Scraps and Snippets ~ German Chocolate Yum Bars

I have this need to experiment. So why not just feed that need. Right? I wanted to make pecan pie for Thanksgiving but not just any pecan pie. Oh no. How about a pecan pie with chocolate and coconut and let's see, isn't that what German chocolate is? Caramel, coconut, chocolate and pecans. Yup. 

My pie didn't look real hot. The caramel bubbled over in the oven. UGH. Fortunately I had been lazy and left a cookie sheet on the bottom oven rack and it caught the drips. Yes. There are benefits to taking the lazy route sometimes. Anyhoo. I thought I'd try this again in bar format. It still bubbled and grew but didn't pour out over the 8 x 11 pan. I'd suggest the cookie sheet trick just in case though. 

The crust makes two. So either stay tuned for tomorrow's recipe or freeze half, or double the filling and gorge yourself. So delicious. 

Crust: 

1 Cup coconut oil melted
3 Cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry)
4 TBSP milk of choice
1/3 Cup loose pack brown sugar
1 tsp salt. 

Mix it all together and form it into two balls. Grease the sides of an 8 x 11 and press one of the balls into the bottom of the pan. Save the other ball or freeze it for later. Or 1/2 the recipe if you are a fun hater. 

Filling: 

Toast a 1/2 Cup of coconut. (put on cookie sheet, place in 350 degree oven, heat for 10 minutes, stir, put back in for 5. Is it golden and fragrant? Good, if not, put it back in for a few more minutes til it is. Set aside.

In a bowl combine: 

3/4 Cup brown sugar
3/4 Cup brown rice syrup (corn syrup would likely work just fine, as would honey)
1/4 Cup milk of choice or water
1 TBSP of Ener G (or cornstarch or arrowroot would probably work)

1/2 TBSP vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Stir well.

Add 1 1/2 Cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 Cups pecans or pecan pieces
1/2 Cup shredded coconut
Stir. Pour over crust. 

Sprinkle with the toasted coconut. Bake for 35 minutes at 350. Let cool and serve. (Can be served warm but it firms up better as it cools. If you keep it in the fridge you will lose a tooth so let it get back to room temperature before serving to guests. 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Lemon Garlic Avocado Tempeh Sandwiches

1 Package Tempeh sliced into strips
1 TBSP garlic infused olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon garlic pepper blend
1 avocado sliced
Thinly sliced onion
Bread/bun of choice

Mix the oil, seasoning and lemon juice together and place the sliced tempeh in it and turn to coat both sides. Place onions on the bread, buns and broil until bread is toasted and onions begin to caramel use. Remove. Brown tempeh. Place tempeh over onions and top with avocado slices.  Serve.

Scraps and Snippets ~ I've Found the Trick to Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas ~ A Sweet Version and A Savory One, Too.

I love the idea of roasted chickpeas. Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are packed with protein and fiber. These little guys, when done right, can conquer the need-to-crunch craving. And the extra fiber and protein mean that a small handful can go a long way to satisfy.

I've attempted recipes I've found on blogs which require baking/roasting the chickpeas for 45 minutes at 425 to 450 degrees. I've been disappointed in the crunch factor. But roasting longer means some of them or all of them are going to burn. The trick is letting them dehydrate after roasting. (Go ahead and make these the day before, they don't lose their crunch when packed in a lidded container.)

Mixing is quick but baking takes a bit longer. You will bake/roast them at 425 for 40 minutes turning them at 20 minutes. Drop the oven temperature to 300 and let them bake another half hour or so. Turn off the heat and allow the pan to sit in the oven while it cools.

Thai Chickpeas

Rinse and dump one can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) in a bowl. (If you do your own beans from dried it is 1 and 2/3 cup cooked beans). Add.
1 TBSP soy sauce
½ TBSP peanut butter
½ teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix well.

Dump coated beans on a greased cookie tray. Bake at 425 for 40 minutes turning at 20 minutes. After 40 minutes turn oven to 300 and cook an additional half hour. Turn off oven and leave the tray alone until it until it cools. (an hour) (These make fun croutons.)


A sweet version: Cinnamon Maple Chickpea Crunch

1/2 TBSP melted coconut oil
2 TBSP maple syrup
1/2 TBSP brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix ingredients in a bowl and add a drained/rinsed can of chickpeas (if you make your own beans from dry this will be approx 1 2/3 Cup of cooked chickpeas.) Mix well and dump on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 425 for 40 minutes turning at 20 minutes. After 40 minutes turn oven to 300 and cook an additional half hour. Turn off oven and leave the tray alone until it until it cools. (an hour)

Scraps and Snippets ~ Asian Slaw Salad of Deliciousness....

One of my favorite salads of all time is a tie between Applebees and Panera. Same salad, just different versions. However. It contains meat and dairy, and well, it's a thing of the past. Goodbye Asian Chicken Salad. I do actually miss you. A little. Enough to try to create you Vegan style at home. 

If you've not tried the orange glazed Vegan chicken sub nuggets at Trader Joe's (Chicken-less Mandarin Orange Morsels). Get there and get some. Crazy good. Omnivores accused me of stopping by McD's and picking up a 20 pack of the dreaded mcnuggs...shudder...when they peeked inside my oven.

You bake em, you put glaze on them and then you put a few on top of this beauty. Oh YUM!

This makes a good sized salad. Enough to feed 8.

1 bag broccoli slaw  (standard sized)
1 bag cole slaw  (standard sized) (or shredded cabbage and carrot)
1 larger head of romaine (chopped)
1 bag pea sprouts

Rinse and drain and mix together in a big bowl. 

Add sides of the following for people to doctor their own salads custom style. I put some of the dressing on the salad and mixed well.

Toasted almond slivers. (ten minutes in a 300 degree oven does it.)
Toasted sesame seeds (ditto)
Sesame sticks
chopped green onion
grated fresh ginger
soy sauce
additional things that sound good to you
dressing
Chicken-less Mandarin Orange Morsels

Dressing: 

3 1/2 TBSP rice vinegar or mixture of rice and orange vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 TBSP sesame oil
2 TBSP orange juice (Juice a fresh orange)
1 TBSP maple syrup or sugar

Mix well.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Gingerbread Nachos ~

Gingerbread Nachos

I've included some easier store bought suggestions to substitute for the homemade version if you aren't a big fan of cooking and mixing. But it's as easy as making Christmas cookies. And of note, the homemade cookies and dips are lower in fat and contain healthier ingredients than standard holiday fare. Win. Win.

This recipe will feed lots of nibblers. (at least a dozen unless they are starved and this is the only thing you are offering them.) :  ) 
Gingerbread Men

(If you want to take a shortcut any vegan ginger or cinnamon cookies will do. In addition each of these dips would taste great on apple slices and pretzels so put those out as well.
These little guys are pretty simple to make.

Prep two to three cookies trays with coconut oil, spray or butter. Preheat oven to 350.

1/2 Cup coconut oil or non-dairy butter
1/2 Cup applesauce
1 Cup brown sugar (if you are a big fan of sweet add an additional 1/4 cup, these are not overly sweet but kids and adults alike liked them with the recipe as written.) (Also, you will use additional brown sugar as you roll out the cookies.)
6 TBSP molasses
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of almond extract (can sub vanilla)
4 Cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour).

Combine room temperature oil/non-dairy butter and applesauce, add spices, soda and tartar and mix well. Add sugar and molasses and combine until completely incorporated. Stir in extract and mix. Finally add the flour and mix well. Chill for ten minutes. Grab about a 1/3 of the dough and roll it between two sheets of waxed paper to slightly thicker than pie dough or equivalent to sugar cookie dough. Sprinkle the dough with brown sugar. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 1 minute. Remove to cooling rack. Reroll cookie dough for another batch. If the dough starts to get sticky refrigerate for another 5 minutes or so. This will make 50-60 cookies depending on size. This batch made about 50 3 x 2 inch gingerbread and 20 1 and 1/2 x 1 inch mini guys.

Nacho Dips (There are five)

The Cran-Orange Dip and the Cinnavanilla Dips are as follows:

You combine the first three ingredients in a food processor and then divide that in half.

1 Can drained white (canelli/navy/white) beans (If you soak and cook your own 1 2/3 cups prepared)

1 Cup brown sugar

1 TBSP vanilla

Whir until smooth.

Place half this mixture (approx ¾ cup) into a serving bowl and stir in a strong ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.

To remaining dip in processor add the following:

Zest of one orange

½ Cup dried cranberries

Combine until cranberries are pulverized. Place in a serving bowl.

Place both of those dips in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

To make easy versions of these:

Cran-Orange Dip

3 TBSP non-dairy cream cheese

1 TBSP orange marmalade (Vegan)

1 TBSP finely chopped dried cranberries or canned cranberry sauce. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

CinnaVanilla

3 TBSP Non-dairy cream cheese

1 TBSP brown sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Peanut Butter Maple Caramel

¼ Cup brown sugar

1 TBSP coconut oil or non-dairy butter

2 TBSP milk

¼ Cup maple syrup

2 TBSP peanut butter

Combine all in a pan, bring to a rolling boil stirring constantly, boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Place in refrigerator until ten minutes before you are ready to serve.

“Egg Nog” Dip

1 Can full fat coconut milk chilled for 2 days so the fat separates from the coconut water. (Use Thai Kitchen, Whole Foods 365 brand or Trader Joe's – not Geisha)

2 TBSP maple syrup

¼ Cup powdered sugar

2 sprinkles of cinnamon

¾ to 1 teaspoon nutmeg (start small, you can always add more)

Coconut milk makes great whipped cream. You scrape (some brands are thicker than others. Trader Joe's is the thickest and needs the least amount of time to separate/chill) the thick white layer into a bowl, leaving the watery layer behind (if you are a smoothie or juice drinker or like Thai food, you can save the watery leftovers for one of those). Whip the cream, add the other ingredients and whip until fluffy. It gets firmer in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Cream Dip:

½ Cup  non-dairy cream cheese

          3 TBSP coconut oil or non-dairy butter

1 TBSP pumpkin puree

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 Cup powdered sugar

Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Oreo Bars - Plain, Peppermint and Vegan

These suckers are delish.

3 TBSP Earth Balance (room temp)
2 TBSP coconut oil (room temp)
3 TBSP vegan cream cheese
1 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup flour (I used whole grain)
1/4 Cup chocolate chips (Veg of course)
12 Crushed oreos, Jo Jo's or Newman Os (set a handful aside for covering the bars)
 For peppermint 1/3 Cup crushed vegan candy cane or peppermints (save a small amount for topping)

Preheat oven to 375 and grease an 8 x 11 or 7 x 11 pan.

Mix Earth Balance, coconut oil and cream cheese together. Add sugar and vanilla and stir well. Pour in flour and mix. Finally add the chocolate chips, oreo bits (save some for topping) and if going peppermint add that and mix together.

Press into pan and add oreo bits and mint chips as topping. Bake 12-14 minutes.

Cool. Cut into bars.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Sinai Chop Salad

Sinai Chop Salad

Ingredients are cut into bite sized pieces so every bite has a little of everything.

One can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) (If you have dried around, make your own. A can = about 1 and 2/3 cup cooked beans.)

Three heads of Romaine lettuce washed and chopped

Two cucumbers. Remove most of the skin but leave just a bit for color and chop into bite sized pieces.

Four small dill pickles (chopped)

Purple onion ½ to a whole onion, depending on size and your preference (small chopped)

Four to six tomatoes (chopped)

Dressing: (Make this at least the day before so all the flavors marry)

2 TBSP tahini (Sesame seed paste with a very distinct flavor should be in internal section of the store.) (If this scares you, or you don't want a jar of tahini in your fridge you can use hummus)

4 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar (may need more or some water to get to consistency you'd like)

1 teaspoons oregano (dried) or equivalent in fresh

1 teaspoon dill (dried) or equivalent in fresh

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon sea salt.

Toss all the salad ingredients into a big bowl.

Drizzle dressing over salad. Serve with pitas. Feel free to toss chunked falafels into the mix, too.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Oreo Pie ~ Vegan MoFo #5

This little recipe makes one larger pie or two small or tart sized pans. 

I made it twice. With the classic Oreo and Trader Joe's Jo-Jos. Taste wise equally good. But there is a crust adjustment depending on which cookie you use. Not sure about Newman-O's.

Oreo or Jo-Jo Pie.

Cookie Crust:
 
24 Oreos (or other Vegan chocolate sandwich cookies) (additional 8-10 cookies for filling and to crumble over the pie. Crumble these and set aside)
1 TBSP coconut oil (if using Oreos. If you use Jo-Jo's skip this, the filling is softer in Jo-Jo's.
Toss whole cookies in food processor (filling intact) and powder them. Add the coconut oil if needed. Press into a large pie pan, 9 x 11 bar pan or two small/tart pans. Place in refrigerator.

Filling:

1 - 12.3 ounce MoriNu firm silken tofu.
1 3/4 Cup powdered sugar (You can make your own from granulated Vegan, organic Turbindo etc. You just put the amount of sugar you need in a Vitamix (replace two teaspoons per cup of sugar with corn starch or arrowroot and whip it good until it is powder. Thanks CCK. )
2 TBSP arrowroot
1/2 TBSP vanilla.

Place tofu, arrowroot and vanilla in food processor and blend. Add powdered sugar. Blend into completely incorporated. Add most of the crushed cookie pieces to the filling (don't process these with the blade, just stir them in and save some for the top of the pie).

Pour filling into the crust and return to refrigerator.

Ganache:

1/2 cup on non-dairy milk
1 Cup vegan chocolate chips

Heat milk in double boiler. When warm, add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Let cool to room temperature.

When cooled, pour over pie filling. Refrigerate until set.

Whipped Cream:  

(Plan ahead on this. One can of full fat (not lite) coconut milk which needs to be placed in the refrigerator and left for at least 48 hours. I've always got one can in my fridge, if not two. And Trader Joe's now has full fat coconut milk in the can and it's fabulous.) When the can is chilled, you open it, and skim off the thick layer of coconut cream (this is not coconut oil, it's about the texture of sour cream if not chilled through and whipped butter if it is and there is a wetter milky layer underneath that you don't want. You want just the thick solid stuff. You can keep the milky stuff for smoothies etc. put in a freezer bag and toss it into the freezer if you don't want to use it right away.) Now, use a mixer, or whisk to whip the coconut cream into a whipped cream texture. Add powdered sugar to taste, I used 2 TBSP. Place the cream into a pastry bag or large zipper bag. Put in fridge if not ready for it. When ready, and when the chocolate ganache is set cut the tip off the plastic bag and dot dollops around the pie or pipe a large ring around the pie, or fill the pie top with dollops of cream. Sprinkle the remaining crushed cookies over the cream.

Return to the refrigerator and let set  up for an hour before serving.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Dessert Nachos ~ Vegan MoFo #4

Back story. Years ago I went to Cheeseburgers in Paradise with friends. Dessert options included Dessert Nachos. Great idea. The cinnamon sugar tortilla chips were topped with ice cream and there was sauce and some fruit. I don't remember exactly what was on it, but I do remember it was good, and I was annoyed at the quick melting ice cream. 

Here is my vegan re-creation and it's way better than the original. These sauces/drizzles may end up on your go-to list for things like topping non-dairy ice cream, pancakes, waffles and even finger licking sessions. I tried this recipe out on total omnivores who invited us for dinner. After they consumed steak and salmon while I ate salads, we brought out the dessert buffet. They couldn't leave them alone and three of the bowls were literally finger-licked cleaned. 

This will serve 6 to 8 with some leftovers.


Dessert Nachos

8 tortilla shells.  

Melt 1/2 TBSP coconut oil and dribble it on two shells at a time, smear them onto two others, front and back. If you have a spray coconut oil that would work as well. 

Mix approx 2 TBSP sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon together.Sprinkle on front and back of each tortilla. Cut them into wedges or strips and line a pan. Use parchment paper, silpat or a greased pan if it's not a baking stone. Bake at 350 for approximately 12-15 minutes. This depends on your pan. I had a non-stick and a baking stone. The stone crisped quicker. Watch them as they can overbake. Cool, then place in a covered container for your get together. By the way, these are amazing eaten all by themselves or dipped in almond or peanut butter.

Then you will make the base for your dips.


1 can (or 1 2/3 cup home cooked) white beans. Rinse, place beans in sauce pan with 1 cup water and simmer for 20 minutes until they break down and the water is absorbed.

Cool. Dump beans into a food processor. Add 1 TBSP vanilla and 1/2 Cup of sugar. Whir until fully incorporated and smooth.

You can make three dips. If there is only one you want to make, then triple the ingredients for that dip and use all of the bean mixture for that one. However, you will probably want to make all three. They are pretty stinking tasty.

If you are going to follow my strong suggestion to make all three divide bean mix into three segments, scrape two out and place into bowls. The third leave in food processor. Each dip is approximately 1/2 cup.

Into bowl one add the following:


Cinnarollvanilla nacho dip

1 TBSP brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
 
Stir well and refrigerate at least 20 minutes.

Strawbalicious Nacho Dip

This is the batch already in the food processor.
Add 3/4 can of sweetened frozen strawberries and 1/2 half of a banana and whir until mixed. (make your own sweetened strawberries by chopping a dozen strawberries and sprinkling them with 2 TBSP sugar and stir til the sugar melts, use only 3/4 of this and save the rest for make a drizzle for the nacho plate.) Scrape into the third bowl and refrigerate at least 20 minutes.

Strawberry Banana Sauce


In the food processor go ahead and make the strawberry banana drizzle. Add the other half of the banana and the remaining strawberries and whir. Place this into a small Ziploc bag (you can snip a corner off to squirt when the you prep the nachos) or container and place in the fridge.


Mexican Mocha Nacho Dip

The last bowl of bean mixture gets:
2 TBSP cocoa powder
2 TBSP of cold brewed coffee or cold press coffee
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Stir well and refrigerate at least 20 minutes.


Fudgy Mocha Sauce

1/4 Cup non-dairy milk heated
2 TBSP cold coffee rewarmed
1/4 Cup chocolate chips
2 shakes of cinnamon
2 shakes of salt

Heat milk and coffee in a saucepan. Shake cinnamon in. When warm pour in chocolate chips and stir until melted. Again, place in a small container and refrigerate or a ziploc bag. (You will need to bring this back to room temperature twenty minutes or so before using.)



Vanilla Caramel sauce

1/4 Cup brown sugar
3 TBSP coconut oil
2 TBSP non-dairy milk
1/4 Cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 shakes of salt


Melt coconut oil, add brown sugar and maple syrup. Combine until the mixture melts and begins to bubble. Add milk and stir until all is incorporated and the sauce comes to a simmer. Simmer for about a minute. Remove from heat. Add the cinnamon and salt and stir and vanilla and stir. Again, place in a small container and refrigerate or a ziploc bag. (You will need to bring this back to room temperature twenty minutes or so before using.)


Fruit Salsa

Place the following in a bowl:

1/2 a banana sliced 
1 lime (juice one half of lime over banana slices) (slice the remaining half into wedges or slices for garnish) 
6 strawberries, sliced 
two handfuls of fresh raspberries cut in half 
Two kiwis peeled and diced 
1 mango diced

Mix and garnish with the lime slices/wedges.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Vegan Peanut Butter Caramel Sauce

Vegan Peanut Butter Caramel Sauce


1/2 Cup non-dairy milk (I used Organic Vanilla Soy)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 Cup peanut butter
1/4 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup crushed peanuts (I used salted, no skins)

Combine the milk, sugar, peanut butter and salt in a medium sauce pan. Heat and stir constantly until mixture begins to boil. Boil for one minute. The texture will change and become caramelly as you stir. Add peanuts. 

Serve over ice cream, brownies, on a spoon. Refrigerate leftovers if there are any.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Roasted Tomato Bean Soup

After seeing a few recipes for Roasted Tomato Soup and trying one prior that was okay but not quite there, I played around and came up with this concoction. I love soup, but vegetable soup is not always filling enough to make it a full meal.

Rob says it's the best soup ever. That's high praise.

10-12 medium (organic/heirloom) tomatoes cut into wedges
1 can (or 1 2/3 cups cooked) white beans
1/2 cup or so of diced eggplant
4-5 mushrooms (regular sized)
6-8 Kalamata olives
1 sliced onion
6 cloves garlic sliced
5 cups vegetable broth
fresh basil (6-7 leaves chiffonade)
fresh thyme (the leaves from 3 sprigs)
Sea Salt


Heat oven to 425. Chop and dice eggplant, tomatoes, onions, garlic, mushrooms. Lay out on two greased cookie sheets. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt. 

Roast for 20-25 minutes. When they are close (check at 18-19 minutes place the basil on the cookie sheet) Veggies should be tender, beginning to caramelize and are darkening. Place the slightly cooled veggies in a food processor with the beans, olives, thyme and another few shakes of salt. Puree all. 

Dump into a crockpot or large saucepan. Add the vegetable broth and heat through or simmer on low.

Scraps and Snippets ~ What's for Dinner? Zucchini Potato Burgers

Zucchini Potato Burgers

1 Potato (Shredded)

1/2 Zucchini (Shredded) 

1/2 Carrot (Shredded)

(I used the shredder blade on my food processor) 

Dump the veggies in another bowl. 

Put the blade in the processor. 

Toss in 1/4 cups olives

1 clove garlic

1/2 an onion

1/2 Cup mushrooms

1/2 Cup nuts of choice

1/2 TBSP ketchup

1/2 TBSP lemon juice

1/2 TBSP soy sauce

1 Cup gluten flour

Use the shredder blade and shred the potato, zucchini and carrot. Dump in another bowl. 

Blend the remaining items with the blade. (Except for the gluten flour.). 

Dump the blended mixture into the shredded vegetables. Mix well. Add the flour and stir well. 

Form into patties and place in frying pan. (Lightly sprayed) Heat until browned on one side. Flip and brown other side. Serve.  Makes approx 8-10 burgers. Great reheated.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Vegan Maple Pecan Monkey Bread

Vegan Maple Pecan Monkey Bread

Dough

• 3 teaspoons yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110-115 f)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 TBSP coconut oil
• 1 TBSP ground flax
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups flour + additional (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup) to knead into dough as needed. (I used mix of unbleached white and whole wheat pastry flour)

Place yeast in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the warm water, stir, add sugar. Let sit for several minutes until it looks foamy. Add oil, salt, flax and remaining water. Stir. Add the flour. Begin kneading the dough, adding flour until it becomes elastic and smooth.  BTW, I usually do this right in the bowl. Cover the dough and set aside for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. The dough will double. 

The Gooey Stuff

2-3 TBSP Earth Balance or coconut oil
1/3 Cup Maple syrup
1/3 Cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 Cup pecans

Preheat oven to 375

While waiting for dough to rise melt 2 -3 TBSP of Earth Balance or coconut oil in a small bowl. 

In an additional small bowl mix together two teaspoons cinnamon and 1/3 cup of sugar until blended. 

Chop or crush pecans if not already in pieces. 

When dough is doubled break it into approximate 1 inch balls. Dip each ball into Earth Balance/coconut oil then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Fill the bottom of a greased bundt pan. Pour half the pecans and half the maple syrup over the monkey nuggets. Then continue with the dough balls until you run out. Pour the remaining pecans and maple syrup over the last row and if you have cinnamon/sugar and oil left drizzle/sprinkle that over the top. 

Bake at 375 for 23-25 Minutes

When done let sit for a few minutes then place a serving plate over the bundt pan and invert. Let sit again for a few minutes then lift the pan off the bread, protecting yourself from steam. Serve. 

The maiden voyage of this recipe was nearly perfect. It wasn't all that much more involved to make the bread than to cut  those super processed biscuits into quarters. And with the flax and whole grain flour it feels better, too. I did try this with just the maple syrup and no sugar. It just wasn't gooey enough. Close. But the addition of the brown sugar coating each piece will take it to the next level.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Raspberry Sugared Pecan Spinach Salad Recipe

Raspberry Sugared Pecan Spinach Salad

Serves 4-8 depending on whether side or meal and how hungry folks are. 

Spinach leaves dusted with finely chopped red onions, sugared pecans and whole raspberries.

To sugar pecans toss about a cup of pecan pieces in a skillet. Heat them until they begin to warm and become fragrant. Toss in 2-3 TBSP of sugar and stir, shake or toss until the sugar coats the pecans. Take off heat and let cool. 

Salad:

4-5 handfuls spinach leaves

1/2 a purple onion fine dice

1 Cup sugared pecans

1 Cup raspberries

Dressing (This is bright, brilliant pink) Makes about 1 1/2 cups. Store leftovers in the fridge.

1 and ½ cups raspberries (frozen or smooshed ones work great!)

1/8 to ¼ cup of lemon juice (to taste)

1 tsp spicy mustard (or to taste)

2 tsp agave syrup (or to taste if you want sweeter, add more)

Whir the dressing ingredients in high speed blender (or food processor) until all incorporated and smooth. 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Chocolate Orange Cup Cookies, and Mint-Fudge Candy

Chocolate Orange Cups 
Makes 24

1 cup coconut oil
Juice/zest of one orange
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt

Combine ingredients well. Place in refrigerator 10-15 minutes. If you chill the dough longer, you will need to let it sit out a bit so it become pliable.

Roll the dough into walnut sized balls. Press them into mini muffin tins and press down with your thumb so dough forms a cup. Bake at 350 for 13 minutes.

While cookies are baking put together the filling ingredients.

The filling makes a double batch. Save the remainder and eat it. Double the cookie shells or do what I did.

Keep reading.

Fudge Filling Fills 48 candies or cookies

1 2/3 cup melted chocolate chips
1 pkge of silken tofu
3 TBSP cocoa powder
2 TBSP agave
2 TBSP non-dairy milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

Blend together until a chocolatey silky deliciousness forms.

When the cookie shells are cool. Place a dollop of chocolate cream in each one. Refrigerate until firm and store them there.

With the remainder of the chocolate filling make delicious mint cups. Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mint extract and stir well. Error on using too little mint rather than too much. If you want more minty flavor you can add it, but you can't undo overminty.

Melt additional chocolate chips with a bit of coconut oil. Stir.

Fill foil candy cups, silicone molds, greased mini muffin tins with melted chocolate chips. Spread chocolate in cup until the chocolate becomes a cup. Place in fridge until they cool and harden. Remove and with a bag with a hole in the corner, a spoon, whatever, fill the cup with fudge. Return to fridge.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Let's Hear it For the Girls ~

On this upcoming Sunday night, July 22nd, & and I are going to have a little party.

KitchenAid is sponsoring a fundraising event for breast cancer called 1,000 Cooks for the Cure. From July 20th through the 29th they are hoping for 1,000 people to sponsor some sort of food related event. 

The guests can donate to finding a cure for breast cancer, the hosts provide whatever food they chose to provide, and if $50.00 of donations come in from that party, KitchenAid also plans to keep on giving. Each qualifying party host will receive a special plate. When that plate is loaded and passed on to someone else, who then goes online to register the plate, KitchenAid will donate another $5.00 each time the plate is passed. Cool idea.

We can designate the local chapter or nationwide breast cancer organizations with our donations as well.

If you live in my metro area Omaha (or will be out and about traveling through my neighborhood) come on over at 6:45. (You might want to email me for my address, unless, of course you already know it, or are a creeper, then I won't give it out. )

Did I mention all the treats will be Vegan? Oh, let me mention that. Why? Well, & and I think Vegan is a great way to lessen the chances of getting breast cancer. And these particular treats are darn tasty. Did you notice the works of culinary art in process pictured above?  The lemon bars. OH MY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Just saying. And they need just a tweak or two more before utter perfection is achieved.

The cookies are in the final trial and one tweak away from utter mouth bliss. And the stuff in the jar, a crazy idea that came to me last night that is brilliantly easy and tasty. The chocolate/mint combo needs to be smoothed out, but the texture is amazing.

If you can't attend, well, feel free to donate. Our party is #13. Or feel free to sign up for a party of your own.

We plan to do a game or two, a craft should those in attendance care to make something to take home, eat, of course, and have some fun conversations. 

Serials and Scenarios ~ The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions Reviewed...

The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions: Veganize It! Foolproof Methods for Transforming Any Dish into a Delicious New Vegan Favorite

Celine Steen , Joni Marie Newman

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Fair Winds Press (December 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1592334415


Description:

Veganize Any Recipe with Confidence!

The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions is your secret weapon to turning any recipe imaginable into a deliciously “veganized” success—no guesswork or hard labor involved. And no more kitchen failures or recipe flops either. Simply look up whatever non-vegan ingredient you want to sub out, and expert author team Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman will explain exactly what substitution is best to use and how to make it without compromising taste or flavor, so you’ll create dishes that are not only better than the “real” thing, but healthier, too.

With more than 200 recipes and substitutions that show the swaps in action, you’ll find step-by-step instructions for replacing everything from butter and bacon to gelatin and gouda. You’ll also find healthy substitutions for replacing things like gluten, sugar, and fat, so you can fine-tune any recipe to your dietary needs.

Stunning photography and easy-to-follow charts appear in every chapter, making it a cinch to dip in and out whenever you need a quick reference or recipe.

If you’ve always wanted to turn your aunt’s famous mac and cheese into a veganized taste sensation, or your grandma’s buttermilk pie into a rousing, “reinvented” success, The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions is the solution you’ve been looking for!

My Thoughts:

This is a terrific resource for a person who is exploring plant-based or Vegan cooking or a more seasoned cook who is looking to cut back on buying the processed Vegan friendly items. This is also a good resource for someone who's looking to transition out of meat and dairy products and wants to trade out traditional pantry/refrigerator items with plant-based substitutions.

I'll admit I purchased this complete guide because of the darling illustrations along with the implied promise that I could figure out this whole new way of cooking without animal products. And I have not been disappointed with my decision. I like the compact size of the book, as well.

Once I received my copy of The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions I glanced through it but didn't embrace it as a go-to cookbook. It was more of a resource for me. But after having it awhile I've begun to cook out of it and mark more recipes I'd like to make.

The book is broken down differently than a standard cookbook. Instead of appetizer, main, sides, salads, desserts type of format, the divisions are topical.

Section One has loads of recipes and is called "Let the Cows Some Home! Foolproof Substitutions for Dairy". It is further broken down by a milk sub and cheese sub chapter. Included are recipes for making nut cheeses, dairy free sour cream, milks and even chocolate bars. Each section has a chart that explains what an item does for a recipe and the items that you can use to replace it. (Most have more than one substitution and quite a few have a gluten free or soy free version that will work.)

There are a total of six sections: substitutions for Dairy, Eggs, Meat, Animal Products, one that encompasses Gluten, Soy, Sugar and Fat substitutions and finally a complete chart of subs. Note: the sugar and fat substitutions are not fat and sugar free, i.e. the authors use of agave or maple syrup or brown rice syrup instead of standard sugar.

Some of the recipes are quick and easy, and some rely on processed Vegan friendly foods. Example Cookie Cookies (cookies made with crushed sandwich cookies...hence the name, I'd guess) . Recipes will call for purchased patties and or meat subs. But there are recipes for make your own seitan, boiled and baked versions. And they include recipes on making your own "bacon" bits, hot dogs, "pepperoni" subs and even baby back ribs and fish sticks.

Several recipes are stack recipes, ones that call for another recipe to be made prior to making the end result. For example the Savory Artichoke Pie includes the  Roasted Squash Lentil Spread.

Recipe measurements are in weight and volume which is nice. And some of the unique recipes they provide include unusual items like Vegan marzipan, graham cracker crust, "ham", make your own gluten free baking mix, cheese fondue and a non-fermented dairy free yogurt. 

Ingredients like miso, nutritional yeast, agar flakes, vital wheat gluten and TVP are maybe unfamiliar to brand new Vegans but can be found on-line or in health food stores or sections.

I personally have prepared the Baked Seitan Cutlets and the Speculoos Cookies and can recommend both as worth the price of the book and of the shelf space.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Mocha Peanut Butter Quinoa No Bakes

Mocha Peanut Butter Quinoa No Bakes

1 cup unprepared quinoa
2 cups brewed coffee

1/2 Cup plus 1 TBSP of agave or maple syrup,
1/4 Nut Butter

1 tsp salt 
2 TBSP chocolate chips
3/4 Cup Oatmeal

optional: 1/2 Cup other goodies you'd like (nuts, dried fruit, more chocolate chips)

Rinse quinoa if it has not been. Put coffee and quinoa into a saucepan and bring to boil, decrease heat then simmer covered til all the coffee is absorbed. (The same directions as on the package except you are using coffee instead of water.) 

In another saucepan mix together nut butter, syrup and salt and chocolate chips. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Add oatmeal, quinoa and other additions as desired. Stir thoroughly then drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper, parchment paper etc. 24-30 cookies.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Kitchen Sink Burger

Serendipitous burger of yumminess

I'm going to dub this burger the Kitchen Sink Burger...because I think you could put just about anything but the kitchen sink into it and end with a tasty result.

I had some sauteed vegetables on hand. And a soup. The soup was a fail. Okay. That's strong. It wasn't a fail, it just wasn't the best. A little sour but kind of lacking in taste. It contained potatoes, sweet potatoes, lemon, chard, white beans, garlic, cauliflower and vegetable broth. And it was actually a recipe I followed that was so-so. And I added several bits of leftovers to it to increase the flavor...and it just wasn't happening. I've frozen soups like that in the past for future use, hoping to revive them with more flavor down the road. But this time I had a brain storm. I was starving and I wondered if it couldn't be a building block for a burger.

KITCHEN SINK BURGER
 

1 cup of creamed soup. Take whatever chunky soup (or sauce) you want to use up, dump it in the food processor or Vitamix and liquefy it. I ended up with several cups which I froze for future use. Think along the lines of the flavor family in your soup because with that flavor base you will pick your bean..
 

1 can cooked beans (drained) (1 2/3 cups of cooked beans if you make and freeze your own. I used white with this recipe. (If your soup/sauce is salsa style, use black, Middle-eastern based soup, use lentils...etc.)
 

1 cup leftover or sauteed veggies. (I used onions, garlic, mushrooms, spinach)
 

1/2 cup oatmeal (or grain of choice either cooked or soaked if you aren't using oatmeal)
 

1/2 cup nuts of choice
 

1/2 cup gluten flour
 

(If your soup was flavorless you could add a bit more spice now. Like a teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, fresh ground pepper, cumin)


The soup is already in your food processor. Add all the other ingredients except the gluten flour. Whir. Not too much, but so it's a nice even texture. Add the flour and knead for a few minutes. 

Form into patties. 6-8 regular burgers, 10 mini burgers.

Grease a pan and fry each side until crusty. Serve with lettuce, mustard, sauteed veggies, onions, lettuce, tomato, sauce, BBQ sauce.

If you need an easy and delish bun recipe, here's one.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Vegan Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice

2 Cups Brown Rice
2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes with liquid (or equivalent fresh tomatoes and a bit more veggie broth)
1 and 1/2 cups veggie broth or bouillon
Heat of your choice, red pepper flakes, small can of diced green chiles, 1 TBSP of hot pepper paste (I went with the last choice and I wanted a little more bite)
1 TBSP lime juice
1 tsp garlic powder or 2 clove of minced garlic
1 tsp onion powder, 1 TBSP dehydrated onions or 1/4 of a small diced onion.

Toss all into a large pan and cook according to directions until rice absorbs all the liquid. (I used quick cooking rice from Trader Joe's so it took about 20 minutes. Great flavor.