Cinnamon Bread

Cinnamon bread! Not to be confused with cinnamon buns, this bread is perfect for toasting and serving with a little Earth Balance or go the extra mile and make some French Toast with this stuff. So much better than using plain white or whole wheat bread. This recipe requires very little work but a lot of time, due to it needing to be proofed twice. But trust me, it is definitively worth all that extra time because you cannot even compare how this tastes to that store bought stuff.

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Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

* 1 cup non-dairy milk

* 6 Tb vegan margarine ( I used Earth Balance )

* 1 packet dry active yeast or 2 1/2 tsp

* 2 Tb grounded flax seeds, dissolved in 6 Tb water

* 1/3 cup sugar

* 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

* 1 tsp salt

* 1/3 cup sugar

* 2 Tb cinnamon

* 1 Tb vegan margarine, for brushing

* about 2 Tb vegan margarine, for greasing the loaf pan

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, melt the margarine with the milk until warm but not boiling. It should be at about 115 F. Sprinkle yeast over the top, gently stir and allow to sit for about 10 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and salt.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar with the flax seeds until well combined. Pour the milk/margarine/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add half the flour mixture and beat until combined. Add the rest of the flour and beat to combine.

4. Switch to the dough hook and allow it to knead for about 10 minutes. If the dough is still too sticky, add another 1/4 cup of flour and knead for another 5 minutes.

5. Drizzle a little canola oil in a medium sized mixing bowl, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

6. Turn the dough onto a work surface and roll it out to a rectangle no wider than the loaf pan and about 18 inches long. Smear 2 Tb of melted margarine. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together, then sprinkle evenly over the buttered dough.

7. Starting at one end, roll the dough toward you, keeping it neat and tight. Pinch the seam to seal.

8. Smear your loaf pan with butter. Place dough, seam side down, in the pan. Cover with a damp towel and allow it to rise for another 2 hours in a warm place.

9. Preheat oven to 350F. Brush the top of the loaf with 1 Tb of melted margarine and bake for 40 minutes.

10. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Slice and serve!

Pumpkin Pie with Vegan Condensed Milk

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I know we still have awhile until Thanksgiving but I just love pumpkin pie and I enjoy baking it year round. I usually make mine with tofu, which comes out okay but doesn't taste exactly like how I remember pumpkin pie to be. I decided to convert a regular dairy pumpkin pie recipe to a vegan one. The only challenge was making a vegan version of sweetened condensed milk. The secret to this is soy milk powder, which I found at Whole Foods. The condensed milk makes a world of difference and now I can't even tell that this pie is vegan!

Ingredients

Sweetened Condensed Milk

* 3/4 cup water

* 3/4 cup dry soy milk powder ( Try Better than Milk brand )

* 6 Tb non-dairy margarine

* 1 1/2 cups vegan sugar

Pumpkin Pie Mix

* 1 ( 15 ounce ) can of pumpkin puree ( not pumpkin pie mix )

* 1 recipe of vegan sweetened condensed milk ( equal to 14 ounces )

* 2 Tb cornstarch

* 1 tsp cinnamon

* 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

* 1/2 tsp ground ginger

* 1/2 tsp salt

* 1 9" unbaked pie crust or 12 mini pie crusts

Directions

First make the condensed milk...

1. In a small saucepan, mix together the water and soy milk powder under medium heat until boiling. Turn off heat and set aside.

2. In another small saucepan, melt the butter under medium heat. Slowly whisk in the sugar until its all incorporated.

3. Add the hot milk and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 F...

4. Whisk together the pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, cornstarch, spices and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.

5. Pour into crust and bake for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 F and bake for another hour or until a knife inserted one inch from the crust comes out clean. Cool and store in the refrigerator.

Lace Cookies

I got an ice cream maker for my birthday a month ago and haven't been able to use it because the weather has been so darn cold. Finally the temperature warmed up this weekend and I was able to make some delicious vanilla cardamom ice cream.

It needed something extra, so I decided to bake some crunchy lace cookies to go with my dessert. This recipe makes a whole lot, so you might want to divide the ingredients by half if you don't plan on sharing them with a large group. Make sure to space the cookie dough out by at least one inch because they will expand considerably while in the oven. I made the mistake of placing them to closely during my first batch and I was left with one giant cookie. Enjoy these cookies alone or with a giant scoop of vegan ice cream.

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* Recipe modified from Babycakes Covers the Classics

Makes about 35 cookies

Ingredients

* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose baking flour

* 1 1/2 cups vegan sugar

* 1/4 cup arrowroot

* 1 tsp baking soda

* 1 tsp salt

* 1 cup canola oil

* 1/2 cup applesauce

* 2 Tb vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, arrowroot, baking soda and salt.

3. Mix in the canola oil, applesauce and vanilla and stir with a rubber spatula until fully incorporated.

4. Drop the dough by the teaspoon onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.

5. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges are browned and the center is cooked through.

6. Let stand on the baking sheets for 15 minutes before serving.

Sugar Cookies and Icing

Aren't these the cutest?! I haven't made sugar cookies in a long time but when given these cute Hello Kitty cookie cutters yesterday, I stayed up and baked for most of the night. To my surprise, most of the cookies were gone by the time I woke up this morning.

The sugar cookie dough is not too sweet, so if you don't plan on icing them, you might want to add another half cup of sugar to the recipe. While making the icing, it did appear to have more of a grey-ish color but when allowed to dry, it did turn white. To get the pink color, I added one drop of red food color to half of the icing recipe.

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Makes about 20 cookies

Ingredients

Sugar Cookies

* 1 cup vegan margarine

* 1 cup sugar

* 1 tsp vanilla extra

* Egg replacer equivalent of 2 eggs, I like using Ener-G Egg Replacer

* 2 tsp baking powder

* 3 cups flour

Icing

* 2 cups confectioners' sugar

* 6-8 tsp soy milk

* 4 tsp light agave nectar

* assorted food coloring, if desired

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. In a large bowl, cream margarine and sugar with an electric mixer.

3. Beat in the egg replacer and vanilla.

4. In a separate medium sized bowl, sift together the baking powder and flour. Add one cup at a time, mixing after each addition, to the sugar and margarine mixture.

5. Divide the dough into two balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into circles, approximately 12 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick.

6. Dip your cookie cutters in flour before use. Cut out and place about 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

7. Bake for 6-7 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned.

To make the icing...

8. In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar and soy milk until smooth. Beat in agave nectar until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more agave.

9. Add food coloring if desired. Dip cookies in icing and allow to dry overnight.

Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins

My favorite type of muffins have always been chocolate chip. I thought I'd make a batch but chocolate chip alone sounded a little boring. So I decided to spice these muffins up with some bananas and walnuts. The result was something that tasted very similar to banana nut bread but had a slightly sweeter taste because of the chocolate chips.

So now that you know my favorite muffin, whats yours? Blueberry? Poppy Seed? Something else? Please share, I'm curious in knowing : ]

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Makes about 10 muffins

Ingredients

* 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

* 3/4 cup unprocessed sugar

* 1 tsp baking powder

* 1 tsp baking soda

* 1/2 tsp salt

* 1/2 cup canola oil

* 1/2 cup vegan plain yogurt or vanilla yogurt

* 1 tsp vanilla extract ( if using plain yogurt or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract if using vanilla yogurt )

* 1 cup mashed ripe bananas

* 3/4 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips

* 1/2 chopped walnuts

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. In another bowl, combine the canola oil, yogurt and vanilla extract.

3. Stir into dry ingredients, just until moistened.

4. Fold in bananas, chocolate chips and walnuts.

5. Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 F for 23 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely on a wire rack.

Lemon Cake with Fresh Strawberry Sauce

Happy Birthday to me! : D

Well actually my birthday was four days ago but I finally got around to posting this very yummy cake recipe. I am sorry I didn't take step by step pictures but I made this cake on the day of and was busy running around, trying to make sure I wasn't late for dinner.

I originally planned to serve this with some homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit but the recipe I tried to veganize did not work out as planned. Anyone have any good suggestions for a heavy cream substitute? Sadly, silken tofu did not do the trick. So as a last resort, I made a strawberry sauce, which worked out perfectly.

I'll be attempting to make a wedding cake this August, so get ready to see lots of cake recipes here as I play around with different flavors to find the perfect one : ]

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Ingredients

Makes 2 Eight Inch Round Layer Cake

* 1 cup vegan margarine, at room temperature

* 3 cups sifted all-purpose or cake flour

* 1 Tb baking powder

* 1 tsp baking soda

* 1/2 tsp salt

* 2 cups sugar

* Egg replacer, equivalent of 4 eggs ( I used Ener-G Egg Replacer )

* 1 1/4 cup vegan buttermilk ( 1 cup soy milk + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, mixed and set aside for 10 minutes to curdle )

* 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

* Zest of 2 lemon

Lemon Curd

* 1 cup soy milk

* 1/4 cup water

* 2 Tb cornstarch

* 3/4 cup sugar

* 3/4 cup lemon juice

* 2 tsp lemon zest

* 1/2 cup vegan margarine

* pinch of salt

Fresh Strawberry Sauce

* 16 ounces fresh strawberries

* 1/4 cup sugar

* 1/4 cup water

* 1 tsp lemon zest

Directions

First prepare the Lemon Curd

1. In a small saucepan, dissolve the cold soy milk, water and cornstarch.

2. Turn heat to medium high and continuously keep stirring the mixture. Add the butter, lemon juice and sugar and continue to stir until it is brought to a boil and starts to thicken.

3. Reduce to low heat and beat with a hand held beater for 2 minutes.

4. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and keep refrigerated until ready to use. ( Can be made 2 days in advance )

Next make the strawberry sauce

5. Combine the strawberries, sugar, water and lemon zest and cook until the berries are soft and the liquid is thick, about 10 minutes. Mash the strawberries slightly, if desired.

6. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Lastly make your cake

7. Preheat oven to 350 F. If not using a springform pan, butter two 8 by 2 inch round cake pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Dust bottoms and sides with flour; tap out excess.

8. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

9. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed until softened, about 1 to 2 minutes.

10. Gradually add sugar, beating on medium speed until lightened, about 3-4 minutes; scrape down sides once or twice.

11. Drizzle in egg replacer, one at a time, beating after each addition until batter is no longer slick; stop once or twice to scrape the sides.

12. On low speed, alternatively add flour mixture and buttermilk, a little at a time, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

13. Beat in vanilla extract and lemon zest.

14. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake 25 minutes and then rotate the pans in the oven for even browning. Continue baking until a cake tester inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 10 to 20 minutes more. Transfer pans to wire rack to cool, 15 minutes. Turn cakes out, set on racks, tops up, until cooled completely.

15. Remove the parchment paper from each cake. Using a serrated knife, slice each layer in half horizontally. Set aside the pretties layer for the top of the cake.

16. Place another dome layer, dome sized down, on a serving plate. Spread 1 cup lemon curd over surface and 1/2 inch away from edges. Place second cake layer, over the first, and spread another 1 cup lemon curd over top. Repeat with third cake layer and remaining cup of curd. Transfer partially assembled cake to the refrigerator.

17. Just before serving, place reserved dome on top of cake.

To Serve - Slice into 10 servings and top with strawberry sauce.

Creamy Corn Filled Empanadas

Corn filled empanadas or empanadas humitas, as they would say in Spanish are really delicious. These have a sweet but slightly spicy taste. You can adjust the amount of spicyness with how much cayenne you add.

Since it's not corn season, I used two small bags of frozen corn and it came out just as good. I was always afraid to work with frozen vegetables, feeling like they weren't fresh enough but after hearing time and time again that frozen veggies are just as good, I tried them out and must agree with what I've been told. Some people even say that frozen veggies are better than fresh because they are picked at their peek of ripeness.

I recommend making the dough the night before, since it does have to be chilled for at least 4 hours before they can be handled. I made the mistake of not reading the recipe carefully in advance and lunch was served really late because of the wait time.

I hope you guys have as much fun making them as I did : ]

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Recipe from Viva Vegan
Makes about a dozen 6 inch Empanadas

Ingredients
Empanada Dough

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp baking powder
* 6 Tb chilled nonhydrogenated vegan shortening
* 2 Tb chilled nonhydrogenated vegan margarine
* 3/4 cup cold water, or more as needed ( I used 1 cup )

Filling

* 3 Tb nonhydrogenated vegan margarine
* 3 Tb finely chopped chives, garlic scapes, or green onions
* 1 tsp dried basil
* 5 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels ( thawed and drained, if frozen; removed from 6 to 8 ears of corn if fresh )
* 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
* 1/4 cup cornstarch
* 2/3 cup soy creamer or other heavy cream substitute, or any nondairy milk
* 1 Tb lemon juice
1 tsp salt, or more to taste
* a big pinch of cayenne
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1/3 cup soy creamer or nondairy milk for brushing

Directions
First prepare the dough...
1. In a food processor bowl, pulse together the flour, salt and baking powder for a few seconds. Slice the shortening and margarine into 1/2 inch chunks, add to the food processor and pulse until everything resembles fine, sandlike crumbs. If you prefer, you can also use a large fork or pastry cutter to blend the fats into the flour.

2. Pour the flour mixture into a large bowl and stream in the cold water while mixing the dough with your fingers. Continue adding just enough cold water that you can press the mixture together to form a soft and stretchy dough.

Briefly knead a few times, divide into two balls, flatten each into a round about an inch thick, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Handle the dough minimally to keep it from getting tough. Chill it overnight or for at least 4 hours.

3. Tear about ten pieces of waxed paper to about 7 inches square and keep them near your workspace. Lightly dust a large, stable rolling surface and a rolling pin with all-purpose flour. Roll one of the dough rounds about 3/8 inch thick, stretching and pulling the dough a little if necessary. To keep the dough from getting tough, use long rolling motions, occasionally lifting the dough by the edges and turning it a little to ensure an even thickness throughout.

4. Using a 6 inch diameter bowl pressed into the dough as a guide, take a small, sharp paring knife and run it across the edge of the bowl to cut out circles. Or, you a huge round cookie or biscuit cutter. Stack the circles of dough on top of one another, separating them with the waxed paper pieces to keep them from sticking. Chill the dough scraps, while you roll and cut the remaining unworked dough into rounds. Gather up all the remaining dough scraps, reroll them only one more time, and cut out as many circles as possible.

5. Chill the finished dough circles, the entire stack well wrapped in plastic wrap while preparing the filling, or store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Keep the empanada dough chilled until you're ready to fill and bake them.

Now prepare your filling...

6. In a heavy bottomed pot, melt the margarine over medium heat, add the chives and dried basil, and saute for 2 minutes.

7. In a blender jar, pulse the corn kernels, garlic, cornstarch, soy creamer, lemon juice, salt, cayenne and pepper into a thick batter.

8. Pour the corn mixture into the pot containing the chive mixture and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon, until the filling thickens to the consistency of thick porridge. Remove from the heat, taste, and adjust the seasonings, if desired, with salt, ground pepper, or even a little more lemon juice.

9. When ready to assemble the empanadas, preheat the oven to 400 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

10. Take a dough round, gentle stretch it slightly outward by its edges, and brush lightly with soy creamer.

11. Scoop a generous 1/3 cup of corn filling into the center of the round and spread it over half of the round; leave about 1/2 inch of space along the edge of the dough.

12. Fold the unfilled dough over the filling, stretching and pulling it just enough to completely encase everything. ( You will have a semicircle patty. ) With your fingers, firmly press down the edges of the dough, then seal by firmly pressing the tines of a fork into the edges of the empanada.

13. Carefully lift and place the empanada on a prepared baking sheet, and brush with more soy creamer. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, dividing the filling equally among the dough rounds.

14. Bake the empanadas for 24 to 26 minutes, or until their crust is golden and their edges begin to brown. A little of the filling may bubble out of the edges, but once you get the hang of crimping the edges it won't happen very often. Allow the empanadas to cool for about 5 minutes before serving, as the filling will be extremely hot right out of the oven.

To reheat, either wrap in foil and bake at 350 F for 8 to 10 minutes, or microwave on high for 30 to 35 seconds. Store leftovers chilled in a tightly covered container.

Cinnamon Buns

I've been wanting to make my own cinnamon buns for awhile but for some reason I thought they were really difficult to make. I came across VeganYumYum's recipe and after watching her video, I felt a little more confident in attempting to make these. There's really not much work required for these, just a lot of waiting..a little over 2 hours of waiting for the dough to proof. But trust me, these babies are well worth the wait!

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Recipe from VeganYumYum

Makes 12 buns

Ingredients

Yeast Mixture

* 4 tsp Active Dry Yeast ( a little less than 2 packets )

* 1 tsp sugar

* 1 cup warm water

Dough

* 1 cup soymilk

* 2/3 cup sugar

* 2/3 cup vegan margarine ( such as Earth Balance )

* 2 tsp salt

* 2 Ener-g Egg Replacer Eggs, prepared

* Yeast mixture, from above

* 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

Dough Filling

1/2 cup vegan margarine, melted

* 1 1/2 cups sugar

* 3 Tb cinnamon

Pan Sauce

* 1/2 cup vegan margarine, melted

* 1/3 cup sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting

* 1/4 cup vegan margarine

* 1/3 cup vegan cream cheese, such as Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese

* 1 tsp vanilla extract

* 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Combine yeast mixture, stir gently and set aside for about 10 minutes or until nice and foamy.

2. From the dough ingredients, combine the soymilk, sugar, margarine, salt and ener-g eggs in a small saucepan. Heat until margarine is melted and all ingredients are well combined. Do not let the mixture get too hot. You should still be able to touch it without burning yourself.

3. By now the yeast should be ready. Combine it with the warmed liquid in the saucepan. Again, make sure it is not too hot or it will kill your yeast.

4. Place 4 cups of all-purpose flour in a large bowl. Add the warmed wet ingredients.

5. Beat the batter well with a wooden spoon. The dough will be very wet.

6. Add 2 more cups of flour and mix in partially.

7. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured a large kneading surface. Begin kneading. It should take about 8 minutes to get the dough where it needs to be. Add more flour if the dough begins to get too sticky.

8. Once the dough is ready, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel and allow to rise for 90 minutes in a warm spot.

9. When the dough has risen completely, turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and press it down or roll it out onto a 15 x 20 inch rectangle.

10. Pour the 1/2 cup melted margarine onto the dough. Brush it on so the dough is covered completely.

11. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it evenly over the dough.

12. Prepare a large baking sheet, by pouring the melted margarine from the pan sauce ingredients above.

13. Add the sugar, spreading evenly over the bottom of the pan.

14. Roll the dough up gently, starting from one of the short sides. Let it rest on the seem once its rolled up completely.

15. Cut 12 rolls with sewing thread. Place the rolls in the pan.

16. Cover the buns and let rise for 45 minutes if you will be baking these immediately. If baking the next day, cover and let rise in the refrigerator overnight. Bake in the morning, with no need for extra rising. If making for a date in the future, freeze immediately. The day before you are ready to use them, defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Then let warm up on the counter the next morning for an hour.

17. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Let cool for a few minutes.

18. Stir together the frosting ingredients, stir until there are no lumps.

19. Serve the buns warm with frosting.