24 December 2009 @ 12:09 am
I am trying not to fall victim to the temptation of non vegan cookies this year. help! i know this is last minute but what are some good sugar cookie recipes and peanut butter cookie recipes. also snickerdoodle types would be great! 

also it would be nice to have an already vegan recipe vs. using a substitute. whatever you have is fine though! ill probably just end up buying newman os. lol pathetic substitute for vegan cookies but i left all my cooking things in my dorm and i doubt im going to go out and buy new everything. we will see. i hope i dont cave and eat the non vegan cookies... :(
 
 
24 December 2009 @ 11:15 am
Has anyone In Australia heard about the Bonsoy recall.

Apparently very high levels of iodine from the seaweed used in it.

Just a heads up...but this IS cheap vegan, and BOnsoy is insanely expensive but seeing as this is Xmas and the decadent season.....
 
 
23 December 2009 @ 10:24 am


These are simply the best truffles ever. Not only because the flavor is the perfect blend of sweet, salty and festive, but because they're actually pretty darn good for you.

the recipe )
 
 
22 December 2009 @ 09:54 pm
This year my coworkers and friends are getting homemade granola. Here's the recipe I've come up with after significantly modifying Mark Bittman's. Because the dry ingredients are so bulky and not necessarily consistently shaped, I used my scale to measure them consistently. The cup measurements are just rough estimates based on memory for those who don't have kitchen scales.

Apple-hazelnut granola )
 
 
22 November 2009 @ 07:53 pm
i got this recipe somewhere (i wanna say from Compassion Over Killing, but i'm not sure) a few years ago, and have made them every year around Christmas time to bring to work and give out for cheap gifts. It takes maybe 10 minutes to do! They're vegan because they require no marshmallows (ie no gelatin). Yay!

*6-8 cups Rice Crispies cereal
*1 cup corn syrup
*1 cup brown sugar
*1 cup peanut butter

In a large pot, heat the corn syrup and brown sugar over medium heat til boiling, stirring often. Add peanut butter, then remove from heat and add the cereal, stirring and coating evenly. Transfer to a greased 9x9-inch baking dish and let cool.
The recipe says a 9x9-inch pan but i think that's too small, unless you want really thick crispy treats. i used both a 9x13-inch and a 6x13-inch pan for one batch. Took some to work today and everyone was raving about them :)
 
 
22 December 2009 @ 08:19 pm
Hey folks! It's dinner time, and I'm not sure what I want. But I have a container of Tofutti cream cheese (with chives) and I want to do something with it. I'm thinking like a base for a pasta sauce? I'm not sure. What are your favorite recipes that use cream cheez?
 
 
22 December 2009 @ 07:32 pm
I woke up yesterday with a terrible sore throat, and it seems to have become full-blown flu. Aches, cough, congestion, the whole bit. I'm feeling quite a bit better this evening, and I think it's thanks in part to this tea-like drink I made using Apple Cider Vinegar. I also used a Neti Pot, gargled with salt water, gargled with ACV & water, kept myself toasty warm, etc. All the things you do to try to make yourself feel better. Anyway, I was searching for natural sore throat "cures" and decided to combine a few ideas I'd read into one tasty drink. Since it's flu season, I thought I'd share.

1-3 Tbsp. honey (I use one)
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
Add hot water, stir, cover, and steep until it's drinkable temperature
Add 3 Tbsp. ACV (Bragg's is my favorite)
If needed, add more water to fill mug.
Enjoy! (You may need to keep stirring as you drink it, so the cayenne and cloves don't all sink to the bottom)

The gargle helped immensely, too. I used a 2:1 ratio of water to ACV. I rinsed my mouth with water and baking soda, but was careful not to swallow it, so it wouldn't neutralize the ACV except on my teeth.

Hope you're all healthy and don't need this, anyway!
 
 
Current Mood: sick
 
 
23 December 2009 @ 11:05 am
If anyone is after a quick fruit cake that's simple for xmas then this is it !



I made this on monday, doubled the recipe worked perfect.


Ingridents

2 tsp egg replacer
4 tbsp water
1/4 cup vegan margarine
1/2 sugar
170g mixed fruit
1 1/4 cup of water or orange juice
1 3/4 cup flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bi-carb soda
1 tsp all spice


Method:
  1. Preheat over to 180 degess celcius
  2. Briefly whip the egg replacer in 4 tabs water until fluffy
  3. Place margarine, sugar, mixed fruit, whipped egg replacer & water/orange juice into a saucepan
  4. Bring to the boil and cool for 10 mins stirring occasionally
  5. Sift the flour, baking powder, bi-carb soda & all spice
  6. Mix in boiled mixture and transfer into a greased loaf tin or a greased 8inch diameter cake tin.
  7. Bake for 35-40mins
  8. Let cool in tin.
Note: as you can see I made mine in a round cake tin, and pressed 120g of blanched almonds on top before cooking :)
 
 
Current Mood: content
Current Music: Behind Crimson Eyes
 
 
22 December 2009 @ 02:26 pm
How long does almond milk last after it's opened? I just bought some Almond Breeze almond milk. It has an expiration date on the carton, but doesn't state how long it last after opening.

Also, this is my first time trying almond milk. Do you guys no of any better brands or less expensive ones?
 
 
Current Location: Home Office
Current Mood: tired
 
 
22 December 2009 @ 01:51 am
Weight gain foods/recommendations anyone? I'm pretty sure I'm near to hitting underweight for my height and I just haven't been feeling in the mood to stuff myself or anything. So I need some high calorie recommendations.

Also if anyone has any favorite potato or sweet potato recipes that'd be helpful too. I've been doing a lot of just microwave potatoes out of laziness. I also haven't found any decent vegan sour cream recipes. Do they exist?

In return, Spicy Orange Yams (which I've also been making quite a bit lately). They're really easy and healthy. (Off of VegNews)

2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated margarine, melted
Juice of 2 oranges (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup pecans, toasted (garnish)
What You Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients and stir until well combined. Add the sliced potatoes, stir well, and transfer to a lightly oiled 9x13 baking dish.
2. Cover and bake until the sweet potatoes are just tender, about 40 minutes. Stir once or twice during that time to distribute the liquid over the potatoes. Uncover, and bake until the glaze thickens, about 10 to 15 minutes. Keep warm and sprinkle with pecans before serving.
 
 
21 December 2009 @ 11:31 pm
Hey all--

So it looks like I will be ringing in 2010 without wisdom teeth- that's right, extraction time! Long story short, it looks like it'll be minor surgery (impacted!), and I know there are going to be a few days where I'll be depending on soup and smoothies, if I want to eat at all.

Normally, I'd make a big batch or two of soup in advance, freeze it and be good to go. Tricky part? Staying with my mother who tries, but isn't too savvy (you mean you can't just have the broth? even if there isn't any meat in it?)- I know she'd be willing to buy me progresso or something, but I'd rather have homemade...

So, what are some super easy/basic soups/smoothies that are nutrient-rich and with limited chewing? Slurp-ing only type soups? I was thinking of making a miso soup, and I should still have leftovers of the butternut squash soup (pureed) I'm making for XMas appetizer... Maybe a lentil? Or split pea?
Tags: ,
 
 
Current Music: Pedro the Lion
 
 
21 December 2009 @ 06:39 pm
1 quart of Potato Peel Broth  2-3 bunches or broccoli, or one bag of frozen broccoli 1/2 gallon milk 1 small onion pepper and salt to taste Saute the onion in butter or olive oil.  Add the potato peel broth and bring to a rolling boil.  Add broccoli, boil broccoli in potato peel broth until soft, then add the milk.  Boil down for 2-3 hours, season with pepper and salt to taste.
 
 
21 December 2009 @ 03:11 pm
What's the best seitan recipe you've ever used? Or your favourite?

edit:

err. I dont mean how to make it.. I mean how to use it.. like what dishes do you use it in.
Tags:
 
 
21 December 2009 @ 10:53 am
Hey, I hope someone can help. I am making some baked goods for my family for Christmas and my mom wanted Cranberry Walnut Bread but said she didn’t like the orange flavor that is usually in it. While searching, all I could find were recipes with orange so I was going to stick with the recipe in Veganomicon but it calls for 1/4 c orange juice & 1 Tbs orange zest. Has anyone else made this recipe and can say if it has a distinct orange flavor? Or I was finding that I could possibly use (soy)milk instead of orange juice but does anyone know how that would change the recipe, if at all and would I just omit the zest? Thanks in advance!
 
 
Current Location: Rochester, NY
 
 
21 December 2009 @ 08:22 am
For dinner tonight I have a couple of cups of quinoa, a block of extra firm tofu that's been frozen and thawed, and a medium sized bag of frozen mixed veggies (carrots, corn, green beans) to work with.... and pretty much every seasoning and condiment readily available in a U.S. grocery store. How can I season/serve this to make it amazing? My brain just isn't working creatively on the food side of things this week.
 
 
19 December 2009 @ 09:35 pm
There was a recipe posted here this week for butterscotch fudge and now I can't find it. Am I really dense or is it no longer posted? I was excited to try it for Christmas and ended up ordering the butterscotch chips for it. Can anybody help or am I s.o.l.?
 
 
20 December 2009 @ 04:56 pm
This coming Saturday I am going to fly to Paris to visit with my dad for a week and a half (he's over there for work for a few months). He's pretty much a vegetarian, so he won't mind eating vegan for dinner, but I am going to be making it. His wife will also be there, and I am assuming that there will be plenty of underhanded snipes about my choice of diet.

So, I need some recipes or cookbooks that will be easy to make in Paristhat will just knock their socks off. So basically just whole foods that I will be able to easily find in a city that doesn't care too much for vegans. He has a stove and an oven and a fridge, but he doesn't want leftovers.

Any help?
 
 
20 December 2009 @ 06:36 pm
I've started taking flax seed oil daily, 1 tablespoon as the bottle suggest. I take it straight, and it tastes awful. Is there anything i can do with/to it to make it taste better?
 
 
20 December 2009 @ 10:24 pm
So, the story:

Yesterday I worked a hideous, supposed to be 8-hour shift that expanded into an 11-hour behemoth.  Today, between work and volunteer commitments, my day went from 6AM to 9PM.  By the time I got home, I was a wreck, especially since I hadn't cooked at all in the last two days and was living pretty much off nuts and whatever fresh fruit I had in the pantry. Which, while tasty, probably did not supply everything I needed over the last two days.  I got home with a strong need for sleep, no patience, a gnawing hunger, and a nearly empty fridge except for a mess of tomatoes on their last day and some random canned items.

BUT!  Using my best scrounging abilities,  I made lentils.  They were ugly as sin, but, man, did they ever hit the spot.  I ate three bowlfuls.  hence the moniker: just like the "Millennium Falcon" they may not look like much, but they've got it where it counts.

Recipe:
1 can lentils (or 1 and 1/2 cup lentils)
onion, chopped
cooking oil
1 package frozen spinach (or a biiig heap of fresh)
about 4-5 tomatoes, blanched and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 heaping teaspoon garam marsala
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander leaves
salt and pepper to taste*

Method:
If using fresh lentils, cook until *almost* done.  If using fresh spinach, wash, stem, and roughly tear into medium sized pieces.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large wok or frying pan.  When hot, add onion and turmeric.  Cook until onion is translucent.  Add lentils and rest of the spices, except salt and pepper.  Cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently.  Add spinach and, if needed, a little bit of water.  Stir, then cover and cook ~10 minutes.

While it is cooking, blanch the tomatoes in boiling water by dipping them in for about 30 seconds and then removing them.  Roughly chop toms, retaining as much juice as possible.  Add tomatoes, juice, salt and pepper to lentil mix, stirring until warm and consistent.

Serve piping hot.  Would probably go extremely well with brown rice, but I didn't have the patience to make it.

*Note: all measurements are best guesses, and your results may vary.
 
 
20 December 2009 @ 10:09 am
I am going to a potluck for new year's eve this year, and volunteered to contribute finger foods. I'd like something fairly low maintenance. Having to warm it up in the oven is alright, but I'd like to be able to do all the prep work beforehand. I'd also prefer not to do any kind of dips because there are some other people contributing those kinds of things. Any suggestions...even better, any favourite recipes/links to recipes?

Thanks!