Guest blogger: Deerly Beloved – Hazelnut Crumb Cupcakes with Homemade Dulce De Leche and Vanilla Icing

The very talented Kayleigh, baker from Deerly Beloved Bakery has done it again. Deerly Beloved Bakery is a vegan bakery based in the UK in a small city called Norwich. It is run by a girl named Kayleigh who spends most of her days making wedding and celebration cakes, handmade chocolates and orders for local cafes. In her spare time she runs a vegan meet up group once a month and a vegan recipe and lifestyle blog. Kayleigh’s recipes have been featured in the Fall Issue of Chickpea Magazine and The Vegan Woman. You can find out more about Kayleigh and Deerly Beloved Bakery atwww.deerlybelovedbakery.blogspot.com, www.twitter.com/deerlybelovedv and www.facebook.com/deerlybelovedbakery

These cupcakes are awesome and hide a surprise of yummy caramel in the center! Full of Dulce De Leche caramel and hazelnuts these are just the thing for a spring party! The vanilla yoghurt in these give a lovely acidity that cuts through the caramel and the buttery flavour of hazelnuts perfectly, and make for a indulgent treat!

Ingredients:

Cup Cake Batter:

2 Cups of White Plain Flour

1 Cup of Organic unrefined Sugar

1/2 Cup of Chopped Hazelnuts

2/3 Cup of Canola Oil or Sunflower Oil

2/3 Cup of  Soya Milk or Hazelnut Milk

2/3 Cup of Vanilla Yoghurt (Alpro or Provamel)

1 tsp of Baking Powder

Dulce De Leche:

1 Carton of Coconut Cream (Blue Dragon)

1/4 Cup of Organic Unrefined Sugar

Pinch of Salt

Vanilla Icing:

4 Cups Of Icing Sugar

1 Tbsp of Margarine

1/4 Cup of Vanilla Yoghurt

Heat your oven to 200c and line a cupcake tin with cupcake cases. In a sauce pan bring to the boil the carton of coconut cream, sugar and salt. Once at the boil reduce to a medium heat and stir. Meanwhile add to a bowl your flour, sugar, hazelnuts, oil, milk, yoghurt and baking powder and mix with a hand held mixer until smooth and glossy. Spoon the mixture evenly into the 12 cup cake cases and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top and a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Meanwhile stir your dulce de leche mixture, it should now becoming more opaque and thick and will not easily run off your spoon, it takes a good 10-15 minutes to reach this point. Once it is thick and has a light golden colour, place to one side and make your vanilla icing.

In a bowl add the icing sugar, margarine and yoghurt. Mix with a hand held mixer until thick and stiff and will hold peaks. If it doesn’t, add a little more icing sugar to thicken.

Now time to assemble! Take each cupcake and with a knife cut a small hole in the center of the cup cake. Then gently pull out the small piece of cake you have just cut, out of the hole. Fill the hole with a teaspoon of the dulce de leche caramel and then press the piece of cake back in to cover the hole.This will make for a lovely surprise when you eat the cake and find caramel inside! Then fill a piping bag (with a large smooth nozzle) with the icing and pipe a swirling pattern on top. Finish with a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts. You can also wet a spoon and make a mini scoop of dulce de leche on top to finish! Enjoy! X

Guest Blogger: Poppy’s Patisserie – Smoked Tofu Carbonara Pasta

So many new vegan bloggers to welcome into the fold! One such blogger is Poppy. Here she is in her own words,”I’m Poppy and I write Poppy’s Patisserie which is now fully vegan. I was a vegetarian since the age of six and have now been a vegan for almost two years. I am a University student studying Animal Management based in Kent, UK. I love food and especially love experimenting with new ways to eat plant based foods, full of goodness and flavour. I also love animals. I have two lovely sibling cats, ten bunnies, three chickens and five degu’s. They are great fun. Below is a post I’d love to share for a vegan carbonara style spaghetti using smoked tofu. It’s a real favourite of mine, comfort food full of goodness.” Follow Poppy on Twitter – welcome Poppy!

SMOKED TOFU CARBONARA PASTA

I’ve never eaten a real carbonara with bacon but have always been a sucker for creamy pastas. I remember once making a veggie version with veggie bacon and cream; it tasted delicious but I felt sick from the heaviness of the cream. I tried again with a traditional egg sauce but was so frightened of eating raw egg that I ended up cooking it to almost scrambled egg coated pasta. Yummy. Not.

So when it came to having a go, now vegan, I had no idea how it would turn out. Of course, any Italian pasta purist would shoot me for even describing this as a carbonara, but then again, so would they of my cream abundant version or even my version using the traditional ingredients which led to a spaghetti omelette. Hey ho.

It’s rich yet not too heavy, tastes smoky and creamy and is low in calories. What could be wrong with that?

For one serving: 652 calories

• 100g dried spaghetti or pasta of choice
• 10g soya or sunflower spread
• 10g plain flour
• 200ml unsweetened almond milk (or any other milk you prefer)
• 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
• 1tsp porcini mushroom powder (or add in a handful of sliced mushrooms instead)
• 100g smoked tofu (I use Taifun’s sesame and almond smoked tofu), sliced into lardons or cubed
• fresh chives to serve

1. Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Once boiling, add the pasta.
2. Spray or add a drop of oil to a pan and add the shallot over a low heat to soften. If using mushrooms, add now also. Once softened, remove and set aside. Set the heat to high and add the tofu. Fry until fragrant and starting to crisp and go golden. This should only take a minute or so.
3. Meanwhile, melt the spread in a small pan over a medium heat then stir in the flour. Cook the roux, stirring, for about a minute.
4. Gradually whisk in the milk until all is incorporated and smooth. Add in the mushroom powder (if using) and allow the sauce to thicken, stirring often. Season to taste. Stir in the shallot (and mushrooms, if using) and tofu.
5. Toss the sauce with the drained pasta and serve sprinkled with finely chopped chives.

Guest Blogger: An Ode To Mung Beans – Simply the Best Vegan Cheesecake

More new Vegan Bloggers Uniting! Makes my heart swell with happiness to see the lovely people that wish to participate. I am happy to introduce Sammy, author of the blog An Ode To Mung Beans. Here she is in her own words, “I’m an Aussie living and studying in London (Philosophy). I have been a Vegan for almost two years and can not imagine now ever NOT being a vegan! I’m passionate about the rights of animals and am dedicated to spreading the word about how easy and delicious vegan cuisine can be! This is why I created my blog and I hope to educate and inspire as many people as I can!” Follow An Ode To Mung Beans through Twitter and Facebook. Welcome Sammy!

I hate to make such grand and sweeping remarks such as this title, but, I assure you it is not false. I have made many different vegan cheesecakes using different ingredients and I have finally arrived at what I believe, and you will too, is the most truly sumptuous cake you’ll eat, vegan or not! I mean, just look at it…

I’ve decorated this one with chocolate covered strawberries, but feel free to snaz it up any way you choose!

Makes: 1 8″ or 9″ springform pan (I used an 8″)

• 2 tubs of vegan cream cheese (I use Tofutti brand)
• 1 349g/12 ounce pack of firm, silken tofu
• 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
• Juice of one lemon
• Zest of one lemon
• 1/4 cup almond or soy milk
• 1 teaspoon arrowroot
• 1/2 cup flour
• Toppings of your choice, I used chocolate covered strawberries and sifted icing sugar

For the crust/base:

• 2 cups digestive biscuit crumbs (graham cracker crumbs)
• 3/4 cup vegan butter (I use Pure)
• 1/4 cup sugar

Method:

Start with the base: Pre-heat your oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 and lightly grease an 8″ or 9″ springform pan. To make the biscuit crumbs I simply churned up the biscuits in the processor. Melt the butter in a small pan and turn off heat. Stir in the crumbs and the sugar until it comes together in a sticky, thick mixture. Press this into your springform pan and push up the side as much as you want. Place in the oven and bake for 5-6 mins. Take out and allow to cool on a cooling rack. Turn the oven down to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3.

For the filling: Put into your food processor the cream cheese, tofu, sugar, vanilla, juice and zest and almond/soy milk. Blend until you have a smooth consistency. Now add in the arrowroot and the flour and blend until combined. Here you should taste to see if you need more lemon or vanilla. If you want more of a lemon kick, add more zest.

Now pour the mixture into your prepared crust and bake in the oven for an hour, checking it at the 50 minute mark. Once done, turn the oven off and leave it to sit in the oven for another 1/2 hour. Take it out and leave to cool on a rack (I put mine on the window sill) before putting it into the fridge for about 4 – 6 hours or overnight. Decorate as you wish and enjoy!

Virtual Vegan Potluck May 2013!

Hey hey everyone! Check it out – time for another round of Virtual Vegan Potluck. This is going to be one big bad ass gathering and I am so very proud to be hosting for another round. It’s been amazing to see the amount of vegan recipes that people come up with by doing VBU! and it’s incredibly complimentary to be a part of the potluck.

If you haven’t signed up yet (what are you waiting for?), please do so here: http://virtualveganpotluck.com/sign-up/

Annie, the brain child of the Virtual Vegan Potluck, along with Somer and Jason are working to get things together. Please do remember that this is a labour of love, please do follow instructions and time lines. We want to make sure this is a smooth event and no one’s blog gets ‘left behind’ aka, unlinked.

We are super excited to work together and make this happen!

Please feel free to share and let everyone know the party is coming to town!

Guest Blogger: Broccoli Addict – Millet and quinoa burgers in sesame

Always amazing to see how far VBU! can reach. All the way from Poland, please welcome Urszula, author of Broccoli Addict. Here she is in her own words, “I’m a passionate vegan who loves to cook and experiment. I rarely follow a recipe to the letter. Also, I’m a wife, mom, artist, writer, art therapist, curator, teacher, milliner, and a maker of things. I love soup and tea, my dog Inka, jazz, and the color fuschia.” Follow Broccoli Addict on Facebook as well. Welcome Urszula!

Making burgers makes life so much easier, at least for me. Not only are these great for lunch or dinner, they make a great snack on their own or on a sandwich. These burgers are high in protein and have an unexpected flavor. I’m beginning to love using black onion seeds to add a unique flavor to various foods.

Sesame seeds are a really great source of calcium. And most of the calcium is in the hull, therefore unhulled sesame seeds should be a regular staple in the vegan diet. A tablespoon of unhulled or black sesame contains 88 mg of calcium.

I also added quite a bit of flaxseed. First of all, its function in this recipe is to bind all the ingredients together. Secondly, flaxseed contains soluble and insoluble fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. I buy my flaxseed whole and grind it in the coffee grinder when I need it.

Ingredients

½ cup dry millet

½ cup dry quinoa

3 ½ cups water

2 tsp. oil (optional)

½ tsp. turmeric

1 large carrot, grated

¼ cup ground flaxseed

1 tbsp. whole flaxseed

1 tbsp. whole black onion seed (nigella sativa)

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. paprika

½ tsp. cardamom

½ tsp. coriander

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Whole black and/or unhulled sesame seeds

Instructions

1.Cook millet and quinoa in water with 1 teaspoon of oil, pinch of salt, and ½ teaspoon turmeric for about 20 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain any excess water, if necessary.

2.In a frying pan, sauté grated carrot with 1 teaspoon of oil, cumin, coriander and cayenne. You may need to add a teaspoon or two of water.

3.Add carrot to the cooked millet and quinoa. Stir in ground and whole flaxseeds, black onion seeds, salt and black pepper.

4.Shape patties. I have a bowl with water in which I wet my hands. This eases forming the patties and prevents the mass from sticking to your hands. Roll in sesame seeds.

5.Bake at 180°C (355°F) for 20-25 minutes.

Yield: about 13 palm-sized patties

Allergy information: These burgers are free of wheat, soy, nuts, gluten, and of course milk and eggs.

 

Guest Blogger: The Food Duo – The Pot(Luck) of the Vegan

New bloggers who blog as a couple! Meet – The Food Duo! Here they are in their own words, “We’re a couple of quirky vegan kids in NYC who play with their food! Just don’t tell our moms! Recipes, reviews, news you can use and fun stuff…all from a vegan point of view! The Food Duo is written by Macaroon (girl) and Artichoke (guy).” Keep in touch with the Food Duo on all their social media links: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram. Welcome Macaroon and Artichoke!

Sunday Potluck! Can we do this every weekend…PLEASE?

Sorry, I’m a few days late with my “Kiss Me, I’m Irish (for 24 hours)” line! Then again, if my mom’s correct, we may have some Irish blood somewhere on her side of the family, but who knows? LOL

St. Patrick’s Day certainly has its religious roots, but I’ve always grown up with it being a celebratory day with friends (old, new and those lasting a single pint). The camaraderie that comes about truly makes the day fun and festive more so than just wearing green (which I did) or watching the parade (this year, the day before). This year was no different, except the parade on Saturday the 16th, rather than Sunday the 17th. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a lovely Sunday evening at a pot luck, meeting new folks, eating good food and sharing a common bond being VEGANISM!Organized through the NYC Vegan EatUp group on Meetup.com, our evening was entitled VEGANPOTLUCKAPALOOZA! So, you know anything ending in “PALOOZA” is certain not to disappoint. The pot luck was held at Harmony Kitchen Cafe in the East Village (NYC), which is a great vegan cafe and art space, which is part of the Yippie Museum, a venue of expression and activism. It was the perfect, cozy setting, and a big thanks to David Hall, the owner, for having us! BTW, Harmony Kitchen has some of the best iced tea I’ve ever had, and Artie is in love with their coffee.

The gathering included some home chefs and professional eaters (some being one in the same…like ME). We shared dishes of hearty comfort goodness. The menu was full of deliciousness: delightful rainbow salad, perfect stuffed mushrooms with daikon, two kinds of yummy mac ‘n cheese (one gluten-free), stuffed shells with a flavorful cashew ricotta and garlic mashed potatoes with green cauliflower. The meal was topped off beautiful raw mint pie for dessert. I think we all did a bang up job!

So, you may be wondering what Artie and I made for the evening. Well, our contributions were the stuffed shells and mashed potatoes. Since we made our dishes without following a set recipe, we’ll need to work them out in written form, and share them soon, but they were pretty simple to make.

A sampling of a shell and skin-on mashed potatoes “aerial” shot

 

There isn’t much more I can say except it was great spending time with our fellow vegans, learning a little something about them and about ourselves. It was a wonderful experience and I hope we get to do this again really soon!

Oh and I’m in total love with the mint pie!

AMAZING! So happy Sarah shared the recipe. Will be making this soon for Momma Mac!

Guest Blogger: On the path to zen… – Chick’n Fried Tofu

There are vegans in Texas! One is Kerry, she writes a blog called On the path to zen…. Here she is in her own words, “I am a vegan working always on finding her zen. Not easy these days, but the journey is well worth it! I am a Master Gardener and a Reiki Master/Teacher, and these combine very nicely with living the life of zen.” Join On the path to zen… on Facebook too! Welcome Kerry!

Growing up in Texas, there are two dishes you can find served at a restaurant within a stone’s throw, no matter where you are. Barbecue and chicken fried steak.

And if you are in Texas, never, ever, ever, refer to chicken fried steak and country fried steak. Trust me on this.

As I have tried to explain to many meat eaters, I bet nine times out of ten it is not the meat they like so much as it is the flavors of the food. To that end I like to make dishes that even I-will-never-be-vegan folks will eat and proclaim it delicious.

Chicken Fried Tofu

One package extra firm tofu, frozen, thawed, pressed, sliced into 1/4″ slices

3 T. nutritional yeast

2 T. panko breadcrumbs

2 T. soy sauce

Old Bay seasoning

Salt

In one shallow bowl, combine the nutritional yeast and breadcrumbs and mix well. In another shallow bowl, pour in the soy sauce. Dip the tofu slices in the soy sauce and place in the breadcrumbs mixture, coat well on both sides. Place coated pieces on a sprayed baking pan. Sprinkle on some Old Bay and salt. Bake for 15 minutes, turn over, season and bake for another 15 minutes until golden brown. Serve. Enjoy!

I served mine with some peppered cream gravy, garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. Delish!

What I like most about this recipe is it is baked, not deep fried. Yummy, healthy AND cruelty-free!

Guest Blogger: The Vegan Kat – Vegan Matzo Ball Soup AKA Seitan and Dumpling Soup

As we’re all celebrating family time Kat from the Vegan Kat has a great recipe for Matzo ball soup! Keep up to date with Kat with her blog and Facebook page. Welcomeback Kat!

Growing up, I loved matzo ball soup. It’s surprisingly hard to make matzo balls vegan though. If anyone has a good recipe, let me know. My friend Sarah sent me a recipe for a dumpling soup that was vegan, and it’s really, really yummy! Though it’s a little different than matzo ball soup, it definitely satisfies the craving. Sarah makes hers more like a stew, but I modified her recipe a bit to be as close to the matzo ball soup that I remember. This is definitely comfort food, but still a healthy meal. Perfect for a sick day or a cold rainy day…well really for any day! As a side note, before we get to the recipe, I wanted to share a link. I don’t usually post anything political on this blog, but I wanted to share a video I created at my last job about Edie Windsor called Edie Takes on DOMA. Her case is being heard by the Supreme Court today. If you don’t already know the details, take a few minutes to watch this video. It gives a quick background on her situation. If you’re up for a longer watch, check out another segment I made about the Defense of Marriage Act, called Married But Not Equal. It goes through a few of the many ways that DOMA negatively affects LGBT couples. Okay, that’s it for the politics. I just wanted to share some background info in case anyone was interested. Now on to the recipe!

Soup Ingredients 1 box of Manischewitz Matzo Ball & Soup Mix or 6 cups of vegetable broth 1 bag of mini golden potatoes (about 2 cups) or 2-3 potatoes cubed 1 onion 2 cloves of garlic 2 shallots olive oil for sauteing 4-5 carrots 2 stalks of celery 1 container of seitan Black Pepper Dried Basil Dried Thyme Dumpling Ingredients 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons vegan butter 3/4 cup soy milk 1 tablespoon dried or fresh dill (use a little more if using fresh dill) Directions

• If you’re using Manischewitz Matzo & Soup Mix, you only need the soup packet, not the matzo ball packet. Follow the directions on the back of the box for just the soup mix. It will tell you how much water you need for the mix you bought. If you’re using broth, bring the broth up to a simmer in a soup pot. I like to use the Manischewitz soup mix because it creates a broth that is similar to chicken broth, but it’s vegan.
• If you’re using whole potatoes, peel and chop them. If you’re using mini potatoes, they’re already bite size, so there’s no prep work. Add the potatoes to the simmering broth.
• Chop the onions and shallots, and press or mince the garlic. Saute them in a little olive oil until the onions are translucent. Peel and chop the carrots. Chop the celery. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery to the simmering broth.
• While the soup simmers, make the dough for your dumplings. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the vegan butter using a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the soy milk and dill, and stir until the dough is combined.
• Add the dough in rounded tablespoonfuls to the simmering broth. Sprinkle in dried thyme, basil, and black pepper to taste. Allow the dumplings to simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then cover the pot and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
• While the dumplings are simmering, saute the seitan in a little bit of olive oil. Add the seitan to the soup at the end, right before serving.

Guest Blogger: The Veggie Nook – Peanut Butter & Caramel-Filled Chocolate Eggs

Happy Easter! Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays. Please welcome back Gabby from Veggie Nook! Please do visit Gabby on her blog, Facebook, Twitter and many other social links. Welcome back Gabby!

Even though I’m not spending Easter with family this year, that does not mean I won’t be eating chocolate.

But not just any chocolate. I’m talking “peanut-butter” and caramel-filled chocolate eggs that would rival any silly Cadbury/Reese/Nestle/Hershey confection.

Guys I am really proud of these.

I decided to go with almonds instead of peanuts in the filling because they are more nutritious (and paleo!) but when combined with the other ingredients, this almond filling really takes on a peanut taste. The medjool dates add a caramelly flavour and the coconut flour gives the filling a nougaty-texture. Best part? This also uses almond pulp leftover from making almond milk! Waste not, want not! If you don’t have almond pulp though don’t worry, almond meal or any ground nut should do the trick.

And let’s not forget the coating. I decided to make my own chocolate shell from my usual cacao powder and coconut oil. I used slightly different ratios than I usually do, but the results are still delicious.

The result? A slightly misshapen (I’m lazy and no culinary genius) but entirely vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, grain-free, raw, paleo, and maybe even other diet-friendly treats that will delight adults and children alike!

Sometimes I think it’s funny I didn’t like nut butters when I was little…clearly I have a love affair with it now

“Peanut Butter” & Caramel-Filled Chocolate Eggs (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Paleo, Raw)

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Ingredients

Filling

• 6 medjool dates, pitted
• 3 tbsp almond butter
• 3 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/8-1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond pulp (dry) or almond meal

Chocolate Coating

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 2 tbsp coconut syrup/maple syrup

Instructions

Add all filling ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Then add the almond meal and process again until a smooth consistency is reached. Put the filling in the fridge to firm up a little while you make the chocolate.

In a small bowl over low heat, melt the coconut oil. Whisk in the the cacao once melted and add in the coconut syrup. Remove from the heat.

Take the filling out of the fridge and shape into egg-shaped balls. Using 2 forks, dip each “egg” into the chocolate, ensuring all sides are coated. Place onto a parchment paper-lined sheet and continue until all eggs are coated.

Put the eggs in the fridge for about 40 minutes to get firm. Store in the fridge until ready to eat!

Whether you celebrate Easter, Passover or nothing at all, I hope you all have/had a wonderful holiday!

Guest Blogger – Rachel in Veganland: Tahini chickpeas

After her wildly successful first post on VBU!, Rachel in Veganland – Not Skinny how could I not have her back? This time Rachel is back to share her take on tahini chickpeas. You can follow Rachel’s posts through email, and find her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Welcome back Rachel!

Living in this house in Carrboro has been a throw back to my first few days at college when I was cooking vegan for the first time in the communal kitchen of my dorm. There were 2 things I always had in my food box in those days: garbanzo beans and tofu. As the garbanzo is my favorite legume, I would eat them quite often, and in a variety of ways.

I would often sauté them up with some fresh onions and garlic, add in a few seasonings to suit my mood, then a sauce to tie it all together. This past week I’ve revisited that dish, as again garbanzos and tofu were readily available. This time, instead of the goddess dressing I would often use to tie all of the ingredients together, I used some tahini.

The result was caramelized fried-like glory with no breading, mess, or actual frying. What a fantastic and flavorful shortcut! The flavor was similar to fried chicken-like tofu but the garbanzos added a rich nuttiness to the dish that was only amplified by the tahini. Served atop a bed of fresh spinach, and it was heaven on a plate.

Tahini Fried Chickpeas and Tofu

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly

1/2 block extra firm tofu

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped onions

dash dried basil

1/2 cup tahini

Over medium heat, sauté garlic and onions until the onions begin to brown and get all caramelized. Then pop in your tofu, cut into nice sized chunks and allow it to brown slightly too. Add those chick peas and let it all mesh together for a couple of minutes, then add in your tamari. At the very end, add the tahini and remove from heat, stirring to incorporate thoroughly. Serve immediately over a bed of fresh, raw greens and eat your heart out.

Now that we’re back in Carrboro, we’ve of course been frequenting our favorite taco truck again, huzzah! This means the world’s most decadent and fantastic sauces. I always get an extra 2 oz. container to keep and smother on EVERYTHING I can. These chick peas were no exception.