Vegan Pumpkin Spice Muffins

October 5, 2016

It's been a while since I posted! Things are extra busy, but I wanted to post this new discovery. Vegan Pumpkin Muffins. They taste like autumn. I used a recipe from Epicurious as a framework and veganised it with EarthBalance and Flax seed.

first, prep the raw ingredients. I love the boldness of autumn spices, so I went fairly heavy: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, allspice... and I put a (heavy) sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice mix for extra measure.

The recipe called for quite a bit of fat, but I cut back on the oil and added applesauce. I also used spelt and einkorn flour in addition to the unbleached white flour.

To shift the flavour even closer to autumn, I used brown sugar, maple syrup and a splash of orange juice. The juice is also a trick to help preground wholemeal flours taste fresher.

Start by prepping the flax "egg" by blending 1T flax seed with 3T water. It's ready when it becomes thick and egg-like in consistency. Mix together the dry and wet ingredients separately, before combining them together. This helps to reduce over mixing which can make the muffins tough.

I noticed (because I don't really measure even when I follow a recipe) that the batter was a bit thicker than I wanted, so I added some maple syrup for that warm flavour and sweetness.

Scoop portions into a lined or greased muffin tin. I wanted a bit of extra texture, so I sprinkled some flaked almonds atop each muffin before baking.

Bake at 350F until the fragrance of autumnal spice fills the kitchen and wafts throughout your dwelling. Allow to cool before serving, or you'll burn your mouth like I just did.

My favourite presentation is to split the muffin and sandwich in some vegan ice cream or CocoWhip.

Apple Galette

November 11, 2015

This is the easy version of pie; galette! It also has a higher crust to filling ratio. So, if you love pastry and hate the work required for pie, this is the dessert for you! Start with the pastry ingredients: flour, fat and ice water (and a pinch of salt). I use the 3:2:1 ratio 300g flour; 200g EarthBalance and/or coconut oil; 100ml ice water.

Combine the four, salt and fat in a food processor and pulse until combined in a bread crumb consistency. Then add in the water and pulse just until combined. Scoop out the dough and press it together in a flattened-ball. Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes. *Coconut oil sets up completely ridged when refrigerated, so getting the temperature just right can be tricky. Using More EarthBalance can make the dough more workable while it's cold.

While the dough is resting in the 'fridge, peel and thinly slice two or three medium apples. I used two apples because I really love the tasty pastry - I wanted it to be almost equal in portion to the apples.

Mix the really tasty parts: the sugar and spices. I like brown sugar and cinnamon to be the primary flavours, but a dash of salt, a bit of nutmeg and vanilla bean created a sublime rounded flavour. I also used a bit of granulated sugar and cornstarch to help gel any runniness the apple juice might create. All of this, of course is based on your palate: I use about 1/2 cup of brown sugar; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon; a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of salt. One teaspoon of cornstarch/cornflour and a splash of vanilla work well, too. I prefer vanilla bean, but, ya know, whatever you got works.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface and - this may be "controversial" - trim the edge. Most galettes are rustic - that's their essence. All the same, I like a tidy edge. I also like to sprinkle a bit of oatmeal on the pastry before adding the apples to make double sure that the juice from the baking apples gets absorbed, rather than making a soupy mess.

Evenly pile the apples across the dough, leaving an inch or two for folding space. Then carefully work around the circle of dough, folding a few inches inward until the edge is fully formed. How much dough is used for the fold-over is a personal choice. Again, I like that chunky pastry so I fold-over a lot!

I keep seeing all my heroes on the Instantgramz using stamped and cut dough. So, in my attempt to be like the cool kids, I got these autumnal dough stamping/cutter combos.

Bake at 350˚F until the apples are soft and the pastry is browned - about 30-45 minutes. Allow to cool and dig in! I like to serve mine with nondairy ice cream. To add a whisper of extra sweetness, drizzle with a good maple syrup.

Peaches Shortcake

August 20, 2015

An adaptation of strawberry shortcake, this dessert captures the fragrant nature of ripe peaches. Using the biscuit recipe outline found in Ratio, I made the dough from spelt and white flour, coconut oil and almond milk. I enhance it with little sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. I like to prepare the dough in a food processor. It's quick, but can overwork the dough. Just be sure to agitate the dough as little as possible. I take the easy route and cut the dough into squares. Bake on parchment paper at 400˚F until golden brown.

While the pastry bakes, prep the peaches by chopping about 4 medium-large peaches. Simply sprinkle them with castor sugar and mix until all the pieces are coated. If the peaches won't be served right away, also mix in a splash of lemon juice.

While the shortbread is still warm, cut in half and pile in peaches. Add the other half of shortbread and top with slices of peaches. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Some vegan ice cream or whip can kick it up a notch, too.

Sweet Potato Beignet

February 16, 2015

I don't usually like sweet potatoes, but I decided to give them a try: sweetened, and fried beyond recognition. It worked!

First, I ground organic spelt and wheat grain into flour in the Vitamix. Then, peel and cube a large sweet potato. Boil until tender, strain and smash (or put through a ricer). Allow the potato to cool slightly. Sift the flour! Sifting isn't as much to break up clumps as it is to remove any large chunks or stones that may be in the grain.

All the flour, mashed sweet potato, some molasses, salt, yeast, and a bit of water if needed. This is tasty, but the spices make it really delicious: ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. I also added just a bit of cayenne.

Knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Let it raise for about 45 minutes and then punch down the loaf and roll to about half-centimeter thickness. Cut into ~8cm squares. I like to cut mine with a pizza cutter.

Fry in 350˚F oil until golden brown and drain on kitchen roll. While they're still warm, drizzle with an icing of powered sugar, almond/soy milk and chopped pecans.

Yay, I found a way to eat sweet potatoes!

Almond-Ginger Spelt Scones [vegan]

January 8, 2015

A tasty sweet scone that's vegan - and delicious!!!

I used the 3:1:2 ratio (spelt and almond flour:refined coconut oil:almond milk).

First add the spelt flour, salt, baking powder, a bit of coconut sugar and coconut oil in a food processor. Blitz until the mix looks like bread crumbs. Then add in the almond milk and a splash of vanilla. Pulse in the food processor just until mixed - don't over mix. Add in candied ginger and whole roasted almonds - incorporate them gently as you press the dough into a parchment lined baking tin. Score with a knife or baking chopper/scraper (like this one OXO Scraper).

Bake at 400F for ~25 minutes or until golden brown.

While it's baking, I made a simple syrup and added finely julienned orange zest. This made a wonderful syrup that I mixed with icing sugar for the drizzle as well as sweetened the zest.

While the scones are still warm, drizzle the tops with a mix of icing sugar and the orange simple syrup.

Blood Orange Scones

February 8, 2014

The perfect thing for a weekend breakfast: Scones! And, I have a recipe, for once: I made this using the biscuit ratio recipe: 1 part fat:3 parts flour:2 parts liquid. I used: unrefined coconut oil (100g), a mix of spelt flour & shredded coconut (300g), almond milk with a smidgen of blood-orange juice (200ml). To complete the mix, add a bit of sugar (50g), salt (.5t), orange zest and baking powder (1T).

Be sure to cut the fat into the dry ingredients and then mix in the liquid - but, don't over mix! Then, form the dough onto a parchment lined pan. Or, they can be cut like traditional scones.

They're delicious on their own, but they're amazing with a marmalade syrup. It's easy to make with equal portions of sugar, orange juice and zest. Boil to ~225F for a thick syrup.

Pasta and Vegan Cream Sauce

July 23, 2013

Made from scratch pasta and a vegan cream sauce that doesn't taste like puke!

Start making the pasta with equal parts of semolina and spelt flour. Add in water, olive oil and a bit of salt and knead until it forms a ball.

Let is rest for a while; wrapped in cling film or under an inverted bowl.

Puree soaked walnuts, sauteed onions, peppers and celery along with stewed tomatoes. I used cashews in this recipe and was slightly disappointed. It just made the sauce too sweet. Since the vegetables have already been cooked (sauteed and stewed) the sauce is ready at this point. Simply warm it if needed.

Shape the dough into the desired shapes. I'm a fan of fettuccine.

Serve with the sauce - a tasty and authentic vegan dish. It's simple and, although it's a "cream sauce," it stands on it's own rather than merely imitating a dairy version.

Apricot and cranberry scones

March 7, 2013

Mix chopped dried-apricots and dried cranberries. Rehydrate with orange juice. Add a grating of orange zest and a slash of vanilla essence.

Mix the flour and fat - here it's coconut oil with. A little salt, sugar and baking powder and it's ready to have the soy milk added.

Form into a round flat (2cm thick) loaf. Bake at 175C (350F).

These are not the modern American scones, sugary, eggy and greasy. These are more like the English mildly sweet biscuits.

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