I think I am caught up on recipes! More new ones to come this week!

Red and White Cauliflower Bake and "Taste like doughnuts" Muffins

My sister told me about these muffins and since I am a doughnut lover, I asked for the recipe right away! I veganized it of course and I must say pretty darn fabulous!! They really do taste like cinnamon and sugar cake doughnuts. They are delicious warm or at room temperature. Yummmm!

Another Vegan Yum Yum recipe - Red and White Cauliflower Bake - quite yummy and a pretty good main dish. I wasn't sure my husband would enjoy this dish but thought I would give it a try - he isn't much for just having a veg casserole as the main dish, he likes something a little more substantial that includes something like seitan, tempeh, Gardein etc. He actually loved this dish and was very pleased with it. I was excited! It was quite tasty and fairly simple. There were several steps involved but all very simple.

“Taste like doughnuts” Muffins
 1-¾ cups Flour
 1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
 ½ teaspoons Salt
 ½ teaspoons Nutmeg
 ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
 ⅓ cup Oil
 ¾ cup White Sugar
 Substitute for 1 egg
 ¾ cups almond milk

 FOR THE TOPPING:
 ¼ cups Butter
 ⅓ cups White Sugar
 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
Preparation Instructions
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl. Combine the white sugar with the cinnamon in another bowl.
Shake muffins out while still hot. Dip muffins in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix. Let cool.

Red and White Cauliflower Bake (Source: Vegan Yum Yum)
Simple Marinara
1 tbsp vegan margarine or olive oil
2 tsp dried Italian herbs
2 to 4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 vegetable stock cube or 1/2 tsp salt

Directions 1. Heat margarine or oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the herbs and sauté for a minute or two, being careful not to burn them. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and stock or salt. Simmer until the sauce is the consistency you like, about 10 minutes. Since the sauce is going on top of the bake, you might want to cook it a bit longer than you usually would so it is not watery. A thicker sauce works best.

Herbed Tofu Ricotta
400g packet of firm tofu, well pressed and crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water (this helps the tofu set so leave out if using the herbed ricotta for another recipe)

Directions 1. Mix all the ingredients together. This mixture can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator. If making in advance leave the cornstarch and water mixture out until ready to assemble in the bake.

White SauceIngredients
1/4 cup vegan margarine
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp mustard
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 cup soy milk
1/2 tsp salt
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions 1. Whisk the margarine in a saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and whisk into a paste. Add the tahini, mustard and nutritional yeast and whisk well. Slowly add the soy milk, whisking well to make a smooth sauce. Add salt and pepper and whisk over medium-high heat until mixture is thickened. If you have made this in advance and wish to use it later just reheat before assembly so the cauliflower can get nicely smothered.

Remaining Ingredients
4 cups cauliflower, chopped small and steamed
1 cup breadcrumbs mixed with 2 T vegan margarine, 1 t salt and 1 t dried Italian herbs

Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. 2. Place the tofu ricotta in an oiled 1.5 litre casserole/baking dish - shallow and long works better than deep and narrow. Press it down to make an even layer. 3. Mix the cauliflower into the white sauce, coating well. Spread it over the tofu in an even layer. Add the Marinara Sauce on top of the cauliflower, top with bread crumbs and bake for 20 to 25 mins until bubbly and brown.

The most fabulous Thai Pizza...and pretty delish veggie pot pie too!

Thai Pizza (Source: adapted from Eat Drink and Be Vegan)
2/3 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup ketchup
2 T rice vinegar
2 T soy sauce
2 large cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 T fresh chopped ginger
1/4 t crushed red pepper (used a lot more than that!)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 T additional coconut milk
1 pizza crust
5 green onion stalks, chopped (I cooked these first as I can't eat raw ones)
2/3 cup bean sprouts
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup peanuts

Combine sauce ingredients (peanut butter through coconut milk)in blender until smooth. Spread over pizza crust (I didn't bake my crust first but if you want a crisper crust, I would recommend baking for 5-10 min prior to toppings and final baking). Sprinkle remaining ingredients on top of sauce. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 min or until crust is browned.




Primavera Potpies (Source: Adaptable Feast - once again, a pretty modified version. I added and deleted several things so this is only kind of like the original!)
Pie Crust: (this is my family recipe rather than the one used in the book)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (I love the Jungle brand though Whole Foods has stopped carrying it. Going to look online as it is far superior to any other non-hydrogenated shortening I have tried)
4-5 T water
Combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening. Add water until dough forms. Don't add too much or dough will be too sticky.
Filling:
1/2 cup flour
4 cups vegetable stock (I used Better than Boullion Faux Chicken which I think tastes more like veg stock than chicken stock - worked well)
2 T olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 t minced garlic
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup lima beans
1 t faux chicken boullion (for added flavor)
salt and pepper to taste

Put flour in a small bowl and whisk in 1 cup veg broth. Set aside. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat Add onion, garlic, carrots, and potato. Cook for about 10 min, adding a small amount of broth if necessary to keep from sticking. Add remaining stock, celery, lima beans and mushrooms and simmer for 2-3 min. Add flour/broth mixture and stir. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender. Ladle filling mixture into invidual oven-proof bowls or dishes or into one large casserole dish. (I made individual ones for my family as we have different veggie likes. This worked out perfectly to provide taste-delights for everyone!). Top each pie with prepared pie crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 min or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Enjoy!

Bok Choy with Ume Vinaigrette, Black-eyed Pea Croquettes, Sauteed Zucchini, and Herb Focaccia
I was so excited to try these croquettes (The Kind Diet) as I have heard lots of good things about them. My hubby liked them quite well but I really wasn't a big fan. I don't know if it was the flavor of beans that haven't been cooked (they were simply soaked before frying the croquettes) or some other hidden taste but I just wasn't fond of them. The bok choy (The Kind Diet) was a nice change but I probably wouldn't make it again either. I much prefer eating bok choy in a combination recipe rather than on it's own - a bit too wilty to me! The Focaccia is the same recipe as the one posted previously - just without the tomatoes.
Creamy Rice and Veggies
This was a thrown together meal made entirely of leftover bits and pieces. I had a small amount of sauce left over from the "Chicken" Divan (see recipe for sauce), some leftover veggies and a few fresh ones too (red pepper, bok choy, mushrooms), and some brown rice. I simply combined all of these ingredients, heated, and served. Very delicious!
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
LEMON POPPY SEED MUFFINS
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. sugar
1 tbsp. shredded lemon peel
2 tsp. baking powder
Substitute for 1 egg
3/4 c. almond milk
1/4 c. oil
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
1 tbsp. plus 1 t lemon juice
Grease bottom of muffin tins. In large bowl stir together flour, sugar, lemon peel, baking powder and poppy seed. In small bowl combine egg whites, milk, oil, lemon juice and lemon extract. Add to flour mixture until just moistened. Pour batter into this. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown.


Chana Samosas - Okay so I was really excited about these little parcels. We love Indian food and I made a batch of spicy Masoor Dal to go along with them for a delicious after-church lunch on Sunday. The samosas were quote a bit of work but I was sure it would be worth the time (and the calories as they are fried). I was sadly disappointed. They had very little flavor and needed a ton of salt. They might have been okay had I added salt to the filling - trying to salt them after cooking didn't work well as the salt granules fell off the pastry and didn't make much difference. I won't bother adding the recipe as I wasn't impressed and won't make them again. If you are dying to give them a go, the recipe can be found in Vegan Yum Yum :-)
I didn't take a picture of the Masoor Dal as it was not pretty at all! It tasted really good though - it did need more salt. I would have added at least another teaspoon.

MASOOR DAL RECIPE (IndianFoodForever.com)
Ingredients:
2 cups masoor dal
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup oil
1 1/2 onions, chopped
1 head garlic, separated, chopped
1 (1-inch piece) ginger root, chopped
2 jalapeno chiles, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch coriander, chopped
Water

Preparation:
Rinse massor dhal thoroughly, until water is clear. In pot bring 1 quart water to boil. Add massor daal.
Cook half way, about 10 to 15 minutes, add 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and salt. As massor dhal cooks, uncovered, water will evaporate and mixture will thicken.
Add more water to keep dal loose, like texture of thick cream. When dal is soft, turn off heat. Heat oil in wok. When oil is very hot, add onions and cook until tender and translucent but not browned.
Add garlic, ginger and chiles. Continue to fry until onions are deep-yellow. Add remaining 1 teaspoon each garam masala and turmeric.
Do not allow spices to burn. Keep stirring until mixture starts to stick. Add tomatoes and cilantro. Cook until tomato softens.
Pour in pot of masoor dal and simmer to blend flavors. Taste and add more salt if needed.

More veganizing of old favorites

A couple of new additions. I got a little more adventurous this week and made two family favorites - this time in a veganized fashion! Kinda tricky but both turned out pretty yummy. Not exactly the same flavors but pretty good none-the-less and very good stand-ins I think. First pic is the veganized Chicken Divan (creamy broccoli and chicken casserole topped with cheese) made with Gardein Scallopini and the second pic is the veganized "Fo Fars" (meat pastries) made with Gardein steak

Vegan "Chicken" Divan
(this makes a small casserole dish - if you are having company, I would suggest doubling the recipe)
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/8 cup flour
1 3/4 cups faux chicken broth
1/2 cup cashew cream
1 t curry powder
1/2 cup Veganaise
2 t olive oil
2 Gardein Scallopini fillets
1 1/2 cups blanched broccoli spears
Topping:
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 1/2 T vegan butter
1/2 t salt
1 t curry powder
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour to form paste. Slowly whisk in the broth, being careful not to let lumps form. Stir until smooth and bubbly. Add cashew cream and curry powder, stirring to incorporate. Remove from heat and stir in Veganaise. Set aside. Cut scallopini fillets into bite-sized pieces. Heat skillet and add olive oil. Add scallopini and cook until browned. Coat small casserole dish (8x8 would work but if you have a bit smaller dish, it will fit a tad better - I used a 4x8) with cooking spray. Cover bottom of dish with broccoli. Top with scallopini. Pour sauce evenly over broccoli and scallopini. Melt remaining butter. Add bread crumbs, salt and curry powder. Sprinkle mixture over casserole. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 min or until casserole is lightly browned and bubbly. Serve over rice.


Fo Fars
Pastry crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup vegan shortening
4-5 T cold water
Stir together flour and salt. Cut in shortening until crumbs form. Add water one tablespoon at a time until dough sticks together. Form 8 balls of dough. Roll out each ball into a circle. Set aside.
Filling:
1 package Gardein Steak Tips, chopped into small pieces
2 t olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 t sea salt
1 t freshly ground pepper
In a skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil. Add onion and cook for 3 min. Add Gardein. Cook until Gardein is browned (about 5 min). Add salt and pepper. Evenly distribute mixture among rolled pastry rounds. Fold pastry rounds in half and pinch sides to seal. Place pastries on cooking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake 10-15 min in 350 degree oven until lightly browned.
Growing up, my dad and sister and I liked to dip our fo fars in ketchup (I know, sounds dreadful!!!). It really was tasty. My husband decided to try a mixture of A1 and ketchup to dip these tasty parcels in - I am afraid we have found a new favorite condiment for them! As odd as it sounds, this sauce really tastes fabulous on them!!

Lemon Scones With Clotted "Cream", Tahini Noodles and Veggies, Rice Island Casserole, and Chickpea Fritters

The lemon scones were quite tasty - I didn't think the clotted cream added a whole lot to be honest! I used black raspberry jam from the farmers market instead of fresh berries because I didn't have any berries!

Lemon Maple Scones with Clotted Cream
Makes 12-15 2″ Scones
2 Cups All- Purpose Flour
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
Zest of 1 Lemon
1/3 Cup Earth Balance Margarine
3 Tbs Maple Syrup (or regular sugar)
1/2 Cup Soymilk
2 Tbs Lemon Juice
Clotted Cream
4 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine
4 Tbs Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
2 Tbs Powdered Sugar
Whisk the ingredients for the clotted cream together. It takes some elbow grease, but it will soon be a thick, smooth cream. Let it sit out to soften a little if needed to ease mixing. Set aside at room temperature; refrigerating will make the cream stiffer.
Preheat oven to 400º F.
Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl (flour through zest). Mix the wet ingredients together (syrup, soymilk and lemon juice). Using a pastry cutter or a fork, blend the Earth Balance into the dry ingredients until there are no chunks of margarine left and the mixture looks like damp sand.
Pour in the wet ingredients and mix with your hands to form a soft dough. Only mix until just combined, adding more flour if the mixture is too wet. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and roll out to a slab 3/4″ thick. Using a biscuit cutter or a glass with about a 2″ diameter, cut out your scones. Press the scraps of dough together, roll out again, and continue cutting scones until you’ve used up your dough.
Transfer scones to a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper, or a non-stick mat. Brush the tops with a mixture of soymilk, powdered sugar and lemon juice.
Bake at 400º F for 12-15 minutes. If the scones aren’t lightly brown after 15 minutes, transfer to the broiler for 1-2 minutes, watching carefully, to brown the tops if desired. Remove to a cooling rack.
While still warm, split and slather each side with clotted cream. Add berries or jam to the top and serve with your favorite tea.


I used penne instead of spaghetti for this dish. I also blanched my veggies because I am not all that fond of raw veggies in pasta. A pretty yummy dish, creamy and nutty.

Nearly Raw Tahini Noodles
Serves 4 to 6
1/2 lb Whole Wheat Spaghetti, cooked, rinsed in cold water, drained
2 Carrots, peeled and shredded
1/4 Green Cabbage Head, shredded
1 Stalk Broccoli, florets only, cut very small
A Handful Fresh Mint, chopped, optional (cilantro or basil would be good, too)
Sesame Seeds and More Mint, for garnish
Tahini Sauce
1/4 Cup Tahini, see section above
2 Tbs Low Sodium Tamari, or nama shoyu, or regular soy sauce
3 Tbs Water
1 Tbs Sugar, or raw agave nectar
1 Tbs Rice Vinegar
1 tsp Chili Sauce or 1 Chopped Fresh Chili
1 tsp Dijon or Stone-ground Mustard
1 Pinch Salt, if needed
Lots of Fresh Black Pepper
Cook the noodles and rinse under cold water. Drain and set aside, coating lightly with oil if desired to prevent the noodles from sticking. These can be made well in advance.
Cut your cabbage into quarters, then use a large chef’s knife to remove the core from one of the quarters, as shown at left. Discard the core, and wrap up the other three quarters for later use.
If you have a food processor, use it to shred your carrots and your cabbage. Use the shredder blade that has many holes for the carrots, and the blade that has one single slit for the cabbage. A box grater will work just fine for the carrots and a knife for the cabbage if a food processor is not available.
Chop the broccoli into small florets, creating pieces no bigger than small grapes. Toss all the veggies together and add the pasta. Stir together the sauce, tasting to adjust if needed.
When you’re ready to serve, add the sauce to the noodles and veggies and toss with your hands, coating everything evenly. Add chopped mint at the last moment, if using. Garnish with more mint and sesame seeds.

This rice dish was surprisingly yummy! I wanted to try a rice dish that was different but wasn't sure if we would like it. Nice surprise! I made a sauce to top it with which I think was essential to it's yummyness!

Rice Island Casserole (Source: Vegan on the Cheap)
1 T canola oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 large shredded carrot
1 cup long grain brown rice
2 T soy sauce
1 t ground cumin
3/4 t dried thyme
1/2 t ground allspice
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
2 cups veg broth
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add garlic, green onions, and carrot. Cook for about 1 min. Stir in rice, soy sauce, cumin, thyme, allspice, salt,a nd pepper. Stir in stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 10 min to soften rice and blend the flavors. Add pineapple and coconut - stir to incorporate. Transfer mixture to baking dish and cover. Bake unitl rice is tender - about 1 hour.

Special Sauce
1/2 cup all-fruit apricot jam
1/2 cup orange marmalade (I had some that my mom made)
2 t garam masala
1 t curry powder
Stir all ingredients together and serve over casserole.



Chickpea Fritters
These closely resembled vegetable pakoras (without the veggies!)sometimes served at Indian restuarants. They were quite tasty and were really good served with some of the leftover "Special Sauce" listed above.

Crispy Chickpea Fritters (Source: Clean Food)
2 cups chickpea flour
3 cups water
1 T coarse sea salt
1 grated carrot
1 T dried minced onion
2 T minced fresh rosemary
2 T olive oil
Olive oil for frying

In a large pot over no heat, combine flour, water, salt, onion, carrot, rosemary and olive oil. Whisking continuously, turn heat to medium and continue to whisk until mixture becomes quite thick (about 15 min). Remove from heat and either whisk by hand or with a handheld blender to smooth out any lumps (I just did it by hand without any trouble). Oil a 9x13 inch glass casserole dish and spread mixture evenly across bottom. Cool slightly , cover and refridgerate until firm (about 2 hrs). Remove from fridge and cut into thin strips and gently remove strips from dish. Heat oil in skillet over med-high heat. Fry strips until golden on each side (2-3 min per side). Place on a plate covered with paper towels. Keep warm in oven if desired until all fritters are done.

Breakfast Burritos, Southwestern Soup and Kung Pao Tofu and Veggies

After an afternoon of swimming, we got home too late for me to spend a bunch of time on cooking and I hadn't been grocery shopping in over a week so my fridge contents were extremely limited. I had a tad of tempeh bacon left in the freezer, some roasted potatoes from another meal and some yummy tortillas on hand so I decided to create some breakfast burritos...for dinner. I cooked the tempeh bacon until very crisp, put it in a warm tortilla, topped it with the heated potatoes, sprinkled a small amount of Daiya cheddar on it and poured on some bottled salsa. It was pretty good and very easy! Fakin bakin does have a place - just have to cook it right!!

Yesterday was a bit of a dreary day so I thought soup would be in order - especially since I needed to make a couple meals for people at church and soup is a great meal to share. I had some fresh chard from my garden and everything else on hand so I whipped up this simple soup for lunch. It was very mild in flavor but made for a nice light lunch along with salad and bread. It was vey easy to make.

Ok so after a light lunch of soup and salad, my hubby was ready for a filling dinner after working all day long on some home projects. I finally went grocery shopping yesterday so my fridge was full of fresh veggies. I made Kung Pao Tofu and Veggies - originally I had planned to just make a veggie version but my recent adoption of using tofu prompted me to use the remaining package of hot and zesty Nigari I had. This dish turned out so good! I scooped some out prior to adding the chili sauce as my kiddos are not fans of spicyness. It was indeed very spicy but sooo good. I served it over short grain brown rice which was also really yummy. We love brown rice but I would usually rather sticky rice with oriental food. Short grain brown rice is a fabulous addition to oriental food - more nutritional than sticky rice but still soft and chewy and not quite as nutty as regular brown. Of course I added far more veggies than the recipe called for! I pan-fried the tofu a bit before marinating it and it was fabulous! The tofu was nice and chewy and really just took on the flavor of the sauce. Frank said at dinner "Well honey, you have completely changed my views on food. Three months ago I wouldn't have dreamed of eating tofu"! He really enjoyed the meal!

Kung Pao Tofu

Marinade for tofu:
3 T soy sauce
3 T rice vinegar
1 t sugar
2 t cornstarch.
8 oz nigari tofu cut into cubes (I used Central Soy Hot and Zesty flavor)
Combine sauce ingredients and stir until smooth. Add tofu and toss to coat. Set aside.

Stir-fry sauce:
1 T cornstarch
2 T brown sugar
2 T soy sauce
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 t toasted sesame oil
¼ cup faux chicken broth
1 T Asian chili sauce, such as sambal olek
Mix all ingredients and stir to combine. Set aside.

3 T canola oil
1 T peeled minced ginger
1 T minced garlic
4 chopped green onions
2 celery stalks
2 cups chopped broccoli
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced mushrooms

(I added the broccoli, carrots and mushrooms (recipe didn’t call for them) and doubled the stir-fry sauce so we would have plenty for the extra veggies). Heat oil in skillet. Add onions, ginger, garlic, and carrots and cook 3-5 min. Add remaining veggies. Cook additional 5 min or until veggies start to get tender – don’t over cook. The dish looks and tastes much better when the veggies are still bright and al dente. Add the stir-fry sauce and stir to coat. Add the tofu mixture and mix to combine. Cook until sauce thickens – about 3 min. Serve over rice and top with peanuts.

Veganizing Old Favorites

Since I am trying to create some of my own recipes and also veganize old favorites, I think I will keep this as a running post and add to it as I go. I wanted to make a simple dessert today and thought of an old standby - Upside Down Cobbler that my mom made when I was growing up. In the past, when I needed an easy dessert that required pantry staples only, this was the dessert I frequently turned to. However, the recipe calls for butter and milk so it needed a quick makeover. I also used whole wheat pastry flour instead of white flour to boost the nutrition a tad. Turned out pretty yum!

Upside Down Cobbler Revamped
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 t baking powder
1/8 t salt
1 can canned fruit with their juice (peaches, pears, whatever you like best) or 1 cup berries and 3/4 cup water with 2 T sugar add to make sugary syrup

Cream oil and sugar. Add remaining ingredients except fruit. Spread in an 8x8 square pan or equivalent sized round baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with fruit and juice or sugar water. Bake at 350 for 35-40 min or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cinnamon Rolls

Tara (Vegan Piggy) posted a beautiful picture and description of these cinnamon rolls so I had to try them! They were indeed tasty - they tasted more like cinnamon-sugar glazed biscuit rolls to me but they were great! The recipe can be found at Vegan Pandamonium.

Breakfast of Champions and much more! (recipes to come - I promise!)

I haven't been as brave as I would like in the area of reconstructing non-vegan favorites into vegan favorites as I am still in the learning stages of vegan cooking! However, I decided to try my hand at making this delicious berry cream cheese coffee cake into a vegan version. Yay - I was successful! It turned out perfectly wonderful and gave me a little confidence in the area of transforming old favorites into acceptable new favorites.

Blueberries and Cream Coffee Cake
2 T butter
3/4 cup sugar
egg substitute for 2 eggs
1/4 cup soy yogurt (if you don't have yogurt, substitute apple sauce)
2 T canola oil
1 t grated lemon peel
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 cups unbleached flour, divided
1 1/4 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 cup soured almond milk (place 1 T vinegar in 1 cup measure and fill the rest with almond milk)
2 cups mixed frozen or fresh berries
8 oz vegan cream cheese (I used Tofutti)

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar. beat in the egg substitute, yogurt, oil and lemon peel. Combine 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. ix dry ingredients alernately with the soured milk. In a separate bowl, toss berries with remaining 1/4 cup flour. Fold into batter. Pour into 9x13 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top batter with spoonfuls of cream cheese. Bake at 375 degrees until inserted toothpick comes out clean - about 30-35 min.

Ok so my parents were in town and my mom brought some fabulous focaccia to share. This focaccia was another recipe she was known for during our Zambia days and I was so excited to have it again! My mom mentioned this might be a good pizza substitute for us and once I tasted it again (it's been probably 13+ years since I've had it), I have decided she is sooo right! It is so flavorful and yummy and has that comfort taste of pizza without any dairy. Wow - I think this might be the new Friday night pizza night stand-in - at least for me!!

Focaccia (this makes a ton! be prepared for leftovers!)
Dipping oil:
3/4 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic
3/4 t crushed red pepper
Combine ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Heat until garlic is golden. Remove from heat and let stand 1 hr.

Dough:
2 cups warm water
5 cups flour
1 T yeast
2 t salt
8 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 T coarse sea salt
2 T each fresh chopped basil and rosemary
Pour water in measuring cup and sprinkle with yeast. Wait until dissolved. Wisk in 3 T garlic oil. Combine 2 cups flour with 2 t salt. Add yeast mixture to flour mixture and beat. Add 1 cup flour at a time to make a soft dough. Beat 3 minutes (I used the dough hook on my Kitchen Aid). Brush bowl with 1 T oil. Transfer dough to oiled bowl and cover. Let rise 1 hr. Place chopped tomatoes in a colander and sprinkle with 1 T salt. Let stand 15 min. Rinse with cold water. Drain on paper towels. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush baking sheet (I used a large jelly roll pan) with 1 T garlic oil. Punch dough down and briefly knead. Transfer to pan and stretch to fit pan. Sprinkle with rosemary and tomatoes, pressing into dough. Sprinkle with basil and remaining 1 T salt. Bake about 30 min or until golden. Serve with dipping oil.

I modified this Vegan Yum Yum (Baked Macaroni and Cheese) recipe a tad but stuck with the recipe mostly! It turned out fabulously creamy and flavorful. I used spaghetti instead of macaroni as it was the pasta I had on hand. This was also my first go at using miso - I bought a white miso at Whole Foods as I have heard that the lighter the color, the milder the flavor. Worked great in this recipe! Mmmmm! Find the recipe at Vegan Yum Yum - called Mac and Cheeze (only things I changed were: I used A1 sauce in place of tomato paste as I didn't have paste and for some odd reason, this makes a good substitute and I seasoned my panko crumbs with italian herbs and garlic salt and added about 2 T earth balance to them to crisp them up during cooking).