Me and baking. A love story.

Like any love story, there is a conflict. Some hellish mountain to be traversed. With baking, there are many heartbreaks: veganizing cake mix, making pie crust, and making up recipes for something as simple as cookies. Back when I used eggs, I made up cookie recipes all the time. Now, I have to figure out which egg sub will work for which recipe, and through much trial and error, I might come up with something that kind of works. Then I go cheat on baking and use a recipe from VCIYCJ because Isa is much better than I am at these kinds of things. Sorry, baby. I have NEEDS.

Today started out rough. The dough looked a little too moist, and I know from experience that oatmeal cookie dough should be pretty dry. I baked the first batch, and they weren't bad; just a little too spread out and doughy in the middle. I added more flour and oats, and they came out great. I also used more brown sugar than white because I ran out of white, and it ended up being a great idea! They formed an almost toffee edge around each cookie. YUM.



Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes 2 dozen big cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 medium overripe banana, peeled and squished
2 tsp good vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/3 cups old fashioned oats (not the quick ones!)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°
Cream together the margarine, sugars, banana, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together the baking powder, flour, and oats. Add to the wet ingredients, and combine. Fold in the raisins and chips. Drop scoops onto parchment-lined cookie sheets (I use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop, but I don't fill the scoop up all the way). Leave about 1.5" between cookies. Flatten the tops with a spatula or your (clean, duh) hand. Bake 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Lazy Thursday

With the exception of three loads of laundry done around 1:00pm, today was all about relaxing. Curled up with Bowie in the crook of my arm, I watched Damages, did some shopping in the Kindle store, and then popped in Girl With the Dragon Tattoo so I could drool over Daniel Craig. I knew I had to cook something, but I wasn't hungry. Not until the smell of slow cooking vegetables and gravy drifted to my nose, that is.

When I was a little girl, my mom made Swanson pot pies in the oven all the time. She would always turn mine over onto a plate, and I often protested, "I want to eat it out of the little pan!" I guess she worried I'd burn myself or make a mess, but it wasn't until I was a grownup that I baked one up in my own oven and ate it out of the aluminum pan that I realized that I liked it all over the plate. It reminded me of my mom.

I searched all over the place for little pie pans yesterday, but none were quite deep enough, so this one was made in a standard pie plate, so it serves more than just one person. With a salad and a veggie side, this could serve four.I am far too lazy to deal with making pie crust, so I opted for puff pastry for this one. Pepperidge Farm makes a vegan puff pastry, albeit completely hydrogenated and non-organic. Since I buy a package of the stuff maybe once a year, I figure I'll live.


Just out of the oven


 

Vegan Chicken Pot Pie
makes one standard pie or four mini-pies

1/2 package Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, thawed
1/2 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp margarine
1 cup not-chicken broth (I use Edward & Sons Not Chicken cubes. 1 cube in a cup of boiling water)
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup cashew cream or soy creamer 
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley 
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp poultry seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup chicken flavored seitan (I used some Gardein Chick'n Scallopini, thawed and cubed)
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables

Preheat oven to 350°

In a saucepan, heat the margarine until melted. Add onion, celery, and garlic and stir, lowering the heat. Cook until soft. Stir in broth, and increase heat. Whisk in the cornstarch. Stir over a low boil until thickened. Add seasonings, cream, and wine. Stir in chicken seitan and vegetables. Heat for about two minutes, and then pour into a pie pan that's been sprayed lightly with cooking spray. 

Roll out the piece of puff pastry to fit the pie pan. Brush lightly with some melted margarine. With scissors or a pizza cutter, cut into a circle. Lay the pastry over the pie, buttered side down, and crimp the edges. Brush the top with non-dairy milk. Bake 30 minutes or until golden. Let rest five minutes and serve.

I would do anything for love...

...or for vegan meatloaf that isn't mushy.

This time, I came close. I have yet to find that perfect balance of meatiness and loafiness without just serving up a pile of beany-flavored mystery goop. This time it actually held its shape and baked through, but I'm going to add flaxseed to the recipe to see if that helps bind it better. Even without it, it turned out pretty swell.



Vegan Meatloaf with Roasted Potatoes
serves 6

1/2 pkg (7 oz) Gimme Lean hamburger
1/2 pkg Gimme Lean sausage
5 slices bread, soaked in water and strained
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 cup toasted bread crumbs
1/2 tbsp bouquet garni
1/2 can tomato sauce for meatloaf (I used Hunt's)
couple dashes of salt, a few twists of pepper

Preheat oven to 375°.
Smush all that up in a bowl. Drop into a roasting pan, form into a loaf. Dribble some diluted barbecue sauce over the top. Lay strips of Fakin' Bacon or Tofurky's smoky maple tempeh bacon across the top. 

For potatoes:

2 large red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
dash coarse salt

Toss everything to coat in a large bowl. Arrange potatoes around the meatloaf. Bake for an hour, uncovered, or until meatloaf is done and potatoes are tender. Turn the potatoes occasionally while cooking.

Mac n' Cheese, Cheese n' Mac...

Good for a meal, great for a snack!

You know that a week of comfort food can't happen without a big ol' dish of baked macaroni and cheese, and vegans don't get off the hook, either. While I got over most cheeses and cheesy dishes, I never quite got past mac & cheese. It's the one thing you want when you had a shitty day at work, or when you've overindulged a bit and it's 2:00am. I got by with noochy sauce for a while, then Follow Your Heart, and then Daiya happened, and mac & cheese actually became something that I'd thought I'd never experience again. You know the stuff. That Velveeta-y, creamy orange deliciousness. Nothing fancy. No Vegan Master Chef-type ingredients. Just simple and good.




Vegan Macaroni & Cheese
serves 4 hungry vegans

8 oz brown rice pasta elbows
4 tbsp margarine, divided
1 cup Daiya shreds (cheddar)
1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
dash paprika
1 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350°, coat a 1-qt casserole with cooking spray. Set aside.

Cook macaroni until al dente (follow the directions on the package). Strain, return to the pot.
Heat 3 tbsp margarine in a separate saucepan until melted. Add the cheese, milk, paprika, and garlic. Stir until everything melts together. Salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low, and keep stirring (mixture will thicken and become very smooth). Remove from heat, and stir into hot macaroni. Mix well, so all the noodles are coated. Dump it into the prepared casserole. Toss the breadcrumbs with the last tablespoon of (melted) margarine. Spread evenly over the noodles. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, and let it rest for 5 minutes before digging in.

Crisis averted!

Somewhere in the black hole that is my kitchen, there is a paddle attachment for my ice cream maker. I see it all the time, acknowledge its existence, and move on to other things. Of course, when I need it, I can't remember the oh-so-clever place that I stored it. It would make too much sense to store it with, I don't know...the rest of the attachments for that machine, or maybe in the drawer full of Cuisinart blades, stand mixer hooks and whisks, bread machine paddles, and sushi mats? NOOOO. I put it somewhere that I would see it every day. Only I don't. So, when I got home at 10:30 tonight to make ice cream, I had a small panic attack as I turn my kitchen upside down trying to find the damn thing. Ah, but I found the Robo-Stir, which I wouldn't have purchased if it wasn't 75% off, and now I know why. It doesn't do anything like the commercial. It sits in the bowl, and it vibrates. That's it. 

So, I used a gadget I could find. My fucking arm. 



It's not 100% frozen solid like it would be close to had I used the right attachment, but I was getting tired. For the record, it's Jell-O vanilla cook & serve pudding made with almond milk, chilled, and then ice creamed. Some twat on Facebook tried to tell me that thickeners weren't needed when making ice cream because "freezing it thickens it." In a polite way, I told her to eat a bag of dicks with her boring ass ice cream; the rest of us were going to make it from pudding, and enjoy delicious, rich, creamy ice cream that has a mouthfeel more like cream and less like...well, ice. So there you go.

Vanilla Ice Cream with Bourbon Caramel Sauce
serves 6

1 4.6 oz box Jell-O vanilla Cook & Serve pudding (it's vegan!)
3 cups vanilla almond milk (soy just doesn't set right)
1 tsp bourbon vanilla extract (Trader Joe's)

Prepare as directed on the box, only add the extract. Chill in the fridge until cold and set. Make it into ice cream in your ice cream maker THAT HAS A PADDLE.

Caramel Sauce

1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp margarine
1 cup cashew cream, coconut cream, or soy creamer
1 tsp bourbon vanilla extract

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, water, and margarine. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes (it'll bubble a lot). Very carefully, add the cream and vanilla in a slow stream and stir stir stir. Cook for another couple minutes. Remove from heat, cool for a few minutes. Serve over ice cream.

Skol!

This week will be dedicated to comfort foods, more specifically, quick comfort foods. That means I'll be taking a lot of shortcuts, but to me, that's what comfort food entails. When you want to be cozy and warm, with one of your favorite foods, shouldn't it take the least amount of time from fridge to bowl? Exactly. Needless to say, I'm kind of leaving Engine 2 on the sidelines until MoFo is over.

This chili came together so quickly, I call it Halftime Chili, because you could make it during halftime. As long as you use already cooked or canned beans, and a chili seasoning packet, you're in and out of that kitchen pretty quick. What took time was baking the cornbread (by the way, Betty Crocker's cornbread muffin mix is vegan, but it's kind of sweet and not so good).

Halftime Chili

6-8 servings

1 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

4 cups cooked beans, or two cans 

         I used a can of chili beans (pinto, kidney, black) and a can of garbanzos

1 14-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes with chilies (Can I just say, "those yummy Muir Glen tomatoes?")

1 12-oz pkg burger crumbles (I used Lightlife's Smart Ground Mexican Style)

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp barbecue sauce

1 tsp liquid smoke

1 envelope chili seasoning

1 tbsp dark cocoa powder

ground chipotle (if desired), to taste

shredded vegan cheese, sour cream, scallions, cilantro to garnish

Cook onion, pepper, and garlic in oil until soft. Throw in everything else up to the chipotle, plus a splash of water and cook, stirring, for about five minutes.  Serve hot with cheese, sour cream, chopped scallions, and cilantro with a wedge of cornbread. Pop open a beer. 

GO VIKES.

How to stay warm

One thing seriously lacking out there in the interwebs are Engine 2 desserts. I've found a few that are already in the book, but otherwise, you can forget it. I made this tonight, because I was craving something kind of sweet and warm.

Engine 2 Rice Pudding

makes about 6 one cup servings

1/2 cup short grain brown rice, rinsed

1 14-oz can light coconut milk

1 1/4 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (I went with rice milk for this one)

1/2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cardamom

stevia, optional

2 cups fruit (anything goes; fresh or frozen. I used frozen peaches and cherries)

In a large pot with a cover, combine the rice and milks. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer, and cover. Check on it every 10 minutes or so, and stir. After about an hour, the rice should be cooked. Whisk in the cornstarch and spices. Increase heat to a low boil, and stir for about a minute. Fold in fruit of choice. Heat through. Add stevia to taste if you want a sweeter flavor. Pour into bowls, and either cool to room temperature, or chill for cold pudding.