Shoutouts: Cupcakes From Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cinnamon Icing. Yes, it does totally look like a brain.

Shoutouts: Cupcakes

From Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cinnamon Icing.

Yes, it does totally look like a brain.

Shoutouts: Cake, Take Three Another cake from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World This is the Chai Latte Cupcake recipe made as a cake and topped with Vegan Cream Cheese Icing (for which I used my homemade cashew “cream cheese”). It tastes very appropriate for fall.

Shoutouts: Cake, Take Three

Another cake from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

This is the Chai Latte Cupcake recipe made as a cake and topped with Vegan Cream Cheese Icing (for which I used my homemade cashew “cream cheese”). It tastes very appropriate for fall.

Thai curry salad this nourishing, natural, hearty salad is comprised of the following a layer, to desired thickness, of baby spinach thinly sliced mango diced red onion freshly squeezed lime juice curried tempeh a small dollop of plain soy yogurt on each piece of tempeh (optional) To curry tempeh: dice half an onion cook on medium heat until translucent add curry powder, salt and cayenne or preferred spice mix and cook 10 seconds, stirring add sliced tempeh add one large diced tomato or a handful of grape tomatoes, diced add coconut milk until rich add a touch of agave and lime to taste

Thai curry salad

this nourishing, natural, hearty salad is comprised of the following

a layer, to desired thickness, of baby spinach

thinly sliced mango

diced red onion

freshly squeezed lime juice

curried tempeh

a small dollop of plain soy yogurt on each piece of tempeh (optional)

To curry tempeh:

dice half an onion

cook on medium heat until translucent

add curry powder, salt and cayenne or preferred spice mix and cook 10 seconds, stirring

add sliced tempeh

add one large diced tomato or a handful of grape tomatoes, diced

add coconut milk until rich

add a touch of agave and lime to taste

Shoutouts: Cake, Take Two Another amazing cake from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World This is the Crimson Velveteen Cupcake recipe made as a cake and topped with the vegan buttercream frosting and chopped pecans. I found myself wanting the cake part to be a touch sweeter when I tasted it, so I made it sweeter than called for. This turned out to be a good call and did not essentially ruin the general vegan cake alchemy, which strikes terror into the most experienced vegans. I once again used all fruit sugar and added salt to the buttercream. I remember the days when baking was easy, 90% of my ingredients came in a single box and it came out right every time. Now it is like scary dark art to coax the working pastries out of my ingredients. It took me a long time to get here, but I can say that this shit pictured above was motherfucking delicious.

Shoutouts: Cake, Take Two

Another amazing cake from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

This is the Crimson Velveteen Cupcake recipe made as a cake and topped with the vegan buttercream frosting and chopped pecans.

I found myself wanting the cake part to be a touch sweeter when I tasted it, so I made it sweeter than called for. This turned out to be a good call and did not essentially ruin the general vegan cake alchemy, which strikes terror into the most experienced vegans. I once again used all fruit sugar and added salt to the buttercream.

I remember the days when baking was easy, 90% of my ingredients came in a single box and it came out right every time. Now it is like scary dark art to coax the working pastries out of my ingredients. It took me a long time to get here, but I can say that this shit pictured above was motherfucking delicious.

Shoutouts: Cake This is the intrepid Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s recipe for banana split cupcakes (only I made it as a regular sized cake) topped with vegan “buttercream” frosting, quick melt ganache and chopped pecans. This recipe comes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World — a lovely and reasonably priced slam damn delicious dessert recipe book.  The only things I modified were to add salt to the buttercream (it was a little sweet for my taste) and to use fruit sugar wherever sugar was called for. I buy fruit sugar at a reasonable price in bulk and then go through the somewhat annoying and messy process of refining it in a spice grinder when I want powdered sugar. I’d rather go through the hassle and know that it’s vegan as well as be spared exorbitant prices.

Shoutouts: Cake

This is the intrepid Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s recipe for banana split cupcakes (only I made it as a regular sized cake) topped with vegan “buttercream” frosting, quick melt ganache and chopped pecans. This recipe comes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World — a lovely and reasonably priced slam damn delicious dessert recipe book. 

The only things I modified were to add salt to the buttercream (it was a little sweet for my taste) and to use fruit sugar wherever sugar was called for. I buy fruit sugar at a reasonable price in bulk and then go through the somewhat annoying and messy process of refining it in a spice grinder when I want powdered sugar. I’d rather go through the hassle and know that it’s vegan as well as be spared exorbitant prices.

Oven-baked “Hot Butter” Potatoes 20 parts red “creamer” potatoes (may also be called “new potatoes”), washed, skins on, quartered 2 parts crushed or minced garlic 1 part red pepper flakes (or to taste) 1 part salt (or to taste) 3 parts turmeric 4 parts oil (I used olive) preheat oven to 425 degrees combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly until potatoes are coated and mixture is “buttery” spread out on baking sheet and bake until desired crispiness is reached; they still retain their flavor when very dark or simply softened note that the potatoes will brown much more on the bottom side if you do not rotate them occasionally

Oven-baked “Hot Butter” Potatoes

20 parts red “creamer” potatoes (may also be called “new potatoes”), washed, skins on, quartered

2 parts crushed or minced garlic

1 part red pepper flakes (or to taste)

1 part salt (or to taste)

3 parts turmeric

4 parts oil (I used olive)

preheat oven to 425 degrees

combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly until potatoes are coated and mixture is “buttery”

spread out on baking sheet and bake until desired crispiness is reached; they still retain their flavor when very dark or simply softened

note that the potatoes will brown much more on the bottom side if you do not rotate them occasionally

Dia de los muertos is right around the corner and we all will soon face the yearly predicament. You clean the house top-to-bottom and put up your cutest decorations. You prepare some nice snacks for yourself, your dead relatives and the neighborhood kids. It’s always nice to visit with your spectral ancestors, but the poor lonely souls never seem to know when it’s time to leave. They burden you and your family with stale old vendettas, drive your pets nuts, keep you up all night with chain rattling and moaning and pig out on your food. Let them down easy and prepare my Nuclear Tempeh AKA Burn-your-face-off tempeh AKA Hero Mode Tempeh AKA CERN-Stewed tempeh. Ghosts will not eat this dish. It is said that this tempeh can singe even the substance-less memory of a tongue. Leave one plate of this capsicum cluster bomb on the offering table and it will guarantee that you receive that fond farewell you’ve been secretly hoping for. phase one: deceptive tranquility combine the following in a large pot and boil: one half yellow onion, diced two large carrots (or six baby carrots), peeled and sliced two stalks of celery, chopped four cloves of garlic, sliced four cups of water salt to taste cover with a colander (or steamer if you have it) and steam the following until tender and fragrant: one eight ounce block of tempeh, sliced phase two: bad omen remove the steamer from the pot and add the following to the boiling mixture: anywhere from one to five tablespoons of cayenne pepper (come on, do at least three) a quarter cup of white vinegar add the steamed tempeh to the pot phase three: supernova keep the mixture boiling, allowing it to reduce. Stir infrequently and check on the moisture level. Meanwhile, combine the following in a small bowl: I suggest starting with about a half cup of tahini add lemon juice and white vinegar in equal proportions until extremely tart At this point in the cayenne reduction process, it is not unusual to see a small amount of nuclear fission occurring. This is expected behavior, and will increase as the sauce reduces. salt the tahini mixture sprinkle it with garlic powder stir until uniform. Once the cayenne pot has reduced greatly and has very little liquid, you are ready to remove it from heat and spoon it on to a plate. Do not consider serving this dish without an enormous glass of ice cold water. Spoon some of the tahini mixture over the dish, as desired, to mitigate the heat.  As you eat this dish, you may notice that you feel the tingling capsicum in unexpected places: your sinuses, your inner ear, behind your elbows, in a phantom limb, in a parent or guardian (the groundbreaking spiceologist Sigmund Floyd referred to this as “transference”), or, inexplicably, in the past, like a burning sepia tone over old memories. This is normal. Continue to enjoy.

Dia de los muertos is right around the corner and we all will soon face the yearly predicament. You clean the house top-to-bottom and put up your cutest decorations. You prepare some nice snacks for yourself, your dead relatives and the neighborhood kids. It’s always nice to visit with your spectral ancestors, but the poor lonely souls never seem to know when it’s time to leave. They burden you and your family with stale old vendettas, drive your pets nuts, keep you up all night with chain rattling and moaning and pig out on your food. Let them down easy and prepare my Nuclear Tempeh AKA Burn-your-face-off tempeh AKA Hero Mode Tempeh AKA CERN-Stewed tempeh. Ghosts will not eat this dish. It is said that this tempeh can singe even the substance-less memory of a tongue. Leave one plate of this capsicum cluster bomb on the offering table and it will guarantee that you receive that fond farewell you’ve been secretly hoping for.

phase one: deceptive tranquility

combine the following in a large pot and boil:

one half yellow onion, diced

two large carrots (or six baby carrots), peeled and sliced

two stalks of celery, chopped

four cloves of garlic, sliced

four cups of water

salt to taste

cover with a colander (or steamer if you have it) and steam the following until tender and fragrant:

one eight ounce block of tempeh, sliced

phase two: bad omen

remove the steamer from the pot and add the following to the boiling mixture:

anywhere from one to five tablespoons of cayenne pepper (come on, do at least three)

a quarter cup of white vinegar

add the steamed tempeh to the pot

phase three: supernova

keep the mixture boiling, allowing it to reduce. Stir infrequently and check on the moisture level. Meanwhile, combine the following in a small bowl:

I suggest starting with about a half cup of tahini

add lemon juice and white vinegar in equal proportions until extremely tart

At this point in the cayenne reduction process, it is not unusual to see a small amount of nuclear fission occurring. This is expected behavior, and will increase as the sauce reduces.

salt the tahini mixture

sprinkle it with garlic powder

stir until uniform.

Once the cayenne pot has reduced greatly and has very little liquid, you are ready to remove it from heat and spoon it on to a plate. Do not consider serving this dish without an enormous glass of ice cold water. Spoon some of the tahini mixture over the dish, as desired, to mitigate the heat. 

As you eat this dish, you may notice that you feel the tingling capsicum in unexpected places: your sinuses, your inner ear, behind your elbows, in a phantom limb, in a parent or guardian (the groundbreaking spiceologist Sigmund Floyd referred to this as “transference”), or, inexplicably, in the past, like a burning sepia tone over old memories. This is normal. Continue to enjoy.

Save some money and rock out this Foolproof Granola recipe.  Basic Granola mix the following together in a large bowl two tablespoons of vanilla extract (don’t use imitation, the alcohol will bake out of this) one cup of agave nectar five cups of quick oats (old fashioned do not work, no matter how many recipes suggest it, trust me) two tablespoons coconut oil Add-ins Really, anything goes here. This recipe is quite flexible to experimentation, but here are a few ideas to get you started: cinnamon nutmeg pumpkin pie spice chopped pecans (raw or agave glazed) chopped or slivered almonds agave glazed fruit bits (raspberry, blackberry, pear, apple, cranberry, peach, etc) cocoa powder cashew, peanut or almond butter thinned with a touch of soymilk Foolproof Granola Preheat your oven to 250. Mix together your basic granola and desired add-ins. The oats should be clumping together. If they are not, add more agave and stir. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread your granola mixture across it. Bake for an hour and ten minutes, stirring occasionally to keep a uniform crispness.

Save some money and rock out this Foolproof Granola recipe. 

Basic Granola

mix the following together in a large bowl

two tablespoons of vanilla extract (don’t use imitation, the alcohol will bake out of this)

one cup of agave nectar

five cups of quick oats (old fashioned do not work, no matter how many recipes suggest it, trust me)

two tablespoons coconut oil

Add-ins

Really, anything goes here. This recipe is quite flexible to experimentation, but here are a few ideas to get you started:

cinnamon

nutmeg

pumpkin pie spice

chopped pecans (raw or agave glazed)

chopped or slivered almonds

agave glazed fruit bits (raspberry, blackberry, pear, apple, cranberry, peach, etc)

cocoa powder

cashew, peanut or almond butter thinned with a touch of soymilk

Foolproof Granola

Preheat your oven to 250. Mix together your basic granola and desired add-ins. The oats should be clumping together. If they are not, add more agave and stir. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread your granola mixture across it. Bake for an hour and ten minutes, stirring occasionally to keep a uniform crispness.

Tonight, I made what I’m calling eggplant cutlets puttanesca. This means something along the lines of whore’s eggplant… blame the Italians. batter combine the following in a bowl, using a whisk or fork until gooey and thick like molasses plain soymilk a dash of apple cider vinegar 1 part cornstarch : 2 parts chickpea flour : 4 parts all-purpose flour a dash of salt cutlets preheat oven to 425 wash and slice an eggplant into 6 long cutlets coat both sides of the cutlet with batter bread both sides with salted panko breadcrumbs cover a baking sheet in parchment paper and spray with cooking spray bake cutlets until tender inside and very crisp outside puttanesca combine the following in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat one quarter of an onion, diced twelve grape tomatoes OR three roma tomatoes, diced one clove garlic, minced diced green olives to your preferred amount about a tablespoon of capers about a quarter cup of cooking sherry black pepper salt crushed red pepper (optional) assembly remove cutlets from oven and serve with a spoonful of puttanesca. I garnished mine with leaf lettuce.

Tonight, I made what I’m calling eggplant cutlets puttanesca. This means something along the lines of whore’s eggplant… blame the Italians.

batter

combine the following in a bowl, using a whisk or fork until gooey and thick like molasses

plain soymilk

a dash of apple cider vinegar

1 part cornstarch : 2 parts chickpea flour : 4 parts all-purpose flour

a dash of salt

cutlets

preheat oven to 425

wash and slice an eggplant into 6 long cutlets

coat both sides of the cutlet with batter

bread both sides with salted panko breadcrumbs

cover a baking sheet in parchment paper and spray with cooking spray

bake cutlets until tender inside and very crisp outside

puttanesca

combine the following in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat

one quarter of an onion, diced

twelve grape tomatoes OR three roma tomatoes, diced

one clove garlic, minced

diced green olives to your preferred amount

about a tablespoon of capers

about a quarter cup of cooking sherry

black pepper

salt

crushed red pepper (optional)

assembly

remove cutlets from oven and serve with a spoonful of puttanesca. I garnished mine with leaf lettuce.

Tiny pizzas! Pictured left is my Gondolier: “micro-pesto” and vidalia onion pizza topped with lime kissed cream. Pictured right is my Jersey Spice: sauteed onion, tomato, sherry and crushed red pepper flakes topped with daiya cheese and pizza oil. Basic pizza crust recipe place a very small amount (about a quarter teaspoon) of agave nectar in a large mixing bowl run your hot water until it is just beginning to steam (no hotter)  add 6 cups of this hot water to the bowl add one packet of yeast (do not stir) allow the yeast to expand (it becomes slightly frothy) add flour, small amounts at a time, while stirring until the mixture is about the texture of chewed gum (sticky but cohesive) allow to rise for about an hour, it should double or triple in size micro-pesto recipe put the following in a blender and coarsely blend: five pecans two fresh, washed basil leaves one half a garlic clove (save the other half if you’re making both recipes) a dash of lemon juice salt lime cream recipe combine a small amount of vegenaise and lime juice until mildly tart jersey spice marinara sauté the following in a pan over medium heat until hot: about a tablespoon of diced vidalia onion three diced cherry tomatoes a dash of cooking sherry a pinch of crushed red pepper a dash of salt pizza oil combine the following, stir, and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes one half garlic clove, minced about three tablespoons of oil dash of paprika The Gondolier preheat oven to 475 spray a baking sheet with cooking spray place a handful of dough on baking sheet and manipulate with your fingers until it is round and about half the height of your desired crust dice about a tablespoon of vidalia onion and place in the middle of the dough, leave the areas intended for crust empty cook in oven until crisp remove from heat and add micro pesto and lime cream Jersey Spice preheat oven to 475 spray a baking sheet with cooking spray place a handful of dough on baking sheet and manipulate with your fingers until it is round and about half the height of your desired crust add jersey spice marinara to the middle of the dough, leave the areas intended for crust empty add daiya mozzarella cheese brush with pizza oil cook until crust is crisp

Tiny pizzas!

Pictured left is my Gondolier: “micro-pesto” and vidalia onion pizza topped with lime kissed cream. Pictured right is my Jersey Spice: sauteed onion, tomato, sherry and crushed red pepper flakes topped with daiya cheese and pizza oil.

Basic pizza crust recipe

place a very small amount (about a quarter teaspoon) of agave nectar in a large mixing bowl

run your hot water until it is just beginning to steam (no hotter)

 add 6 cups of this hot water to the bowl

add one packet of yeast (do not stir)

allow the yeast to expand (it becomes slightly frothy)

add flour, small amounts at a time, while stirring until the mixture is about the texture of chewed gum (sticky but cohesive)

allow to rise for about an hour, it should double or triple in size

micro-pesto recipe

put the following in a blender and coarsely blend:

five pecans

two fresh, washed basil leaves

one half a garlic clove (save the other half if you’re making both recipes)

a dash of lemon juice

salt

lime cream recipe

combine a small amount of vegenaise and lime juice until mildly tart

jersey spice marinara

sauté the following in a pan over medium heat until hot:

about a tablespoon of diced vidalia onion

three diced cherry tomatoes

a dash of cooking sherry

a pinch of crushed red pepper

a dash of salt

pizza oil

combine the following, stir, and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes

one half garlic clove, minced

about three tablespoons of oil

dash of paprika

The Gondolier

preheat oven to 475

spray a baking sheet with cooking spray

place a handful of dough on baking sheet and manipulate with your fingers until it is round and about half the height of your desired crust

dice about a tablespoon of vidalia onion and place in the middle of the dough, leave the areas intended for crust empty

cook in oven until crisp

remove from heat and add micro pesto and lime cream

Jersey Spice

preheat oven to 475

spray a baking sheet with cooking spray

place a handful of dough on baking sheet and manipulate with your fingers until it is round and about half the height of your desired crust

add jersey spice marinara to the middle of the dough, leave the areas intended for crust empty

add daiya mozzarella cheese

brush with pizza oil

cook until crust is crisp

Likes
Following
Follow me