epicureanvegan, Author at Epicurean Vegan

Red Velvet Cake

May 6, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Okay, this cake could have been one of the most amazing vegan desserts ever. . . if I hadn’t of screwed it up. Really, it was all my fault. Apparently, I didn’t know the difference between 2-1/2 cups and say. . . 4 cups. Of the dry ingredients. What was I thinking? I wasn’t. Got heavy-handed with the dry baking mix and the cake ended up a bit dense (much like the baker). I thought the flavor was really good and the “buttercream” frosting was delicious! Plus, it’s gluten-free!

So I’ve only posted the winners before, but c’mon—the pictures! I had to post it after all the work and it is my birthday for at least another 45 minutes, after all, so I can do what I want! 🙂 Really, if it hadn’t been for my mistake, I truly think this recipe is a winner. Try it and let me know what you think! If not, enjoy the pictures! (A special thank you to the kind folks who I “tested” this on. . . you’re all good sports)!

CLICK HERE for the redemption version!

INGREDIENTS:
Cake:
1 C gluten-free vanilla rice milk
1 tsp cider vinegar
2-1/2 C Betsy’s Baking Mix (below. . . and this is where I screwed up because the mix makes more than 2-1/2 cups)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1-1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C organic palm oik shortening
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ounce red food coloring
1/4 C +3 Tbs unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs distilled white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda
Betsy’s Gluten-Free Baking Mix:
3-3/4 C garbanzo flour
2-1/4 C potato starch
1-1/2 C tapioca starch/flour
(Combine all ingredients with a wire whisk. Seal in an airtight container and shake vigorously for 1 minute)
Frosting:
1-1/2 C Earth Balance margarine
4-1/2 C confectioners’ sugar
Vanilla soy/rice/almond milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9″ round cake pans. In a small bowl, make “buttermilk” by combining rice milk and cider vinegar. In a large mixing bowl, combine the baking mix (just the 2-1/2 cups) with the salt and xanthan gum. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and shortening. Meanwhile, in a separate small bowl, mix the cocoa powder and food coloring to form a paste; set side.

Add the applesauce and vanilla to creamed shortening and sugar blend until the mixture is light and creamy. Add the cocoa powder paste and mix well. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the “buttermilk” mixture to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Pour the white vinegar into a small cup and sprinkle the baking soda over it. Immediately pour the fizzing combo into the cake batter and thoroughly combine the two mixtures.

(That’s some thick batter)!

Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes. Let cakes cool completely in their pans on a cooling rack. Turn cakes out of their pans.

To make frosting: With a mixer, cream the butter until fluffy. Alternately, add the confectioners’ sugar and enough soy milk to reach desired consistency. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.

Frost the top of each cake layer. Transfer 1 layer to a serving plate and set the other layer on top. Frost the sides of the cake. Store the frosted cake, covered and refrigerate, for up to 3 days.

I think a scoop of soy ice cream on top would have been perfect — and possibly would have even saved me, but of course, I didn’t have any!

Recipe source (cake only): Living Without

Avocado & Cranberry Mustard Turkey Wraps with Sweet Potato Fries

May 5, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is a simple and quick meal and I love the Cranberry-Mustard sauce–perfect for any sandwich or wrap.

INGREDIENTS:
Wraps:
1/2 C Dijon mustard
1/2 C cranberry sauce
6 wraps or tortillas
12 slices Smart Deli turkey
6 slices vegan chese
3 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced lengthwise (I think 1-2 avocados is plenty)
Salt to taste
Fries:
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into fries
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
For the wraps:

Whisk together mustard and cranberry sauce. Warm the wraps briefly, then spread cranberry mustard sauce equally over the wraps. Then place 2 turkey slices on each wrap, a slice of cheese and top with avocado slices.

For the fries: Preheat the oven to 400. Whisk together the oil, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour over potatoes and coat thoroughly. Place on a foil-lined pan and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Recipe source (wraps): Living Without

Portobello Tacos with Salsa Verde

May 4, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This recipe from Vegetarian Times serves 6–easily. The salsa verde–at least 10! It makes a lot of sauce, so next time I’ll probably halve the recipe for that. I also found the sauce a bit bland, so I added a bit more salt. The original recipe is for grilled portobellos, but I decided to saute them. These were very yummy and the marinade was simple and delicious.

INGREDIENTS:
Marinade:
1/3 C canola oil
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp black pepper
Tacos:
6 large portobello mushroom caps
6-6″ soft corn tortillas (can easily get 12 tacos from this recipe–and I think I prefer flour tortillas)
2 avocados, sliced
2 C chopped tomatoes
3 C shredded cabbage
Vegan sour cream
Salsa Verde:
4 tomatillos, chopped (or 1 C canned)
1 large green bell pepper or poblano chili, roughly chopped (I used the bell pepper–may have been why I found it bland)
1 large bunch fresh cilantro, leaves only
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs agave nectar
1-1/4 C canola oil
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:
If using the grill, preheat grill for high heat.

To make marinade: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

To make tacos: Brush mushroom caps with marinade. Grill mushrooms 3-5 minutes per side. Cool until easy to handle, then slice into strips. (I actually poured the marinade in a zip lock bag and added the mushrooms, letting them marinate for about an hour. Then I sliced them and sauteed them in a large skillet for about 5 minutes).

To make salsa verde: Puree all ingredients in a food processor 1 minute or until smooth. Pour salsa over mushroom strips and let stand 10-15 minutes. (I just scooped a couple of tablespoons of the salsa into the taco). Lightly warm tortillas 15 seconds per side in a skillet or in grill.

Fill tortillas with sliced mushrooms, avocado slices, tomatoes, and cabbage. Top each with sour cream, if using. Enjoy!

Bowties with Homemade Lemony-Basil Pesto

May 2, 2010 by epicureanvegan

I love pesto–just not how oily the jarred variety can be. I wanted to create my own version with my favorite ingredients and with less oil. This pesto has a fresh, earthy taste that is nothing like the jarred stuff! If you want a little more oil, I suggest swirling the pasta in some olive oil before mixing in the pesto. This recipe makes about 1-1/2 cups and a little goes a long way, so a great way to store it, is freezing it in ice cube trays and using only one cube at a time. This would also be great for cold pasta salads.

INGREDIENTS:
2-1/2 C fresh basil leaves
1/2 C parsley
1 C pine nuts
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8-1/4 C lemon juice (depending on how lemony you want it)
1/3 C olive oil
3 Tbs vegan Parmesan

DIRECTIONS:
In a food processor, combine the basil, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil and puree for about a minute. Add the pine nuts and process for another 30-45 seconds, then add the Parmesan cheese and process again to blend well. I sauteed some mushrooms and mixed in about a tablespoon of pesto with single servings of the pasta/mushroom mixture. Delicious!

Chai Spice Cookies with Lemon “Buttercream” Frosting

May 1, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Yum. Yep, these are delicious! Both the cookie and the frosting recipe is from 1000 Vegan Recipes, and I decided to combine the two. This is a crispy cookie, so my suggestion is to make them really thin if making a sandwich–otherwise, it’s a lot of cookie (which is what I learned). Or you can just ice the top of the cookie–it’s a wonderful combination of flavors. You can also use vanilla extract in place of the lemon, if you prefer. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

INGREDIENTS:
Cookies:
2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp ground cardamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground fennel seed
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
3/4 C sugar
2 Tbs plain or vanilla soy milk
2 Tbs agave nectar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Frosting:
1/2 C vegan margarine
2 C confectioners’ sugar
1 Tbs plain or vanilla soy milk
3/4 tsp pure lemon extract, or vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
Cookies: Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, cloves, fennel seed, and salt. Mix to combine well. In a large bowl, beat together the margarine, sugar, soy milk, agave nectar, and vanilla until well combined. Add the flour mixture, stirring well to form a smooth, stiff dough. Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll them between your hands into balls. Place dough balls onto an ungreased baking sheet and use a metal spatula to flatten the cookies to about 1/4″ thick.

Bake until lightly browned at the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting: In a large bowl, cream the margarine with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, soy milk, and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined. Continue mixing for about 2 minutes, until the frosting is smooth and stiff. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Enjoy!

Maple-Pecan Shortbread

April 30, 2010 by epicureanvegan

I love thy neighbor… And I really love that we’re both foodies. I’ll bring over some vegan concoction (they’re so great to be my guinea pigs for some of my recipes) and she’ll return the dishes full of a different vegan concoction–even though she’s not a vegan! How cool is that?! So this afternoon, she returned two dishes I had given her–minus the hummus I sent in them–and filled with other vegan goodness. These cookies are one of them. She said they were pretty easy to make–I obviously don’t have pictures of the process–just the end result, but I’ll assure you–they’re worth any time they may have taken.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup pecans
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup maple sugar crystals or unbleached cane sugar (or white sugar from sugar beets)
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/3 cup vegan margarine
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. almond extract
safflower oil, for oiling cookie sheets

DIRECTIONS:
In a blender or food processor, place the pecans, and pulse a few times to roughly chop. Transfer 1/3 cup of the chopped pecans to a small bowl and set aside. Add the oats to the remaining pecans in the blender and process for 30-60 seconds to finely grind them together. Add the flour, maple sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, pulse a few times to combine, and set aside. In a medium bowl, place the margarine, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond extract, and stir the mixture until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well to combine. Add the reserved chopped pecans and fold gently to incorporate them. Cover the bowl of dough, place it in the refrigerator, and chill the dough for 30 minutes or more.

Using a little safflower oil, lightly oil (or mist with oil) two non-stick cookie sheets and set aside. Transfer the chilled dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 2-inch squares or diamonds or into desired shapes with small cookie cutters. Using a fork, gently poke the surface of each cut cookie a few times. Working in batches, carefully transfer the cut cookies to the prepared cookie sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom. Allow the shortbread to cool on the cookie sheets for 3 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat the baking procedure for the remaining cut cookies. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

Yield: 4 Dozen

Recipe source: VeganChef

Creamy-Apple Horseradish Dip

April 30, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is the other great recipe from my fabulous neighbor, also from the VeganChef. The apples and horseradish make a great combination and you can add more horseradish if you want more of a kick. This is great on crackers and veggies. Thanks, neighbor!

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup walnuts
4 apples, peeled and cored
2 T. lemon juice
2/3 cup plain soy yogurt
2-3 T. prepared horseradish, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a non-stick skillet, place the walnuts, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Remove from pan and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, grate the apples into a bowl, drizzle them with the lemon juice, and toss well to prevent the apples from turning brown. When the walnuts are cool, place them in a blender or food processor, and finely grind them. Add the walnuts and remaining ingredients to the grated apple and stir well to combine. Taste, season with a little salt and pepper, and add more horseradish if desired. Transfer the dip to a glass bowl. Serve with crackers, chips, sliced bread, or an assortment of raw vegetables.

Yield: 2 Cups

Feast On This!

April 29, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Every Friday, I will be posting Feast On This! It will consist of interesting, thought-provoking and socially relative issues and concerns as well as overall health news. I think that when you’ve made the decision to go vegan, it’s impossible to not care about certain things like, animal rights, the environment, and your health. For many people, their health was the motivating factor to go vegan (the American Cancer Society doesn’t promote a vegan diet for nothing)!

My hope in doing this, is that as you finish your work week, you’ll take a gander at these, prompting a discussion with your co-workers, date night companion and guests at the weekend get together.

I tend to do a lot of reading and research on veganism and health and so often, I come across many fascinating, debate-invoking and just plain upsetting issues that I want to share it with others and possibly get some dialogue going. It’s how we learn from one another and hopefully in the process, create a sense of self-awareness and the ability to see things from many angles.

Folic Acid Overload?

Prevention Magazine (April 2010) did a fascinating (and alarming) article on synthetic folic acid-fortified foods. To help prevent birth defects in babies, the government required enriched grains, such as white flour and white rice, be fortified with folic acid. Over the last ten years of this, other products were added to their list: cereals, nutrition bars, beverages and pastas. Even though this tactic is said to have dropped the rate of birth defects, turns out, it may have risen our risk for cancer.

Last winter, the Journal of the American Medicine Association printed their increasing concerns that the over-abundance of this nutrient has done more harm than good. Health officials in Chile reported that since fortification in their country was introduced in 2000, rate of colon cancer among men and women doubled in their country. Other countries—the US and Canada included, have reported higher rates as well.

Check out the article on this growing issue and decide for yourself if the overdosing of folic acid is cause for concern. (And read food labels, particularly on cereals, breads, and pastas–you’ll find folic acid, usually the last ingredient. But…not in whole-grain products).

Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act (PFACA):

Finally, legislation to protect animals from cruelty—it’s certainly a start. A bill was introduced in March by CA reps, Diane Watson and Elton Gallegly for laws requiring that all animals products purchased by the US federal government will have to come from animals who were able to stand up, lie down, and extend their limbs.

The bill doesn’t pertain to all animals products in the US, just government funded programs such as the Armed Forces and National School Lunch Program. When you consider that more than a 100 million pounds of beef are purchased per year for the school lunch program alone (more than 96,000 schools) this could be huge! A step in the right direction for animals rights. Follow the progress and outcome of this bill.

Source: VegNews, April 2010

Global Warming and Animal production

It seems there isn’t a hotter, more controversial topic these days than greenhouse gases, global warming and who’s to blame. Others are debating on whether or not it even exists!

There has been particular debate over how much meat and dairy production contributes to this ever-growing problem. And global warming isn’t all. Animal product product is blamed for land degradation, food contamination, and air and water pollution.

A 2006 UN report has it at 18%, while a 2009 study by WorldWatch has it as high as 51%!

No matter where you fall on this issue, check out UN’s study and the WorldWatch study.

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of live on

Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”

-Albert Einstein

Western Tofu Scramble

April 29, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is a great way to start the morning! Especially when the morning is snowy. Yes…snowy. It’s the end of April, right? Well it snowed last night, so instead of heading out for my morning walk, I decided to cook up a protein-packed breakfast and tackle that walk later when things clear up.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1-14oz pkg. extra firm tofu, drained, pressed and crumbled
3 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 a large orange or red bell pepper, diced (about 3/4 C)
4 green onions, sliced (or 1/4 C of diced yellow onion)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/3 C salsa
1/4-1/3 C vegan cheddar or pepper jack cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Add garlic and bell pepper. Reduce to medium heat and saute until pepper is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the green onion and saute another minute, then add the cumin and turmeric. Add tofu and stir to combine–the turmeric will immediately turn the tofu yellowy-orange, like real scrambled eggs. You don’t have to use it–totally optional. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the salsa, then the cheese. Serve alone, or wrap in a warmed flour tortilla and enjoy!

Product Review: We Can’t Say It’s Cheese Spreads/Dips

April 27, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Perhaps what the Nicotine Patch does for smokers, this product does for recovering cheese addicts such as myself. Even though it’s been three years since I kicked the dairy habit, Wayfare is helping me with those every-so-often cheese cravings with their cheese spreads and dips called, We Can’t Say it’s Cheese.

For around $3.60 for an 8oz container, you too, can satisfy any cheese cravings. I picked up 3 of their four varieties:

Cheddar-Style Spread (They also make this in a dip)

Hickory-Smoked Cheddar-Style Spread

and

Mexi Cheddar-Style Dip

The look and texture resembles peanut butter, but smells like actual cheese. For the taste test, I served these for a get together with my non-vegan friends and they were quite impressed! We liked them on crackers and a slice of apple.

As for the different flavors, I didn’t particularly like the Mexi flavor–all I could really taste was taco seasonings. However, the Husband liked that one. I have to say, that the Hickory-Smoked one was my favorite–but the Husband and another guest didn’t care for that one, yet admitting, they don’t like smoked products anyway. The Cheddar-Style ranks way up there, too. None of the flavors I tried had that fake taste like a lot of vegan cheeses can have–it tasted much like real cheese, minus the hormones and nastiness.

WayFare itself is an impressive company…all their products are Non-Dairy, All Natural, Wheat-Free, No Trans Fats, Soy-Free, No Casein, Vegan, No GMOs, No Canola, No Cholesterol, Kosher Pareve: Healthy Ingredients

In fact, here’s a list of ingredients from the Hickory-Smoked variety: (I can even pronounce them all)! Prepared non GMO whole grain oatmeal (water and oats), vegetable oil blend, sesame, pimentos, nutritional yeast, sea salt, natural hickory smoke flavor, calcium carbonate, onion powder, evaporated cane juice.

A serving size is 2 tablespoons–carrying 60 calories and 5 grams of fat, 3 of which is saturated. So not perfect. But better than the real deal. I’m hoping they’ll come up with a goat cheese style…

WayFare has a great website with more information on their products and recipes. (You can even make mac ‘n cheese with this stuff)! Give it a try and tell me what you think!

(Don’t worry…I had lots of help–wasn’t just me)!