Streusel Cup cakes:

Streusel Cup cakes:  

This is something that I am trying and I love it because it has the texture and layers of a coffee cake.  

Cupcake ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup  vegan butter substitute, softened
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup vanilla milk sub (SIlk, soy, almond milk...ect)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Streusel ingredients:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tablespoon melted Earth Balance or vegan butter substitute

Glaze (Optional):

• 1 1/2 cups vegan confectioners’ sugar (Powdered sugar)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons vanilla milk sub
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon melted vegan butter substitute

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven at 325 degrees F.  

  

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in one bowl while using a hand mixer to combine the wet ingredients   

Once you go to combine dry and wet ingredients make sure that your streusel is made and ready to go.  You want to get the cup cakes into the oven as fast as you can once they are combine and creamy.  

Streusel:  

In small bowl combine and mix all of the ingredients together making sure that there are no clumps of butter.  

Fill cup cake liners in pan halfway with cupcake mix.  Add in the stresuel making sure it is a light layer and not too high before filling the cupcake liners up the rest of the way with the remaining cupcake batter.  

Use remaining streusel to sprinkle over the top if desired. Place in the heated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and than pulled out relatively clean.   

While cup cakes are cooking whisk together the ingredients for your glaze and drizzle on top of cakes with a spoon.  If you want to make a more intricate design on top (Checkers ect) put into a baggie and cut off small corner to drizzle into a pattern.  

Stuffed Mushrooms

So I just have to say that Mushrooms are with out a doubt one of the best foods ever.    In our package from greenling yesterday we got a half a pound of these beautiful button mushrooms.  They were so perfect; white and moist but still firm.

I decided to make this recipe for lunch and I hope that you enjoy it as mush as we do!

Ingredients:
- Baby Bellas or Button mushrooms
- 1 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs (Fresh is better)
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
-1 clove of garlic, pressed
-2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
-1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1+ Tbsp nutritional yeast
- Lemon juice to taste (optional)

If making your own bread crumbs, process about 2 slices of whole wheat bread in a food processor.   This makes about 1  cup of bread crumbs.    Set aside. 


Remove stems from mushrooms and chop them right up.  Toss mushroom tops lightly in 1 tbsp of olive oil and place on backing sheet.  Heat the rest of the oil in a pan over medium high heat.  Add garlic, onions and chopped up stems and sauté for 7 minutes.  Stir in salt, and then bread crumbs, basil, and parsley.


Evenly distribute mixture to mushroom caps.  Bake for 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of your mushroom caps and any considerations that your oven has.  Keep an eye on them that they don't get too brown. About five minutes before time is up sprinkle a tiny bit of nutritional yeast over the open and return to oven.  Remove and sprinkle with lemon juice.    Serve with a fresh salad or as a passed appetizer, and enjoy!  

Sourdough starter

I am a huge fan of sourdough bread! It is so good. Plus according to a Canadian study in 2008, the fermentation process causes a change in the cooking process leading to less of a spike in blood sugar levels then other white breads and even some whole wheat, by altering the structure of the starch to slow down its digestion (Ref PH.d. Terry Graham).

Sadly, outside of San Francisco it's hard to find a good sourdough...anything. So being me I decided to read up on the making of sourdough and make my own! Here is the recipe for a sourdough starter! This makes enough for one recipe so try it out and see if you like it. If you do you can always double the recipe to have some in your fridge!

1 cup of all purpose flour (I used white whole wheat)
1/4 tsp of quick rising yeast
1 cup of warm water

In a non reactive bowl combine the flour and yeast. Stir in warm water. Cover loosely and set aside for twelve hours. It should have a yeasty smell and be bubbly.

After 12 hours uncover, stir and discard half of the mixture. Add in 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. Continue doing this every 12 hours for 72 hours. If you want a stronger sourdough flavor feed for another day.

Now you have a starter for sourdough bread, pancakes or any other sourdough recipe you can find!

Pub Style Potato Bites

Also known as Salt & Vinegar Crisps (Potato chips)These are bar/ pub classics! Here I have given them a healthier (And to me tastier!) makeover. Serve this as a munch food at your next party and you'll have people begging you for the recipe!

6 Medium red or Yellow potato's cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tbs. Vegetable oil
1 cup of malt vinegar
3 tbs raw sugar

Soak the potato's in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes and then pat dry.

Pre heat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the potato's in oil on a baking sheet and spread them out evenly in a single layer.bake for 45 minutes until golden and crisp, turning 2 or 3 times. Remove and season with salt and pepper if you would like.

Mean while bring malt vinegar and sugar to a simmer in sauce pan for 15-20 minutes (Liquid should be reduced by half).

Serve the malt sauce on the side for dipping or drizzle over potato's.

Thanks Giving- Parsley Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound potatoes
bunch of flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves
2/3 to 1 cup vegetable bouillon
2 tbsp oil
small onion
parmesan
pepper
salt

Grab a bunch of fresh parsley and put it into a food processor or blender. Next take the garlic cloves, coarsely chop and drop in with the parsley. Pour in olive oil with this. Blend this all together. It doesn't have to be smooth, just well mixed.

Set a side and mince a small onion finely. Peel, cube and rinse your potatoes. If you want the parsley mix to sick really well to the potatoes I would pat them down with a clean towel.

In a skillet heat up you parsley oil and onions until translucent. This is really going to bring out the parsley flavor! Add the potato cubes, stir well and give them a few minutes. Mainly to let the parsley really stick to them.

Add about 2/3 cup of the bouillon, 1/2 a tsp salt (depending on how salty the broth is, mine wasn’t) and some pepper. Now simmer the potatoes over low to medium heat for about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes the liquid will be all gone and the real baking starts. Just stir them now and then for another 10 minutes. They should be done by then.

And there we go! A perfect side dish that is a bit different then traditional mashed potatoes!

Nutty Semolina Italian Bread

I am calling it this because the sesame seeds give the bread a slightly nutty taste, making it, in my opinion a great sandwich bread!

1 1/4 cup of semolina flour
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
2 table spoons butter
1 1/2 cups of water
1/4 cups of toasted Sesame seeds
1-2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons of instant yeast

Mix all of the ingredients together in your bread machine (wet-dry with the yeast on top, not touching the water.).

Remember that semolina is a driest type of flour, so you might not want to set it on a dark crust setting just because of how tough it will be.

Agave Oat Bread

So I adapted this from my friend Destiny, who makes a killer Honey Oat Bread. I hope that one day I can be as good of a baker as she is but I am still learning with that. All that I really did was use agave syrup instead of honey. As a vegan option you can also use a maple syrup for a nice sweet breakfast bread.

Is is a nice doughy one that tastes a bit like a harder Hawaiian sweet bread.

Ingredients:

10 oz Water
1 - 1/2 teaspoons - Salt
2 tablespoons - Agave or maple syrup
1 - 1/2 tablespoons -Margarine
2/3 cup - Quick Cook Oats
3 - 1/4 cups - Bread Flour
2 teas - Active Dry Yeast

I like a crispier crust so I put it in my bread machine under the dark crust setting but you can do a light or medium depending on what you personally prefer.

On a note, when using a bread machine, always put your wet ingredients in first. Follow with the dry and then put in the yeast, making sure that it does not touch the water.

Oat Rolls and Bread

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoon of yeast (or two packets)
1 cup of oats
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy milk
3 to 4 cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Mix water and yeast together in a large bowl. Pour in the 3 cups of wheat flour and mix well. Cover the bowl with a towel and place in a dry place. Let it sit for a minimum of 20 minutes, up to a day! Yay!

Pour in , oil, soy milk and salt and half a cup of oats. Mix together. Begin adding white flour, a 1/2 cup at a time. After the third cup, it begins to get pretty dense. Knead it for 5 to 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.

Cut the dough into the desired rolls (Remember that they will rise so make them about half of the size of the rolls that you want. You can also make two loaves out of this.

Cover pans with a towel in a warm place and let the dough double in size. This will take at least an hour to an hour and a half. Use a pastry brush and warm water to brush them. Sprinkle oats over the top.

Baking: Bake loaves at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Rolls should be baked at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes. For a crustier crust, place a baking pan on the bottom rack and let it preheat in the oven. When the oven is preheated toss a cup of water in with the rolls.

Spicy Chickpeas

Better than cruotons! This little buggers are so good for you. I am sure that everyone has heard about how good they are but how do you cook them? There is more to go than making hummus let me tell you that. I have used them in curries and soup...but some times you just don't have the time. These can be made and carried with you as I do in a small tuperware container. You can pick at them or you can toss them onto a salad for some extra fiber and crunch!

Another good thing? They are super easy to make and you can do it in an hour in your weekend in a giant batch.

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce)can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 table spoon on olive oil
1 table spoon ground cumin

Preheat your oven at 350 degrees. Toss the chick peas in the cumin and olive oil than place into broiler pan or baking tray. Cook them in the oven for about 45 minutes or until crunchy. Half way through cooking move them around in the pan. IN the second half of cooking make sure that you keep an eye on them so they dont burn.

Makes about 1 cup.

Heres To Yum!

I know not all of you are in San Antonio but I still wanted to share this for the people that are.

Yesterday Rachel, Alyssa and I went to a small new restaurant owned by Charles and Renee called creativity "Here's to Yum." It is a small space and they are both still starting out so they cook, buy the produce from the markets, wait on tables and everything else. They cook all of their yummy food and deserts from scratch. I would just like to encourage everyone who is in the area to check it out and support this new place! The food is amazing and fresh. Their "tea house tea" is to die for. The have a basil leaf and orange mixture on the bottom then they pour an iced tea over the top.



Alyssa had the gnocchi with chicken, tomato and goat cheese and Rachel had a beautiful chicken salad on the crissoent with an heirloom tomato salad. Obviously for those of you that are just eating healthier, this is not an all vegan place. But it is very good, very fresh and very veggie focused!



I tried to stay with the tradition veggie of coarse. It was a beautiful day, beautiful space and beautiful company so I didn't want to feel all bloaty and...lets face it with my lactose intolerance, stick the place up. I had the Pea soup one of my new fav things with a slight mint topping. It was amazing!


Now I know that it is being a bad girl but the deserts were not vegan. All the same I tried a tiny bite of each and they were out of this world! Renee makes them himself. One is a lemon tart, one of a fruit tart and one is chocolate moose so deep and dark it is almost sour! Just the way chocolate is meant to be! Each is plated beautifully and will seriously make a vegan girl debate wolfing down a whole one of them despite the tummy ache, the heart attack and the weight gain after! Yum! (Unfortuntly I couldn't get a picture of the lemon tart (My personal fav) because we just devoured it too quickly.




SO really, everyone needs to go and check this place out. Help support a local bistro who are supporting local farmers, who both have amazing food!

Home Made Granola

Buying granola is so expensive! It will Drive you mental to put six bucks down for a tiny bag! So I decided it was high time I try making one of my own. It was fun and easy...not to mention how cheap it was! Plus when you make your own you can try anything that you like in it!

Ingredients (For about 2 quarts):
6 cups of quick cooking oats
1/2 cup of maple or other natural sugar (dont use white. Its bad for you and wont hold the same way)
3/4 cups of wheat germ
1/2 cup of shredded coconut
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of chopped nuts (I use walnuts because they are so good for your skin)
1/2 cup of canola oil
1 cup of dried fruit (cranberry's rock but experiment!)
1/2 cup of maple or agave syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Spread your oats on a rimmed pan or baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Move the oats into a mixing bowl before adding the sugar, wheat germ, coconut, dried fruit and nuts. Mix the oil, syrup and vanilla and than add to the oat mixture. Stir so that all of the oats are moist.

Spread again onto to baking sheets. You want to have two so that they brown evenly and are not too thick. Bake for another 10 minutes, stirring after 5 to brown. If they are not brown that check at 2 minute intervals and rotate pans.

Let them cool in the pans on the counter top before placing them in an air tight container!

Let the granola

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Well I have been having a craving for some chocolate chip cookies so I had to make some today! Here is my recipe. I including coconut because I love the taste of coconut and chocolate together! Yummy!

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp.salt
cinnamon to taste
vegan chocolate or carob chips
1 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water
Handful of shredded coconut



Also while your oven is pre-heating put the cookie sheets you are going to use on top of the oven so they get preheated as well. Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon (if you choose). Add chips and coconut. Make a well in the center and set aside.

In a medium size bowl mix vegan sugar and oil. Mix it well. Add the vanilla and then add the water. Mix it well. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix it well but be careful not to overwork it. Add more chips if you need to. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Put them in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes and then flip and rotate the sheets. Bake another 4 minutes and check them.

The cookies are done when they seem a little bit softer then you want them to be. They will harden up some as they cool. If not hard enough rotate again and cook for another 4 minutes but keep an eye on it.

Take them out when they are done and move them to wire cooling racks. If they split or come apart when you try to remove them let them sit on the pan for few minutes before transferring them to the racks.

Italian Rosemary Bread

Well, I am a dough baby. Ask anyone in my family. Ever since I was little my fav thing in the world was bread and dough. My cousins and I used to sit around the table at our grandma and grandpas eating nothing but white pasta and bread.

Whats that you say? If I want to lose weight I need to stop eating carbs? Rubbish! What I did need to do is switch over to all whole wheats. This less processed flour is easier and healthier for your body to break down. So I switched to whole wheat. The problem is that I still love bread and getting healthier never seems to be an easy transition on my grocery bill. So I am now going to start making breads too. Alyssa's mum gave us her bread machine...but no matter how simple it is I just don't get it. So until she comes over I am going to hand make bread, starting with this one.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup warm water
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (feels like the weight of a quarter in your hand)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons rosemary
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon olive oil

1Dissolve the sugar in warm water in a medium bowl, and mix in the yeast. When yeast is bubbly, mix in salt, butter, 1 tablespoon rosemary, and Italian seasoning. Mix in 2 cups flour. Gradually add remaining flour to form a workable dough, and knead 10 to 12 minutes.

Coat the inside of a large bowl with olive oil. Place dough in bowl, cover, and allow to rise 1 hour in a warm location.

Punch down dough, and divide in half. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly grease paper. Shape dough into 2 round loaves, and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining rosemary. Cover, and allow to rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), with a broiler pan on the bottom shelf. Brush the tops of the bread with a light layer of olive oil or water. Once the oven is ready and hot place your dough on the top shelf. Take a cup of water and pour it into the broiler pan. It should sizzle. This will give you bread a nice crunchy crust.