This is a recipe for cupcakes I made last week, and haven't had time to put up yet. I made them for a friend of mine who LOVES dinosaurs. I really wish I had pictures of these, but, alas, you'll have to use your imagination.
I doubled this recipe, which makes about 12 cupcakes.
1/2 c. margarine
3/4 c/ sugar
2 flaxeggs (For these I like to use golden flaxseeds, since they are lighter both in color and flavor. I don't think they bind as well as as brown ones, but I use enough in this recipe so that the cupcakes are the right consistency.)
1 1/4 c/ all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp lime zest
3/4 c. soy milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
LOTS of green food coloring
some yellow food coloring.
In a small bowl, combine soy milk and apple cider vineger. Let it sit while you're preparing the other ingredients. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a large bowl beat sugar and margarine until you've got a creamy, even consistency. Prepare the flaxeggs. Add the flaxeggs, soy milk, lime juice, lime zest, and margarine, thoroughly combining. Add dry ingredients to wet so that you get a homogeneous mixture, but don't overmix. Pour into cupcake tins or papers and bake 20-25 minutes.
After the cupcakes have completely cooled, you can frost them with the following frosting:
8 oz tofutti (soy cream cheese)
4-5 cups confectioner's sugar
More food coloring.
Lime zest, if you have some left over.
Although the frosting is really yummy, I haven't been able to get a vegan frosting thick enough to do writing and drawing on cakes that doesn't look like a five year old did it. For the dinosaur cupcakes it ended up being great, but it would be nice if in the future I had a choice about whether to channel my five year old drawing capacities.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Mommie's Roasted Tomatoes and Parseley Green Beans
The farmer's market is full of wonderful things, which makes me nostalgic for California and my mother's cooking. My mother loves fresh ingredients, and makes simple dishes that really bring out their flavors. I recently made two of her recipes that brought me right back to her kitchen table.
My mother never measures anything, so true to her style I won't tell you any of the measurements either!
Tomatoes
For this dish you need round, medium sized tomatoes--larger than cherry tomatoes, but smaller than ones you normally get at the grocery store.
Tomatoes
Garlic
Parsely
Plain Breadcrumbs (we use Progresso)
Olive oil
Salt
Cut out the tops where the stems of the tomatoes are so that you remove a cone-shaped piece of tomato. Sprinkle some salt in them and let them sit for a while. Chop the parseley and garlic very finely, and put in a bowl with some olive oil. (You have to put olive oil on chopped parseley right away, otherwise it turns brown.) Mix some breadcrumbs in. If it's too dry, add a little more olive oil, but you want it to be a pretty thick paste. Turn the tomatoes over and let them drain some liquid. Preheat your oven. I don't remember what temperature Mom usually does it at (I think around 350). I did it a little hotter, between 400 and 450 because everything else for dinner was going to be ready soon, and I liked how they browned on top. Scoop the paste into the opening made by cutting out the tops. Don't force it. You don't need that much in each one--maybe between a teaspoon and a tablespoon, depending on the size of tomatoes you're using. Place them side by side in a glass baking dish. It is ideal if you can fit them all into a dish so that they touch each other. That way when they bake they won't fall over. Once the tomatoes are stuffed and in the dish, drizzle a fair amount of olive oil over them, and put them in the oven. Let them go for about half an hour, depending on the temperature. The liquid will bubble, but that's just fine!
Let cool in the pan for a couple of minutes before transferring to a serving plate.
Parseley Green Beans
green beans
parseley
garlic
salt
pepper
olive oil
red wine vinegar
Break off the stems of the green beans and put the green beans into a bowl. Put a large pot of water on to boil. While you're waiting for the water to boil, chop the parseley and garlic very finely, and put in a bowl with some olive oil. Once the water starts boiling, drop green beans in for no more than five minutes. Drain and run some cold water over them to stop them from cooking, but not enough to cool them all the way down. Put the beans into a bowl and add the parseley/garlic mixture. Add some salt, more olive oil, and some red wine vinegar. Mix thoroughly and serve.
My mother never measures anything, so true to her style I won't tell you any of the measurements either!
Tomatoes
For this dish you need round, medium sized tomatoes--larger than cherry tomatoes, but smaller than ones you normally get at the grocery store.
Tomatoes
Garlic
Parsely
Plain Breadcrumbs (we use Progresso)
Olive oil
Salt
Cut out the tops where the stems of the tomatoes are so that you remove a cone-shaped piece of tomato. Sprinkle some salt in them and let them sit for a while. Chop the parseley and garlic very finely, and put in a bowl with some olive oil. (You have to put olive oil on chopped parseley right away, otherwise it turns brown.) Mix some breadcrumbs in. If it's too dry, add a little more olive oil, but you want it to be a pretty thick paste. Turn the tomatoes over and let them drain some liquid. Preheat your oven. I don't remember what temperature Mom usually does it at (I think around 350). I did it a little hotter, between 400 and 450 because everything else for dinner was going to be ready soon, and I liked how they browned on top. Scoop the paste into the opening made by cutting out the tops. Don't force it. You don't need that much in each one--maybe between a teaspoon and a tablespoon, depending on the size of tomatoes you're using. Place them side by side in a glass baking dish. It is ideal if you can fit them all into a dish so that they touch each other. That way when they bake they won't fall over. Once the tomatoes are stuffed and in the dish, drizzle a fair amount of olive oil over them, and put them in the oven. Let them go for about half an hour, depending on the temperature. The liquid will bubble, but that's just fine!
Let cool in the pan for a couple of minutes before transferring to a serving plate.
Parseley Green Beans
green beans
parseley
garlic
salt
pepper
olive oil
red wine vinegar
Break off the stems of the green beans and put the green beans into a bowl. Put a large pot of water on to boil. While you're waiting for the water to boil, chop the parseley and garlic very finely, and put in a bowl with some olive oil. Once the water starts boiling, drop green beans in for no more than five minutes. Drain and run some cold water over them to stop them from cooking, but not enough to cool them all the way down. Put the beans into a bowl and add the parseley/garlic mixture. Add some salt, more olive oil, and some red wine vinegar. Mix thoroughly and serve.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Belgian Waffles
It's R's birthday today, so I surprised him by slyly acquiring a waffle maker and making my first waffles ever. They turned out really well, but I may keep experimenting, so look out for other recipes.
When I looked up waffle recipes online, I got a little worried. Many of them said that vegan waffle batter sticks to the maker, or that it's not thick or fluffy enough, or what-have-you. But these didn't stick, were both thick and fluffy enough, and had a nice taste to them. The reason I want to keep experimenting with the recipe is that the outside crust is a (just a) little bit tough. I may try eliminating the apple sauce for another flaxegg--we'll see.
Waffle Recipe (Makes about 6 waffles)
2 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups soy milk
2 flaxeggs
1/2 cup margarine
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup applesauce
Brush your waffle maker with canola oil and preheat it. Mix dry ingredients. Prepare flaxeggs (see any pancake or muffin recipe below), and 1 cup of soy milk. Beat again for another minute or so. Cut the margarine into the flaxeggs so that they are easier to beat. Add applesauce and vanilla. Once the mixture is roughly homogenous (won't be perfect, but that's okay), and the waffle maker is ready, add dry to wet and mix well. Then follow your waffle maker's directions.
We had them with a little bit of margarine, blueberries from the farmer's market, maple syrup, and holunderbeeren (elderberry) jam we brough back with us from Switzerland. Yum!
When I looked up waffle recipes online, I got a little worried. Many of them said that vegan waffle batter sticks to the maker, or that it's not thick or fluffy enough, or what-have-you. But these didn't stick, were both thick and fluffy enough, and had a nice taste to them. The reason I want to keep experimenting with the recipe is that the outside crust is a (just a) little bit tough. I may try eliminating the apple sauce for another flaxegg--we'll see.
Waffle Recipe (Makes about 6 waffles)
2 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups soy milk
2 flaxeggs
1/2 cup margarine
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup applesauce
Brush your waffle maker with canola oil and preheat it. Mix dry ingredients. Prepare flaxeggs (see any pancake or muffin recipe below), and 1 cup of soy milk. Beat again for another minute or so. Cut the margarine into the flaxeggs so that they are easier to beat. Add applesauce and vanilla. Once the mixture is roughly homogenous (won't be perfect, but that's okay), and the waffle maker is ready, add dry to wet and mix well. Then follow your waffle maker's directions.
We had them with a little bit of margarine, blueberries from the farmer's market, maple syrup, and holunderbeeren (elderberry) jam we brough back with us from Switzerland. Yum!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Corn Muffins
I was trying to think of a better title for these, because they may be my favorite muffins yet. But they really are just that--corn muffins. Of course, they have corn from our farmer's market in them, and they have apple cider vinegar-curdled soy milk, but they really are just corn muffins.
The recipe is (heavily) adapted from Emily Weinstein's recipe from the NYT blog "The Baker's Apprentice"*. The main thing I got from the recipe was the idea to incorporate a buttermilk-y flavor, and it was definitely the right move. In the vegan version, the flavor isn't overpowering, but it's a nice tangy balance to the sweet corn.
Okay, here it goes:
Dry
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. yellow corn meal
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. sugar
Wet
3 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil
3 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp flaxseeds
6 tbsp water
1 c. soy milk
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar.
And the best part:
1 c. (about one large ear of corn's worth) of corn kernels. I used bi-color corn, since that what the farmer's market had, but just about any kind of corn will do. I do really like taste of bi-color corn, though, and I think it works great with this recipe.
Preheat oven to 425. Prepare your baking vessels. Add the apple cider vinegar to the soy milk, mix, and let stand while you prepare other things. Grind the flaxseeds, and beat well with the water. In a large bowl, mix the margarine and oil together, to a paste-like consistency. Add soy milk mixture to flaxseed mixture, and beat a little bit. Add that mixture to the margarine and oil in the large bowl, and beat until thorougly mixed. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, trying to mix evenly without overmixing. Add in the corn kernels. (This batter is less runny than muffin batters usually are. That's okay. The consistency at the end is great.)
Scoop the batter into your baking vessels, and bake away for 20-30 minutes.
* To be found here: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/12/the-bakers-apprentice-corn-muffins/
The recipe is (heavily) adapted from Emily Weinstein's recipe from the NYT blog "The Baker's Apprentice"*. The main thing I got from the recipe was the idea to incorporate a buttermilk-y flavor, and it was definitely the right move. In the vegan version, the flavor isn't overpowering, but it's a nice tangy balance to the sweet corn.
Okay, here it goes:
Dry
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. yellow corn meal
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. sugar
Wet
3 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil
3 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp flaxseeds
6 tbsp water
1 c. soy milk
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar.
And the best part:
1 c. (about one large ear of corn's worth) of corn kernels. I used bi-color corn, since that what the farmer's market had, but just about any kind of corn will do. I do really like taste of bi-color corn, though, and I think it works great with this recipe.
Preheat oven to 425. Prepare your baking vessels. Add the apple cider vinegar to the soy milk, mix, and let stand while you prepare other things. Grind the flaxseeds, and beat well with the water. In a large bowl, mix the margarine and oil together, to a paste-like consistency. Add soy milk mixture to flaxseed mixture, and beat a little bit. Add that mixture to the margarine and oil in the large bowl, and beat until thorougly mixed. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, trying to mix evenly without overmixing. Add in the corn kernels. (This batter is less runny than muffin batters usually are. That's okay. The consistency at the end is great.)
Scoop the batter into your baking vessels, and bake away for 20-30 minutes.
* To be found here: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/12/the-bakers-apprentice-corn-muffins/
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Roasted Chickpeas with Paprika
I recently returned to the U.S. from a conference in Budapest, and I brought with me some Hungarian paprika, which is one of the country's specialties. They make both hot and sweet paprika, and I bought the hot kind. I'd never cooked with it before, but it was quite delicious. You can get both hot and sweet paprika in the U.S., though you may have to do some searching to find the hot one.
I decided to try out my new paprika roast some chickpeas with it. The recipe is adapted from one by The Perfect Pantry* Here's my version:
2 c. dried chickpeas, soaked in water either overnight, or first thing in the morning (if you're making them for dinner). I much prefer dried chickpeas to canned ones. They have more flavor, and don't get mushy so easily. They also take up much less storage space in the kitchen.
1 1/2 - 2 c. cherry tomatoes, quartered.
6 cloves of garlic
3 tsp hot paprika
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp cumin seeds (though you could use just 3 tsp ground cumin if you wanted to)
olive oil
1 tsp coarse sea salt
black pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drain soaked chickpeas, and put them in the water and cover. Let them cook for about 30-40 minutes, until tender but not mushy. While the chickpeas are cooking, peel the garlic and quarter the tomatoes. Add the sea salt to the tomatoes, mix, and let them macerate. About 15 minutes before they are ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Farenheit.
Drain the chickpeas, and spread them out on a baking sheet. Add the tomatoes. Sprinkle the spices over everything, drizzle with olive oil, and then toss so that the spices evenly coat each chickpea. Bake about 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serves about 6 as a main meal.
*http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2010/06/paprika-recipe-roasted-chickpeas-with-garlic-cumin-and-paprika.html
I decided to try out my new paprika roast some chickpeas with it. The recipe is adapted from one by The Perfect Pantry* Here's my version:
2 c. dried chickpeas, soaked in water either overnight, or first thing in the morning (if you're making them for dinner). I much prefer dried chickpeas to canned ones. They have more flavor, and don't get mushy so easily. They also take up much less storage space in the kitchen.
1 1/2 - 2 c. cherry tomatoes, quartered.
6 cloves of garlic
3 tsp hot paprika
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp cumin seeds (though you could use just 3 tsp ground cumin if you wanted to)
olive oil
1 tsp coarse sea salt
black pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drain soaked chickpeas, and put them in the water and cover. Let them cook for about 30-40 minutes, until tender but not mushy. While the chickpeas are cooking, peel the garlic and quarter the tomatoes. Add the sea salt to the tomatoes, mix, and let them macerate. About 15 minutes before they are ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Farenheit.
Drain the chickpeas, and spread them out on a baking sheet. Add the tomatoes. Sprinkle the spices over everything, drizzle with olive oil, and then toss so that the spices evenly coat each chickpea. Bake about 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serves about 6 as a main meal.
*http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2010/06/paprika-recipe-roasted-chickpeas-with-garlic-cumin-and-paprika.html
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