Vanilla Chai Cupcakes

I made these spicy babies for my vegan co-worker's birthday. Turns out, there are 2 other vegans in the office! Who knew that so many health-conscious people worked for the government! I swiped this recipe from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" and tweaked it for the spices I have in my cabinet:




Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk
4 chai tea bags
1/4 cup veggie oil
1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons cardamom
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated veggie shortening
1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine
1 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F
Spray/line cupcake tins

Heat almondmilk until almost boiling, add tea bags, cover and turn off heat. Allow it to steep for about 15 minutes. Stir and squeeze to gently extract soymilk from bags and discard.

Mix together oil, yogurt, sugar, vanilla and tea mixture until smooth. fold in flower, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Small lumps are alright.  Fill tins and bake for about 22 minutes, or until spongy and a toothpick comes out clean.

Mix together all ingredients for the buttercream frosting with an electric mixture until peaks form.  Wait until cupcakes are cool before spreading it on top!

Vegan Lemony-Coconutty Cupcakes

While most people spend their spring breaks in warm places near water, like Mexico or California, I spent mine at my parents' house in the woods of Pennsylvania. Not that I dislike the woods-- I grew up here, in fact (which usually accounts for my disconcerting awkwardness in social settings...) After doing some yoga, sipping some tea and browsing the United Nation's website for job openings,  I decided to peruse the baking pantry. Lo and behold! The perfect ingredients for lemony-coconut cupcakes! So while I didn't get to go to the beach, I can take a bite of one of these babies and let the sun shine in.

The recipe I used was based off of the Coconut Lime cupcakes recipe in "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" (if you do not own this book, close the computer and go buy it. Seriously. It's that good). I'm usually no good at baking because I'm terrible at following instructions exactly, and on top of that, had ZERO limes in the house. So, I tweaked the recipe for lemons and added a special touch of Jess-ness and thank god it turned out delicious. (Otherwise my parents would have been extra pissed about the mess I made in the kitchen...) I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Unlike most of my recipes, please note that the icing (while delicious) is completely NOT HEALTHY. But hey, nobody eats a cupcake to be healthy, amiright?

Vegan Lemony-Coconutty Cupcakes
Musical accompaniment: Hoba Hoba Spirit, Trabando (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8k5bKfGDhI)

Cake Ingredients:
1/3 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup coconut milk (about half a can of coconut milk)
1/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 medium sized lemons juiced
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Icing ingredients:
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated veggie shortening
1/2 cup non hydrogenated margarine
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
Handful coconut flakes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F
Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. If you don't have coconut oil, canola oil should do the trick.
Once the coconut oil is liquified, mix it in a medium sized bowl with the sugar, coconut milk, almond milk, vanilla extract, coconut extract lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir thoroughly.
Next, add the flour, baking soda and baking poder. Mix until smooth
Finally add the coconut flakes. Stir to make sure everything is incorporated evenly.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cupcake looks golden and a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly.

While cupcakes are baking, beat the shortening and margarine together until fluffy. add the sugar and continue to beat. Add vanilla, coconut extract and lemon juice. Beat for 5 minutes. Finally add Zest and coconut flakes and mix to distribute evenly. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Important: DO NOT attempt to put icing on cupcakes until they are completely cool. If you jump the gun on this, the result will be nasty slimy looking icing that gets all over the place. I speak from experience...

Happy Springtime!! :)
 

Fusili in (no)-cream sauce

I'm just gonna say it. I miss fettuccine alfredo. Sometimes being a vegan has its downsides, particularly when being a vegan also conflicts with this Italian-American girl's comfort food. I discovered this recipe in a vegan cookbook my momma gave me for the holidays. While it tastes nothing like alfredo sauce (there's a recipe in the book specifically for alfredo, and this is not it), it totally satisfied my needs. I tweaked the recipe a bit to add more spice/flavor-- adding garlic and tomatoes. Serve it over gluten free pasta (the quinoa kind is so delicious and has a beautiful golden color.) Or regular pasta if you can eat it. :)  I chose fusili and it holds the sauce nicely.

Fusili in No-Cream Sauce
(musical accompaniment: Aunt Martha "Omaha")

1 15 oz can of creamy beans-- I used cannelloni beans, but I imagine butter beans would also do the trick
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic (more if you like garlicky sauce), minced
Sage (I used dried sage, and added lots. I say, adjust to your taste)
handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped-- add to taste (honestly, I just threw these in to make it a pretty color).
1 tbs of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1.5 cups of low sodium veggie stock
1 lb of fusili (quinoa or semolina)

cook onion and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes, until fragrant
add sage, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and beans, cook for about a minute so the flavors all mix.
pour ingredients into a blender or food processor.
Add veggie broth and blend (add more broth if it looks too thick)

Boil fusili as usual. While it's cooking, pour the sauce mixture in a saucepan and cook on low heat.

Combine. Enjoy.

I'd post a picture but I keep devouring it before I can get a good shot. :)

Rosie's Raw Kale Salad

My friend Rosie came down from New York this weekend. I was pleasantly delighted to find out that we share our strange dietary habits. After milling about in the farmers market, we picked up some kale and cauliflower.

Rosie made this salad for me today. She tells me that the salt, vinegar and spices breaks down the  cell structure of the kale, making it taste as if it were cooked. I have to say I was skeptical at first-- just the idea of raw veggies, particularly raw kale, makes my tummy a little anxious. However, after the first bite, I was sold.

I give you Rosie's Raw Kale Salad:

Musical Accompaniment: Mumford and Sons, "Little Lion Man"

Finely chop kale
Squeeze half a lemon on the kale
Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar over the kale.
add salt, pepper, cumin and any spices to taste.
Gently stir and massage the kale. 
Let sit for 10 minutes
Add cauliflower,  seaweed and any other veggies, and stir.

Vegan Yassa

A very dear friend of mine is an amazing Senegalese cook. He was kind enough to alter his Yassa Poulet recipe for me so that it is vegan. Spicy and tangy, this recipe is perfect after a long day of work. And the best part? Because it's not made from meat, it doesn't need to marinate for 3 hours, or stew nearly as long! I made this version with a mixture of seitan and tempeh. Please note that seitan is very NOT gluten free, so if you're avoiding gluten, I'd stick with the tempeh (tempeh is fermented soy bean, and has a great consistency for stews).

Vegan Yassa:
Musical Accompaniment: Trampled by Turtles: Codiene

1 cup veggie broth
2 large lemons
3 tbs dijon mustard
1 large onion, chopped
1 package cubed seitan
1/2 package lemon-pepper marinated tempeh
2-3 habanero peppers, whole and/or habanero powder
black pepper to taste
salt

Heat the veggie broth, the juice from the lemons and the dijon mustard in a large deep pan until warm and mixed.
Add onion cook over medium heat, until translucent.
Chop the seitan and the tempeh into small bite-sized cubes and add to pan.
Stir until the liquid is distributed evenly over the seitan and tempeh.
Add habanero peppers or powder to taste.
Sprinkle generously with salt
Cover the pan and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
Serve over rice :)

Mochanut Cocoa

I've noticed that for some reason my energy level has hit a new low. Last semester I was often fueled by my (in)famous quadruple-shot americano, but this semester, straight up coffee like that isn't cutting it. I'm craving warmth, yumminess and energy all rolled into one. I wanted something akin to a mocha, but dairy free and low in sugar so I could enjoy it without consequence. So I decided today to experiment with a can of coconut milk that was hiding in the back of my cabinet. Coconut milk is officially my favorite heavy cream substitute...

Ladies and Gents, I give you my newest love: Coffee + coconut + Hot Chocolate. AKA Mochanut Hot Cocoa.

Mochanut Hot Cocoa:
2 cups of coffee
3 tablespoons Coconut Milk (usually in a can. it'll be solid, but once it heats up it will turn liquid)
3 tablespoons cocoa powder (or to taste)
Agave nectar to taste (optional, of course. If you like your chocolate bitter and your coffee strong, I say go without it.)

Mix all ingredients on stovetop on medium heat.
Stir until all blended.
Pour into mug
Put on Ray Lamontagne's "One Lonesome Saddle"
Sip. Enjoy. Watch the snow fall.

Happy Thundersnow!

Super Zucchini Bread

This was another one of my sneaky tricks. Allison and I were planning a little brunch on the morning of New Years Eve. She had 2 quiches, waffles and mimosas all planned out, when I realized there was nothng I could eat! I also have recently suspected that I may have a gluten intolerance too (gahhh I can't eat anything fun!)

So, is there something out there that's breakfast-y, meat, gluten and dairy free? And can it be passed off as "normal" food so as to not scare away the masses of hungry pre-gamers flocking to our house? Yes, there is. It's this gluten, dairy and veggie friendly zucchini bread recipe. I'd also like to point out that it's mostly sugar free. :)

2 cups rice flour
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup canola oil (or coconut oil, if you're fancy like that)
3/4 cups agave nectar
3/4 cup almond milk (or rice milk)
splash of OJ (optional, but makes the bread nice and goey)
Chocolate chips (optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
pinch of salt
pinch of ginger
pinch of cinnamon
splash of vanilla extract
(makes approx 24 muffins, depending on the size of your tins)

Heat oven to 370 degrees F

Mix all dry ingredients
fold in all wet ingredients
mix in spices, chocolate chips and OJ last.

I like to fill mine in little cups to make muffins. But you can make it as a bread loaf too. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. The tops should be a medium brown and will have a nice little bounce when you push down on them.

I'd like to add that these went over so well that my batch of 24 disappeared within an hour of the party. I enjoyed announcing the healthiness of these muffins to everyone as they were munching away. people couldn't believe it! They were so good we even made a second batch just for Allison and me to split later on that evening. :)