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.

Strawberries & Peaches with Einkorn Shortcake

May 12, 2016

Enjoying the fruits of spring with sweet strawberries and fragrant peaches, served on warm einkorn shortcake.

Einkorn is an ancient grain. It's a unique, tasty four. I whipped it into a buttery shortcake using a modified version of the biscuit ratio: 3:1:2 (flour:fat:liquid). I used all-purpose and fresh-ground einkorn (300g) and mixed it with a vegan buttery spread (80g). I used a "lite" version of the product which contained more water than fat, so it clumped when I cut them together. Then I added in the almond milk (200ml) and mixed thoroughly. Einkorn has less gluten than wheat, so it doesn't tend to get tough when it's mixed.

I piped the thick batter with a large star tip into a few small springform pans, and baked it for ~20min at 400˚F.

While it's baking, I hacked up some strawberries and fragrant peaches. Saving a few for garnish, I smashed up the rest with some agave syrup, vanilla and a whisper of ultra gel for thickness.

When the shortcakes were golden brown, I removed and let them cool for a minute before cutting them in half.

Spoon on the fruit and enjoy!

Chocolate Cake - Valentine's Day 2016

February 14, 2016

Woah! It's been a while! I missed blogging so much. I'm still insanely busy, but I'm going to post something at least once a month.

What better way to make an awesome Valentine's Day than to make chocolate cake!? I'm using a modified recipe from Joy of Cooking This is the Devils Food recipe.

I substitute butter for coconut oil and Earth Balance; blended flax seed for eggs; and soy milk for butter milk.

Mix the cocoa powder and the wet ingredients (except the milk and vanilla). Stir to ensure the cocoa has no lumps - then mix in the milk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and gently stir until incorporated. Don't over mix or it'll be tough. ... Well, I added more cocoa than the recipe called for and the mix was a little dry. So, I tried to blend in a little apple sauce to compensate. It worked.

Then spread the batter into a parchment lined baking pan (9"x13"). Bake at 175˚C (350˚F) for about 25 - 30 minutes; until a toothpick comes out clean.

While it's baking, prepare some shimmering ganache and crack open a pomegranate.

Ganache is easy: chocolate (or cocoa powder), fat (coconut oil and margarine), glucose (or light corn syrup) and vanilla.

Allow the cake to cool and cut into squares. Why little squares? Because it increases the surface area, which means more hot ganache!

Place the squares on a wire rack and pour over that liquid chocolate. Then top with pomegranate arils and flecks of edible gold. Bam, it looks like like a million bucks!

Serve this sexy dessert to your loved one. Or just eat a pile of this chocolate cake to drown your sorrows. I mean cocoa is technically a fruit and it's topped with pomegranate AND it's vegan. It's totally health food ;-)

Curried Cauliflower Soup

November 24, 2015

A warm curried cauliflower soup is the perfect thing for cold gray days. I first tried a curried cauliflower soup at a restaurant called Greens. It's a wonderful vegan-friendly place where all the dishes are elegant and served with panache. I whipped up an easy Vitamix soup in recollection of that tasty meal.

Start by roasting the florets of a cauliflower and a medium starch potato. I like to drizzle with a bit of olive oil and place in the cold oven. Then, allow the oven to preheat to 400˚F and continue baking until the potatoes are cooked through. This method causes nice browning on the cauliflower and potatoes. While thongs are roasting, dice and sautee a red onion in olive oil.

Allow the ingredients - onions, cauliflower and potatoes - to cool slightly before adding them to the Vitamix. Add in a hand full of cashews and enough water to cover all the mix. Blend on medium to allow the ingredients to break down. Then, add salt, curry powder and adjust the water to your desired thickness. (Clearly, this is a very flexible recipe, so make it your own!)

Serve garnished with chopped roasted cashews and tarragon.

Irish Stew

October 23, 2015

I have been sick... for a while. This is a soup my grandma used to make for me. We always called it Irish stew, but it's really a very simple, five ingredient, soup. I haven't had this dish in years. Start out with about 4-6 medium potatoes and a medium yellow onion. Peel and chop the potatoes. They don't need to be perfectly cubed or diced. Grandma kept them coarsely chopped - kinda rectangular pieces. Dice the onion fairly finely - no big chunks.

Add them all to a large pan and add water and salt. The water should cover the ingredients with at least an inch of water. Start with a modest amount of salt to keep things evenly seasoned. Boil until the potatoes are fully cooked and tender.

Before serving, be sure to adjust the salt to your preference. Grandma used to add evaporated milk when serving the soup. But, that would turn my insides into outsides, so, I use almond milk.

She would serve it with her homemade bread. This is the type of food I grew up eating; simple, ungarnished, unadorned, comforting food.

Okra Cornbread

October 7, 2015

Combining two things I like: savoury cornbread and okra. So often, cornbread is sugary or bland. I like to make it flavourful and savoury by adding diced onions. I also like to grind my own organic cornmeal. I find that popcorn gives a subtle, unique flavour.

In to the Vitamix grinder jar, I add equal portions of popcorn and yellow corn, along with a bit of flax seed. Flax helps bind the bread to prevent crumbliness.

Grind the corn according to the grinder instructions - or, ya know, just buy cornmeal. It'll be a little different, but it's still going to taste good. Sift the cornmeal to get rid of any chunks.

Then add things to make cornbread: the baking soda, salt, a bit of olive oil and liquid. You can add water, but I like to use almond milk. To take this beyond plain cornbread, add in diced onions and sliced okra.

Add it all together. Mix it all up. The thing about cornbread is it's forgiving. There's no gluten to toughen, so you can make adjustments and keep mixing.

To get the perfect crust on cornbread, bake it in a preheated cast iron pan. Simply place a seasoned cast iron pan in the oven when the preheat cycle starts. I like to bake my cornbread at ~425˚F

After the pan is hot, remove it form the oven and add a glug of oil. Carefully tilt the pan around so that the oil covers the entire bottom and some of the sides. It's important to add the oil after the preheat to minimize smoking.

Pour the batter in the pan and place it (almost) immediately in the oven. I added a bit of garnishment - halves of okra and slices of onions - to the top.

Bake until the top is golden brown ~25 minutes. When it's done, invert the pan over a plate. Leaving anything in a hot cast iron pan will cause it to continue cooking past the optimal point.

Golden brown crust from preheating the pan

Thai Spicy Green Beans With Tofu

September 24, 2015

After touring Thailand, I'm addicted to Thai food. I mean, I was before, but now it's a daily kinda addiction. It's just so flavourful and so easy to make vegan and/or gluten free. Lots of fresh veg and tofu make this a plant-based delight. First, saute the tofu - about 10-15 minutes on each side - and set it to cool. It's kinda tricky to dice when it's wobbly and searing hot.

In the same hot pan, saute a medium onion and bell pepper. When they're translucent, tip them out of the pan. Keeping the same hot pan, add a couple cups of chopped green beans. I prefer long beans, but I couldn't find any I liked at the market. So, I used "French style" beans, whatever those are. I like to get the pan quite hot and put a nice sear on the beans. When they have a few specks of brown, put them with the onion and pepper. In the hot, hot pan quick sear some diced portobellos. Again, add them with the other cooked ingredients when they have a bit of colour development.

Make a quick spicy sauce out of:

A few hundred mL of coconut milk
Tamari sauce - to taste
Siracha - ya know, however spicy you like it
Red curry paste - a spoon or so
Crushed peanuts - also, a spoon
Water - enough to thin it down, 100-200 mL

Add the sauce to the hot pan and allow it to settle for a moment, then add in a pile of bean sprouts and turn off the heat. Add in the, previously set aside, vegetables and mix thoroughly. Add the diced tofu and a big handful of Thai basil. Give it one final stir.

Plate it with a nice portion of rice. I like to use black Thai rice mixed with Jasmine rice.

Baklava Tartlets

September 16, 2015

Baklava is a delight, but it takes a while to get all the layers put together. This recipe doesn't completely eliminate the hassle of laminating the filo dough, but it reduces it by 50%. Start by melting down a portion of refined coconut oil. Take a sheet of thawed filo dough and brush it with the melted coconut oil. Repeat, ya know, about a dozen times. Then, using a small cookie cutter, cut circles of dough and press them into a mini-cupcake tin.

To prepare the filling, start by coarsely chopping equal portions of pistachios, almonds, walnuts and pecans. Add a pinch or two of salt to counterbalance the sweetness of the syrup. Place a spoon of the chopped nuts into each cup.

Bake at 180˚C (350˚F) until the shell is golden brown.

Then, prepare the syrup by adding turbinado sugar to a heavy medium-sized pan. Add to that, 25% by mass, water (25mL water for each 100g sugar). Then add a few cloves, a cinnamon stick and a whisper of orange blossom water - or - rose water. Bring to a boil and ensure all the sugar has melted. Then strain out the cloves and cinnamon stick.

* The syrup needs to be hot when it's poured on the tartlets, so be sure to keep it toasty.

When the shells have reached that perfect golden brown colour, remove them from the oven and immediately pour a bit of syrup on each one. It should basically cover the chopped nuts, but it shouldn't drown the pastry. About a tablespoon should be enough.

Allow them to cool and carefully remove them from the muffin tin.

Enjoy these with a piping hot cup of coffee.

Tofu Pad See Ew

September 13, 2015

This is one of my favourite dishes. It's so flavourful and it's carb heavy :) First, this isn't totally authentic. Fish sauce plays a major role in Thai cooking. I like to substitute tamari sauce - its vegan and gluten free.

Start with wide rice noodles. Soak them in warm water until they're rubberband-like. They should be flexible and have a bit of stretch. While they're soaking, fry up some extra-firm tofu. It's not essential to fry it, but it keeps the tofu from crumbling so much. Also, fried food is delicious.

Then mix up a seasoning blend. I use: tamari, tamarind, palm sugar, a whisper of red curry paste and some coconut milk to keep it all liquid in the pan. I experimented with black soy sauce in this dish. It's basically soy sauce with molasses. It's tasty, but contains gluten. If that's a deal breaker for you, skip the black soy sauce in favour of tamari and a smidgen of molasses.

Add the seasoning and coconut milk mix to a hot pan and drop in the noodles. Stir it, jostle it, shake the pan a bit. Be sure to keep the noodles moving to prevent them from clumping. Coconut milk is high in fat and it helps keep the noodles moving.

When the rice noodles are starting to get tender, add in some chopped vegetables. I use bok choi, green onions and carrots. Continue to cook until the vege is slightly cooked - it should still have some bite; not at all mushy.

Finally, add the tofu. Adding it last will keep it from getting smashed and crumbly. Give it a final stir and plate it up with some fresh Thai basil.

Chocolate Pretzels

August 27, 2015

Chocolate and carbs! How could you go wrong?! This is the perfect quick and fairly easy snack. Start by melting chocolate over a water bath. I like to use a vegan dark chocolate. I like to temper the chocolate by reserving half the chips and seed-tempering: simply remove the chocolate from the heat and add the remaining chips. This should cause the cocoa butter crystals form properly and ensure that the chocolate stabilises at room temperature. This isn't necessary, but it makes for a better end result.

Simply dip the pretzels and affix your favourite toppings before the chocolate solidifies. Go wild! I tried pecans, peanuts, and matcha powder. I also tried drizzling chocolate over almonds and pistachios.

My favourite? Peanuts! There's just something magical about peanuts and pretzels and peanuts and chocolate. But the trio, overtakes them all!

Happy snacking!

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.

Blueberry and Dark Cherry Youghurt Parfait

July 3, 2015

Happy Birthday America!!! This Fourth of July, stay cool with a chilled fresh fruit and youghurt parfait! I make homemade soy youghurt, and flavour it with vanilla bean. It's fairly easy and really tasty.

The rest of the ingredients are simple and wholesome: dark cherry halves, rolled oats and blueberries. When I'm in a rush, I just throw all the ingredients in a bowl and stir, but today's special, so let's get fancy!

First, I like to add a layer of youghurt, then oats, then berries. The oats help keep things in layers - they add a dryness and stability. Sometimes, the sugars in the fruit draw out moisture from the youghurt, making a watery pocket in the parfait. The oats soak up the separating water and keep things texturally consistent.

Keep layering the youghurt, oats and fruit until about an inch from the top. Then, place a row of cherry halves around the top of the glass, followed by a bit more youghurt and a row of blueberries. You could add a sprig of mint, or a few oats to the top. My favorite thing, however, is a few toasted slivered almonds.

You can customize this for your tastes. Use strawberries or raspberries instead of cherries. Try granola instead of oats. Any way you make them, parfaits are refreshing summer treats.

*Despite my European, Asian and Brittish tendencies, I'm really proud to be American. Happy Fourth!

Fresh Courgetti Salad

June 16, 2015

I just got a Spiralizer! I love it. Here's a light and flavourful dish using summer squash from the garden.

Start with a couple medium sized courgettes (zucchini) and run through the small spiralizer blades. Halve, or quarter, a dozen cherry tomatoes. Dice half of a small red onion. Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and season with salt. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the mixture and toss lightly.

Garnish with fresh herbs: parsley, tarragon and basil.

Dolmades

June 12, 2015

With grapes on the vine and leaves to spare, it's time to make dolmades! There are several types with different filling. I like a nice savoury eggplant and rice filling to make the perfect doma. Start by roasting an eggplant (aubergine). I like to score it, salt it and drizzle on olive oil. While it's roasting, plunge the grape leaves in boiling water. Continue to cook them until they're tender. Also, prepare a bit of rice to add to the filling. I like to use brown jasmine rice. It imparts a nice texture and a subtle, delightful flavour.

When the eggplant is mushy and browned, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool. When it's cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and combine it with a bit of rice. I use nearly equal portions of each. Then, mix in a bit of turmeric, onion powder, lemon juice and salt.

Place a spoon of the filling mixture onto a grape leaf and roll it up - kinda like a little burrito. Garnish with dill and drizzle with olive oil.

Smoky Hummus

June 6, 2015

Smooth, smoky and tasty; this hummus tastes like summer. I hesitate to liken this hummus to "barbecue" flavour since it can mean so many different things. But, it's kind of like barbecue potato chips (my weakness).

Start with the spice blend and the basic hummus ingredients: garlic powder, smoky paprika, onion powder, salt, olive oil and lemon juice. I use tinned chickpeas, but I always make sure to wash them. This rinses away the thickeners and some of the gas producing compounds.

Add all the spices, the oil and lemon juice to a food processor, or high powered blender. (I used a Vitamix). Then add a bit of water ~250ml, and half the chickpeas. It's important to add only half if you're using a blender. It allows the ingredients to liquify, which makes it easier for the rest of the chickpeas to integrate in the blender.

Puree until the ingredients are liquified, then add the last half of the chickpeas. Blend until smooth, adjusting the seasoning and liquid (oil and water) to suit your tastes.

Enjoy this smooth, smoky spread with pita bread, or in a veggie wrap.

Coconut Baklava!

May 31, 2015

Baklava is one of those things I never really liked. I was accustomed to the pre-made slobbery, greasy, over-sugared, store-bought baklava. It just isn't the real thing. After visiting Turkey, I got a better idea of what makes a good baklava, so I perfected a recipe. But it was laden with butter. I wanted to make a version that was completely vegan and tasted just as good. I didn't capture all the sequence of photos for this batch. Check my original baklava recipe for more detail: http://jlamode.com/baklava/ Start with a blend of nuts and coconut. I like pistachios, pecans, walnuts and almonds, all in equal portions. Chop them a little bit coarsely in a food processor and set aside.

The time consuming part of baklava is in the pastry. It's easy enough to buy filo dough, but it has to be layered and brushed with coconut oil. I start out by brushing the pan with oil, then a sheet of dough, then brush with oil. I like to have 10-12 layers of dough for the bottom crust. Then, add the nuts, about a centimetre deep. The top pastry is the same procedure as the bottom crust, 10 layers of filo dough, brushed with coconut oil. It's important to cut the baklava prior to baking. Then bake ~20-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, at 350˚F.

The syrup is the thing that brings the baklava together. The traditional recipe calls for honey, but to make it strict-vegan I use turbinado sugar. It's sometimes called "raw," demerara or unrefined sugar. I use equal portions of sugar and water - about a cup of each. Then, I add a cinnamon stick, a few whole cloves and orange blossom water. Bring to a boil and make sure all the sugar crystals have dissolved. Set aside until the baklava is done baking. Just before removing the baklava from the oven, return the syrup to a boil and strain our the cinnamon stick and cloves.

Working quickly, remove the baklava and pour the hot syrup over the pastry.

I wanted to add a bit extra to these, so I drizzled the top with vegan Belgian chocolate and added a sprinkle of shredded coconut.

Garlic Scrapes with Mushrooms and Whipped Potatoes

May 22, 2015

Garlic scrapes are not always easy to get a hold of. Scrapes are the shoots that a garlic plant sends up when the growing cycle is nearing completion. When they first start out, they're tender and tasty. If they go too long, they get tough, so catching them early is key for a good dish. These scrapes come from elephant garlic. Start by peeling and boiling a few potatoes in salted water. When they're done, drain them and set aside. Quarter and sear a handful of baby portobello mushrooms in olive oil. Then, in the same hot pan, sautee the garlic scrapes. I like to sear the bloom end to add a nice aesthetic. The blooms themselves can be a bit tough, so it's more for garnish.

Whip the potatoes with a bit of earth balance and almond milk. Season as needed with sea salt.

Begin plating by spooning the potatoes on the plate. Then add the mushrooms and scrapes. Finish with a few seared blooms.

Lemony Kale

April 23, 2015

Kale from the garden and meyer lemon from my trees! Lemony kale salad is a quick easy and healthy side dish. First, wash, dry and tear the kale into bite sized pieces. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Then, squeeze in a bit of fresh lemon juice and mix gently.

Last, I like to add a bit of tarragon for an extra flavour dimension.

Strawberry Carpaccio

April 15, 2015

With the warmer weather and the arrival of fresh local fruit, carpaccioed strawberries are the perfect, light treat. Yes, I know a carpaccio is really made from meat and this is some hippy-vegan arrangement. I'm ok with that :-)

First, thinly slice a few strawberries. I used about five berries - the largest slices, not the edge slices. Consistent size it fairly important. Then, arrange, in a radiating pattern, the strawberry slices.

To create a bright flavour, I added mint and sweet basil. Remove the leaves from the stem and add a bit of agave syrup. Then, muddle the leaves and syrup to release the fragrant oils.

Drizzle the syrup on the berries and arrange the bruised leaves. Garnish with sprigs of whole basil and mint. Enjoy!

Guacamole Remixed

April 2, 2015

How can you go wrong with avocado?! This dish uses of the avocado shell to make a perfect bowl for the guac. You'll need the regular ingredients for guacamole: avocados, onion, lemon/lime, tomatoes and seasonings. I chose to flavour this one with garlic, onion powder and cumin.

Carefully halve avocados, taking care to keep the peel in good condition. Dice and scoop out the flesh, adding it to a medium mixing bowl.

Add the minced tomatoes, seasonings and a squeeze of lemon. Mix well, but don't completely smash up all the chunks. They provide a varied mouth-feel throughout, making for a unique treat.

Arrange the chunky guacamole in the empty avocado shells and garnish with slices of tomato, green onion and lemon.

Serve with tortilla chips.

jLAmode