Build a Better PB&J - free of everything you want

 

I can't take any credit for this one. My friend S nearly always packs her lunch, and it always looks super yummy and super healthy. I first noticed these sandwiches a while back; it took me a long time to give it a try. I'm SO GLAD I did. 

Here's the thing: I've never liked PB&Js. I like bread. I like peanut butter. I like jam. I like bread with peanut butter. I like bread with jam. But I don't like all three all together. I know. I'm kind of a weirdo. Even my mom thinks so. 

But it turns out that I do like peanut butter and fruit. A lot. And just about any fruit will work here. While visiting, my mom made a peanut butter and nectarine sandwich she was quite happy with. Fresh blackberries are excellent. Sliced strawberries, sliced apples, and sliced bananas are all good. 

Besides the obvious benefit of no added sugar, you can make this breakfast/snack/lunch-if-you-add-another-piece-of-bread-and-pack-it-safely free of whatever allergen you need to. Regular or gluten free bread, any nut butter or sun butter, fruit of choice. It's that easy. 

 

For those of you who like instruction to come with your food photos, here goes:

1. Spread nut or non-nut butter of your choice on a favorite slice of bread.
2. Arrange fruit or slices of fruit (if large, like strawberries, bananas, apples, peaches, etc) on top in rows, or however the fruit is telling you to do so. 
3. If you're extra hungry, spread another piece of bread with nut/non-nut butter and place, sticky side down, on top of fruit. 
4. Eat. Enjoy. nom nom nom

I especially like this in the morning with a hot cup of tea. 

Have you tried this before? What are your favorite combinations?

Double-Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake Muffins - vegan

If you were looking for Valentine inspiration, I'm about a week and half late with these. Bad blogger. If you are looking for easy, chocolate deliciousness, then I'm right on time. Good blogger.

Side note: Are you a blogger who also has a day job? Can you tell me how you do it? How do you keep yourself organized and so on top of things - like holidays - that you can have appropriate posts up just when your readers are looking for ideas? Because I haven't figured it out yet, and I'd really like to. If I was awesome, I would have given these to you more than a week and a half ago, and I would have given you several other delicious desserts, drinks, and main courses to choose from. Really, how do you do it?

Aside from being tardy, these muffins/cupcakes are great. They were originally billed as muffins, but I really can't justify calling them that. There's no hint of hearty or healthy. They're delicate, sweet, and (I can hardly believe I'm saying this) don't need frosting to make them perfect for dessert. The chocolate chips gift your palette concentrated richness, while the raspberries shower your mouth in juicy goodness.

These guys are also really easy, come together quickly, and if you don't count measuring cups and spoons, are a one bowl wonder. I first made these for Valentine's Day, but we ate them so quickly I didn't have time to photograph them, so I just had to make them again. Tough job, but someone's gotta do it.

Through the magic of weird scheduling, I have a three day weekend starting today, and I can't wait to catch up on my cooking magazine reading, run the dog, lounge on the couch, clean up the backyard a bit (guys! Spring is springing!), catch up on some correspondence, walk along the water, and read as many books as I can. Perhaps even plan a vacation and limit my cupcake intake to just a couple.

On the other hand, if I call them muffins, then they are breakfast-appropriate.


Double-Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake Muffins - vegan
adapted from How About Orange

So, here's the thing. It's February and fresh raspberries are very dear, so I only used frozen when I made these. I deliberately left the bake time loose because I believe that if you use fresh, they'll bake completely in 20-22 minutes, but with the juices released from frozen berries, mine took almost 30 minutes each time. I added the frozen raspberries to the batter still frozen rather than thawing+draining them.

These are great as is. However, if you want to dress them up with frosting, I recommend something like light like coconut whipped cream. In fact, that was my plan, and I even have several cans of coconut milk in the fridge, but I found it was unnecessary.

Makes 18-20 muffins. I successfully halved the recipe. The only weird measure to divide is the flour, and I've included my math below.

2 1/3 C all purpose flour (half is 1 C + 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp) (I used white whole wheat)
1½ C sugar (I used sucanat)
½ C unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¾ tsp canola or other neutral flavored vegetable oil
½ tsp distilled white vinegar (I used my raspberry vinegar, but any will do, as will lemon juice)

1½ C water

2 tsp vanilla extract
¾ C dairy free semisweet chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli)
1½ C fresh or frozen raspberries (see note)

sparkling sugar (optional) or frosting (see note)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350˚F. Line one (or two if you've got them) 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. If the mixture is very lumpy, you can pass it through a sieve or sifter, but I didn't find I needed to. In a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water. Make a well in the flour mixture and gradually pour in the oil mixture, whisking as you go. Fold in the chocolate chips and about two-thirds of the raspberries. Spoon into prepared muffin pans; fill each about 3/4 full. Garnish with the remaining raspberries and sugar if you'd like.

Bake until the tops spring back when pressed lightly in the center with a fingertip, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for a few minutes, then remove cupcakes from pan and allow to cool or serve warm. These are best when eaten the day within a day or two of being baked. I haven't tried freezing them, but I don't see why you couldn't.

Raspberry Coconut Bread, or is it Cake? - vegan, or not

Friends, I have a problem. I can't decide what to call this sweet, delicate, summery thing I'm eating. On the one hand, it's a quick bread, totally appropriate for toast and a pat of butter (or perhaps this new coconut spread? I sampled it, and it was delicious. And, no, not sponsored, just my own two cents). On the other hand, I'm sitting here, feeding myself with a fork between sentences. Who eats bread with a fork? Not me. sigh #firstworldproblems

Raspberry, Honey & Lemon Jam - vegan, gluten free, and free of just about everything else

Have you been inspired to purchase a bizzillion pounds of fruit and make jam yet? Maybe this one will do it. During my jamboree (pun totally intended), I also made some plain ole raspberry jam, only this time I cut the sugar waaay back. Instead of nine cups of raspberries and six cups of sugar, I used just three. And, people, it was life-changing. Of course I love sweet things, but with less sugar, the pure taste of the ripe raspberries really came through, and there was just a hint of the fruit's natural tang. Heaven.

Raspberry Peach Jam - vegan, gluten free, and free of just about everything else

I first made this jam a couple of years ago, and it's as good as I remember, probably because it combines two of Summer's best: raspberries and peaches. Their flavors compliment each other beautifully. I found it in Well Preserved by Mary Anne Dragan, and not only does it have yummy components, but her charming name - Peach Melba Jam - makes it sound dreamy. According to Dragan, "Peach Melba is a classic dessert created by the great French chef Escoffier in honor of a famous opera singer named Nellie Melba." For more details, I read Wikipedia's entry, and I'm pleased to report that reading more about it only makes it seem more glamorous.

Red & Black Raspberry Jam - vegan, gluten free, and free of just about everything else

Happy Monday, folks, and welcome to Jam Week! I've been a busy bee in the kitchen lately, and as a result, I have a week's worth of posts for you all about jam. If you have no interest in jam, I apologize, but really, tis the season. I started slowly in July with blackberry jam and apricot butter, but, lately, well, things have taken off.

First, our refrigerator broke right after we moved in and right after I stocked up at the farmers' market. So, really, I had to make some jam before the delicate summer fruits molded over. Then, I friend at work wanted to learn to can, and while I definitely don't consider myself an expert, at least I've done it a few times and I'm not nearly as terrified as I was when I started. So we visited the farmers' market near closing time and got some terrific deals. I'm talking $10 flats of gorgeous organic raspberries. oh. my. word. Let's just say my jam supply is in good shape now.

Blackberry or Raspberry Coconut Macaroons - dairy free & gluten free

I'm sorry, people. I've been hiding these from you for a year. These, being these yummy, pretty, dairy and wheat free macaroons. Heck, I have more to apologize for if you consider the berries (chock full of antioxidents!), the egg whites (the only fat comes from the coconut!), and the ease of making these mini morsels (they took only two short commercial breaks to make!). To be fair, it took another couple to scoop them, but, still, you have my deepest apologies.

I've made these with both raspberries and with blackberries, and they're both winners. I think strawberries, huckleberries, marrionberries, or maybe even blueberries would work. So not only can you pick your favorite, you can further color coordinate your next party.

Raspberry Chocolate Almond Spread - vegan, gluten free, & free of just about everything else

I wanted to get this recipe up earlier this week so that you would set forth and make it immediately. But I had to make a second batch, which totally got in the way of posting about it. On the plus side, it's now Friday evening - ok, night -which means you can hit up the farmers' markets this weekend, stock up on raspberries and make this with the ones you don't eat immediately.

Peach Crisp - vegan & gluten free

Every summer since sometime in high school, I've made this fruit crisp. When I've been asked for my favorite dessert, I've responded with this one. Now, not to knock chocolate cake, but this is so, so, so good partly because there's only a small window each year during peach heyday when it's doable.

Sugared Raspberries - vegan, gluten free, and free of just about everything else

Happy Friday! Are you tired of me talking about raspberries yet? If you need a recap, over the last week there've been Oatmeal Raspberry Cookies, Raspberry Jam, and Raspberry Vinegar. Besides the raspberry commonality, what I love especially about the vinegar and today's Sugared Raspberries is the sheer simplicity of the recipes. These two each have only one other ingredient, and just about as few instructions.

Raspberry Vinegar - vegan, gluten free, & free of just about everything else

Are you sensing a theme yet? Yes, I bought a lot of raspberries. Yes, Mr Official Taster and I have eaten a lot. Yes, we still have 1 little basket left. No, none have gotten any mold yet. Thank you fresh-picked-from-the-farmers'-market-berries. You're the best. 

Technically, maybe I shouldn't be posting this recipe quite yet, as my vinegar isn't quite finished doing it's thing. curing? pickling? Mom? However, I wanted to get it up now, at the height of summer, so that hopefully you too can make some. The most obvious (to me) use for it is in salad dressing; a burst of raspberry can only help everything a humdrum winter salad. But as I'm typing this, I remembering I have a cookie recipe saved in my giant binder that uses raspberry vinegar. I've always been too cheap to buy it at the store. Good thing I made this. And remembered about the recipe. I'll let you know when I get my act together and make it. 

Raspberry Jam - vegan, gluten free, & free of just about everything else

I mentioned on Friday that I spent much of the day engaged in Domestic Goddess type of chores. One of those accomplishments was making and canning some raspberry jam. (Does anyone know why it's called "canning"? It goes in jars). Since I had a whole flat of raspberries, I figured it was the time. I've made it before, and it's always well-reviewed; I've given mini (4oz) jars as party favors and Christmas presents. This year I made all half-pint (8oz) size jars, and I'm planning on gifting most of them.

Oatmeal Raspberry Cookies - vegan

Today I'm having a Domesic Goddess kind of day. There's been laundry and dishes and cleaning (well, really just pushing the button on the magic that is our roomba. no, not that Roomba), but there has also been freezing and preserving and whatnot. I hope to share some of those accomplishments in more detail next week. I will tell you I've made a couple batches of pea pesto to freeze, and I've got raspberries on their way to being preserved in a few different ways. 

Classic White Birthday Cake & Mocha Frosting - dairy free & vegan

 As you may know, my birthday was Friday. (hey. take the survey.) Friday itself wasn't super exciting (though I did have a lovely dinner out) since I spent the day looking at apartments. I visited six(!) as part of my vetting process. My reward was watching tv and opening presents (with help). Now that was good times. My big birthday present and surprise was a visit from two of my favorite people, coordinated by Mr Official Taster. E and W flew down from Seattle to spend the weekend with me! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, he definitely deserves a round of applause for that one.  awesomesauce.

We had a great time. (and Birthday Champagne doesn't hurt) Predictably, food occupied a lot of our time and energy, but we four also went to check out the best of the apartments I looked at on Friday. Everyone ok'ed it, and Mr OT and I decided it was to be our new home. Phew. I am so glad the search is over and that we have a permanent place. 

The new kitchen is insanely tiny - definitely the smallest I've ever had - but that seems to be consistent in this area. Apparently apartment builders have learned that renters prefer their square footage in their bedrooms, living rooms, and even bathrooms. Or do they just assume that people don't really cook? I know that we're told that people cook less than they used to, and I'm sure that's true, but it would be pretty sad if some people never cooked. For my new kitchen, creative organization will be required.

Anyway, back to birthdays. This so-called furnished kitchen is less than actually really furnished, so I aimed for a simple recipe with as few ingredients, pans, and messy steps as possible. 1-2-3-4 Cake is an old classic, and the name comes from the ingredients: 1 cup milk, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, 4 eggs. The finished product, however, was decadent, and the one I made this weekend was not for the faint of heart. 3 layers of cake, raspberry jam, and mocha buttercream. It was a happy birthday indeed.

Classic 1-2-3-4 Cake - dairy free

makes 3 9-inch layers. I halved the recipe and made 3 6-inch layers. You can also make cupcakes (24?)
1 C (2 sticks) vegan butter, at room temperature
2 C sugar
4 eggs
3 C sifted self-rising flour*
1 C non-dairy milk of choice (I used almond)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven 350°F. Grease your pans, place a round of parchment paper in the bottom of each, and grease the paper.

With an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy in a large bowl. Add sugar and continue to beat for another 5-7 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each one. Alternately add the flour and milk to the creamed mixture beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and mix in until just combined. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Level batter with a spatula or by dropping the pans onto the counter from a height of 2-3 inches a few times. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick or tester inserted into the center comes out clean. If you're making cupcakes, start testing at 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

* Self-rising flour has both salt and baking powder in it, but you can make your own at home with the following formula: 1 cup self-rising flour = 1 cup all-purpose flour, minus 2 teaspoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder + 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Mocha Frosting - Vegan

I made one full batch for my 6-inch cake and had some left over, but I think if I had used frosting between the layers instead of raspberry jam, the amount would have been perfect.

1 stick vegan butter at room temperature
3 C confectioners sugar
1/3 C cocoa
1/4 C strongly brewed coffee or espresso at room temperature (ish. NOT an exact measurement)

Cream the butter and then add the sugar and cocoa a little bit at a time. Add the coffee slowly, until you've reached the desired consistency. It should take 10 minutes or so to combine everything and beat it enough to give it some volume.

Assemble the Layers!
Stack the layers in whatever order you'd like, and frost just like you would any other cake. I used raspberry jam between each layer, rather than frosting, and it was decadent and delicious. I highly recommend it! This and this are good tutorials if you need instructions or a refresher.

Single Serving Sized Vegan and Gluten Free Fruit Crisp

It's been a while. You know how people sometimes say, "I've had a day"? Well, I've had a...quarter year, a three months, a season. Between two jobs (and Etsy), illness, injury, life, and, oh yeah, planning a wedding in 8 weeks (T - 5.5 weeks), this blog just sort of got dropped. Something had to give and I didn't want to post crap.

So today I bring you a mini dessert. It's delicious and seasonal, but it's a nice small portion size and super easy to put together.  Maybe 5 minutes of active time total, and I don't have a whole big dessert to eat afterwards. 

Because, you know, some of us want some awesome arms in a month.

Single Serving Sized Vegan and Gluten Free Fruit Crisp

fruit of choice
1/3 Tbsp vegan butter
1 1/2 tsp flour or gluten free flour
2 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp quick oats

close approximations of these measurements are fine

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Fill your ramekin with as much fruit of whatever kind you'd like
3. Using a fork and/or knife, mash together the butter, flour, and sugar until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add oats and mash until well combined.
4. Top your fruit with this mixture and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

It's All a Facade

I, and I suspect many other food bloggers out there, want you, the reader, to believe that I always make my own bread, cinnamon buns, and cake. We want you to trust our authority, make you feel like you can do it all (sometimes feel like you should do it all), believe that the recipes we share with you aren't one time things. They are part of our normal, day-to-day lives, and, gosh darn it, we love it.

But there's a dirty little secret in the world of blogging (or at least my world). Sometimes, we make cupcakes from a mix. {insert astonished intake of breath}

It's shocking, I know.

I'm not super-woman, and sometimes I just want a cupcake. Like now. With very little effort.

Enter: the box.

I do admit to helping the box a little, though. This time I added some almost-ready-to-be-done raspberries and blackberries to my batter. Fruit + cupcake = healthy breakfast. Right? Any type of berries will work, as will chocolate chips, syrups, chopped nuts, and lots of other things your cabinets already hold.

So, please, know that you don't always have to make cupcakes from scratch, and when you do use a mix, dress it up a little and then call it your own, because naming rights are half the battle.

Vegan Valentine Cupcakes - Red Velvet with Raspberry Buttercream

I had Thursday and Friday off last week. Thursday I ran errands, did laundry, took a nap, you know, the essentials. Friday, however, I found myself with some time on my hands and an urge to bake, since I haven't had a chance in a while. So after bumming around online for a while, I determined that I had a craving for red velvet cupcakes. It sounds like a strange desire, but I think they were just on my mind after seeing these and these. {I also saw these lovelies, but that's a different story.}

I remembered really liking the ones I made last year, so I went back to that recipe. For once, I also wanted to have a holiday treat posted well before the holiday in question so that you guys would have plenty of time to get yourselves together to make it.

So, red velvet cupcakes (which are chocolate, by the way) with....drumroll please.... raspberry buttercream! Yep, a classic combination rendered in vegan form. Chocolate + Raspberry = Delicious

 I used fresh raspberries for my frosting, but I think you could use frozen if you thaw and drain them first. Also, a note on the cupcake recipe: this time I used soy milk rather than almond milk and only vanilla extract (as opposed to part almond extract). They were still yummy, but I missed having the hint of almond I had last time. Also, if you have picky or ambivalent-about-vegan-baking eaters, Official Taster thinks he can taste/feel the graininess sometimes associated with soy milk. I didn't notice, but I wanted to let you know.

This time, I made a combination of heart shaped and mini cupcakes. For the hearts, I used some Reynolds heart baking cups I had on hand. I'm not sure if they still make them, or if they are a seasonal item, but this is what they look like.

Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

For cupcake recipe, please reread this post

For the frosting:
1/2 stick vegan butter
1/4 C fresh raspberries
splash of vanilla
2-3 C confectioners' sugar

In a small bowl, beat the butter until it's light and fluffy. Add the raspberries and vanilla and blend well. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar and continue to beat until the frosting has become stiff enough to spread or pipe. Frost and enjoy!

Notes:
If you add the sugar slowly, the frosting blends beautifully and you avoid the slight graininess that occurs sometimes in quick buttercreams

If you use regular butter, I would also add a dash of salt.

Any other berry should work as well. Blackberries would make a pretty color!

Raspberry Pancakes

We have a lot of raspberries right now. Luckily, neither I nor Official Taster have a problem eating a package-full at a time straight out of said package. But this beautiful Sunday morning I had a hankering for pancakes, and then it came to me. Raspberry pancakes! Why have I never thought of this before? I've had blackberry and banana (separately and together) pancakes, which have been quite tasty. I've also enjoyed the crunch of granola, the goodness of chocolate chips, sweetness of peaches, and the fall flavors of apple in pancakes.

So I set out to make these mouthwatering treats. I wasn't sure which method - dropping on top or mixing into the batter - would work best, so I tried both. Of course, for the benefit of you, dear readers, and not because it's fun to play with food.