Vegan and sugar free (used substitutes) mini apple "sour cream" coffee cakes.
I basically used the recipe from Vegweb with a few changes. I halved the recipe and I made them in little muffin things. Also, I did the layering, I put some of the dough down, sprinkled the 'topping' crumbs, and then I added some finely chopped dried apples, currants, and a few dried chopped dates, then layered more of the dough and more of the topping.
Also, I used the makeshift sour cream that I made for this recipe.
And, for some reason, I didn't take a clear picture. Whatever.
This is my half eaten mini coffee cake. You can see the layers :)
Ingredients :
1/4 cup vegan buttery spread
1/2 cup of sugar (I used some Splenda and Agave Nectar)
1 egg substitutes (1/4 cup of soy yogurt or 1/4 cup of blended silken tofu works best
for this) Nikki's Note : I just used Ener-G
1/2 cup of "vegan sour cream" (store bought or home made)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cups all-purpose flour (I did 3/4 flour 1/4 Pastry flour, don't think it made a difference)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
TOPPING:
flour
Sugar (sub)
little bit of brown sugar
Cinnamon
Butter
EXTRA (Filling):
Finely chopped:
Dried Apples (regular apples would have been better, made it more moist, but I didn't have any)
Currants
Dates
Whatever you want to use
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream vegan buttery spread and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla; mix well.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda; add to creamed mixture and beat until combined.
Pour half the batter into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.
Alternative: fill muffin cups half way
Combine topping ingredients (work the butter into the mix with your fingers to create a crumb look); sprinkle half of topping over batter. Put some of your 'Filling' on top. Add remaining batter and topping. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes or until done.
They say it rises, but mine didn't. Still yummy and not too dense.
I made 10 little muffins out of them and ate 2 of them before I even got around to taking a picture. Top with a powder sugar/water glaze for a little extra sweetness.
Sorry for lack of exact measurements, I don't generally measure things when I make them up.
Using regular sugar wouldn't be a problem. I'm seeing my mom tomorrow and was planning on giving her a few and she is diabetic. So. That is why I did it. And I don't like to use too much sugar. I also took the salt out of the recipe completely.
Back to studying for my crazy important test.....
~Nikki
Real creativity comes at the end of the grocery shopping cycle when you have run out of food. Today, that happened to me. I decided to throw the odds and ends into a dahl. So, here is what I did...
1 c lentils (I used red)
3 c water
2 tsp minced garlic
2 green onions (I was out of regular ones. I know they aren't remotely
similar, but I'd rather use them than have to throw them out.
1/2 can tomatoes
1 broccoli stalk (into florets)
1 zucchini
handful of frozen/stir fry veggies
some frozen peas
Spices:
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Coriander
sprinkle of curry powder
sprinkle of red pepper
(Curry powder could probably substitute all of those if you only have that on hand)
Put the lentils and 1 green onion in a medium sauce pan with the
water. Bring to a boil then let simmer. Cook until soft (10 minutes,
20 minutes).
Meanwhile, heat some oil in a wok/pan. Add the garlic, rest of the
green onions, and the spices. Heat until fragrant. Add the broccoli,
frozen stir-fry veggies, and tomatoes.
Heat veggies, don't overcook. Pour lentil mixture into the wok with
the veggies and mix together. Cover and let simmer (at a low temperature so it doesn't burn to the bottom!) for at least 15-20
minutes (my cookbook said 45, seemed extreme). Throw in the frozen
peas and zucchini and cook for another 10 minutes or until all the
veggies are done. Stir occasionally throughout.
I also threw in a handful of spinach at the very end.
This can be done with anything. I deviated from the recipe hard core. The lentils were instead of yellow split peas, the broccoli and stir-fry mix was in place of eggplants, carrots, and cauliflower. So, it is a stew, just throw anything in!
I paired this with some thinly sliced tofu that I coated in peanut sauce and had baking in my toaster-oven.
Yum yum.
Finished something! Yay! I haven't gone back to my last project, but that is how it goes. Something goes wrong and it goes into my 'later' pile and never gets worked on. This one turned out and I'm happy with it :) Nothing terribly exciting, but I am building my wardrobe. McCall's 5314
Man, I have so much fabric and so many ideas! Spring break was far too short!!! I've spent over $200 this month on bleeding fabric and am about to be really out of time. Projects are getting to their due dates, finals are looming in the distance and there is that ever present lingering pressure of needing to find a job. Such is life :P
And my flowers are coming up! yay!
~Nikki
Spring Break Dinner #1
It was delicious :) I am always annoyed when you have to cook casseroles beforehand and then put them in the oven, I always want to just stick em in and go. I halved the recipe, but I'll post the whole one here for you. It wasn't too time consuming actually. And mmm, I love me some sweet potatoes.
From The Complete Cookbook : Vegetarian : Tasty Recipes for Everyday. I don't think they sell it anymore, but you could probably find it used. They have tons of good looking recipes and LOTS of pictures. Which is always a must for me. Their pic was prettier than mine was, but I suspect photoshop.
I also threw on some extra biscuits I had, you can tell the difference in the pic :P
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total cooking time : 50 minutes
1 tbl Olive Oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, rushed
2 tsp sweet paprika (I used regular)
1 large potato, chopped
1 large carrot, slived
400g (13 oz) can of chopped tomatoes
1.5 c (375 ml / 12 fl oz) vegetable stock
400 g (13 ox) orange sweet potato, cubed (I just used half a potato in mine, but for a whole recipe, use a whole one)
150 g (5 oz) broccoli, cut into florets (I used one stalks worth)
1 c self-raising flour
20 g (I used 1.5 tbls) cold butter, cut into small cubes
2 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used dried)
1 tsp fresh thyme (dried)
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (can you tell I don't have any fresh herbs on hand? dried also)
1 1/3 milk (I used soy milk)
2 tbl ::Sour Cream ::
1. Heat the oil in a large sauvepan and add the onion. Cook over low hear, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and paprika and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
2. Add the potato, carrot, tomato, and stock to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the sweet potato, broccoli and zucchini and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. Preheat the over to moderately hot 200C (400F)
3. To make the dumplings, sift the flour and pinch of salt (I left out the salt) into a bowl and add the butter. Rub the better into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the herbs and make a well in th centre. Add the milk, and mix with a flat-bladed knife, using a cutting action, until the mixture comes together in beads. Gather up the dough and lift onto a lightly floured surface, then divide into eight portions. Shape each portion into a ball.
4. Add the sour cream to the casserole (vegetables). Pour into a 2 litre (64 fl oz) ovenproof dish and top with the dumplings. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the dumplings are golden and a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the centre.
...My dumplings came out very hard, but I think it was because of the soy milk.
Nutritional Info per serving
Protein 8g; Fat 10 g; Caro 27 g; Dietary Fibre 7.5 g; Cholesterol 16 mg; 230 calories
I also made a little sandwich for the side with a left over Vegan Bagel that I made this morning. I used some spinach, vegan cheese, mayo & dijon mustard and skinny baked tofu (dipped in a mix of soy sauce, black bean sauce, cooking rice wine, and ginger spice). Yummy meal.
I don't know what else to call it. I don't often make any new patterns, usually just vintage ones. And every time I try I realise why I don't....they just never turn out. I put this one together today. It was really easy but it I just don't like it now that it is constructed. Of course, this is the trap I fall into. I get discouraged and never finish it. But I'm going to work to try and make this one wearable. The front and the back gape. Badly. Bodices never fit me right, so I should have figure that one out. The hems (all but the bottom, I haven't done that one yet) are really awkward. The fabric just doesn't work well with it.
1) Move the front and back 'overlaps' so that it doesn't gape. (which sucks, because I 'serged' that part...damn). Not to mention it is entirely too low cut in the front and back to wear anything underneath. Moving the 'overlaps' will most likely solve that problem though.
2)Do something to the hems. Maybe put a line of something on it? A trim, rick rack, jewels, small embroidery? It would solve that problem but I'm also think that maybe it would make it too heavy and do something weird. I think it is the fabric with this pattern, it just isn't working.
Anything tropical or beachy would work, which gives me quite a few options.
3) Way off the pattern, but maybe take in the sides a bit and put in a zipper to make it more fitted? That'll be the last resort after I try everything else.
My problem is that there are so many patterns I want to make over spring break! Damn. I'm annoyed this didn't turn out the first time around
The second picture shows the weird hem thing. Do you think any of those ideas would work?
The pattern is Simplicity 3503
You know. I actually have a lot of this fabric left over....maybe I should try making one of the different tops for it?
.....Any suggestions?
~Nikki
So, I was running out of food and didn't want to go out food shopping until I could start my massive cook-a-thon over Spring Break. So, I said....'what do I have in my fridge?' Not much. Odds and ends that I couldn't think of how to use them. So, I stuck all my ingredients into google and found this! Relatively easy. First time I got to use the food processor my mom gave me, so I was excited. It was like 'ZIP' done. So much better than mashing tofu with a fork.
The recipe is here,
I'm not sure if I've looked around that site before, so I'll go back
when I have more time. If you are anywhere besides America, go there.
If you are in America, here is the recipe converted from grams to what
we generally have on our stupid measuring cups. My comments are in
the pretty blue.
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Serves 2 as a main meal, or 4 as a side. I had a quarter slice and I was plenty full!
INGREDIENTS:
5/8 c plain wholemeal flour
3.5 tbl plain white flour
--->This adds up to 7/8 cup (200g), use whatever mix of the two flours you like
7tbsp vegan margarine [soft or firm]
4 tbsp water
100g firm tofu [well drained]
100g silken tofu
-->I used half a block of regular firm tofu
6 tbsp soy milk
1 small red pepper [half]
1 medium onion
Handful of broccoli florets
Handful of steamed spinach
1 clove garlic
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp chili powder
Black pepper to taste
Handful of pine nuts
--->I had some Parmesan cheese in the fridge, first cheese I've bought in months, so I put some of that on top.
Rub pieces of the margarine into the flour until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add enough water to make a dough, knead well and roll on a floured surface to fit a flat tin or quiche dish. Grease the tin and bake the pastry blind at 220 degrees (425F) for 10 minutes.
Saute the onion, red pepper and brocolli. Blend the tofu, soy milk, turmeric, garlic, chili and pepper in a food processor or by hand. Add the vegetables, including the spinach, to the tofu mixture (I threw in some nutritional yeast, just because). Pour into the pastry crust and bake at 180 degrees (350F) for 30 - 45 minutes, depending on your oven. 10 minutes before it has finished cooking, sprinkle the pine nuts over the top and lightly brush with olive oil.
Serve warm, not hot.
The idea for this recipe came from the kitchen section on the Vegan Family House website, check it out!!
http://www.veganfamily.co.uk
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I have to say that I'm an idiot. I didn't realise until posting
this (my quiche is currently in the oven) that the 'degrees' were
'celsius'. Hopefully it will be cooked....I thought that seemed low.
Good thing I had it up higher (yay intuition) anyway.
[EDIT]
Finished it. It was
delicious. Full of flavour. I was afraid that it would be spicy, with
all the red pepper seasoning, but it wasn't. Quite tasty :) I would
definitely make it again and definitely recommend it. It tasted like a
real quiche! Without feeling gross after from the eggs. Great recipe. Yum Yum
I told a wanna-be-veg that I would post some recipes whenever I cook something. None of them are original (most likely), but they are great. I'll have to start taking pictures of them to make my posts more colourful.
This one is for VEGAN FRENCH TOAST
And while I know you aren't trying to turn vegan, you should definitely try these, they are 100x better than regular french toast! Any type of bread can be used. Stale is best :) Old French bread is even better (I used the french bread that I made from scratch last week)! It tasted great and the recipe is ripe for tweaking if you wanted to add some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, or whatever.
Tahini is also used for making hummus (among a few other things), so if you want to buy some, it'll come in handy. If not, someone in the comments said that they used creamy peanut butter (tahini is just sesame seed butter). The taste would be different (stronger probably) but it sounds just as good!
I'm dying to make this for my dad, who is skeptical of my cooking veg stuff, but he is obsessed wit fancy french toast that he can get up in Massachusetts, so I would like to mess with this one a bit and see what he thinks. You know what would be good in the 'batter'? Alcohol. Just sayin'
I haven't tried the other french toast recipes, but I'm pretty hooked on this one. Also, someone mentioned making extras of these and freezing them--to be popped in the toaster later for a quick breakfast. Which sounds like a wonderful idea if I could keep from eating them all the first time around.
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
3 tablespoon tahini
3/4 cup soy/rice milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoon flour
cinnamon and nutmeg
stale french bread or THICKLY CUT stale sandwich bread
a little oil
Directions:
With a whisk or a fork mix the tahini (I use Joyva brand because it is very finely ground) and the soy milk until you have some smooth nutty milk. If both are pretty cold from the fridge, this could take some time. Listen to your favorite song. It helps, I swear.
Add the maple syrup and vanilla. Add the flour a tablespoon at a time. You may not need all three, depending on how thick your tahini was. The consistency you're looking for is almost like pancake batter--runny pancake batter. Add cinnamon and nutmeg to taste (and you CAN taste it because unlike regular french toast, there are no raw eggs to make you gag!). Use day-old vegan french bread sliced at least 1/2 thick. The thicker the vegan bread, the longer you let it sit in the goo. This is why stale vegan bread is good, you can soak the vegan bread without making it soggy. I've tried it with thickly cut homemade wheat vegan bread, and it was good, but it was kind of limp in that sad, not-so-fresh, sort of way.
On medium heat in a good non-stick pan pour a nickle-sized drop of oil and coat the pan. I'm an olive oil freak, so that's what I use. Put your vegan bread slices in and fry on both sides for 3-5 minutes. If the heat is too high, the coating will burn and the inside will be wet, so adjust the heat as you go. You may need to add a little extra oil now and then.
Preparation time: 15-20 minutes
Alive? Why yes, I am still around. I've been so busy I haven't spent much time on the computer other than writing up court briefs and the like. I'll try not to disappear for so long.
I finished up a project though. A little house-dress from a 60's pattern
.
Really easy to make, went pretty fast. Working with fabric that is wrinkly and plaid is sort of a pain, especially when you can't iron it (I wanted it to stay wrinkled -- I had to use a mini iron just for the seams). But actually, when I think about it, it worked out because you could focus on lining up the plaid lines to make it even...
So, just a cute little vintage back-wrap dress in happy summer fabric :) I needed to make something summery. And the dress is growing on me the more I look at it too.
Well, there we go, first finished project in a while! I have bought TONS of fabric lately. No time to make patterns, but I have ideas of what I want to use the fabric for, so when I have time, I'll be able to get started. Many more vintage dresses on the way! Maybe I'll have time during Spring Break :)
