Cinn-Aparts Heaven

I saw a post by #planetvegan linked to "Vegan Monkey Bread" and HAD to try it.

I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out pretty delicious. I would, however make a few small tweaks. I would use the following ingredients:

THE DOUGH:
1 c almond milk
1/3 c warm water
2 T vegan margarine, melted (I used Earth Balance)
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 T yeast
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour, plus extra for surface work
2 t salt

THE GOO:
1 c brown sugar, packed
2 t cinnamon
1/2 c vegan margarine, melted

THE GLAZE:
3/4 c powdered sugar
2 T almond milk

I'd suggest going to the website (linked above) for full instructions, as she has laid it all out beautifully with photo steps along the way. In addition to the small tweak on the recipe for the goo, I would also suggest baking them for 30-35 minutes if you don't like them quite as soft and doughy, like me. Although to be fair, there was not a single complaint that it was too soft or doughy as I fed the masses today. (Shout-out to Soo-Jin AGAIN just because it makes her happy!)

Coconut Berry Bundt Cake!

I was really excited this past weekend, though it was bittersweet. We went to the closing sale at The World's Biggest Book Store in Toronto. It was sad to see so many empty shelves. Some of the sections were more picked over than others; art & photography books were scarce, mystery novels on the other hand were plentiful.

Lucky for me there were quite a few cook books left over, and even a handful of vegan ones. I managed to snag this one for a whopping $2.50.

My first project was the coconut berry bundt cake. The only adjustment that I made was adding more fruit, which was a so-so decision. I used fresh raspberries and blueberries, but it did make the cake a little soppy for my liking, though none of my work guinea pigs complained.

This is a pretty easy cake to make, you'll need:

2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups raw cane sugar
3/4 cups unsweetened coconut
2 cups of almond milk
2/3 cups oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
2 cups mixed berries

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. As with most baking, mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl and then add in the wet.Stir well and then add the fruit. Pour into a greased bundt cake and bake for 1 hour. I did 7 extra minutes because the extra fruit was throwing off my stick test. Mine kept coming out with stuff on it but it was just the fruit.

When you take it out of the oven let it sit for about 10 minutes before flipping. The cooler it is the better it will retain it's shape, especially if you use extra fruit. Once it's cooled you can flip it onto a cooling rack and let sit for at least 30 minutes to cool. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar to serve and enjoy! This makes a great breakfast cake!

Mmmmm, I love turtles...

A lovely humanoid named Soo-Jin sent me a recipe once upon a time for vegan turtles. You know, those sweet and salty delicious chocolates? Me too. 

I admit that tonight I cheated while making these, because I already had melted chocolate on the go (making macaroons) and "caramel" in the fridge (it's the kiddo's go-to snack) and a variety of raw nuts are always in my pantry. 

If you too have all of these goodies, here's whatcha do.

Pipe a quarter sized dollop of chocolate onto a sheet of parchment paper. In the middle place one half pecan. Around the edges place pecan bits and pieces.

With a small spoon, put a small amount of "caramel" on top of the whole pecan. Sprinkle sea salt on the "caramel" and top with more melted chocolate.

Set somewhere cool (fridge or covered porch/garage if you're Canadian like I am..) In about 20 minutes they should be set and ready to OM NOM NOM.

Protein Bites!

These little snacks are great pre or post workout, or even as a 3pm pick me up. Added bonus, they're also super easy to make! You'll need:

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 & 1/2 cups of pitted dates

1/4 cup of pumpkin seed

1/4 cup of hemp seeds

1/4 cup of goji berries

1 tbsp agave nectar (or more if you want them really sweet)

1 tbsp cacao powder

Blend all ingredients well in a food processor. Roll into tablespoon sized balls and roll in shredded coconut. Lay on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze for 30 minutes or fridge for 1hr before eating. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Raisin Waffles!

I got a waffle iron for Christmas. Mostly because I wanted to make shredded hash brown waffles. (With habanero and onions! YUM!) But then the obvious struck me- why not make actual waffles? 

I got the original recipe from the artofdessert blog, but tweaked it a bit to suit what I had and craved. 

3 cups flour
2 Tbs baking powder 
1 Tbs sugar 
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups almond milk
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp cinnamon

1 handful of sultana raisins

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, preheat the waffle iron. Spoon 1/2 a cup or so at a time into the iron. Badda bing, badda boom. Waffles!

I 'buttered' mine with Earth Balance and added real maple syrup. DIVINE!

Banana Churros

Ok, so I don't really know what to call these things. They taste like banana funnel cakes laced with crack. Ok, you can't taste any crack, but they're hella addictive and delicious. Make sure to share, because these bad boys are deep fried which means you may as well stuff them in your pants- cause that's where they're going! Haha You'll need:

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 tbsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups water

Oil for frying

Preheat your oil while you prepare your dough. I used a medium high heat. Mash all ingredients together in a bowl until a thick and sticky dough is formed. 

Using two spoons, spoon the dough into the hot oil. Because the dough is so sticky I use the second spoon to scrape the dough off of the first spoon. The batter only needs to cook for about 20-30 seconds (turn if you need to) until golden brown.

When they're looking nice and done scoop them out with a mesh/slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate to cool. 

Once you eat one of these bite size pieces of heaven you'll be hooked! I find they're sweet enough as they are but for presentation you could dust with icing sugar, or cinnamon sugar. 

 

No-Chicken Noodle Soup

If you're in the cold that is Canada like I am, this is the soup for you. Hearty. Healthy. Delicious. No-Chicken Noodle Soup. You'll need:

Celery (I used half a bunch)

Carrots (I used a whole bunch of small organic ones)

Parsley (about a fist full)

Vegan Butter (I used Earth Balance)

1 tsp Habanero Powder

1 tbsp Dried Basil

1 tbsp fresh chopped garlic 

4 large white mushrooms, cubed 

4 cups of vegan chicken broth

2 cups boiling water

2 cups noodles of your choice

In a large pot, melt butter and add in garlic, basil and habanero. Then add fresh chopped parsley. Next, add celery and carrot and cook on low until the carrot begins to soften. Now add the mushroom, chicken broth and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling add in your noodles and cook until soft. Enjoy!