Whole Wheat Maple Oatmeal Bread - vegan

Be not afraid, ye who enter here.

Seriously, guys? I'd really like to somehow free the American population from their fear of bread. (Yes, I know this sounds rather grandiose.) I can't speak first-hand about other countries, but I suspect they have less fear. (Yes? No? Anyone?) I get that this is a multi-level fear, so let's first get this out of the way: carbs are not the devil. Sure, if all you ate was bread, you'd probably contract scurvy. And sure, if all you ate was bread, avoided scurvy, but never got up from the table, you'd probably gain some weight. But I'm pretty sure some fruit and maybe a walk around the block would solve those problems. So, let's agree to agree here. Good Bread is wonderful.

Side rant: bad bread is not worth your time, caloric intake, or money. However, Good Bread with capital letters is wonderful.

OK, onto to the next fear: yeast. Also, that bread is a magical, mystical being that has its own unpredictable mind. That there's no use even trying to make yeast bread because the yeast will act all puckish and just do what it wants. All of these fears? Unfounded, I say.

A well-written, tested (i.e. not just made up) recipe and good ingredients should be all you need. For this specific bread you need flour (all-purpose is just fine, but for more flavor and healthy stuff, white whole wheat and whole wheat are lovely), yeast, oatmeal, salt, oil, maple syrup (or sugar), and water. That's it. Nothing exotic or scary. As long as you remember that yeast is a living organism, and will perform it's best if treated well (no boiling alive here, please), you will be just fine. Follow the directions, use your sense and your senses, and your home will smell amazing and your carb-loving self will thank you.

Still nervous? Try the even easier Oatmeal Bread, No Knead Whole Wheat Bread, or English Muffin Bread.


Whole Wheat Maple Oatmeal Bread - vegan

adapted from King Arthur Flour

The boiling water in this recipe serves the dual purpose of softening the oatmeal and helping the sugar/syrup dissolve. I cannot emphasize this enough: do not add your yeast too soon or you will kill it and your bread will not rise. Lukewarm is all that yeast can handle. In place of the maple syrup/brown sugar, you could be fancy and use maple sugar instead (as the original recipe calls for). I suspect (though I haven't tried it) that you could add a tiny bit of maple syrup a little bit at a time to regular sugar, mix thoroughly, and create your own maple sugar. 

This recipe yields two loaves of bread, but you could certainly halve the recipe and only make one. But for pretty much the same amount of time and effort, make two, and then share or freeze your second loaf (assuming you don't eat the first one within a day or two). I slathered on some of my Raspberry Peach Jam, but there are no bad choices. 

2 C boiling water
1 C rolled oats, traditional or quick (not instant)
1/2 C maple syrup or brown sugar (I use half maple syrup & half sucanat)
1/4 C vegetable oil (I use olive)
1 Tbsp kosher salt or 2 1/2 tsp table salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional, but delicious)
1 Tbsp instant or active dry yeast
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
4 C all-purpose or white whole wheat flour plus more (possibly. see below)


In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the water, oats, maple syrup or brown sugar, oil, salt, and cinnamon. Let cool to lukewarm, about 10 to 15 minutes. If you get as antsy as I do, stir a few times, but DO NOT add yeast until it's lukewarm. Too hot, and you'll kill your yeast.

Add the yeast and flours, stirring to form a rough dough. Knead (about 10 minutes by hand, 5 to 7 minutes by machine) until the dough is smooth and satiny. If you used maple syrup (or if it's a dry day), you will need to add extra flour a little bit at a time to achieve a nice texture and help the dough form a ball. When fully combined and you're kneading, the dough shouldn't be very sticky. You should be able to handle it without it sticking to your hands. I used half sugar and half maple syrup and added an additional 1/2 - 3/4 cup of flour.

Remove the dough from the bowl, scrape any remaining dough from sides, mush into dough, and form into a ball. Place dough in the bowl upside down (seam side up), and then flip it over so the seams are on the bottom. This way, you've easily coated the surface with the oil. Cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap (or a shower cap. That's my favorite method), and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour. Since the dough is warm to begin with (from the boiling water), it should become quite puffy.

Gently punch down the ball, divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a loaf. Place the loaves in two greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" bread pans.

Cover the pans with lightly greased plastic wrap (again, or a shower cap) and allow the loaves to rise until they've crowned about 1" over the rim of the pan, about 60 to 90 minutes.

Bake the loaves in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting them lightly with aluminum foil after 25 minutes to prevent over-browning. Remove them from the oven when they're golden brown and the interior registers 190°F on a digital thermometer. A more traditional (if less scientific) way is to tap on the loaf on the bottom - it should sound hollow. The sides should also be pulling away from the sides of the pan.

Turn the loaves out onto a rack to cool. Store at room temperature, well-wrapped, for several days; freeze for longer storage.

Oatmeal Rasin Cookies - vegan

The other night, I'm not sure what woke me up first. It could have been the sound of water, or it could have been my husband's loud and sustained cursing. I managed to rouse myself, put on my glasses, turn on the light, and make my way to the closet with the towels before Mr Official Taster started bellowing my name and the word "help!" I honestly don't think he could form full sentences.

If you were to come over to my house, you would walk through the front door into a small entryway. The open, hardwood stairs would be immediately in front of you. Halfway up, they turn 180 degrees on themselves so that the top half of the staircase goes above your head as you stand there in my entryway. At the top of the staircase is a tiny bathroom. 

Do you see where this is going?

Yes, indeed, the toilet overflowed sometime around midnight, and due to it's proximity to the open staircase, said water not only flooded the tiny bathroom, but it also came down and through the stairs. And when it does, boy does it get everywhere. Once we stopped the multi-story waterfall, not only was there a large puddle on the floor of the entryway, but there was water on the walls, the railings, the stairs, our shoes, the leashes, and all the assorted stuff that tends to pile up by your shoes and keys until you get tired of it being there and clean it up. It's cleaned up now.

We used literally every single towel in the house, and when we were done mopping up with them, I started a load of wash before I headed back to bed. Unfortunately, I had trouble falling asleep because it turns out that washing machines use water, and every time the rhythm, cadence, or type of water sound changed, my mind went hyper alert trying to figure out if that was a good water noise or a bad water noise.

Eventually, of course, I was able to fall back asleep. However, Thursday morning was a little rough, and boy was I glad there were cookies for breakfast. 

Oatmeal Rasin Cookies - vegan

We’ve made versions of this both of the last couple of weekends, and if I were you I would skip or dial back the cinnamon if you choose to use chocolate chips so the flavors don’t compete too much. This recipe yields us about 20-25 cookies.

1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
3 Tbsp water or nondairy milk
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp nondairy milk
1 C flour (we used white whole wheat)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 C quick oats, uncooked
1/2 C raisins or chocolate chips (see note)
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt
zest from an orange, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine flax seed and water or milk. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the oil and sugars. Add in the flax seed+water, vanilla, and faux milk and whisk until smooth. Do the same with the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Finally, beat in the oats and zest, if using. If you add chocolate chips or dried fruit at this point, I would fold them in with a spoon rather than a hand mixer or whisk.

Drop cookies two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet (or use parchment paper or silicon baking mat). To reduce spreading, refrigerate dough or dropped cookies for 15 minutes or so. Bake 8-12 minutes, depending on your preferred crispiness level.

Spicy Gingerbread Cookies - vegan

There are those who would say that cookies are not for January. They advocate celery sticks. There are those who would say that gingerbread cookies are not for January. They sequester gingerbread to the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are missing out. Also, we're probably not bffs, so they're really missing out.

Luckily, some of us are pro-cookies any time of the year. And, yes, I most definitely fall into that camp as well as the one that believes cookies are acceptable for breakfast, at least some of the time. Mr Official Taster? Well, he could eat (and has!) gingerbread morning, noon, and night.

Cinnamon (optional raisin) English Muffin Bread - vegan

It's January, which means it's cold, cloudy, hibernating weather pretty much everywhere in the country. (I like this visual) Perhaps you've hunkered down with some hearty chili or savory paella? Well, I think you should add this loaf to your winter repertoire, especially if you are new to bread baking. This is a yeast bread, which I know scares some people, but it's super easy and you don't even need to knead it.

How I Bake

I've been thinking about this post for a long time. Well, a few months at least. Mainly because it occurred to me that the way I bake and write about baking is different from everyone else out there in the food blogosphere. It's not different better or different worse, just different because every baker is unique in their own small ways. And that's awesome, because new perspectives are how recipes morph and improve. For instance, I adapted my oreo recipe from Sassy Radish, who adapted hers from Smitten Kitchen, who got it from Retro Desserts. And now it's waiting for you to adapt.

So whether you're new here (welcome!) or one of my very first readers (thank you!), here are a few details about how I bake which may help as you navigate cookies or cakes or bread or pies.

Peach Cake - vegan

I heart peaches.

Today's recipe was adapted from Gourmet magazine, and it's a winner (as usual). It is an unusual way of baking a cake, and the reviews on Epicurious reflect that. A common question asks if it's really a cake, or is it a pie. Maybe a tart?

It does take just about forever to bake, so it definitely requires some planning. I made this one yesterday and first tasted it for breakfast today (what? it's got fruit). The cake itself isn't very sweet, which is perfect, really, because the peaches make up for it.

Peach Cake 
adapted from Gourmet via

For the pastry:
1 1/2 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp Ener-g egg replacer (equivalent of 1 egg)
1 tsp baking powder
1 stick vegan butter, cubed
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla

For the filling:
1/2 C sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
2 lb ripe peaches (I used about 7), thinly sliced
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Make the pastry:
In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, egg replacer, and baking powder to combine. Add the butter, and pulse just until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. There should still be lumps. Add the water and vanilla and pulse again, this time until the dough starts to come together.

Turn the dough into your greased pie plate or 9-in springform cake pan. Use your fingers to evenly spread the dough along the bottom and sides of your pan. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes while you make the filling.

Make the filling:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together the sugar, flour, and tapioca in a large bowl. Add peaches and lemon juice and gently toss to coat.

Spoon the filling into the pastry, loosely cover with foil, and bake for 90 minutes (yes, really). Remove the foil and bake for another 15-30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. It'll firm up while cooling, so don't worry if it's still a bit liquidy)

Notes:
Gourmet's original recipe instructed, "Grind 2 tablespoons sugar with flour and tapioca in grinder until tapioca is powdery, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining 6 tablespoons sugar." That's probably not a bad idea, but I don't have a coffee or spice grinder. If you plan ahead, you might be able to use the food processor for that step before you make the pastry in it. Or you could make the pastry, wash and dry the food processor, and then try, but, really, do you want to? It worked just fine without grinding the tapioca, but it definitely would look prettier (no tapioca lumps) if I had.

Do a better job of greasing your pan than I did. The picture above is post some scraping/eating of bits left behind.

Vegan Waffles

This is the nesting season. Once fall and the holidays are gone, this part of winter starts to feel like it's about hunkering down, staying warm, and getting by until spring. (Luckily for me, my birthday is next week, so there's another winter celebration to break up the short days. Not everyone gets this advantage)

So if you have a hard time in the mornings, aren't a morning person, hate waking up when it's dark, or don't really function for an hour after waking, making these waffles ahead and freezing them may be a good option for you. You can make a batch during your best time and have breakfast prepared for the week.

Basic Vegan Waffles
1 3/4 C soy milk
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1 C flour
1/2 C rolled oats
3/4 C whole wheat
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
4 Tbsp canola oil, butter, vegan butter, or another vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp Ener-g egg replacer
4 Tbsp water

Combine the soy milk and vinegar (or lemon juice) in a small non-reactive bowl and let stand. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the oil and vanilla, if using, and whisk to combine.

Brush the waffle iron with oil or use cooking spray and turn it on so it's heating. Add the soy milk and vinegar mixture your bowl and mix together lightly. Finally, whisk together the egg replacer and water until it's foamy and fold into the waffle batter.

Spread a bit of batter onto your waffle iron (it's going to depend on size. use your judgement. I trust it.); bake until the waffle is done (usually when the waffle iron stops steaming). Serve immediately or keep warm briefly in the oven (set at 200 degrees F).

You can also let your waffles cool completely on a wire rack (the wire rack it critical, otherwise they get soggy), freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and then transfer to zip top plastic bags and store in the freezer. To eat, simply pop them in the toaster and top as you like. I like mine with raspberry jam. Better tasting and better for you than the grocery store version! My iron made about a dozen waffles with this amount of batter.

Notes:
Next time, I'll use regular whole wheat flour rather than white whole wheat and brown sugar instead of white. I think overall, the flavors will be nuttier and richer.

Instead of the egg replacer and water, use 2 eggs, and add them when you add the milk.

Any kind of vinegar or lemon juice will work to turn milk or non-dairy milk into butter milk. You can also just use 1 3/4 C butter milk and omit 1/4 C of flour.

You can also use all-purpose flour to make up the entire volume of flours and oats. Play around with substituting flours, but aim to keep about half the total as regular, all-purpose flour.  Also cinnamon and other spices, chopped or ground nuts, cheese, dried fruit, chocolate chips, etc etc etc!

I need to re-spray my waffle iron between every batch, but I'm not sure if that holds true for all models. Mine is White-Westinghouse that came from the thrift store years ago.

I'm not sure if fresh fruit works in waffle makers. Does anyone know? To me, it seems like either a) it works beautifully a la pancakes or b) it makes a huge mess that takes for.ev.er. to clean.

Challah Bread

Saturday night Official Taster and I got to celebrate the fourth night of Hanukkah with new and old friends. Neither of us is Jewish, so it was a treat to be part of the ritual, the celebration, and, of course, the food. As good guests, OT and I each brought a gift- he brought a six pack of He-brew, and I brought a giant loaf of challah. I've made this once before, last winter, but it's definitely better to prepare for a large group of people to enjoy (or you can freeze half). If there are any leftovers, it makes great french toast or bread pudding!

I originally got the recipe from the New York Times Magazine, faithfully torn out and saved by Mom. Unfortunately, I can't link you to the article because you need to have an account. But if you do, I recommend reading it. Just do a search for "challah revisited," make sure you have the settings to search for all articles (not just the standard past 30 days) and it's the top result. The article was published in December 2008, and there's actually a second challah recipe in there as well.

The dough produces a sweet, light loaf, and the braiding really isn't as intimidating as it might look. Don't be put off by the number of steps, either. There's a lot of space taken up telling you to wait and let it sit for a bit.

I realize that Hanukkah is almost over, but this bread is good enough to make regardless of the season.

L'chaim!










Challah
adapted from NY Times Magazine (originally published in 1976, Craig Claiborn wrote an article for The Times with the recipe from Sarah Schecht of Brooklyn, who immigrated to the US from Poland)

10 C unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
4 tsp dry active yeast (or 2 quarter oz. packages)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
4 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 C corn oil
3/4 C plus 1/8 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp sesame or poppy seeds (optional)

1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the yeast with 1 cup of lukewarm water. Place 6 cups of flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the water + yeast into the well, and with a fork, stir gently around the well to gradually incorporate no more than 1/4 of the flour into the yeast mixture. Set the bowl in a warm place and let stand about 45 minutes.

2. Sprinkle the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt over the bowl, and add the vanilla, 3 eggs, oil, and 3/4 cup of sugar. Add 1 1/2 C lukewarm water and stir with a fork. Add 2 more cups of flour, and continue to stir with a fork, and then with your hands. Gradually, add up to 2 more cups of flour, kneading for about 10 minutes in the bowl. The dough is ready when it doesn't stick to your hands. Shape into a ball, cover, and let stand 20 minutes.

3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and kneed for about 5 minutes. Add a little flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking. Put the dough in a floured bowl (you can use the one you started with), and lightly dust with flour. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

4. Turn the dough out and knead briefly. Use kitchen scissors or a sharp knife to cut off 1/8 of the dough, shape it into a ball, and set aside to rest. Repeat with the remaining dough so that you finish with 8 balls of roughly the same size. Using your hands, roll each piece into a 12-15 inch long rope.

5. Align the ropes vertically, side-by-side. Gather the tops together and pinch together, adding one at a time. Braid them as follows: separate the ropes down the center, 4 to a side. Bring the outer right rope over toward the center and place it down so it becomes the fourth rope from the left. Next, bring the outer left rope over toward the center and down so it becomes the fourth rope from the right. Repeat this process until the loaf it braided. You will need to pull and stretch the ropes a bit toward the end. When your braid is done, gather all the bottom ends of the ropes and pinch them together to seal.

6. Generously spray the bottom and sides of a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Carefully lift the braided load and place it on the baking sheet. Cover the loaf with a towel and place in a warm spot until the loaf has doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Remove the center rack from the oven and place the remaining rack in the lower third.

7. Beat your remaining egg along with 1/8 tsp of sugar. Brush the braid with the egg wash and then you can sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds if you'd like. Bake until puffed and golden, 50-60 minutes.

Notes:

If you have a corn issue, you can use clarified butter instead. I would stay away from olive or other strongly flavored oils because I think they would change the taste of the bread. Learn how to clarify butter here or here.

The original recipe only calls for 9 cups of flour, but my dough was still crazy sticky at just 9. So if yours works with less than 10 cups, great!

It's cold here. So to give my bread a nice warm spot to sit during the rising periods, I turned my oven on for a minute or so, turned it off, and stuck the dough in there.

I didn't use any seeds on top because I didn't have any on hand, and it was great even without them.

Learn how to knead bread here if you're not familiar with the process. It's pretty easy and a good skill to have, unless you plan on making no-knead bread for the rest of your life.

You're running out of time to take my 10 second survey! Please, share your thoughts if you haven't

Vegan Banana Bread

Prepare yourself for a surprise. Ready?

It's cold and rainy in Seattle.

You're shocked! I knew it. Sunday was actually a lovely day, and Official Taster and I continued to explore our new home. We found a giant, amazing dog park, and, more importantly, a community garden! I am so, so, so excited by this find. They don't post applications until January, so until then, I have to content myself with gardening books from the library and dreaming up a new garden plan every day. The plots are 400 square feet! That's a lot of basil, tomatoes, sunflowers, peppers, marigolds, beets, onions, and, pumpkins. Pumpkins are one of those veggies that are hard for apartment dwellers to grow simply because of the amount of space they need. They sprawl, vine, and, like zucchini, somehow take over whatever you allow them. If you can't tell, I'm already looking forward to next year's harvest.

In the meantime, however, I'm focused on staying warm and dry. Baking is the perfect solution. This banana bread is really good. Like, really, really good. It's first incarnation was ok, but nothing special. So I bought more bananas, let them turn brown, and then tried again. This time, it's perfect. (no, really. not to toot my own horn or anything, but this smelled and tasted like what I dream banana bread to be)

Vegan Banana Bread
1 stick vegan butter
3/4 C brown sugar
3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 C)
2 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray.

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the bananas. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix to combine. Mix in vanilla. At the last moment, working quickly, add the vinegar and mix to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, until nicely browned. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out fairly clean, but because of the moisture of the bananas, it won't be completely clean like when testing cakes.

Notes:
If your bananas need a little help getting to the "very" ripe stage, once you've chopped/mashed them up a bit, stick them in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

Just before adding the vinegar, feel free to mix in nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, coconut, or anything else you think would be tasty.

The idea with adding the vinegar at the last second is simple. When baking soda and vinegar combine, they produce bubbles (remember the volcano you made in fourth grade?). If you add them at the same time, early in the recipe, a lot of the bubble burst into the air. However, I think, if you wait to combine until the end, more of the bubbles get trapped in the batter, thus producing a lighter loaf.

This bread might be a very welcome gift during the holiday season. Be sure to make it fresh and wrap it well. Odds are good that the grateful recipient will eat it before it gets old.

Vegan Ginger Chocolate Chip Bars

If you're looking for an alternative to pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, I think this is a good option. Or at least a good second or third dessert to have on hand! It's simple to put together, minimally messy, and everyone who has tried it likes it. You should also add it to your list of possible edible gifts for the season (stay tuned: I have a good collection of those coming soon!)

Speaking of edible gifts, I reopened my Etsy store this week!

Vegan Ginger Chocolate Chip Bars
cooking spray
1 C (2 sticks) vegan butter
2 1/4 C all purpose flour
2-3 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 brown sugar
1 1/4 sugar
1 C silken tofu, pureed in food processor or blender
1 tsp vanilla
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 or 8x11 baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving some overhang.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the tofu and vanilla and beat to combine. Gradually add spices and flours, mixing until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix with a spoon or spatula (if you're using a hand mixer, the chips will make the batter too tough for them to handle)

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, approx. 40-50 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars.

Notes:
If you want a strong ginger flavor, use the larger amount in your recipe.

You can freeze the unbaked batter in the pan for up to 2 months. To bake, follow the recipe instructions and aim for the longer bake time.

A Little Bit of Awesome

I know I haven't posted all week, but you may have picked up on the fact that I moved, so I'm laying the blame on the packing, moving, cleaning, working, moving some more, cleaning, thrift store runs, more moving...you get the idea. Unfortunately, I didn't get any welcome baskets, but instead several "hellos" and even an offer of help (though that came after the really heavy stuff).

However, I think that many of you will forgive my dereliction of duty when you watch this video from Charles Phoenix. It's pretty phenomenal. Not only is he surrounded by cute vintage ovens, but he surrounds pie with cake. Three times, in fact.

He's named his creation the Cherpumple. A three layer cake with a pie baked into each layer. You have to see it to believe it!

Charles Phoenix is pretty entertaining throughout. My favorite quote? "You don't want to be stingy with the frosting, ever, on any cake." Words to live by.

I'm baaa-aaack

I realize it's been a while since my last post. Like, a long while. Things were rather busy, and then really busy, and then I needed a minute to breathe and recover, and now, here I am. See it all started with a wedding I made cookies for (if you're a facebook fan, you may have heard about this wedding). There were 250 cookies to be baked, frosted, custom messaged and packaged. Luckily, my fabulous neighbors came over to help. Well, to be fair, the Most Glamorous 4-Year-Old I know didn't help so much as play with cookie cutters. Her mom, however, was a great help. Thank you!

Obviously, I took some pictures of my finished product, and hopefully you all can tell it was a time-intensive labor of love. Brooke wanted rainbow colors for her frosting and packaging, and she chose 6 custom messages for her vegan cookies. Best wishes to Brooke and Justin! Once I got those finished, packed, and mailed, Mom flew out here for a birthday visit (hers, not mine). We had a grand old time up in Longbeach at a giant quilt show (and I do mean giant. Pictures to come). I also wrapped up my summer term at school, which meant a flurry of homework, the final project, and, of course, the final test. I'm proud to say, the flurry paid off, and I ended up with an A. whew.

Oh yeah, and in the midst of all of that, Official Taster and I decided to move to a different (read: less expensive) apartment. So the current flurry consists of packing and Craigslist-selling.

But I missed you! So while posts may be a little sporadic, I will be trying to get recipes and other items of interest up.

Vegan & Gluten Free Apricot Blackberry Crisp

I hear that it's hot. It may have been mentioned once or twice by family, friends, and the news. However, it is far from hot here in supposedly-sunny Southern California. All week it's been cool, cloudy, and even a little rainy. In fact - and some of you will have trouble believing this - I was wearing corduroys and fleece this week. For real. Multiple days. The result? I keep craving warm comfort food even though it's July and I'm sure most of you out there aren't in the mood for warm food. Or using an oven.

So, I apologize. This delicious crisp uses the oven, but you can turn it on and go away for a while, so maybe it's not so bad? In any case, I think it's worth it. Fresh fruit crisps are one of my favorite desserts. Some of them may even beat out some chocolate recipes. Part of the appeal, I believe, comes from their limited make-ability, like gingerbread or s'mores. These crisps are really only best when the fruit is at it's peak. When you've just picked it up at the farmers' market because you just couldn't resist. When each fruit is equally fragrant and flawless. When you can't possibly eat the 3 pounds of apricots you brought home.
Some of you may remember the Apple, Blackberry, & Strawberry Crisp I wrote about in April. That was a vegan recipe, but I've upped the ante and created a vegan and gluten free crisp! For this one, I used the same Sorghum Blend (mix of sorghum flour, potato or corn starch, and tapioca powder) I used in the Patriotic Cupcakes. If you made a full batch for those, you should have enough left that you don't need to mix up more. Don't need to worry about gluten? Just use an equal amount of all-purpose flour instead. Likewise, regular rolled oats work fine. Certified gluten-free oats are important to people with Celiac disease because regular oats can be contaminated with gluten from the fields, processing plant, etc. Finally, I think this is delicious as written. Official Taster thinks it's a little tart. So maybe add a bit more sugar if your taste buds swing that way.

Vegan & Gluten Free Apricot Blackberry Crisp
2 lbs ripe apricots, quartered and pitted (about 12)
8 whole almonds
1 C packed brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
6 oz blackberries (1 clamshell)
1/2 C Sorghum blend
1/2 tsp nutmeg
6 Tbsp chilled vegan butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 C gluten-free rolled oats

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the apricots in a baking dish. I used a 9" glass dish.
2. In a food processor, grind the almonds with 1/4 C brown sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon for about 30 seconds, or until it's a fine mixture. Scrape this sugar mix over the apricots and toss. Scatter berries across the top.
3. Combine sorghum blend, nutmeg, remaining 1 tsp cinnamon, and butter in a food processor, with several on-off pulses or only until the mixture looks like a coarse meal. Add the oats and pulse a few more times to break them up.
4. Spread topping over fruit. Bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown

Happy 4th!

I hope everyone is having a happy and safe 4th of July! I know this is a repost, but I wanted to remind all of you of these cupcakes if you're trying to come up with something to make. If you want to use a box mix of some sort, just fill them and decorate them and no one will know they're from a box :) Read the original post here.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Patriotic Vanilla Filled Cupcakes - Gluten and Dairy Free!

I've been trying to think of a good gluten free recipe to post here because I've only posted vegan recipes thus far. It seems only fair to share the love since I sell both vegan and gluten free items in my Etsy store. For me, gluten free is much harder, maybe because I don't have a problem with wheat. I haven't had to work around it, except for Etsy and the occasional custom order. Dairy, however, I've worked around since I can remember, and family events always have lots of milk-free dishes. So I wanted my first gluten free foray into the blogosphere to be a good one. I think I succeeded.


These cupcakes are not vegan, just dairy free (check the notes for how to make them corn free and soy free), but please, if you experiment, let me know! I wanted to conquer the gluten before I also eliminated the egg whites. My next step would be to try using Ener-G egg replacer. What would you try?

I saw these cupcakes earlier this week, and I wanted to do something equally fun, but even awesomer. So after a little consultation with Official Taster, I decided on white cupcakes filled and topped with buttercream: red or blue filling, white frosting, and red and blue sugar sprinkled on top. Voila! Cupcakes perfect for Memorial Day or the Fourth of July.

Vegan Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

I can guess what some of you are thinking: olive oil? in a cake?

How do I know this? Because that's what Dad's first reaction was when I told him I made it. But I assure you that it's delicious. In fact, I took it over to a (non-vegan) friend's place for dessert, and it was a big hit. Well, I also brought my oreos, so I'm not sure which was the favorite, but everyone liked everything! Two desserts is the way to go.

I got a giant bag of blood oranges at the farmers' market a few weeks ago, so I was really excited when I remembered I had a recipe for a blood-orange cake. I've modified it in several ways to make it both easier and vegan. It's quite moist, and there are beautiful and juicy chunks of blood orange throughout. Also, as a bonus, it doesn't require either a food processor or a mixer to make the batter, so less stuff to clean!




















If you can't find blood oranges, you can use orange oranges instead, but do try and find the blood oranges.

Yes, they're more expensive, and, yes, they're less common, but...they're just so pretty! And using them makes this cake that much more of a treat.

























I took pictures of my process this time, so you can see the milk curdling with the zest + sugar, the steps to supreme the oranges, the chunks of orange + the juice and milk mixture, the batter, and the final cake.

I've now made it two weekends in a row. Delicious both times!

Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

cooking spray1/2 Cup soy milk
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
3 blood oranges
1 Cup sugar
4 1/2 tsp Ener-g egg replacer (equivalent of 3 eggs)
6 Tbsp water
1 3/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 Cup extra virgin olive oil
coarse sugar (Sparkling Sugar) for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly spray a 9"x5" loaf pan with cooking spray. Reduce temperature by 25 degrees if you're using a dark pan.

2. Combine soy milk and lemon juice or vinegar in a non-reactive bowl (or glass measuring cup works well). Set aside. (it needs to curdle to stimulate buttermilk)

3. In a large bowl, combine the zest of 2 oranges and the sugar. Mush ingredients together with your fingers until the zest is evenly distributed.

4. Supreme an orange: cut off the bottom and top so you can see some fruit and so the orange has flat ends so it can stand up on its own on the cutting board. Cut away the peel and pith (white stuff) by following the curve of the orange with your knife. Separate the orange segments and get rid of as much pith and connective membranes as you can/until you're tired of doing it. Let them fall into a small bowl. Break up or cut the segments into about 1/4" pieces. Repeat with the second orange.

5. Halve the third orange and squeeze the juice into a small bowl or measuring cup. Add the soy milk and lemon juice mixture. Lightly mix. (You can also juice the orange directly into the soy milk mixture if it's in a large enough container) Add the new mixture to the sugar and whisk well. Add the egg replacer and water (equivalent of 3 eggs) and whisk.6. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Switch to a spatula and fold in olive oil a little bit at a time. At first you'll think it won't work, but have patience and add all of the oil. Fold in the pieces of orange you cut/broke up.

7. Scrape the batter into your pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle sugar on top (I used coarse, but you can use regular if you want. or none at all) and place on the middle rack of your oven. Bake for about 55 minutes, or until it's golden and a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes and then remove from pan and let it finish cooling right side up.

Notes:
If you eat eggs, feel free to substitute 3 large eggs for the Ener-G egg replacer + water

If you drink milk, instead of the soy milk + lemon juice, you can use buttermilk or yogurt. I didn't try it with soy yogurt, but it seems like it should work too (?)

Vegan Cinnamon Buns

So, you may have put together the fact that last Sunday was Mother's Day AND my mom was here. The stars aligned, which meant I needed to up my game. The plan? Completely homemade from scratch vegan (I got my allergies from her) warm, sweet, and delicious cinnamon rolls. She'll have to chime in here, but I'm relatively certain of my success.