The Taste of Summer

Hello blogging world. It's been a while. Please forgive me. 

But know that I did not give up on vegan baking. No, siree Bob, I did not! Vegan baking is actually my favorite way to bake now. No eggs to worry about, use my non-dairy milk (I've become partial to almond milk), and voila! Perfectly baked goods ready and waiting for you. Even the snobbiest of eaters will appreciate it.

 But enough about baking, this post is about the crispness and freshness of SUMMER! And nothing beats the Texas heat (and Houston humidity) than a cool, refreshing salad. And I found the perfect one.

I subscribe to the Food Network Magazine, as I'm sure a lot of foodies do, and came across this recipe. It's part of an Asian meal, complete with Vietnamese inspired BBQ pork. And being Asian and a self proclaimed connoisseur of Asian foods, I just had to try this. The pork was...OK. Hints of cumin came through, which gave a weird Asian-Mex fusion. Not to say this particular combination doesn't work, some of my favorite food trucks in Houston are Korean-Mex trucks, but my tastebuds just weren't prepared for this. I would say that the star of the show would be the spicy cilantro-scallion salad.

Don't be frightened by the name of this salad.  First off, it's not really spicy.  Yes, I believe there might have been a pepper used (straight from the garden, no less!), but it's just a hint of spicy.  Also, cilantro is center stage in this ensemble.  Weird at first, since I've only had lettuce based salads in the past.  And cilantro has generally been used as a garnish.  I'll be honest, I was scared.  But there are also cucumbers in this little salad, so I knew I'd at least have something I could pick through.

I took the first bite, and was pleasantly greeted with a symphony of flavors.  It seemed to have an essence of fish sauce, which was weird, because there is absolutely no fish sauce in this recipe.  But, I like fish sauce. (To those of you who are not fans of this excellent eggroll dipping sauce, I'm sure it's just all the Asian flavors playing off one another that made me think of this.)  The veggies were nice and chilled, making the cucumbers even crisper and lighter, dare I say more delicate.  While this may be un-Kosher, I put the salad on hot rice with my BBQ pork.  YUM!  Though that totally ruined the effect of it being a delicate salad.

Overall, I highly recommend this one.  Enjoy!

Spicy Cilantro-Scallion Salad
Ingredients

• 4 scallions, whites and greens separated
• 2 TBS rice vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp chili oil (if available)
• 1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 bunches cilantro (leaves and tender stems)
• 2 Serrano chili, thinly sliced
• 1 English cucumber, cut into thin strips

Directions

Quarter the white parts of the scallions lengthwise, and thinly slice the green parts.  Soak the whites in cold water for 15 minutes and drain.

Meanwhile, whisk together the rice vinegar, minced garlic, oils, salt, and sugar.  Toss with the scallions (both white and green parts), cilantro, Serrano chile, and cucumber.  

Peanut Butter Goodness

I'll be the first to tell you I'm not a fan of peanut butter cookies. However, my friend Manne loves peanut butter cookies. They're his favorite. So since I'm going to be hanging with his crew in the morning, I decided to make some peanut butter cookies. The trick to these cookies is in the peanut butter. Be sure to find an all natural peanut butter. It's unlike any other peanut butter I've ever had. And it was only a little over $2 at Central Market!

Peanut Butter Crisscrosses
Ingredients
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening
1/2 cup natural smooth peanut butter (try to get the no-stir kind if you can find it. If you can't, then stir like crazy so that the PB isn't clumpy)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 TBS molasses
1 1/4 cups flour
2 TBS cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 TBS nondairy milk (optional)

Directions

1. aPreheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the shortening, PB, and sugar until light and fluffy. This can take up to 2 minutes with an electric mixer at medium speed or 4 minutes just using a fork. Mix in the vanilla and molasses.
3. Add half the flour along with the cornstarch, baking powder, and salt and mix well. Add the remaining flour and mix. Use your hands at this point to really work the ingredients together. The dough should hold together when squeezed; if it does not, then add a tablespoon or two of nondairy milk until it does (I had to add 1 TBS of soy milk for it to get to stick together).
4. Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls, flattening them with the palm of your hand. The dough may crack on the edges and that is OK. Place the cookies onto the cookie sheet. Use the underside of fork tines to press cross hatches into the cookies, one horizontal and one vertical.
5. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are very lightly browned. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the sheets for 10 minutes, andy less and they might crumble. Use a thin, flexible spatula to transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Fudgey Frosting

If all vegan food tasted like this (and I wasn't in love with meat), I would go vegan. Seriously. These cupcakes are amazing. And I must say I'm pretty proud of the frosting - I mixed it up myself. Talk about becoming a great baker!

I would only make these for very special occasions. Why? Vanilla beans are EXPENSIVE. So what prompted me to make these? It's my friend Chris' birthday, and I've promised him cupcakes for a few months now, so it was time I gave him some really good cupcakes. I'm glad I made these, because they are TO DIE FOR. And best of all, they're vegan!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
Ingredients
1 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 TBS corn starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped

Fudgey Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup margarine (1 stick)
a couple squeezes of agave
a couple TBS soy milk
1/3 cup cocoa powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake pan with liners.
2. Whisk soy/almond milk with vinegar and set aside for a couple of minutes so that it can curdle.
3. Sift flour, corn starch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
4. Beat together milk mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean in a bowl. Sift in (yes, sift twice) dry ingredients. Mix until there are no large lumps.
5. Fill cupcake lines 2/3 full. *Note: Batter is very liquidy! So don't overfill the liners!*
6. Bake for 20-22 minutes.

While the cupcakes are baking....

1. Beat together 1 stick of margarine with the powdered sugar.
2. Add some agave and milk to thin out the margarine mixture.
   
3. Add the cocoa powder and beat together.
4. If the frosting is too thick, add more liquid.
   
5. TASTE! If it's too bitter, add more agave.
   
6. Adjust agave and milk until you have your desired sweetness and consistency.

I don't have a picture, but trust me when I tell you these are AWESOME. Go make some. Now. I'm totally serious.

Deluxe Cocoa Brownies

Yum! Brownies!!!! Who doesn't love brownies? My friend Manne loves brownies. So when I was invited to hang out with him, his son, and his son's friends, I knew I had to make brownies. Because let's face it, kids won't say no to brownies, either.

This recipe is super easy, and a well stocked vegetarian/vegan/Asian household should already have the ingredients on hand. So if you've already got everything on hand, why not just make these brownies right now? :-)

Deluxe Cocoa Brownies

Ingredients

3 oz firm silken tofu, a little less than 1/4 of the package (I couldn't find silken tofu in firm, so I used regular firm tofu)
1/4 cup nondairy milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 TBS cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper or foil.
2. Puree the tofu, nondairy milk, and oil in a blender or food processor until smooth and fluffy. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides to make sure you get everything.
3. Transfer the tofu mixture to a mixing bowl. Use a fork to vigorously mix in the sugar. Add vanilla.
4. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstartch, baking powder, and salt. Use a spatula to fold and mix batter until smooth. Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth out the top. It's OK if the batter doesn't sink all the way into the sides and edges of the pan, as it will spread during baking.
5. Bake brownies for 30-32 minutes, remove from the pan, and let the brownies cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving

Optional

1. Chocolate Chip Deluxe Brownies: Fold 3/4 cup chocolate chips into the batter.
2. Walnut Brownies: Fold 1 cup chopped walnuts into the batter.

It's very important that you let these brownies cool. While they're warm, they are still very sticky and aren't good to work with. If needed, pop them in the fridge and have the fridge do all the work.

As for the taste, they taste like the brownies I used to make as a kid. They are very yummy, chocolate-y, and satisfying. Let's hope a group of 11 year olds agree with me.

First cookie attempt

It's that time of year again....FINALS. Which means finding new ways to procrastinate. I went with the tried and true method today: baking! Plus, I've been craving cookies/brownies/sweets for 2 weeks now, I figured I'd go ahead and just give in and bake. I was going to make cupcakes for cinco de mayo, but that turned into a bust. So today, I took my cookie book, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, a try. The cookie of the day?

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip
Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup nondairy milk (I used light vanilla soy)
2 TBS cornstarch
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups white whole wheat flour (I used regular all purpose whole wheat)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix together the sugars and oil for about a minute. You want the sugars a bit broken down. Add the nondairy milk and cornstarch and beat vigorously until there are no clumps of cornstarch left. Mix in the vanilla.
3. Add half the flour, the baking soda, and salt and mix well. Mix in the remining flour. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, or lightly greased. Space cookies about 2 inches apart and flatten them down a bit with your fingers. Note: cookies won't flatten out, so be sure to flatten them manually.
5. Bake 10 minutes for soft, chewy cookies, 12 mintues for crispier ones. When they're done baking, let the cookies rest on sheets for about 5 minutes before tranfering them to wire racks to finish cooling.

If you don't eat the dough, you can make over 2 dozen cookies. Even if you eat some of the dough, you'll end up with over 2 dozen cookies....

The texture is cake like, with a satisfying "whole wheat crunch." If you've ever had whole wheat pancakes, the texture is similar. It almost reminds me of an oatmeal cookie.

So the verdict? Vegan cookies are gooooooood.

French Apple Tart

Ina's apple tart is ALMOST vegan - just a simple switch of butter to margarine does the trick. These are so good, I dare you to only eat one little square. (Please ignore the blue...just follow the recipe) :-D

Ingredients
Pastry:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS sugar
1 1/2 stick cold margarine, diced (try putting in the freezer for 5 minutes)
1/2 cup ice water
Apples:
4 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 stick cold margarine, small diced
1/2 cup apricot jam
2 TBS Calvados (apple brandy), rum, or water

Directions

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baler. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Tortellini Salad Primavera

This pasta is AMAZING. It's so light and refreshing, perfect for this last burst of spring weather here in Texas. And it's yet another great way to use up veggies in your fridge. You can use any type of pasta for this, but if you can find a vegan tortellini (I'm sure Whole Foods will have it), do it! This is also a great meal on its own, with a regular green salad on the side. But this has so many veggies in it already, you may just want a nice crusty slice of garlic bread.

Ingredients
1 16 oz package of tortellini
8-10 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
half a bunch of broccolini (Or broccoli chopped up in bite size pieces)
10-12 cherry tomatoes
one small handful of cilantro or mint, chopped
one small handful of bean sprouts
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts or almonds
1 ripe avocado, sliced into small pieces
Dressing
1 garlic clove
pinch of salt
2 TBS lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Cook the tortellini according to package instructions.
2. About 30 seconds before the pasta is done, add asparagus and brocollini. Cook for 30 seconds.
3. Drain and run under cold water.
4. For the dressing, use the flat side of a knife to mash the garlic clove and salt into a paste.
5. Whisk together the garlic paste, lemon juice, and olive oil. Add more salt if needed.
6. Toss the pasta, asparagus, broccolini, and cilantro with half the dressing.
7. Add bean sprouts, tomatoes, nuts, and avocado.
8. Add more dressing as needed.
9. Gently toss to distribute ingredients.

So lemony, so refreshing, so yummy! You will love this one!