Measure all ingredients and stir until well-combined.

2.  Gather dough together and press into a ball.  Knead 10 times on counter.

3.  Spread some flour on the counter and roll crust into desired shape.  (Fits large pizza pan or cookie sheet)

4.  Bake 5 minutes.

5.  Top with desire toppings.

6.  Bake additional 10-15 minutes.

Smoothies for Dessert

I opened a box of coconut milk to use for tonight's dinner and came up with this for the remaining milk.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Smoothie

1 c coconut milk

1 c almond milk

1 c frozen strawberries

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp agave

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
Pour and serve!

Serves 2

Cupcakes, Anyone?

Since most of my coworkers are Chicago Bears fans, I thought it would be funny to make delicious cupcakes and decorate them green and gold.  I added a few drops of yellow to the cupcake batter, which didn't really make a difference.. so I also used yellow cupcake liners.  I colored the frosting green and added green sugar sprinkles.  I followed this recipe from PPK, and they're sooo good!  I baked the cupcakes Wednesday afternoon, thinking we would surely have school on Thursday.  Anyway... school was canceled again on Thursday and when I left home this morning, there were four cupcakes left.  Guess the only thing I have left to share is the picture :)

Vegan Pizza Day!

Chad and I celebrated Vegan Pizza Day with a BBQ "Chicken" Pizza for lunch. 

Here's how today's pizza came together:

Basic Pizza Dough recipe
Trader Joe's Chicken-less Pulled Chicken in BBQ Sauce
Daiya Vegan Mozzarella
Veggies: Spinach, Chopped Carrots, Diced Red Pepper, Sliced Red Onion
Extra BBQ
Pepper

1. Prepare pizza dough per instructions. 
2. Preheat over to 350. Using half the dough, roll and stretch to fit desired pizza pan.  Bake 10 minutes. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining dough)
3. Remove from oven.  Cover with a thin layer of BBQ.  Cover evenly with spinach.  Add "chicken."  Sprinkle with veggies and mozzarella.  Season with black pepper.
4.  Bake 15-20 minutes until crust is browned and cheese is melted.
5.  Slice, admire and enjoy!

Cook Book Challenge Week #3

The Urban Vegan: 250 Simple, Sumptuous Recipes from the Street Cart Favorites to Haute Cuisine
Tuesday's Menu: Curry Cashew Casserole
Tonight's Menu: Chickpea Chili Burgers

This week's cookbook, as listed above, is "The Urban Vegan."  To be honest, I've never looked through it before last weekend, so I'm looking forward to some more new ideas.  It's also the first time I've checked out a cookbook from the library.  All sorts of excitement!  Without further ado, the food...

Chad was in charge of last night's dinner-- Curry Cashew Casserole.  He didn't say much or complain about it, so I'm assuming it was pretty easy to throw together.  I did help a little by making the cashew butter with raw cashews in the food processor.  I don't know if the raw cashews made a difference, but I had to add a little oil to bring it together.  The only other change he made to the recipe was using curry powder in place of curry paste.  The recipe had lots of veggies-- broccoli, tomatoes, red pepper-- but lacked some kick from the spices.  I think next time I would add extra curry and maybe even crushed red pepper or cayenne to make it more interesting.  We served it over brown rice, and it ended up being a satisfying meal.  With a few changes, I would make this again as a quick weekday meal.  (I only snapped one picture before my camera battery died, so it's not the best quality.)

so good..

Tonight's menu included Chickpea Chili Burgers.  Chad did most of the work again tonight (yay!) and I just had to finish blending, forming and frying the burgers.  I wasn't really sure that I would be very impressed with them and wasn't sure about the bread and oats in the mixture, but they ended up being more than I expected.  They have a different texture than most other burgers that we've tried-- crispy on the outside and chewy, but smooth on the inside.  Definitely a good "different."  We topped them with guac, tomatoes and chipotle mayo (my easy recipe below).  They were so good, we both ate two, loaded with toppings!

Chipotle Mayo
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, seeded
1/2 c Nayonaise or Veganaise

squeeze of lime juice

Add pepper and Veganaise to food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Squeeze lime juice into food processor.  Pulse a few more times.  Chill until ready to serve.  (Pretty easy, huh?)

I'm typing this in our kitchen, while Chad is cleaning up and washing dishes... perhaps I should go help?

Football Food

The Packers and Bears are just about to take the field for the NFC Championship game.  Chad and I are staying home to watch the game and snacking on game day food.  Here's one of our favorites that's super easy to make:

Better Than Taco Dip

1 15 oz can refried beans

1 ripe avocado, mashed

13 oz silken tofu

1 c cooked vegan chorizo

1tbsp southwest or taco seasoning

dash of chipotle or chili seasoning

1 c shredded lettuce

handful grape tomatoes, quartered

handful black olives, sliced
tortilla chips

1.  Mix tofu in a small bowl or blend in blender until smooth.  Mix in seasoning.  Set aside.

2.  Spread beans to evenly cover the bottom of a pie dish.

3.  Cover beans evenly with avocado.

4.  Cover avocado with tofu mixture.

5.  Sprinkle chorizo over the tofu.

6.  Sprinkle lettuce, tomatoes and black olives to cover dip.

7.  Refrigerate until ready to serve!

8.  Serve with tortilla chips and cold beer!

(Variation:  Omit chorizo and seasoning.  Add 1 can Ro-tel tomatoes to blended tofu.  Prepare as normal.)

GO Pack GO!

Breakfast and Books

Looking forward to a lazy weekend, since haven't had a weekend without plans since December!  Our big plans are making Orange Cranberry Muffins for breakfast and spending the rest of the morning at Barnes and Noble. 

Maybe a new book or magazine?  We'll see if I'm feeling crazy :)