Vegetarian Ventures

DIY Soy Milk with Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

8.20.2011

Okay so I’m posting two recipes in this one because what’s the point of milk if you don’t have cookies to dip in it?

You would think that making your own milk would be hard but it’s actually a really straight forward process that MAYBE takes an hour at the most AND half of that time is leaving it to simmer which makes the perfect window to whip up some homemade cookies to accompany it. Plus it’s ridiculously cheap if you buy the soybeans in a bulk section at the grocery store (Mine ran me back about 50 cents).

Making this household staple was so simple I wonder why people don’t do it more often (I think I’m gonna tackle homemade ketchup next!).

On a completely different note, I will warn finding good vegan chocolate chips is not always an easy task. I usually stock up on them when I go to whole foods because the 365 brand is super cheap and super delicious so that is what I’d recommend. Also, these cookies turned out super thin [probably because I substituted corn starch from the tapioca flour like the original recipe had] but made for a deliciously crispy texture (hopefully that’s what you’re into. Yes, that is what you’re into).

DIY Soy Milk

1/2 cup dried yellow soybeans
5 1/2 cups water
dash of salt
1/8 cup sugar (more if you like it sweeter)
cheese cloth

Rinse the soybeans and let them soak in cold water overnight.

Drain the soybeans (the next morning, duhhhh) and liquefy them in a blender with 2 1/2 cups of water until they are a milky texture. Add them to a pot with the rest of the water (3 cups) and bring to a boil on high while stirring constantly [foam will start to form on the top so skim it off as this happens]. Once boiling, drop heat to low and let it simmer for 25 while just stirring occasionally.

Take off heat and strain out the leftover beans using a cheesecloth and/or strainer [with very small holes]. Add the salt and sugar to your liking and refrigerate until cold.

That’s it.

Proceed to dip warm cookies in it, make green smoothies, and share with your kitty.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Adapted from Isa Moskowitz’s Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon of corn starch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and spray two cookie sheets.

Whisk together the sugar, oil, milk, vanilla and corn starch until it is thick and mixed (this should take a minute or so sooo be patient!). Add the baking soda, salt, and the flour (in parts. 1/2 cup at a time and mix and repeat). Mix in chocolate chips with your hands so they dont get smashed (or a spoon if you are that much of a clean freak).

Use a big spoon to scoop them onto a cookie sheet (size doesnt matter as long as they are all consistent. I made huge ones but that’s just my personal preference). Cook for 7 to 10 minutes.

Enjoy with your DIY milk.

Sicilian Style Quiche

8.19.2011

Okay, so two posts in one day is a little excessive but I was just too excited about our dinner this evening not to write about it. There is no background story to this other than it is straight up amazing. It’s so simple and light for a humid [and rainy] evening that you don’t even have to wait until Sunday brunch to whip it up.

Yup. Even your cat will like it. [I mean it is dairy based]

Sicilian Style Quiche

1 prepared pie crust (get it out of the frozen section in the store)
6 eggs
2/3 heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup grated Gouda
4 oz fresh baby spinach
dollap of olive oil
1/4 cup chopped or sliced sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt/Pepper for flavor

Preheat oven to 425.

Heat oil in a skillet on medium and add the spinach for only a minute or so; you are just trying to wet it down and make it wilt slightly. Set aside.

Whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, and grated Gouda.

Put the following things into pie crust in this order: spinach/tomatoes, egg mixture, crumbled feta, and top with salt and pepper. Cook for 30 minutes or until the egg mixture has set.

Munch down. with your cat. or boyfriend. or something.

Oh and this recipe was adapted from yummymummykitchen.com

Plaintain Chips with Guacomole

8.18.2011

So we all have something that we constantly crave and mine is that salty, fatty green fiesta food that we all know as guac. It’s crazy how I’ve become so obsessed with eating it that almost everything in my daily routine triggers the desire for a taste. Doing my homework reminds me of guacamole. going to the store. showering. laying in bed. etc etc. You get the point. So, as usual, late night munchies [not so surprisingly] snuck up on me the other evening and immediately craved some more avocado in my life.

Also, I’ve been into this thing where I’m determined to add new ingredients into my usual cooking routine (flax seed, jicama, lavender) so I picked up a plantain [at the most amazing foodie store ever to exist - Jungle Jim's] (http://www.junglejims.com/) and I nabbed my inspiration for this recipe from the cutest and most creative blog ever- veganstoner.com (I can only strive to be like this site in the hopes that I will one day be able to draw my food in my own adorable-cartoon-character form).

Side note: munchie food is meant to be as simple as possible so it seems ridiculous that I should even have to post a recipe for these since they are pretty self explanatory (and completely adjustable to what you have around the kitchen!) but I’m here to add my own little tid-bits and suggestions.

Plantain Chips with Guac

Plaintain
oil
salt

Guacomole

Avocado
tomato OR salsa

Mix-ins (whatever you prefer, however you like it, what you have on hand- just free form it):

chopped onion
[lots of] salt
pepper
garlic [minced, prepackaged, fresh, however you like it]
canned corn [or even that Mexican canned corn that comes with pepper chunks!]
chopped jalapenos
dash of cumin

Okay. So everything is pretty simple. Set your oven to 400 and slice the plantain chips to your liking [big chunks if you like to taste the hint of plantain or thin if you would prefer them to be more crispy-chip like]. Put them on a greased baking sheet and drizzle/paintbrush [love oil brushes- you should invest in one..they are cheap] oil over them and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 3-5 minutes (depending on how thick you made them), flip, reapply the oil/salt on the other side, and put back in the oven for 3-5 more minutes.

While those are cooking prepare the guacamole. Guac is so easy that it is almost insulting to post or attempt to tell you how to make it. My friend taught me the ridiculous simple idea of taking already prepared salsa and mixing it with a mashed avocado (I work at a co-op grocery/deli store and they put a layer of mashed avocado and then a layer of salsa for visual appeal but it all gets combined in the end so it’s whatever you prefer) and than you just add in any mix ins you’d like (more salt, chopped onion, minced garlic, etc).

AND that’s it. Enjoy. Eat while watching The OC. or drawing unicorn pictures. whichever you’d prefer.

Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Cupcakes

8.17.2011

This is usually the part of the blog that I ignore and go straight to the recipe so feel free to skip the next few paragraphs. Oh also, I decided to start a food blog so we’ll see how that goes.

My baking adventures today were provoked by a co-worker’s birthday. I’m still rather new at the record label and if nothing else than people will know me by my baking. Also, If you don’t already know than you will soon after reading a few of my posts, I love my vegan baking but I especially thrive on cupcakes (who wouldn’t when they were introduced to vegan baking by chai latte cupcakes with cinnamon swirl frosting?). Anyways, so after raiding my fridge and discovering some ginormous strawberries I knew I had to make a strawberry shortcake cupcake for my co-worker. I’ve been in the process of moving and have seemed to misplaced my Isa’s cupcake cookbook that I always turn to (I know. I know. This is the point where you roll your eyes because she is still trying to do that whole ‘punk rock independent girl’ type image that we all got over in the late 90′s/early 2000′s but shhhh because that woman knows how to make a damn fine cupcake). I ended up having to turn to the internet and found a recipe by some food network nominee or something and they turned out pretty damn fine.

So all in all, the cupcakes were scrumptious, they are super basic and easy, everyone at work ate all of them, and I had a perfect excuse to make a first post.

Chocolate Strawberry Yumcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup canola oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Frostin‘

1 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 to 5 tablespoons soy, almond, or rice milk
perhaps some red sprinkles or neon green food coloring (optional, obviously)
A few sliced fresh strawberries

Procedures (The break down):

Set oven to 350 degrees. Fill cupcake pan with [wolf] liners.

Mix all the dry ingredients for the cupcake portion in a bowl and blend the wet ingredients in another. Combine the wet with the dry and mix until well combined. Fill the liners with the batter until about 2/3s full and bake for 15-20 minutes. BAM. THAT’S IT.

And while those are baking make the frosting. Combine everything in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer. Once light and fluffy, use a spatula for any mix ins you might have (sprinkles, food coloring, chocolate chips, whatever).Oh and slice some strawberries while you are waiting for the timer to go off too.

Assemble as you please. Then Mow down. Share with your cat. Stare at them. Whatever you’d like.

Okay. That’s all I’ve got.

Oh and a real quick side note. Please please please bare with me as I figure out how the hell to take good food pictures. Food blogs are straight up stupid without mouth watering pictures but it maybe be a few weeks before I find the right lighting and back drop (my old orange VF vinyl player will have to do for a back drop for now).

Yup.