Sunday, March 16, 2008

These cookies really are da bomb.

I realize I haven't written about many vegan foods that are fatty enough to make anyone feel guilty. That is going to change right now. I give you Da Bomb Cookies.








Da Bomb Cookies Recipe

1/3 cup vegan sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1.5 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons water
1.5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch of salt
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup carob chips*

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Combine sugar with all wet ingredients, stir. Then stir in the dry ingredients. Add a little more olive oil, water, or maple syrup if you need to, but be careful not to get it too wet, oily, or sweet. I added a TINY bit of oil and maple syrup just to get the dough to stick together a little more.
3) Drop tablespoons of the dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

*Personal Note: I am allergic to chocolate. You will never see chocolate in my recipes, but go ahead and use vegan semisweet chocolate chips if you prefer. Although, I gave some of these cookies to friends who don't often eat carob, and they couldn't tell the difference. These cookies are THAT good. If you use real chocolate, you may want to use a little less maple syrup because the cookies may get overpowered with sugar.


Honestly, my measurements were "one small handful sunflower seeds, one normal handful raisins, one HEAPING handful carob chips," but I think the measurements given in the recipe are probably close.

These are some of the best vegan cookies I have ever tasted, and definitely some of the best cookies I have ever made. My nonvegan friend, Nick, agrees.
Seriously, make this recipe. NOW.

I adapted a recipe that I found on Vegweb.com for Chocolate, Sunflower, Cranberry Cookies in order to better serve my taste buds. I have never tried the original, but I've got to say my version is better. There are three reasons why my version must be better: 1) Maple syrup makes the guilty pleasure THAT much more flavorful and the recipe deliciously moist. 2) Raisins > Cranberries. 3) My sunflower seeds/raisins/carob chip ratio is more targeted toward what people really want when they bite into a cookie than the faux-healthy gimmick of keeping the proportions equal, like in the original recipe.

If I make this recipe again (and I will), I will probably use vegan margarine instead of olive oil. If you try this, let me know how it goes. Maybe you will beat me to the punch.

These cookies really are DA BOMB. They will raise your spirits if you are going through finals - or whatever stressful situations people out in the real world encounter. Eat them. You will feel better.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Mushrooms, greens, noodles, and miso. Mmm.

In the spirit of cooking instead of doing homework, I tried Veganomicon's Udon with Shiitake Mushrooms and Kale in Miso Broth. Of course, I changed the recipe quite a bit. Here's what I made:



Udon with Shiitake Mushrooms, Portobello Mushrooms, Kale, and Cabbage in Miso Broth


2-3 servings udon noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 onion
5 shiitake mushrooms (that's all I had)
1/4 portobello mushroom
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ginger
2 cups water
3 tablespoons red miso
2 cups kale
2 cups cabbage
2 teaspoons soy sauce

1) Cook the udon noodles according to the directions on the package. After they are cooked, drain and rinse with cool water until you are ready to use them.
2) While the udon noodles are cooking, preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion and mushrooms in oil for 2-3 minutes (Veganomicon suggests 7 minutes, but I hate gushy mushrooms). Add garlic and ginger. Sauté for 1-2 more minutes.
3) Add the water, miso, and soy sauce. Bring to a gentle boil and let the miso break up. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the kale & cabbage. Toss the veggies around until the kale and cabbage look wilted. Don't over cook the veggies! Then, add the noodles and stir it around in the broth for about 2 minutes.
4) This is the best part: Serve and enjoy.


I had two servings. I am full and happy now.

Yummy Monday Morning Pancakes

Finals are coming up, and - like most Americans - I gorge when I am stressed. On Monday I woke up early to do the reading that I avoided all weekend. However, instead of reading, I made delicious carob pear pancakes. They didn't do much for my grade on the pop quiz, but my taste buds were quite satisfied.





Okay, this is a little embarrassing: this is another recipe that I got from About.com. You can find the recipe I started off with here. However, in case you haven't noticed, I almost never stick to a recipe. I don't even stick to recipes the first time I make a particular dish, and I've made these pancakes dozens of times. So, here is my recipe:

Yummy Red Pear & Carob Pancakes In My Tummy

1 ripe red pear, chopped
1 small handful of vegan carob chips
1+ cup flour*
1 tbsp sugar (okay, to be honest, I use a little more than that, but I don't measure)
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup vanilla soy milk (you can use original if that is all you have)
2 tbsp olive oil

*I start off with 1 cup of flour in the bowl, but I add a little more after all the ingredients are mixed together. Just add flour until the mix is the consistency you like.

Basically, I put everything in the bowl and stir it together. If you want to be responsible, you might want to mix the dry ingredients together first and then add the soy milk and oil.

Then, heat an oiled frying pan to medium. When measuring the size of your pancakes, be careful! This batter EXPANDS when it is on the pan. You'll end up with one HUGE pancake if you aren't careful. I usually use my 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop up the batter and plop it onto the frying pan. Make sure to see how much the first pancake will expand before adding another pancake to the same skillet.

Oh, and flip the pancakes when the bubbles start to pop. You'll want to flip them earlier - we all get a little excited - but try to resist. It's worth the wait for them to be golden!


Sunday, March 2, 2008

First blog posting with vegan quiche recipe

Sooo. I've been meaning to start this blog for a while, but I kept forgetting to take pictures of the vegan goodies I made. However, yesterday I made a vegan quiche for the second time, and I finally took pictures. Although, if you notice, I took them after I ate a slice. I couldn't resist.


Vegan Quiche of Goodness





Ingredients for Tofu Mixture

about 10 oz. firm tofu
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt
pepper to taste
1/4 cup soy milk

Ingredients for vegan "cheez"

1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon flour
pinch of salt
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon oil
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon soy sauce

Veggie ingredients

1/4 cup onion
1 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 portobello mushroom
1/2 red bell pepper

Other ingredients

1 pre-made pie crust
olive oil


1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Sautée onion in olive oil. Add veggies. Cook for a few minutes, but don't let them get soggy or mushy. Remember, the veggies will warm with the rest of the quiche in the oven! Set aside.
3. Combine ingredients for "cheez" in small saucepan. Whisk it! Then, bring to a boil and reduce heat. Stir constantly for 2-4 minutes, or until thickened.
4. Use a food processor to chop up the tofu mixture. Add "cheez" sauce and purée for a few more seconds in the food processor. Then, take the blade off your food processor and stir in the veggies with a wooden spoon.
5. Spoon the entire mixture into the pre-made pie crust.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until you can stick a knife in the middle and have it come out clean.
7. If you can handle it, let the quiche cool out of the oven for about 5 minutes. This helps it solidify and it will be easier to cut. Otherwise, dive in and eat the mush! It will still taste delicious.


Really, you can use any veggies you want for this quiche, but this is the recipe I used. My best friend suggested adding spinach to the existing recipe.

Unfortunately, I can't take credit for this entire recipe. I got the idea from this recipe on About.com: Vegan Broccoli Quiche Recipe
Obviously, my recipe is quite different from the original. I added the vegan "cheez" recipe from La Dolce Vegan! (except I divided the recipe in half) because I thought it would be tasty and closer to the flavor of conventional quiche. I also changed the spices quite a bit, and the veggies, etc.

Anyway, this quiche is absolutely phenomenal, and I hope you try it. It sounds a bit complicated, but it honestly isn't difficult to make - especially if you have someone else doing the chopping.

I am confident in making this recipe my first contribution to the land of vegan food blogs. Enjoy!