Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows

Doesn't the name make it sound really good? Well, if that wasn't the case for you, how about a picture?



The authors of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World have struck again! [Actually it was a long time ago, I'm just starting to catch up.] This time with a cookie book: Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.
For the same reason I love making cupcakes from VCTOTW, I also liked making these cookies - it's so simple, and yet looks so sophisticated and tastes so delicious and special. I had to wait till Valentine's Day to justify such decadence, just because it looks that way. But now I don't think I need any excuses for making it again.

Stout Cake with Irish Cream Frosting

As per Kevin's request, the double birthday party cake I baked was a cake version of the chocolate stout cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World*. Just like the coconut cake I made based on the coconut cupcake recipe from the same book, the stout cake turned out DE-LI-CIOUS! Very moist, rich and chocolaty. Of course, Irish cream frosting doesn't hurt :)



It seems that converting a cupcake recipe into a cake is not that hard - you just double the ingredients, and lengthen the baking time:

• 1.5 c soy milk
• 2 t apple cider vinegar
• 2 c plus 4 T all-purpose flour
• 2/3 c cocoa powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 c stout
• 1/5 c sugar
• 2/3 c canola oil
• 1 T vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine soy milk and vinegar. In a separate bowl, sift all the dry ingredients besides sugar. Mix the sugar and stout into the milk, add oil and vanilla and whisk until well mixed. Add dry ingredients into large bowl and beat for about 2 minutes. Pour batter into a lightly oiled 9" cake pan (I like to use spring-form and line the bottom with parchment) and bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool and frost.

Irish Cream Frosting (not vegan):

• 1 stick butter
• 3 c powdered sugar
• 3 T Irish Cream

Beat everything together until smooth.

* People in my lab must have realized I like this book, so they gave it to me as a farewell gift!! :)

Apricot-Glazed Almond Cupcakes

Another cupcake from the great book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World! I think I will have to get this book! This time it was for Tanja's birthday.


Ingredients:

• 1/4 c oil (though the book calls for 1/3 c)
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/4 c yogurt
• 3/4 c soy milk (or almond milk!)
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 t almond extract (recipe calls for 2, but my extract is way too strong)

mix it all together, beating well, in a large bowl, then sift in:

• 1 c + 2 T flour
• 1.5 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt

mix until batter is smooth (but don't overdo), then fold in:

• 1/3 c almond meal

Pour into a muffin pan, filling 2/3 of each cup. I only got 11 :(

At the center of each cupcake put 1/2 t apricot jam, pressing slightly so it'll level with the batter.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 24-26 min (don't test with a toothpick, it will be sticky).

When cupcakes are cool, glaze with a bit of apricot glaze (1/2 c jam + 1 T water, heated up and stirred well), and top with sliced almonds.

Broccoleek Quiche

When you buy leeks, make sure you get at least three. This way, after you make leek-walnut pasta, you can also make some mini-quiches:



Here's how you make them:
In a pan, over medium high heat, with a bit of olive oil, saute:

• 1 leek, sliced diagonally
• 1 broccoli crown, divided into mini-florettes
  

Salt it to taste

In a blender, blend:

• 1 package of soft tofu (15 oz)
• 2 T tahini
• 2 T nutritional yeast
• 2 T corn starch
• 1 t turmeric
• 1 t salt
• red hot pepper flakes to taste
• soy milk as necessary (up to 1/4 c)

When smooth and yummy, add the sauteed veggies (mix, don't blend!). Pour into a muffin pan (oil it a bit, if you're not using a silicone pan. And if you oil it, you might as well add some breadcrumbs to add crunchiness).

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-35 minutes or till a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.

I served it with some marvelous jicamagic, this time made with with golden bell pepper instead of red (hence the yellowness of the whole plate).

Rice And Black Bean Cakes

What to do when you have leftover rice and 1/2 can of black beans that you need to use? Rice-and-black-bean-cakes of course!

I took the recipe for the cake from here, but modified it a bit:

1. I doubled the recipe and got 6 medium sized cakes plus 1 gigantic one
2. I used white rice, cause that's the leftovers I had
   
3. I didn't have ground chipotle, so I put some chile and cayenne
4. I didn't have chipotle in adobe sauce for the tofu sauce, so I put some jalapeno - it turned out pretty good!
5. I topped it with some corn kernels mixed with salsa.
   

I think it came out quite tasty, and it wasn't too hard to make - probably would be even easier with a food processor :)

Vegan Crustless Asparagus Quiche

The recipe is taken from here, but I made a couple of modifications:

1. I added 1-2 T tahini (from my experience, it adds deliciousness)
2. I made it without a crust, just 'cause I'm lazy
3. I oiled the pie dish and covered it with breadcrumbs

A crust is a good thing to have when you make a quiche, especially when it's still hot - it's hard to get it out of the dish without having it all break into pieces otherwise. I think that making mini quiches in a silicone muffin pan would work better when there's no crust. I will try it sometime with corn or mushrooms, or corn AND mushrooms!

It's easy to make (basically blending everything) and the batter is YUMMY!!! I could probably eat it all uncooked - which means that it could possibly make a good cold soup :)

Cheers!

That's right! I made cupcakes with beer!



It turned out really delicious! So much so, that Clint already asked me for the topping recipe. His girlfriend, Danielle, gave me the recipe for the cupcakes (which, in turn, is taken from the book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World) so he didn't need it from me. However, I did modify it a little bit: I put 1/4 cup of oil instead of 1/3 cup, and 1/3 cup of beer instead of 1/4 cup. I think it was a good substitution, don't you?

I topped it with chocolate mousse, also from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. It was so good! What I made was enough for the cupcakes and a few more generous servings of mousse desert.

Vegan chocolate mousse:

• 15 oz extra firm silken tofu (I actually used regular soft tofu from Fresh & Easy)
• 15 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips - melted
  
• 2 T maple syrup (I only used 1, and added about 3 heaping t of powdered sugar, because I was afraid the mouse won't be firm enough to stand on top of the cupcakes)
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/4 c soy milk (I put a little less, and substituted the rest with Irish Cream (not vegan, but can be easily veganized at home, or just left out) just because I have some from making the suggested Irish Cream frosting from the cupcake recipe link above. BTW, if you do it, put a lot more than 2 T, otherwise it won't taste like Irish Cream at all. I put around 6 T the second time I made it).

Blend tofu and milk in blender until smooth, add syrup, vanilla, and melted chocolate and blend more until smooth, creamy and delicious.

** although these cupcakes are vegan, my version of them is not - both because of the Irish Cream and because of the beer I used (I understand Guinness is not vegan, because part of the manufacturing process involves using some fishing by-product. Well, that's the last time I by this brand! Now I need to think what to do with the 4 bottles I have left...). These two items could be easily substituted, or completely omitted in the case of the Irish Cream.

A Match Made in Heaven

Yes - sweet potatoes and leeks! Can anything be better than a combination of these two divine vegetables?



This sweet potato leek gratin was taken from The Vegetarian Times. It's not yet online, so here's what you do:
Slice 1-2 sweet potatoes (2 lb) - 1/8" thick, set aside

In a small non-stick pan over medium-high, heat 1 T olive oil, and saute for about 8 minutes:

• 3 leeks, white and light green parts chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 T chopped rosemary
• salt and pepper

Layer sweet potato slices alternately with leek mix, so you end up with 3 layers of sweet potato and 2 layers of leeks. Sprinkle 1/3 c vegetable broth. Cover with foil.

Bake in 450 degrees F for about 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle a mix of:

• 3 T breadcrumbs (Italian, or just add some Italian herbs and garlic powder)
• 1.5 T rosemary
• 2 T romano or parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1.5 t olive oil

Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes more (until breadcrumbs are nice and golden-brown).
Wait a bit before serving (officially 8 servings, but for us it was 4).

The cheese is optional, so it qualifies as vegan. It's delicious, and pretty easy to make -- the hardest thing was to slice the sweet potato :)
So try it!
[Leeks for a reasonable price can be found at Lee Lee's.]

A Pineapple Upside-Down Cake In A Tea Cup

That's right!
Inspired by the chocolate cake in a mug that bakes in under 3 minutes and doesn't leave too many dirty dishes, I wanted to make use of the few pineapple slices I had from the last time we made some pina-colada smoothie. I couldn't find any recipe for a quick, individual-serving pineapple upside down cake, so I decided to make it up myself.



So that's what I did:
I put a slice of pineapple in a tea cup (wide and short with non curving sides), and a cherry inside the hole and sprinkled some brown sugar on top of that (1 t). In a little bowl, I combined:

• 2.5 T soymilk

• 0.3 t apple cider vinegar

and let it sit for a minute or two until it curdles
(can substitute with 2.5 T buttermilk)
Then I added:

• 1.5 T sugar

• 1/4 t vanilla

• salt

• 3/4 T oil

and mixed it well

Then I added - without mixing at first:

• 4 T flour

• a little less than 1/4 t baking powder

• a sprinkle of baking soda

I Made sure the baking powders are equally spread within the flour by mixing it slightly with a teaspoon, and then started mixing a little more vigorously (but not too much) with the wet ingredients. The mixture then went on top of the pineapple and into the microwave. About 1 minute later it started to rise, and I took it out 40 seconds later.

It was good. Not very delicate - I think taking it out of the microwave a few seconds earlier might have been better. I will continue to experiment and see if it can be improved somehow. Also, if you have any suggestions for making it more light and fluffy, I'll be glad to hear them. All said, it was fairly good, especially for something that take so little time and effort!

(The batter recipe is taken from here and roughly divided by 10).

Jicamagic

Jicama is such a wonderful root! Peeling it is so much fun! It's worth eating it just for that, but it's also quite tasty, especially in this delectable salad.



This recipe is really good, and it's the best I've ever tried (admittedly, I only tried two). For this recipe I am willing to forgo my winter-summer foods rule, and have salad in winter. It's so easy to make and can make a great left-over lunch.
I altered the recipe a little bit: regular mustard instead of dijon, 1/2 can of beans instead of 1, more corn kernels, green onion instead of regular onion, jalapenos instead of green chilies, and no lemon peel. Those adjustments were mostly made due to inavailability of ingredients, convenience, or sheer laziness, but the result was still VERY good.
I can't recommend this salad enough. Try it!!

Soba X 2

That's right! Soba noodles are so good, we had them TWICE last week. (Yeah, I know, it's been a while...).
The first one was SOOO good, you just have to try it. Really - it has lime, mint, and mango - how much better can it get?



You can find the recipe here.
I think it was a bit too sour, so next time I will use less vinegar and maybe dilute it a bit.

The second soba noodle recipe was okay, but nothing to rave about, especially after eating the first one. If you have near-expiration spinach and have no bananas, this recipe will be a good use for it.



I have to admit, I modified the recipe a little bit, so maybe it could be better if you follow it directly. I used teriyaki sauce instead of soy sauce, and mirin instead of sherri. Can't see why these modifications wouldn't make it better, really, but who knows?

Hunting Mousse, Again

Well, I did have some silken tofu leftover, and I did find this interesting concoction, so I had to do it.



I did make my life simpler by using 1/2 a can of sweetened bean paste (we got it ages ago, thinking we'd make some dessert dim-sam, which never happened) - it's made of adzuki beans, and so I didn't have to add any sugar.

It was delicious!

Hunting Mousse

Well, this hunting is more animal-friendly than Sarah Palin's. It's vegan.



6 oz silken tofu
1/3 c bittersweet chocolate chips, melted
powdered sugar to taste (~2 T)

Blend the tofu in a blender and add chocolate and sugar, blend some more, add sugar if not sweet enough for you.

This should make 2 small servings plus a whole lot more in the blender for the person who makes it :)

P.S. - I guess I'm also a cereal killer...

Not Yakisoba, Yummy Soba!

We wanted to have yakisoba. don't ask why. So Mark went to the store and got soba noodles. Alas, yakisoba is not supposed to have soba noodles in it. The absurd! So I looked for a recipe that uses soba (buckwheat) noodles. I found this one, but I didn't have fiddleheads (I didn't even know they existed!) so I made it with broccolli instead.



Soba noodles are SO good! It's hard to believe, considering kasha is not the most flavorful grain you can find... The noodles really taste good just by themselves, but adding the sauce and the vegetables make them even better.

These are the ingredients we used:

• 10.58 oz soba noodles (can use 8 oz - we didn't put all the noodles in the sauce)
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 crown of broccolli, florets separated
• 6-7 baby carrots, julienned
• 9.5 oz firm tofu, cubed
• about 7 dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated by soaking in hot water (they were awesome!!)
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 T sesame oil
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 T sugar

Cook the noodles and drain.
In a large frying pan, over medium heat, heat sesame oil and fry the tofu till lightly browned. Add the broccolli florets, the carrots and the shitake mushrooms, salt and stir until broccolli is cooked, but still crisp.

In a large bowl combine lemon juice, sesame oil, soy sauce and sugar. Add the cooked noodles and the stir-fried vegetables and serve!
Also delicious cold on the next day!

Rice Kalabush

I've been thinking... There are so many beautiful cooking/baking blogs out there with wonderful photos. Probably by the millions. Why should I continue with this blog? It certainly doesn't get read by the masses. Why load the world wide web with yet another mediocre cooking blog? I have contemplated on quitting. But then it occurred to me that by having this blog I end up trying to create nice-looking and tasty dinners. It kind of "forces" me to do so. So if I get something out of it, why not keep doing it?

One such nice-looking and tasty dinner was the one I made last night:


I wanted it to be quick and easy and use whatever vegetables we had in the fridge and needed to be used immediately.
I titled it rice kalabush because I used kielbasa as a proteinaceous topping and kalabush (meaning a prison in Turkish, I think) sounds close enough. Also, this could be a good prison food :)

The ingredients I used (feel free to substitute with whatever vegetables you have and need to use:

• Chopped 1/2 onion
  
• Chopped 1/2 green bell pepper
• Chopped 3 large roma tomatoes
• Coarsely chopped 5 large white button mushrooms
  
• Chopped ~1 c fresh spinach
• 2 Tofurky kielbasas, sliced 1/2"
  
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 T oil
• 1 T vegetable broth powder
• 1.5 c non cooked rice
• Salt
  

The way I made it:

• Cooked the rice
  
• In a large frying pan over medium-high, heated oil and sauted onion
  
• Added the kielbasas, until both sides were browned, then pulled them out and set aside
• Added the green bell pepper
• Added the rest of the vegetables
  
• Added vegetable broth powder and salt
• Cooked until it seemed juicy enough to soak the rice in, reduced heat to low
  
• Added the cooked rice, stirred, took off flame
• Served, topped with kielbasa slices

Even though the vegetables are full of flavor, it might be worthwhile experimenting with some spices. Maybe paprika?

More Than Just a Fruit Salad

Trying to find a quinoa recipe for dinner last night, I stumbled upon this one, and decided to have quinoa for dessert instead. We had a relatively light dinner (leftover pizza and some red corn on the cob), so a nice nutritious dessert was fitting.



I have to say I modified it quite a bit, not because I know better, but because I didn't have some of the ingredients. So mint and flax seed were out, though I'm sure they would make a good addition. I also omitted the avocado - just because I don't like it - and replaced the almonds with pecans. Mmm... pecans... Oh, and I halfed the recipe. One cup is enough for 4 small (dessert-like) servings.
I really liked the idea of cooking the quinoa in orange juice. Very refreshing! It served well as lunches too!

Green Power

Inspired by madcap cupcake again, I made this green smoothie and, as she promised, it was delicious! Certainly surprising. Even Mark, after tasting it, admitted that it was "...interesting...".
I am looking forward to having some more this evening!



After I had it, like Popeye, I had a burst of energy in me and I decided to lash it on the toaster oven. It looks almost like new now (which is also thanks to the magical powers of baking soda).

Also, I made the perfect summer food: cold Thai noodles with sugar snap peas and mandarins. It is one of Mark's favorite dishes. It is very good, and doesn't require too much cooking.



This is how it goes (4 servings):
You choose a tapper ware container that will be big enough to hold about 10 oz of tofu cut into 3/4" cubes, such that the marinade will cover it completely.

You put in it:
2 T peanut butter
3 T sesame oil
2 T brown sugar
1/3 c lemon juice
1/2 c soy sauce
1 t minced garlic
1 t minced ginger
crushed red peppers to taste

and mix it well.
Then you put the tofu cubes in it to marinate for at least 15 minutes in the fridge.

You cook the noodles (I use an amount that fits in between my index finger and my thumb) and wash them with cold water to cool them down.

You add frozen sugar snap peas (about 1/2 bag) to the noodles (they will bring each other to the right temperature), a small can of mandarins (or 1/2 14oz can) and the tofu in its peanut sauce, and mix it all together. It tastes great as no-heating-required leftovers, too!

We later watched the movie Chocolat and of course, we had to have some:

Everything in Gold

I was really looking forward to trying the black rice we got a couple of weeks ago at the Asian market, so I decided to have it with some golden Thai curry. It was weird!



Black rice is kind of nutty, somewhat reminds me of wheat berries. It wasn't necessarily appropriate for the curry. But by the time I finished my portion I decided that I like it anyway!
It was good! (well, I am known to love weird things).

Inspired by Susan's pineapple sorbet, I made this one with some coconut milk:


(yes, I made the cup)

The coconut milk diluted the pineapple sweetness, so I think that I will add some more sugar next time I'm having it. It was very refreshing nonetheless!

Quiches

The first thing I learned to cook when I became vegetarian was quiche. Last night I took it one step further and made it almost vegan. I found this recipe in this great blog. All the recipes there look so awesome (and they're super healthy), but I had to start somewhere, and these quiches looked like a good thing to start with, since I had some silken tofu leftover from the vegan mousse I attempted (very easy, by the way: just blending silken tofu with melted chocolate chips!).

I knew these were going to be yummy when I finished filling up the muffin cups. I started licking the bowl and then devoured all of its contents. This is such a great use for tahini!



I didn't make them completely vegan because I didn't have nutritional yeast - I used grated Parmesan instead.

I think I was too impatient, and took them out of the oven too early. They could probably use an extra minute or two. But I just couldn't wait to try them, since the batter tasted so good.
Even Mark liked them, and he doesn't like quiche. But of course, these are healthy, low-fat quiches.