I blame the dessert obsession on Jonathan (and his entire family!). However, I post a lot of dessert recipes because it's a "food category" that is inevitably loaded with milk and eggs, so we nearly always have to make them from scratch if we're looking to keep things Amaris safe. I know I'm supposed to post dinner ideas, but I guess I'm lazy with it because we don't make many "casseroles" or complicated dishes, so I forget to post simple things. I'll get on it eventually. Anyhow, this is a superb banana cake. I have strayed away from the vegan cream cheese icing recipes because I just don't think it turns out quite as well, so that may not be appealing to some since "traditionally" banana cake is iced with cream cheese icing. We mainly use homemade butter cream varieties, or if I am short on time (and butter), we'll buy a tub of the premade stuff by Pillsbury-many, many of these varieties are made without milk products. They're soy-based. With that said...this cake is fantastic, and would've been gone within 2 days at our house if Jonathan didn't leave a knife in the cake box that he had used to mince garlic with...I cannot handle garlic butter cream icing. He, however, did not seem deterred...I maintain, the dessert habits of our house hold are entirely his fault.
INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour (I don't suggest "healthifying" this one with whole wheat flour. suck it up...dessert just isn't super healthful)
2 t baking powder
3/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t baking soda
1 C mashed ripe bananas (about 2 decent sized)
1/2 C vegan butter substitute at room temperature (I highly recommend Earth Balance Buttery sticks)
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
1 C soymilk (I may have used vanilla here, not sure)
2 t white vinegar
1 t vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350. Oil and flour 2 8-inch cake pans. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda in a bowl. In a separate, larger bowl, combine bananas and butter substitute, beat until creamy (either electric or by hand). Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in soymilk, vinegar and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined-don't overmix! Pour evenly into cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown, toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before icing.
This is the buttercream icing recipe I used:
1 3/4-2 C powdered sugar
1/2 C vegan butter substitute softened, but not at room temperature
1 t vanilla
a few teaspooons of non dairy milk to create the texture you're looking for
combine all ingredients and beat with electric mixer until fluffy, or throw it into a food processer (this is what the recipe suggests, though I have never done it...I go the electric mixer route). Note-I mess around with these quantities to create the texture and taste I'm looking for...so don't be too fussy about the exact measurements of ingredients here.
This icing is pretty firm, so I would suggest either making it right before you want to ice and eat the cake, or if you're making it ahead and refrigerating it (I usually do), let it set out at room temperature for a bit and then fluff it up (just by hand, with a spatula or something) before you start to ice the cake. Many of the vegan icing recipes don't hold up well for days on end, but this one was fine. We didn't refrigerate it either. You could try to use the cream cheese recipe I have posted with the carrot cake recipe...in which case you would be dealing with refrigeration.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Amazing Pancakes
Breakfast may very well be our favorite meal of the day. We used to enjoy going out for omelets, french toast, pancakes, whatever. I still miss Nudy's Cafe near Eastern. Unfortunately, breakfast is definitely the most impossible meal to make "Amaris-safe". Eggs and milk are everywhere, in everything. We've found some acceptable recipes for pancakes and vegan french toast and the like, but I will be honest, they were not all that fantastic. This one, however, is perfect...could seriously sit in the place of a stack of buttermilk pancakes from a classy downtown breakfast cafe. We don't frequent Ihop or Waffle House so I can't use them as a comparison, but I'm guessing if you're up for cooking your own pancakes from scratch you likely are not big Ihop fans to begin with.
Obviously, they are best fresh, but if you let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container, they'll still be wonderful the next day-heat them up briefly in the microwave and them pop them in the toaster for a short bit to make keep some of the crispiness (unless you like them totally floppy and soft....). NOTE-this recipe uses Ener-G Egg Replacer powder. You can find it online easily, or at Wegmans, likely other places. It's very handy in scratch recipes, so if you're making the switch to egg-free baking, buy it.
INGREDIENTS:
2 C flour (your choice....I mix 1 C each of all-purpose and whole wheat)
3 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon (I'm pretty sure I used more than this...just dumped it in)
3 t Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 4 T non-dairy milk
1 3/4 C non-dairy milk (I used vanilla soymilk)
2 t honey (pretty sure I used more than this as well)
2 T safflower oil (or another mildly flavored vegetable oil, like canola)
Sift together the first 4 ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (helps to mix the egg replacer bit separately to ensure that the powder is evenly mixed in and there are no chunks). Add wet ingredients to dry-if you think it's too thin, add a bit of flour, or likewise, too thick, add a bit of milk. Do not over mix this, just try to eliminate chunks of flour. Cook pancakes immediately on a lightly oiled hot griddle. Between 350-375 degrees is fine. Give them some time-check for bubbles around the edges before you flip them. They should rise pretty significantly when flipped-I was impressed with how light and fluffy they turned out...haven't had such great luck with that in all the other vegan pancake recipes.
You can add pieces of fruit to this as well, just like you would with "normal" pancake mix.
Obviously, they are best fresh, but if you let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container, they'll still be wonderful the next day-heat them up briefly in the microwave and them pop them in the toaster for a short bit to make keep some of the crispiness (unless you like them totally floppy and soft....). NOTE-this recipe uses Ener-G Egg Replacer powder. You can find it online easily, or at Wegmans, likely other places. It's very handy in scratch recipes, so if you're making the switch to egg-free baking, buy it.
INGREDIENTS:
2 C flour (your choice....I mix 1 C each of all-purpose and whole wheat)
3 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon (I'm pretty sure I used more than this...just dumped it in)
3 t Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 4 T non-dairy milk
1 3/4 C non-dairy milk (I used vanilla soymilk)
2 t honey (pretty sure I used more than this as well)
2 T safflower oil (or another mildly flavored vegetable oil, like canola)
Sift together the first 4 ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (helps to mix the egg replacer bit separately to ensure that the powder is evenly mixed in and there are no chunks). Add wet ingredients to dry-if you think it's too thin, add a bit of flour, or likewise, too thick, add a bit of milk. Do not over mix this, just try to eliminate chunks of flour. Cook pancakes immediately on a lightly oiled hot griddle. Between 350-375 degrees is fine. Give them some time-check for bubbles around the edges before you flip them. They should rise pretty significantly when flipped-I was impressed with how light and fluffy they turned out...haven't had such great luck with that in all the other vegan pancake recipes.
You can add pieces of fruit to this as well, just like you would with "normal" pancake mix.
Monday, March 7, 2011
More Recipes
I promised Jonathan I would try to post what we eat for dinner several nights a week, which will help give ideas to those who ask us what on earth they could make for us that is safe for Amaris. He discussed earlier what she ate...we were entertained that she could not get enough of the brussels sprouts. It may, however, be how they were cooked, as we found them wonderfully tasty as well.
So...here are a few favorites. Not to be picky, but really, we have to be-if you are cooking something that Amaris-or anyone with allergies is going to eat for that matter-take special care to ensure that all of your baking pans, utensils, etc are totally clean. We keep separate pans for things that will contain allergens, which is obviously unrealistic for those who don't have someone with allergies living in the house, but it's a serious issue.
Roasted Brussels sprouts, Amaris approved:
Fresh Brussels sprouts (I'm sure you could use frozen, but you must thaw them completely first)
Olive oil (several tablespoons at least)
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Super simple....put the brussels sprouts in a bowl, coat in olive oil. Sprinkle sea salt to (mostly) coat, mix a bit more. Pour into baking dish, sprinkle with black pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Turn them over every now and then so they're evenly roasted.
"Mexican" Night
Menu: veggie fajitas, black beans, guacamole
Black Beans
1 Can black beans
1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic chopped
a few tablespoons of sweet onion, chopped
fresh or dried cilantro....to taste, basically. i probably use a 1/2 t dried
Adobo seasoning (maybe a teaspoon or so? again, to taste)
chili powder-small bit of this only
Heat the garlic and onion in the olive oil until onions are soft, not quite brown. Slightly drain the black beans and add to the garlic and onion. add spices and simmer for 10-15 minutes at least. I like to let these sit on low while the rest of the meal cooks, so the beans are really soft and the flavors meld together well. Sometimes I'll crush the beans a little bit, not completely-like refried, but enough to thicken the consistency. These are great plain or thrown into fajitas.
Veggie Fajitas
olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic chopped
Mixed pepper strips
Onions-sliced into strips
Corn
Zucchini-sliced
Spinach-chopped
Really, you can use whatever vegetables you prefer. I mix it up all the time. The above are some that we always enjoy. Heat the garlic in olive oil. Add peppers, onions and zucchini. Give these a head start to soften before you add the mushrooms, corn and spinach. You can let this cook to your liking-some people like their vegetables super soft, some like them more crisp. No rocket science or secrets really. We serve these in tortillas along with guacamole, sometimes beans, and salsa.
Guacamole
I wish I had this measured out exactly, but sadly, I don't. You will have to experiment and fix it to your taste. When made with 2 avocados, there are no leftovers between Jonathan, Amaris and myself. Granted, we love this stuff, so it might go farther for you. At any rate, it's a flexible recipe, and I would suggest doubling it for 5 or more people, unless you're just using it as a dip option for chips.
2 avocados
1/2 medium tomato diced
2 decent sized cloves of garlic
fresh or dried cilantro (fresh is best)-my guess on this is about a 1/2 teaspoon
cumin (again, a guess...maybe a teaspoon?)
Adobo, to taste
lemon juice (maybe a table spoon?)
dash of chili powder
Cut the avocados in half. Use the knife to peel out the pits-save these, because if you do have leftovers, put the pits back into the guacamole to store it because they act like a natural preservative. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the fruit and put into a bowl. Mash the avocados (best done with a metal mashing utensil as opposed to a fork). If you've chosen perfectly ripe avocados the consistency should be creamy, but it's not a bad thing if it's a bit chunky, either. Add all of the other ingredients and mix very thoroughly. From here, it's just "taste testing" and adding spices to your likeness. Sometimes I'll add some sea salt, or substitute lime juice for the lemon, etc.
Fudgy Brownie Cake
Had to add another dessert-made this one tonight and it's fantastic.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 C flour
1/3 C cocoa powder
1 C sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/2 C safflower oil
2 T white vinegar (or cider vinegar)
2 t vanilla
2 C water
Preheat over to 350. Grease and flour an 8-inch pan. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water. Mix gently, enough to get rid of the large lumps, but not vigorously. Pour into pan and bake for 3o minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
So...here are a few favorites. Not to be picky, but really, we have to be-if you are cooking something that Amaris-or anyone with allergies is going to eat for that matter-take special care to ensure that all of your baking pans, utensils, etc are totally clean. We keep separate pans for things that will contain allergens, which is obviously unrealistic for those who don't have someone with allergies living in the house, but it's a serious issue.
Roasted Brussels sprouts, Amaris approved:
Fresh Brussels sprouts (I'm sure you could use frozen, but you must thaw them completely first)
Olive oil (several tablespoons at least)
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Super simple....put the brussels sprouts in a bowl, coat in olive oil. Sprinkle sea salt to (mostly) coat, mix a bit more. Pour into baking dish, sprinkle with black pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Turn them over every now and then so they're evenly roasted.
"Mexican" Night
Menu: veggie fajitas, black beans, guacamole
Black Beans
1 Can black beans
1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic chopped
a few tablespoons of sweet onion, chopped
fresh or dried cilantro....to taste, basically. i probably use a 1/2 t dried
Adobo seasoning (maybe a teaspoon or so? again, to taste)
chili powder-small bit of this only
Heat the garlic and onion in the olive oil until onions are soft, not quite brown. Slightly drain the black beans and add to the garlic and onion. add spices and simmer for 10-15 minutes at least. I like to let these sit on low while the rest of the meal cooks, so the beans are really soft and the flavors meld together well. Sometimes I'll crush the beans a little bit, not completely-like refried, but enough to thicken the consistency. These are great plain or thrown into fajitas.
Veggie Fajitas
olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic chopped
Mixed pepper strips
Onions-sliced into strips
Corn
Zucchini-sliced
Spinach-chopped
Really, you can use whatever vegetables you prefer. I mix it up all the time. The above are some that we always enjoy. Heat the garlic in olive oil. Add peppers, onions and zucchini. Give these a head start to soften before you add the mushrooms, corn and spinach. You can let this cook to your liking-some people like their vegetables super soft, some like them more crisp. No rocket science or secrets really. We serve these in tortillas along with guacamole, sometimes beans, and salsa.
Guacamole
I wish I had this measured out exactly, but sadly, I don't. You will have to experiment and fix it to your taste. When made with 2 avocados, there are no leftovers between Jonathan, Amaris and myself. Granted, we love this stuff, so it might go farther for you. At any rate, it's a flexible recipe, and I would suggest doubling it for 5 or more people, unless you're just using it as a dip option for chips.
2 avocados
1/2 medium tomato diced
2 decent sized cloves of garlic
fresh or dried cilantro (fresh is best)-my guess on this is about a 1/2 teaspoon
cumin (again, a guess...maybe a teaspoon?)
Adobo, to taste
lemon juice (maybe a table spoon?)
dash of chili powder
Cut the avocados in half. Use the knife to peel out the pits-save these, because if you do have leftovers, put the pits back into the guacamole to store it because they act like a natural preservative. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the fruit and put into a bowl. Mash the avocados (best done with a metal mashing utensil as opposed to a fork). If you've chosen perfectly ripe avocados the consistency should be creamy, but it's not a bad thing if it's a bit chunky, either. Add all of the other ingredients and mix very thoroughly. From here, it's just "taste testing" and adding spices to your likeness. Sometimes I'll add some sea salt, or substitute lime juice for the lemon, etc.
Fudgy Brownie Cake
Had to add another dessert-made this one tonight and it's fantastic.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 C flour
1/3 C cocoa powder
1 C sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/2 C safflower oil
2 T white vinegar (or cider vinegar)
2 t vanilla
2 C water
Preheat over to 350. Grease and flour an 8-inch pan. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water. Mix gently, enough to get rid of the large lumps, but not vigorously. Pour into pan and bake for 3o minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Recipes
The zucchini bread recipe I tried this evening produced fantastically tasty results, which reminded me that people are often asking me for "Amaris friendly" or "vegan" recipes I have enjoyed. SO...I thought maybe the easiest way to spread the cheer was to post them on here. A few things you should know about most of these recipes (the cooking more so than baking recipes anyhow):
(1) If you are making any of these for an individual who is allergic to any of the above items, it's also imperative that you do have thoroughly cleaned all utensils, measuring cups, baking/cooking pans, etc. before you begin. Cross-contamination is one of the biggest ways that allergens end up in food. Also-triple check your ingredients because sometimes things will be made on shared equipment, which means they may contain allergens.
(2) Sometimes these recipes take some time to perfect. I have written them exactly as I have made them, in their most successful form, so they should work, but everyone does things slightly differently somehow so be patient. You will find some baking recipes require more bake-time than you're used to, or are baked at lower temperatures. If something looks strange in the directions, it's not a misprint (hopefully!), just go with it.
(3) I have included notes where I have changed ingredients simply based on taste preference. I don't know how it will taste if you use the original ingredients since I omitted them, but I'm sure they'll be fine since that is how they were originally written.
I will probably include other notes as we go along...for now...here they are
ZUCCHINI BREAD
Makes 2 5x9 loaves. Grease pans, preheat oven to 325.
Ingredients:
-4 1/2 t Ener-G Egg Replacer powder mixed with 6 T water
-1 C canola oil (*when I made this, I split the recipe to make 1 loaf, and accidentally used 1/2 C oil and 1/2 C applesauce...the bread was super moist and tasty, SO, you could double that mistake if you want similar results)
-2 C sugar
-3 t vanilla
-3 C flour (*original recipe calls for 1 1/2 C oat flour and 1 1/2 C millet flour. I used 1 C white whole wheat and 1/2 C all purpose)
-1 t salt
-1 t baking soda
-3 t cinnamon
- 1/4 t baking powder
-2 C grated zucchini
*-optional 2 C vegan chocolate chips or carob chips (I didn't use this)
In a large bowl, beat egg replacer mixture, oil, sugar and vanilla together. In separate bowl, sift flour(s), salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and baking powder, then beat this into the wet mixture 1/2 C at a time. Add grated zucchini (and choco chips if using them). Pour batter into the 2 greased pans. bake for 60-90 minutes , or until tops are golden brown and a knife inserted comes in clean. Cool in loaf pans.
CHOCOLATE CHIPPERS
Ingredients:
2 C all purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 C vegan butter substitute, softened (*Earth Balance buttery sticks are great)
3/4 C brown sugar
1/3 C granulated sugar
1/3 C plus 1T applesauce
2 T nondairy milk (*I've used vanilla soymilk)
2 t vanilla (*original recipe calls for 1 t vanilla and 1 t almond extract. I omitted the almond and used 2 t vanilla instead)
1 to 1 1/4 C non-dairy chocolate chips (easier to find than you think)
* you can add nuts if you're not worried about the allergy aspect, 1 C of whatever you like
Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a separate large bowl, combine the vegan butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and beat with a wooden spoon until fluffy. beat in the applesauce, milk and extracts. Add flour mixture and stir to combine. Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts if using them). if dough is soft, refrigerate for 20 minutes. Drop in balls onto baking sheets and bake for about 16 minutes. Makes about 30 cookies.
FUDGY CHIP COOKIES
Ingredients:
2 1/4 C all purpose flour
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking powder
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
1 C vegan butter softened, at room temperature
1/2 C soymilk
2 t vanilla
1 C nondairy chocolate chips
(2/3 C nuts optional)
Preheat oven to 350. Sift flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder into a bowl. In a separate large bowl, combine the sugar and vegan butter and beat with a wooden spoon until creamy. beat in soymilk and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir to combine. Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts, if using). Drop onto baking sheets and bake about 15 minutes. Cookies might not look as done as other cookies, and they won't be firm or dry. Don't overbake them.
CARROT CAKE
This cake is actually best the day after, and the icing is best the day after, too.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 all purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 t pumpkin pie spice
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/2 C oil
1/2 C brown sugar, packed
1/2 C sugar
2 C finely grated carrots
1 C applesauce
1/3 C vanilla soymilk (or coconut milk works well here, too)
1 t vanilla
1/3 C raisins
(optional 1/3 C walnuts, if not making for nut allergy)
Preheat oven to 350. Grase and flour sides and bottoms of 2 9-inch cake pans (it's recommended to line bottoms with parchment paper, but I never have this, never have done it, and have had perfectly fine results without it).
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt. In a large bowl, combin oil, sugar, and brown sugar. Add carrots, applesauce, soymilk, and vanilla, and mix well. Add dry ingredients to wet in two batches, then stir in raisins (and nuts) until just mixed. Divide batter between 2 pans.
Bake 25-28 minutes, until cakes are golden and toothpick comes out clean. cook on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. once completely cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting recipe below. I have used Pillsbury white frosting when I didn't feel like making the vegan cream cheese, and it tasted fine, though not the "classic" carrot cake cream cheese combo.
Cream Cheese Icing
1 8-ounce container soy cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 C vegan butter substitute
1 t vanilla
2 to 2 1/2 C sifted powdered sugar
In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together cream cheese, vegan butter, and vanilla on medium speed. Add powdered sugar and blend to desired taste and thickness (more sugar= stiffer frosting). This recipe is enough to frost top, sides and middle of the whole carrot cake.
OK im sick of typing for one sitting...gets boring even when watching The Office. SO, that's enough for today. I'll add more later.
(1) If you are making any of these for an individual who is allergic to any of the above items, it's also imperative that you do have thoroughly cleaned all utensils, measuring cups, baking/cooking pans, etc. before you begin. Cross-contamination is one of the biggest ways that allergens end up in food. Also-triple check your ingredients because sometimes things will be made on shared equipment, which means they may contain allergens.
(2) Sometimes these recipes take some time to perfect. I have written them exactly as I have made them, in their most successful form, so they should work, but everyone does things slightly differently somehow so be patient. You will find some baking recipes require more bake-time than you're used to, or are baked at lower temperatures. If something looks strange in the directions, it's not a misprint (hopefully!), just go with it.
(3) I have included notes where I have changed ingredients simply based on taste preference. I don't know how it will taste if you use the original ingredients since I omitted them, but I'm sure they'll be fine since that is how they were originally written.
I will probably include other notes as we go along...for now...here they are
ZUCCHINI BREAD
Makes 2 5x9 loaves. Grease pans, preheat oven to 325.
Ingredients:
-4 1/2 t Ener-G Egg Replacer powder mixed with 6 T water
-1 C canola oil (*when I made this, I split the recipe to make 1 loaf, and accidentally used 1/2 C oil and 1/2 C applesauce...the bread was super moist and tasty, SO, you could double that mistake if you want similar results)
-2 C sugar
-3 t vanilla
-3 C flour (*original recipe calls for 1 1/2 C oat flour and 1 1/2 C millet flour. I used 1 C white whole wheat and 1/2 C all purpose)
-1 t salt
-1 t baking soda
-3 t cinnamon
- 1/4 t baking powder
-2 C grated zucchini
*-optional 2 C vegan chocolate chips or carob chips (I didn't use this)
In a large bowl, beat egg replacer mixture, oil, sugar and vanilla together. In separate bowl, sift flour(s), salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and baking powder, then beat this into the wet mixture 1/2 C at a time. Add grated zucchini (and choco chips if using them). Pour batter into the 2 greased pans. bake for 60-90 minutes , or until tops are golden brown and a knife inserted comes in clean. Cool in loaf pans.
CHOCOLATE CHIPPERS
Ingredients:
2 C all purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 C vegan butter substitute, softened (*Earth Balance buttery sticks are great)
3/4 C brown sugar
1/3 C granulated sugar
1/3 C plus 1T applesauce
2 T nondairy milk (*I've used vanilla soymilk)
2 t vanilla (*original recipe calls for 1 t vanilla and 1 t almond extract. I omitted the almond and used 2 t vanilla instead)
1 to 1 1/4 C non-dairy chocolate chips (easier to find than you think)
* you can add nuts if you're not worried about the allergy aspect, 1 C of whatever you like
Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a separate large bowl, combine the vegan butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and beat with a wooden spoon until fluffy. beat in the applesauce, milk and extracts. Add flour mixture and stir to combine. Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts if using them). if dough is soft, refrigerate for 20 minutes. Drop in balls onto baking sheets and bake for about 16 minutes. Makes about 30 cookies.
FUDGY CHIP COOKIES
Ingredients:
2 1/4 C all purpose flour
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking powder
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
1 C vegan butter softened, at room temperature
1/2 C soymilk
2 t vanilla
1 C nondairy chocolate chips
(2/3 C nuts optional)
Preheat oven to 350. Sift flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder into a bowl. In a separate large bowl, combine the sugar and vegan butter and beat with a wooden spoon until creamy. beat in soymilk and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir to combine. Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts, if using). Drop onto baking sheets and bake about 15 minutes. Cookies might not look as done as other cookies, and they won't be firm or dry. Don't overbake them.
CARROT CAKE
This cake is actually best the day after, and the icing is best the day after, too.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 all purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 t pumpkin pie spice
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/2 C oil
1/2 C brown sugar, packed
1/2 C sugar
2 C finely grated carrots
1 C applesauce
1/3 C vanilla soymilk (or coconut milk works well here, too)
1 t vanilla
1/3 C raisins
(optional 1/3 C walnuts, if not making for nut allergy)
Preheat oven to 350. Grase and flour sides and bottoms of 2 9-inch cake pans (it's recommended to line bottoms with parchment paper, but I never have this, never have done it, and have had perfectly fine results without it).
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt. In a large bowl, combin oil, sugar, and brown sugar. Add carrots, applesauce, soymilk, and vanilla, and mix well. Add dry ingredients to wet in two batches, then stir in raisins (and nuts) until just mixed. Divide batter between 2 pans.
Bake 25-28 minutes, until cakes are golden and toothpick comes out clean. cook on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. once completely cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting recipe below. I have used Pillsbury white frosting when I didn't feel like making the vegan cream cheese, and it tasted fine, though not the "classic" carrot cake cream cheese combo.
Cream Cheese Icing
1 8-ounce container soy cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 C vegan butter substitute
1 t vanilla
2 to 2 1/2 C sifted powdered sugar
In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together cream cheese, vegan butter, and vanilla on medium speed. Add powdered sugar and blend to desired taste and thickness (more sugar= stiffer frosting). This recipe is enough to frost top, sides and middle of the whole carrot cake.
OK im sick of typing for one sitting...gets boring even when watching The Office. SO, that's enough for today. I'll add more later.
Ready
I think I am finally ready for the second child. At first, it seemed as if it would be impossible and crazy, but time has passed and it is clear that it is time. Little Soren will have a playmate from day one and Amaris will be pleased to turn into a teacher.
It is only 60 days from the due date and even though that is not far, it seems far off all at once. You wait and wait for a child, but to look at 60 days is still intimidating. Days continually pass and months go by, but waiting for a child can make the earth seem to stand still. Though it is a worthwhile wait. It forces you to stop and think and reflect, consider, and analyze what has been done and remember what still needs to be done. 60 days. Soren is going to be here soon.
A name really does mean so much, but then again, it still has to have a strong upbringing behind it.
A name doesn't make the person. Rather a person makes the name.
We can all think of people we would never name our children after because of kids we grow up with just as the opposite of that is true. Soren will be a "good communicator" and possibly even a little "stern", but it will have little to do with his "name" and much more to do with how he is taught and will grow.
It is only 60 days from the due date and even though that is not far, it seems far off all at once. You wait and wait for a child, but to look at 60 days is still intimidating. Days continually pass and months go by, but waiting for a child can make the earth seem to stand still. Though it is a worthwhile wait. It forces you to stop and think and reflect, consider, and analyze what has been done and remember what still needs to be done. 60 days. Soren is going to be here soon.
A name really does mean so much, but then again, it still has to have a strong upbringing behind it.
A name doesn't make the person. Rather a person makes the name.
We can all think of people we would never name our children after because of kids we grow up with just as the opposite of that is true. Soren will be a "good communicator" and possibly even a little "stern", but it will have little to do with his "name" and much more to do with how he is taught and will grow.
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