Sharon's Cookies: A Vegan Cookie review

Sharon's Kitchen is responsible for outputting bulk amounts of fantastic vegan cookies on a regular basis. On our last visit, she supplied a few of her favorite (and Mine!) for our enjoyment.
YUM!

In the picture... from the Top of the picture to the bottom:

Chewy Chocolate Raspberry Cookies!
Little dense chocolate cookies with raspberry preserves mixed in the batter! This is a recipe from Veganomicon.

Recipe:
1/2 cup raspberry preserves
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened ccoa powder (sifted if clumpy)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Time: 35 Minutes Makes 2 Dozen Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the raspberry preserves, sugar, canola oil, vanilla, and almond extract. In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the other ingredients. Add the dry to the wet in three batches, mixing well with a fork after each addition. When you get to the last batch, you may need to use your hands to work the batter into a soft, pliable dough. Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and then flatten them with your hands into 2 1/2-inch diameter disks. Place on a cookie sheet (they need to only be 1/2-inch apart because they don't spread out when baking). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Sesame Ginger Peanut Butter Cookies! Such a good cookie! Like everything you could want all together in one cookie. Is like a yummy Thai dessert cookie. Yeah! Cookies! Also found in Veganomicon! My friend Evan made these cookies with BLACK sesame! Check them out! Straight UP Peanut Butter Goober Nut Cookies! These cookies are a crispy and a little bit chewy, also unexpectedly sweet! I love goober nuts! THANKS SHARON!!!!!!

FYI: Sprouting (almost) Everything

(mustard seed sprouts before they are hulled)

Mike and I have been eating a lot of sprouts lately, those deliciously healthy stringy plants, grown from all sorts of seeds and legumes. Recently Mike purchased a sprouting container From The Sprout People as well as a large amount of different seeds including clover, alfalfa, mustard, onion, dill, fenugreek, radish, garlic, celery, tatsoi, etc... Though you can make a sprouting container out of a mason jar, by simply replacing the sealing lid with a sprouting screen and securing it with the threaded ring of the lid... this container was cheap enough and provides a bit of shelter from the light, being a pale white plastic.

WHAT TO SPROUT?

Sprouting most legumes and seeds can be done very easily, some take more time than others to reach a full sprout, but the general time ranges between 3 and 8 days for one batch which can increase in volume from seed any where from 2x to 10x.

In order to sprout anything it must be raw. Any cooking of a seed or legume kills the potential life inside and disables the processes of growth. By sprouting, one creates living plants. Though You can sprout most legumes and seeds, some are toxic unless cooked after sprouting (black beans) or should be entirely avoided (kidney beans)... you should make sure the things you sprout are not toxic to eat raw before you sprout them!

So far we have sprouted (see picture below):
Red Lentils
Clover Seeds
Mustard seeds
Fenugreek Seeds
Dill Seeds

(This picture is about 8 oz of sprouts which came from 2 Tbsp of seeds. It's massive!)

How to Make the Magic...

Check out this site for really precise instructions:

THE SPROUT PEOPLE

"Why sprout?" you ask...

1. It is very easy and not time consuming to sprout on your own. There is no "green thumb" requirements, just some attention.
2. Fresh Veggies all year round! Depending on the size of your operation, there is no need to step into any sort of outdoor environment.
3. Health benefits= immense!; Alkalizing in your stomach helping you digest, all of the vitamins and proteins increase 300%-1400% from the seed (which contains the instructions for that growth...i.e. a tiny sunflower seed can grow into a 10 foot thriving plant), a nearly complete food, like live foods in general they are enzyme inhibitor neutralizing as well as phytic acid nuetralizing which is a problem in the digestion of many legumes and seed, soaking the legumes and seeds lowers the fat content of the plant by breaking down dense veggie proteins into simpler amino acids.
4. The Sprout People give this Nutritional inforamtion about sprouts: “Nutritional info: Vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K
   Calcium, Carbohydrates, Chlorophyll, Iron, Magnesium, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc
   All Amino Acids
   Trace Elements
   Protein: up to 35%”

Hey, I'm coming home for the weekend...make sure you have food.

Well, sometime I just feel like my mother and I don't know if that's bad or good. My sister decided to come in from out of town and since my mom is in Costa Rica, it is up to me to whip up some amazing gastronomic delight. OK, right? But with 15 minutes notice. Chicken Caesar Salad was shot down. It's cold out and she wants a warm meal. Let her go out, you say?? Well, not here. There isn't any restaurants closer than 30 miles.

So Chicken with rice and broccoli with veloute sauce. Some butter, flour, chicken broth, egg yolk, fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste-- for the sauce. Boil the chicken (with or without the bones) with salt, pepper and celery. Cook up the rice and brocolli add the chicken with sauce on top and, voila 30 minute meal that's out of this world. Not vegan, at all, but as my son says, "I eat vegan all the time, I just add other foods with it." Don't forget the baguette with butter.

OK, I'm good. Time for a nap.

Saag With TOFU

Oh my god. I am bowing down to Jenn Shaggy! Her fantastic Vegan Food blog gave me the craving for this delicious Indian dish. Really, I ate until I could not eat anymore. I am in heaven.

Now I understand why she is serving this dish at her wedding. Here is her recipe, with a few slight alterations. She uses home made vegan paneer for this dish, which I simply did not have time to do, but if you are looking to make this dish "authentically" Indian, I suggest you try the paneer, it just sounds so damn good.

Saag Tofu

• 2 TBSP Vegan Ghee (recipe follows) or Sunflower Oil
• 5 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 TBSP finely chopped Ginger
• 1 cup Tomato Sauce
• 1 TBSP ground Coriander
• 1 tsp ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 large bag of fresh spinach
  
• 1 package of extra firm tofu
• 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
  
• 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder

Fry cut up tofu in 3 Tbs oil or Vegan Ghee until golden brown. Set aside.

Heat oil in 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger root; stir-fry 1 to 2minutes or until garlic is golden brown.

Stir in tomato sauce, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground red pepper, and salt; reduce heat to low. Partially cover and simmer 7 to 8 minutes or until thin film of oil starts to form on surface of sauce.

Stir in chopped spinach. Cover and simmer 8 to 10 minutes or until spinach turns a light olive green.

Stir in fried tofu. Cover and simmer 3 to 4 minutes; remove from heat.

Stir in milk and Garam Masala.

Vegan Ghee

• 1 stick (or 8 TBSP) of Vegan Margarine

Heat the stick of margarine over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it reduces by a little more than half. This should take about 7-10 minutes.

RESOLUTION

I forgot to mention my new years resolutions....

1. Make cooking and cooked foods a luxury (but also luxurious).
2. Find more good beer.
3. Climb more ladders.
4. And; therefore, eat more apples??? Winesaps Please!!!
5. Make more films- lots more.
6. Scare myself sometimes.

"Why Winesap?" You might ask... given that there are about 2,500 varieties of apples grown in the United State alone, some are obviously suited to one persons taste better that another, some suited to certain applications better than another, and some more ablely produced at certain times unlike another....otherwise there would be fewer apple varieties. Since there are so many apples and the consumer has the right to choose their consumables (within the realm of what is presented as "the consumables"-allow me to add this) what are apples to some are oranges to another. I am from the Northeastern U.S. and take great pride in my area, it is beautiful and delicious. Most local and native foods are the staple of my diet; Kale, Squash, Lettuce, Potatos, corn, carrots, peanut butter, pickled food, hearty grains, good hoppy beer, first and foremost apples. So here goes my argument for the apple of my desire.

This apple was first developed in 1866 by Dr. Joseph Stayman of Leavenworth, Kansas, right on the western banks of the Missouri River in the Northeastern corner of the state. Producers like to coin this as an "antique" or "19th century" apple, an heirloom variety. Where this apple grows best; the minimum temperature averaging above -20 F, perfect for areas prone to early frost, good levels of constant rainfall, ripening in mid October requiring about 170 days for full maturity. The skin is prone to imperfections because it reacts to the environment, therefore it is a discouraged product for new large scale commercial production. Though it was once a largely distributed grocery store item, it has since disappeared from the produce isle and has been replaced by prettier, sweeter, more genetically altered fruit stuff that are just not as good. This is a winning feature of the Winesap because of the dangers of mass production of food commodities... bigger, "better", faster, cheaper which it will not identify with.

The apple itself is fantastic and robust. It is medium to large in size and remains firm and crisp if stored properly (the difference between a fruit cellar and a basement or pantry). The skin is a deep violet red with some greens and yellows, depending on the sub-variety. The flesh is white and crisp with just the right tartness and a sweetness that emulates the sensation of a dry spicy red wine, hence the name Winesap. It is perfect for baking, making apple butter, pressed ciders, and eating raw (with peanut butter= perfect raw meal any day and for me, I would eat it every day if it were possible). It could be eaten at all times of the year! It is a beautiful fruit, first thought of as a signature "dessert variety" and now found in farmers markets around the Northeast, a prize for Winesap enthusiasts like me!

The first pages of my "Cookbook"

I Wrote these on the train one day...
If these are hard to read... I apologize. But its just a sneak peak....

Beer... Also Important

So Beer.... New review.

Tried a few BBC's the other night, looking for a really bitter hoppy ale and had a 1/2 pint of the RIVER ALE which was far too malty and sweet, I would even say a little watery; also the BERKSHIRE ALE which was better and a little more bitter, but heaviery with a good head, a good balance of malts and hops leaning more toward the hops than the River Ale. I decided that BBC is not the place to go... with the exception of the Lost Sailor IPA...which is pretty damn good but not The Best I've ever had***



***But really STONE is uncontestable and I will admit this is an unfair judgment. Still BBC...eh its alright, I am from Western Mass so I have to represent, the Lost Sailor is still good.

Baked Ziti with Winter Squash and a Chestnut Cream Sauce

First:
Roast 2 cubed winter squash with 1 chopped yellow onion, a good amount of fresh sage, olive oil, and s&p at 475' until caramelized; about 45 minutes. Then mash into a casserole dish.

During:
Boil up some ziti, al dente. Mix into the casserole dish with the squash.

Also During:
Puree 2 cups of roasted chestnuts with unsweetened non-dairy milk, a few cloves of garlic, a touch of tamari, a teaspoon or two of brown mustard, 2 or 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, and a dash of Spanish paprika.
Spread over the ziti and squash, cover in tinfoil and bake for 15-20 minutes until hot and creamy.

Serve HOT and enjoy this winter-y Vegan delight.

More avacado...

I am loving avocado's this week. I can't get enough. Instead of dinner last night, we opted for just freshly made guacamole and tortilla chips. We needed to have room for the avocado chocolate cake below, of course.

My simple recipe for guacamole is:

2 avocado's squished with a fork
freshly grated salt to taste
a small squeeze of lemon juice
Sriracha HOT chili Sauce to taste*

My daughter wanted to add all kinds of stuff but sometimes less is more. This stuff is the bomb.

* Sriracha Hot chili sauce is a new ingredient for me. It was in Bon Appetite recently as the secret ingredient every kitchen must have. How did I live without?? it?

Vegan AVOCADO CHOCOLATE CAKE!!!!

Hello!!!????? Why haven't I thought of this before?!

I discovered this recipe from the JoytheBaker Blog this morning. As my mother pulled out a pie crust that she made a day ago and mentioned her famous apple pie was on tonight's menu, I decided to bake too! I was craving something chocolate, but eying those avocados, hoping I could use them before they got too soft and brown. This was right after I came home with my pops from the Restore where we picked up a beautiful 8"x8"x8.5' hand-hewn beam to hold up our kitchen ceiling!

So without any further hesitation I made this delicious and moist Vegan Avocado Chocolate Cake
and I was a little bit skeptical of green Avocado Frosting so I concocted a Coconut Mocha (Vegan)Butter Cream Frosting:

YUUUUUMMMMMMM.

The CAKE:

3 cups all-purpose flour

6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (or 3 oz Baker's Vegan Baker's Chocolate Melted)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 medium avocado mushed

2 cups water

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8 or 9-inch rounds. Set aside. Sift together all of the dry ingredients except the sugar. Set that aside too. Mix all the wet ingredients together in a bowl, including the super mushed avocado. Add sugar (and melted chocolate if you used the Baker's chocolate) into the wet mix and stir. Mix the wet with the dry all at once, and beat until smooth. Pour batter into a greased cake tins. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.

The FROSTING:

3 cups confectionery sugar

1/3 cup margerine

4 TBS espresso

4-8 TBS Coconut milk

2-4 TBS Cocoa Powder

Whip it.

I want to add another variation for a fucking bomb ass frosting:

lets see....
3-4 cups of confectionery sugar, 1 stick vegan margarine, some vanilla, some BANANA RUM and a touch or so of non-dairy milk (I always try and use almond milk, its the best)

Whip it!!!!!

Frost and cut long thin slices of banana to place with frosting between layers and on the top of the cake.

This will get you a cheers with a fork in the air for sure!

The Kitchen in the works

I just wanted to show some images of the kitchen we have been working with. My mother and father are in the process of a serious space transformation and the kitchen, being the space of our work, is just as important as the food. Yes? maybe? Though it is not finished some documentation of the process is fun to see!

The Family Dinner (Food for All!)

I was working very hard at work today when the phone rang at my desk, I answered, "Hello?" and the other side responded, "Hello! Annie?"
"Yes?"
"Its your daughter!"
"Oh!"
"Guess what?" She leads," I am home! And I am making you dinner! Its a surprise! Oh by the way you are out of cinnamon... and onions."

I responded that indeed it was such a nice surprise to have her home and that I had a clue to what exactly she was making. She thought I could not guess, but cunningly I suggested the possibility of "Some Mole?" And I was right and she was astounded, how could I have known? Well, the last trip to visit her in New York, she had discovered a cookbook from the Top Chef Master, Rick Bayless: Mexican Everyday, and I just knew. I am such a mother...and a food lover, and out of cinnamon.

When I came home the aromas were phenomenal! Chicken or Tempeh simmered Vegan Mole (with cinnamon), Vegan Baked Corn and Cilantro Pudding, and a delectable Cucumber, Romaine, and Avocado Chopped Salad.....awwwww yum! I was not sated, so I ate three helpings and could have devoured it all had my stomach allowed. Lunch tomorrow!