Zucchini Coins

My friend Melissa came to visit this weekend. Besides bringing love and laughter, she also brought lots of fresh veggies from her garden at home. We attempted to make zucchini chips, but they didn't quite crisp. They were still super tasty though! I do not have a dehydrator but if anyone does I'm curious if you can make zucchini chips with it. Or if you know how to successfully make them in the oven.

Zucchini Coins

1 large zucchini
Olive oil
Salt*
Pepper*
Garlic powder*
* Or whatever seasonings you want!)

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Using a mandolin or the food processor (or just a big ol' knife), cut the zucchini into slices no thicker than 1/8". Arrange them on a baking tray or two (a little bit of overlap is fine but they shouldn't crowd each other).

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on your seasonings as you like. Use your hands to mix it all around and arrange your zucchini slices as described above.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until a few of them are really crispy. 

No promises on how these keep. Melissa and I just stood at the stove and ate them...

Cat and Dan's Guacamole

My friends Cat and Dan brought some pretty epic homemade guacamole to a party this weekend. They also told me how they read this blog together, so when I invited them to guest blog* about it they were pretty stoked. So without further ado, take it away, Cat and Dan!

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Thanks Amy! We are so excited to be featured in your rockin’ blog, even though we are only vegetarians (plus, we’ll do anything to become internet famous.)

We always like to have guacamole in the house – it’s almost like a comfort food for us at this point, it’s creamy and full of healthy fats (thanks avocado! or as we like to call it “avarcardarp”) and piling it on a salty tortilla chip just makes us happy.

Plus, it’s so easy to make at home! Our recipe’s not-so-secret ingredient is radish. The amounts of each of the ingredients below are to our tastes, but if, say, you love some spice, feel free to add more jalapeno! This recipe can be easily tailored to your specific tastes.

Ingredients (to make a whole heapful that serves probably around 8-10 at a party of people with relative self-control)

-       4 avocadoes, halved with the pits removed*

-       Juice from one lime

-       2 large garlic cloves, minced

-       2 large radishes, minced

-       2 jalapenos, seeded and minced

-       2 medium tomatoes, chopped

-       ½ yellow onion, chopped

-       2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (Fact: Dan hates cilantro so Cat makes him chop it up for the guac)

-       3 tsp kosher salt

-       1 tsp cumin

* Keep the pits if you don’t intend to eat the guacamole all at once (not that we’ve done that…), plop one in the guac when you store it to help keep it fresh!

One you’ve chopped, minced and juiced as described above, basically all you have to do is mush it all together in a bowl!

-       Place the avocado innards into a bowl and cover with lime juice, mash together using a fork or other such implement.

-       Add in the minced garlic, jalapeno and radishes, along with the chopped onion, cilantro and tomatoes.

-       Toss in the salt and cumin.

-       Use a fork to mix the ingredients to your desired texture.

-       Let the whole mixture sit for about one hour at room temperature.

-       EAT!

Party time! Excellent!

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Thanks, Cat and Dan, for sharing with us! This guacamole really is 

an excuse for me to have more parties and invite you to them...

* If anyone has vegan recipes they're itching to share with the 

world, let me know if you want to join the ranks of Cat and Dan and

become an internet sensation with your guest-blogging skills.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Bars

My friend Trina brought this dessert to a potluck last week and after everyone raved about them I told her I would veganize them. Wanting to stay true to the original recipe, I used the dry ingredients from a vegan chocolate cake recipe my friend Jamie gave me and modified this vegan pudding recipe. I originally planned to use cornstarch and then completely forgot about it and they are still tasty, perhaps next time I will use it!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Bars (makes 12-16 bars)

1/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup buter, melted
Scant 1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
Scant 1/2 cup cocoa powder
(1 1/2 Tbls. cornstarch - what I intended to use and then forgot about)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup peanut butter

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 pan. 

In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients except the baking chocolate, peanuts, and peanut butter. Beat until fully combined. The dough will be dry and crumbly at first but keep beating, it will work!

Divide the dough in half. Take one half and place it between two large sheets of parchment paper or wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough in between the papers into a shape roughly the size of your pan. It's kind of hard to roll a square, so just do the best you can.

I found it easiest to hold down the paper with one hand and roll with the other.

Remove the top paper and, keeping the flattened dough on the bottom paper, set aside.

Take the other half of dough and use your hands to press it into the bottom of the pan so that it evenly covers the bottom. If it goes up the sides a bit that's fine.

Bake for 10 minutes.

While the bottom layer is baking, chop up the peanuts and chocolate. 

Sprinkle half of the peanut/chocolate mixture evenly onto the layer of dough.

Next, melt the peanut butter and pour on top.

The next part's a bit tricky. Take the slab of dough you rolled out at the beginning and, with it still on the paper, flip it over so the dough is on top of the peanut butter. 

Carefully remove the paper on top and press the dough gently so it covers the peanut butter.

Press the remaining peanuts and chocolate on top of the new dough. Bake for 15 minutes.

Cool on the counter for a bit and then in the fridge before cutting into bars.

"Feta Cheese"

As a vegetarian I always found that tangy cheeses like feta and goat had a certain "je n'sais quoi" about them that really just made a dish. No reason to give that up as a vegan! I've modified this recipe from one I found online a while back, though in an attempt to link to it now I could not find it :(. So if this looks similar to your recipe, please post in the comments so I can give credit where credit is due!

For this recipe you will need to press your tofu before starting. If you are new to pressing tofu, ready my post about it here. The cheese, while quick to prepare, needs to marinate for a few hours before serving, so plan accordingly.

"Feta Cheese" (makes 1 1/2 - 2 cups)

1 pkg. firm or extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 Tbls. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbls. olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar

Combine all of the ingredients, except the tofu, in a shallow tupperware. 

Crumble in the tofu and mix, using your hands. Marinate in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

I think the sound the tofu makes as you are mixing it in with your hands is pretty cool.

Pressing Tofu

Something I learned relatively late in my meat-free eating years was that in order for tofu to cook properly it needs to be pressed to get rid of the excess water. Tofu has a really high water content and if not pressed, it takes much longer to cook and doesn't crisp/sear/brown as well. If you are blending tofu to make a spread or other type of cream substitute you may want it wetter, however unless the recipe calls for un-pressed tofu, I usually press it. You can always add more water if needed!

I recommend using a thick, absorbent towel (totally unlike the one pictured here). The longer it is, the better. You will also need a heavy object with at least one flat side - like a sturdy cutting board, a large pan or pot, or a book. The longer you press tofu, the more water you will get out of it, assuming your towel is absorbent enough (or just switch towels in the middle). Pressing for an hour is about as good as you're gonna get it, but 15 minutes is usually sufficient to make a difference.

To start, place the tofu sideways on a cutting board. Cut it into slabs (not "chunks") - the thinner they are, they more they will press. I usually cut it into 4 slabs, because that corresponds to the length of my dish towels.

Next, fold your towel so it is the width of your tofu and as long as possible. Place one piece of tofu at the end and continue folding the towel-with-tofu-in-it until you have incorporated all of the slabs, with at least one layer of towel in between each of them.

When you're done, your towel/tofu block should look like this:

Place your heavy object on top, and let. it. sit.

Regardless of your views on the DSM, I think anyone in a healthcare field will share my frustration that version IV is now worthless. Thank you to my friend Grace for teaching me that it is not in fact worthless,. It is the perfect size, shape, and weight for pressing tofu.

When the tofu is pressed to your liking, unroll and do whatever it is you are doing with it.

Herbed Couscous with Chickpeas and Veggies

Couscous is the easiest thing in the world to make. Do you know how to boil water? Do you have 10 minutes to spend preparing food? Good, then you can make couscous. Feel free to vary this dish as you see fit - change the herbs, change the bean, change the veggies. Change the grain if you want - I picked couscous because I am lazy. This dish takes about 15 minutes start to finish and is made up of items anyone who regularly cooks vegan probably has on hand. Have it as a main course for 2 on a busy weekday night.

Herbed Couscous with Chickpeas and Veggies (serves 4 as a side dish)

1 cup water
1/2 cup couscous
Variety of herbs (fresh or dried) - try basil, parsley, and oregano
Olive oil
Canola oil
1/2 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 leaves kale
1/4 onion (any kind), chopped
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, microwave the water for 2 minutes 30 seconds, or until boiling. While the water is boiling, heat a small amount of canola oil in a pan over medium heat, and chop the onion.

When the water has boiled, add the couscous. Stir to make sure it is evenly distributed in the water, and cover. Let it sit for 8-10 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed.

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Your oil should be hot about now. Add the onion, stirring occasionally. While the onion is cooking, drain and rinse the chickpeas and chop or tear the kale into small pieces. After the onion has cooked for about 7 minutes and is translucent with some crispy brown around the edges, add the chickpeas and kale and cook for a few more minutes, until the kale has wilted. Add a few shakes of garlic powder, and turn off the heat.

I originally made a smaller batch of this, hence why there is less than I describe :)

And now your couscous should be done! Add a drizzle of olive oil and whatever herbs you want in whatever amount you like. Stir to evenly coat, and fluff with a fork. Create a well in the middle of the couscous by pushing the middle portions to the sides, like so.

Fill in the well with your chickpea mixture, add salt and pepper to taste.

I brought this to a picnic in the park yesterday, at which my friend Alex inquired what I had cooked. I told her it was going on the blog tomorrow, so here ya go, Alex!

Vanilla Brownie Ice Cream with Caramel Swirl

If that doesn't make your mouth water, I don't know what will. Another one of you-know-who's custom ice cream flavors, he pouted when I told him I probably wouldn't put it on the blog because it uses a recipe that is not mine. Aaron convinced me, so here it is :)

*Note: This recipe needs to be made over 2 days, so plan accordingly.

Vanilla Brownie Ice Cream with Caramel Swirl

1 1/2 cups soy creamer
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy milk
2 Tbls. arrowroot powder
1 Tbls. vanilla extract
1 recipe caramel sauce, refrigerated overnight
1/2 cup crumbled brownies (whatever kind you like is fine, we use this recipe from Oh She Glows)

Before you start, make sure your ice cream bowl is in the freezer, or otherwise prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions.

In a large pot, heat the soy creamer and sugar until boiling, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the soy milk and arrowroot powder.

Once the soy creamer has boiled, lower the heat and whisk in the soy milk/arrowroot cream until the mixture has thickened (it will be a little bit gelatinous - that's cool). Cool for a few minutes and whisk in the vanilla extract. Chill in the fridge overnight.

Next, start on the caramel. Up to you whether you wanted salted or not, I think it tastes good both ways.

If you don't have brownies made already, go ahead and make a batch now so they are ready for ice-cream assembly tomorrow.

Whew, okay, it's tomorrow now. Go ahead and make the vanilla ice cream according to your ice cream maker's directions. During the last few minutes of churning, add the brownies.

When the ice cream is done, scoop it into its storage container. Then stir in the caramel, just enough to give it a swirl, not to completely mix it in.

Voila! 

Caramel Sauce (salt optional)

Caramel is one of the trickiest things to make. It can burn easily, it doesn't necessarily do what you want it to do, and it is a labor-intensive process. After checking out a few recipes and throwing away many, many batches, I've combined what I've learned into what I think is a successful recipe. Salted caramel is a thing right now, so while this recipe is for a regular caramel sauce, feel free to add sea salt as you see fit. This sauce can be used as that thick, caramel topping for ice cream or incorporated into ice cream batters and baked goods.

(Salted) Caramel Sauce (makes 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tbls. water
2 Tbls. corn syrup
1/4 + 1 Tbls.  cup coconut milk
1 Tbls. vegan butter 
Sea salt, to taste (optional; I like it with 3/4 tsp.)

In a small pan combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup to form a gel.

In a small pot, combine the coconut milk and butter and melt over low heat. Just watch it every so often to make sure it's melting and hot but not doing anything crazy. You won't need it for a bit but it needs to be hot when you do.

Turn on the sugar's heat to medium-high until it starts boiling. Keep it that way for a while. It will start off small...

...then look like bubble wrap (don't touch!)...

...then it will start to get brown around the edges...

...and when it looks like this:

Whisk it to distribute the caramelization evenly.

Lower the heat and slowly whisk in the milk/butter.

Remove from heat and keep whisking to make sure there are no clumps. If you want to add salt, now is the time. Add slowly and taste carefully!

Transfer to a glass container and let cool until ready to use.

Peanut Butter Variation: Swap 2 Tbls. of the coconut milk for peanut butter and proceed the rest of the recipe the same. This one is more apt to harden than the original version, just fyi.

Gluten-Free PBJ Cookies

I'm attending a potluck tomorrow and was asked by the host to bring a dairy-free, gluten-free dessert. Given that I've still got a few days of laziness before school starts again I decided to spend some time making up a recipe. I'm still very new to gluten-free baking so if anyone with more experience wants to share advice I will gladly take it!

Gluten-Free PBJ Cookies (makes 12)

1 Tbls. ground flax seed
3 Tbls. cold water
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3 Tbls. vegan butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbls. jelly (any flavor), divided

Preheat your oven to 350 F. In a small bowl combine the flax seed and water to make a "flax egg." Put this in the freezer to set for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In another bowl combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, melt the peanut butter and the butter. Stir in the sugar and the flax egg.

Next, stir in the flour mixture. It will be fairly dry and just stick together - I used my hands to knead the last bit.

Shape 12 large flattened marbles onto a cookie sheet. Press your thumb into the top of each one to make a small well. If the cookies crack on the sides when you do this, just push them together and re-shape.

In each well, put 1/2 tsp. of jelly. 

Bake for 15 minutes or until cookies just start to brown around the edges.

PBJ bars

I'm not kidding when I say I love peanut butter and jelly. I made these bars on a whim for a late night snack and Aaron and I promptly ate half the pan with a spoon before they were even cool. This is not the type of thing you bring to a fancy dinner - these are definitely for making at a sleepover party or for leaving on the counter for a few days so you can nosh on them as you walk by.

PBJ Bars

1/2 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, your choice)
2 Tbls. chopped peanuts (optional)
2 Tbls. applesauce
2 Tbls. soy milk
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
1/4 - 1/2 cup jelly

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a small bowl combine the soy milk and the vinegar. Let it sit for a few minutes. It will curdle and become like buttermilk.

In a large bowl, melt the peanut butter (about 30 seconds in the microwave). Stir in the applesauce, soy milk/vinegar, and sugar. Then, add the dry ingredients (everything except the peanuts and jelly). The batter will be pretty thick, so you may need to knead it with your hands.

Next, grease an 8" square pan and press the batter into the bottom like so:

Drag a butter knife through the batter to create evenly spaced trenches. It's okay if it gets crumbly and weird.

Then, fill the trenches with jelly. However much you use is up to you. I used closer to half a cup and in retrospect I think that was too much. Next time I will be sparser with the jelly.

Drag the butter knife first perpendicularly through the jelly/PB stripes, then just kind of slice it all over randomly. The aim is to marble the jelly into the PB batter - you want it incorporated but not totally mixed.

Add the chopped peanuts on top if using, and press down with your hands to even out the batter.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. They will take a while to cool to be able to cut into bars so I highly recommend just eating them straight out of the pan with a spoon.

This recipe is definitely a work in progress. The batter is a bit too crumbly and sweet for my liking, so I will post any updates the next time I make it. Play around with this recipe as you see fit, and please post any revelations you find!