Vegan Ambrosia

I haven't posted anything in quite a long time, apart from finally pressing "Publish" on a 3-year-old draft just now. (I didn't even check for typos - sorry, folks - I'm clearly not a blogger.) But I threw together this recipe today, and it worked out quite well, so I thought I would share. I did not think to take photos while making them, so there's just the one of the end product. Here goes it. 1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 2. Cover with hot or boiling water and let sit: 2/3 cup raisins 3. Mix wet ingredients thoroughly (using electric mixer if possible): 1/2 cup peanut butter (I used "natural" chunky) 1/2 very ripe banana 1 Tablespoon molasses 1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup but could reduce that) 1/4 cup maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla 1 flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T water, let sit for a couple minutes) 4. Mix separately then add to wet mixture: 1 cup flour 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 5. Fold in until well distributed: 1-2/3 cup rolled oats 1/3 ...

You know when you have a lot left over from your farm share, you're due to pick up the next one, and you have a chocolate craving? What?  It happens to me all the time. This is what came out of that last combination of circumstances night.  I was not intending to turn this into a blog post, and so I apologize for the paltry poor quality photos.  With modifications, the recipe for the cake recipe was drawn from one on   Yummly , the frosting from a recipe on  Nouveau Raw . Cake: 3-5 small  beets (enough to make about 1-1/2 cups when cooked down) water to cover beets for boiling unsweetened applesauce (if necessary, to fill in for the beets) 1/2 cup soy milk (or other nondairy milk), unsweetened 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 1/4-1/2 cup agave syrup (or other liquid sugar) to taste (I used only 1/4 in my first try, but I'd add a bit more next time) 1 tsp  vanilla extract ...

I recently decided that, even as I cut back on calories overall, I need more chocolate in my life. More and more research is coming out about the health benefits of chocolate, with the only caveat I see is that it comes with unhealthy fats and refined sugars we don't want. So let's eat chocolate in forms that are healthier and still enjoy the benefits (including deliciousness)! This recipe gets its sweetness from agave syrup and dates, and the fats come from nuts and legumes. I adapted this recipe from a few others, and really, you can adjust ingredients and amounts to make this your own. Brownies: 1 cup raw walnuts 1 cup raw pecans 2 cups pitted dates 1 cup raw cacao powder 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut shreds 1/2 cup agave syrup dash of salt In food processor, chop walnuts and pecans coarsely.   Add dates and cacao powder and chop together until a fine crumble; then add coconut, salt, and agave syrup.   Run food processor unt...

What can I say?  Spinach pie, made with cashew/tofu ricotta and lots of garlic. Filling: Half pound of baby spinach 2 Tbsp chopped garlic 1Tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight (or at least 3 hours) 1/8 cup lemon juice 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt 1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast 1 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1 tsp dried basil 1/8-1/3 cup water, to facilitate blending 12 oz (one package) silken tofu Saute spinach with olive oil and garlic (or have a willing friend do it, as I did).  Blend next nine ingredients (cashews through water) together until smooth.  Crumble silken tofu into mixture and mix by hand. Stir cashew/tofu mixture into cooked spinach.  Lay out defrosted phyllo dough (store-bought is all I know how to use) sheets flat.  Take one at a time, and assemble spanakopita as follows:  Fold phyllo dough in thirds and drop a large spoonful of filling near the top edge. Fold the top corner down at a d...

I've been drooling over cashew-based raw foods for years, my favorite being the raw vegan "cheesecake" at places like Ecopolitan in Minneapolis and Cafe Gratitude in California.  I imagined that these foods involved more magic than I could muster, and so I never attempted to make them myself. Last week, as always, my mother was making the ever-popular Yule Log (or Bûche de Noël for you francophiles) for her annual pre-Christmas family dinner.  I have been making an additional dessert for some years now, usually an apple or pecan pie.  This year I wanted to do something different that utilized the fresh, local fruit that I crave whenever I visit California.  I decided to make a fruit tart with a custard filling much like a vegan cheesecake.  It turns out there is no magic, just a little preparation and some trial and error. I'll do my best to reproduce the recipe here, but since it's a result of a lot of eyeballing and taste-testing, you may want to...

While I understand and respect the various objections to Thanksgiving, for me it is an excuse to cook and to eat particular kinds of foods, always with copious amounts of gravy.  This year, I had a nice, quiet day at home with my Tofurky.  I was so pleased with how everything turned out that I decided to post it here, after my long hiatus from blogging. Here is what I had: Tofurky roast with homemade gravy Quinoa with mushrooms Braised Brussels sprouts with maple walnuts Five seed bread (like this bread, but with chia instead of bulgur wheat) Apple custard crumb pie with vanilla Rice Dream I'll do my best to reproduce the recipes here, but keep in mind that I made them up as I went along, and so amounts are my best guesses. Tofurky This is for the small Tofurky roast (not the whole dinner package).  Remove the Tofurky from its plastic wrapping and place it in a casserole pan with a lid with large pieces of veggies (some combination of carrots, celery, on...

Yes, it's been a really long time since I've posted.  The dissertation-writing process is long and weird, and it's hard to focus on anything else.  My posts in the future might continue to be infrequent and also possibly less elaborate, but I'll try to throw something up here a couple times a month. Meanwhile, it's summer!  Which means, in Massachusetts, it's the season for CSAs , farmer's markets, and berries, berries, berries!  I got two quarts of strawberries from my CSA last week, and about half of them went into this simple strawberry pie.  I used agave and Bee Free Honee , a sweetener the consistency of honey but made from apples.  I do eat honey, but I love having another option for sweeteners.  I tried it when I got an online coupon and quickly became a fan.  It's a Minnesota-based company, and so my Twin Cities friends can most easily find it . 1 pie crust, baked (I used a whole wheat, vegan version from Whole Foods' freezer.) 1 q...

I got a bread machine some weeks back.  When I say "got," I mean I got one from a fellow freecycler .  It's used, but it works pretty well, except that getting the loaf out of the pan is a bit of a chore.  A lot of bread is left in the pan, and I don't love the hole that the paddle makes.  The breads I've been making lately have been collapsing. Today, I finally realized how to solve these problems: make the dough in the machine, and bake the bread in the oven.  Duh.  Now you're asking why I don't just do the whole thing by hand.  Well, as much as I've been assured otherwise, all the kneading and waiting and punching seems like just too much for me.  Anything that can make things easier for me is worth it. I had stopped taking photos of the process of breadmaking because I hadn't come up with anything good enough or interesting enough to share.  Until today.  That's why there are only photos of the finished product here. Put the...

This is less a recipe than an unpaid advertisement for Rising Moon Organics ravioli.  They have a bunch of vegan options, and they seem to be on sale at Whole Foods and food coops on a fairly regular basis.  Also, they are delicious - which is apparently not an easy thing to do; I tried another brand at WF, and it was terrible.  On the other hand, preparing them is very easy.  Anyway, if you are not yet aware of this stuff, give it a try. I used the Garlic & Herb variety this time, but the three shown are my favorites. Cut tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.  In this case, I used these small (1-1/2-2" diameter) tomatoes and cut them in quarters.  (Darn blogger editing won't let me put two photos side by side.  Let me know if you have advice for editing!)  Put cut tomatoes in serving bowl. Cook the ravioli according to package directions (half a package is one serving).  Drain and return to pan.  Add the Vegan Alfredo Sauce and...

I finally made it to 88 Market this week, with the sole intention of getting some mu shu pancakes.  Of course, I left with much more than that, including sweet steam buns, peanut sesame candies, and a packet of baby bok choi seeds for my garden this spring.  At any rate, finally I can make mu shu without resorting to wrapping them in tortillas. This is one of those recipes a good friend would call a "kitchen sink" meal (as in "everything but the kitchen sink"), meaning I throw in whatever is in my fridge, and so every time it's different.  The key ingredients are cabbage and hoisin sauce, and everything else just improves it. 1 package firm or extra firm tofu, frozen and defrosted 1-1/2 cups broth or bouillon 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 T rice wine vinegar 1-2 T chopped garlic 1 small onion, chopped 1 small head of cabbage (about 2-3 cups chopped) 1 large carrot (about 1-2 cups sliced or shredded) 3-4 stalks bok choi (about 1 cup sliced) 2-3 stalks kale (...

Leeks and red potatoes arrived in my Boston Organics bin on Friday.  We're at about five feet of snow today Naturally, potato leek soup ensued. 1 medium leek 1 medium onion 3 garlic cloves 2-3 pounds potatoes 1 tablespoon olive oil 1-1/2 teaspoon salt 4-6 cups vegetable broth 3 cups unsweetened soy milk Chop garlic and onion into small pieces.  Cut end of leek off, slice in half, wash thoroughly, and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Cube potatoes (I used red potatoes) in 4-6 pieces each.  Leave the skin on to keep the nutrition and taste. Heat olive oil in a large pot and add the onion, garlic, and leeks.  Sautee until soft but not browned. Add potatoes and salt and stir to coat.  Add enough vegetable broth to cover the potato mixture - about 4-6 cups.  Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to simmer for about 30 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Liquefy in blender in batches with soy milk.  Add water to make desired texture.  Serve...