Giving it a go at Owl Cupcakes!

So there was a birthday...and I needed to make cupcakes. I feel like I have done the rosette about a million times, as well as elmo, sprinkles, flowers Oh my! So I decided to try something cute. I had made cookies once before using almonds, but I knew the person I was making them for wants sugar and ONLY sugar. (hi mom!) haha. So here was my thought process...

I made the chocolate cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.
Buy here--->  http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cupcakes-Take-Over-World/dp/1569242739

I ran to my local 7-11 and grabbed a few "accidentally vegan" items
                   1. Mini Oreos for Eyes and Ears
                   2. Orange Slices to mold into a nose shape

For the Eyes I opened the mini oreos and placed a chocolate chip (whole foods brand) in the icing

For the Ears I cut the chocolate cookie of the orea in half

I piped the outside dark frosting using one bag, then the lighter frosting using another bag

Once I had what I thought looked like feathers, I dropped the eyes on, crammed the ears in and plopped the nose down.

I feel as though I was successful. I would probably make them again, maybe with more time and some fine tuning. Either way, these will be sure to be a HOOT at any party and for any age!

Hoot!

Super Easy Apple "Pie"

Here I go again. Always falling off the wagon. I hope that I can stick with it again for at least a few months to get some new recipes up online. I find it really convenient when I am out visiting and someone asks me to bake something, I just go to my blog (that I neglect) and there it is!

Here is my latest.

Baked in Vintage Pyrex

Recipe:
5 Apples of your choice peeled, sliced thin
2 Tbsp Sugar of your choice
1 Lemon juiced
1/2 lemon zested
Dash Nutmeg

Toss this and let set aside while you preheat the oven. 375*

Crust:
Open a can of crescent rolls. (Pillsbury is accidentally vegan. I have also found some "off brand" rolls that are also vegan, your choice) 

Roll out into a long rectangle and allow to warm up a little.

The pan I used was exactly the size of half of the long rectangle{9x7} ( you know how they are separated down the middle). If your pan is larger, you might want to roll out the dough a little, or use more than one container. An 8x8 pan will probably work just fine with a little bit of rolling or stretching the dough.

Procedure:
Lay one piece of dough on the bottom of the pan. Add apple mixture. Put on second piece of dough. BOOM, done!! Haha.

I baked mine for 11 minutes at 375* As always, over temps vary, so just keep an eye on yours the first time around.

Layers of yummy

All I need is some vanilla IC!

I can see this as being Christmas or Thanksgiving breakfast. So quick and easy <3 br="br">

Lemon Almond Biscotti

Hey everyone! It's been a while yes. I am terrible at keeping up with these things. But the good news is, the yummy desserts keep rolling in, and I plan on posting them (however sporadic). The inspiration behind this biscotti was my mother in laws backyard. There is a huge lemon tree and I had to make something! I came across a recipe on epicurious, and modified it a little.

Here is the original recipe...http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/VEGAN-LEMON-BISCOTTI-1233180

My modifications are as follows.
*For one of the egg replacers, instead of using 2 tablespoons water, use 2 tablespoons fresh squeeze lemon juice.
*Instead of zest from 1 lemon, got crazy and use the zest from 2 lemons (I am a rebel I know).
*Instead of dividing the dough, I made one long log, about 1 inch thick. It takes the same amount of time to bake, you just get longer biscotti's when you slice them.

And that is all! Next time I make it I am probably going to substitute all the water from the egg replacers for lemon juice. I really like to taste my lemons.

See outcome...

Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls

So I have never made my own crescent rolls before, mainly because I make mine from scratch. My Mom had wanted some for thanksgiving, so I picked up a few packs. I had no idea they were vegan, but after reading the container and a few online sources, more votes were in favor of vegan. [Veganize that old standby, pigs in a blanket, using tofu hot dogs wrapped in puff pastry. (Pepperidge Farm brand puff pastry and Pillsbury Crescent Rolls are vegan.)] <---from the PETA website.

So, as I sat on my couch this morning, my sweet tooth hit me. I grabbed a can, popped it open and spread out the dough.

Here are the steps:

1) Roll out the dough so that it is a rectangle
2) Pinch the seams
3) Melt Earth Balance and brush a layer over the dough
4) Sprinkle enough brown sugar over the butter to cover the dough
5) Sprinkle cinnamon over the brown sugar (use however much you'd like)
6) Roll the dough into a log
7) Cut into 8 rounds (less if you want really thick buns)
8) Place into a greased cake pan
9) Bake at 375* for 10 minutes

They were so good that I didn't need to make an icing for them. I did however, make a maple butter to add on mine when it was hot out the oven. (SO GOOD)

This is a great quick thanksgiving morning breakfast. No sense in slaving over breakfast when you have to slave over a huge vegan dinner!

Enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving!

Miglet's Gluten Free Bakery, Danville CA

Sorry the posts have been few and far between. I had been on vacation for a week, then played catch up for a week! I went out to CA to visit family, and while there ate at some of my favorite locations. My mother in law introduced me to an awesome bakery. They specialize in cupcakes and are completely gluten free. She was so excited that they had vegan cupcakes that we went there straight from the plane!

It is an adorable store, all pink and pretty. They have cute t-shirts that you can take home and wear with pride. I noticed some of the kids in town were wearing them to school. They had 4 vegan cupcakes for me to choose from. I jumped for joy when I saw that they had red velvet! It was very good. I give it 4 bites and 2 thumbs up! I devoured it, but not before I took a photo!

Mmm vegan red velvet!

The details:

http://www.migletsgf.com/

Enjoy!

Vegan S'mores!

I seriously think MacGyver was a vegan. I say this bc vegans have a way of making anything they want to eat, vegan. Last night I went to a bonfire. What is a bonfire without s'mores right? As a vegan, marshmallows contain gelatin, which is the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. Yum right? So, tonight I grabbed my graham crackers, baking chocolate and (yet again), Suzanne's Ricemallow to the rescue!

Bc the ricemallow is already the consistency of melted marshmallows, I came up with a plan to melt the choc. I used an aluminum foil pie pan, placed one graham cracker on it, placed the chocolate on top of that and placed it over a hot spot on the fire. When the chocolate starts to melt, remove from the fire, dollop on some ricemallow, add the top graham cracker and enjoy! It may sound like a lot of work but I promise you it is not. You don't even have to go hunting around for sticks!

Here is my delicious proof...

I bet if I didn't tell you, you would never know they were vegan!

See you at the next bonfire!

Cranberry Upside Down Cake!

What normal person has several pounds of locally picked cranberries sitting on their counter (besides Shelly)? I have been eyeballing these babies for a couple of days now, wondering what on earth will I do with them all? I woke up this morning after reading my Urban Vegan cookbook before bed and had the answer! Cranberry Upside Down cake!!

The Recipe:

1/2 cup vegan butter divided in half
3/4 cup brown sugar
12 oz fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
I Tbsp soy flour  (I don't have that laying around, so I used 1 Tbsp cornstarch)
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp lemon oil or 1 Tbsp lemon zest. (I used lemon extract bc that is all I had)

 First:

Grease 9 inch cake pan
Melt 1/4 cup butter and brown sugar on stove
Pour mixture into oiled cake pan
Arrange cranberries on top

Next:

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, soy flour (or cornstarch).
In separate bowl, beat the butter with the extracts and soy milk.

Then:

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients = Batter! (yes, you must eat a finger full)

Finally:

Pour the batter over the cranberries and pop in the over for 40 minutes at 350*

When the cake comes out of the oven, run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake pan to prevent sticking. Allow to cool for 30 mins. Flip that baby over on plate of your choice and admire your work!

All washed and ready to go!

Sitting on top of a beautiful butter and brown sugar mixture

Seconds away from the oven

Smells SO good!

Finished product.

Caramel Apple Bake! Oh Nom Nom!

I have a ton of apple sitting in my dining room waiting to be turned into desserts. Today's adventure...the caramel apple bake! I found what sounded to be promising on Chooseveg.com. Anything with the word caramel in it gets me all worked up! Being vegan caramel is something you feared never eating again. Well, this cake is super simple and already half gone!

Here is the direct link to the website... http://www.chooseveg.com/display_recipe.asp?recipe=28

Now I will lay it down for you...

Apple Caramel Bake

3/4 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups apples, peeled and chopped 1/2 cups slivered almonds 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup margarine 3/4 cup boiling water 1/2 cup soy milk

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8"x 8" glass baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, apples, and almonds. Set aside. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the brown sugar, margarine, and boiling water. Stir until the butter is melted. Add the soy milk to the flour mixture. Stir well then spread into the prepared baking dish. Pour the sugar topping over the batter and bake for 40 minutes.

And now the photos...

Mixing the apples with the dry ingredients.

Pouring in the milk

Nice chunky batter!

I did not have a glass pan so I lined a metal one with foil. Worked great! I coated it with olive oil to prevent sticking!

The butter, water and brown sugar mixture sitting on top.

Fresh out of the oven!

The first piece. Look at all that ooooey gooooey caramel!

I am in <3 with this cake!

Apple Pie!

For those of you that don't know, I have a love for antique things. One group of them happens to be old cookbooks. My mom was the classic 1970's mom without the drugs. Although I grew up in the 80's, the cookbook never changed! Now that I am the one who loves to cook, I got her original "I got this when I made the mistake of getting married" cookbook! Nothing excites me more than seeing the 1968 copyright date and all the oil stains from times ago. I made my apple pie over the weekend from this book and cried tears of joy baking it in my antique Mrs Smith's pie pan. Nothing in the world bakes a pie crust like these pans. My heart skips a beat when I find one at a yard sale. (which happened this weekend!).

I will share with you the pie crust. This recipe makes a top and bottom

2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
5 to 7 Tbsp cold water

Mix salt and flour, cut in shortening, add water slowly to desired consistency.  
Cut dough in half, leaving one side slightly larger for the bottom crust.
Wrap in plastic wrap
Chill until Cold!
Get baking!

Apples from Conte's Farm in Tabernacle, NJ

Go Organic! Avoid the GMO all veg shortenings

Put those scraps to use! A cute apple baked on top!

Lattice work makes a world of difference!

Vegan Apple Cider Donuts

One of my favorite Vegetarian Times issues is the Sept 2009. It inspired me to go out and buy my donut pans. Yesterday I made some of the apple cider donuts. I love these! Nothing makes the house smell better than boiling hot apple cider! I tweaked the recipe a little, bc I like things spicy! I made 1 dozen mini and 4 large with one recipe.

The recipe is as follows:

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 cup apple cider
1 1/2 tsp egg replacer (Ener-G) {mixed with 2 Tbsp water)
1/3 cup soy milk
5 Tbsp apple butter or apple sauce
4 Tbsp vegan margarine

Boil the apple cider until it is reduced to 1/3 cup.

While this is boiling, mix all the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl

Once mixture is reduced, add margarine, apple sauce, soy milk, and egg replacer.

Mix wet mixture into dry. Pour into prepared donut pans and bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes

When donuts come out and are still hot, toss them in a sugar and cinnamon mixture. I put my sugar mixture in a tiny food processor to make the sugar very fine.

Eat and enjoy!

Suzannes Ricemellow Crème....Oh My!

Ok Vegans, here we go! How many of you miss marshmallow fluff??? I know I do! I have a secret to share with you. You ready??? It's called Suzanne's Ricemellow Creme. I have mentioned it for my vegan fruit dip, but now as the season cools down, I have another use to share with you. Make a hot chocolate and top off with a heaping spoon of ricemellow! Simple recipe = Hot choc veganized! Here is the link again

And this is a quick shot of my snack :)
http://www.suzannes-specialties.com/khxc/index.php?app=ccp0&ns=prodshow&ref=ricemellow

And this is a quick shot of my snack :) I had to go easy on the ricemellow being it was my 3rd helping.

Baking Egg Replacing Tips

I came across a list of substitute egg replacers the other day and I wanted to share it with everyone. Bookmark this page bc you know you will need to come back. I have used the flax seed replacement a million times and I can never remember the ratio off the top of my head.

Here is the list.

• 1 Tablespoon Flax seeds ground with 3 Tablespoons water
• 2 Heaping teaspoons Soy powder + 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 Tablespoon (chick pea) or soya flour and 1 Tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup apple sauce (in sweet recipes)
• 1 Tablespoon arrowroot, 1 Tablespoon soy flour and 2 Tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup soft tofu blended with the liquid portion of the recipe
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1/2 large banana, mashed
• 2 Tablespoons Potato starch (Instant mash potatoes)
• 2 Tablespoons flour, 1/2 Tablespoon shortening, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 2 teaspoons water
• Ener-G egg replacer ( http://www.ener-g.com/store/detail.aspx?section=8&cat=8&id=97

These are each Per Egg (1 egg) If your recipes calls for 2 eggs, double whichever option you picked. Example : 2 Tablespoons Flax seeds and 6 Tablespoons water = 2 eggs

Now when you want to bake but panic bc you ran out of what ever staple you use as an egg replacer , you can always find a back up laying around the kitchen!

If you know something that is not on the list, please share!

Vegan Peanut Brittle

I just wanted to share a small secret on how to make Vegan Peanut Brittle. You can take any of your peanut brittle recipes that call for butter, and use vegan butter. Ta-Da! That easy. Just omit the salt, since Earth Balance is salty enough. Plus remember not to buy roasted salted peanuts, salt overkill!

SO EASY! Great gift, great snack.

Seriously Stuffed PB and Chocolate Chip Cookies

OK, these cookies may take a little extra time assembling, but it is TOTALLY worth it. I find that they taste best the 2nd day (and a 3rd if they last that long!) I got the recipe from The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes by Kris Holechek. I bought this book months ago on Amazon bc I needed one cheap thing for free shipping and now I am very glad that I did!




The Recipe Follows:
Dough:
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c margarine
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix it, it should feel like play-doh. Set aside

Filling:
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/3 c. chocolate chips
1/4 tsp salt

Mix. Mine was a little dry, so I added water to help it form into a ball.

The books says take a piece of dough a little smaller than a golf ball and press it flat on wax or parchment paper. I used pretty hefty size balls, maybe a little larger than a golf ball. Press them flat and add a tsp of the filling in the middle. Fold over the sides and flip seam side down. If the dough cracks, just squeeze it back together. Bake on a parchment, 9 min @ 350 was perfect in my oven.

Enjoy!

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

Hey Ya'll. Sorry I am so bad at this! I wanted to post a great recipe I found for PB cookies! Since turning vegan, I have been very disappointed in the recipes I have tested. Veg Times sent me an email that saved the day!

1 cup PB (your choice)
1/2 Veg Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Tbsp Water
1 tsp Van X
3/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 cup Flour

Mix it, roll it into a ball, roll the ball in sugar, do the fork thing (to make the little squares) then stick it in the oven @ 350* for 13-15 mins.

I hope this helps with all the holiday baking that you may have coming up!

More Cupcakes!

A friend had a b-day and I of course sent some cupcakes to work. I always find out things last minute, so the night before at around 10pm I start whipping something together. I didn't want to write anything on them, or pipe little hats because at 10pm, I am tired. I did my standard Vegan Vanilla and Cream Cheese frosting, filled up a piping bag with a large tip, and piped away. I have a stash of all sorts of sprinkles under my bed (in a nice box) and grabbed the large dots that say "hey look at me it's my birthday". Needless to say, someone at work asked what bakery they had got them from. Which always gets me thinking....some day....

Wedding Cupcakes!

So it has been a crazy summer! I need to get on the ball with this blog thing. Maybe one day I will be serious about it. Until then, bits and pieces here and there. I wanted to post pics of my wedding cupcakes. Maybe they will inspire you on your journey through the crazy seas of wedding planning. I made the stand myself. Very easy, just takes a little bit of time. My colors were black and white, so I decided to stick with the theme and carry it over to the edibles! The cupcakes are vegan. If I didn't tell them no one would have known. All the food we had was! People survived the night without meat and ended up full and happy (crazy I know).

Stand directions:
Buy cake circles in the sizes you want. I had 4 tiers, so I bought 4 different sizes, largest on the bottom. I hot glued 3 on top of each other for thickness. I picked out my wrapping paper and cut the circle for it, and glued that on using a glue stick. I bought the ribbon the width of the circles and hot glued that on the edges. I bought cake dummies to stack in the center, wrapped them in wrapping paper, hot glued those on to the circles. Tada. If you want to put a cake on the top, you will have to have a better support system in the center of the stand. Mine held cupcakes just fine, but would have toppled over with a heavy cake on it.

That is a rough sketch of how to do it. If you need more help you can contact me. It's cheaper than buying a cupcake stand for 80-100 bucks.

Vegan Raspberry Chocolate Cake

My friend had a birthday over the weekend and I jumped at the opportunity to make the cake! I wanted to share 2 parts of the cake so that you could make it at home! So here it goes...















Super Moist Chocolate Cake: (this makes 2 8' rounds)
3 c. Flour
2 c. Sugar
12 Tbsp Cocoa Powder (3/4 c)
2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
Add:
2 c. Cold Water
1/2 c. Veg Oil
2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
4 tsp Vanilla

Grease and flour pan
Bake 25-30 mins 350*
Note: If you cut the recipe in half, it fills a 8x8 pan and is great cover in a dusting of powdered sugar for an easy party dessert.


Now the Ganache Recipe:
3/4 c. Rice Milk
1/4 c. Soy Butter
12 oz. Vegan Chocolate (chips are cheapest to use)

Over a double boiler (put a large bowl over a pan of boiling water), Melt the butter in the milk. When completely melted, add chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.

I doubled the recipe to make this cake. I cooled half the choc mixture and used it as an icing over the cake (a thin layer called a crumb coat) and iced the sides as well as the rosettes on the top. When you pour the ganache over the cake, make sure it is slightly cool, if too hot it will run fast down the sides and not leave a thick even layer over the top.

I am going to keep the filling a secret, being I need something to make this cake "my own". I am sure you will think of a million yummy things to fill this cake with. Have fun, don't be nervous, you can't mess up chocolate!!!

Vegan Chocolate CHip Cookies

Here goes a recipe!

2 c. All Purpose Flour (GLUTEN FREE: I like RICE flour and the All Purpose GF mixes)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 c. Brown Sugar (this is the key to flavor!)
1/4 c. Maple Syrup (the real stuff)
1/2 c. Veg Oil (I Use a little less)
2 Egg Replacers ( I use NRG Egg Replacer, found at wholefoods and health food stores)
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract (alcohol free) (I like using 1/4 of a van bean pod)
1 1/2 c. Chocolate Chips (check for non-dairy!)

What I do to make my life simple is add all the wet ingredients to the mixing bowl (Map Syrp, Veg Oil, Van X, Egg replacer) If using a mixer throw it on low so the oil emulsifies. Sift (or mix with a whisk) the dry ingredients together (not choc chips yet). Add the dry to the wet, mix until combine. Add in the Choc Chips (what you haven't been eating as you mix all the ingredients, I know you!) Mix only for a short time bc the chips will start to break and little choc flecks will color your cookies. I use an ice cream scooper to make sure all my cookies come out round and the same size for even baking! Bake at 350* , check cookies around 9 minutes. All ovens are crazy, so you will have to gauge the time according to yours.

These last a while in a sealed container. (Unless your house is like mine, that means 2 days) Once you make these you will never go back to the evil cookies with the chickens and cows in them! All kidding aside, these are really tasty! If you don't have egg replacer yet and you love baking as a vegan, pick it up! It will not go bad sitting in your cupboard!