now, we get down and dirty

So if you scroll down a little bit you will see the original pecan pie I made, but here is my version, which is much better.

Pecan Pie

PIE CRUST

1 c. unbleached flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3-4 tablespoons cold water

1/4 c. + 2 tbsp vegetable shortening

FILLING

2/3 cup dark corn syrup

1/2 c. maple syrup

1/6 c. Earth Balance (go ahead and guesstimate here)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups pecans

1 tbsp golden or brown flax meal (Bob’s Red Mill sells this)

To make:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

1. To make the Pie Crust: Stir the flour and salt together in a bowl. Add shortening in small dollops and ‘cut’ with a pastry cutter or a fork. Which means to press and separate the shortening into the flour. Keep cutting the shortening until all of it had been used and they mixture is flaky. Add water until just moist enough to hold together. Make sure not to add too much water without mixing and then having to add more flour. That’s no good.

2. Flour a cutting board/baking tray and place your dough on the surface with floured hands. Flour your rolling pin and then roll to less then 1/8 in thickness, or enough to fit whatever pie place your using.

3. To flip into pie pan, place pan on top of the dough, then flip the whole board over and unstick the dough. It should fall right into the tray. rearrange the dough so it is evenly spaced all around. To crimp the edges, pinch the edges with your fingers while pressing in to make a peak shape and repeat around the edge.

4. Place pecans into the pie crust and bake for 20 minutes.

5. In a medium saucepan combine Corn Syrup, Maple Syrup, and Butter. Melt and stir. When melted, add vinilla, cinnamon, and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes over medium-low heat and remove from heat. Add flax meal and whisk well. Pour mixture over now baked pecans.

6. Bake at 350 for 30 more minutes. (Make sure to put a baking sheet under the pie, especially at high altitude because their prone to boil over) Remove and allow to cool before cutting.

 

and then my grandma made chocolate cupcakes and I made icing, both from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

and vegan whipped cream! Whoop!

So I hope you’ve enjoyed and had a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Thanksgiving Post-a-thon

Thanksgiving was delicious. We had our Colorado extended family over, and made 5 pies, dressing, cranberry sauce, I roasted a tofurkey, mashed potatoes, homemade bread, chocolate cupcakes, and more. It was good. We had a vegan pecan, round 2, a vegan and non vegan pumpkin, a cherry, and a apple. All the vegan ones were pretty good and the pecan pie turned out much better this time.

Let’s Break it down.

The Tofurkey. It was quite good. I roasted it with some vegetables and ate it with some musroom gravy. Here is the recipe.

Mushroom Gravy

8 oz. mushrooms(Shiitake, Portobello, Brown, or White)

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup white flour

2 tbsp oil

4 cups vegetable broth

1tbsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp black pepper

salt, to taste

1 pinch sage

Sauté the mushrooms in the 1 1/2 tbsp oil until brown and soft. While sautéing add 2c stock and flour heat over medium heat. Whisk vigorously to avoid the flour clumping. When mixed and boiling, add the other 2 c. broth. Stir until well mixed, then add salt, soy sauce, sage, and pepper. When thickened and clear of lumps, add mushrooms. Stir and serve.

 

Mashed Potatoes. I’ll be posting a follow up post on how to make mashed potatoes soon. Check it out!

Sweet Potatoes. Which I don’t have the recipe for. Sorry!

Corn bread dressing. The BEST THING EVER. Maybe one day I can learn the secrets of this recipe.  

Cranberry Sauce. It was just the recipe on the package. Nothing special.

Cranberry Tangerine Relish. Also very good.

 

Almond butter stuffed celery sticks and homemade bread.

and that is why I went running this morning.

Thanksgiving Day 1

Here’s the Pumpkin Pie I made today.
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9598
 

and it made to much filling, so I put some in custard cups and baked it.
Homemade bread all wrapped up and waiting for tomorrow.
Sorry it is all plastic wrapped, it won't be tomorrow and I'll put up better pictures!




I also got one of those stuffed Tofurkeys' this year, so you will soon see a review of that. And soy whipped cream, and a better vegan pecan pie. and bread! and cranberry sauce, and apple pie. and stuff. :)
Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Vegan Pecan Pie!

Take 1: Here is the link to the recipe I used.

http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/vegan-pecan-pie-recipe/1/

but next time…

The cardamon I used was really strong, so I’m reducing that from 1-2 to 1-4 or even1-8. also, I am going to add more flour because I think it will keep it from boiling over in the oven like it did today. (That High Altitude thing again, what a pain). And it needs something else…but I don’t know what..

 

Doesn't that look really good?

I was making this as a test pie for Thanksgiving, because I can’t ruin my first Vegan thanksgiving by having bad food for my non vegan extended family. I just hope the pumpkin pie is delicious.

Do you guys have any good recipes for vegan pecan/pumpkin pie?

Also, is there anything anyone wants me to talk about during the rest of the month?

Bean Burgers and Red Pepper Dip

woah, am I behind on vegan mofo or what? But i’ll catch up, I promise.

Here is what I made on Sunday, all out of Supermarket Vegan

Here are the Burgers

Messy but Delicious

with the Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Dip

These made a really good lunch.

Biscuits

My mom makes really good vegan biscuits. I’ve never made them, but they’re pretty dang good.
so here you go..Biscuits.

 

Homemade Lara Bars..my new project

For reasons not to be disclosed until Christmas time, I’m on a quest to make homemade Lara bars. That are better than Lara bars. I’ve been studying their ingredients and here is what I have.

1. Dates- their bars are pretty much based off of dates.
2. Cashews
3. Almonds
4. Whole flavorings like Lemon/Lime Juice, Apples, other Nuts, Fruits, or spices.

So I kind of feel like they blend everything together, and then cut into bar shapes. Do they cook it? I don’t know.

I would like to create a more traditional, healthy, granola bar recipe. Then, mabye I could combine the two and come up with something like a Clif Bar.

Any ideas anyone?

Homemade Pizza and Pumpkin Cookies

We made some homemade pizza today. And that is just the best. Its just good. Its not greasy or unhealthy or unvegan :)
Here is a Pizza Dough Recipe:
1 package active dry yeast
1 c. warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour (or white or wheat)
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in remaining ingredients. Beat quickly. Let rest 5 or so minutes.

Then, roll it out and add sauce (or hummus!) and your favorite toppings:

• Tomatoes, Onions, Potatoes, Pineapple, olives, beans, ARTICHOKE HEARTS, etc etc.

Bake at 350 until brown around the edges (probably 15 or so minutes)


And then, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies from 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes.
(pretty much just add a can of pumpkin to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe)


Peace, Love, and MoFo

Cookies!

Today, I had an opportunity to bring in food for school, so what else did I bring but COOKIES!

Here is the recipe:

2 cups flour (white, or whole wheat pastry flour works)

1 teaspoon baking powder (increase to 2 for low altitude)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup raw sugar (this really makes these cookies much better, try not to use granulated white)

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

vegan chocolate chips, to taste

1/4 cup water (don’t be afraid to add more though, especially at high altitude)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in your final bowl (as in the one you’ll be adding all the ingredients to in the end). Mix sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla into a small bowl and mix well. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet into the middle of it. Stir the dough until well mixed, and then add chocolate chips. Scoop into balls and place on a well greased (that is such a gross word) cookie sheet. Flatten just slightly because otherwise they will come our exactly like you scooped them. (At least here, they don't flatten because of the lack of eggs…I'm thinking) Bake for 10 minutes. Take them out when they’re still soft, because they harden considerably when they’re cooling.

Auf Detusch (In German!)

Denn ich sagst du ich gehe nach Deutschland nachste Jahr, Ich werde poste mein nachste Artikel auf Deutsch und Englisch damit ich kann üben mein Deutsch. Ich hoffen es ist gut für ein zweite jahr deutsch schülerin. Wünsche mich glück :)

(because I told you I’m going to Germany next year, I’m going to post my next Post in German and English so that I can practice my German. I hope its ok for a second year german student. Wish me luck :))

Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms :) and a very large beet.

Here is the recipe for Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms

Pesto
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup loosely packed cilantro
1/2 c. slivered almonds or pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or 1/2 a lemon)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil plus more for drizziling

10-14 Baby Bella Mushrooms depending on cap size

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
To prepare: Add all pesto ingredients a food processor and chop until it is a paste. If you can, drizzle olive oil into the mixture while it is still chopping, or add it all at once if you don't have a food processor with an opening at the top. Blend until there are no large chunks left.

 Spray/coat a casserole/pie dish with olive oil.
Wash and dry mushrooms. Pull the stems out out of the mushrooms and set in the dish. fill mushrooms with pesto until the pesto is even with the top of the mushrooms. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until juicy and tender.

On the right there is a beet from our farm share.

 I just had to share this beet. It is pretty amazing.





To fix a beet, we've found out, you can roast them at 440 or 425 for 20-40 or more minutes and them chop them up and put it in salads and its delicious. (But beware, they will stain your clothing.)

Peace, Love and Mofo

Spinach Linguine with Pesto and Artichoke Hearts

Before

 

From Veginomicon.

It was really good, but I think would be even better with some red pepper flakes.

It used Linguine, Canned Artichoke Hearts, and a pesto recipe that used basil, cilantro, almonds, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and olive oil. I definitely suggest this one.

  After. :)

 

Also, a little bit of Hummus from today

I think more kids should eat hummus as a snack, simply because it is cheap, filling, a nutritious. Instead of MacDonalds fries. (ok, this leads me to a story, story time!)

 

So there is a McDonalds right across from my school, along with a 7-11, a dollar store, a sonic, a subway, and a really cheap soft serve ice cream place near by. So guess what the majority of my school does at lunch? No surprise. And man, the sugary tea and cookies at 7-11 are raking in the money for them. Ew. Just think, these kids are holding up the reputation for being in the healthiest state in the country. Shame. Now if we had fresh food at school. Oh man, we would all live to be 200 years old. 

Lemony Potatoes and Eggplant and Oatmeal Drizzles

After I got home tonight, I was really hungry and we pretty much just have some random vegetables, so I came up with something pretty good. Here is the recipe.

Lemony Potatoes and Eggplant for 1 or 2

1 Small Eggplant, diced into bite sized pieces (really small, like large potato size)

1/2ish cup water

2 small red potatoes, chopped in half and then into slices

salt and pepper, to taste

‘Sauce”

1/4 cup water

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tspb. lemon juice (or of 1 lemon)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

To make:

Heat a large skillet to high heat. Once heated, add the chopped eggplant and 1/2 cup water. Cover skillet with a lid and let steam while you prepare the potatoes. Once potatos are chopped, cook in the microwave for 1:30-2:00 minutes, or until potatoes are almost done. Once water on the eggplant has cooked off, mix the ‘sauce’ and pour 3/4 of it over the eggplant, stir, and cover again. After 1-3 minutes, add the potatoes and the rest of the sauce and cook until brown and soft.

Also, I made Oatmeal Drizzles from The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes.

Their pretty good!

Magazine Review: Vegetarian Times and World Class Vegan Runners

So, today I will tell you all about what I think of Vegetarian Times.

Name: Vegetarian Times

Cost per 1 year subscription: 14.95 per their website

Vegan? Partially.

Good points:

• Lots of recipes that are easy to make
• A Recipe Index in the back that tells whether a recipe is Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Saturated Fat, or 30 min or fewer
• Useful product reviews

Downers:

• Not completely vegan
• Sometimes to many non food product reviews

 

and also, I want to talk about Veganism and running. Because I’m a runner..and…a…VEGAN!

Scott Jurek is the first Vegan runner I can think of. He is a ulta marathon runners. Check out his blog here..

http://www.scottjurek.com/blog/

Also, a nice blog called No Meat Athlete

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/about/

and I just want to reassure you, if you don’t already know, that being a Vegan will most likely improve your athletic performance, never hurt it (unless of course your a junk food vegan). I’ve heard more testimonies lately that being a Vegan gave this or that athlete more energy and a quicker recovery time. Do you guys know any vegan athletes?

 

and finially, I’ve got a question. I’m going to Germany next year for 3 weeks on exchange, in Bavaria, where Kreisfleich (Cheese and Meat) is pretty much what everyone eats. Hopefully I’ll find a German exchange partner that is at least a vegetarian, but beats me. So I ask you-fellow bloggers, to tell me what you take on long trips with lots of traveling for food. Also, have you ever stayed with a non-vegan family? How did you arrange eating?

Peace, Love, and Mofo.

Vegan MoFo Survey

 Survey?
Day 1; Vegan MoFo

Favorite non-dairy milk?
Original Soy Milk.
What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
Thanksgiving Dinner-
Stuffing
Pecan Pie
and…and…
Topping of choice for popcorn?
Olive Oil and Salt
Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
Mhmm…thats a hard one. One time I made something, I don’t really remember what it was, but no one in my family really liked it and I was just devastated. It was terrible.
Favorite pickled item?
Probably just Bread and Butter Pickles
How do you organize your recipes?
I don't. I don’t think I have enough yet, but I should start….

Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
We have a ton of compost, a ton of recycle, and just a little bit of trash.
If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods... what would they be (don't worry
about how you'll cook them)?
Chickpeas, Rice, and Tofu.
Fondest food memory from your childhood?
Birthday dinners.
Favorite vegan ice cream?
Banana, just frozen and blended banana’s
Most loved kitchen appliance?
The food processor or the Mesa Luna knife. That thing does wonders for garlic.
Spice/herb you would die without?
Fresh Basil
Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
The first cookbook I bought, I think, was Veganomicon.
Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
Homemade Peach.
Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
My chocolate chip cookies. They are one of the biggest things people think you can’t make without eggs or milk.
Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
Tofu definitely. Not a big fan on tempeh, but Seitan is good every once in a while.
Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
I like cooking a big meal in the early afternoon so it will be ready when everyone wants it.
What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
Nothing I don’t think. There's not much space above it.
Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
Fruit Popsicles, An Amy’s Tofu Scramble Pocket, and Coconut Flakes.
What's on your grocery list?
Everything.
Favorite grocery store?
For Prices? Sunflower Market. For good food? Whole Foods.
Name a recipe you'd love to veganize, but haven't yet.
Cheese Grits.
Food blog you read the most (besides Isa's because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the
top 3?
Probably Vegan Dad.

Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
Eh, I don’t really ever eat either.
Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
I haven’t really gotten much that is exciting for a while, but probably some Diaya.
Ingredients you are scared to work with?

Gluten Free Flour. One try with that was enough.