Gonna Go Walk the Dogs

Gifting Holiday Treats

This has been a great Month of Vegan Food hasn't it! To finish up the month I am posting some cookie recipes as I promised yesterday. These are favorites! And I am gifting them to you!

Mexican Wedding Cookies:

1 1/2 cups vegetable margarine
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup candied pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream margarine, gradually add powdered sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and pecans. Blend in flour gradually and mix well. Bake 12-15 minutes, roll in more powdered sugar when cooled. About three dozen.

Candied Pecans: Place shelled pecans on cookie sheet and drizzle pecans in agave syrup and bake in oven at 225 until toasted. Cool.

Vegan Everything Bars:

Take all of your favs…peanutbutter chips, vegan butterscotch chips, dark chocolate chips, coconut, pecans …and sprinkle them over a cookie crust made from vegan vanilla wafers and Earth Balance. Pour 1 cup vegan condensed milk over the cookies and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Make vegan condensed milk: In a saucepan heat 2 cups coconut milk, add 1/2 cup agave syrup and continue to cook until the mixture thickens and reduces by half.

 

 

 

  

Cookies and Kreme Cheeze Balls:

Mix 8 oz vegan cream cheese with 1/4 teaspoon each grated chocolate and cinnamon. Add in 4 oz ground up Oreos and just shy of 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Refrigerate until cold, form into balls and roll in your Oreo cookie crumbs. Refrigerate until chilled again and enjoy.

 

 Peanut Butter Chocolate Chippers:

Recipe to follow:

1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, softened
1/2 cup chunky or smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup applesauce
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°.
Cream the margarine, peanut butter and sugars until light. Add the applesauce and mix until fluffy.

Blend the flour, baking powder, soda and salt together well. Add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop cookie dough by tablespoons onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375°.

Lemon Bars:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Egg replacer for 1 egg
1/3 cup soy milk
1/4 cup margarine

Mix all ingredients together and pat into a 9x9 pan - bake at 375 degrees 12 minutes.1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Whisk together -
1/3 flour
1 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup raw sugar
2 tbsp agar agar powder
Pour over crust and bake 12 minutes longer until set. Cool. Refrigerate.
Top with powdered sugar.
Makes 16+

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Veganmofo for The Holidays

Well, that butternut squash loaf with cranberry topping is an absolute success! Here is the recipe:

1⁄2 cup cooked black eyed peas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1⁄4 cup plus 1 teaspoon diced onion, divided 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, diced small
1 celery rib, diced small
1⁄2 green apple, diced small
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 cups cooked and pureed butternut squash, 1⁄2 cup cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts 
1⁄4 cup panko breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoons sea salt

1⁄2 cup fresh cranberries
1⁄4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce, 1 garlic clove, minced

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place cranberries on a small baking sheet. Place beans on another. Roast both ingredients for about 15 minutes.

Warm oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat; add 1⁄4 cup onion and 3 garlic cloves. Cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add carrot and celery, and cook for 5 minutes. Add apple and Italian seasoning, and cook for 3 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine squash, cooked veggies, roasted black beans, quinoa, walnuts, panko breadcrumbs and salt. Mix with hands until well combined. Transfer mixture to a parchment-lined 9-x-5-inch loaf pan, smoothing out with a spatula to remove air bubbles.

Prepare the cranberry glaze: Puree the roasted cranberries, ketchup, brown sugar, Sriracha sauce and 1 garlic clove until smooth. Spoon cranberry glaze over top of “meatloaf ” until fully covered.

Bake the loaf for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Makes 8 servings.

This is fabulous served over massaged kale!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My next task is the Christmas cookie baking! I gift cookies to everyone every year. It is a tradition every year. Big platters, 10-20 different types. So good! Stay tuned for a recipe or two tomorrow when we round out this year's Veganmofo 2016! Happy Holidays!

 

Today I am on test run...making a cranberry butternut squash loaf. I made it late last night. To be eaten later today. You will get the verdict later today along with an early post for tomorrow...all about the foods (treats) I gift around the holidays. Have a great day guys!

The Holidays Are Coming!

Man, this is the last week of Veganmofo2016 and I am a little overwhelmed. This has been a hard year for me personally and I have really tried to step it up and have enjoyed the groove here. I am not on a pity party, I am just say'n.

Any-who, for this Monday we are talking holiday baking. I will be making lots of awesome vegan treats for the folks that take care of my Mom and I will be gifting lots of other cookie platters along the way. That story to follow!

Today I am celebrating a friend's birthday that just happens to fall in November. So we are celebrating her birthday today and wish her a wonderful week!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIKKI!

This is a hybrid - the crust is 1 cup cake flour to 1/2 cup vegetable margarine to 1/2 cup nuts. I used pistachios. Blend and place into lined cupcake tins,. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Then mix 8 ounces of vegan cream cheese with 1/ cup raspberry preserves and place on top of crust. I used a ice cream scoop. Bake at 15 minutes and then add more raspberry on top. You really can use whatever fruit you want, so make it you own !

Pease Please

When I read that today's topic  for Veganmofo2016 was talk about your most hated food now liked I thought no way! There are so few foods I don't like and those that I know I like  even now are few and far between.

Thus the husband and I took score(some of these may come from pre-vegan days).

Me: I hate -    Peas - my Mom served me frozen...need I say more?

                         Lima Beans - just eww!

                         Liver - Damn!

Him: He Hates: -  Capers - to salty (guess no-one ever rinsed his)

                                 Rhubarb - the texture guys!

                                  Scallops - allergy...dah!

In addition he reminded me that I hate tapioca (as well as Junket - I just spit it up in my mouth a bit).

So, is there any dish that either one of us now likes?

Well, if I can take it all back, it may be the peas. Back in the day my grandmothers made this dish, my mother made this dish and my husband's mother made this salad. I have been making it for years as well but I did not eat it. But if, and only if, you use canned, for me to is Ok. Go figure.  The recipe is in The Easy Vegan. Check it out on Amazon if you like. No pressure. Just spreading vegan love.

 

In the Beginning...

Today's prompt is talk about your favorite cookbook. Well, I love cookbooks, and I write cookbooks. I think of them all as favorites really. But, since I have to pick one for today's topic it will be the cookbook that first inspired me to try veganism. Please allow me to introduce you to Dr. John McDougall.

John McDougall, MD is the founder of The McDougall Program. He has been studying, writing, and speaking about the effects of nutrition on disease since 1968. He believes that people should look and feel great, and enjoy optimal health for a lifetime. Dr. McDougall has developed a nourishing, low-fat, starch-based diet that not only promotes a broad range of dramatic and lasting health benefits, such as weight (fat) loss, but most importantly can also reverse serious illness, such as heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and arthritis, without drugs. He helps people stop unnecessary medications and avoid, whenever possible, tests, surgeries, and other treatments. He promotes as promote vegetarian and vegan diet and it is a proven fact that it works. 

My husband had high blood pressure- it runs in the family. Switching to vegan diet brought it down to normal. Need I say more?

Dr. McDougall and his wife Mary have written many cookbooks but my favorite is The New McDougall Cookbook. Simple down to earth recipes, not always vegan (uses honey) but you can do the subs. This really was my jump start towards vegan cooking...always a scientist,I love to experiment and create new dishes. He has a 10-day program geared towards jump starting your diet and I really love this soup turned stew:

BEAN STEW

The grains used may be varied, making this dish truly international. Serve this plain in a bowl, over rice, or scooped up with baked tortilla chips.

Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 60 minutes Servings: 6

3 cups vegetable broth 1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped 2 carrots, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups baby potatoes, chunked
2 15-ounce cans white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

11⁄2 cups prepared hummus
11⁄2 tablespoons parsley flakes
11⁄2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon basil and rosemary
1⁄2 teaspoon oregano
1⁄2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 to 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1⁄2 cup cooked quinoa.
11⁄2 cups thinly sliced fresh spinach

Place 1⁄2 cup of the broth in a large pot. Add onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add remaining broth, potatoes, and beans. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes. Add tomato sauce, hummus, and seasonings. Cook an additional 10 minutes. Add cooked quinoa, mix well, and cook for 5 minutes. Sir in spinach and cook an additional 2 minutes.

This may be made with other cooked grains, such as bulgur, kasha, millet, rice, or even whole wheat couscous (which is not a grain, but a pasta). Most natural food stores sell prepared low-fat hummus or you can easily make your own by pureeing cooked garbanzo beans with a small amount of broth, garlic, and salt. This may also be made with garbanzo beans instead of the white beans. If you can’t find baby potatoes, use larger red potatoes and chop them into bite-sized chunks. If you want to use chard or kale instead of the spinach, it will need to cook about 5 additional minutes.

 

 

30 Year Old Vegan Virgin

Are you all still stuffed from your Thanksgiving feasts? I am! Today's topic for Veganmofo 2016's week of Memories ... first vegan meal.

I have been vegan since 1994 and vegetarian before that ...1977 or so. But the husband, he became vegan in 1994 as well and he can tell you about all the oatmeal and salads he ate when he first turned vegan. What I can remember is the first sit down meal I made for him...early in our relationship -- it was kind of an awakening for him. He realized that he could eat more than salad.

We had gone on a long weekend to Catalina and we had eaten this awesome Pasta Primavera at The Blue Parrot...I had to describe to the waiter exactly what I wanted them to do...they did an excellent job cooking everything and omitting dairy. The husband loved it. Really good food. I had to recreate it once we got back home. I put my knives skills to work and julienned carrots, peppers, and broccoli and got out my coconut milk...

Kosher salt, pepper
12 ounces pasta
1/2 pound snap peas, broccoli florets  julienned
2 carrots, julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup grated vegan parmesan cheese (or Nooch); 4 Tbsp (23 g) arrowroot powder, 2 cups vegan milk

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook per directions. Add the  snap peas, broccoli, carrots and bell pepper to the boiling water during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain the pasta and vegetables and return to the pot.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until just golden, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until the tomatoes begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2 cups of vegan milk and bring to an almost gentle boil then add the arrowroot to thicken. Pour the tomato mixture over the pasta and vegetables. Add the mint, vegan parmesan and toss to combine. Season with salt.
Divide the pasta among bowls. Enjoy.

Serve this with a little garlic bread and you are set.

The Unturkey Day!

Traditions and Thanksgiving! Yes, we are celebrating today! I am making a seitan loaf, parsnip puree, glazed carrots and roasted Brussels sprouts. Not too fancy, just right. Yes, I will be posting photos later to be sure! Last night I made a persimmon pumpkin pie with a whole wheat pie crust it it be so yummy, I guarantee it! With Coconut cream! I know that I will be running laps later today!

Here is my recipe:

1 single 9-inch pie crust
2¼ cups canned pumpkin ( I baked my pumpkin and used 2.5 cups fresh) and 2 persimmons
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup plain non-diary milk (I used coconut milk)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a blender, purée together pumpkin, maple syrup, milk, coconut oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and cornstarch until very smooth. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 60 to 65 minutes until the center looks semi-firm (a little jiggle is okay). After baking for 40 minutes, if the edges appear to be browning too rapidly, carefully remove the pie and apply crust protectors/tin foil to the edges to keep from getting too dark.
Remove from oven and onto a cooling rack for 30 minutes, then chill for at least 4 hours before slicing.

 

Have a great day everyone!

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Think ORANGE!

Autumn for me in sunny Cal means shorter days, cooler evenings and the year rolling into a sleepy yawn. We don't get the leaves turning colors so much and the days are usually sunny and warm - even hot. So it have to use my imagination a bit. One thing I know is when Autumn rolls around so do the pumpkins. And I begin dreaming through orange tinted glasses. I love pumpkin. And with the mornings a little chillier it's easy to start thinking about baking. 

Pumpkin Muffins. I have been making these forever. I used to bring a dozen in to work every few days - everyone loved them. They are an easy people pleaser and perfect coffee or tea companion. Sometimes I put streusel on top. Sometimes I don't. It just depends upon the mood. You will love these- they may even become your Autumn tradition.

1/4 cup vegan margarine , softened
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin (or use fresh)
1/2 cup coconut milk mixed with 1 tbsp cider vinegar
Ground Flaxseed for 2 eggs ( 2 tsp flax mixed with 4 tsp
water-whisk and let it sit 5 minutes)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
STREUSEL TOPPING:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegan margarine
3 tsp cinnamon

Combine topping ingredients. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Combine rest of ingredients. Do not over mix. Spoon batter into pans and fill half way. Sprinkle some topping over the batter. Divide the remaining batter over the top and then finish by sprinkling more streusel on top of each muffin. Press the topping into the batter. Bake 25-30 minutes. Yields 6 jumbo muffins.

 

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Traditions...

Are food traditions silly? That is hard to say - it depends upon who might be eating them I suppose. I had a very good friend and neighbor that had a tradition that she shared with me and it also became my tradition - and now my own family's tradition. 

We always eat black eyed peas to bring us good luck for the new year. 

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s has been considered good luck for at least 1,500 years. According to a portion of the Talmud written around 500 A.D., it was Jewish custom at the time to eat black-eyed peas in celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It’s possible that the tradition arrived in America with Sephardic Jews, who first arrived in Georgia in the 1730s. Common folklore tells that the tradition spread after the Civil War. The Northern Army considered the black-eyed peas to be suitable only for animals, so they didn’t carry away or destroy the crops.

They also say that eating these  legumes demonstrates humility and a lack of vanity. The humble nature of the black-eyed pea is echoed by the old expression, “Eat poor on New Year's, and eat fat the rest of the year.” Another explanation is that dried beans loosely resemble coins. Yet another is that because dried beans greatly expand in volume, they symbolize expanding wealth.

Whatever the reason, I love black eyed peas, and I have veganized my friend Ruth's recipe, and it does bring good luck...and good health. Why not make this dish for your New Year? 

Recipe:
First make your tomatillo salsa:
1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatillos
5 fresh serrano chiles
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons coarse salt

Remove husks from tomatillos and rinse under warm water to remove stickiness. Broil chiles, garlic, and tomatillos on rack of a broiler pan 1 to 2 inches from heat, turning once, until tomatillos are softened and slightly charred, about 7 minutes.
Peel garlic and pull off tops of chiles. Purée all ingredients in a blender. Store in frig overnight.
Remove kernals from 3 ears of corn and chop 3 serrano chiles - roast under broiler until charred - about 8 minutes. Set aside and cool.

Combine the following:

11/2 cup cooked rice
1 cup cooked black beans
1 cup cooked black eyed peas
3 minced green onions
3 small diced tomatoes
3 cloves minced garlic
Add the corn and chlies.
Add 1 cup of salsa
Salt and Pepper to taste

Thoroughly combine and refrigerate several hours. Heat and serve warm or at room temperature.
Garnish with avocado
Serves 8 as side.

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