Rhymes With Vegan

vegan cinnamon choco banana bread

this has become a staple item in our home.  a perfect after dinner treat (or before dinner, or during dinner)

through these winter months we just need a little something warm with a subtle hint of sweet.

this is it.

vegan cinnamon choco banana bread

5 very ripe bananas

¼ cup vegan sugar

1 tsp almond extract

2 cups unbleached, wheat/high fiber flour

½ vegan choco chips (you can use carob as well)

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

¼ cup warm water

follow in this exact order:

• set your oven to 350
• grease loaf pan
• mash bananas, suagar, cinnamon and almond extract in a medium size bowl
• mix together baking powder, soda and flour in a separate bowl
• combine flour mixture with banana mixture and add warm water; mix together well
• pour into greased loaf pan; bake for 1 hour (depending upon stove, it make take 5-10 more minutes)

 

let cool approximately 30 minutes.

serve with vegan butter and a hot cup o joe.

enjoy!

 

coffee coated butternut squash with caramelized walnuts

ok, on to option #2 in the trio of butternut squash recipes.

even kids will like this!

(if you really felt adventurous, you could serve this with a small bowl of soy ice cream)

coffee coated butternut squash with caramelized walnuts

 

1 medium sized butternut squash

4 tbsp earth balance

handful of walnuts – chopped

1  cup brown sugar

¼ cup day old black coffee

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp molasses

2 tbsp olive oil

pre-heat your oven to 400.

peel your squash, slice in ½ and de-seed.  cut the squash into bite size cubes.

in a medium bowl combine the coffee, maple syrup, molasses and ½ cup of the brown sugar.

toss the squash with the oil and ½ of the mixture.

on a large baking sheet lay your squash evenly spread out.

put in oven for 20-30 minutes; depending upon your oven.

in the meantime, prepare your walnuts.  in a medium size skillet heat your walnuts with 2 tbsp of the earth balance and the rest of the brown sugar.  slowly cook on low until brown and caramelized

once the squash is finished and can easily be pierced with a fork remove from oven.

toss the remaining mixture, the rest of the earth balance and the walnuts.

serve with a cup of hot coffee.

enjoy!

 

cardamom cookies

i was perusing facebook one evening and noticed that my sister-in-law, leslie (dancer extraordinaire) was baking vegan cookies.  with no hesitation at all i threw a big yum onto her status, knowing that she would have to send some my way...and in true pisces fashion, she did.

it's a good thing i made a comment, because these cookies were delicious!

the flavor was so welcoming for this cold weather...it was like eating a warm indian sweet.

and with her permission i am putting her recipe up along with some quick photos.

(recipe per leslie...)

cardamom cookies

(these are the measurements i used to make a really small batch, since i didn't know how it would turn out.  probably would want to double it, but i'm in no mood for math.)

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

in one bowl:

1 cup whole wheat flour                                                   

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1 tbsp. ground cardamom

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

pinch sea salt

in another bowl:

1/2 cup sugar (i used turbinado cane sugar)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup orange juice

zest of one orange

combine all ingredients.  put a spoonful of the dough onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 min. or so, depending upon your oven.

serve with a warm cup o' joe

enjoy!

layered puff pastry w/ caramel drizzle and toasted pecans

i've recently started a new job, so it's been hard to find time to get stuff up on the blog.  however, one of the perks to the new job is tele-working a few days a week.  so i took advantage of my lunch hour yesterday and threw this together.

now, i rarely make sweets since i don't really eat them, however there were 4 lonely apples staring at me in the fridge and i just knew i had to do something about it.

here's what i did.

(i apologize if the recipe is a little sloppy...i threw this together very fast!)

layered puff pastry w/ caramel drizzle and toasted pecans

 

filling

3 large apples – peeled and sliced thin

1 tbsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp earth balance

pinch of salt

 

topping

3 sheets puff pastry (you can find these at your grocery store)

5 tbsp earth balance (reserve 1 tbsp for brushing sheets)

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup non dairy creamer

1 drop vanilla extract

½ cup chopped pecans – toasted

pre-heat the over to 400 degrees.

in a large pot heat 4 tbsp of earth balance, brown sugar, creamer and vanilla on medium heat.  bring to boil, then simmer for 6-8 minutes constantly stirring.  be sure the sugar is mixed in well so that it becomes smooth to the touch.  set aside and let cool.

on a greased cookie sheet lay 3 sliced of the puff pastry down.  brush with melted earth balance and put in the oven for 18 minutes, or until a light golden brown.

in the meantime, in another pot put your filling ingredients together and bring to a boil.  reduce heat and let cook down until the apples are soft to the bite and the flavors have melded together.

once the pastry sheets are finished remove and let cool for 10-15 minutes.  slice each sheet into 3 or 4 squares.  layer the cinnamon apple mixture between 3 sheets pastry. 

top with the caramel sauce and toasted pecans.

serve with coffee.

enjoy!

hearty morning muffins

as the weather gets colder it's a lot harder to wake up to a cold bowl of cereal, or a typical slice of toast.  i think these muffins are the perfect solution.

full of grains and fiber to fill you up

packed with flavors of cinnamon, banana and vanilla to kick the tastebuds into gear

oh, and did i mention that they're good for you?

you've just found a new way to start your day.

hearty morning muffins

makes 12

 

1 large banana

1/3-cup soy flour

1/3-cup cornmeal

1/3-cup whole wheat

1/3 –cup earth balance

1/4- cup wheat germ

1/3-cup brown sugar

1 ¼ cup soy cream

squeeze of ½ lemon

1 tsp salt

1tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp cinnamon

handful of craisins

canola oil spray

 

preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

mix the cornmeal, whole wheat and wheat germ with the soy cream and squeeze of lemon (this will make for a sort of buttermilk).  let sit for 10-15 minutes, or until the grains have softened.

in another bowl, cream together your vanilla, sugar, butter and banana.  be sure to get it as soft as possible, with few lumps.

add the other dry ingredients and milk mixture to the creamed ingredients.

stir together until mixed.

grease your muffin pan to avoid sticking.

spoon into pan and bake for 12 minutes, remove and add the craisins on top.  put back into the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown.  be sure to use a toothpick to see if your muffins have been cooked thoroughly.

 remove and let cool.

serve with a warm cup of josephine and a little bit of earth balance.

 

enjoy!

rhubard cake w/ sweet rhubard compote

in the spring in minnesota, rhubarb grows around every corner.

in abundance. 

so, about a week ago, my friend jamie dropped by a big armload of the stuff...hmmm, what to do, what to do?
then i remembered that my partner's mother is a world champion baker, so i contacted her for her rhubarb cake recipe. a few substitutions here and there, and voila!

vegan rhubarb cake.

i made up the compote at the last minute and it makes quite a delicious addition.

di timmer's rhubard cake w/ sweet rhubarb compote

2 cups vegan sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups barley flour
1/2 cup earth balance
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups fresh chopped rhubarb
1 tbsp cinnamon

pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

 in a large mixing bowl, combine the following:
1 1/2 cups vegan sugar, barley flour and baking soda.  mix togather well.  now add your earth balance, vanilla, almond milk, unsweetend applesauce and rhubarb.  mix together very well until all ingredients are combined and smooth.

in a small bowl combine the rest of the sugar and and the cinnamon.

pour your cake batter into a cake baking dish and bake for 45-55 minutes.  add your cinnamon/sugar mixture on the top of the cake in the last 5 minutes of baking.

when you have approximately 10 minutes left of baking time, you can begin to make your rhubarb compote.

you will need:
2 tbsp agave nectar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup water
3 cups fresh chopped rhubarb
2 tbsp earth balance

in a small skillet heat your earth balance until melted and bubbling.  add your rhubarb and cook until tender, approximately 6-8 minutes.  you can now add the water, salt and agave nectar.




cook until all of the ingredients have combined and the rhubarb has broken down into a jam type texture.
remove from heat.  serve over a slice or two of the warm rhubarb cake.

enjoy!

chocolate truffle mousse w/ whipped vanilla topping

ok, so if you haven't figured it out already, i am not much of a dessert person.  i rarely ever order dessert, eat candy, ice cream or any other sweets.  however, i catered a small dinner party the other night and was asked to provide a dessert to end the meal.  YIKES!!!  of course, again, loving the challenge, i headed straight for the kitchen and within 1/2 hour I whipped up this little ditty.  it takes about 10 minutes to make and tastes so damn good that it's hard to believe it's high in protein...mousse that is high in protein?? who'd a thunk it?

 

vegan chocolate truffle mousse w/ vanilla whipped topping

2 packages silken tofu - firm
1 package vegan chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp silk creamer
vegan chocolate bar for shavings
1 package fresh raspberries

in a food processor, combine 1 package of silken tofu, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla.  blend until smooth. 

put your chocolate chips into a small bowl and set over boiling water in a separate pan (double boiler)  stir the chips until they have all melted.  add this to your blended tofu mixture.  while it is blending, slowly add 1 tbsp silk creamer.  continue to stop the blending and using a spatula to get all of the sides scraped and back into the blended mixture.  once the mixture has gotten to a creamy brown consistency, pour into a bowl.  set aside.

clean out your food processor, as you'll be using it again.  do the same steps as listed above, without the chocolate.  this mixtures, when done blending will be a little runnier than the chocolate mixture.

you can now begin to layer in a small serving dish or eat right out of the bowls!
top with some chocolate shavings and a raspberry or two.

it will settle quite a bit more when put in the fridge, so if you plan on layering, you'll want to do it right away.

enjoy!

help me name these bars... please!!!

next to cheesecake (vegan, of course!), these bars are my favorite sweet to satisfy my tooth. i have to admit, it's not actually my recipe. my partner, colleen, makes them.

anyway, they are gooey and delicious and yummy and...well, you get the picture! unfortunately, no one in my circle of peeps (not even my partner!) has been able to come up with a clever, appropriate name to capture their true essence. so, we're asking all you good folks to lend us your brains. give us as many or as few ideas as you can come up with, and in the next few days, we'll post the winner. oh yeah, and be sure to make the bars yourself so you can really immerse yourself in the naming process. they'll take you less than 15 minutes to throw together. have fun!

ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 cup light karo corn syrup

2 TBSP earth balance

1.5 cups peanut butter creamy works best)

approximately 5 cups rice krispies

1 12 oz. bag of Guittard semi-sweet choc chips

 

combine sugar and karo in a large saucepan over med-high heat. stir together. then add earth balance. as soon as mixture comes to a boil, turn the heat off. add your peanut butter and stir in thoroughly until mixture is smooth. then add your rice krispies. stir until krispies are covered. add mixture in a greased square pan. smooth out. heat bag of Guittard choc chips in microwavable dish until choc is creamy and smooth. put choc on top of the smoothed mixture in your pan. let cool and serve. enjoy!


update: and the winner is....OMG bars

congrats to Sammy for winning the title! and thanks to everyone who submitted an idea. this is the first of many naming contests to come.

the awesome thing about Sammy's great name for these bars is its versatility. sure, OMG could mean Oh. My. God! but, the G could stand for gooey, or goddess, or goodness, or gosh, or gawd, or great, or groovy, or golly, or... ok, clearly i'm starting to push it. plus, we loved that Sammy actually screamed out Oh My God and woke her kitties up in the process. now that's somethin'!

anyway, when the cookbook comes out, Sammy (you rockgirl!) will get full props for giving these bars such a perfect name.

peace.

holiday app idea # 3

 

With these dark chocolate, toasted almond, fillo wraps, I was trying to create a semi-sweet appetizer that resembled a christmas present. I think these come pretty close, and they're quite tasty to boot.

dark chocolate-almond toasted-fillo wraps

1 mini cupcake tin
2 sheets fillo (leave layered) cut in to 2" by 2" squares
1 large bar vegan dark chocolate (just check the label!), chopped
1 smal bag slivered almonds
Earth balance (vegan butter)

Heat a small skillet, add almonds and toast approximately 2-4 minutes over medium heat. Do not let them burn. Set to the side.

Grease each cup of the cupcake tin with a light cooking oil, so the cups don't stick.

Put squares of fillo in each cup of your tin. Leave open. Brush inside each square with melted earth balance (vegan butter). Put approximately 1 teaspoon of chocolate and almonds in each cup. Close each pocket by pinching closed. Brush more melted earth balance on top of each little "package." Dust top of each with small slivers of chocolate. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve and eat immediately!!