Nutella Swirl Pound Cake

First and foremost, I have to say Happy VEGAN MOFO everyone! I have been mega busy lately but I hope to get a few more things up here before the end of the month. I have been on a real kick lately making all sorts of loaf type desserts...it all started with the never ending supply of my Spiced Banana Bread. Then I started making pumpkin bread variations on it. It was only a matter of time before my dessert journey ended here....homemade Nutella and pound cake. That's right folks....Nutella swirled into pound cake. And the result...heavenly! Sometimes, you just have to take risks to get great desserts, right?

Also, I think I am secretly trying to come up with some awesome desserts because Chris' birthday is on Thanksgiving this year!!! Crazy! That means double desserts. I am going to be in a food coma for a long time after next Thursday.

Nutella

2 c. hazelnuts, toasted and mostly shelled

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

1/2 c. powdered sugar

3 tbsp vegtable oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c. water

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Pound Cake

3/4 c blended silken tofu
1 c. sugar
1/3 c canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
3 tbsp corn starch
2 c flour

To start, you will want to begin with the nutella. Toast the hazelnuts in a 350 degree oven for about 12- 15 minutes. Using a kitchen towel, scoop about maybe 1/2 c or so of the hazelnuts, and use the towel to rub off as much of the skins as you can. If you have some skin left on the nuts, it will be okay, you just want as much off as you can get. Repeat for the remaining hazelnuts.

When all the hazelnuts are done, place in a food processor and blend until it gets to be almost like peanut butter like consistency. This will take several minutes of blending/pulsing to achieve. First, it will be kind of like bread crumbs, and slowly the natural oils will come out of the nuts and make it into a sticky, peanut butter type paste.

When you have the right texture, add your powdered sugar, cocoa powder and oil. Pulse and blend until everything is combined. You might have to stop several times to scrape the sides down. Everything will probably get very thick at this point.

Next, the trick to get this more of a smooth consistency, I transfered everything to my KitchenAid mixer. While you are mixing and fluffing the nutella, add a 1/4 c. of water at a time until you have a smooth, more spreadable mixture. For mine, I ended up using 1/2 c. of water.

Now, set up a double boiler and melt 4 oz of semi-sweet chocolate. When the chocolate is close to being all the way melted, take the bowl off of the double boiler and continue to stir until no pieces of chocolate remain. Add to your nutella spread, and mix until everything is smooth and combined.

Note: This makes about 2 c. worth of nutella, and for the cake, you will likely only use a little over a cup. But hey, this means nutella for breakfast, for lunch, for snacks! Anytime!

Okay, onto the cake. I know that just making the nutella was a lot of work, but the cake goes quickly and you will have almost a whole hour to rest up while it is in the oven. So, let's get this cake going!

Take your silken tofu and blend in your food processor. This will make sure there are no lumps, and it should almost resemble the consistency of yogurt. Take the blended tofu, add your sugar, oil and vanilla, ,mix until everything comes together to a nice, smooth batter. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and corn starch. Then add your flour, one cup at a time. Mix for a couple of minutes, the batter should be fairly thick in consistency.

Now for the fun part! Take a 9x5 inch loaf pan and spread about 1/3 of the batter as the bottom layer. Then take the nutella and spread a layer on top of the batter. Since the nutella is a lot thicker than the batter, I found that spooning out small amounts of nutella and dotting it across the batter works best. Then take the back of the spoon and spread it out as best as possible. Take about 1/3 of the batter and spread over the nutella. Repeat the nutella layer. Then pour over the rest of the batter on top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick/knife comes out clean when poked in the center.

Now eat cake! With nutella on top! And maybe ice cream if you have any around!

Spiced Banana Bread

I have literally been making banana bread about once a week for probably at least the last five or six weeks. It is pretty basic, but it is just so darn tasty I figured it should have a spot here on Herbivore Dinosaur. The thing I like most about this is that it is banana bread with pumpkin spice type spices! That way I get to have my pumpkin spice fix for the day and use up bananas that are going a bit over ripe all at once...woohoo!

There are two key parts that make this banana bread top notch as well. One is that you have the butter melted. I forgot this once and it did not turn out the same...still good, but not what I was going for. The second part is to be careful and not to over mix your batter. More on this further down. Ok, now go make banana bread!


what you will need:
3 large very ripe bananas
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. Earth Balance, or any butter substitutem, melted and cooled
2 egg Ener-G equivalents
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Peel your bananas and place them in small-ish chunks into your mixer bowl, along with the sugar. Let this mix until the bananas are mushed up, smashed and fairly smooth. While this happens, melt your Earth Balance butter. Once it is melted, set aside to slightly cool until you need it.

Sift your flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Set this bowl of all of the dry ingredients aside for the moment, and mix up your 2 egg equivalents of Ener-G. Once this is ready, add this into your banana sugar mixture. Add your melted butter to the bowl of your wet ingredients, and mix until everything is incorporated.

Now, take your bowl of dry ingredients and now mix this into your wet ingredients. The trick here is to not over mix the batter. You only want to stir the batter until everything is pretty much mixed together. Your goal here is by avoiding over mixing the batter, your air bubbles in the bread will be different sizes, which means a tastier banana bread. To contrast this idea, if you mix too much, you keep breaking down the air bubbles into smaller and more consistent sizes...which means your banana bread once baked will actually be more cake like in nature. Neat, huh?

Pour your batter into a 9x5" or slightly smaller bread pan. If it is not non-stick, you might want to grease it first so it just plops out nice and easily once done baking. Place the pan into a preheated over set to 350 degrees. Bake for 55 - 60 minutes, check and see if a toothpick or knife or fork comes out clean right in the middle. If not, place back in the oven for a few minutes and repeat. Let the bread cool in the pan for about 15 - 20 minutes, and then proceed to take it out of the pan to be placed on a cooling rack.

Enjoy with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

Tomato Curry Simmer Sauce

A while back, I started to try and make a conscious effort to take things that I am constantly buying at the store and make them myself. Case in point: Trader Joe's Curry Simmer Sauce. I was literally buying this stuff once a week, adding some coconut milk, whatever tofu and veggies were around. I was addicted...until I made my very own inspired version! And it is pretty stellar. Here is a great basic version that I think would be great with some peppers thrown in, maybe mushrooms, potatoes...go nuts! Although, I do like it just straight up with some tofu over brown rice. Rice noodles also make a great side.

The funny thing is, when you start building this recipe, it pretty much looks, smells and tastes like you are making a boring pasta sauce (minus the ginger added at the beginning). Until that magic moment when you add all of the spices...you will notice the color of the sauce turn from bright red to a rich, dark shade of red. The smell of pasta sauce transforms almost instantly into a warm aroma of an Indian curry! It is truly a delicious and magical meal.


what you will need:
1 can coconut milk
1 block tofu, pressed & cubed
1 - 28 oz. can tomatoes, puréed
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1.5 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt to taste

Take a large pot and begin by warming your oil over medium heat. Add your diced onions, stir and let cook just until they start to become translucent. Add your ginger and garlic, let cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stir and let cook until the garlic and onions just start to turn a golden color in parts. Add your chopped tomatoes, stir it around again and gather your tomatoes that you have puréed, adding them to the pot.

Give everything a good stir and line up all of the spices you need. Next, one by one, add 1 tsp each of coriander, cinnamon and cloves. Stir. Mmm, smell that? The sauce is changing in front of your eyes. Next, add 1/2 tsp each of cumin, tumeric, paprika and the red pepper flakes. Then add your 1.5 tsp sugar, your 1 tbsp lemon juice and salt to taste.

Now, to me, the 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes is not spicy. But to you it might be. So, if you are worried about the spice level, start with maybe a 1/4 tsp first and go from there.

Let this simmer while you press and slice your block of tofu into cubes. If you want any other veggies in here, chop those up. Add to the sauce, and add 1 can of coconut milk.

And....let it simmer, maybe make some brown rice. The longer it simmers, the more yummy this stuff gets!

Eat and repeat.

Mini Peach Galettes

It seems like every time I have been to the grocery store the last few weeks, there is a beautiful, huge pile of sweet peaches and nectarines. I kept buying some, munching on them as a snack...and then finally I thought, "I should probably bake something with these wonderful peaches!" And it was that simple. I literally woke up one day last week with only one thought in my mind, I must bake today. I was up and at the store by 8:30 am, home by 9:15 and in the kitchen.

I knew I wanted to make some sort of tart-like thing, but then my obsession with mini/personal sized foods kicked in. Mini Galettes. Perfect! I love galettes because all of its imperfections are what make it look so pretty and perfect. It adds to the galettes character, rustic-ness and charm. Plus, personal sized...they are just so darn cute looking!

peach galette:
4 large peaches, peeled and cut each half into ninths
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/4 cup light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ground walnuts

the dough:
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
16 tbsp Earth Balance or your fav. vegan butter substitute
6 tbsp very cold water

Start with making the dough first, since it works best if it has time to chill in the fridge for 1 - 2 hours. Using a food processor, begin the dough by pulsing together the flour, salt, and sugar a few times just to mix everything together. Then add the cold butter and pulse until it is a bit coarse and crumbly. Add your cold water to the dough, and begin to pulse until the dough comes together.

If it is still crumbly, add one tbsp of cold water, and pulse again. The dough should not be too moist where it feels sticky, but it should hold it's shape when squeezed together. Take a piece of saran wrap or parchment paper, and flatten out the dough into a large disc, and refrigerate for 1 - 2 hours.

Next up are taking care of the peaches. You want to peel them, and to make that easier just drop them one at a time into boiling water for 1 - 2 minutes, then place them into an ice water bath. This should let you remove the skins a whole lot easier. Cut each peach in half, then cut each half into nine parts.

Mix together your corn starch, lemon juice, brown sugar and salt. Pour over the sliced peaches, stir to coat evenly and let marinade for 15 - 20 minutes.


After the chilling time is up for your dough, take a piece and roll out a circular shape to reach 6 - 7" wide and 1/4" thick. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. After I rolled out my first dough, I placed it onto my Silpat and baking sheet, and then put it into the fridge. Every rolled out dough I placed onto the baking sheet in the fridge as well. This will keep your dough firm and make it easier to work with when forming galettes. Repeat for the remaining dough. I was able to make 5 galettes out of my dough, the last one being slightly larger in size than the rest.

Onto the assembly. Take one circle dough, drop 1 well rounded tsp of ground walnuts in the center. Leaving at least a 1" border from the edge, spread out the ground walnuts evenly. Grab your peaches, arrange several peach slices on top of your ground walnuts until it is completely covered. Fold the edge border of your dough, pleating the edge every inch or so all the way around the dough. Spoon over a few tbsps of the peach juice/marinade on top of the peaches. Place in fridge, and repeat for your next galette.

Place into a preheated oven to 400 degrees. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the peaches & juice is starting to bubble.

Let cool, if you can resist the delicious aromas! Eat and enjoy!

Side note: because I am a food nerd, I did a bit of reading up on galettes and the layer of ground nuts is a traditional technique that aids in forming a crip/not soggy bottom. The ground nuts serve as an additional layer to soak up juices and prevent it from reaching the actual bottom layer of crust, resulting in a yummy, firm crust! Neat, right? And no more soggy crust!

Curried Couscous Salad

You know that feeling when you finally are getting back into your groove, back into the swing of things? It is pretty great and I feel it right now! In between working and cross country family visits and vacations, this poor little blog has been a bit lack-luster as of late. But no longer! Hurray for cooking and photographing again!

It has been pretty hot around these parts lately (which I love, I am not complaining!) and I have been daydreaming about something that is served cold, yet filling...slightly sweet, yet tangy...and really yummy. And after thinking about this long enough, I finally made it a reality. So here we go, back on the food cookin' band wagon.

what you will need:
2 c. couscous
2 3/4 c. water
2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 c. red onion
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
1/3 c. pine nuts, toasted
1/3 c. raisins
1 c. chopped parsley
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt/pepper to taste

Start out by cooking your couscous, since it will have to cool after cooking. Add your curry powder to the 2 3/4 c. water that you cook your 2 c. couscous in. Cook until the liquid is boiling, take off burner and set aside, covered. Fluff and stir after 5 - 10 minutes.

Finely dice your red onion, yellow pepper and red pepper. Chop your parsley. Toast your pine nuts in a pan over medium heat, just until they start to get ever so slightly golden. They will also have somewhat of an oily sheen to them.

Toss your couscous into a large serving bowl, add your veggies, raisins, chopped parsley and pine nuts. Coat this mixture with the olive oil, red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar. Stir to evenly coat all of the veggies and couscous.


Add salt and pepper to taste. If you want it a bit more tangy, add more red wine vinegar. If you want a bit more sweetness, add some balsamic vinegar. If it seems a bit dry, but the tangy sweetness ratio is in check for your taste, add a tbsp. or so of olive oil.

Set aside in the fridge to chill completely for about an hour or so. Eat on a hot day and enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Ice Cream Sandwiches

I have really been into going berry picking at local farms here, which are plentiful here in the Northwest. And this past weekend, I went berry picking yet again (....but can you blame me, its around $1/pound!) and I was pleasantly surprised that the blueberries were in full swing! And let me tell you, blueberries grow on the most adorable little bushes! I got a little over 2 pounds in maybe 10 minutes. It was such an amazingly sunny day, and I knew I had to make something special with these berries.

It was a hot weekend, and all I had on my mind were the follow things in no particular order: ice cream, cookies, refreshing, and cold! Immediately, the idea of ice cream sandwiches jumped to mind. And almost like magic, I was struck with the taste of bright, refreshing lemons with blueberries....in ice cream form! And cookies, lemon cookies...! And so began the long journey of making ice cream sandwiches from scratch, every step of the way.

For the ice cream, you make a blueberry compote first, which will get swirled into the lemon ice cream. Then you make cookies, and then you assemble. A little note, making everything in one day was quite the project. I think it would be much more manageable splitting it into two parts. But I needed my fix of ice cream sandwiches, stat! So, right after berry picking I got to work.

Here is what you will need:
blueberry compote
2 c. blueberries
1/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. corn starch

ice cream
2 - 13.5 fl oz cans coconut milk (not the low fat kind!)
3/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. arrowroot
4 - 5 tbsp. lemon juice

lemon cookies
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. sugar
2 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
12 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Ener-G egg equivalent

First thing first, you want to make the blueberry compote. That way you can put it in the fridge to cool while you make the lemon ice cream mixture. Start by rinsing 2 c. blueberries, put into a medium pot and add the sugar. With a fork or a potato masher, start to crush/smoosh the berries until they release their juice and there are no more whole berries left. Simmer for 5 - 7 minutes. You should have a dark sauce with smooshed up berries that look pretty mushy as well. Add the tbsp. of lemon juice to the 2 tbsp. cornstarch, mix and add to compote. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. It should have thickened up a lot, and be like a thick blueberry syrupy sauce almost. Set aside in fridge to cool.

Next up, the lemon ice cream. Reserve a 1/4 c. of the coconut milk, and set aside. In a medium sized pot, add the rest of the coconut milk along with the sugar. Cook on medium high. While this gets up to temp, take your 1/4 c. coconut milk and incorporate your 2 tbsp. arrowroot. When the sugar/coconut milk just starts to boil, take it off the burner, add the arrowroot mixture, and stir to combine. You should notice this getting a bit thicker as well. After everything is incorporated, add 4 tbsp. of lemon juice. Taste, and if you like it a bit more zingy, add another tbsp. of lemon. Stir, and set aside in fridge to cool completely.

For everything to come together in your ice cream maker, your lemon mixture really needs to be cold. Even just "cool" can be too warm and it will not work. Trust me on this, I too once was anxious to have my ice cream and threw in a cooled mixture into the ice cream maker and it never quite got where it needed to go. So you have two options at this point: 1. make the cookies or 2. take a nice, long break! I left my mixture in the fridge about 3 hours, stirring every once in a while.


Once totally cold, follow your ice cream maker instructions accordingly with the lemon ice cream. After it is done, I layered the lemon ice cream and the compote. For every couple of scoops of lemon ice cream I put into my container, I would add a big, heaping spoonful of blueberry compote. After filling your container in this fashion, simply take a knife and make swirly figures in your ice cream. Place in freezer to harden.

Ok, if you are brave, you will venture onto the cookies. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix to combine all ingredients. One tbsp. at a time, mix in your butter. After all of your butter chucks are well combined, add your vanilla, lemon, and Ener-G egg equivalent. Mix until the dough comes together. Take it out of the bowl, and knead for a 2 - 3 minutes. Roll it into a log, wrap in saran wrap and stick it in the fridge for 1 - 1 1/2 hours. You will notice the dough is super soft, similar to sugar cookies. Freezing the dough a little will make it easier to handle the dough.

Fast forward 1 hour or so, take out your cookie dough log, slice off cookies in 1/4" slices. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place on a non-stick baking tray or onto a tray lined with a Silpat mat. Bake cookies until slightly golden brown, 12 - 14 minutes. You want your cookies slightly softer than normal, this will make it easier to bite into your delicious ice cream sandwich. Let the cookies cool completely.


Ok, now for the fun and tasty part. Finally, right!? If you are not worried how nice and neat the sandwiches look, take the ice cream out of the freezer and set it on the counter for 20 minutes or so to soften up a bit. Scoop several spoonfuls onto a cookie, place a cookie on top, with the edge of the spoon, smooth out the edges a bit. You can eat this now, or freeze it a bit to firm up the ice cream again. Firming up the ice cream is what I recommend, but I have to admit I had one right away. After all of this work, I had to do it, okay!?

If you want really neat, pretty sandwiches, you can do what I did. Simply take some softened ice cream, fill a little ramekin with about 1" of ice cream, throw the ramekin in the freezer for 20 - 30 minutes. Use a knife to line the edge of the ramekin, this will loosen the ice cream circle. Turn upside down and tap onto cutting board. Out should pop a neat, little circle you can simply place onto the cookies to make the sandwiches.

Eat lots of these and enjoy! You have earned it!

Happy B-Day Herbivore Dinosaur!

I just realized that it has been a whole year since I made up my mind to keep a vegan food blog. At first, it started off as this kind of, hey...let me post one or two things then forget about it kind of thing. But something changed this last time around. I decided to be a bit more dedicated and take this blog more seriously. And here we are, a full year later and I just wanted to wish this little blog a (tad late) Happy Birthday! So thank you all again, for those of you who read and enjoy this little blog of mine, it is a pleasure.

It's funny, but I was reminded of this last weekend, when I went berry picking. I realized that it was around this time last year that I went berry picking, made a vegan version of my Oma's strawberry cake, and posted it as a new beginning and a more focused direction for myself. And here we are, a year later, and I am berry picking. Again.

I have been working on a really refreshing and yummy raspberry ice cream recipe, but I need remake it (darn....!) and take better notes along the way. The taste is delish, and reminds me of the ice cream shop down the road where I grew up. I would always order at least one ball of Himbeere ice cream (raspberry). I think it is delightfully refreshing, a tiny bit of tartness and lots of cool yummyness needed on these hot summer days. Hopefully I will have this up by the end of the weekend, I just need to get more raspberries!

Here are a few highlights of my berry picking adventure! I got a total of 2 lbs. strawberries and a whopping 4 lbs of raspberries! And what did that set me back? Six bucks....not bad...not bad at all. And what happened to all of those yummy berries? I made strawberry shortcakes but with cupcakes, made raspberry jam, raspberry ice cream, AND raspberry lemonade!

me finding a rather adorable strawberry

my whopping loot of raspberries totaling 4 pounds!


Rachel's tiniest, cutest l'il berry

delicious raspberry lemonade


playing with Wunder Kerzen (aka german spaklers)

Potstickers

About every 3 out of 4 Fridays per month, I find myself standing in front of what has become a very familiar section of the grocery store. The frozen natural food section where I grab a bag of these dumpling/potsticker snacks. I always think I will be motivated to come home after a Friday afternoon, cook something delicious, but it never fails...there I am. Again. Grabbing another bag of those damn frozen potstickers.


And then something happened. I stumbled upon these vegan, circular wrappers that are used to make things like wontons and potstickers! I had been wanted to make my own version of these frozen delights I instinctively grab almost every week, but I had been having trouble finding wrappers that did not contain milk or eggs. And then I found them and knew what had to be done.

So it finally happened. I broke the cycle, and made my own version of the snacks I was used to buying Friday nights. The recipe is easy to adjust, the filling can consist of anything you really want, but the follow recipe is simply what hit the spot for me. Also, disclaimer here...I am in no way saying this is authentic, it simply tastes like those little frozen gems of deliciousness that I used to buy. But no longer! These dumplings are so much faster than you would expect. Especially if you can find a bag of pre-thinly sliced veggies (I think mine technically is called "Broccoli Slaw"), then you do not even have to worry about slicing everything up super thinly. Now onto the good!

What you will need:

1 1/2 c. broccoli slaw (very thinly sliced broccoli, carrots, and purple cabbage)
1/3 block of firm tofu
1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
3/4 tsp. Braggs liquid aminos
1 pack circular potsticker wrappers
1/2 c. water + a little on more on the side to seal the wrappers

Add 1 tbsp. of oil to a non-stick pan, add your ginger and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add your cubed tofu. The tofu should be cut into fairly small cubes, about 1/4" cubes. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add your veggies aka broccoli slaw. Add the seasoned rice vinegar and Braggs, stir to make sure everything is coated evenly. Cover and let steam for another 6 - 8 minutes, depending on how soft you like your veggies. I cooked mine until somewhat soft, but it still had a bit of bite. This was a nice contrast to the soft shell that the potsticker filling is in.

(a little close up of the yummy filling)

Set the filling aside, and now it is time to play with these potsticker wrappers. The first few turned out a bit funky, but then I got into a groove and they looked nicer and nicer as I went along. Also, you want to have a little bowl of water handy at this point. You will dip your finger in the water, then line the edge of the wrapper with your finger. This allows the wrapper to stay sealed, almost line you have added "glue" to make the edges stick to one another.

Begin by laying out a wrapper. Add about 1 tbsp. of the filling to the center of your circular wrapper, line the edges of the wrapper with water, gently fold in half. I press the top center together first, which sets up the wrapper for the rest of the folding. Now you can go two directions. One: simply press the edges together, forming a semi-circle. Two: you can try to be all fancy schmancy like I did, and press the wrapper together while pleating the edges about 4 - 5 times. Either way, this is simply an aesthetic decision and didn't effect my love for these little semi-circles of yumminess.

Ok, moving on. The filling makes about 12 - 15 postickers, depending on how talented you are in getting the filling to stay in the wrappers. Add another tbsp. of oil to your pan and heat to medium high. Set your potstickers in the pan, as many as it can hold. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the bottoms of your potsticker begin to turn golden brown. Turn down the heat to medium low, that way the bottom will not burn and also because next you will be adding a 1/2 c. water. And as we all know from experience probably, hot oil and water equals splattering oil everywhere, probably somewhere on yourself as well. Ok, let this cook on low for a few minutes to give everything a chance to lower in temp, while still crisping up the potstickers. Add the 1/2 c. water, cover the pan and let cook for an additional 5 - 7 minutes or until all of the water is gone.

See...that was easier than you thought, right? So easy in fact, I have already made them at least 5 times already. And I am so happy to know these are quick, easy and I am no longer tied to getting my fix from the frozen section. Now go make these, throw on a movie and enjoy!

Mexican Stuffed Portobellos

I don't know if it is the never ending rainy spring here in the Pacific Northwest or what, but if feels like I am stuck in some sort of time warp where it seems to stop and fly by all at the same time. Weird, right? Anyways, onto this tasty little dish. I had a craving for some sort of filling meal with a really bright, freshness to it. And the Mexican Stuffed Potobello is what came of my craving within my black hole time warp. Also, my love affair with daiya cheese has officially reached epic proportions.

Here is what you will need:

Salsa Freso
4-5 medium tomatoes
1 small - medium onion (about 3/4 c.)
1 serrano pepper (or whatever pepper that suits your spice level)
1 lime
1 c. lightly packed fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar

2 portobello mushrooms
1 avacado
1 c. daiya cheddar cheese
fresh cilantro for garnish
(optional: a side of rice)

Start by making the Salsa Fresco, so all of the flavors have time to mingle while you prepare everything else. Chop your tomatoes, onions, and pepper. Add to a bowl, stir to combine. Squeeze the juice of one lime over tomatoes, onions, and the serrano pepper. I left the membrane and seeds of the pepper and added everything to the salsa, because hey, we can take the heat, right?! Roughly chop your cilantro and add to the salsa. Sprinkle the 1/4 tsp. of both salt and sugar over the salsa, and again, stir to combine. The sugar will cut down on the acidity of the tomatoes a bit, but not enough to make it taste sweet at all. Set aside. Try not to eat all of this before you make the mushrooms, it will be difficult because it is so yummy just with chips alone!


Clean your portobello mushrooms, remove stems, and preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with either a Silpat mat, parchment paper or simply brush it with a bit of olive oil. Grab your salsa, and spoon in enough to fill your portbello mushrooms so you can't see the ribs anymore. Grab your delish daiya cheese, and sprinkle over the salsa. Throw these bad boys into the oven for 15 minutes. Check how things are going along, and then set it to broil for 2 - 3 minutes, just enough to crisp up the melted cheese a bit.


Slice up your avacados, serve with a side of salsa. Alternately, you can serve this with a side of rice, add some salsa fresco into the rice, served it with the portobello on top of the bed of rice/salsa mixture and garnish with avacados and cilantro. The salsa fresco should be enough to either make 4 portobello mushrooms or for 2 portobello mushrooms served with rice where you add the extra salsa into the rice.


Mmmm....here is a little shot of the inside so you can see all of the yummy layers of salsa and daiya cheese! I have my fingers crossed that this sunny meal with bring forth some real sunshine around here.

Enjoy :)

Mini Cashew Cream Fruit Tart

I have been really, really into all sorts of fresh fruit tarts lately. Also, I am hooked on using cashews as a base for any sweet and creamy filling for desserts. It is creamy, and the cashews have a really nice, natural sweetness to them. And it thickens up like mad! I was pretty surprised the first time I tried this.

I have been making full size tarts, but I thought it would be cute so have little personal tarts, because 1.) they are cute and 2.) I am obsessed with "personal" sized servings of food. I don't know why, but I am. So here is my offering in hopes that these summery little tarts will help ward off the rain here in the Pacific Northwest. I guess I just want my fruit tarts and my summer to go along with them.

The recipe makes 10 mini fruit tarts. I had some cashew cream left over, but it is delish tart-less, simply topped with some fresh fruit.

What you will need:
Crust
1 1/3 c. flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. Earth Balance (or your fav butter substitute)
1 1/2 tbsp ice water

Filling
1 1/2 c. raw cashews (pre-soaked for 3 - 4 hours)
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 tbsp. Earth Balance, melted
2/3 c. water
mixed berries, your choice for topping


Start by soaking your cashews in advance, for at least 3 - 4 hours.

Next up, make your tart crust. Add your flour, sugar and salt into a food processor. Pulse once or twice to mix. Add your 1/2 of the Earth Balance, either cutting into small cubes if using a stick of butter sub. or by spooning by the tbsp. Pulse 4 - 5 times to mix. Add the other half of the Earth Balance in the same fashion, and pulse a few more times. Add your ice water. Your dough will almost seem crumbly at first, but go ahead and pulse several more times. Your dough should slowly come together. If a few more pulses don't do the trick, add 1/2 tbsp ice water more to your dough and repeat. The trick to a fab tart crust is to go through this whole process using the least amount of water and the least amount of blending. Once your dough has come together, knead a few times on a lightly floured surface. Form into a disc, and refrigerate for one hour.

After one hour, take out your dough and roll out to appropriate sizes. I used a muffin pan for my mini tart shells, so I rolled out the dough and cut out circles to fit into each muffin compartment. I used a glass with a 5" diameter to cut out each mini tart shell, then rolled each circle out until it was about 1/8" in thickness. Place rolled out dough into each muffin section, gently press dough to fit. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes. Then preheat oven to 375, make a few pricks with a fork into each tart shell and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until shells are lightly golden brown.

While the tart shells are cooling down, go ahead and start on your cashew cream filling. I don't have one of those fancy Vita-Mix blenders, just a regular old blender and it works fine for this. I am sure my blending time is a lot longer than with the awesome Vita-Mix, but hey, whatever works, right? Ok, onto the filling. Add half of your cashews and all of your sugar, vanilla, melted Earth Balance and water into blender. I usually start on a lower setting and work my way up to the highest blender setting. Once I have this blended to a fairly smooth consistency, add the rest of your soaked cashews one handful at a time. This will help in not overwhelming your blender if you just have a little one like I do. There should be no cashew chunks visible, just a smooth mixture that almost resembles pudding or a custard. (I have read about doing this in a food processor and have tried it, results where nowhere near as good as with my crappy little blender.)


Spoon filling into each tart shell and place in freezer for 30 - 40 minutes, or until firm. Slice up fruit and top each tart with a generous helping. For additional, gluttonous yummyness...top each little mini tart with some soy whip cream.

Potato Salad Seitan Sandwich

My mind is on non-stop summer foods. Again. I have already made a huge batch of my Oma's Noodle Salad (veganized, duh), experimenting with black bean burgers and next up...I had to fulfill my need for some good old fashioned potato salad. On a sandwich. With seitan. Oh yeah!!

Also, a lot of the food that I have been making reminds me of when I grew up in Germany. And I find it interesting how different the flavor palate was between the US and where I grew up. When I first moved over to the US, even as a kid, I was repulsed at how sweet everything tasted. Campbells Tomato Soup...yuck! Way too sweet for me. Pasta salad...sweet, no good. I even have memories of bbqs where people brought pasta salad, which literally was sweet tasting italian dressing with some peppers chopped and added. This left me longing for what I grew up with, food with pow. Alot of things that I remember having growing up had a lot of sass, a lot of tang...which is still with me to this day. I much prefer things that way. And this potato salad hits my flavor spot. Zingy, creamy and mustardy with a splash of vinegar to give it that added tangyness that I so love and remember.

So here is my idea of a perfect summer sandwich, cool and tangy potato salad on a layer of seitan and lettuce...Mmmmm.

Here is what you will need:

Parsley & Fennel Seitan
1 c. vital wheat gluten
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 c. cold water
1/4 c. soy sauce (I've also subbed Braggs for this)
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp dried parsley

Mustard Potato Salad
5-6 large potatos (2.5 - 3 lbs)
1/2 c. diced red onion
3/4 c. diced celery (about 2 - 3 stalks)
1/2 c. vegenaise
1/2 c. spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp. vinegar
salt/pepper to taste
parsley to garnish, optional


Begin with making the seitan, since it takes longer to make. The recipe is loosely based on the recipe out of Isa's Vegan with a Vengeance. I have made many variations based on it, and it always turns out fab. The addition of parsley and fennel seeds make it a nice compliment to the potato salad.

Begin by mixing all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl combine all of your wet ingredients. Using a large spoon or spatula, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until well combined. After everything is incorporated, knead for about 5 minutes and let the dough set for a few minutes. Get a large pot ready, and fill it with cold, well salted water. Shape the dough into a long-ish log, cut into 3-4 evenly sized pieces. Place these in your pot and bring to a boil. Once a boil has been reached, set to simmer, covered with the lid propped open a bit for one hour. Turn off heat and let cool in the broth. The seitan should be much bigger and lighter in color than before. And it will most likely looks like brains. Gross, but tastes to good.


While the seitan cools, start making the potato salad. I left the skins on my potatoes because I like the texture, color AND it saves a whole lotta work. Cut your potatoes into bite sized cubes. Add to boiling water and cook until it is tender enough for your fork to push through, about 10 minutes total. You do not want your potatoes to be mush, but rather slightly undercooked just a teeny bit. Drain and let the potato cubes cool. Spreading them out on a baking sheet is a great way of cooling them down a bit faster. While the hot potatoes cool down, begin by making the dressing. Finely dice your onion and celery, set aside. Mix your vegenaise and mustard until smooth and well combined. In a large bowl, add your diced potatoes, onion and celery. Pour over your dressing, using a spatula, fold carefully until everything is evenly coated. Add your tbsp of vinegar, any salt/pepper to taste if needed, giving one last stir. Set in fridge to let all of the yummy flavors mingle.

Back to the seitan. Take out each chunk, and to the best of your ability, cut it into long strips and slices. Store in a container, making sure to cover it in some of the broth. Now comes an important decision: hot or cold. If you say cold, just layer lettuce, sliced seitan and potato salad on some of your favorite bread and you are ready to rock 'n roll. I made mine with the seitan warmed up. Using a good non-stick pan, you can easily toast the seitan without the use of any oil. Cook on medium heat until each side of the seitan is lightly browned, then layer up your sandwich. Either way, this is really good.

I know know that this is not a mind-blowing new idea, but hey, if it is not broke, why fix it? Why reinvent the wheel? Sometimes, things are classics for a reason and this tangy (not sweet) potato salad is the perfect example. Layered with lettuce and seitan on a sandwich just lets it reach new heights.

Now make sandwichs, go on a picnic, enjoy good foods and the day!

Leek & Tomato Phyllo Squares

Ok, I know it has been a little longer than expected since the last time I added a recipe, but let me tell you what I have in store for you today. Little squares of deliciousness that are seriously out of this world!! I have been wanting to experiment with phyllo dough for a while now, but from everything I read, it only scared me away! After reading about how it dries and cracks instantly if you don't get everything together in under 30 seconds, then life is ruined and over...this is the sort of stuff that has kept me away for so long. But fear no more! And from personal experience, I can speak for myself and say this phyllo dough stuff isn't nearly as hard or scary as it has been made out to be. Just remember, this stuff preferably needs to sit in the fridge overnight, and then out at room temp. for 2 hours before using! So don't be an idiot the first time around like I was just to be let down.

Alright, let me set the scene for you, 6 layers of phyllo dough folded over and doubled to form 12 crispy layers, topped with a garlic basil tofu ricotta spread, a bit of FYH mozzarella, leeks and grape tomatoes.....all baked to perfection...mmmmm. Ok, enough already! Here is how to make these little treasures.

What you'll need:

6 sheets phyllo dough

1 batch of garlic basil tofu ricotta (listed below)

1/3 block FYH mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 pint grape tomatoes

1 leek, sliced

6 tbsp, Earth Balance butter, melted

garlic basil tofu ricotta

1 block firm tofu

5-6 cloves of garlic

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

First step, the day BEFORE you want to enjoy these squares, put your phyllo dough in the fridge for 8 hours, or just leave it there overnight. Then, let it sit out at room temp for another 2 hours. During the last hour of the dough thawing, get your tofu ricotta ready and all of your other ingredients. That way you will be ready to go when the phyllo dough is.

In a food processor, throw in your 5-6 cloves of garlic (I know it is a lot, but this is what makes it taste so, so good!), pulse a few times to finely chop it. Crumble your tofu into manageable chunks, add this to your food processor, while pulsing, slowly add your olive oil as your mixture is blending up. Add your nutritional yeast, basil, nutmeg, salt and pepper. I would recommend starting with 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Pulse a few more times until everything comes together into a nice, creamy sort of paste. Set aside.

Now onto the veggies. Wash and rinse your leek, and finely slice. Wash your grape tomatoes and slice them in half lengthwise. Set both of these aside in some prep bowl, along with your tofu ricotta. Now you simply must wait until the 2 hour mark for your phyllo dough has been reached.

Waiting, waiting, annnnnd done. Now it is onto the part that seemed scary but is not so bad. You want to either have some saran wrap or a damp cheese cloth to cover the phyllo dough sheets that are waiting to be layered. First, melt your 6 tbsp Earth Balance so everything is ready and prepped for your sheets.

Ok, open up your phyllo dough package, grab 6 sheets and set them aside to your work station, roll up the rest, place it back into the plastic and back into the freezer. Start with one sheet of phyllo dough, and place your saran wrap or damp cheese cloth over the remaining 5 sheets to keep them from drying. Lay out your first sheet of phyllo, and brush your melted Earth Balance over the whole sheet, starting with the edges first, working your way inwards. This first sheet is tricky because it wants to move around. But the following sheets will stick to the first, making it easier to coat each remaining sheet.

Repeat this until you have layered all 6 phyllo sheet on top of one another, each with a coating of the Earth Balance. Now, fold your 6 sheets in half, matching up the shorter sides with one another from left to right, or top to bottom, depending on how your sheets are set out. Since all the sheets are basically glued together, this should be much easier than it sounds.

Now you have a much smaller rectangle. And you can go two ways from here. You can make 6 larger squares, or 24 bite sized squares. Either way, begin by cutting the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut into thirds, and you will have 6 squares. If you want your squares big and bold, stop here. If you want them bite sized, cut each of your large squares into fourths. I have made both sizes, which you can see in the pictures for comparison.

Top each of the little squares with a well rounded tsp of the garlic basil tofu ricotta, and each larger square with 2 tsp. Spread out to coat most of the square. Here is a peek at how things will look like at this point:

Shred up your mozzarella, I used Follow Your Heart and used about a 1/3 of a block for all of the squares. You don't need to go crazy with the cheese on these squares, you don't want to think ooey gooey pizza loaded squares, just a sprinkle since you also are working with the tofu ricotta. Then, top each square with your leeks and tomatoes that are ready to go.

Voila! Here are the little and big squares ready to go into a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until the phyllo dough is a nice, golden brown, the cheese is getting bubbly and the leeks & tomatoes are nice and toasted.

And you're done! You now have an amazing appetizer that is yummy enough for any day and kind of fancy enough for a dinner party. The best thing about these are that they taste as amazing warm out of the oven as they do later on, cooled.

Fair warning, these little suckers are very rich and delicious. Not recommended for those on diets. But the fact each of the phyllo dough sheets are layered with the Earth Balance butter, this adds a very delicious richness to the tofu ricotta and the vegan cheese, seriously making these impossible to tell from the real thing.

Now go and play with phyllo dough! It is fun, the possibilities are endless and the results are yummy!

Candied Orange Biscotti

Even though the days are getting nicer, brighter and longer...the nights here in the Pacific NW are still getting a bit chilly. So I am taking this shot at doing all of the wintery things I like doing, and doing them now while I still have those cozy nights to complete the scene. This means making things like hot chocolate....from chocolate. None of that powdered stuff, real hot chocolate. And would you believe that it is something kinda tricky to find that balance between smooth, creamy hot chocolate and it literally tasting like hot, melted chocolate. Anyways, I am straying from the point, C thought it would be a yummy idea to make biscotti to complement my hot chocolate quest. But this would be not just any ordinary biscotti, orange biscotti. Then, the idea got even better....candied orange biscotti. So that folks, in a nutshell, is the back story of today's treat...Candied Orange Biscotti!


What you will need:
Candied Orange Slices
1.5 c. orange slices (1-2 large oranges)
1.5 c. water
1/2 c. sugar

Biscotti
2 c. flour
1.5 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. sugar
4 tbsp. Earth Balance (or your fav butter substitute)
2 tsp. grated orange zest
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Ener-G egg equivalents
candied orange slices

Begin by making your candied orange slices. Take your orange and cut it through from end to end, then slice each half into 1/4" slices. Set aside and take a large non stick pan, add your water and sugar, bring to a boil. Add your orange slices, arranging them neatly making sure to create a single layer of the slices. Let boil for about 10 minutes, turning over once half way through. Then, reduce the heat to medium and let it cook for 30 more minutes, turning orange slices every now and then. You should see your liquid turning into more of a sticky syrup, and your orange slices should also be turning slightly translucent. If after 30 minutes, you still have some liquid in your pan, continue to cook on a low simmer until it is all a thick syrup. Turn burner off and let your slices cool in the pan for at least 10 - 15 minutes. Set them onto parchment paper or a Silpat mat to cool completely.

While your orange slices and cooling, start to make your biscotti batter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare your baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Onto the good stuff....start by using your mixer to beat the sugar, butter, orange zest, and salt until it is well combined and getting a but light and fluffy. Slowly add half of your Ener-G egg equivalent, beat until it is incorporated, then add remaining half and mix. Add your flour and baking powder, slowly so it does not poof out and explode everywhere onto you.

Now, go back to your orange slices. These will be a sticky mess, but as best as you can, chop them up into bite sized pieces. Add this into your biscotti dough and mix to thoroughly incorporate candied orange bits into the dough evenly.

Take this big wad of dough, place onto your lined baking sheet and form it into a rectangle that is about 12 - 13" long and 3 - 4" wide. Put into preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until it is a light, golden brown color. Set aside and let cool for at least 30 - 60 minutes.


After the biscotti has cooled, you get to do the fun part. Preheat the over (again...I know...) to 350 degrees. Use a sharp knife (serrated works well here) and cut the biscotti rectangle on the bias, cutting diagonally to create 1/2 - 3/4" slices. Arrange these slices, cut side laying down, onto your baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, flip each slice over to have the side that was facing down now face up. Bake for another 10 minutes, until it is a light golden color. Let cool, or if you like to live dangerously, enjoy right away while warm. Although they may seem a bit crumbly at first if eaten while warm right away, they will firm up once cooled.

I suggest having these with some hot chocolate...mmm, orange and chocolate...an incredible combo!

Hot & Sour Rice Noodle Soup

This is one of those dishes that began as a thrown together, this is all I have on hand kind of dish...but it turned out surprisingly good! And I kept making it again...and again...and again. So here it is, a spicy flavorful Asian inspired rice noodle soup that cooks up quickly and is perfect for an unexpected chilly night. Also, this is my disclaimer that this soup is kind of spicy (just how I like it!). But if this is not for you, start by gradually adding 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes until it is at a spicy-ness level that suits your mood.

What you will need:
12 oz. bag stir fry veggies, frozen
5.5 oz. canned baby corn
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
8 c. veggie broth
1/4 c seasoned rice vinegar
7 oz firm tofu (1/2 block)
4 oz. thin rice noodles
salt/pepper to taste


I used a frozen bag of stir fry veggies, first because it is what I had at home, but then because I liked how many different veggies you can conveniently get in one handy bag! My stir fry veggie blend included: broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas, green beans, mushrooms, celery, onions, and red peppers! Phew...that's quite the list of veggies! But my love of baby corns is strong, and I added a small can, cutting the baby corn into thirds.

Start out by pressing and draining your tofu. While that is going on, add the frozen veggies and baby corn into a large pot. Cook over medium heat until veggies are soft. Add the veggie broth, seasoned rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic. (Remember at this step, reduce your amount of red pepper flakes if you don't want it too spicy!) Cut your tofu into small cubes, and add to the soup. Turn to medium low heat, cover and let simmer for 20 - 30 minutes to give the soup and tofu to absorb all of the yummy flavors going on.

Add 4 oz of thin rice noodles (this has usually been about 1/2 of a pack for me). Let simmer for 5 minutes until noodles become soft. This makes about 4 generous servings of deliciousness.


The end. It is that simple, and you have a wonderfully spicy, rice noodle soup to enjoy!

Vegan Caramels (with Chocolate)

So, after a bit of a break spending time visiting my family in New York, I am back and ready to do some serious cooking, baking and experimenting. I got a really super informative and awesome candy making book from C and it got me really excited at the prospect of using new/interesting ideas and techniques and translating them into tasty, vegan versions.

The first thing I tackled, just to get my feet wet in the candy making arena, was caramel. I found that coconut milk turned out to be a super substitute for the heavy cream/sweetened condensed milk ingredients. Also, not until reading this book did I know all of the nuances and different types of caramels. I decided to go with the ooey, gooey delicious caramel that I knew and loved. And apparently, the texture of your caramels depend on what temperature you raise your mixture to, so it is pretty darned important that if you want to venture this way, you get yourself a good candy thermometer. I have the kind that clips onto the side of my pot and I can peek at the temp without fussing around and having a free hand to keep it in place. Ok, ok....onto the good stuff....

What you'll need for the caramels:
2/3 c. brown rice syrup
1/2 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. Earth Balance (or your fav. butter substitute)
1/8 tsp. salt

To coat with chocolate:
8 oz semi sweet chocolate

Also, before you proceed, you will need parchment paper of sorts, OR if you are awesome, you have discovered the secret of the Silpat mats, which I used to pour my caramel mixture onto. This thing (Silpat) is amazing, and the caramel was a true test of its non-stickness. So be prepared or proceed with caution!

In a medium-large pot, set to medium heat and combine all of the ingredients listed above. Stir to melt/incorporate all of the ingredients. Clip on your thermometer and keep an eye on the temperature. Keep stirring your mixture constantly so it does not burn, as you will have this come to a boil. It might even look like a crazy, bubbly mess. Cook until the temperature of the caramel reaches 240F degrees (115C). Pour onto your Silpat mat, or your pan lined with parchment paper. Cool at room temperature until it is firm.

I was anxious to start on covering them with chocolate and gave it a try a few hours later. BAD IDEA! Like the good book says, it is better to wait at least 24 hours before attempting to cut the caramel, and I, like an amateur, tried anyways. However, I tried again the next day and although the caramel was still soft, it was not as sticky as the day before.

So, this caramel was pretty darn good on its own. However, if you wish to turn them into little nuggets of deliciousness, shape your caramel into 1" logs and put them in the freezer while you temper your chocolate. Then, they should stay formed like the shapes in the picture below. Again, speaking from experience, the caramel as is, is far to soft and delicate and the heated chocolate will melt the caramels and they will turn into weird (albeit still yummy), flat discs.


I found using a fork to hold the caramels, and a spoon to pour over the chocolate worked best for me. Place on parchment paper, saran wrap or another sort of non-stick surface and let cool. If you are in a fancy mood, after your chocolates have hardened, dip your spoon in the chocolate and in a fast, zig zag motion, swing the spoon over your chocolate covered caramels. This adds a pretty, decorative finish to your candies. I also used some sea salts of half of my chocolates, cause I like 'em like that!


And then, make more...Those are my plans, anyways!

Homemade Ketchup with French Fries

Keeping with the theme of summery, fun foods...I got to thinking about making things that I simply buy or have around the house myself. I got to day dreaming about the Teryiaki Tofu Sandwich and how wonderful it would be with a side of fries and some really good ketchup. And then I stopped at ketchup...what really is it? what goes into it? I was sure I could make my own if I did a bit of research. Low and behhold, there is a wide range of things that claim to be ketchup. After a bit of experimenting on my own, I found a blend of things that I thought made the most amazing ketchup ever. And I was left wondering why I mindlessly buy staples like ketchup when making them myself is fun, easy to do and you control everything that goes into it. This means that you get to custom make a ketchup that is right for your taste buds! (Side Note: I am obsessed with ketchup, love it, ever have since I can remember and always will.)

For the ketchup:
1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1.5 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, chopped roughly
1/3 c. chili, I used aneheim
1 c. chopped onion
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. vinegar

1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp whole cloves (4 - 5 pieces)
1/4 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp all spice


Tie all of the last 6 spices into a bouquet garni, which is simply a fancy shmancy term for using a cheese cloth to make a little spice bag. That way your spices meld with whatever you are cooking, but then you can easily remove the whole thing too without fishing for each item. I simply used another strip of the cheese cloth to use to tie the bag closed. What you will have will looks somewhat like in the picture below. A little present of flavor yumminess.


Super, and now onto the next step. Add your tomatoes to a medium sauce pot, along with your spice bag and all of the other ingredients. It will look chunky and nothing like ketchup until the end, so no worries yet! Let this cook on medium heat for 45 minutes. The sauce of the tomatoes melding with all of the flavors will weirdly taste like hot ketchup, which is a strange thing. You totally get the ketchup flavor, but in a soup form! Awesome, right?

Let this cool slightly, as the next step requires the food processor. And as we all know (...or just me...from experience) hot things in the food processor can lead to an explosion of food. Not good. So let this cool a few, process in small batches while pulsing the processor until smooth.

Now, return all of this to your sauce pot again, and cook for another 30 - 40 minutes to let the mixture reduce down. Let cool, and keep refrigerated.


Now go make some fries to enjoy with your very own batch of ketchup! This just might change your life....or you just might make it on special occasions. Either way, you can't deny how good it is!

Lucky for you....french fries is next on my list. 'Cause fries and ketchup are made to be together forever and ever.

What you need for the fries:
5 - 6 russet potatoes
olive oil
salt/peppers to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, wash and peel your potatoes. Cut and slice into thin (or thicker) slices, depending on your preference of fry styles.

I actually got this really neat contraption where I place whatever I want to slice into the contraption, push on the handle, and nice, neat, even slices come out! It is another thing that motivated me to start this whole fries and ketchup thing, I really wanted to use it again! While on the subject of kitchen tools, you are either going to need the best non-stick baking sheet in the world, or a Silpat mat. I have tried several ways to get fries not to stick to my non-stick baking sheet without success until I was introduced to the amazingness of Silpat mats.


Here is a view of my fries on the Silpat mat. I poured about 2 tbsp. olive oil into a small dish, and used a brush to coat the fries. Then sprinkle with salt, pepper and any other flavors that strike your fancy. I fit about 3 potatoes worth of cut fries per sheet, so I got 2 batches made total which was plenty to share with another person.

Bake for 20 minutes, flip all the fries for even baking, and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown.

Now go eat fries with your very own ketchup!!!

Baked Teriyaki Tofu on Fresh Ciabatta Rolls

I have been meaning to put up this recipe for over a week now, and I am finally making myself sit down and write it out because 1.) it's been a while and 2.) this is so gosh darn good, I can't wait to make it again!

I really am more of a summer person than a winter person, and I think my cravings for summery foods have officially started right on time in the middle of winter with many more months to go. I really wanted a fresh, tasty sandwich that left me satisfied but not in a "i ate so much, this is so good but now i am stuffed" kind of way. I knew I had wanted to try out some ciabatta rolls that would be perfect for a sandwich, and even better with some homemade baked tofu! All I can say is...super yum! I can't wait to be eating this outside in the summertime! Keep in mind, the ciabatta is pretty time consuming to make, seeing as it needs a sponge made the night before and then several additional rises...but it is so worth it!
What you will need for the ciabatta rolls:

sponge
1 tsp. yeast
1 c. warm water
1.5 c. flour

dough
1.5 tsp yeast
5 tbsp. soy milk
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 c. warm water
3 c. flour (plus up to an additional cup, if dough is too sticky/moist)
2 tsp. salt

The night before you want to make your ciabatta rolls, you need to make the sponge. And it only takes a few minutes to get together, and you just leave it alone until the next day (at least 12 hours). Warm you water, add the yeast and let sit for about 4 minutes. Add your flour, mix together to incorporate all of flour, then cover your bowl and let sit for at least 12 hours.

The next day, warm your soy milk, add the yeast and again, let sit for about 4 minutes. Add this to your sponge mixture, along with your water and oil. Mix together, I did mine using my kitchen aid stand mixer along with the dough hook. Add 2 c. of your flour and the salt, and mix for 2-3 minutes on a lower setting. Then add the 3rd c. of flour and mix on a medium setting for about 4-5 minutes. The dough should be soft, but not enough that it sticks to the sides of the bowl or your hands. During the last 2 minutes of mixing, I slowly added a 1/4 c. of flour at a time until my dough was a good consistancy and did not stick to my hands. All together, I added a little less than 1 c. flour to get the dough to where it needed to be.

Take a large bowl, grease it with a bit of oil, place the dough in the bowl and leave it covered in a warm place for 1 hour. The dough should be HUGE at this point, doubled if not tripled in size. *I usually preheat my oven to 200 degrees for a few minutes and then turn it off to have a warm place to proof the dough*

Have a very well floured surface ready, very gently take the dough, and seperate into two equal halves. Be careful not to handle the dough in a way that eliminates all the nice, bubbles you worked so hard for! Form the dough into two long rectangular pieces, about 10 - 11 inches long and 4 - 5 inches wide. Then cut each piece in half, then in half again, leaving you with 8 rolls. Cover your rolls again, and let rise for about 1.5 hours. Your dough will not be as huge as the last rise, and will get only a little bigger.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and get a non-stick baking pan, or line it with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Pick up each roll carefully, and place the bottom side up onto your sheet, so that the floured bottom is now facing upwards. I did 2 batches of 4 rolls each this way.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, and after the first 5 minutes gently brush or spray the tops of the rolls lightly with water. Repeat this 2 more times, then let bake for the remaining 10 - 15 minutes.

Awesome, right? And so delicious too!!! Still motivated to keep baking and cooking after the great day long ciabatta event? Then make this super delish baked tofu to go along with the rolls!


What you'll need for the baked tofu:
1 block of extra firm tofu, pressed
1 c. teriyaki sauce/marinade

Phew...ok, onto the good stuff. Out of sheer laziness at this point, I threw out my experiments with making marinades and used some teriyaki sauce I had at around. I know, I know...but I will get back to this very soon because it is so tasty and I want to try out some original flavors.

I got the tofu ready during one of the many rises of the ciabatta rolls. After pressing your tofu, cut it in half, then cut each half into 4 pieces. I wanted these specifically for the sandwich, so I opted for thicker, heartier slices of tofu, each being about a 1/4 inch thick. All together, I got 8 pieces. Layer these flat in a pan and pour the teriyaki sauce over the tofu and leave in the fridge for an hour or two.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then, arrange them onto a non-stick baking pan and brush the top side with the sauce once more. For this, I used my amazingly awesome Silpat mats, which I am head over heels for. If you don't have one, get one...it will change your life, it is that good! Unless it's just me and I am a giant food nerd!

Bake for 30 minutes, flip the tofu slices, brush the sauce on the top sides again and bake for another 30 minutes! And you're done!!

For my sandwich construction, I simply added a bottom layer of greens, two slices of tomatoes, two or three slices of the baked tofu, and topped it all off with some veganaise!