Monday, November 24, 2014

Snickerdoodles

I recently made these cookies and my whole family loved them.  They turn out with a perfect a soft texture, but still hold together.  The smell of these cinnamon-sugar coated cookies is warm and inviting.  This recipe will make ~24 cookies.


The recipe, utilizes banana and applesauce instead of eggs.  There are many vegan egg-substitutes.  It takes a bit of practice and experience to determine which substitute will work best, depending on what qualities you need.  I'm still not an expert on this, but when something works well (as it did in this recipe) - I make note and will be sure to share.  Here is a list of 20 different egg-substitutes used in vegan baking/cooking:

1 egg = 1/2 banana, mashed
1 egg = 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg = 1/4 cup mashed avacado
1 egg = 1/4 cup cooked pumpkin
1 egg = 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 Tablespoons of water (mix well and let sit for 2 minutes)
1 egg = 3 Tablespoons peanut butter
1 egg = 1 Tablespoon agar agar + 1 Tablespoon water (mix well)
1 egg = 1 Tablespoon chia seeds + 1/3 cup water (mix well and let sit for 15 minutes)
1 egg = 2 Tablespoons arrowroot + 3 Tablespoons water (mix well)
1 egg = 1 Tablespoon soy protein powder + 3 Tablespoons water (mix well)
1 egg = 2 Tablespoons cornstarch + 3 Tablespoons water (mix well)
1 egg = 2 Tablespoons baking powder + 2 Tablespoons water + 1 Tablespoons veg. oil (mix well)
1 egg = 1 teaspoon baking powder + 1 Tablespoon vinegar + 1 Tablespoon water (mix well)
1 egg = 2 teaspoons baking powder + 2 Tablespoons water (mix well)
1 egg = 2 Tablespoons potato starch + 2 Tablespoons water (mix well)
1 egg = 2 Tablespoons corn stach + 2 Tablespoons water (mix well)
1 egg = 2 Tablespoons prepared (vegan) instant mashed potatoes
1 egg = 1/4 cup silken tofu
1 egg = 3 Tablespoons chickpea flour + 3 Tablespoons water (mix well)
1 egg = 1/4 cup plain vegan yogurt

Other than these, there are commercially sold egg-substitute products such as Ener-G Egg Replacer and Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer.  There are also products such as 'volcanic salt' (or 'black salt') that can be used to get a sulfuric egg flavor in your recipes (like tofu scramble) when needed.

You might know of some others vegan alternatives to eggs.  Please share what you use, and which are your favorite in the comments section below!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegan margarine, softened
1/2 banana, mashed well
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:
1.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  In a mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, with margarine, banana, applesauce, and vanilla.  Mix well.
3.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
4.  Mix the bowl of dry ingredients into the wet and combine well into a dough.
5.  Combine 2 Tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon into a separate small bowl.
6.  Shape dough into balls a bit smaller than golf balls, and flatten a bit before placing in the cinnamon/sugar mix.  Coat all sides with cinnamon/sugar and place on an ungreased non-stick baking sheet.
7.  Bake for 9 minutes.  Immediately remove cookies from the sheet and allow to cool on parchment or wax paper.

This recipe was adapted from a recipe originally posted by 'Sue W' on allrecipes.com.  The original recipe can be found here.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Buffalo "Chicken" Sandwich


This recipe was inspired by my favorite vegan sandwich shop in Salt Lake City - Buds.  They have amazing sandwiches, and I especially love their "Buffalo Sandwich."  Unfortunately, Buds has been closed for the past several months for renovations (or something).  Their opening date keeps getting pushed back, and my cravings for their delicious food has been through the roof.

I satisfied my craving for a Buffalo sandwich this week by coming up with this recipe that combines spicy and savory buffalo "chicken" with a smooth and tangy blue-cheese-like white sauce, with crunchy purple cabbage.  The whole family loved these!

This recipe is easy to prepare once you have the ingredients.  I grabbed a package of (vegan) ciabatta bread from my local store to make this super easy.  If you are feeling ambitious, you could make buns by using my 60-Minute Roll recipe.  Using the ciabatta bread, which was about the size of a standard veggie-burger bun, the recipe made about 8 sandwiches.

I toned down the spiciness of the sauce for the kiddos - but feel free to amp up the cayenne or pepper sauces if you want a bit more kick.

Again, I'm using soy-curls.  If you are unfamiliar with this wonderful product, check out my recipe for Coconut Curry "Chicken" for all the details.  You are missing out if you've never tried them.

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon of "Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base"
8oz Butler Soy Curls (one package)

6 Tablespoons vegan margarine
6 Tablespoons Frank's Red Hot Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (or similar vegan pepper sauce)
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegan mayo (I like Just Mayo)
3/4 teaspoon tahini
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/8 lemon juice

1/4 head of purple cabbage, chopped

8 vegan buns of your choice (home-made or store-bought)

Directions:
(For the buffalo "chicken":)
1.  Combine the water and "Better Than Boillon No Chicken Base" in a sauce pan with a lid.  Heat on medium heat until almost boiling, then remove from heat and add the soy curls to the mix.  Stir the soy curls into the broth and put the lid on.  Set aside, and set a timer for 8 minutes while you make the buffalo sauce.
2.  In another saucepan, combine the margarine, Frank's sauce, white vinegar, cayenne pepper, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and salt.  Heat on low until simmering.
3.  After the time (for 8 minutes) goes off, stir the soy curls and broth again.  The soy curls should have absorbed almost all of the broth.  If there is a little left in the bottom - just leave it.  Pour the prepared buffalo sauce over the soy curls, stir, replace lid and set on very low heat (or a still-warm burner).  Stir to evenly coat the soy curls with sauce before making a sandwich.
(For the tangy white sauce:)
4.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the mayo, tahini, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice.  Mix well until smooth.
(Construction:)
5.  Apply a generous amount of the tangy white sauce onto both top and bottom sides of the bun.  To the bottom half of the bun, add plenty of the buffalo "chicken" soy curls, then top those with some chopped purple cabbage, and then finish it off by placing on the top half of the bun.  Enjoy immediately.

The buffalo sauce recipe was adapted from a recipe from John Mitzewich from About Food for the buffalo sauce, which claims to be the authentic recipe from Anchorbar in Buffalo, New York.  The original recipe can be found here.  The tangy white sauce was adapted from a recipe from 'Livvy' from 86lemons.com.  The original recipe can be found here.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Creamy "Chicken" and Dumplings

This is vegan comfort food at its finest.  Great for those cold nights, or if you need some "chicken" soup to make you feel better.  Easy to throw together and so delicious.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1 Tablespoon vegan margarine
1/2 cup onion, (about a half an onion) chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed (or minced if you don't have a garlic press)
8 cups water
3 Tablespoons 'Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base"
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 1/2 cups celery, (about 3 large stalks) chopped
8oz Butler Soy Curls (one package)
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/16 teaspoon pepper
12oz bag frozen peas/carrots
1 7.5oz tube of refrigerated 'homestyle' biscuit dough (Pillsbury and P$$t brand are vegan)
a bit of flour

Directions:
1.  Soak the cashews in plenty of water (make sure they are covered) for 3+ hours, up to overnight.  If you don't have 3 hours - soak them as long as possible while proceeding with the recipe.
2.  Heat 1 Tablespoon of margarine in a soup pot on medium-high heat.  Cook onions until translucent (about 2 minutes) and then put garlic in and cook for an additional minute.
3.  Add 8 cups of water, the bouillon base, poultry seasoning, celery, and cook for a couple minutes on medium heat.
4.  Place soy curls into broth.  Cook on medium heat, almost to a boil, for 10 minutes.
5.  Add in soy milk, frozen peas/carrots, and heat up again to almost a boil.
6.  While the soup re-heats, drain the water from the cashews, and place them into a high powered blender (I have a 'Nutribullet' that works great).  Fill the blender with fresh water until the cashews are barely covered with water at the top.  Blend on high for about a minute.  This will make 'cashew cream' - you can check the consistency by rubbing a bit between two fingers.  If it is gritty at all, continue to blend.  It should be completely smooth in texture.
7.  Add the cashew cream, salt, and pepper to the soup and heat through to almost boiling again.
8.  While the soup re-heats, open the biscuit dough and cut each round dough-disc into fourths with a pair of kitchen shears (in half and in half again).  Place pieces on a plate dusted with flour.
9.  Place pieces of dough into soup and simmer for about 15 minutes to cook through, then serve immediately.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Pumpkin Seeds

Halloween is one of my family's favorite holidays.  I usually start off by making orange-pumpkin-shaped pancakes for breakfast (I'll post my pancake recipe later).  Then we dress up, attend school costume parades, visit family, carve pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns, eat warm comfort foods, trick-or-treat around our neighborhood, watch movies and roast pumpkin seeds in the oven.  The aroma of these roasted pumpkin seeds is what Halloween smells like at our house.

These are easy to make, and are a delicious snack - on Halloween and for a few days after.  That is about all they last because they are so good.

A note about Worcestershire sauce:  Traditional Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies.  There are plenty of vegan brands though, such as 365 brand (Whole Foods' brand), Annie's, The Wizard's, or Wan Ja Shan.

Ingredients:
2 cups of pumpkin seeds - DO NOT rinse off the wet orange coating and minuscule pieces of pulp
1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 teaspoons seasoned salt


Directions:
1.  Cut off the tops of your pumpkins, and remove the seeds first.  Hands work best to do this - think of it as a pumpkin spa treatment for your fingers!  Remove any large pieces of pulp or pumpkin guts from the seeds, but don't worry if there are very small pieces attached.  Resist the temptation to rinse the seeds clean of all pulp and wet orange coating - that stuff adds to the taste of the seeds and makes them delicious.  If you rinse off all that goodness, the seeds are not as tasty.  After all the seeds are removed from the inside of the pumpkins, then scoop out all the stringy guts and pulp to prepare your pumpkins for carving.
2.  Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
3.  Determine how many cups of seeds you have.  The recipe above is for every ~2 cups of pumpkin seeds.
4.  In a large mixing bowl, pour the olive oil, vegan Worcestershire sauce and seasoned salt evenly over the seeds.  Mix well to distribute the sauce and seasonings throughout all the seeds.
5.  Dump the seeds onto a rimmed non-stick cookie sheet, and spread out evenly onto the sheet.  Put a maximum of ~4 cups of seeds onto each sheet used.
6.  Place the seeds into the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.  Stir the seeds every ~20 minutes and bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes.  The time will depend on how many seeds you have, and the size of the seeds used.  The seeds should no longer stick together when stirred, be crisp, dry and light golden brown when done.