THE WORLD IS ON YOUR SIDE

WALNUT TOFU FROSTING

I don't know about you but I really do not like frosting. I don't eat cake on a regular basis but I will always be a good sport at birthday parties and have a slice even though I mostly avoid sugar and wheat.  But c'mon, its a beloved one's birthday.  I will dutifully eat the cake but I always leave behind a sickly sweet sugar and butter lump that I am all the better for not eating.  To me frostings are far too sweet.

So when I volunteered to make the birthday cake for a double birthday party for my good neighbors/friends, I set out to make a frosting that I would actually eat.  I modified a recipe I got from a vegan cookbook and came up with a light and YUMMY frosting that I ate every bite of as did everyone else.

For the cake I used an organic chocolate cake mix and made the frosting from scratch.  It was all super easy!

WALNUT TOFU FROSTING

1 lb firm tofu - drained

3/4 cup walnuts

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon agave

1 cup walnuts - coarsely chopped

Using a food processor, grind your walnuts until they become powdery, don't let them get too pasty.  Add the drained tofu and blend together.  Add the maple syrup, vanilla and agave and process until it is all thoroughly combined.

I would taste it at this point for sweetness.  Add a little more agave if you want it to be sweeter.

Make sure your cake is cooled before you frost it.  Add the chopped walnuts to the sides or top of your cake.  YUMMY!

 

 

ALMOND JAMMERS!

Over the past few years I have made many modifications to my diet.  I have eliminated dairy, wheat, sugar and a few other things.  Occasionally I will eat some of these things if I am traveling or out to eat.  Eliminating sugar wasn't that hard for me but I do like a little something sweet everyday.  My friend Liz gave me this recipe which I have modified and it is now a staple food at my house.  This vegan cookie gets rave reviews from all who try them!  My husband calls them JENNY'S JAMMERS - I call them ALMOND JAMMERS!

 

ALMOND JAMMERS

1/2 cup maple syrup or agave syrup - I have found that agave syrup makes the cookies sweeter and a little chewier

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup of oats or spelt oats - grind in blender or food processor 

1 cup of almonds - grind in blender or food processor

1 cup of flour or spelt flour

5 oz (half a bag) of vegan chocolate chips - I use TROPICAL SOURCE dairy and gluten free chocolate chips.  If you are not concerned with the cookies being vegan then any chocolate that melts nicely will work.

Fancy sea salt - for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350.  Get chocolate chips melting in a double boiler. Mix oats, almonds, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Whisk syrup and oil then add to dry ingredients. Blend both.  Make a walnut sized ball then flatten onto cookie sheet. Make a little indentation for chocolate to sit in. Spoon chocolate onto cookie.  Then sprinkle fancy sea salt onto chocolate sparingly. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.  Cookies are done when the bottom edges start to brown.  Remove from cookie sheet and let cool.

When my friend Liz gave me this recipe it called for raspberry jam.  That makes a great cookie too.  You can also experiment with different salts.  My next experiment is using different nuts like hazelnuts.  I will keep you posted!  I hope you like em!!

Over the past few years I have made many modifications to my diet.  I have eliminated dairy, wheat, sugar and a few other things.  Occasionally I will eat some of these things if I am traveling or out to eat.  Eliminating sugar wasn't that hard for me but I do like a little something sweet everyday.  My friend Liz gave me this recipe which I have modified and it is now a staple food at my house.  This vegan cookie gets rave reviews from all who try them!  My husband calls them JENNY'S JAMMERS - I call them ALMOND JAMMERS!

 

ALMOND JAMMERS

1/2 cup maple syrup or agave syrup - I have found that agave syrup makes the cookies sweeter and a little chewier

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup of oats or spelt oats - grind in blender or food processor 

1 cup of almonds - grind in blender or food processor

1 cup of flour or spelt flour

5 oz (half a bag) of vegan chocolate chips - I use TROPICAL SOURCE dairy and gluten free chocolate chips.  If you are not concerned with the cookies being vegan then any chocolate that melts nicely will work.

Fancy sea salt - for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350.  Get chocolate chips melting in a double boiler. Mix oats, almonds, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Whisk syrup and oil then add to dry ingredients. Blend both.  Make a walnut sized ball then flatten onto cookie sheet. Make a little indentation for chocolate to sit in. Spoon chocolate onto cookie.  Then sprinkle fancy sea salt onto chocolate sparingly. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.  Cookies are done when the bottom edges start to brown.  Remove from cookie sheet and let cool.

When my friend Liz gave me this recipe it called for raspberry jam.  That makes a great cookie too.  You can also experiment with different salts.  My next experiment is using different nuts like hazelnuts.  I will keep you posted!  I hope you like em!!

BLUEBERRY BANANA BREAD RECIPE

My husband Adam and I were checking out at Trader Joe's and there was a big bin of old ripe bananas and Adam suggested I make his favorite goody, BLUEBERRY BANANA BREAD.  I used to make it quite often until I discovered Almond Jammers.  I make a batch of Almond Jammers every week now and how many treats do you really need around the house?

I have been making this banana bread recipe for the past 12 years.  It is always a crowd pleaser.  You can use zucchini instead of bananas for zucchini bread.  The blueberries are optional of course but so yummy, especially fresh ones in the summer.  I usually use chopped walnuts on top of the banana bread, however in the batch pictured here I used macadamia nuts and I would have to say I prefer the walnuts.  But it sounds good doesn't it?- macadamia nut encrusted blueberry banana bread! 

The other thing I like to do is sprinkle a little sugar on top along with some chunky salts.  Here I used red Hawaiian sea salt.  I like to get a little salty with my sweet. This is one of the only things I make using regular sugar since I mostly avoid sugar and use agave and syrup to sweeten things.

This recipe makes two big loafs or four mini loafs like the ones pictured here.  I like to make the mini loafs so that I can share them with neighbors or with someone I would like to thank.

BLUEBERRY BANANA BREAD

3 eggs

1 cup of oil - canola works great

1 cup of sugar - the recipe initially called for 2 cups of sugar so if you have a sweet tooth you can add more

2 cups of smushed banana - or zucchini

1 tsp of vanilla

3 cups of spelt flour - or 1/2 wheat flour and 1/2 white flour - mix it up!

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup of blueberries

3/4 cup chopped walnuts for the top

fancy salts and a little sugar to sprinkle on top

Beat eggs until they are light and foamy.  Add oil, sugar, bananas and vanilla.  Mix lightly but well.  Add flour, salt, soda, cinnamon and baking powder.  Mix until blended.  Add blueberries.  Pour or scoop into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Sprinkle a little sugar on top of each loaf.  Then sprinkle on your chopped walnuts and salts. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. When your toothpick comes out clean they are done.  Remove from pans and let cool.  Enjoy!

       

 

POTATO CHIP TEA BISCUITS

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I haven't met a fried potato I didn't like.  So I have blasphemed a perfectly lovely lavender sable cookie recipe from my LOVE, ERIC  vegan dessert cookbook with potato chips. Keep in mind that I am from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and potato chips were a perfectly acceptable garnish or addition to any meal. I love potato chips. And French fries.  If presented with a full serving of French fries in a restaurant I will eat them all. So often I will order the salad and ask the server to throw in a few fries to satisfy my craving. My husband thinks I am ridiculous and the servers must too because my request is rarely fulfilled.  Anyway......

This is a sweet/savory little cookie that goes great with coffee or tea.  Here is my recipe for POTATO CHIP TEA BISCUITS based on the above mentioned recipe by ERIC LECHASSEUR . Please comment on the recipe if you make it.  I would love to know what think!

POTATO CHIP TEA BISCUITS

1/4 cup safflower oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon brown rice syrup

1 tablespoon tahini

3/4 cup spelt flour

1/2 unbleached flour

3/4 cup of crushed potato chips - I roll them on a cutting board with a rolling pin until they are flaky little bits

1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt - now you might not want to add salt if you are using a salted potato chip

In a bowl whisk wet ingredients. Then sift all of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add potato chips to to dry ingredients. Then mix your wet ingredients into the dry until fully combined. At the end I use my hands to get it good and mixed.  Sometimes I add a little more syrup if it needs it to hold the dough together.

Now separate the dough into four chunks. You want to make about 2 inch in diameter logs out of each chunk of dough.  Roll it out with your hands. Wet your hands a little if you need to keep the dough from sticking to you. Wrap the four logs in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the logs into 1/4 inch pieces and place them on the baking sheet.  If the dough is a little loose then use your fingers to form and firm up the cookie shape.  Bake for 4-5 minutes. I like to catch them right when the bottom starts to firm up and before the bottom starts to brown.  Then flip the cookie over and bake for another 4-5  minutes.  Keep an eye on them and catch them before they brown. The longer you leave them in the harder the cookie will be which can be a good thing especially if your dunking them in coffee like my husband likes to do.

Let the biscuits cool and enjoy!

ALMOND JAMMERS - UPDATE

I'm happy to report that many of you have successfully made ALMOND JAMMERS.  My sister is taking a little longer to win over but she just puts gobs of chocoloate on them and she's happy!

In my last batch I used cashews instead of almonds and I used some of my left over lingonberry jam from the BUBBLE AND SQUEAK  - see post below.  The lingonberries are red and quite festive looking for the holidays. They turned out quite nice.

As I mentioned in my first posting about ALMOND JAMMERS, my husband calls them JENNY'S JAMMERS.  My friend Michelle, who I call Shelby, suggested that whoever makes the cookies gets to name them after themself like - SHELBY'S JAMMERS.  I like that so please take the liberty of naming the cookie after yourself!!

BUBBLE AND SQUEAK CAKES

For those of you not familiar with BUBBLE AND SQUEAK, it is an English dish made with mashed potatoes and leftovers.  Typically you would take your left over veggies and mix them with mashed potatoes, butter and seasoning and fry them up in little cakes.  My husband's parents are British so I have had traditional BUBBLE AND SQUEAK and as far as I'm concerned I've never met a fried potato I didn't like!

I came across this recipe on a beautiful blog - www.veganyumyum.com when I was looking for savory little treats to bring to a holiday party.  I closely followed the recipe http://veganyumyum.com/2008/09/bubble-and-squeak-cakes/ except that I made the cakes much smaller into little individual cakes for the party.  I also garnished with lingonberry preserves which really brought all the flavors together.  I'm not sure I would make them again for a party because all the other food was finger food and dips so people were picking up the cakes with their fingers, which is fine, but they are the consistancy of mashed potatoes and in my opinion would be best eaten with a fork on a plate.  I would serve them next time with an entree, I think, but it is fun experimenting!

I have to be honest and tell you that I tried my first brussel sprout just a couple months ago and I actually liked it.  And this was the first time I purchased and prepared them.  Pretty good, huh? Yes, there are brussel sprouts in the potatoes.  It's good - really!

  

     

STRAWBERRY MOUSSE CAKE

My sister Sarah gave me the macrobiotic, vegan cookbook, LOVE, ERIC by ERIC LECHASSEUR for my birthday in February. I am always on the lookout for recipes that use maple or agave syrup as a sweetener instead of sugar. Even though I was thrilled to have an entire cookbook of sugar free sweets I was very intimidated by it because it is one of those cook books where you don't have half of the ingredients and don't even know what some of them are!  I was determined to pick one to create for Thanksgiving and read the whole cookbook cover to cover before deciding on the STRAWBERRY MOUSSE CAKE. 

As it turns out it was a good idea that I did a test cake on the Monday before Thanksgiving because my mousse did not set.  I was incredibly disappointed. So I emailed the cookbook and immediately got a response from ERIC's wife SANAE.  ERIC created his dessert recipes for his wife, SANAE when she started eating a macrobiotic diet after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  Because she missed sweets so much he stated creating macrobiotic sweets for her. Thus the title, LOVE, ERIC. Anyway, SANAE said I could call ERIC at his restaurant, SEED in Venice, CA for help.

The next day I was able to speak with ERIC and he explained that I probably didn't dissolve the agar enough.  Agar you ask???  Good question.  Agar is a sea vegetable that has gelatin properties and is what this recipe called for to bind the mousse. As it turns out, it takes a while for the agar to dissolve.  So ERIC said I could save my mousse by redissolving the agar and adding it to my liquid mousse.  And so I did and so it worked!!!  My mousse set and was delicious!! 

My second mousse was far more successful and I have a great sense of accomplishment in tackling an intimidating recipe.  I have also learned what agar is and how it works! Thanks ERIC and SANAE! www.loveericinc.com

 

Here you can see what the cake looks like in the cookbook.

 

And here is my slice.......not bad huh??

ALMOND JAMMERS - THE BEST VEGAN COOKIE!!

Over the past few years I have made many modifications to my diet.  I have eliminated dairy, wheat, sugar and a few other things from my diet.  Occasionally I will eat some of these things if I am traveling or out to eat.  Eliminating sugar wasn't that hard for me but I do like a little something sweet everyday.  My friend Liz gave me this recipe which I have modified and it is now a staple food at my house.  It gets rave reviews from all who try it!  Which is plenty of people since I carry some in my purse and give them out to everyone I meet.  My husband calls them JENNY'S JAMMERS - I call them ALMOND JAMMERS!

 

ALMOND JAMMERS

1/2 cup maple syrup or agave syrup - I have found that agave syrup makes the cookies sweeter and a little chewier

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup of oats or spelt oats - grind in blender or food processor 

1 cup of almonds - grind in blender or food processor

1 cup of flour or spelt flour

5 oz (half a bag) of vegan chocolate chips - I use TROPICAL SOURCE dairy and gluten free chocolate chips.  If you are not concerned with the cookies being vegan then any chocolate that melts nicely will work.

Fancy sea salt - for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350.  Get chocolate chips melting in a double boiler. Mix oats, almonds, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Whisk syrup and oil then add to dry ingredients. Blend both.  Make a walnut sized ball then flatten onto cookie sheet. Make a little indentation for chocolate to sit in. Spoon chocolate onto cookie.  Then sprinkle fancy sea salt onto chocolate sparingly. Bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes.  Cookies are done when the bottom edges start to brown.  Remove from cookie sheet and let cool.

When my friend Liz gave me this recipe it called for raspberry jam.  That makes a great cookie too.  You can also experiment with different salts.  My next experiment is using a different nut like hazelnuts.  I will keep you posted!  I hope you like em!!