V e g a n D a d

Baked Yeast Donuts

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:14:00 +0000

This weekend's experiment was to see if I could make a baked yeast donut that was as tender and tasty as its deep-fried counterpart. The baked donut recipes I have seen all involve a donut pan and a batter (as opposed to a dough), but I wanted to go for the classic yeast donut. I do have a donut pan that I have yet to try out (sorry, Tina. I swear I will get around to it!), but I suspect such pans are not a common kitchen commodity. The trick was to find the right method that would bake the donut without it developing a crust. The end result was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. Not as tender as a deep-fried donut (and, of course, lacking that wonderfully crispy outside), but still very tender and delicious. Of course, the recipe is not fat-free (I'll leave that to more capable hands) but it certainly is fat reduced without the frying. The ingredients are the same as the original, but I simplified the method a bit.

INGREDIENTS
Makes at least 12 donuts
- 3/4 cups soy milk
- 3 tbsp warm water
- 1 1/4 oz vegetable shortening
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 11.5 oz all purpose flour

METHOD

1. Heat soy milk, water, shortening, salt, and sugar in the microwave, or on the stove, stirring regularly until shortening melts. Whisk in flax, then whisk in yeast. Let sit a few minutes, then whisk again until smooth.

3. Put flour in a large bowl and add soy milk mixture. Mix together into a rough dough, then knead for about 5 mins until smooth, adding more flour or more water as needed. The dough should be very soft and slightly tacky, but not sticky. Aim for a moister dough than usual for a more tender final product.

4. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for about 60 mins, until doubled in size.
5. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly mist with oil.
6. Roll out the dough on a lightly oiled surface to about 3/8" thick. Cut out donuts with a donut cutter (see pic above). Dough scraps (and holes) can be re-rolled and cut. Place on prepared baking sheets (6 per sheet) and cover. Let rise for 1/2 hour, or until just about doubled in size.
7. Preheat oven to 500 degrees with rack in the middle. Bake donuts one sheet at a time. Place one sheet in the oven and reduce the heat to 425 degrees. Bake for 5 mins, then gently turn donuts over. Bake for another 3 minutes. Donuts should be lightly golden (see below). Return heat to 500 degrees before baking the second sheet.
8. Let cool, then glaze.

Hoagie Rolls

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:41:00 +0000

This is a pretty simple recipe that yields 10 incredibly tasty rolls perfect for your lunch-time sandwich, or a classic Philly cheese steak (vegan, of course). Refrigerating the dough overnight helps develop flavour and it can stay in the fridge for up to four days. You can bake them up all at once, or half the recipe at a time so you are not overloaded with rolls. You can also freeze extra rolls and use them when needed.

INGREDIENTS
- 5 1/3 cups/24oz/680g white bread flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp ground flax
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1.5 tsp barley malt syrup (optional)
- 1 cup/8oz warm water
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp/5oz warm soy milk
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

Baked Mini Corn Dogs

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:58:00 +0000

Son #1 wanted corn dogs for lunch this week. I think they must be serving them in the cafeteria at school because "corn dog" really isn't in our vocabulary. Now, you know that I don't shy away from frying things in oil from time to time (Mmmmmm. Donuts . . . ), but if the kids were going to eat these every day for lunch (kids are like that) frying seemed like a bad idea. Solution: a baked corn dog that is somewhere between a pretzel and the deep fried original. These were/are a massive hit with my kids and hopefully will be with yours as well. I also understand there is some major sporting event coming up this weekend which might lend itself to a a corn dog or two.

INGREDIENTS
Makes 24. Weighing the ingredients (the flour in particular) provides the most consistent results.
- 12oz/340ml/1.5 cups plain soy milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp instant or active dry yeast
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1.5 tsp salt
- generous 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 9oz/255g/1.5 cups fine cornmeal
- 11.5oz/326g/2.5 cups white bread flour
- soy milk for brushing
- 12 veggie hot dogs, cut in half

OPTIONAL
- I have seen recipes that call for some cayenne in the dough, or some minced jalapeño. These sound like great ideas but not the kind of things my kids like

METHOD
1. Warm up soy milk to between 90 and 100 degrees F, then whisk in vinegar. When thick, whisk in yeast, oil, and sugar. Let sit for 5 mins to allow yeast to dissolve.
2. Meanwhile, whisk salt, baking soda and cornmeal in stand mixer bowl. Add yeast mixture and mix well. Let sit for 5 mins.
3. Add flour and mix into a rough dough. Let sit for 5 mins, then knead with a dough hook for 5 mins on med-lo speed. The dough should clear the bottom of the bowl and should be tacky but not be sticky. Adjust flour as needed (I find the amount above to be perfect).
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. You can skip this step if you are in a rush and just let the dough rise at room temp, but I find that the overnight fermentation produces great flavour, lets the gluten relax, and allows the cornmeal to soften. Also, since the dough is tacky, cooling the dough makes it much easier to work with. You can also compromise between the two methods and refrigerate the dough for about 4 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place one oven rack in the second highest position, and one on the second lowest. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces (around 40g each) then cover to keep from drying out. Flatten each piece into a rectangle slightly longer than the veggie dog half and wide enough to wrap around the veggie dog. Lightly dust the work surface with flour if the dough is too tacky to work with. Wrap the dough around the veggie dog and pinch to seal the seam and ends. Gently roll the dog back and forth in your hands to smooth out the dough as much as possible. Place on the prepared sheet and repeat. Put 12 corn dogs on each baking sheet.
7. Brush each corn dog with soy milk (I pick them up and brush all sides). Bake for 7.5 mins, then rotate and switch the sheets from one rack to the other (i.e. the sheet on the second highest rack will now be on the second lowest, and vice versa). Bake for another 7.5 mins then transfer to a cooling rack.

Easy Mexican Red Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:27:00 +0000

Great on its own, as a side, or in a burrito.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 dried red chile, deseeded (I used a New Mexico chile)
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (juice and all)
- 1.5 cups long grain rice (I used basmati), rinsed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup frozen peas

METHOD
1. Slit open chile and deseed, then soak in a bowl of hot water for about 5 mins. Save the soaking water.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then sauté onion and garlic for 5-7 mins, until translucent but not browned.
3. While onions are cooking, blend the soaked chile (but not the soaking water) into the tomatoes (I use an immersion blender in a juice pitcher, but a blender or food processor would also work). Blend until smooth.
4. Add rice to onions and stir to coat with oil. Cook for 2 mins then add the tomato mixture. Mix well.
5. Bring to bubbling, then reduce to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 mins, or until rice is almost cooked. If rice gets too dry, add some of the soaking liquid.

6. Add peas to the rise, mix well, then cover and cook for 5 mins. Fluff rice and serve.

Potato Quesadillas with Homemade Wheat Tortillas

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:58:00 +0000

Happy New Year, all you Gregorian calendar users! I'd like to promise that I will blog more this year, but with 3 major projects on the go I know I would never be able to keep that promise. I do have some goals for the blog, though. My passion right now is baking and trying to make vegan baked goods accessible to all home bakers. That being said, my menus need a real kick in the pants these days so I would like get some new dishes up as well. This recipe is sort of a mix of these two goals, so enjoy!

Wheat Tortillas (makes twelve 12-14" tortillas)
This recipe is veganized from Peter Reinhart's Crust and Crumb. It is rather similar to the recipe I posted here, but has a bit more fat. I like his method, and made these up after I finished my bread baking. I'm not sure it's worth heating up the oven just for these, so use a cast iron skillet if you're not already baking. I baked up six, and put the remaining dough in the freezer for another day.
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 lbs bread flour
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 oz vegetable shortening
- 1.5 cups warm water

METHOD
1. Mix flour and salt, then cut the shortening in. Add water and work into a soft dough.
2. Divide into 12 equal balls, then flatten into discs. Cover with plastic and let sit for 30 mins.
3. Place a baking stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out a disc of dough into a 12 inch circle. Place in a towel to keep from drying out. Repeat with remaining discs (If the tortillas as well-floured, you can stack them six high).
4. Once the dough has rested a bit, you can stretch the tortillas even thinner by gently stretching them on the back of your knuckles, like you would with pizza dough. Work from the edges, not the centre.
5. With a spray bottle, spritz the stone with water. Place a tortilla on the stone (with your hands, or a baking peel) and bake for 30-60 seconds, until puffy but not crispy. Flip and repeat. You want the tortilla to bake, but not become hard and inflexible. Stack in a towel as they come out of the oven. Repeat with remaining dough.

Potato Quesadillas
I posted a recipe like this 3 years ago, but that was before Daiya existed in my town. I'm not a huge fake cheese fan, but these are really good.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 lb potatoes
- 1 8oz bag shredded Mozzarella style Daiya (or Pepper Jack)
- 6 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbsp chili sauce
- 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and minced
- chopped fresh cilantro to taste
- 6 tortillas (above)

METHOD
1. Boil the potato(es) until tender but not mushy (peel them if you want). Cool, then grate into a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients (not the tortillas, of course) and mix well.
2. Lightly brush a tortilla with oil or margarine, then flip over and place 1/6 of the filling over half of the tortilla. Fold in half and repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
3. Cook in a skillet over med to med-hi heat until both sides are golden brown and cheese has melted. Cut each tortillas into 3 wedges and serve immediately.

It's Time to Party

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:03:00 +0000

You are most likely going to host a party this holiday season, or go to one. Vegan Mom and I have hosted/helped host two parties thus far. The first was a neighbourhood affair with about 50 people in attendance so I thought I'd share what we did to help you with your own partying over the next week or so. Many apologies for the quality of the pictures; they were snapped rather quickly right before guests came through the door.

We tried to do a mix of savoury and sweet. On the savoury side we had a corn and bean salsa with chips, as described here. You can also see a fruit tray, some mixed nuts, veggies and hummus, and pretzel bites for the kiddies.

The biggest hit by far on the savoury side was a large crockpot of Creamy Zucchini Soup (not pictured here) with baguette slices and focaccia for dunking.

And now the sweet: If you look at the top picture again you will see mini chocolate cupcakes with mocha frosting (all from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World). People love those things! Vegan Mom went to town with the cookies. Here we see Sugar Cookies and Gingerbread Men.

Also: lemon tarts (Isa's lemon square filling from Veganomicon) and mincemeat tarts (if you are not making your own mincemeat, make sure the stuff you buy does not have suet (i.e. beef or mutton fat) in it).

Chai Shortbread from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.

And, of course, stollen.

Greek Christmas Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 02:09:00 +0000

Sorry for the delay (bleedin' end of term grading!) but here is the final Christmas bread for the season. It's the same dough recipe as the previous two, but with some added spices and a different shape.

INGREDIENTS
- one recipe panettone dough, but add to the flour:
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/8 tsp allspice

- 56.5 g chopped toasted walnuts
- 170 g dried cranberries
- soy milk for brushing
- simple syrup for glazing

METHOD
1. Make the panettone as directed, but add the spices listed above to the flour.
2. Add the fruit and nuts listed above, instead of those listed in the panettone recipe.
3. Firm up the dough by stretching and folding it on a floured surface. Cut off 113 g of the dough. Divide into two equal pieces, wrap in plastic, and place in the fridge.
4. Shape the remaining dough into a boule. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, mist with oil, and loosely cover. Let rise for 90 mins, or until the dough has noticeably swelled. Remove the refrigerated pieces of dough and shape into 2 eight inch ropes. Gently lay them in a cross form across the boule. Let rise for another 30 mins.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush with soy milk and bake for 25 minutes, then rotate the pan and bale for another 30-35, or until the internal temperature reaches 185 F (85 C). When the loaf comes out of the oven, brush with simple syrup (i.e. equal parts sugar and water brought to a boil). Let fully cool before serving.

Vegan Stollen

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:08:00 +0000

Here is Christmas Bread number 2: stollen. You really can't go wrong with fruit and almonds in a delicate and slightly sweetened bread. Dusted with icing sugar, this is a true holiday treat that makes this time of year so special. I prefer the marzipan centre to adding sliced almonds, but the choice is yours. This bread comes together much faster than the panettone because it has no final proofing and goes straight into the oven right after you shape the loaves.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 recipe panettone dough
- 2 cups dried fruit/candied peel
- 2 cups toasted sliced almonds, or 227g marzipan
- melted margarine, for brushing
- icing sugar

METHOD
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
1. Make the panettone as per this recipe but add the amount of fruit listed here. I like equal amounts of raisins, cranberries, currants, and candied peel.
2. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and dust the dough with flour. Divide into two equal portions and pat into a 7 x 5" rectangle. If using the marzipan, lay a 113.5g tube of marzipan along the long end of each. If using the almonds, sprinkle half of them over each rectangle of dough. Roll each into a loaf and seal the edges.
3. Transfer the loaves to the prepared baking sheet and place the pan in a cold oven. Turn the heat to 350 and bake for 25 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 25 minutes, or until golden brown and registering 185 in the centre.
4. When done, remove the stollen from the oven and brush with melted margarine. Dust with a good coating of icing sugar, wait one minute, then liberally dust again. Transfer to a cooling rack to fully cool before serving.

Vegan Panettone

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:05:00 +0000

With the holiday season upon us I am focusing on baking this month. First up: panettone. This is a rather advanced recipe that relies on a) sourdough mother starter, b) a stand mixer, c) a kitchen scale, and d) familiarity working with wet doughs. It takes some time and skill but the end product is totally worth it. I first made the recipe with Earth Balance, but did not like the taste it gave the bread. I then changed to shortening and boosted the flavour with orange juice, lemon zest, and some extracts. I much prefer this version. The recipe is adapted and veganized from Reinhart's Artisan Breads Everyday. If you have a copy you can follow his much more detailed instructions if you like. If you don't have your own mother starter, you can follow the instructions here. This panettone will be the basis for the other breads I will post: stollen and Greek Christmas Bread.

INGREDIENTS
Makes 10 small panettone
Sourdough Starter
- 42.5g mother starter
- 170g bread flour
- 85g water

Dough
- 1 tbsp agave
- 56.5g lukewarm water
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- sourdough starter from above
- 70g orange juice, warm
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
- 65g soy yogurt or sour cream (or blended silken tofu), at room temp
- 1 tsp each lemon, orange, vanilla extract
- zest of one lemon
- 213g bread flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 170g vegetable shortening, or Earth Balance margarine, at room temp
- 227g dried fruit (I used equal amounts of currants, golden raisins, cranberries)

METHOD
Day One: Make the Sourdough Starter
1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and work into a dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 30 seconds, or until all ingredients are mixed together. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and let rise at room temperature for 6-8 hours. If you do not want to use the starter right away, stick it in the fridge after it has risen for up to four days.

Day Two: Make the Dough
1. Whisk together water and agave in your mixer's bowl, then sprinkle yeast over top and whisk until dissolved. Let sit for a minute, then cut sourdough starter into 10-12 pieces and place in the water/yeast mixture. Stir to soften the starter a bit.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk flax into the orange juice until thick and goopy. Then whisk in yogurt and extracts until well combined. Add to starter mixture.
3. Add zest, flour, and salt, then mix with the paddle attachment for 2 mins, until a soft and sticky dough is formed (it should still hold together).
4. Switch to the dough hook and add the sugar 1/2 tbsp at a time, mixing well after each addition. After all sugar is added, increase the speed and mix for 5 mins. Scrape down the bowl when necessary.
5. Add the shortening/margarine about 1 tbsp at a time, mixing well after addition. Scrape down the bowl when necessary. When all the fat is added the dough should be smooth and shiny but too sticky too handle with your bare hands. Scrape down the bowl if needed, then knead for an additional 5 mins to fully develop the gluten.
6. Add the dried fruit and mix in on the lowest speed for 2 mins.
7. Transfer to dough to a floured surface using a wet spatula to get it out of the bowl. Sprinkle flour over the top, then stretch and fold the dough. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and stretch and fold again. Form the dough into a boule.
8. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces, or whatever amount will fill your molds 1/3 of the way full.
9. Let rise at room temp for 12 hours.
10. Preheat oven to 350 and bake for about 25-30 mins, or until loaves are golden. Internal temperature should be 185 F/85 C. Let cool in the pan for 5 mins, then thoroughly cool on a wire rack before eating.

A note on panettone molds. I made my own by cutting out parchment paper to fit a large muffin tin like you see here. Just make sure that your bottom piece is attached to the side piece--otherwise the dough can rise into the cracks and push the sides up and out, instead of the dough rising within the side pieces. I stapled everything together because it's hard to tape parchment paper.

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:29:00 +0000

I really wanted to get a few more Thanksgiving recipes posted for those celebrating the holiday tomorrow, but the impending end of term has kept me very busy with non-food related business. I'm sure you already have your meals planned, but just in case you need to fill in a few dishes, here are some suggestions:

Main Dishes:
Roast Tofu and Veggies
Apple Cider Tofu (with Roasted Pears!)
Harvest Pies
Seitan Roast with Wild Rice and Chestnut Stuffing
Winter Vegetable Mini Pies
Maple Apple Cider Tofu

Baking and Dessert:
Pumpkin Pull-Apart Rolls
Rustic Pumpkin Bread
Apple Tart
Apple Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Pumpkin Spice Sweet Rolls
Pumpkin Custard
Chocolate Pumpkin Pudding Cake

Roast Tofu and Veggies

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:38:00 +0000

Good gravy, do I love the taste and texture of roasted potatoes! They bring me back to Sunday dinners of yore and good times spent with family. This dish could be your meat-free answer to traditional Thanksgiving fare, or it could be enjoyed throughout the winter months with plenty of gravy. What follows is not a recipe per se, but more a list of possible ingredients and a method. I am partial to mushrooms and tofu together, but you may decide against it or even swap out the tofu for beans.

INGREDIENTS
Choose some or all of the root veggies below:
- potato (large chunks)
- carrot (thick slices/chunks)
- turnip (cubed)
- parsnip (thin slice)
- rutabaga (cubed)

- celery (thinly sliced)
- leek (halved and thickly sliced)
- fresh or dried thyme, sage, marjoram, savoury
- salt and pepper
- olive oil

- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 8-10 slices firm or extra firm tofu
- salt and pepper
- sliced onions
- sliced mushrooms

- vegetable stock, or water

METHOD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. Cut up as many veggies as you see fit to use, or will fit in your roasting pan. You can use a traditional pan, if you have it, but I use a 9x13 enamel-coated cast iron baking pan covered with a cookie sheet. Mix veggies together with celery, leek, and herbs. Toss with enough oil to coat well and season with salt and pepper. Place into the roasting pan but hollow out a place in the centre for the tofu.
2. Heat oil and margarine over med-hi heat in a large frying pan. Season both sides with salt and pepper and fry 2-3 mins per side, until golden brown. Remove from pan and place into the hollowed out spot in the veggie pan. The idea here is to have the tofu roast away admist the veggies, not on top of them. I did two rows of 5 slices each, with the top of each tofu slice overlapping the bottom of the previous slice so they could all fit. The mushroom and onion flavour will seep into the tofu as it roasts.
3. Add onions slices to the pan and cook for about 2 mins, or until just beginning to release their water, then add mushroom slices and cook for another 2 mins, or until their water is beginning to release. Top the tofu with mushroom and onion slices.

4. Add vegetable stock or water to the pan, about 1/4" deep. Cover pan tightly and roast for 60-90 mins (it will depend on how big your veggies are). Check the veggies about halfway through and add more stock if they are drying out. Baste veggies with stock from the bottom of the pan. I like to remove the lid for the last 15 mins of roasting to brown up the veggies a bit.
5. Serve tofu slices topped with onion and mushroom, and with your favourite gravy if that is your thing.

Apple Cider Tofu with Butternut Squash and Roasted Pears

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 20:05:00 +0000

Another recipe for all y'all having Thanksgiving in November, or for the rest of us who want a tasty fall meal.

INGREDIENTS
Makes 8 portions
- 8 slices butternut squash (from the top end), about 1/8-1/4" thick, trimmed to the same size as the tofu
- 24 pear slices (i.e. peel pear, cut in half lengthwise, core, then slice vertically)
- olive oil
- salt
- sugar

- 1 pkg firm or extra firm tofu, vertically cut into 8 slices
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1/2 cup apple cider

- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups diced cooking apple
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- salt and pepper

Cider Reduction
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 tbsp margarine
Bring cider to boiling in a small saucepan, and let reduce over med-hi heat for about 40 mins, until reduced to about 1/3 cup. Whisk in margarine, and serve warm.

METHOD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. Toss squash slices, and then the pear slices, in a drizzle of olive oil (just enough to lightly coat). Place squash and pear slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the squash lightly with salt and bake for 20 mins. Turn over all slices, then lightly salt the squash and sprinkle some sugar (about 1 tsp) on the pears. Bake for another 20 mins, or until cooked and golden.
2. While the squash is baking, season both sides of the tofu slices with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and margarine over med-hi heat, then fry tofu for 3-4 mins per side, or until golden brown. Add 1/4 cup of cider, reduce heat to medium, and cover. When cider is absorbed, flip tofu over and add remaining 1/4 cup of cider. Cover, reduce heat to med-lo, and cook until cider is gone. Keep warm until needed.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat and sauté onions and garlic for 7-10 mins, until lightly golden. Add apple and fry for 2 mins. Add cider, cranberries, and herbs. Cook until apples are soft and liquid is reduced (5-7 mins). Season to taste.
4. Assemble: tofu slice, then squash slice topped with apple-cranberry mixture and 3 pear slices. Drizzle cider reduction over top before eating.

Apple Pumpkin Spice Donuts

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:31:00 +0000

These are the perfect autumn treat. Enjoy whilst looking at falling leaves and sipping coffee.

INGREDIENTS
Makes at least 12 donuts and donut holes
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tbsp vegetable shortening
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp warm soy creamer (or milk)
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 2.5 to 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup grated (peeled) cooking apple
- canola oil for frying

NOTE: You can make these without the apple, if you so desire. Increase the pumpkin puree to 3/4 cup, and reduce flour to 2 1/4 -2 1/2 cups.

METHOD

1. Heat puree, shortening, salt, and sugar in the microwave, or on the stove, stirring regularly until shortening melts. Set aside.

2. Whisk flax into creamer. Let sit a few minutes, then whisk again until thick. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix together yeast and flour. Add pumpkin and flax mixtures, and the grated apple. Mix together into a rough dough, then gently knead until smooth, adding more flour as needed to make a nice soft dough that is tacky but not sticky. Remember that the apple will keep releasing water into the dough if you work it too hard. Also, a tacky dough makes for a chewy and tender donut.

4. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 60-90 mins, until doubled in size.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with oil.

6. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 3/8" thick. Cut with a donut cutter, setting the donut holes aside. Dough scraps can be re-rolled and cut. Place on prepared baking sheet, spray with oil, and cover. Let rise for 1/2 hour.

7. Heat oil to 350 degrees. Fry donuts in batches (about 60 seconds per side) until golden, drain on paper towel or paper bags, then let cool on wire rack. Let fully cool before glazing.

8. Fry the donut holes and immediately toss in a cinnamon-sugar mix. Cool on a wire rack.

Glaze

INGREDIENTS

- 3 tbsp soy milk

- 1.5 cups icing sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp nutmeg

- 1/4 tsp ground ginger

METHOD

1. Heat the soy milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbling. Whisk in icing sugar, then vanilla and spices. Turn off heat, but keep the pan on the stove. Dip in donuts and let cool.

NOTE: These freeze very well, glaze and all.

French Apple Tart

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:51:00 +0000

Apple pie is the quintessential American dish, but maybe you want something a little different this Thanksgiving. This is a French apple tart, a fairly simple and delicious dessert that showcases the wonderful flavour of apples. Unclouded by spices and excessive sugar, this tart lets seasonal apples shine through. The recipe is veganized from Williams-Sonoma's Essentials of Baking, but it is a pretty classic and standard dish: a baked apple sauce on the bottom and glazed sliced apples on top. It is essential that you use baking apples (I used Royal Gala) so that they maintain some texture and don't reduce to total mush. Then, you can use this basic recipe and go crazy: apple-cranberry-pecan tart, for example. Feel free to add some cinnamon or nutmeg, or some brandy to the roasted apples.

Tart Pastry
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/4 cups (200g/6.5 oz) all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (60g/2 oz) icing sugar
- 1/2 cup (125g/4 oz) cold margarine (Earth Balance)
- 2 tbsp ground flax seed
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 2-3 tbsp cold coconut milk (or soy creamer/milk)

METHOD
1. Whisk together flour and sugar. Cut in margarine until mixture has large crumbs the size of peas.
2. Sprinkle flax over the water and 2 tbsp of the coconut milk, then whisk until goopy. Add to flour mixture and mix with a fork until it comes together into a soft dough, dribbling in more milk if needed.
3. Press dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least one hour and as much as overnight.
4. When pastry is cooled, roll out into a 12-13 inch circle on a floured surface. Carefully place dough into a 9.5 inch tart pan, letting the excess hand over the sides.

Trim overhanging dough to 1/2 inch. Fold overhang into the pan and press dough into the pan to make a smooth and uniform shell.

5. Place shell in the freezer and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
6. When oven is a heat, line shell with aluminium foil and fill with dried beans.

Bake for 15-20 mins, or until crust has dried out. After 15 mins, pull back some of the foil and check if it is wet/oily. If it is, replace the foil and check again in two mins.
7. Once dry, remove foil/beans, reduce heat to 350 degrees, and bake for another 3-5 mins, until very lightly golden (you only want to partially bake the crust). Let cool on a wire rack.

Apple Tart
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs cooking apples (about 5), peeled, cored, and cut into uniform chunks (about 1 inch)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp margarine, melted

- 2 cooking apples, peeled cored, and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp margarine, melted
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/3 cup apricot jam

METHOD
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix together apple pieces, sugar, lemon juice and melted margarine in a large bowl and spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 mins, or until soft and mash-able. Mash until chunky and set aside to cool.
2. When cooled, spread into the cooled tart crust.

3. Layer sliced apples over the apple sauce like you see in the pic below.

Remember that the apples will shrink when cooked, so don't space them too far apart. Brush lightly with melted margarine, then sprinkle sugar over top. Bake for 45-50 mins, unit apples are soft. Let cool on a wire rack for 30 mins.
4. Heat apricot jam in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbling. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, then brush gently over the apples. Serve at room temp.

Pumpkin Pull-Apart Rolls

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:53:00 +0000

These make a great addition to any Thanksgiving table. Not only do they look good but they taste awesome. The pumpkin brings a wonderful moistness to the dough and a beautiful golden colour.

INGREDIENTS
Makes about 28 rolls
- 1 1/2 cups warm soy milk
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (canned is fine, but fresh is better)
- 3 cups all purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry)
- 3 cups bread flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp oil
- additional oil for brushing

METHOD
1. Sprinkle yeast over the soy milk and whisk to dissolve. Add puree, flours, salt, sugar, and oil and bring into a soft dough, adjusting flour or liquid as needed. Knead for 5 mins, until smooth.
2. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
3. Line two 9 inch round pans with parchment paper. Slice off 2 oz pieces of dough and work into a ball. Place in the prepared pan just touching one another. When pans are filled, brush buns with some oil, cover, and let rise for 30-40 mins, until almost doubled.
4. Preheat oven to 400 then bake for 15-18 mins, or until golden brown. Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack. Serve warm, letting your dinner guests pull off rolls as needed.

You can very easily freeze a pan of these when they are cooled, then thaw/warm them when you need them.

Harvest Pies

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 18:19:00 +0000

I am actually on the ball this year and posting a Thanksgiving recipe a full week before Thanksgiving! Yes, Canadian Thanksgiving is October 10. So for you American readers I am really on the ball. This recipe is a slight variation on the Winter Pies I posted a while back. If you are pressed for time you could make these pies like the winter pies (i.e. like a tasty Hot Pocket) rather than going through all the fuss of making mini pies. Also, you can probably get 12 pies out of this recipe buy adding another two cups total of veggies, but I have given you some wiggle room with the pastry dough. The two things that make these superior to the Winter Pies are the roasted cranberries (awesome!) and the roasted squash (equally awesome!). The crust, as always, remains my favourite. It is easy to work with and durable, yet still flaky and tender. Don't worry if the top crust does not totally bond with the bottom--we enjoyed taking off the tops, pouring in some gravy, and putting the tops back on.

Makes 10

Pie Crust
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb (3.5 cups) all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10.5 oz (1 1/4 cup + 1tbsp cup) cold Earth Balance margarine, or vegetable shortening
- 5 oz (scant 2/3 cup) ice cold water
- 2 tsp ground flax seed

METHOD
1. Whisk dry ingredients together, then cut margarine into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.
2. Whisk flax seed into the water, then add to dry ingredients. Work into a soft dough with a fork and then your hands.
3. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.

Filling

INGREDIENTS

- 4 cups butternut squash, small dice

- 1 cup fresh cranberries

- 1/4 cup minced shallot

- 1 tsp olive oil

- salt and pepper

- 4 cups total diced veggies (I used potato, carrot, and onion)
- 2 cups cooked white kidney beans
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tbsp margarine

- 1 tsp sage

- 1/4 cup white wine

- 2 tsp poultry spice (or a mix of thyme, sage, marjoram, and savoury)

- salt and pepper

- you also need some gravy

METHOD

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Toss butternut squash, cranberries, and shallots in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 30-40 mins, or until golden brown.

2. While squash is roasting, heat olive oil and margarine in a large saucepan over medium-hi heat. Add veggies, beans, and garlic and the 1 tsp sage and turn to coat all the veggies with the oil. Season with salt and pepper, then reduce heat to medium and cover. Cook for 15-20 mins, stirring regularly, until veggies are cooked and golden. Remove lid, add wine, and cook until reduced.

3. Add braised veggies to the pan of roasted squash. Sprinkle poultry spice over top and gently toss together. Adjust seasonings to taste. Set aside to cool.

Reduce oven to 375 degrees

4. Remove pastry from the fridge and cut off 2/3rds. Return 1/3 to the fridge. Roll out dough on a well-floured surface to between 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut the dough into circles, big enough to fit your muffin tin with some hang over. For example, my muffin tins have sections with a 3.25 inch diameter, and I found that a circle of pastry dough with a 5 inch diameter fit perfectly. Make sure there is a lip of dough so you can attach the top crust on.

5. Mould the pastry into the muffin tin, making sure it is an equal thickness. Fill with cooled veggie filling, mounding it up as much as you can.

6. Roll out the remaining pastry dough and cut to the right size to make a top crust for each pie. Press the top crust on to the lip of dough from the bottom crust. Cut venting holes/slits in the top and bake for 35-40 mins, until golden.

7. Let cool for 5 mins, then gently remove from the muffin tins. I found it easiest to gently place a cooling rack upside on top of the pies, then invert the rack and the muffin tin at once (like getting a cake out of a pan). Once out of the tin, serve the pies (right side up) with gravy.

Canned Pears

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 01:12:00 +0000

Pears are in season here in Ontario so I spent some time canning them to enjoy later during the winter months. Canning is not hard, but it does take some time. It is time well spent, though, and you will thank yourself in February when you are feasting on the succulent fruits of the summer.

INGREDIENTS

- 10-12 lbs pears = 4 1L (1 quart) jars

- sugar

- water

- lemon juice

First, get your jars sterilized (or sterilizing) in boiling water or the dishwasher. Since you will need to process the pears in boiling water, it makes sense to sterilize them first in your canning pot.

Then, you need to make some syrup for the pears. Light or medium syrups are perfect for pears. Combine the sugar and water, bring to bubbling, then keep warm over low heat while you prepare the pears (i.e. don't let it boil down).

LIGHT = 2.25 cups sugar + 5.25 cups water

MEDIUM = 3.25 cups sugar + 5 cups water

Peel the pears and remove stem and blossom ends.

Halve pears and remove seeds with a small spoon. Place pears in a solution of 4 cups water + 1/4 cup lemon juice to keep from browning. Bring the syrup to near bubbling over medium heat.

When syrup is hot (bot not boiling), place one layer of pears into the pot. Reduce heat to medium-lo. The idea here is to warm to pears for about 5 mins, not boil them. You want the syrup to replace the air in the pears while still maintaining the fruit's integrity. You will notice that the pears will slowly bubble when they first go into the syrup, like they are being deep fried. Generally, when the bubbles slow down/stop, you are ready to can them.

I like to use a funnel like you see above to transfer the fruit into the jars. Working in batches, fill your sterilized jars with fruit, removing each batch of pears from the syrup with a slotted spoon. Make sure there are not any air bubbles trapped in the fruit's cavities.

When you have four jars filled (or however many you can fit in your canning pot), fill each jar with syrup, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Top with lids and rings adjusted finger tight.

Your jars must be submerged in the boiling water for processing. Cover with a lid and boil for 25 minutes. Then, remove from the heat and remove the lid. Let the jars stand in the hot water for 5 mins, then remove and let cool. Done!

Coconut Cream Topping

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 02:45:00 +0000

So, you may remember this post in which I made a vegan banana cream pie. You may also remember that my attempt at a whipped cream-esque topping was an unqualified failure. This was because the coconut milk did not separate/congeal in the fridge like it usually does. I thought I would try again after being invited to a dinner party. Once again, though, the cream did not set in the fridge (has Thai Kitchen changed their coconut milk? What's the deal?). To remedy the situation I took some readers' advice and put some agar into the coconut milk to firm it up. It's a little more complicated than just putting a can into the fridge, but it's not really hard and is more stable at room temperature. I used full fat coconut milk, but I don't see any reason why this would not work with low fat (but that theory has yet to be tested. You might need more agar since there is less fat to firm up in the mixture when it gets cold).

INGREDIENTS
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 tbsp agar flakes
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla

METHOD
1. Separate coconut cream from coconut milk and add the milk (i.e. the watery stuff) to a small saucepan. Sprinkle afar flakes over and let sit for 5 mins. Add sugar and bring to bubbling over med hi heat, whisking constantly. Cook for 3-5 mins, or until all the agar has dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in cream and vanilla. Adjust sugar to taste then pour into a bowl, cover, and place into the fridge. Allow to fully cool.
3. When ready to use, whisk the cooled mixture and spread over your pie (or whatever). Place pie (or what have you) back into the fridge until ready to serve.

Vegan Party Time

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 01:05:00 +0000

On Friday I hosted a reception for the new grad students entering our department. I made the food, others provided the drinks, and everyone had a good time. Despite a few early bacon jokes, the menu went over smashingly with everyone (even bacon boy). I think if the food is good no one cares if it can be labelled vegan or not. Above is the savoury table.

In the back left are sliced baguettes (Peter Reinhart, of course). In front of that, a plate of focaccia.

The idea was to use the bread a base for various toppings. Pesto, for one. The larger yellow bowl is garden fresh tomatoes with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Simply, but really tasty. There was also hummus, along with plenty of veggies. The only thing not made by hand was the tortilla chips. I went with the "scoop" variety of chips so they could easily hold the bean salsa (black eyed peas and black beans with chopped yellow and orange pepper, red onion, celery, and corn. All this was tossed in olive oil, white wine vinegar, and lime juice then seasoned. I would have added jalapeno and cilantro, but sometimes that does not go over well at parties).

Rounding out the savoury table were samosas (curried potatoes and peas wrapped in phyllo and served with a mango chutney (oh, I bought that, too).

And here is the sweet table. Ye olde classic fruit trays are at the end (berries and melons, mostly).

The mini cupcakes were a hit--chocolate and vanilla with mocha buttercream. Simple, but tasty.

I also tried my hand at palmiers. I will have to revisit these and post a recipe. They did not stick together like I would have liked, but they tasted great and were not a lot of work.

I also made a batch of mini turnovers (1 inch square pieces of dough) but found them too fiddly and did not make any more.

All the food could be eaten without a fork, which is great when you are standing trying to negotiate food into your mouth whilst not spilling your drink.

I made and baked the baguettes, focaccia, turnovers, palmiers, samosas, and cupcakes ahead of time and froze them. The thawed cupcakes were iced on the day of the party, and the samosas reheated. Pesto and hummus were made the night before, and fruit and veggies were cut the day of the party.

Banana Cream Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 01:49:00 +0000

I think this recipe could use a little tweaking in the future but is still good enough to post. The real winner here is the pastry cream--I am very happy with it and will use it again when needed. The problem stems from the topping. I was going for a whipped cream-esque topping like you see in this post (i.e. whipped coconut cream), but it never set in the fridge. Maybe my fridge is not cold enough. So, I added about 1/4 cup of sugar to the coconut cream, some vanilla extract, and whipped it like crazy until I got soft peaks. That was good enough, but not really the look I was going for. I also thought that it was far too heavy--maybe a small dollop on each slice next time, or some other kind of topping (but I am not sure what). As for the pastry cream, I went with agar flakes to help it to set. While I usually try to avoid hard to get ingredients, I really think this was the right call here. If you don't have agar, just Google "vegan pastry cream" and check out some of the other recipes out there. I also really have to advocate the vanilla bean here for superior flavour. Expensive but totally worth it.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 pre-baked 9" pie shell
- whipped coconut cream (i.e. the fat from a can of coconut milk left in the fridge for a day, whipped with sugar and vanilla extract)
- 4 bananas, sliced
- 2 tsp orange juice
- 1 tsp Grand Marnier (or just another tsp of orange juice)

Pastry Cream
- 2 cups plain soy milk, divided
- 1 tsp agar flakes
- 1 vanilla bean, halved and scraped
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- pinch of tumeric (optional)
- 1 tbsp margarine

Method
1. Bring 1/2 cup of the soy milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, sprinkle agar over top, and set aside.
2. Bring 1 cup of the soy milk (not the stuff from step 1) and the vanilla bean/scrapings to bubbling over medium heat in a saucepan. While it is heating, whisk the sugar and cornstarch (and tumeric, if using) together in a medium bowl, then whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup of soy milk. When the soy milk on the stove is bubbling around the edges, remove the vanilla bean and slowly whisk it into the sugar/cornstarch/soy milk mixture.
3. Return the mixture to the saucepan over medium heat, add the soy milk/agar mixture, and bring to bubbling, whisking constantly. Cook for 2-3 mins, or until the agar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in margarine. When thickened, pour into a clean bowl (pour through a sieve if the vanilla bean left any chunks behind) and cover with plastic wrap to prevent that scummy layer from forming. Poke a few holes in the plastic wrap to let the steam escape. Let sit to cool to room temperature.

To make the pie:
1. Toss the banana slices in the juice and Grand Marnier. Pour half of the pastry cream into the pie shell, then layer all the banana slices on top. Top that with the remaining pastry cream and smooth out the top. Top with plastic wrap and put in the fridge to fully set (this will take a few hours).
2. When ready to serve, remove from fridge and top with coconut cream.

This is a pie you can make the day before and let sit in the fridge. It really does taste fabulous the next day.

An Anniversary Feast from The Conscious Cook

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 23:33:00 +0000

Last week Vegan Mom and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary with a 4 course meal courtesy of The Conscious Cook. I'm not used to making food with so many components so I really felt like I was on some cooking show. I tried to pick recipes that could use the bounty of garden-fresh produce that is bursting from the fridge and came up with this:
The appetizer was Twice-Baked Potatoes. This was supposed to be Twice-Baked Fingerling Potatoes with Crisped Dulse but I could not find fingerling potatoes at the store and I did not realize I was out of dulse. Still, these were very tasty and I loved the kick from the horseradish.
Next course Very Green Salad with Cucumber, Kohlrabi, Sweet Onions and Herb Vinaigrette. Well, the title pretty much says it all. Simple and tasty.
Entree: Old Bay Tofu Cakes with Pan-Roasted Summer Vegetables, Horseradish Cream, Apples, and Beets. This was time consuming but awesome. The tofu cake recipe makes waaaaay too much (12 small cakes, my eye!), so I served it to the kids the next day and they loved them. I also had to add 2 tbsp of wheat gluten to get the cakes to hold together.

Dessert was Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Orange Sauce. This tasted great but did not set (hence no picture). I would love to try it again with more agar agar.

Chokecherry Jelly

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 02:18:00 +0000

At the beginning of August a neighbour tipped me off that there were about a bazillion chokecherries growing along the old train tracks. So, I trekked off and picked hug bowl. I have never used chokecherries before so I went to the interwebs for a recipe. I went with this one and followed it more or less. First, it's pretty much impossible to crush a chokecherry. They are rather pulpy and have very little juice. I also ended up adding about 3 cups of water and crushed them as they cooked, then let it drip over night. The resulting juice was milky pink, but the final jelly a lovely purple-red. The jelly is mellower than currant jelly, and is lovely on toast in the morning.

Happy 8th Birthday, Son #2!

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 01:41:00 +0000

Today is Son #2's birthday and that meant cake! He, of course, wanted a Harry Potter cake. The library does not have the Harry Potter cake pan (which is OK, because it's kind of lame) so he chose the open book pan. Over the week we brainstormed ideas about what kind of book it could be: a spell book, the Half-Blood Prince's potions textbook, etc. We finally decided that it would be fun to do the story within the story: Beedle the Bard's Tale of the Three Brothers from The Deathly Hallows. I was thinking I could make the book like an old illuminated manuscript--the question became how to do it in buttercream. I knew planning was involved so I made a life-size sketch to work out the word spacing and picture placement. Even so, you'll notice I had to leave off the title because I ended up enlarging the picture on the first page, and some words ended up taking up more space in frosting.
The cake itself is a quadruple vanilla cupcake recipe with the oil reduced by 1/4. This made for a fluffier cake that baked up nicely in 45 mins at 350. The icing is a single recipe of buttercream. But, at first I did not add any soy milk--this became the foundation icing for the pages. I wanted something thick and durable. I coloured about half of it with orange, yellow, and brown to make it look like aged paper. I spread it on and let it dry for 20 mins, then flattened the icing by pressing on it with a piece of parchment paper. I added some soy milk to the remaining icing for the text and pictures.
As for the pictures, I made cutouts of the figures and pressed them into the icing by gently pushing along the edges with a toothpick. I think this was a great method because it allows for fine detail and sharp edges. Basically I filled the depressions with icing (#1 tip again) which is easier than trying to keep a steady hand all the time.
The text icing is a mix of red and black and was piped on, letter by letter, with a #1 tip. I guess all that calligraphy as a kid paid off. The shading around the figures is done by thinning the colouring gel with vodka (a tip from one of my Facebook followers) and painting it one with a brush. I love this technique. The alcohol evaporates off and you get a wonderful watercolour effect. I also used this technique to colour in the brother standing at the back. I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture, but his figure is depressed into the icing and has no buttercream. So you get a sense of depth in colour and in actual relief. I used a mix of blue, purple, and black.

The vines are moss green and piped on using a #3 tip. The page edges is the leftover moss green and blue shadow icing mixed together.
All in all, this was a very fun, but pretty hard, cake to make. I liked the artistic challenge of making something more original and it certainly got a lot of ooohs and aaahs from the neighbours we invited over to partake.

Summer Chowder

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 20:09:00 +0000

The weather has been a bit colder since the calendar turned to August so it did not seem weird to eat a hot soup during the summer. But, even if it was hot I think I would still make this delicious, creamy chowder made of seasonal ingredients. The corn and cauliflower came from a local farm, and the garlic, shallots, and potatoes from my garden.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 4 to 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 small cauliflower, chopped (about 5 cups)
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 3 cups peeled potato, diced (Yukon Gold is nice), divided
- water
- kernels from 2 ears of corn
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onions and celery for 5 mins, then add shallots and garlic. Saute for another 5 mins until soft and translucent but not golden.
2. Add cashews, 1 cup of the potato, and the cauliflower. Add enough water to almost cover the veggies (i.e. a few should be poking out). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 mins, until veggies are very soft.
3. While cauliflower is cooking, boil the remaining potatoes in salted water until just tender (about 5 mins for fresh potatoes). Add corn and cook for another 2 mins, until corn is tender. Drain.
4. Blend cauliflower with an immersion blender until very smooth (a good 5 mins). Add more water if too thick. Add nutritional yeast, if using, and season with salt and pepper. Add potatoes and corn and mix well. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Ciabatta

noreply@blogger.com (Vegan Dad) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:56:00 +0000

I am back with another video installment: a bread baking double feature! This time, ciabatta. The secret to a chewy ciabatta with those characteristic holes is a very wet dough that you handle and shape on a floured surface. As long as you keep things well-floured your bread making adventure won't devolve into a sticky mess. The video is rather long but I wanted to show the shaping in real time. It made me realize that I pat/fondle my dough a lot. You'll see what I mean. The recipes are, of course, from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. Start the day before you want to make the bread with the poolish--I think it tastes better after being in the fridge overnight. I use a stand mixer to make the ciabatta dough, but Reinhart says you can do it with a spoon. I have yet to try that.

Poolish (a bread pre-ferment) from Vegan Dad on Vimeo.

Poolish
INGREDIENTS
- 11.25 oz (2.5 cups) bread flour
- 12 oz (1.5 cups) water, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp instant yeast

Ciabatta from Vegan Dad on Vimeo.

Ciabatta
INGREDIENTS
- poolish, from above
- 13.5 oz (3 cups) bread flour
- 1 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
- 6 oz (3/4 cup) lukewarm water