baked chocolate donut holes.

Chocolate donuts covered in sprinkles? sign me up!

Ok, so maybe these arent traditional donuts, and maybe they arent the most sweetest things on the planet – however, they are taste like little bites of cake – and they are covered in sprinkles, so you cant go wrong in my book! I always want donuts, but rarely have them, and i ALWAYS want cake, but dont make it often, because i will eat ALOT of it. This seems to be an easy way to satisfy that cake craving – it makes 24, and they are small little bites.

I found the recipe here, and veganized it.

For the donuts:

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup almond milk
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 flax egg
• 4 tablespoons earth balance, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 tablespoons brewed coffee, cooled slightly
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 4 to 5 tablespoons almond milk
• sprinkles, for garnish

Instructions

1. To make the donuts – preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Generously spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until there are no lumps. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the almond milk, sugar, flax egg, melted earth balance, coffee and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry and mix until combined. Fill each mini muffin tin about ¾ of the way full (about a heaping tablespoon in each). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow the donut holes to cool for 3 to 5 minutes in the pan then remove to a wire rack. Let the donuts cool for another 10 minutes, then proceed with the glaze.
3. To make the glaze – Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and salt to a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the almond milk, one tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
4. Lay a piece of wax or parchment paper underneath your wire rack (so the glaze doesn’t drip on your counter). Add the sprinkles to a shallow bowl. Working one at a time, roll each donut hole in the glaze. Shake off the excess then roll in the sprinkles. Shake off the excess once again and then place on the wire rack to set.

tofu scramble.

Tofu scramble is a staple. And theres a million ways to make it. My friends hosted a brunch a few weeks ago, and I brought this and it was a hit – my meat-eating friends didn’t even care that they were eating tofu. So I made this again on Christmas morning. As far as produce goes, its so verstatile – you can add what you have on hand or customize to your liking.  My go-to is carrots, garlic and spinach.  Red bell peppers are great in there – and I bet some black beans would be delicious too!

Extra Firm Tofu
Oil or cooking spray for frying:
Veggies of your choice: red onion, shaved carrots, spinach or kale, red bell pepper

SAUCE
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp chili powder

Make sure your tofu is pressed, and the water is drained out. Set aside.
Prep veggies and get your pan/skillet ready. Add the oil/spry and saute veggies – starting with onions and red bell pepper first (save shaved carrots and spinach for more towards the end). Add some salt and pepper to flavor

veggies. Add your tofu. Crumble it into the pan and sautee until starts to get a little brown. I like mine well done.
Mix your seasonings with a few teaspoons of water and add to the tofu and veggies.  Let it cook for a minute or so and then add the lighter veggies like the carrots and the spinach or kale. Cook for a few more minutes, then serve with some crusty toast and breakfast potatoes.

bbq brussel sprout pizza.

Ive confessed before I have a mad love affair with brussel sprouts. And I’ve seen them on pizza. So i gave it a try, after finding THIS siracha and roasted garlic bbq sauce at trader joes. (this sauce also works great for making baked tofu, but thats another story.

First of all, this is my go to pizza crust. Serioulsy. We used to buy whole foods pizza crust all the time, but at $3 a crust, we realized that this is so much cost-efficient, and its so so great and practically foolproof, especially if you have a stand mixer. This recipe comes from the joy of cooking and its all over the internet.

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) dry active yeast
1 1/3 cups warm (105 to 110 degree F) water
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar

Combine yeast and warm water in your stand mixer and let stand until yeast is dissolved, about five minutes. Mix all ingredients  on low speed for about 1 minute to blend all the ingredients. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or with the dough hook on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly coated with olive oil and turn it over once to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (75 to 80 degrees) until double in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Grease and dust 2 baking sheets with cornmeal.Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Roll each piece into a ball and let it rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 10 to 15 minutes. At this point prepare the desired toppings.

Flatten each ball of dough 1 at a time on a lightly floured work surface into a 12-inch round, rolling and stretching the dough. Place each dough circle on a prepared baking sheet; if using a baking stone, place them on baker’s peels dusted with cornmeal. Lift the edge and pinch it to form a lip. To prevent the filling from making the crust soggy, brush the to of the dough with olive oil.

Use your fingertips to press dents into the surface of the dough (to prevent bubbling) and let rest for about 10 minutes. The pizza is now ready to be topped.

After topping bake until the crust is browned and the cheese is golden if using cheese). This takes about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, slice and serve at once.

And you can lightly coat a dough ball with olive oil, put it in a zip-loc bag and either refrigerate it for 1 week or freeze it for 1 month. Just thaw in refrigerator for one day, take out and roll. If doing this you can prepare the dough and put directly into the refrigerator (it will slowly rise). Then just take it out, roll into a round and let rest for about 10 min before baking.

To make Brussel Sprout pizza

Sliced brussel sprouts

Thinly sliced onions
bbq sauce

Cheddar daiya cheesePrepare your dough as stated above; Saute your brussels and onions. Top your dough with bbq sauce , then the brussel sprouts, onions and cheese.  Bake as advised above.

spinach and artichoke dip.

I made this dip for new years eve and it was so so delicious. I think I ate half the dip myself! Its creamy and garlicky – this is definitely going to be my go-to party food! We served it warm with crusty bread, and with some pita chips. If you have a vitamix, it comes together very quickly too!

I found the recipe here, but modified it a bit to my liking.

For the spinach artichoke dip:

• 1 can artichoke hearts, thoroughly drained and roughly chopped
• 2 c. fresh spinach, loosely packed and measured first and then thinly sliced
• 1/4 white onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Freshly ground black pepper and (optional) chili flakes

For the cashew mozzarella:

• 1/4 c. raw cashews, soaked (see notes)
• 1 c. plain, unsweetened nondairy milk ( I added about a half cup more towards the end)
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tb. + 1/2 tsp. corn starch
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tspn garlic powder
• 3-4 tbsp nutritonal yeast
• 1 cup daiya mozzerella
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika

Instructions

Prep the vegetables:

1. Toss together the artichoke hearts, spinach, white onion, garlic, black pepper, and chili flakes (if using), and put into an 8×8 pan.

Make the cashew cheese:

1. Combine all ingredients in a vitamix or food processor (if not using a vitamix, make sure to soak your cashews!) until smooth.
2. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Stir every few seconds, making sure to scrape around the bottom of the saucepan to keep from sticking. Stir until this thickens, Once it thickens, I added about a half cup more of soymilk, and a cup or so of shredded daiya. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for another 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
3. Pour this cheese over your dip that is in the pan and mix together.

Bake the spinach artichoke dip:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until hot all the way through and the top is slightly crusty and browned.

gingerbread granola.

Happy new year! Gingerbread cookies are probably one of my favorite holiday treats.  I have made it in cake form, waffles, cupcakes, biscotti, cookies, and now granola! I have been steering clear of all of the above because I love it so and I will eat it so! So I’m attempting something on the healthier side – with some granola. It’s not too sweet, but super robust in flavor, just like gingerbread! It came together in no time, and didn’t use very many ingredients at all.  All which I had on hand.

Next year I hope to add gingerbread house to that list! One of these days Ill work up the courage to make one….

The original recipe is found here.

• 3 1/4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
• 3 Tbsp coconut palm sugar (or regular sugar)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger

WET

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp molassesAdd ins: crystalized ginger, coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, warm the coconut oil, maple syrup, and molasses. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Spread the mixture evenly onto a a large baking sheet and bake for 18–22 minutes, stirring near the halfway point to ensure even cooking. The coconut oil will help this granola crisp up nicely, but be sure to watch it carefully as it browns quickly.
5. Once the granola is visibly browned, remove from the oven and let cool completely on the pan before storing. Add any mix ins now.
6. Keep in a container that has an air-tight seal; I use a big mason jar.

Homeade thanksgiving! And a recipe for green bean casserole.

Hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving. This was my first year hosting – and we did it potluck style. It was a success! The night before the big dinner, I decided we needed to get a little crafty with some decorations. So at the last minute, i whipped up this little banner using what I had on hand: washi tape, card stock and bakers twine. We made little place cards too using cardstock, washi tape and stamps.

We had a meal that was vegan-a-plenty! I dont really have photos of everything because I was too busy eating, but here’s what I made:

Tofurkey
Gravy
Mac and cheese
Green bean casserole (recipe to follow!)
Pumpkin cheesecake
Brownies

We also had:
Brussel sprouts/apples/potato/walnut mixture, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rice and beans, sweet potato casserole, salad and a homeade tofu roast! Everything was so delicious and I REALLY enjoyed eating all the leftovers all weekend!

I took a stab at making a green bean casserole for the first time. Ive never had it vegan and when searching the internet there seemed to be alot of different ways to make it. I took a gamble, and went with this recipe, and I’m glad I did, because it was absolutely delicious!

Green Bean Casserole

• 1 ½ pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 ½ cups unsweetened soy or almond milk
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (3-ounce) can of French fried onions

Instructions:

Cook the green beans in a pot of boiling salted water until tender.  Drain well and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic, cover, and cook until softened.  Stir in the mushrooms and thyme, and cook until the mushrooms are soft and release their juices.

Combine the vegetable broth and soy sauce in a small bowl.  Whisk in the flour until smooth and add it to the mushroom mixture. Simmer, stirring, until the liquid thickens. Stir in the soy milk and nutritional yeast and simmer until thick, about 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add the reserved green beans, stirring to coat.

Transfer the green bean mixture into an oiled casserole dish.  Cover and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and top with the French fried onions. Bake uncovered until browned and bubbly, about 10 minutes longer.

Serves 4 to 6

roasted acorn squash & sweet potato soup.

It got really cold really quick here and I’ve been on a big soup kick! This is a really easy and delicious soup I found here, and once you roast your squash and potatoes it comes together in no time!

• 2 -3 lb acorn squash, sliced lengthwise in half and seeds removed
• 3 small sweet potatoes (1 lb)
• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
• 4-5 cups vegetable broth
• 2/3 cup light coconut milk
• salt
• pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the acorn squash in half (lengthwise) and remove the seeds and guts–place cut side up on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, drizzle and rub the cut side with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on the baking sheet along with the acorn squash.
2. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour, or until both the potato and acorn squash are fork tender and very soft. Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, remove the squash from the skin and set aside in a large bowl. Discard the skin.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in medium-sized soup pot. Add the onion and saute over low heat until soft and completely translucent.
4. Add the ground ginger and garam masala and cook for an additional minute or two, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Add the vegetable broth, roasted squash, and sweet potato.
5. Bring to low simmer, cover, and cook for an additional for 10-15 minutes.
6. Puree in a blender (in batches, if necessary) and return to heat. Add the coconut milk and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

italian orzo soup.

This soup is adapted from a recipe I kept seeing on pinterest. Its perfect for the colder weather we have been having and very easily customizable to your liking. I definitely think I’m going to add some chickpeas next time for some added protein.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 6-8 cups vegetable stock
• 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, pureed in blender before adding
• 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 cups loosely-packed spinach
• 2 T nutritional yeast
• salt and black pepper

Directions:

• Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 4 minutes, until soft. Add carrots, celery and garlic and saute for an additional 3 minutes. Add vegetable stock, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, and nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Bring soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes or so. Add the orzo and cook another 10 minutes, until the orzo is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
• Stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until it is bright green and wilted. Season with salt and black pepper to taste (if needed). Serve warm with some crusty bread.

tofu and black bean enchiladas.

I struggle with making enchiladas; they always come out dry and just not right. I really love Trader Joes black bean and corn enchiladas. They are saucy, full of vegetables and satisfying. So on a whim, I decided to try to recreate something similar, and I think i succeeded.  I wish I had taken a photo, but my lunch leftovers will have to do.

Half a block of tofu, diced small
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small zuchinni, grated
Few handfuls of baby spinach
One ear of corn, with kernels removed from the cob
1 onion, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tspn cumin
2 tspn chili pepper
black pepper
daiya vegan cheddar cheese (optional)
Corn tortillas (i also did half with flour b/c thats what the husband likes!)
2 10 oz cans enchilada sauce

Preheat your oven to 375.
Add some oil to your pan, and add the tofu. Cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side, then add onions and garlic and continue to cook until the onions start to wilt.  Add the cumin, chili powder and pepper; mix well. Add in the zuchinni, spinach and corn; cook for a few minutes until the spinach starts to wilt; then add in the black beans and cook until beans are heated through.

Coat the bottom of a 9×13 pan with plenty of enchilada sauce. Fill each tortilla with the filling and some daiya cheese if you are using it, and roll tightly.  Top with more enchilada sauce and bake for 20 minutes.

banana bread granola.

More granola! What can I say? I’m on a granola kick!
This one is adapted from shutterbean’s recipe, found here.

• 5 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 2 very ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, toss oats, walnuts, almonds, cinnamon and brown sugar together and set aside. In a small bowl mash bananas and stir in maple syrup & olive oil until thoroughly mixed. Pour wet mixture over the oat-nut mixture and stir until oats are well saturated. Spread the oats on a parchment lined baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes, stirring mixture every 10 minutes until oats are nice & golden.  Let granola cool and transfer to an airtight container.