Please note; if the recipes are not already vegan there are easy vegan subsitutions (ie. instead of eggs, use flax seed egg replacer)
More to come!
Please note; if the recipes are not already vegan there are easy vegan subsitutions (ie. instead of eggs, use flax seed egg replacer)
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Hello, Autumn! I've been waiting all summer for you... It's that time of year again, and I could not be any happier! It's AUTUMN. Autumn means crisp mornings, warmer days and chilly nights. Autumn means trading flip flops for loafers. Autumn means comfy sweaters and equestrian-inspired style. Autumn means kissing sultry summer goodbye. Autumn means harvest time...autumn means baking sweet indulgences at home and cooking hearty soups, stews, and chili. My favorite place to be in the autumn is out east. Not only have the summer crowds dissipated so the community becomes close-knit again, but the foliage bursts into shades of flames. Though it's now too chilly to go for a swim, walking on the beach still provides ultimate relaxation. Picking apples, pumpkins and other fresh produce brings families together and allows for bonding and memory-creating during meals. The first thing I did when I returned back out east for the first time in weeks was go apple picking. Oh the fun we had...there's an apple orchard/farm about three minutes away from our home and it's the place to be in autumn. There are many families, couples, singles, etc. just savoring the last warm sunny days of fall while they are surrounded by yummy fresh produce. Sounds perfect, right? Just like last year, we returned home with our arms extended, carrying many more apples than we'd ever buy in a single grocery store shopping trip. We set our loot on the kitchen table and then it was my time to shine as the Apple Baking Elf. Peeling, slicing, seasoning, stirring... There are just so many things to do with apples (as you can see from the above slideshow!) and yes, I seek to try just about every one of them though a classic apple pie will always be my personal favorite. This season I worked on a vegan, refined sugar-free version of apple crumble...turned out really yummy! Maybe I'll share my secrets in a future post. For now though, I cannot wait to go back out east and have my favorite cupcake at Tate's Bake Shop- the red velvet. It's simply sinful, and though I was overwhelmed by apple goodies this past weekend that only means I'll have to return soon to savor the sweetness of that cupcake. Not-Your-Average Pumpkin Bread (& other Recipes I'm Starving For...) From In Sonnet's Kitchen10/7/2013 I've been on a mission for the past few days to find the perfect, healthy pumpkin bread...Of course I wanted it to be vegan and preferably gluten-free. And I didn't want any sugar... Not-Your-Average Pumpkin Bread from In Sonnet's Kitchen 1 1/2 c. flour of your choice 1/2 tsp. sea salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. freshly ground ginger dash cloves 1 1/2 cups cooked & pureed pumpkin 1/4 c. unrefined virgin coconut pil 3 tbsp. flaxseed meal mixed with enough hot water to make 1/2 c. 1/4 c. water 1/2 c. agave 2 tbsp. applesauce handful of chopped walnuts for topping (optional) Notes: I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Mix Flour, Apple Pie Spice Mix, no cloves, honey instead of agave, and no applesauce. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease loaf pan. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside. Puree pumpkin, flaxseed meal mixture, coconut oil, water, agave nectar, fresh ginger, and applesauce in blender until smooth. Mix flour mixture with puree until just combined and pour into the pan. Sprinkle a few walnuts on top, if desired. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until an toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. I will never forget my first encounter with a Levain Bakery cookie: I was working for a family and apparently their house guests had brought them a box full of the crispy-on-the-outside, gooey-on-the-inside six ounce clusters of delight. At the suggestion of the mom, I tried one.
Well, let me tell you- I have had chocolate chip cookies before. Many times before, in fact, because my childhood was spent making the dough and eating a good portion of it before the heaps of dough actually made it in the oven... But the Levain Bakery chocolate chip walnut cookie I had put all the cookies I had ever had in my past to shame... In the last couple years, I have only had one other opportunity to eat these delightful cookies but yet I have spent many hours thinking about how they are crafted. After all, how do you create a cookie that has a crisp outer shell and a perfectly doughy inside? I searched and searched online, and after looking at several recipes I came up with my own. Warning: You may gain several pounds (of sheer happiness) after eating these cookie monsters. Chocolate Chip Cookie Monsters (adapted from Plain Chicken) Ingredients: 1 cup cold butter (I use salted- original recipe calls for unsalted) 1 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 2 tsp. vanilla (an extra teaspoon for extra yummy-ness!) 3/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. cornstarch 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure to combine completely. Add the vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch until ingredients are combined. Slowly add in the flour. Stir in chocolate chips. 3. Divide the cookie dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls Freeze dough for at least ten minutes, if not longer. After freezing, place six pieces of dough on each of two parchment paper lined cookie sheets. 4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool 5 to 7 minutes on the cookie sheets before enjoying. And so my hunt for naturally gluten-free recipe continues...
This chocolate olive oil cake is very nearly a naturally gluten-free recipe: Nigella Lawson writes: "...I first came up with this recipe because I had someone for supper who - genuinely - couldn't eat wheat or dairy". What makes it wheat-free? Nigella Lawson's clever use of almond flour to replace white flour. The result? A sinfully delicious cake that has left my mouth watering as I compose this post... Nigella Lawson suggests adding a dollop of mascarpone or ice cream to your slice of cake- I decided this was the perfect opportunity to try my hand at making vegan whipped cream (cashew cream). Note: while cashew cream is delicious, be aware that it is very different from the original whipped cream! Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Olive Oil Cake Ingredients 2/3 c. olive oil 6 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa 1/2 c. boiling water 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 1/2 c. almond flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 pinch of salt 1 c. superfine sugar 3 large eggs 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch springform tin with a little oil and line base with baking parchment 2. Measure and sift the unsweetened cocoa into a bowl or jug and whisk in the boiling water until you have a smooth, chocolatey, still runny (but only just) paste. Whisk in the vanilla extract, then set aside to cool a little. 3. In another smallish bowl, combine the almond meal (or flour) with the baking soda and pinch of salt. 4. Put the sugar, olive oil and eggs into the bowl of a freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment (or other bowl and whisk arrangement of your choice) and beat together vigorously for about 3 minutes until you have a pale-primrose, aerated and thickened cream. 5. Turn the speed down a little and pour in the cocoa mixture, beating as you go, and when all is scraped in you can slowly tip in the ground almond (or flour) mixture. 6. Scrape down, and stir a little with a spatula, then pour this dark, liquid batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the sides are set and the very centre, on top, still looks slightly damp. A cake tester should come up mainly clean but with a few sticky chocolate crumbs clinging to it. 7. Let it cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, still in its tin, and then ease the sides of the cake with a small metal spatula and spring it out of the tin. Leave it to cool completely or eat while still warm with some ice cream, as a pudding. Chocolate - Covered Katie's Cashew Cream (adapted) 1 cup raw cashews 1/3 to 3/4 c. water, depending on how thick you want your cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1. Soak raw cashews in water for at least 3 hours; drain post-soak. 2. Combine soaked cashews with desired amount of water and vanilla extract in a food processor and blend until perfectly smooth. Be sure to scrape down sides as necessary. 3. Add dollop to your favorite dessert and refrigerate the remaining cream for up to three days! Inspired is an understatement:
My Grandma the Great amazes me in every way- she had four children and maintained every ounce of her sanity, she adapted to every place my grandfather's job took their family, she supported (and continues to support) members of our family in their pursuits, she is a technological wiz (and she's closing in on 90!)...I can go on and on. Much of my childhood - and now the beginning of my 'adulthood' -has been spent with my grandparents. When my parents couldn't be there for my brother and I, my grandparents picked us up form school, babysat us, helped us with our homework. Throughout my parents' troubling divorce that spanned a near decade, they were there for my mother, brother and me. The amount of love I have for both my late grandfather and my still-going-strong grandmother is equivalent to the amount of love I have for my parents. I have always loved cooking and baking for people, but especially my grandparents. My grandfather loved oatmeal cookies; his last birthday I decided to bake him a low-sugar oversized birthday oatmeal cookie (he was diabetic). Though my grandfather loved oatmeal cookies, my grandmother absolutely adores ginger cookies. Just over a year ago, I caught on to the gluten-free trend and was fascinated by the challenge of baking gluten-free. I found a recipe for ginger cookies on Bob's Red Mill blog and both my grandmother and I have been addicted to this recipe ever since... I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Grandma's Favorite Gluten-Free Ginger Cookies (from Bob's Red Mill Blog) 1/2 c. unsalted butter 1 c. sugar 1/4 c. molasses 1 tsp. vanilla 1 c. sorghum flour 3/4 c. tapioca flour 1/4 c. potato starch 1/2 tsp. guar gum 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. sea salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 2 tsp. ginger, ground 1/4 tsp. cloves, ground 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Cream together the butter and sugar 3. Add the vanilla and molasses and mix until thoroughly combined 4. In a seperate bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt and spices 5. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet and blend until combined 6. Place 1/2 c. of sugar in a bowl 7. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and drop into sugar over the outside of the dough 8. Place on greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes |