lemon sparkle cookies

puckery and twinkly. would be great with a nice cup of tea. 

3 T sugar (for added pizazz, use yellow sanding sugar)
1/2 C shortening, softened
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C soy milk
2 T lemon zest
1 t vanilla extract
1 3/4 C flour
2 T cornmeal
1 T cornstarch
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

preheat oven to 350. line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. 


put 3 T of sugar on a small plate. 


in a large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar until fluffy. add soy milk, lemon zest and vanilla. mix well. 


add remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix until well combined. (this will not form a cohesive dough, it will be very crumbly. but that's ok)


using a tablespoon, scoop out balls of dough and roll between your hands until dough sticks together. 


mush dough balls onto plate of sugar, making thick flat discs with sugar only coating one side. 


place onto cookie sheets and bake for 12 minutes. allow to cool on cookie sheet for five minutes before moving to wire racks to cool completely. 

*makes two dozen(ish) cookies

caramel apple pie

the famous fall treat...minus the stick of course. 

filling:

6 medium sized granny smith apples (peeled, cored and diced)
2 T butter (melted)
3/4 C sugar
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon

topping:

1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C flour
1/4 C butter (melted)
1/2 C chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, etc.)
1 frozen deep dish pie crust

preheat oven to 375. 


mix all ingredients for filling in a medium sized bowl. toss everything until apples are fully coated then pour into pie shell. 


mix all ingredients for topping in a small bowl. drizzle caramel mixture over apple filling mix. 


place pie in oven and bake for 50 minutes. 

(tip o' the day: place a foil lined cookie sheet on the shelf beneath the pie. this will catch any molten sugary pie juices from dripping onto the bottom of your oven!)

espresso cupcakes with mocha frosting (halloween edition)

these babies will definitely wake you up!

cupcake:

1 C butter, softened
1 C brown sugar
1 C applesauce
1 t baking powder
1 1/2 C flour
2 T cocoa powder
4 T instant espresso powder
1 T chocolate extract
3 T soy creamer

preheat oven to 400. 

cream together the butter and the sugar.  add applesauce, baking powder and extract. mix well. 

in a separate bowl combine the flour, cocoa, and instant espresso. mix well.  add flour mixture, and soy creamer. mix til thoroughly combined.

pour batter into paper lined muffin tins. bake for 16 minutes. let cool completely before frosting.

frosting:

1/4 C shortening
1/4 margarine, softened
1/2 C cocoa
2 1/2 C powdered sugar
2 T soy creamer
1 t coffee extract

cream together shortening and margarine. add cocoa and mix well. 


add powdered sugar in 1/2 C increments, adding 1 T creamer after each cup until well combined. mix in extract until combined. 


you're ready to frost. (add sprinkles if you so choose) then eat. 

*makes 18 cupcakes

russian black bread (bread machine)

dense and chewy with just a touch of coffee flavor

1 1/8 C water
2 T canola oil
2 T molasses
1 C rye flour
2 C bread flour
2 T flax seed meal
1/2 C bread crumbs
1 T cocoa powder
2 T espresso powder
1 1/2 t caraway seeds
1 t salt
1 t active dry yeast

place all ingredients in bread machine as recommended by your machine's manufacturer. select wheat bread cycle. select medium crust. select 1 lb loaf. press start. 

baked rotini

 

ziti is for suckers. rotini for the win!

8 oz rotini pasta (or macaroni, fusilli, farfalle, or yes, even ziti)

1 large sweet onion (sliced into thin half moons)

2 links sausage (i used tofurky brand italian links)

1 T olive oil

2 C shredded cheese (daiya brand mozzarella used here)

2 C marinara sauce

pepper

rosemary

oregano

red pepper flakes

preheat oven to 350. 

in a medium sized pot, boil pasta until al dente (about 8 minutes). drain and set aside. 

in a skillet, heat olive oil at a medium high heat. saute onions until slightly browned and translucent. 

cut sausage links into coins (the thinner the better really), add to onions and saute until sausage is slightly browned. 

add cooked pasta, sausage and onions to a 9x13 casserole dish. stir to combine. add marinara and spices. stir until well mixed. 

sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 35 minutes. 

yumyumyum

sweet and sour pizza

an asian inspired italian staple

(and yes! i count pizza as a baked item)

1 premade pizza crust
1/4 C sweet chili sauce (trader joe's!)
1/2 C pineapple chunks
1/2 red bell pepper (julienned)
4 oz baked tofu (i used...surprise!...trader joe's brand teriyaki flavored tofu. yum!)
1 C shredded cheese (daiya brand mozzarella)

preheat oven to 450. 


place pizza crust on pizza stone (or whatever apparatus you use for baking pizzas). use the sweet chili sauce as the base, then add toppings as you see fit. some people like toppings on top of the cheese, some people like them under the cheese. i'm not going to be the one telling you how to make your own pizza. that would be plain wrong. 


bake for 12 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melty. 

*if you don't have a pizza stone, i strongly encourage that you pick one up. they're amazing!

mini pumpkin cheesecakes

the perfect little bite of fall yumminess

(i really did make these yesterday, i just forgot to post it. whoops!)

crust:
about 40 gingersnap cookies
5 T melted butter
2 T brown sugar

filling:
1 package (12 oz) silken tofu
1 container (8 oz) cream cheese (i used tofutti)
1 C canned pumpkin
1 C sugar
3 T flour
1⁄2 t ground ginger
1⁄2 t nutmeg
1 1⁄2 t cinnamon
1⁄8 t salt
1⁄4 t baking soda

preheat oven to 350. 

line muffin tins with cupcake papers. 


in a food processor, grind gingersnaps into fine crumbs. pour crumbs into a small bowl, add butter and brown sugar. mix to combine. 

spoon equal amounts of crumb mixture into each paper and press down to flatten. 


in a blender, combine all ingredients for filling and puree until smooth and well combined. 


pour filling mix in each tin (these won't rise like regular muffins/cupcakes so you can fill them all the way to the top of the paper if you need to)


bake for 50 minutes. allow to cool to room temperature before placing in fridge. these are best if allowed to refrigerate for at least 6 hours (overnight in my case)

*makes 48 mini cheesecakes or 24 cupcake sized cheesecakes. or any combination of the two that you wish

dill, onion and rye bread (bread machine)

 

if pickles and flour had a baby, this bread would be it. 

1 1/4 C water

2 T olive oil

1 C rye flour

3 C bread flour

2 T powdered soy milk

2 t brown sugar

1 t salt

1 t active dry yeast

2 T dried dill

2 T dried onion

place all ingredients in bread machine as recommended by your machine's manufacturer. select white bread cycle. select medium crust. select 1 1/2 lb loaf. press start. 

snickerdoodles

behold the greatness that is cinnamon and sugar!

(i was a bit under the weather on thursday and i had to work too...which means *gasp! no baking! i'm hoping to make up for it today by baking two things, these cookies and the previous post of shepherds pie. i think that should cover it.)

1/2 C butter, softened
1/2 C shortening
1 1/2 C white sugar
1/2 C applesauce
2 t vanilla
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 t baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

preheat oven to 400.

cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, applesauce and vanilla. blend in the flour, baking powder and salt. 

mix the 2 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon and place on a flat plate. 

using your hands, roll walnut sized amounts of dough into balls and roll into cinnamon sugar mix. 


place 12 dough balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. 


bake for 10 minutes. allow to cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before moving to wire racks. 


*makes 4 dozen cookies

shepherds pie

perfect meal for a crisp and chilly day

(photo is not that appetizing i know, and this was the best one of the bunch. this tastes a LOT better than it looks so don't judge)

3-4 large russet potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks)
3-4 carrots (peeled and cut into thick coins)
2 T butter
1/4 C soy milk
1 T olive oil
1 package sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 large sweet onion (quartered and sliced thin)
1 package of veggie crumbles (i used smart ground by lightlife)
1 C corn (frozen or canned)
1 can mushroom gravy
2 T vegan worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper
rosemary
smoked paprika
thyme
*feel free to use herbs of your liking for this dish. i just happen to really like these

preheat oven to 400. 

in a large pot, boil potatoes and carrots together until both are easily pierced with a fork.


in a large skillet, heat olive oil and cook onions until translucent. add mushrooms and cook until soft. add corn, crumbles, worcestershire sauce, gravy and spices. simmer to let flavors combine. 


drain potatoes and carrots and return to pot. add butter and soymilk and mash until creamy. 


add mushroom/crumble mix to a lightly greased 8x8 pan. spoon mashed mix on top and spread to cover evenly. 


bake for 40 minutes.

pumpkin pie

rich and creamy with a hint of spicy ginger

1 C canned pumpkin

1 12 oz package silken tofu

1 1/2 C brown sugar

1 T molasses

2 t cinnamon

1 t ginger

1/2 t nutmeg

1/2 t allspice

1/4 t ground cloves

1 premade deep dish pie crust

preheat oven to 425. 

add all ingredients to blender. puree til thouroughly combined and creamy. 

pour pie filling into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes. 

reduce oven heat to 350 and bake for another 45 minutes. 

allow to cool/set for at least two hours.

chili bread (bread machine)

ssssssssspicy!!

1 T chili oil

3 t red pepper flakes

1 1/4 C warm water

3 1/4 C bread flour

1 1/2 t salt

1 1/2 t sugar

2 T butter

1 t active dry yeast

place all ingredients in bread machine as recommended by your machine's manufacturer. select white bread cycle. select medium crust. select 1 lb loaf. press start. 

blueberry lemon muffins

a little twist on the traditional blueberry muffin...well, besides being vegan...

4 cups all purpose white flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 cup applesauce
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons lemon extract
2 cups frozen blueberries


preheat oven to 375 and grease muffin pans if not using liners.

combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

in a separate mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar then add applesauce, milk and lemon extract. mix well.

add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

fold in frozen blueberries

fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 25 minutes

*makes 24 muffins

peanut butter bars

i'm going to go ahead and admit my first loss here. i made some substitutions that i thought wouldn't affect the final outcome. well, they did. i'm going to try this recipe again and post it when it comes out right.

gingerbread (lazy edition)

mmmmm....gingery!

(so...the hubs and i headed to philly today which didn't leave me much time to bake. luckily, i had one of my favorite instant mixes on hand to whip up. if you live close to a trader joe's, do yourself a favor and pick up their gingerbread baking mix. sadly it's only available this time of year and i love it so)

1 box gingerbread baking mix
1/4 C applesauce
1/3 C vegetable oil
3/4 C water

preheat oven to 350

in a large bowl, combine all ingredients together and mix well

pour batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes. 


that's it. enjoy!

chocolate chip cookies

ooey-gooey-chocolatey-chippy-in-your-face deliciousness

1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C sugar
2/3 C vegetable oil
1/4 C rice milk
1 T cornstarch
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 C flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3/4 C chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350. line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 


in a large mixing bowl, combine sugars, oil, milk, and cornstarch. whisk vigorously. then mix in vanilla. 


add one cup flour, baking soda and salt. mix well. add remaining half cup of flour. mix well. fold in chocolate chips. 


to measure cookies, i use a tiny cookie dough scoop. a tablespoon would work just as well. you should be able to scoop out 12 dough balls onto each baking sheet. leave about an inch between each dough ball, as these will spread out a bit while they bake. 


bake for 10 minutes and leave on baking sheet to cool.


makes two dozen cookies

chocolate orange cupcakes with orange buttercream

chocolate and orange. another one of life's greatest combinations. 

cupcakes:

1 C soy milk
1 t apple cider vinegar
3/4 C sugar
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t chocolate extract
1 C flour
1/3 C cocoa
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 T orange peel
chocolate chips

preheat the oven to 350 and line muffin pan with cupcake liners


whisk together soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. once curdled, add sugar, oil, vanilla extract and chocolate extract. mix until foamy. 


in a separate bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and orange peel. 


add dry ingredients to wet and mix well. 


fill cupcake liners 3/4 full. add a few chocolate chips to the top of each cupcake and bake for 20 minutes.

*makes one dozen cupcakes

frosting:

1/4 C shortening
1/4 C margarine, softened
2 C powdered sugar
1 T orange extract
1 t vanilla

in a small bowl, cream together shortening and margarine until well combined. 


add powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments until all incorporated. 


add extracts and mix until creamy and fluffy. 


wait until cupcakes have completely cooled before adding frosting

banana split bread

ice cream's greatest concoction...now in bread form!

2 1/2 C flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3 very ripe bananas, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 C soy milk
1/4 C vegetable oil
3/4 C sugar
1 t vanilla
1/4 C chunky peanut butter
1/4 C semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 C crushed pineapple
1/4 C cherries, pitted and sliced

preheat oven to 375

in a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. 


in a blender, combine the bananas, soy milk, oil, sugar, vanilla and peanut butter.  blend until smooth.


add banana mixture to flour mixture. combine well.


fold in chocolate chips, pineapple and cherries. 


place batter in a lightly greased 9x5 loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes. 

raspberry crumb cake

 

moist yet crunchy. tart yet sweet. it's a total conundrum. a delicious conundrum. 

crumb topping:

8 T margarine (melted)

2/3 C sugar

1 t molasses

3/4 t cinnamon

pinch o' salt

1 3/4 C flour

cake:

1 1/4 C flour

1/2 C sugar

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/3 C soymilk + 1 t apple cider vinegar

1/3 C canola oil

1/4 C water + 1 T cornstarch (well mixed)

1 t vanilla extract

1 t raspberry extract

1 pint raspberries

preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x9 pan with vegetable oil

to make the crumb topping...whisk together melted margarine, sugar, molasses, cinnamon and salt. then mix in flour with a wooden spoon until a thick dough forms. let cool while you put together the cake batter.

to make the cake...whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. add oil, soymilk mixture, cornstarch mixture and extracts. fold in raspberries. 

place batter in pan. break apart the crumb mixture and place on top of the batter. keep the crumb mix in small chunks (about the size of shelled peanuts)

bake for 50 minutes. let it cool in the pan for about 20 minutes before serving.

bubble corn bread (bread machine)

 

corn bread that pulls apart. that's about it.

1/2 C rice milk

1/2 C water

1 T ground flax seed mixed with 3 T water

3 1/2 C bread flour

1 C cornmeal

1 t sugar

1 t salt

1 1/2 t active dry yeast

1 T dried pepper flakes

2/3 C drained canned corn

2 T butter

add first 8 ingredients to bread machine. select dough setting and press start. 

add pepper flakes and corn during the last 5 minutes of kneading. 

after the dough is finished, separate into 20 equal pieces  and shape into balls. 

place half of the dough balls into a 9" springform pan, spacing them slightly apart. add the remaining dough balls on top, covering the empty spaces. 

cover the pan with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. 

preheat oven to 400 degrees, melt butter and drizzle over top the dough balls. bake for 35 minutes. 

serve with a little extra butter or honey. yum!

garlic & herb bread (bread machine)

garlicky and herby. makes best friends with italian food

1 C warm water

3 T powdered soy milk

2 T vegetable oil

2 T sugar

1 1/2 t chopped garlic

1 1/2 t dried onion flakes

1 1/2 t dried oregano

1 1/2 t dried dill weed

1 1/2 t poppy seeds

1 1/2 t dried chives

3 C bread flour

2 1/4 t active dry yeast

place all ingredients in bread machine as recommended by your machine's manufacturer. select white bread cycle. select medium crust. select 1 1/2 lb loaf. press start. 

enjoy!

 

fudgy coffee brownies

i hate coffee. but i looooooooove me some of these brownies.

1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips

5 T margarine

2/3 C sugar

1/3 C rice milk

1 T cornstarch

3 t espresso powder

1 t vanilla

3/4 C + 2 T flour

1/2 t baking powder

3 T cocoa powder

1/8 t salt

*espresso powder is a bit hard to find. at least, i had trouble finding it. you could probably substitute instant coffee but the flavor won't be as intense

preheat oven to 350 and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. 

melt chocolate chips and margarine together in the microwave for about a minute and a half. stop it every 30 seconds to stir with a rubber spatula. when completely melted, add the sugar. 

in a small bowl, whisk together milk, cornstarch, espresso powder and vanilla until foamy. then fold into chocolate mixture until well combined. 

add flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. mix until completely smooth and lump free.

pour into baking pan (well, it's thick so it doesn't exactly pour...you get the idea) and bake for 24 minutes. let cool in the pan for at least a half an hour. 

makes 12 brownies

enchilada casserole

this is one of my many "dump" recipes. you don't need to measure out anything...just dump everything together. it's nice when you need dinner in a hurry. 

1 package of smart ground by lightlife
1 can of vegetarian refried beans
1 can of unsalted sweet corn
1 jar salsa (the chunkier the better)
1 C sliced black olives
1 C diced sweet onion
2 C shredded cheese (i used daiya cheddar)
1 C enchilada sauce
24 corn tortillas

*some of you may be thinking....damn! that's a lot of tortillas. well, the only ones i could find at the grocery store was a bagged stack of 50. yeah, i have a lot to play around with.


preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan 

lay down 6 tortillas on the bottom of the pan. cover with refried beans, 1/3 of the salsa and 1/2 cup of cheese. 

layer another 6 tortillas and top with smart ground, 1/3 of the salsa and another 1/2 cup of cheese. 


another layer! 6 more tortillas, corn, olives, onion, the last of the salsa and another 1/2 cup of cheese.


now for the last layer...the last 6 tortillas, enchilada sauce and the last of the cheese. 


bake for 35 minutes, remove from oven and let stand for 10-15 minutes before you dig in. 

*served with tofutti sour cream and a hell of a lot of cholula...

cranberry oatmeal cookies

these little guys are nice and moist and slightly chewy on the outside. for a firmer cookie, i would bake them for another three to four minutes. 

1/3 C rice milk
2 T ground flax seeds
2/3 C brown sugar
1/3 C canola oil
1 t vanilla extract
3/4 C flour
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 C rolled oats
1/2 C dried cranberries

preheat oven to 350


in a large bowl, mix together milk and flax seeds. add in sugar, oil and vanilla and mix well.


add flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and stir until thoroughly combined. 

fold in oats and cranberries. 

using a tablespoon, drop dough about two inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper (i always use parchment paper. it's awesome). 


bake for 12 minutes. leave on baking sheets for at least 5 minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool. 

makes just under two dozen.

mind over batter

not only have i started my own blog, i've decided to start it off with a goal. my goal is to bake something every day for one year. yes, 365 days of baked goods. am i crazy? not really sure yet. so far, my thoughts are that it will be fun. more than likely i will be thinking the total opposite in a few months.

will i be making everything from scratch? i can guarantee you a resounding "hell no!". coming home from an eight hour retail shift during the holidays, fighting off the flu or the occasional weekend trips to philadelphia...i ain't makin' no three layer red velvet cake. i will cheat every now and then, using store bought mixes (i'll try to at least doctor them up somehow) or making bread in my bread machine. i hope you don't think too badly of me.

anyways, lets get this show on the road...

my first entry

a little info regarding this blog...

i've been wanting to do one for a while now and i had about a million ideas running through my head as to what the content would be. after much consideration, i decided it would HAVE to be about food. being a vegetarian of 16 years i have a little bit of experience being creative with meals. also having recently obtained a vegan husband, AND being the primary chef of the house, i'm challenged daily in coming up with new recipes.

i thought this might help shed a little light on the lives of herbivores too. being constantly barraged with questions like, "so what in the world do you guys eat anyway?", this will take all the guesswork out of it. it might also save me a few sighs and a roll of the eyes when asked the same question eighteen times in one week.

now don't get me wrong...i'm not a preachy vegetarian. i think those of you who know me would agree to that. i tend to keep my mouth shut on the matter unless people seem legitimately interested. this whole thing is just for fun and maybe i'll be able to recruit a few of you to one meat free meal a week.


so please stay tuned folks and tell me what you think...