Vegetarian Frugal Housewife

Scintillating Spice Cake

Mama — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:33:17 +0000

“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie.”
~ Jim Davis, 20th-Century American Actor

When I was a child, everyone was crazy about chocolate cake. It seemed to be the star of every birthday party, along with the balloons, presents and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey.

Myself, I’ve never been extremely partial to chocolate. I can enjoy it, to be sure, but I don’t crave it. And, it certainly isn’t at the top of my “yummy” list, whether we are talking about cakes, cookies, candy or ice cream.

I was pretty boring as a kid, preferring oatmeal cookies, white chocolate candy and plain vanilla ice cream. Then, something happened that set up my cake preference for life…I tried my first slice of spice cake.

I honestly have no idea where or when this happened. But I do know that once I tasted it, I never had another cake preference again. Wedding cake? Must be spice cake. Birthday cake? Yup, spice cake. Baby shower? Sign me up for some spice cake!

Other people have harangued me for my choice numerous times. Apparently there are large numbers of people who dislike or even (shudder) hate spice cake. Those people are boring whiners who need to take there Devil’s Food cake and shove off! LOL.

But, my one fault has always been that I have never baked a spice cake myself that did not come out of a box marked Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines. Truly. Never. Not once. Until just this year.

I wanted to make something special for my hubby’s birthday in May. And those of you who read this blog will know that we are healthy food people, or at least natural food people. So, how could I turn to a box.

Well, I couldn’t do that. So, I did my research, practiced a little trial-and-error and ended up with the most moist, lovely, homemade spice cake. It was a big hit (with “Happy Birthday” written in Russian) and was devoured rapidly…more of it by me than anyone else. I can’t help it, I just LOVE spice cake.

Now I have baked it again, confirming its amazingness and am sharing it with you. Enjoy! :o)

Scintillating Spice Cake

Makes: 2 9-inch round layers
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:
1.25 cups whole wheat flour
1.25 cups white flour
1.75 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
.25 tsp salt
1.5 tsp cinnamon
.5 tsp ginger
.5 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
.75 tsp allspice
.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
.75 cup melted butter
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups pumpkin pureé
.5 cup buttermilk
.5 cup milk (I use soy.)*
1 apple, slice very thin

Optional:
raisins
walnuts
applesauce (replace 1.5x for the milk)

Cake Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in one bowl.
3. Combine all wet ingredients in a separate bowl
4. Slowly mix wet into dry ingredients to create a smooth batter.
5. Add any extras (raisins, walnuts etc…)
6. Line bottom of one spring form pan with apple slices
7. Pour in the bottom 1/4 of two buttered springform pans.
8. Bake for 45-55 minutes, testing near the end with a toothpick.
9. Release spring edges and allow to cool for more than 1 hour before frosting.
10. Cut the top of the non-apple lined cake so as to make it flat level.

For Buttercream Frosting:

3.5 cups powdered sugar
1 cup softened butter
.25 cups milk
3 tsp vanilla

Frosting Directions:

1. Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla.
2. Add milk slowly, as necessary, to achieve desired consistency.
3. Cool in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, or as long as needed.
4. Place the leveled cake on the bottom of your cake plate.
5. Frost the top of this level cake.
6. Gently turn the apple-lined cake upside down and place on top of the bottom layer. (This sometimes works better if you refrigerate the cake for an hour first.)
7. Frost top and sides of entire cake generously.
8. Store in a lidded cake carrier or the fridge.

This cake is undeniably GORGEOUS, but just be careful. It can become so gorgeous that it begins to look like a sensible breakfast. It’s not. Try a parfait instead. Save the cake for dessert. ;-)

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Oniony Seabiscuits

Mama — Sun, 15 May 2011 23:21:10 +0000

“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.”
~ Robert Browning, English Poet and Playwright

LOL. I wanted to name these biscuits something cute and that is what I came up with. Don’t know why the taste of them reminded me of seafood. Probably because people alway seem to put onions or garlic, salt and butter together with seafood, so these biscuits taste to me the way that seafood smells. Weird, since they are vegetarian.

Anyway, we live in Nova Scotia now and it is (sadly) still wet, cool and windy in May. While we were out walking along the ocean today I got the urge to come home and make nice, warming biscuits. My problem? No yeast. Hmmmm…

My past experiences with yeast-free breads have not always been failures, but they’ve also not always been edible either. What to do? My only guess, more baking powder.

I also had some savoury ingredients in the fridge and, a real rarity in our house, actual butter (organic of course). So I threw it all together and hoped for the best. Since I am very picky about the consistency of my finished bread products, I didn’t hold my breath that these would be anything other than rock solid and dry.

But, a-ha, hey presto…they came out shockingly fabulous. Soft, flavourful and great when topped with butter, hummus or cheese! I’m so proud.

By the way, though several shallots were sacrificed, no famous race horses were harmed in the making of these seabiscuits. ;-)

Oniony Seabiscuits

Makes: 9-12 biscuits
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 12-18 minutes

Ingredients:
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup rye flour
.5 cup barley flour
3 tbs baking powder
2-3 tbs flax seed (or flax seed meal)
1 tsp salt
1.5 cups rice or soy milk
1-2 tbs honey
.5 cup melted butter (or margarine)
1 large egg (or egg replacer)
3 shallots (sliced fine)
1 large handful fresh chives (chopped)

* optional: 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
* extra milk as needed for consistency

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Mix dry ingredients.

3. Mix wet ingredients. Leave shallots, chives (& cheese) separate.

4. Slowly add wet ingredients into dry, mixing thoroughly with hands or spoon.

5. Fold in shallots, chives (& cheese).

6. Oil a baking sheet, leave a little extra for your hands.

7. With oiled hands, make biscuits by forming thick, flattened balls of dough, roughly palm size.

8. Place on baking sheet, 2-3 inches apart.

9. Bake 12-18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out cleanly.

10. Cool 10 minutes.

11. Serve with butter, hummus, cheese or dip in soup.

Yummy-nummy!

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Lentil Ambrosia Soup

Mama — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:38:29 +0000

“Lentils are friendly—the Miss Congeniality of the bean world.”
~ Laurie Colwin, American Fiction Writer

My confession: I hate peas in a soup! Hate ‘em! But, oddly enough, I absolutely love lentils in a soup! Love ‘em! The whys and hows are a very long story indeed. But, suffice it to say that when I think hearty and I think vegetable soup, I inevitably think lentils. Gotta have ‘em!

To the ancient Greeks, ambrosia was the food or drink of the gods, something that had a lovely scent or flavor an which, when ingested, conveyed immortality. Lentils, with 26% protein, loads of B vitamins, folate and two essential amino acids, will certainly power you up and, when combined with other vegetables, give you the necessary building blocks for a longer and healthier life. The additional herbs and spices in this soup give a most heavenly scent that will tantalize your nose with delight.

As with many of my recipes, I start out with something that is either take-out from a restaurant or a packaged product from the grocery store, and then seek to replicate it with wholesome, healthier ingredients at home. This Lentil Ambrosia Soup recipe was inspired by Amy’s Organic Lentil Soup which, at over $3.00 a can, is somewhat less than economical. Made at home, it is ridiculously economical for how tasty and filling it is. :-)

Lentil Ambrosia Soup

Makes: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
1.5 - 1.75 cups black or brown lentils
.5 cup chunked or cubed tomatoes
4-6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup warm water
half of a celery stalk, diced
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced in rounds
1 medium onion, diced finely
1 small potato, diced or cubed small
.5 of a zucchini, diced
1 tbs nutritional yeast
1 bay leaf
.25 tsp cumin
.25 tsp turmeric
.25 tsp basil
.25 tsp thyme
.12 (1/8) tsp curry
12 (1/8) tsp black pepper
pinch of chili powder
* salt to taste
* extra water or broth as needed

Directions:

1. Chop all veggies and measure out all spices.

2. Mix the nutritional yeast into the cup of warm water until dissolved.

3. Bring that water, the bay leaf and 4 cups of vegetable broth to a low boil.

4. Add the potatoes, cover and simmer for 7 minutes.

5. Add the lentils and reduce heat.

6. Simmer for 10 minutes.

7. Add all spices and the remainder of the vegetables, except the zucchini.

8. Simmer for 20 minutes on low. Stirring occasionally.

9. Add zucchini, checking to see if more liquid (e.g. water or vegetable broth) is needed. Add as needed.

10. Simmer 10 minutes or until you deem it done.

11. Re-season to taste and serve.

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Exceptionally Cute Vegetarians

Mama — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:13:18 +0000

I fell in love with this video when I saw it on Facebook. Just wanted to share it with all of you.

Baby Sloths…the cutest vegetarians you’ll ever see!

Meet the sloths from Amphibian Avenger on Vimeo.

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Vegan Banana Choco-Chip Cookies

Mama — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:55:36 +0000

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
~ Charles M. Schultz, Cartoonist & “Charlie Brown” Creator

Who doesn’t love sweets? Well, okay, maybe someone out there doesn’t…but that someone is definitely NOT me. In fact if it is anything baked, be it savory or sweet, I simply cannot say no to at least one little nibble.

With these cookies being free from eggs, milk and butter, you can enjoy much more than a little nibble and still feel guiltless. They come out chewy and sweet, and even folks who may dislike bananas seem to really like them.

While on vacation in Guatemala recently, my fiancé and I found a little natural foods market near Lake Atitlan which carried all kinds of lovely vegan necessities. (Totally surprising, for Guatemala.) And the greatest thing wasn’t their fresh juice bar, which was groovy, but it was their vegan baked yummies! Delicious!

And that, my friends, was my first foray into using bananas to replace eggs and milk in your cookie recipes.

Inspired by some friends who love chocolate more than anything, I have created these double chocolate cookies with both chips and cocoa (cacao) powder.

You’ll want to make a double batch, trust me!

Vegan Banana Choco-Chip Cookies

Makes: 12-15 cookies
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Oven Temp: 350° F
Cooking Time: 10-14 minutes

Ingredients:
1.25 cups of flour
.5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp salt
.75 cup brown sugar
.25 cup cocoa powder
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
1.5 cups vegan chocolate chips
2 overripe bananas, mashed
2 tbs applesauce or peanut butter
1 tsp olive oil
1.25 tsp vanilla extract
* .25 cup soymilk

Directions:

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add wet, or sticky, ingredients and mix or cut in with a spoon or pastry cutter.

3. Use your hands to work everything together really well.

4. Check the consistency of the dough and add a bit of extra flour or some soymilk to adjust.

5. Place on a greased cookie sheet in lumps or little balls.

6. Cook at 350° F for 10 to 14 minutes. Remove when slightly browned at the edges.

7. Cool for 10 minutes.

Now sit back with some yummy vanilla rice milk and enjoy, Enjoy, ENJOY!!! :-)

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