Cinnamon

Entries Tagged as 'cinnamon'

Baklava Ice Cream

5.04.2013

This was my first time making ice cream from scratch. I borrowed my Mother’s ice cream maker with the promise of returning it alongside a delicious pint of frozen goodness. My ice cream making interest peaked a few weeks back when I was enjoying a particularly irresistible piece of baklava with a side of ice cream. Scooping both chunks of baklava and the ice cream into my mouth, my tastebuds were trying to grab the flavors as one. Which is when my mind realized I should just combine the two..into a delicious baklava ice cream.

I had a plan – I was going to find a simple vanilla ice cream recipe and customize it with baklava ingredients. However, when I got home and started looking at recipes, I began to feel overwhelmed. So overwhelmed I wondered if it would have been better to just go and buy a pint of ice cream at Kroger. I mean do I use whole milk or heavy cream or eggs? Do I let the mixture sit for an hour in the fridge or overnight?

This wasn’t the kind of kitchen tool that I grew up watching my family use. I was totally clueless and, for the first time in years, the internet seemed to be throwing too much information at me to process. I sat on the idea of making ice cream for a few days. Comparing online recipes with my recipe books until I came onto a decision. I’d just wing it…like I’ve done with so many successful (but also…some unsuccessful) recipes in the past. I chose to go with heavy cream AND milk and to let the mixture sit overnight (just in case).

And let me tell you – I am SO glad I didn’t give up and run to Kroger for a pint instead. All the worry and reluctance was so worth it. This ice cream is like nothing I’ve ever had before. Better than store bought and better than my local ice cream stand. It’s creamy and tastes fresh and full of cinnamon-walnut-honey-baklava amazingness.

Baklava Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk (I used 2% but whole would work well too), divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoons salt
3 Tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon honey, divided
1 vanilla bean, split in half
2 cinnamon sticks
3/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup milk with the cornstarch. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and salt. Set aside.

Combine the cream, remaining milk, vanilla bean, and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a simmer (just until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges) and let simmer for three minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the honey and cornstarch mixture, and return to heat. Bring to simmer, stirring constantly, and let cook until thickened (one or two minutes). Remove from heat and chill the mixture overnight.

The night day: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and transfer to a baking sheet. On a separate baking sheet, place 4 phyllo sheets down and brush with butter. Place the other four on top of those and brush with butter. Mix any remaining butter with the walnut mixture. Cook both in the oven for 25 minutes or until the phyllo has browned and the walnuts are giving off a nutty aroma. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Break the phyllo dough into large chunks.

Remove the cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean from the chilled cream mixture. Prepare the ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s instructions (mine has me stick the cream mixture into the ice cream maker for 20 minutes). 1 minute before the ice cream is done churning, add in the nuts and phyllo dough.

Enjoy right away or transfer into an airtight container in the freezer to enjoy later.

Cinnamon Honey Almond Butter

3.05.2013

As I continue the journey with my 2013 resolution of less processed food, I can’t help but continue to be amazed at how easy it is to make staples for your kitchen. From fresh bread to vanilla extract to vegetable broth; all of these staples can be made using only a few ingredients and a bit of patience.

Almond butter, however, may even be the easiest of them all.

I’m pretty much an almond butter addict. Being a vegetarian, I usually let myself have endless amounts of protein rich nuts regardless of the calorie content. I can always seem to justify needing more protein in my diet. So almond butter has become my go-to. If I need a snack before dinner or a sweet dessert, a spoonful of nut butter always does the trick. As is the case for breakfast and even those moments when I’m not hungry but still want to eat (you know what I’m talking about).

However, this stuff is not cheap at the store. And is still, sadly, processed. So why not try making your own?

Honey Cinnamon Almond Butter

2 cups raw almonds
2 teaspoons honey (add up to a tablespoon if you like your butter sweeter)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

First, roast the almonds. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and transfer almonds to a baking sheet. Let roast for 10-12 minutes or until they release a nutty aroma. Remove from oven and let cool.

Toss the cooled almonds in a food processor and let the processor run for 10 to 15 minutes. It’s important to be patient because the almonds go through many stages so you may even want to set a timer. In the first 3 minutes, they will form almond meal that you may have to stop the processor for a few times to scrap the sides. After 5-7 minutes a thick paste will form. And then finally at 10-15 a super creamy butter will develop.

Once creamy, add in the honey and cinnamon and pulse for another 30 seconds.

Serve right away or store in an airtight container in the fridge for later.

Honey Bee Chai (Vanilla + Honey)

3.04.2013

This being the second post on Chai Tea in the last 2 weeks (see: Chocolate Chai), it’s pretty obvious that chai has won me over. Most people feel very passionate about coffee or tea. Very rarely do I meet someone who has not declared a side and swears by it. I am one of the unusual cases that really really really loves both! I tend to crave coffee first thing in the morning and prefer the benefits of tea come afternoon. However, there are times when I’m not sure what I’m feeling and chai always does the trick. With a little caffeine from the black tea and bursting flavor from the spices, chai always hits the spot.

Chocolate Chai is amazing and I’ve been enjoying it as an afternoon treat or after-dinner sweet. But this new vanilla-honey tea has been perfect for all those times I’m craving something not as sweet. The honey gives it the tiniest hint of sweet while still having lots of spice from the clove / cinnamon / anise / ginger / peppercorn.

Give this drink a try. You may never go back to your standard chai ever again.

Honey Bee Chai (Vanilla + Honey)

2 cardamom pods, slightly crushed
1 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean, sliced
1/8 teaspoon black peppercorn
2 cloves
1 star anise
1 inch of peeled ginger, thinly sliced
2 bags of black tea (or loose leaf black tea)
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons honey (add more if you like it sweeter)

Place cardamon pods, cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, black peppercorn, cloves, anise, and ginger in a small saucepan with 2 cups water. Bring water to a boil and then let simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the tea bags. Let tea steep for about 5 minutes.

Strain liquid into a mug and discard leftover spices. Rinse out the saucepan and add milk and honey to it. Let the milk come to a simmer and use a whisk to make the milk frothy. Top off the chai with milk and cinnamon. Serve warm.

Song Pairing (a little Spencer Krug to get you through your Monday):

Baked Blueberry & Lemon Donuts

2.27.2013

Okay, so I totally lied to you guys. I told you that I would have this donut recipe for you yesterday and it did not happen. It’s not my fault – Tuesdays are my downfall and I should have known I wasn’t going to have the time to post about donuts. I’m sorry. Forgive me? Cool.

What I won’t apologize for are these donuts. Yes, they are chocked full of sugar and flour. BUT, they are ALSO full of blueberries (antioxidant heaven), cinnamon (regulates blood sugar), lemon zest (vitamin C), and are BAKED. See, why not look on the positive side here before you get worried about starting your day on a sugar high. But really, if you are concered, these make great afternoon snacks, lunchtime dessert, 2nd breakfast treat, and nightime dessert. So versatile too – I know! Crazy.

These donuts are a product of what was once a breakfast loaf. Filled with lemon and blueberries (as mentioned above), I topped these little guys with cinnamon and sugar to give it that streusel style topping. Pretty much irresistible anytime of the day, I’d suggest whipping up a batch of these the next time you get a sweets craving.

Baked Blueberry Lemon Donuts

Makes 6 baked donuts (or 12 small baked donuts)

1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
zest from 1 lemon

topping:

3 Tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a donut pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, sugars, and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir until just combined. Add in the melted butter and then fold in the blueberries and lemon zest.

Baked for 20 minutes or until the tops have browned (baking time will vary greatly depending on the size of the donuts / your oven). Once browned, remove from oven.

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Dip the donut tops in the sugar/cinnamon mixture while they are still warm. Serve and enjoy!

Song pairing:

Cinnamon Quinoa Granola

2.22.2013

Every winter, I become less into making oatmeal for breakfast than I had been the previous winter. Truth is – it’s just too time consuming (I know, I know – Ms. Lazy) in the mornings and I end up quickly going back to my granola. The transition to year round granola has urged my need to get creative with the stuff. Eating the same thing ever day? Booooring.

And let me tell you…oh my goodness. I can not remember the last time I was this obsessed with a granola. Bringing quinoa into the equation changes everything. It adds a texture depth that goes beyond anything I’ve experienced in granola. Even if your cinnamon oats end up soggy then you are still left with crunchy and toasted quinoa bits. This recipe can, of course, be adapted to your liking. Add more fruit or spices depending on what you are into.

I’ve played around with quinoa dozen of time (see: Southwestern Quinoa Salad, Quinoa Nuggets, or Fall Quinoa Salad) but have never been as excited about it as I am with this recipe. Toasting quinoa? Who would have thought! And the extra protein quinoa brings into this breakfast will help you feel full longer [which means no more 10:45 munchies runs to the vending machine in need of some Cheetos].

Don’t forget to rinse your quinoa SUPER well – you want to make sure all of that bitter outer coating is removed for maximum indulgence potential. This recipes makes about 3 cups so store leftovers in an airtight container. Or be a good friend and share a bag. Or even freeze the stuff if you won’t use it in a timely fashion. Love granola but hesitant about this quinoa business? Then maybe you should start with this Spiced Pumpkin Granola instead.

Cinnamon Quinoa Granola

2 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and patted dry
3/4 cup pecan, chopped
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1/3 cup coconut flakes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup coconut oil, in liquid form
1/2 cup agave nectar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and spread evenly onto a cookie sheet. Cook for 30 minutes and stir 3 times throughout the cooking process. Remove from oven and let cool completely before moving to an airtight container.

Serve over yogurt, milk, or fruit. Or just eat it by the spoonful.

Song Pairing:

Chocolate Chai

2.11.2013

Hello, Monday. I can’t say I was entirely prepared for you. Can’t say I’m really that crazy about you in general. Sooo….how to make Monday a little less gloomy? How about adding some chocolate to our morning chai? WOAH, what a magnificent way to treat yourself! If I do say so myself…I’d have to call this a ‘YOLO’ moment. I can feel a new Monday tradition coming on…

Chocolate Chai

2 cardamom pods, slightly crushed
2 cinnamon sticks
3 teaspoons cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon black peppercorn
2 cloves
1 star anise
1 inch of peeled ginger, thinly sliced
2 bags of black tea (or loose leaf black tea)
3/4 cup milk (I like to use unsweetened almond milk to keep it vegan)

Place cardamon pods, cinnamon sticks, cocoa powder, black peppercorn, cloves, anise, and ginger in a small saucepan with 2 cups water. Bring water to a boil and then let simmer for about 15 minutes (more or less depending on how strong you like your chai). Remove from heat and add the tea bags. Let tea steep for about 5 minutes.

Strain liquid into a mug and discard leftover spices (or save them for a later use). Rinse out the saucepan and add milk to it. Let the milk come to a simmer and use a whisk to make the milk frothy. Top off the chai with milk and serve warm.

Feeling a little bratty this morning:

Wake up with Mascarpone: Breakfast Bowl & Breakfast Sandwich

1.10.2013

Usually when I purchase mascarpone, I use it up in one sitting by making a fruit dip or smothering on top of cookies. However, this time I’ve been savoring it by throwing a tablespoon or two into pretty much ever meal. Pasta? Sure, why not!? Granola. Yes, please! blondies? Why not dip them in mascarpone? It’s been wonderful to open up the fridge and wonder “what can I douse in mascarpone today?”.

This intention has caused the creation of two delicious, quick breakfasts. I am the type of person who wakes up 20 minutes before she has to leave for work and needs a breakfast FAST. The first one is an indulgent twist on my usual morning granola and yogurt. And the second is a bit more YOLO (do you say that? I don’t actually say that…I just could not think of a better describing word. Thank you mainstream media for RUINING MY VOCABULARY).

Let me elaborate a bit more on my contrast between these two breakfasts. I have a [wonderful] boyfriend who is so skinny that you could probably see threw him when he turns to the side. This really irritates me when we eat 80% of the same foods (the other 20% is him getting a side of fries when I get a side salad) and it’s like he is getting skinnier as I am getting bigger! This is good in the aspect that it strives for me to constantly eat better as to not become the husky one in this relationship. But, at the same time and out of frustration, it also makes me want to down an entire jar of nutella when he is not looking. So this week’s breakfasts have consisted of ‘Morning bebe. Here is a big bowl of Granola / Mascarpone / Fruit that I made us for breakfast” and “Oh, you aren’t awake yet? Well I’m downing this Nutella / Ciabatta / Mascarpone sandwich before you get up” [I mean the Nutella has been in that cabinet for far too long...it could go bad soon! I'm only eating this as to not waste food...maybe...no, not really].

So, whether you are feeling like treating yourself or giving your body a good foundation for the day, one of these breakfasts should satisfy your needs. I’d suggest you whip up a batch of your own mascarpone so you can have yummy, creamy breakfasts to look forward to all week as well!

Mascarpone Breakfast Bowl

1 cup homemade granola (I used my pumpkin granola but use whatever you like)
1/4 cup fresh mascarpone
1/2 vanilla bean
drizzle of honey
fresh fruit

Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrap out the seeds. Discard the pod and transfer seeds to small bowl with the mascarpone. Whisk until combined and then pour in granola. Top with fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey.

Mascarpone Breakfast Sandwich with Nutella & Fresh Fruit

1 slice ciabatta bread
2-3 Tablespoons Nutella or any hazelnut spread
2-3 Tablespoons fresh mascarpone
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Fresh fruit

Slice the ciabatta bread in half and spread the Nutella on one side and the mascarpone on the other. Sprinkle the cinnamon on both sides and spread a single layer of bread. Fold the two pieces into each other and set under the broiler for a minute (or until your desired warm/crispiness is achieved). Eat immediately [preferably before anyone else sees you or else you may have to make more].

Daily dose. Why wake up slowly? Let’s get this day going:

Candied Orange Peels

12.20.2012

If you live in the Midwest (like myself), you may be bracing yourself for the big Draco Storm (when did they start naming thunderstorm? I get naming hurricanes and tornadoes but T-storms?) that is planned to hit within the next two days. We had our first wave last night with constant rainfall all night long. What does this mean? It’s time to lock myself in the kitchen and get Christmas baking!

This is the first time I’ve ever made sugared peels and I was pleasantly surprised with the process. Yes, it takes awhile but it’s not labor intensive at all and is a super easy project to have on the side while you bake up other Christmas goodies.

I made these to go into a little gift box that I’m making for Wyatt. He loves getting an Old Fashioned cocktail when we go out for fancy dates so I thought it would be fun to make him a little kit for home. I’ve included a nice bottle of bourbon, bitters, some fancy maraschino cherries, and now these homemade orange peel. Even if these peels are too sweet for him to put in his cocktail, I’ll enjoy the extra touch of sugar when he makes mine!

I highly recommend using organic oranges for this. Since you are using the peel any sort of pesticides used to grow the fruit will have seeped onto the peel…better to be safe than sorry!

Candied Orange Peel

4 organic oranges
3 cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves

Start by cleaning and scrubbing the oranges very well to scrap off any dirt. Next, cut through the orange in four different sections by slicing into the peel and pith but not going all the way through. Peel the oranges and set the insides aside for a different use (my “different use” was munching on them for an after dinner snack and again for breakfast).

Add the orange peels to a saucepan and fill with water until they are all covered. Bring the water to a boil over medium high heat and then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat. Strain the water and let the peels cool until they are okay to touch.

Okay, this is the trickiest part! It’s time to remove the pith from the peels (the white part) or the end result will be tart. I used a spoon and scrapped off the pith as much as possible (don’t feel like you have to get the white part COMPLETELY gone but the more you scrape away the sweeter they will be). Cut the orange peels into long, thin strips.

Next, add 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir often until the sugar has dissolved (about five minutes). Add in the orange peels and let simmer for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let the peels cool in the sugar water (I let them cool for about an hour so they could continue to absorb the sugary syrup).

Once cooled, combine 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a shallow dish. Using a fork or slotted spoon, remove the peels (one at a time) and dip in the sugar mixture. Transfer to wax paper and repeat with the rest of the peels. Let them sit out at room temperature overnight to harden.

Enjoy as a snack or dessert or in your next fancy cocktail!

Spiced Sweet Potato Hummus

11.26.2012

Did everyone [From the US] have a wonderful long weekend? Are you all busy Cyber Monday shopping for the best holiday deals instead of working right now? Don’t worry. I won’t tell! I would be as well but I spent all my money on Black Friday (yup – I’m one of those that goes out at Midnight to save myself 50 bucks). Ah well. It’s all part of the adventure, right?

Oh! Please disregard the shamble that is my ‘recipes’ page right now. It’s in the process of being re-vamped and should hopefully be back to normal tomorrow. Cool? Cool and thanks for being so patient!

Anyhow, wanna talk hummus? Remember when I made that amazing Spicy Jalapeno Corn Hummus? Damn, that stuff was sooooooo good. Well, I’m back with more funky flavors and this one might take the cake. The soft sweet potatoes create the perfect texture for a creamy and flavorful dip. Seriously, this stuff is crazy good. And smother it on top of those homemade Sesame and Poppyseed Crackers and you are golden!

Impress your guests at your next holiday party with not only homemade crackers but homemade dip as well! Or save it all for yourself….that is what I did.

Spiced Sweet Potato Hummus

Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon

1 large sweet potato, cubed
2 cups cooked chickpeas (I made mine from dried beans but feel free to use canned)
4 Tablespoons tahini
2 Tablespoons olive oil (you may need more if the hummus comes out thick)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon sriracha
dash of nutmeg
dash of cinnamon
Salt/Pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Lower to medium low and add in the sweet potatoes. Cook until softened (about 10 to 15 minutes). Strain and let cool.

In a large blender or with a food processor, blend all the ingredients together until a desired consistency is reached. Taste and add more olive oil if dry, more sriracha if not spicy enough for you, or more lemon juice to bring out the flavors more.

Serve with homemade crackers!

Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream

11.09.2012

Oh my goodness, it’s Friday! I hope you are as excited as I am. Last weekend we had daylight saving (turned the clocks back an hour) so it has been pitch black every night this week when I leave work. Total bummer. But the great thing about it being Friday is tomorrow I can play outside in the SUN all day! And it’s suppose to be in the high 60′s and sunny. You know what that means? It means I’ve already planned a full menu for a lunch picnic with my puppy and boyfriend.

Anyhow, here is a simple and quick recipe for vegan pumpkin ice cream! I used bananas as the base which made the ice cream thick but the banana taste was masked by the pumpkin and cinnamon. Have you tried this trick before? Frozen bananas blended taste super similar to ice cream…it’s awesome. Whoever thought of this was a serious genius. I cannot wait to experiment with this concept more (I’m thinking…chocolate, banana, and peanut butter in our near future?!).

Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream

Makes about 2-3 servings

3 bananas, frozen and peeled
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serve right away (it will have a texture similar to soft serve) or let freeze for 2 hours to make firm.

Enjoy with warm pie or as a late night snack (and don’t even feel guilty about it!)

PS: Don’t forget to check out the wonderful giveaway I am hosting this week!

Spiced Bread Pudding // Collaboration with Dishes Undressed

10.16.2012

Happy Tuesday! I’m here today with another collaboration with Angie from Dishes Undressed and this one is our dessert edition! I had her try out my vegan cobbler cake [which sure does look delicious!] and she had me tackle this mouth-watering bread pudding.

Okay, so let’s talk pudding. The REAL kind of pudding…not the stuff you get at the store that is in powder form and you add milk [or something to that nature] to make it come alive [do people still do that? I remember my Dad making us pistachio pudding a lot like this when I was a kid]. I’m talking about the traditional puddings which are created from recipes filled with generations of memories. I never grew up on those puddings and have sort of been making up for lost time. Earlier this month, I whipped up my first ever persimmon pudding and have enjoyed several batches of the stuff since. And now, here I am, trying out bread pudding for the first time. Who knows what’s next! Maybe I’ll try to conquer rice pudding [again, do people eat that stuff?]. Do you have a favorite pudding recipes? I think I might just have to go on a pudding kick to find mine!

So…my first experience with bread pudding. I was a bit unsure of what to expect but was smitten by the idea that the ingredients were so similar to my favorite breakfast food ever: french toast. I mean, anything that encourages eating french toast more than just before 10 AM is a keeper in my book. Anyhow, so the result was similar to baked french toast but soften. It was moist, spongy, and full of spices. The warm jam with the perfect sidekick to bring out the sweetness of the pudding. I adapted mine slightly from Angie’s recipe to accommodate what I had on hand.

PS- One last thing! I am a total instagram, bloglovin, and facebook addict [do you follow me on all these things??]. I am, however, totally clueless when it comes to Twitter but I’ve decided it’s time to make the plunge! That is right, VV is offically going to be on Twitter so please hop on over and…say Hi or whatever you do on Twitter. [Username: ShellyWester]

Spiced Bread Pudding

2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean
8 thick slices of stale bread
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
fig jam, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and arrange the bread pieces on a small pan.

Slice the vanilla bean in half and scrap out all the seeds. Discard the pod and place seeds in a small saucepan with the milk and bring to a boil. Once boiling, immediately remove from heat and let cool.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and the sugar. Once the milk mixture is completely cooled (we don’t want the eggs scrambling now!), slowly add it into the egg mixture and stir until combined.

Pour over the bread pieces and let sit for ten minutes. Pop it into the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until the top is browned and crusty. Remove from oven and let cool.

In a small saucepan, warm the jam until it becomes runny. Swirl into the bread pudding and enjoy right away! Perhaps along side a big mug of chia tea or with a blanket on your hammock.

Fall Quinoa Salad with Apples, Pecans, and Cranberries

10.11.2012

Good Morning! I know I’ve already mentioned this in previous posts but have you checked out Chickpea magazine yet? I am so excited that they have officially starting shipping out the fall issue this week. I cannot wait to snuggle up on the coach with my puppy and a big mug of chai tea while I swoon over this issue’s recipes and articles!

Anyhow, today I am sharing a recipe for a quinoa salad. Do you like quinoa? Did you try that Southwestern Quinoa Salad I posted about awhile back? If you have not tried it, I highly recommend checking this grain (is it a grain or a seed?) out. It has such a unique, light and filling texture//taste that it really is hard to explain. This salad is super simple and easy to make so this would be a great introduction to quinoa for you. The hint of cinnamon counteracts the tart apples to make a flavorful and filling side dish.

Fall Quinoa with Apples, Pecans, and Cranberries

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
3/4 cup water
1 tart apple, diced (sprinkle a little lemon juice on the apple chunks to keep from turning brown)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries (or cherries or whatever else you like dried!)

For the dressing:

2 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
dash of cinnamon
salt/pepper

Bring the water a boil in a small saucepan. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and add in the quinoa. Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and “fluff” the quinoa with a fork.

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and add to cooled quinoa. Mix in the apple, pecans, and cranberries into the quinoa.

Serve warm or chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Fall Apple Crisp // The Worry Worm

9.28.2012

This is a picture from a fall afternoon [ last year ] that Wyatt (pictured above) and I spent laying by the water and having long conversations. Today, I wish this was us again. Life [ for no particular reason ] has been really stressing me out lately. I’m not sure what exactly happened but it was like something inside of me snapped when I graduated from college [about six months ago] that turned on my “worrying” button. Before that, I was known for being the “laid back” friend who never took anything seriously. I always trusted that what was happening was supposed to and that I felt pretty much invincible. This all changed, however, when I started my “real-world” journey and I began feeling the weight of all my decisions being put on me. If I don’t take care of myself, something terrible COULD happen to me. What I put in my body does actually affect my mood/general feeling. If I don’t pay attention while driving, I could get into a car accident. It has been a large reality check for me and really unearthed my way of thinking.

I bring this up because this un-nerving feeling struck me again this morning [ and has thrown the whole day off ]. Why? Because I read an article this morning about Trader Joe’s recalling their peanut butter due to salmonella contamination. This happens to be the same kind of peanut butter that I opened and gobbled down last night. I mean, realistically, I would already have been feeling the negative affects of the peanut butter if it had been affected. There is just something about the fact that a comfort food [ that I eat almost every day ] could turn and harm you. Arg.
Anyway, I am getting way too serious for even my own liking so let’s shift gears…eh? Enough about my hang-ups. Cool? Cool.

_______________________

Instead, let’s talk about fall comfort desserts. I love love love apple crisp because not only is it filled with cinnamon and oats but its 50% fruit [ which makes it totally acceptable for breakfast, lunch, snack, dessert, etc... right? ]. And you know what’s even better about this recipe? Wyatt picked it out so it has wayyy more butter than any recipe I would have approved of. That is probably what made it sooo freaking delicious. Shhhhh….don’t let him know that I admitted to that!

We attempted to go apple picking last weekend which ended up being a huge fail. Supposedly, the season is off because of the bad Midwest drought and the early frost that struck us last week. Ah well. We still picked up a bundle of apples and some recipe cards (they always have a stack of homemade recipe cards by the check out counter at the orchard). We made an apple pie from these cards last year and it was to die for (which is where my assumption comes in….old fashion = SO much butter // heavy cream). Anyhow, this recipe is from one of those cards and was nothing short of amazing.

I’d suggest making this when you are trying to impress guests (sadly, most of them aren’t going to be impressed by your low-carb fruit cake) or when you really want to capture that “fall is in the air” feeling. Don’t forget to serve this crisp warm with a big helping of vanilla bean ice cream.

Apple Crisp

6 large tart apples
juice of half a lemon
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (2 sticks) cold butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg

Grease a 9×9 pan and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prep the apples by peeling, coring, and dicing them. Add the lemon juice, corn starch, and sugar to the apples and place in the baking dish.

In another bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Dice the cold butter into chunks and use your fingers to work them into the mixture until the dough is coarse and combined. Fold in the oats and then evenly top over the apples.

Cook for 45- 50 minutes or until the top has browned.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly while you prep the ice cream (!!).

Serve warm and gobble up while enjoying the crisp breeze on your porch.

Pumpkin Granola

9.26.2012

And so we continue our fall theme with another pumpkin recipe! And weirdly enough…another breakfast recipe! [ Not that you can't also eat granola for a dessert or as a snack or just because it taste good ]. Although we all wish that we could eat cinnamon rolls for breakfast everyday, it’s probably not the healthiest choice imaginable. I would probably find it hard to get up and do yoga every morning if I had just downed 3 cinnamon rolls for the third time that week. Anyhow, what I am getting at is today’s post is about a more of a….sustainable breakfast choice. Think of cinnamon rolls as your weekend breakfast and this granola can be your simple and quick weekday indulgence. Throw some Greek yogurt // almond milk // soy yogurt in a to-go cup and top it with this granola + maybe some honey // agave or sliced apples as you run out of the door [ oh, and don't forget to bring a spoon! ].

So, on that note, I have a confession. I LOVE parfaits and went through a big phase where I would whip them up for dessert [ as an attempt to avoid getting the 'I should make brownies because I'm craving sweet' thought that often follows dinner ]. However, I always bought granola from the store and this is my first attempt ever at making it myself. Damn, I am kicking myself now! Reasons why this should have been on my radar years ago:

1. It’s stupidly cheap to make your own! For 5 cups of organic rolled oats, it cost me 2.19 to get from my bulk section. Yeah! Do you have any idea how much 5 cups of oats it!? It’s a lot. Goodbye $4.69 box of organic Cascade Farm’s granola! You will never fool me again.

2. It’s SO SO SO easy to make. I throw all the ingredients together in 5 minutes and then did my entire morning yoga routine while they cooked. This meant…I had to wake up maybe 10 minutes earlier than I usually do. And then you have enough granola to last for twice as long as those skimpy pre-packaged boxes of cereal do.

3. You know exactly what is going into your granola. None of that hidden corn syrup or extra dose of sugar that you always pretended was not in there. And it also gives you total control! Don’t like your granola sweet? Cut back on brown sugar! Don’t like dried cranberries? Swap out for dried cherries! So easy!
Anyhow, I hope that I’ve inspired you and that this recipe gives you that extra push to try out making your own granola!

Pumpkin Granola

Adapted from Two Peas & A Pod

5 cups rolled oats
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup honey (or agave to make vegan)
dash of vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, apple sauce, honey, and vanilla. Spread evenly onto prepared baking sheet and stick in the oven.

Cook for 40 minutes (stir the oats around halfway through cooking time). Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Fold in dried cherries.

Let cool completely (this will help crisp it up!) and then sprinkle over yogurt//milk//whatever you are feeling.

Store in an airtight container.

Vegan Pumpkin Cinnanom Rolls with Maple Glaze

9.25.2012

Ah, Tuesday. Sometimes I feel like Tuesday is worse than Monday because you’ve already got back into the swing of things but still have so much more time before it’s the weekend. But there is a cure for the Tuesday blues and that cure is Cinnamon Rolls! [How could you possible be down when you have a fresh, warm and gooey cinnamon roll in your belly?] What about cinnamon rolls with an extra kick of pumpkin in them? Oooooh yeah! I’m sold. I became hooked on what I called cinnamon roll “spin-offs” after I made those Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls. Oh goodness. Nothing like taking something already delicious and making it even better.

And so, it’s officially fall for me because I cooked with my first pumpkin of the season. Ah, I love it! How can you not get excited about a season that features pumpkin, cinnamon, apples, and cider?!? I just don’t understand.

These were amazing but I will, however, add more pumpkin next time around. You could definitely taste the pumpkin but it was subtle. Also, don’t forget to prep these SEVERAL hours before you want to indulge since they take two rounds of rising (I started them the night before and then let them rise all night which worked as a perfect way to cut out an extra hour and half in the AM.

Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from EatLiveRun

2 Tablespoons Earth Balance
1/3 cup almond milk
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon corn starch + 3 Tablespoons water (mix together so that a gel forms)
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

For the Filling:

1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons Earth Balance
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

For Maple Glaze:

2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 Tablespoon Almond Milk

Heat the butter and almond milk over low in a small saucepan until the butter has melted and is incorporated. Remove from heat and wait for the mixture to cool slightly (should be able to touch the milk with your finger and not be uncomfortable) and add the yeast. Let sit for five minutes or until the yeast becomes foamy.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch/water mixture with the pumpkin. In the bowl of your stand mixer (with the dough attachment) combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Add in the pumpkin mixture and turn the mixer onto medium until everything is combined. Next, add in the yeast mixture and let the dough knead for about five minutes. The dough should end up elastic and firm.

Transfer dough to a greased mixing bowl and cover. Let rise for an hour (or overnight).

Go do some yoga. Turn the vinyl over. Dance with your puppy. Or take a nap. Or whatever you like to fill your time with.

Transfer dough to a flour surface and roll out to form a large rectangle shape. Mix the filling together in a bowl and sprinkle on top of the dough. Roll dough by taking the long ends and forming a long cylinder. Cut in the middle and then cut each of those pieces into thirds (you should end up with 6 rolls). Stick in a greased 8×8 cooking pan and cover. Let rise for another 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake rolls for about 30 minutes or until the tops are browned. Remove and let cool.

While cooling, prepare the glaze! Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl until it starts to gel. Pour over the rolls.

Enjoy warm and with tea or coffee.

Moody Monday // Pumpkin Spice Mix

9.24.2012

I know we are all super excited for Fall but it was still quite the slap in the face this morning when we woke up to it being 39 degrees out. I’m not complaining or anything but HOW DO PEOPLE GET OUT OF BED WHEN IT’S COLD OUT? I can already foresee many [many] lazy days in bed with my macbook and hot tea in my near future.

Anyhow, I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. We tried to go apple picking yesterday but the Midwestern drought that struck our entire month of July seems to have thrown off the growing season and all the apples had already fallen from the trees. Ah well, at least we got some yummy apple cider and fig jam out of the experience (and persimmon pulp…more to come on that in a future post…).

Here are a few pictures from a mid-week dinner picnic we went on last week. Nothing like watching the sunset over the lake to cure the mid-week blues. [warning: sorry cat lovers but there are A LOT of dog pictures to follow...Tuko was being extra photogenic that day and seems to have jumped into 90 percent of my photos from the evening]:

____________

So yeah, last week I promised you that I would get the last bit of summer out of my system and move onto fall this week. That means that I won’t be posting that absolutely delicious bruschetta recipe I had hope to but I will be posting lots of cinnamon, apple, and pumpkin themed recipes this week. MMMMMMM.

Oh, and speaking of cinnamon…let’s start the week off with an essential: pumpkin pie spice. I grew up using pumpkin pie spice that was prepackaged from our grocery store but did you know it’s ridiculously simple to make your own? And on top of that, you can make it with spices that you more than likely have sitting in your pantry. How cool is that? So why not whip up a batch to use in all your fall baked goods, to sprinkle on top of warm oatmeal, and to spice your cider with?

Pumpkin Pie Spice

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice

Mix together and sprinkle over everything. BAM! That’s it.

Store in an airtight container with the rest of your baking spices.

Searchable Saturdays

9.22.2012

A picture of Tuko & Lake Monroe from our dinner picnic. We went on a hike/picnic Wednesday night which was the perfect cure for the mid-week blues.

Morning, Morning, Morning! Here are a few inspiring things I stumbled upon while enjoying my morning cup of chai:
1. My two favorite things have finally come together in a beautiful monthly package (and receiving surprises in the mail is up there as a favorite as well): music (more specifically- music on vinyl) and cooking. This adorably clever project sends you a monthly package filled with an exclusive 7″, recipe cards, and spices to accompany your dinner. How awesome is that?! Now if only I had come up with this idea…

2. I’m preparing for a blog facelift which means many hours spent looking at logos, fonts, and color schemes. Upon my ‘research’, I came across this font. SO cool!

3. I have such a weakness for cute typography and colorful visuals. Look at these adorable DIY birthday cards! Best part? You can print them out and give them to all those Fall birthdays you know!

4. Bon Appetit recently released an article on the science behind food pairing. Find it weird that there are some foods which seem to be absolutely irresistible together? There is probably a scientific explanation behind that!

5. Sprouting from a slight fantasy of wishing I had grown up as part of the Portland vegan food scene in the 90s, I have such a weakness for zines and hand drawn food photos. Not only does this Tea is Magical photo portray exactly how amazing tea is, it also looks like it could have been pulled from a 90′s art magazine.

6. I know I already mentioned the newest edition of Chickpea Magazine earlier this week but take a look at these photos to get an idea of the types of recipes in the newest edition!

7. With the weather changing, I am already starting to stock up on fun things to do inside to keep me busy during the looooooong, cold months ahead. Hop on over to DesignSponge to check out this amazing looking DIY foot soak made out of honey that will be perfect after a long day in the chilly Midwest.

8. The reasons I love fall are absolutely endless but one that I must point out is that it’s boot season. I am so. in. love. with. boots. My co-worker commented the other day that I’ve worn a different pair of boots every day this week. Guilty. I can’t help it! I need a pair in every color, ankle and over the knee, with laces and slip ons. Speaking of boots, I may already have a dozen pairs but I think these would be a perfect addition to my collection.

Okay, enough lusting over the internet for one day. I am off to pour myself another cup of coffee and get working on some pumpkin cinnamon rolls!

View from my bike. Peddling to friend’s house to make dinner together.

Roasted Balsamic Carrots

5.02.2012

I totally get why people insist on creating super elaborate dishes with dozens of ingredients; I myself have made plenty of recipes that hit that description on the head but for some reason I always come back to the simple ones. Roasting vegetables is probably the first thing you learn in cooking 101 but yet there’s nothing better than the bold, natural flavors that come from roasting. These carrots only have five ingredients but every ingredient is important and you can taste the delicious chemistry that is created when these ingredients are cooked together.

Anyways, I am going to keep this short because I have been writing papers all week for my finals and more writing just seems like a chore (which is never what this blog should feel like!) However, now that I’ve managed to write such a passionate previous paragraph about these flavorful carrots, you should probably just try them out for yourself and not take my word for it.

Roasted Balsamic Carrots

6 carrots, sliced in half lengthwise
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 425. Combine the nutmeg, cinnamon, balsamic, and olive oil in a bowl. Toss the carrots in the mixture and then lay in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Cook for 10 minutes. Flip and then roast for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Enjoy as a delicious side or an afternoon snack.

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Glaze

4.10.2012

Every Easter since I can remember I spent it with family. Since my parents are divorced, my brother and I would have two huge Easter meals. I would have a brunch with my Ma and a dinner with my Father. This was great as a kid because that also meant you received two baskets, twice the amount of candy, two egg hunts and twice the amount of dessert.

However, in addition to be being grown up and grown out of Easter baskets, I now live 4 hours away from family and going home for the holiday just did not seem feasible. I knew it would be okay because I’m not religious and I would have been dragged to church by my Ma and lectured about my faith. But I felt a little sad not celebrating my favorite meal of the day- brunch. So, I had to compensate in some way by whipping up a brunch recipe that I’ve been eyeing for weeks.

The product of my Easter blues were these Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls. And they were well worth not receiving a free buffet brunch this year. These rolls are not over sweet because they are made with whole wheat flour and sweet potatoes but still very indulgent with the sugary maple glaze lathered all over them.

Adapted from So Good & Tasty

For the rolls:

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes, cooled
1 cup almond milk, warmed
4 teaspoons yeast
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 egg
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 cup spelt flour
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoons nutmeg
5 Tablespoons butter, melted

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon heavy cream
2 Tablespoons maple syrup (+ more if you’d like a stronger flavor)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk and maple syrup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let sit for ten minutes.

In another bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, eggs, oil, and spelt flour. Add to the yeast mixture and mix well. Next, add in the flour a cup at a time until a sticky ball of dough forms.

Transfer to an oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise for one hour or until it has doubled in size.

Wait…go play with your puppy…wait…dance to 90s classics…wait….watch a rerun of Twin Peaks…wait…

Split the dough in half. On a floured surface, roll out a looooooong rectangle (this doesn’t have to be an exact measurement or science. Just roll it wider if you like more layers and taller if you like them big and popping out the top of the pan).

Make the filling mixture by combining the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread half the melted butter over the dough and sprinkle with half the filling mixture. Roll from the bottom (with the long sides being from left to right) to the top as tightly as possible. Slice into 6 sections and place in a greased baking dish. Repeat with the other half of the dough so you end up with a total of 12 rolls.

Cover with a clean towel and let rise for another half an hour.

Go take a walk…play bananagrams with your roommates….do some online shopping…wait…

Preheat oven to 400. Cook for 18 to 20 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.

To make the glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and syrup until a thick glaze forms. Lather over the rolls and let sit for a minute so it melts.

Retro Recipe: Spiced Orange Apple Cider

12.04.2011

Woah, where to begin? It’s been over two weeks since my last post but I promise I have good excuses for this. First off, I spent my Thanksgiving vacation in the mountains in Colorado with my Ma’s side of the family. And although living on the side of a mountain in a mansion of a log cabin is perfect for skiing and sledding and getting drunk off of bloody marys…it’s not the type of place where I’d have internet connection….. sooooo no posting for me that week.

But, while we are on the topic, I got some awesome pictures of the long weekend!

We decided to drive which meant that those 36 hours of car time was bound to ignite a roadtrip-esc experience of stopping at every road side attraction possible.

The weekend consisted of hanging out with my brother in Denver, taking snow filled walks, drinking with family, eating, eating, eating, and playing in the mountains.

I didn’t really have the patience or internal heat for skiing (although we did try it one day! But that just ended in us spending 80 percent of the time in the lodge at the bottom getting tipsy). We did go tubing on top of a mountain at Keystone the Sunday we were there (pictured above) and it was so much fun. I promise my brother is not as mean (well…mostly) as he looks in this picture.

So where am I going with this lengthy and wordy post? Well, on our 36 hour car ride endevour, we made it a point to stop at as many Goodwills along the way as possible (we are vintage shopping horders. Serious problem, we know). And while at a small Goodwill in Middle-of-nowhere, Kansas I came across a Betty Crocker Deluxe cookbook set. I mean this thing is legendary, it was published in 1969 and has 4 separate cookbooks that fit perfectly into a boxset with Betty Crocker’s face (or at least what they decided she should look like if she was to really exist) painted across the front (don’t worry- I’ll include a picture of it later!). Anyhow, this boxset got me to thinking that the places I look for recipes are all quite similar and I need to start experimenting with other sources. So I’ve decided that every so often I’m going to do a retro recipe where I adapt one of the original Betty Crocker recipes from this deluxe set into a revamped, modern vegetarian dish! Don’t worry, there are alot of recipes in this book that went out of style for a reason (cactus juice=milk and green food coloring. wwaaaah?) so I’ll try to stick to appetizing oldies.

This recipe I made while we were staying in the cabin. What I did was make it alcohol free for all the kiddies but keep the whiskey close for people who wanted to add it to their serving.

Spiced Orange Apple Cider

(Adapted from Betty Crocker)

2 oranges
30 cloves
1/2 cup sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
1 gallon apple cider
2 teaspoons all spice
4 cups cranberry juice
Whiskey, optional

Stick the cloves into the orange skins like shown.

Then add everything to a big pot and let simmer for an hour! This will mend the flavors all together to create a warm and crisp flavor!

Serve with whiskey or cinnamon sticks. Boom. that’s it.

Sweet Almond Bread

11.14.2011

I’m straight up addicted to my bread maker again. After pulling it out last week to make the Fall Focaccia, I’ve been obsessively snatching up any bread machine recipes I can get my hands on. And it’s been totally worth it; fresh, hot, melt in your mouth bread is probably one of the best things to ever exist on this planet. like. ever.

Anyways, so if you don’t have a bread maker (which I highly suggest you get one- I snagged one at Goodwill for 5 bucks during a 50 percent off sale) than you can still for sure do this recipe but just knead the dough by hand and let it rise for an hour (no biggie).

Over the weekend, two of my roommates competed in a climbing competition and one of my other roommates was at state for Ethics Bowl (psssshhh. nerrrd) so what else was I suppose to do with my Saturday but support them in the form of making yummy food for when they returned? They all were in love with this bread and it was gone in about a half an hour (what do you expect from a group of hungry mental and physical athletes?).

Anyhow, this bread is sweet like a breakfast roll and doesn’t even need to be topped with butter or anything else. Just slice and munch! Also, [the best part] it makes two loaves so when all of your roommates eat an entire loaf in a half an hour you still have another one for breakfast the next morning!

Sweet Almond Bread

Dough:

2/3 cup warm milk (just pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds)
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup applesauce (room temp, please!)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cup bread flour
1 package of active dry yeast

For Topping:

1/8 stick of butter
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 Tablespoon milk
dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
dash of salt
1/4 cup sliced almonds

First, add all the dough ingredients in the bread maker in the order listed and select dough setting. Go take your dog for a walk while it does it’s thing.

Once the cycle is complete, split the dough in half and mold into two circles. Place on two greased cookie sheets and prepare the filling (this will give it a little extra time to rise more).

Preheat oven to 375. In a saucepan over low heat, add the butter, sugar, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Once the butter is melted, bring the whole thing to a simmer for about two minutes. Remove from heat and use thsi mixture to coat the top of the dough balls. Top with sliced almonds and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

Eat an entire loaf and then share the other with friends. Oh, also bask in how nice your kitchen smells from the cooked cinnamon!

Sweet Potato Pancakes with Whiskey Glazed Pecans

11.08.2011

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve bought into the shop local and cook seasonally fad (mmmm fresh produce!) so if for some odd reason my love for seasonal cooking mated with my favorite meal [breakfast-duh!] then I’m pretty sure the product would be something along the lines of these sweet potato pancakes!

I know the main part of this recipe is the pancakes but damn the pecans are what shine! Yummy glazed nuts with a hint of maple syrup and whiskey means this pancakes are just an excuse for you to make these pecans anyways!

Also, [total side note] BUT if you have an leftover mashed sweet potatoes after Thanksgiving then feel free to skip over the pancake recipe part of this post and fry them up like pancakes with these yummy pecans.

Sweet Potato Pancakes with Whiskey Glazed Pecans

For the pecans:

1 cup pecans
2 tsp. canola oil
dash of salt
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 Tablespoons whiskey

For the Sweet Potato:

1 large sweet potato
2 Tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup almond milk
1/3 cup water
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
dash of nutmeg
dash of cloves
cooking spray

You have three options for when you want to make the mashed sweet potato part. You could either make it the night before so that you can get right down to business when you wake up or assign the task to whomever is the early bird in the house or just do it when you get up (but keep in mind this is gonna add another 45 minutes to your prep time!)

Anyways, so preparing the sweet potato is the first step. What you are going to do is preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place the sweet potato on the middle rack (no wrapping in foil or poking it). Cook for 45 minutes (this is the part where you go back to bed or watch cartoons with your morning coffee while you wait!)

Once done, take out and prepare the pecans while it cools. Place a square of parchment paper on the counter and heat a skillet over medium low. Add pecans and saute constantly for about five minutes. Add oil and dash of salt; stir for another minute. Then add the maple syrup and stir so that the pecans absorb it (about 30 seconds). Finally, add the whiskey and stir for 30 seconds more. Place hot pecans in a single layer on the parchment paper and let cool while you prepare the rest of the pancakes (dont pick at them! They will be yummy!)

Peel the sweet potato and mash in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil, milk, vinegar, sugar and vanilla and stir until well incorporated. Next, add the dry ingredients (Flour, baking powder, salt, and spices) and mix until all the big clumps are gone.

Prepare a large skillet over medium heat. Liberally spray with cooking spray and, when heated, add by the heaping 1/2 cup fulls to the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side and flip.

Eat with pecans on top and gallonss of warm maple syrup (unless you’re on a diet in which case I’d reccomend you scratch this recipe all together and find some yogurt in the fridge or something).

Vegan Cinnamon Apple Cookies

10.04.2011

And here we go. I really really really hope you like apples because I went apple picking this weekend with some friends. Between me and my three roommates, we brought back pounds of apples so the apple recipes will be pouring out over the next few weeks. I took loads of pictures at the orchard on Saturday but I’ll do another post about that in a few days (because we all know I’ll have made more apple goodness things by then anyways) and I wanna talk about where I got this recipe in this post.

So I don’t know if you have ever been to Bloomington, Indiana but there is this non-profit bookstore called ‘Boxcar Books’ that is the mecca of independent writing (Boxcar Books) and a great place to browse when looking for some inspiration. It’s an old house transformed into rooms of independently published books and magazines and articles and zines and it’s sooooo good.

Anyways, it was 65 and sunny yesterday (woah, I thought it was October?) so we went on a nice walk downtown after dinner and ended up browsing at Boxcar. You may or may not have known this but I am a consumerist at it’s finest; I like to consider myself a vintage expert but most would consider my Goodwill and garage sale splurges as a sign of hoarding. Anyways, I found a few jewels last night and one was this adorable little European zine about Vegan cooking (go figure). This zine is called ‘The Cake Scoffer’ and it’s tag line is ‘Cheap n Easy Vegan cooking’. The thing that really sold me on this was that all the recipes have hand drawn animals making these baked goods which is just too adorable to pass up (I’ll add a picture of the zine later so you can get a better grasp of what I am talking about).

Anyways, as I mentioned this is a EUROPEAN zine soooooo the measurements are in ounces instead of cups! Oh coooool! What a nice small challenge for a super simple recipe! Okay, so I kept the recipe in ounces and I promise it’s not as hard as you’d think (if nothing else then just use liquid measuring cups for everything since they always have ounces on them anywayyys).

Also, these cookies were called scones in the zine but honestly they are too soft for me to bring myself to call them this. Feel free to eat them for breakfast or with your coffee to pretend like they are scones. I made mine triangles (kinda) since I thought they’d be scone like but you can just make them into yummy circle cookies

Cinnamon Apple Cookies

5 oz of all purpose flour
5 oz of whole wheat flour
1 oz of soy milk powder
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 oz of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
4 oz of Earth Balance
1 tart apple, grated (but not peeled! Get rid of the core though. yuck!)
1/4 cup of cold water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (Ronny refers to this as gas mark 7, weirdo European).

Combine the flours, soymilk powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in the Earth Balance (honestly just use your hands because it’ll get the job done so much faster…in fact, get a volunteer that wants to eat the end product to do the dirty work by sticking their hands in it). Next, mix the grated apple and slowly add a splash of water into the mixture until it forms a ball and all sticks together.

Roll into 12 seperate balls and put on a greased baking sheet.

Cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with sugar.

Share with your hand helper.

DIY Vegan Bagels with Pumpkin Cream Cheese

9.27.2011

There are very very few things I like about the weather getting colder but fall flavors is by far my favorite! All the smells and spice…the pumpkin, cinnamon, apple, cloves, nutmeg. Mmmmmm Sooooo please excuse me if I get carried away with the season baking for the next few months!

I will admit the process of making bagels is a bit tedious and my boyfriend doesn’t understand why you would make anything that involved 3 different methods of cooking to get to the final product (boiling, baking, and toasting) but they are a fun weekend project that are well worth the effort if you have the time. They have a crunchy outer layer with a soft, fresh center that you won’t even need to toast.

Vegan DIY Bagels

(Adapted from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Vegan Brunch)

3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/3 cup lukewarm water
1 ounce active dry yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons xanthan gum
2 teaspoons salt
poppy seeds
oil

Lightly coat a bowl and set aside. Dissolve the sugar and yeast in lukewarm water. Combine the flour, xantham gum, salt, and water mixture until a sticky dough forms. Knead the dough by hand for ten minutes (make sure you have some good music going to make the time go byyyy). Put in the greased bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let rise for one hour.

The dough will not have rose too much but that is okay. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and adjust to a simmer. Divide the dough into twelve pieces and roll into circles. Use your thumb to puncture a hole in the center then add to simmering pot. Let boil for one minute and then flip. Take turns putting 2-3 bagels in a batch of water.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place boiled bagels on it. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake 18 to 20 minutes. Let stand for an additional 20 minutes to cool off and harden.

Top with pumpkin spice cream cheese or nutella or sunflower seed butter or honey and devour.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT PART…..

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese

(Adapted from Pinch My Salt)

8 ounces of cream cheese (use tofutti if you’re vegan!), softened
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
5 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons maple sugar (or agave)
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
dash of nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients and use a mixer to blend together.

Spread over everything and munch down.