So I had a baby. Now I have no time. So I use MANY vegan life hacks (5 recipes included)!

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Meatless Monday Family Dinners, QUICKIES!, Shopping Vegan and tagged with accidentally vegan, allergen free, almond, betty crocker, beyond meat, Catalina dressing, cheese, chocolate, chocolate chip pancakes, cinnamon rolls, dairy free, daiya, dessert, earth balance, Easy, Fast, feisty crumbles, havarti, Kraft, Low Ingredient, meatless mondays, pancakes, Party, peanut butter cookies, penzey's, pillsbury, quesadilla, quick, recipe, salad, taco, taco salad, tostada, Vegan, vegan cronut, vegan products to buy, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat December 15, 2014

I had a baby a few weeks back. I was very ill before that causing a HUGE lull in my blogging and quite honestly my eating as well. I developed preeclampsia and could barely eat anything or walk, before that I got C-Diff… again no eating mostly doing the opposite of eating. I was the worst pregnant lady ever. If I was glowing it was strictly from swelling and fever. Thank goodness that is over. And let us welcome my vegan baby Solana Bray!

That all aside… I am getting back into my kitchen. Cooking when I can. Thinking of new recipes and enjoying my short moments of quiet when they come. The baby is out of the NICU (newborn intensive care unit, she was only 3lbs at birth but look at those cheeks now!) and at home so these moments are rare nowadays and my two stepchildren came to live with us in August. I think it is easy to tell that things have been hectic. So today I wanted to share some of my yummy vegan life hacks that I have been using to get through meal and snack times after work and on the weekends.

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VEGAN HACK RECIPES:

Peanut Butter Cookies: Use Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix and then sub out eggs with Egg Replacer. They come out perfect. I also use a silpat instead of cooking them directly on a cookie sheet because they are a little more crumbly. Let them sit for a few minutes before serving or else they fall apart.

Cinnamon Rolls: Use Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and don’t separate them at the triangle perforations or buy the dough itself if you can find it. They spread with Earth Balance Buttery Spread and sprinkle with cinnamon, brown sugar, and Penzey’s Vanilla Sugar. Roll up and then cut into 8-10 mini rolls. Bake for about 8-10 minutes until browned. Again, I use a silpat because they get sticky :).

Cheese Quesadilla: Grab some tostadas from the Mexican section of your grocery. I prefer Maizada. Top with crumbled Daiya Jalapeno Havarti. Microwave for about 30-45 seconds and top with another tostada and microwave 10 more seconds. Enjoy!

Taco Salad: I eat this for lunch almost everyday lately. Chop up 1 head of iceberg lettuce. Add shredded carrots. Toss with Catalina dressing. Then mix in cooked Beyond Meat Feisty Crumbles (I make 2 packages) and crushed Fritos. It will be your favorite lunch, I promise. My step kids adore it as a quick dinner as well!

Chocolate Chip Pancakes: 4 cups Bisquick, 3 1/2 cups Silk soy creamer, 1/2 tablespooon of Penzey’s almond extract, 1 cup of Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips. Mix and cook on a skillet sprayed with Pam Canola Oil Spray. These are amazing. As a quick trick sprinkle some Penzey’s Vanilla Sugar on the raw side before you flip it and they are amazing! What a treat! Makes enough for 4-6 hungry people.

And there is always this very easily veganized “cronut” recipe to indulge in if these weren’t enough to make your holiday happier!

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Happy Holidays! Much Love! Food is Love!

Enjoy!

The Hippie Gypsy.

REBLOG: Chocolate Chip Cheesecake by Lucy’s Friendly Foods

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Guest Contributer Articles, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts, QUICKIES! and tagged with cake, cheese, cheesecake, chocolate, chocolate chip cheesecake, cream cheese, dessert, Easy, holiday, Low Ingredient, quick, reblog, recipe, tofutti, vanilla, Vegan, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat March 12, 2014

This is certainly a must to reblog. It looks tasty and beautiful for spring. I would need to make a few alterations due to the change in country but seems easy enough to alter! It also has Tofutti as a main ingredient which is a favorite of mine! I would even consider topping with sliced fruit. Enjoy… Chocolate Chip Cheesecake.

Ooey Gooey Vegan S’mores Cheesecake Trifle

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts, Traveling Vegan and tagged with betty crocker, breyer's, brownie, cake, cheese, cheesecake cream, chocolate, chocolate cake, Coconut, coconut milk, Coconut Whipped Cream, cream cheese, dandies, dessert, Easy, Fast, fudge brownies, holiday, hot fudge, kitchen torch, libby's, Low Ingredient, marshamallows, meatless mondays, Party, pastry, Pie, potluck, pumpkin, quick, recipe, smores, tofutti, tofutti better than cream cheese, travel, trifle, vanilla, Vegan, vegan cheesecake, vegan cream cheese whipped cream, vegan graham crackers, vegan hot fudge, vegan marshamallows, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat December 20, 2013

I joined the Wellness Committee at my work a few months back. I thought it was important to have a truly opposite opinion to the mainstream ideas of health in such a group. One that focused not on conventional “healthy” recipes and ways of being “well” but one that is a little more alternative. I am obviously a vegan but I am also a bit of a hippie and very interested in how wellness is also about being mentally well and taking care of the earth to result in healthy food and a healthy planet. This holiday season we had a Christmas/Holiday/Seasonal get together/luncheon at work. The Wellness Group sponsored it and although it was healthi-er I think we have a long way to go. I must say that I did prepare a not so perfectly healthy trifle for the baking contest so I am as much at fault as anyone on the healthiness of this luncheon. To me this recipe is far from healthy but for the group, I think they will find it the healthiest option on the table with all things considered. Take a look and Happy Holidays! (PS I won the contest!)

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S’mores Cheesecake Trifle

Ingredients:

2 packages Vegan Marshmallows
2 containers Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
2 cans of Coconut Milk (refrigerated overnight or longer to separate)
1 cup powdered organic vegan sugar
1 squeeze bottle of Breyer’s Hot Fudge Sauce (vegan and sold at Walmart)
1 box of Fudge Brownie Mix (Betty Crocker is vegan)
2 cans of pureed pumpkin
1 box Chocolate Cake Mix (many vegan varieties are available)
1 package of graham crackers

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Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Get out (2) medium mixing bowls.
Get 1 smaller pie pan and 1 regular sized cake pan.
Get out your trifle container.
Spray cake and pie pan with Coconut Oil spray or some Pam-type equivalent of canola oil.
Open cans of coconut milk and slowly remove top layer of coconut milk fat and leave coconut water at the bottom. Try to remove as little wet material as possible. Place in one mixing bowl with cream cheese. Mix until combined well. Sift in powdered sugar with a sieve or squeeze sifter. I use a plastic $1.99 sieve I got at the Chinese grocery store and it works great. No need for anything fancy! Place bowl of cream in refrigerator.
In second bowl prepare brownie mix with one can of pureed pumpkin. Combine the two until smooth. Place in Pie Pan.
In the second bowl (do not wipe) add cake mix and 2nd can of pureed pumpkin. Combine well until smooth and place batter in cake pan.

Cooking:

Place both batters into oven. The cake will take approximately 30 minutes and the brownies will take approximately 50-55 minutes.
Take squeeze fudge and line the bottom of the trifle bowl. The cake will be going in the bottom and tends to be crumbly. This will give the appearance on the exterior glass of a neat chocolate line while also keeping the moisture of the cake in.
Next, cut or tear marshmallows in half. This will allow for them to be stuck to the glass and cake when layering.
When the cake comes out. Take the trifle bowl and press through to the bottom of the pan. This will create a circular indent. Most trifle bowls are smaller on the bottom than the top. That is why you place the cake and not brownie in the bottom. Cake will squish down and together so it will fit despite the slight size difference.
Flip the pan over on a wire rack to unlodge from pan and cool.
Once cool, tear away edges from the circular imprint and press down into the trifle bowl.
The fudge will make up for any imperfections. Feel free to add more fudge in a circle on top to finish the layer. Then place a few dots on top of the cake to prepare for marshmallows.
Press marshmallows up against the glass all around the bowl and then on top of the cake/fudge layer.
Take out a creme brulee style kitchen torch and brown the cake layers. Be careful lot to get too close the the glass. Not all glass is heat friendly.
Fill in holes between marshmallows with some fudge. Then crumble graham crackers on top. I used 1 package from a box. Approximately 8 sheets (you can reserve some for top layer if you want or just use more!).
Next place 1/3 of the cheesecake cream in the center of the crackers but try to avoid bringing the liquid too close to the edges.
Now add the brownie layer once it has been removed from the oven and cooled on a wire rack. You do not need to make a circular cut on this. Simply cut a triangular piece of brownie out of the “pie” and then it will allow for you to fold it into the trifle bowl by almost overlapping the edges where the cut was made. It also allows for you to have a snack 🙂
Next add the rest of the cheesecake cream and decorate with marshmallows, fudge, and crumbled grahams. I like to line the edge again with marshmallows and place a dollop of fudge between for a nice finish on it 🙂
Refrigerate overnight to settle. Serve cold. Enjoy!

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Food is Love.

The Hippie Gypsy

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Check My Recipe Out on Tofutti.com also!

https://twitter.com/tofuttibrand/status/412642439371816960/photo/1

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=698712053479883&set=a.192319737452453.46978.148368278514266&type=1&theater

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/550916966888690463/

http://www.tofutti.com/vegan-smores/

Perfect. Toll-House-Style. Vegan. Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts, QUICKIES!, Traveling Vegan and tagged with chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, cookies, costco, dessert, earth balance, Easy, Fast, flax, flax egg, flour, holiday, kirkland vegan, Low Ingredient, low sodium, maple syrup, meatless mondays, Party, potluck, quick, recipe, salt, sugar, toll house, travel, vanilla, Vegan, vegan chocolate chip cookies, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat November 25, 2013

I love chocolate chip cookies. I love chocolate chip cookie dough even more. And in an honest, yet disgusting unveiling of my inner glutton, I love when you cream the butter, vanilla, and sugar together to make chocolate chip cookies. When I was a kid I used to try to steal dollops of the creamed mixture when my mom wasn’t looking. It was so good. I am glad I didn’t know about salmonella poisoning back then or the fat content of whole butter. Luckily with vegan baking, that salmonella is never a problem so yea… eat all the cookie dough you want! Also my brother is coming for Thanksgiving Dessert with his wife and my first and only nephew Baby Nolan and he (my brother) is a cookie monster, so I wanted to be able to make him chocolate chip cookies that I could also eat and so could any of my dairy intolerant family. My brother loves cookies so much I got him a replica cookie jar from our childhood for Christmas last year and it was not easy to find an owl cookie jar either! This will definitely be an experience thanks to my cookies 🙂

That being said here is my chocolate chip cookie recipe that I have been working on for ages. Every time I start I become uninspired by dry cookie dough (which every vegan can relate to due to the lack of eggs) and of course the ones that crumble or the ones that don’t taste quite right. These are not any of those. They are gooey and crunchy on the edges and melt until they are just thin enough but still soft inside. If you love cookies… you will also love me after you make this recipe.

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Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup of earth balance organic buttery spread
2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup
3 flax eggs (3 tablespoons of water and 1 tbsp powdered flax per egg)
2 tablespoons of vanilla extract (I use Penzey’s Mexican)
1 and 1/4 cups of vegan sugar (try half brown sugar if you have it for a richer flavor)
2.5 cups of all purpose unbleached flour
1-2 teaspoons of salt (I use kosher)
1 cup of vegan semisweet chocolate chips (I used Kirkland (Costco brand) this time instead of Whole Foods)

*Optional: 1 cup of walnuts or pecans

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MIXING TIME!

Place all dry ingredients (except chocolate) in a medium to small bowl. Mix until well combined.
Cream butter and sugar together in a larger bowl with a mixer. Then place all wet ingredients into the bowl and mix until well combined.
If you have never made a flax egg all you do is place warm water in a bowl and pulverize flaxseeds in a coffee grinder until powdered and stir. It’s that easy.
Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until a dough forms. I use my hands but a mixer works well too.
Last toss in chocolate chips and any nuts and knead into the dough. It will be a little oily.

BAKE:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place a silpat or parchment on your baking sheet. These cookies WILL STICK OTHERWISE! This is very important.
Once the oven is completely preheated, place balls of cookie dough on the silpat or parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake for 20-22minutes.
Remove let sit for 5-10minutes and then transfer to a cookie cooling rack.
Makes 3 dozen. Enjoy!

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FOOD IS LOVE.

The Hippie Gypsy

My Vegan and Omnivore Family Thanksgiving Menu

Posted by LD in Holiday Recipes, Menus and tagged with apinach artichoke dip, apple, Au Gratin, beet, cake, carrots, casserole, cheese, chocolate, cookies, cranberry, dessert, Easy, Fast, field roast, food allergies, gravy, holiday, how to cook for thanksgiving with a vegan, macaroni, maple, martha stewart, mashed potatoes, meatless mondays, mushroom, Party, pears, Pie, Potatoes, potluck, prosciutto, pumpkin, quick, recipe, roasted veggies, salad, scalloped potatoes, spinach dip, squash, stuffed mushrooms, stuffing, thanksgiving, thanksgiving menu, travel, turkey, Vegan, vegan and omnivore holiday, vegan and regular thanksgiving, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat November 19, 2013

I am going to officially post my Thanksgiving Day menu here for all to see. I know there will be questions and recipes wanted and over the next week I will try to post those too. I truly delight in the Holiday cooking I get to do. Making food for my family and friends is fun because not only do you get the joy of the cooking process but you get the joy of watching others feel happy and healthy and nourished and maybe a little stuffed on something you created. I also find it amazing how we extract things from the earth to make our bodies fuel. One would say if something is on the ground not to eat it but Thanksgiving is the holiday of root vegetables. Of course they get a heavy rinsing but its kind of a strange concept how we shun some things afoot but not others if prepared properly.

I know there will be confusion as some of these items are not vegan but I do have an all omnivore family so I pepper in a few items that are not vegan (*denoted with an asterisk* ). Prosciutto Pear Cups are not vegan. They are a Martha Stewart recipe that I used to make pre-vegan and my family still asks for and I make in mini muffin pans chopping the pears into tiny pieces and tossing with shreds of fresh Parmesan. The cheese will be a mix of vegan and vegetarian. I eat honey but I know many vegans do not so I denoted it with an asterisk (and you can always use agave!). The turkey and gravy is not vegan (obviously) but there is a mushroom alternative and my own vegan Field Roast Turkey. Everything else is vegan. The potato au gratin is one of my favorite things to make and the cranberry upside down cake has become a requested staple from my husband and was of my late grandmother. Enjoy!

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MY THANKSGIVING MENU
“In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it’s wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert

Appetizers:

Stuffed Mushrooms with Sundried Tomato Béchamel

Prosciutto Pear Cups with Parmesan Cheese Garnish*

Spinach Artichoke Dip in Bread Bowl with Carrot Sticks

Crackers (vegan)/Cheese Tray*

Sliced Bosc Pears

Honey to Drizzle Cheese and Pears*

Assorted Nuts

Dinner:

Turkey & Gravy ( For the Omnivores, organic, and locally sourced)*

Field Roast En Croute

Stuffing

Mashed Potatoes

Potatoes Au Gratin

Mushroom Gravy

Maple Roasted Veggies: Carrots, Sweet Potato, Shallots, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Fennel

Roasted Beet Salad: Beets, Olive Oil, S&P, Balsamic Vinegar

Butternut Squash Macaroni Casserole

Butternut Squash: Steamed and Pureed with Earth Balance on top

Homemade Cranberry Sauce: Sugar and Cranberries!

Jellied Cranberry Sauce: Most likely Ocean Spray Canned

Rolls

Dessert:

Pumpkin Pie: Whole Foods

Cranberry Upside Down Cake: Homemade

Caramel Apple Pie

Chocolate Chip Cookies: Homemade

Coffee

Tea: Yogi Kava and Yogi Detox are always in my house.

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FOOD IS LOVE.

The Hippie Gypsy

Pistachio Vegan Creme Brulee

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts and tagged with agave, allspice, avocado, brulee, cashew, cream, cream cheese, creme brulee, custard, dessert, jar, mason jar dessert, nut, pistachio, soy, soy creamer, sugar, vanilla September 11, 2013

When I was a kid we would go to this little Tavern down the street from my house. It was called the North Pond House back then. It was next to North Pond and boasted karaoke and traditional english pub fare. I ate a lot of fish and chips there and regrettably sang a lot of karaoke as a child (which everyone clapped but I am sure it was funnier than it was actually entertaining). For dessert however they had this ice cream called Spumoni which was an Italian layered slice of heaven as far as I was concerned as a kid (I also think this was an 80s dessert because I never see it anymore). I loved the green layer of pistachio. Pistachio ice cream was a luxury that was not in my fridge at home often. We did popsicles at home. So I loved these visits where I could indulge in my pistachio layer of ice cream. It seemed so fancy back then. So when I was testing creme brulee recipes I remembered my fall visits to the pub with the smell of fireplaces and pumpkins and haystacks in front of the doors of the neighborhood near the pond which was cirlced in orange and red leaves. Pistachio creme brulee would be amazing. I said to myself this weekend “Let’s see if we can make it work”. And I did. Enjoy!

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Pistachio Creme Brulee

Ingredients:

1/2cup raw cashews
1/2cup pistachios
1 avocado (skin and seed removed)
1/4cup raw agave
1/3cup sugar
1 1/2teaspoon agar agar powder (this is vegan gelatin powder found in the asian section of the grocery store)
1teaspoon arrowroot powder/starch (don’t use cornstarch due to the high heat, arrowroot is better)
1 1/4cups Soy Creamer
1 heaping tablespoon of Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
Pinch of Salt
1teaspoon allspice
1/4teaspoon of Vanilla Extract (I use Penzey’s) (or use almond extract)

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Preparation

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor and mix until smooth. This batter will be quite thick. Consider stirring it with a spatula if needed.

If you do not have a high powered mixer soak cashews and pistachios for at least 4 hours or overnight so that the batter will not be grainy. Also, place half the nuts in at first and the second half after most ingredients have liquified.

Cook

Preheat oven to 375degrees.

Fill a casserole dish with water to go halfway the height of the jars you in tend on placing the brulee mixture in. I have used both mason jars and square ramekins before and both come out well. Then sprinkle each jar bottom with extra pistachios. It’s a fun surprise on the bottom. Also remove metal presses from the jars. They will be so redhot it is better to pop them off now.

Pour batter into each jar allowing a little space so that they do not spill over as the casserole dish will be heavy with all the water in it. You need to be careful not to allow water into the jars.

Cook for at least 30 minutes or until the batter is wiggly but not liquidy and slightly firm on top.

Chill

Take jars out of the water with tongs and place on a towel on a drying rack. Let cool 15 minutes and then transfer into the refrigerator for 2-4hours.

Brulee

After the creme is completely firm and chilled through and you are ready to serve. …Take sugar, sprinkle a good layer on each creme top, and brulee with a hand torch until the sugar bubbles, browns, and quickly hardens.

Serve Immediatly.

Serves 6. WW Points 6.

(PS Any of these can be simply custard without the brulee if you do not have a torch)

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Apple Cheesecake Vegan Creme Brulee

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts and tagged with agar, agar agar, apple, apple cheesecake, apple cinnamon, apple pie spice, arrowroot, autumn, brulee, cake, cashew, cheese, cheesecake, cheesecake creme brulee, cinnamon, cream, cream cheese, creme brulee, dessert, Easy, fall, Fast, holiday, low sodium, macintosh, maple, maple syrup, meatless mondays, Party, quick, recipe, thanksgiving dessert, vanilla, Vegan, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat September 10, 2013

The fall weather has officially started here in Coastal Massachusetts. This weekend I started raking, trimming back trees, turned off the Central Air, and opened up all the windows in my house. The cool air made the sheer window coverings sweep the floors from the wind like a chiffon wedding dress. It was a beautiful weekend. I could smell chocolate chip cookies and ocean air from my deck and I even kicked it off with a trip to the Brimfield Antiques Fair which just screams “Welcome Fall”. Together my mother and I picked up a red rocking horse for my nephew Nolan, a few records for my new record player, a set of silverware that completed a set I had inherited which was just dumb luck!, a buddha painted in reds and blues and gold for my side garden to go just underneath the chimes, and a poster from the 1980’s when a friend of mine ran for office which I will make him sign because it was such a fun find! Who doesn’t love a gigantic yard sale? I would be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t have a good time at these events. I then went over to my aunt’s to help her pack up her apartment to move to her dream destination. I am so proud of her. I know she appreciates a good dessert. So this weekend I worked on puddings.

Fall is the time for puddings both warm and cold. There are bread puddings (my mom’s favorite) and the more exciting french puddings like the creme brulee and then there are the puddings I would never eat like black pudding. My favorite has always been a vanilla bean creme brulee with a good crunchy crust and a thick custard filling but not to sweet to offset the brulee. My parents would bring us to brunch on Easter and Mother’s day and I would always run over to make sur ethe hotel had the little ramekins of this dessert. So I tried to replicate it now as a vegan with a few fall fun flavors. This is my first of a series of three I will post this week (all tested and approved by the omnivore husband). They are all easy to prepare (35minutes max) but the cooling process (2hrs min.) causes it to be something you have to make in advance. Since everyone in the office was talking about apple picking on Friday we shall start with apple! Enjoy!

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Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake Creme Brulee

Ingredients:

1/2cup raw cashews
(2) Macintosh Apples Cored, Peeled, Diced
1/4cup maple syrup
1/3cup sugar
1tablespoon agar agar powder (this is vegan gelatin powder found in the asian section of the grocery store)
1tablespoon arrowroot powder/starch (don’t use cornstarch due to the high heat, arrowroot is better)
1 1/4cups Soy Creamer
2 heaping tablespoons of Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
Pinch of Salt
1teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon-1tablespoon Apple Pie Spice (depends on your pallet, I use a little more)
1/2teaspoon of Vanilla Extract (I use Penzey’s)

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Preparation

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor and mix until smooth.

If you do not have a high powered mixer soak cashews for at least 4 hours or overnight so that the batter will not be grainy.

Cook

Preheat oven to 375degrees.

Fill a casserole dish with water to go halfway the height of the ramekins or jars you in tend on placing the brulee mixture in. I have used both mason jars and square ramekins before and both come out well.

Pour batter into each ramekin allowing a little space so that they do not spill over as the casserole dish will be heavy with all the water in it. You need to be careful not to allow water into the ramekins.

Cook for at least 30 minutes or until the batter is wiggly but not liquidy and slightly firm on top.

Chill

Take ramekins out of the water with tongs and place on a towel on a drying rack. Let cool 15 minutes and then transfer into the refrigerator for 2-4hours.

Brulee

Serve Immediatly.

Serves 6. WW Points 6.

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Bundt Cake

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts, Traveling Vegan and tagged with allergen free, almond, blueberry, brunch, bundt cake, cake, cupcake, dairy free, dessert, Easy, eggless, extract, gluten free option, holiday, lemon, lemon blueberry, meatless mondays, nut free, Party, pastry, potluck, recipe, travel, vanilla, Vegan, vegan lemon blueberry cake, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat August 23, 2013

I use two cookbooks when making cakes in most cases either Chef Chloe’s cookbook “Chloe’s Kitchen” or the “Joy of Vegan Baking”. The Joy of Vegan Baking has an excellent Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake Recipe if I remember correctly. For the purposes of this cake we are doctoring up Chef Chloe’s vanilla cake recipe (www.chefchloe.com) and making it a lemon blueberry cake for brunch in honor of my Mother’s birthday this past week.

My family is big on brunch. We do Easter brunch every year and for most informal birthday or family get togethers. We are great at doing brunch and I have been to so many hotel brunches all over the world I feel spoiled by them during my Sunday indulgences. I think that brunch is so much fun for everyone because it encourages good eating through small portions and copious amounts of veggie and fruit options even when they are not always attached to vegan items. There are fruit cups, quiches, and omelettes filled with veggie fillings so I am all about it! However, the pastries and baked goods are always filled with eggs and dairy so I am going to change that today with this travel friendly recipe to bring to your next family soiree. I promise everyone will love it. I have made it for a potluck at work a few years ago and recently for a family get together after the funeral of my grandmother and as the only vegan I always suffer the “this tastes different” criticism. But not with this cake. Even my Dad was found picking at it long after brunch was over!

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Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

1 lemon
1 cup of fresh blueberries (plus 1 cup for garnish)
1 jar lemon marmalade (for garnish)
1 tbsp of Lemon Extract
3 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour plus 1 ½ teaspoon xanthan gum)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cups soy milk
1 cup canola oil
¼ cup white or apple cider vinegar (I use ACV not white)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (I use Penzey’s Mexican Vanilla Extract)

TIME TO BAKE!

Chef Chloe’s Vanilla Cake Recipe with my additions in bold caps:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease three 8 or 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together nondairy milk (I USE ORGANIC SOYMILK) , oil, vinegar, and vanilla (ALSO ADD THE ZEST OF ONE LEMON RIND AND 1TBSP OF LEMON EXTRACT AND 2 TBSP OF LEMON JUICE.)
Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not over mix. (THEN SPRINKLE 1 CUP OF FRESH BLUEBERRIES LIGHTLY WITH FLOUR AND FOLD INTO BATTER. THE FLOUR HELPS THEM FROM SINKING STRAIGHT TO THE BOTTOM OF THE CAKE PAN.)
Fill each prepared (BUNDT) cake pan evenly with batter. Bake for (20-30) minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs clinging to it. Rotate the cakes halfway through the baking time. Cool the cakes completely before assembly.
I then flip the cake over on a cake pedestle and sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh blueberries in the center. I serve this with lemon marmalade that I buy when it is on sale at Christmas Tree Shops since they are famous for having sales on jars of jellies.

Enjoy!

Serves 12.

WW POINTS: 9pts per serving. (Based on 12 servings)

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Fillo Primavera: Veggie and Cheese Filled Pastries

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Appetizers, Meatless Monday Desserts, Meatless Monday Family Dinners, QUICKIES! and tagged with Alfredo Sauce, broccoli, cheese, chicken, cinnamon, cream cheese, daiya, dessert, Easy, Fast, Fillo, Fillo Factory, Fillo Primavera, garlic, holiday, Low Ingredient, low sodium, meatless mondays, olive oil, onion, Party, pastry, Pie, potluck, primavera, quick, recipe, tomato, tomatoes, Vegan, vegan pastries, vegetable pastry, vegetarian, veggie and cheese pastries, Victoria Vegan Alfredo Sauce, what to eat, what vegans eat August 20, 2013

I love that there are so many types of pastry and dough on the market that are vegan. Mostly because Crisco and Shortening are vegan, not healthy, but vegan none the less. So when I was craving something like a Beef Wellington pastry I thought oooh I bet I could make those with fillo dough, pie dough, Pillsbury Croissant Dough, or even pizza dough! So for my first attempt I didn’t go straight to the Gardein Beef but instead to some veggies and Daiya cheese but please feel free to try these with any type of faux meat, vegetable, cheese, or even fruit! The Farmer’s Markets are brimming with good things lately so I encourage you to experiment with this. Make an eggplant parm fillo or even a butternut squash one with a pinch of cinnamon and brown sugar try a dessert fillo with peaches and earth balance , sugar, ginger, and cardamom. Whatever you can imagine will fit perfectly in this dough!

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Fillo Primavera

1 box Organic Fillo Dough
1 head broccoli
2 tomatoes
1 block Daiya Havarti Cheese
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Dehydrated Onions
Olive Oil
Optional: 1 Container of Victoria Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce or Rao’s Marinara Sauce (Victoria Vegan Alfredo Sauces are available at www.veganessentials.com and Rao’s Sauces are available in most grocery stores including Whole Foods)

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Prepare!

Chop all veggies into tiny pieces to accommodate the fillo packages that will go in the muffin pan.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray muffin pans lightly with olive oil.
Cut fillo dough into squares twice as large as the muffin tin holes.
Place at least 3 sheets of the fillo dough square into each muffin tin hole.
Spray dough with olive oil, sprinkle with Salt, Pepper, and Spices.
Place chopped veggies and crumbled cheese into each fillo muffin.
Add 1-2 tsp of optional sauces at this time like Victoria Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo or Rao’s Marinara.
Sprinkle tops with more salt, pepper, and spices.
Bring excess dough to a point and twist. Spray with olive oil and a sprinkle of finishing salt.

Cook!

Bake for at least 15minutes or until the dough on top starts to darken and the dough separates from the sides of the muffin tin. It may take longer depending on how dense your cups and what types of ingredients you filled it with.
Note: Use more fill sheets for juicier fruits and veggies and less for more dense foods like chicken and broccoli.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Broiled or Grilled Peaches with Caramel Sauce

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts, QUICKIES! and tagged with broiled peaches, cake, caramel sauce, cupcake, dessert, Easy, Fast, grill, grilled peaches, ice cream, Low Ingredient, low sodium, Party, peach, peaches, quick, recipe, sugar, vanilla, vanilla spice cake, Vegan, vegan caramel sauce, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat August 13, 2013

In the summer there are a few fruits that just beg me to eat them. Peaches are definitely one of them. The thing about peaches however is that other than eating them raw, putting them in iced tea, or making a galette I was always afraid to do much else with them. I mean they are soft and super juicy and I feared that any sort of cooking would reduce them to a sticky mess. Well the other night I proved my own fears wrong.

I invited a few of my guy friends over to have a cookout at my home with my husband and I. I made spiced vanilla cupcakes from the box (Organics brand using egg replacer and a dash of Penzey’s Cake spice then finished them off with a vanilla sugar). Then I took fresh peaches from my local Whole Foods in Swampscott and sliced them in half cut out the pit and put the oven on. The grill was off limits since my husband had been grilling steaks on there for the guys and I was not putting my peaches on that mess. Yuck.

The result was a softened warm juicy half peach enrobed in a quick stovetop caramel drizzle next to a slice of delicate vanilla spice cake. It was heaven and it was quick. Even the guys sighed when they ate them.

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Here is how I did it:

3 peaches
Coconut Spray Oil (like Pam but with Coconut Oil, I use Spectra brand)
1 Earth Balance Buttery Stick
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Soy Creamer

Preheat oven at 400degrees.
Wash peaches to slightly de-fuzz them.
Slice peaches in half and remove the pit.
Spray a cookie sheet with Coconut Oil.
Melt 2tbsp of earth balance in a teacup in the microwave and baste the inside and outside of the peaches until well covered.
Place peaches flesh side down on cookie sheet with fuzzy side up.
Bake until they appear to be bubbling juices out about 15-20minutes.
Then turn the broiler on to HI, move the peaches to the top rack, and broil until brown and black spots appear on the top of the peaches about 3minutes. This simulates the grill marks you would get if you grilled them instead. If you were to grill them you would do something similar with keeping them on the top shelf until then were cooked and soft and then bring them down to the lower grill grate to get the grill marks on them.
In a medium sauce pan mix brown sugar, remaining butter, and soy creamer over medium until melted and combined. Be careful it does not burn and stir often.
Once caramel is reduced remove from heat.
Drizzle peaches with caramel and serve with your favorite cakes or ice cream!

SERVES 6.

(WW Points for just Broiled Peach – 3pts for 2 halves)

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Enjoy!

XOXOX, The Hippie Gypsy

The Hippie Gypsy

Food is Love. Will Travel For Veggies. Will Surf for Peace. Be the Change. Practice Compassion.

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