Pumpkin cranberry muffins

There is something about pumpkins that I love, maybe its their color or the round chubbiness of them, or that they sit on peoples front door steps waiting for a face. Whatever it its I love them and the taste of them!

Local  cranberries hit the store the other day, so I picked up a bag. I am waiting for the veggie stand down the road to put them out, last year I got a huge ziplock bag full! Pumpkin and cranberry mixed together is like Ernie and Bert.

I whipped these up this morning with the roasted pumpkin puree I made the other day.  Perfect with your morning coffee (or tea).

Pumpkin cranberry muffins

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup pumpkin puree
3 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup soy milk mixed with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 3 tbsp hot water

1 cup fresh cranberries- pulsed through a food processor ( just to break them up a bit)
Walnuts on the top are optional.

Preheat oven to 375
Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl
Combine wet ingredients, pour into dry and stir it up.
Add the cranberries and scoop into a muffin tin. (grease it if you don't have muffin liners)
Bake for 30 minutes or until done.

Date & orange muffin

When you are pregnant sometimes you feel the urge to clean your home and change it up. "Nesting" as its referred to. I have felt it :) I put the baby crib up for the 3rd time! Yes I have had the same crib for 14 years! Insane...I know.

It is fun putting the baby clothes away. We didn't find out the gender of the baby. I like the surprise. I have one drawer of girl clothes and one drawer of boy clothes, most of which came from the thrift store and some gifts. I also purchased two rag quilts from Etsy, since Leeluu will be sharing her room I thought it would be a special something that they can both have. It is hard to believe that I only have a little under 11 weeks left!

I felt muffinish this morning so I made these, adapted from the joyofbaking.com. The sugar from the dates is sweet so feel free to cut down on the sugar. I will next time only use 1/4 cup. :)

Date & orange muffins 2 cups flour 1/4 cup rolled oats 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup cane sugar  1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tbsp grated orange zest 1/3 cup  fresh orange juice 1 cup soy milk/ mixed with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 1 egg replace 1/2 tsp almond extract 1/4 cup sunflower oil 1 cup chopped dates pumpkins seeds (optional) Preheat oven to 350- grease a muffin tin Mix dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl mix wet. Pour wet into dry. Mix until combined. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds Scoop batter into tins, bake for 20 minutes or until done.

Mango & Strawberry Muffins

I was at the store yesterday and mangoes were 25¢! I bought 9 of them with hopes to freeze a bunch and put them in smoothies. I also grabbed a box of strawberries, sometimes its nice to have a taste of summer in the cold winter.

When I got home I decided to make some muffins, and thought about mango muffins, but how much better would they be if I added fresh strawberries and in the middle a scoop of strawberry jam!

Mango & Strawberry Muffins

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt

3 mango-peeled and chopped
10 strawberries- chopped

1 cup milk
2 egg replacements
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil

strawberry jam


Preheat oven to 350
Mix dry with wet. Stir in fruit.
Scoop into greased muffin tin 1/2 way.
Place a spoonful of strawberry jam in the middle.
Top up with the rest of muffin batter
Bake for 45 minutes or until done.

Carrot & Apple muffins....and a winner!

After we came home from the beach, we decided to make some muffins. These are moist and fluffy and perfect for snack time! The winner of the CSN gift card is #84 Dia Corona congratulations! Please email me your info.Thanks everyone for entering the contest :)

1 cup brown sugar
2 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 pinch of nutmeg

1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup apple sauce
2 cups grated carrot
3 egg replacement
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup soy milk
1 apple peeled and grated

preheat oven to 375 and grease the muffin tin
mix wet into dry and stir until well combined.
Spoon into tins until 3/4 full.
Bake for 25 minutes or until done.

Pain au Levain- test one

The same friend of a friend that gave me the kombucha baby also gave me some sourdough starter. I have not made much bread, except for the odd pizza crust, and I did try to make bagels (which were a success:).

Yesterday I fed the starter some flour and water and left it on the counter overnight, when I woke up in the morning it was HUGE! A big bowl of bubbly dough.

I read the recipe that my friend gave me, but I didn't have any of the fancy flours, so I just used my unbleached white flour and went from there. I mixed up the flour and starter together with water, kneaded it for 10 minutes and set it in a bowl on the counter with a tea towel over top. At first I thought I didn't do it right, because an hour past and it had not risen. Then I went out for a few hours and came back and it was BIG, I was happy :)
Punched it down,molded it and floured the top, wrapped it in a tea towel. And let it do its thing, overnight.

When I woke up this morning, I peeked at it...it looked ready to be cooked! I heated the oven up, sprayed the oven with a water mist and baked it for 20 minutes.

When I was in school we would make baguettes, and my teacher use to say "tap it, if it sounds hollow it is ready".  It sounded hollow, but next time I think I will lower the oven heat and bake it for a little longer.

I like mine with jam

Vegan Smores, bannock and a campfire

We had a nice evening...friends and food. What could be better then to finish off the night with a campfire. My friend Diana was determined to make some vegan smores, so we took a trip to the grocery store and brainstormed what we could use for a replacement for marshmallows.


Now make no mistake this is not healthy food, but its fun to eat once in awhile. I am big believer that one should not go without all the time, once in a while is good for the soul.

The hunt in the store was entertaining at the least...reading all the ingredients on potential candidates for making a smore. If you have never had a smore..it is a roasted marshmallow sandwiched between two graham crackers with a chunk of chocolate. Sticky gooey goodness :P

This is what we found to make the vegan smore....tea biscuits ( a plain cookie), some coconut cream (this stuff is sugary and very thick you could ice a cake with it!) and a bar of dark chocolate.  Now because you can't roast the coconut cream on a stick, Diana made up little smore sandwiches in tinfoil and we placed these on the hot coals of the campfire.

This is hard to capture on a camera..so Millies chocolate face with have to do :P

Diana...the campfire genius, also decided to make some Bannock. Which was something new to me! This was so delicious. She added cinnamon and raisins to the dough. The basic recipe is flour, sugar, baking soda, water, and vegetable shortening. Rolled up into long skinny roles ( to wrap around a stick and cook on the fire). It reminded me of pancakes with a bit of bagelness.

Once the kids were all sugared up..it was time to get silly... and roll around on the grass!

Greek Flatbread and Hummus

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Hi there, fellow vegans. Kirsten asked me a while back if I would be willing to be a guest poster on her blog and I agreed! I have enjoyed getting to know Kirsten through her lovely kitchen and recipes.

I am Noelle from An Opera Singer in the Kitchen. I became a vegan back in November 2009 in order to focus on healthier eating and lose some pounds while I was at it. I live in Michigan where there is a lot of focus on farmers and better eating. We have our share of farmer's markets and local products to support, but I am originally from Texas. I am a classically-trained singer that is at the moment taking voice lessons and preparing for auditions in the fall for the Grand Rapids Opera, but meanwhile I work from home as a quality assurance analyst by day and a vegan foodie by night.

My blog features unqiue recipes that I daily create in the kitchen or recipes I have decided to veganize. Even though my husband is not a vegan, he supports and eats what I make as long as he gets to enjoy his normal staples on occasion. I also enjoy making jewelry and photography at the side. I like staying busy if you can tell.

One of my favorite cuisines is Mediterranean food. I constantly hear that it is a healthy way of eating when focusing on their food pyramid, but I think it offers so many options to vegans. If I were a food group I would be HUMMUS. Can anyone raise their hand on that one? It is a bean-based dip perfect for dipping veggies, pita, or piling high on a veggie sandwhich. It is very versatile. My husband even likes it alot!

Since I make hummus alot, I try to vary my meal planning around it so I can have variety. I easily get bored with the same meals but I like to feature it in a different way, so for this occasion instead of buying whole wheat pita from the store I made my own flatbread. I usually do not have too much time to make my own bread BUT this recipe was SO easy to make during the week. This is a veganized and an adapted recipe from Bon Appetit magazine.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Greek Flatbread

makes 8 flatbreads

1 1/2 cups whole wheat white flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasonings
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
6oz plain soymilk yogurt
Olive oil (for frying)

Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Stir in parsley, Italian seasonings, and garlic. Add yogurt and stir with fork until small clumps form. Knead mixture in bowl just until dough holds together.

Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead just until smooth, about 1 minute. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Roll each piece into ball, then roll each dough piece out on floured surface to 4 1/2-inch round. Brush large nonstick skillet generously with olive oil; heat over medium heat. Working in batches, add 3 dough rounds to skillet; cook until golden brown and puffed, adjusting heat to medium-high as needed to brown evenly, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer flatbreads to platter; serve warm.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Hummus

serves 4

2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, reserve 1/4 cup of liquid
1 Tbsp Tahini butter (sesame seed butter)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp cumin
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
olive oil for drizzling

Place beans in processor and add chickpea liquid,garlic cloves, lemon juice, tahini, and spices. Process. Keep processor on and little by little add the olive oil until the mixture becomes smooth. it should not be grainy. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Thanks Kirsten for letting me a guest poster!! Enjoy your vacation!

It's Bagel Time!

Bagels are really fun to make! I quite enjoyed myself in the kitchen toasting the seeds, rolling the dough, boiling the bagels, sprinkling the seeds, and watching them carefully in the oven so they didn't burn.

The process was easy...there was no back breaking kneading involved (maybe a couple minutes). My bloggie friend Vegan Thyme makes bread all the time, she inspired me.

This is my first attempt at a basic bagel. I will defiantly be making these again. I got the recipe of of vegweb.com. I made a dill tofu spread to go on top piled with sprouts and cucumber and you got major yum factor.

Tofu spread

1 block tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp dried dill
1 dill pickle- minced
1 clove garlic-minced
1/2 shallot-minced
1 lemon- juiced
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Lavender Orange Tea Cake

I picked up some cooking lavender at the Halifax Farmers Market a few weekends back. It was my plan to make some sort of shortbread cookie with it, but I decided to make a tea cake with it instead.

I figured it would be best to use applesauce since it doesn't have a strong flavor, and orange zest to play off the lavender. I was a little worried that it might taste like perfume, but it only has a slight hint of flowers. I also added a sucanat sugar crumble to the top. I think I would infuse the milk with a bit more lavender next time, but this turned out moist and light perfect to go with a hot cup of tea.

• 1 cup non-dairy milk
• 1 tbsp dried cooking lavender

Heat the milk and lavender up, and steep for at least 10 minutes

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup organic cane sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp clove powder
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/3 cup veggie oil
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 orange zested and juiced
• 2 tsp dried lavender

Topping

• 1/4 cup organic sucanat sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tbsp earth balance

In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients.
In a small mixing bowl combine wet ingredients, including infused milk
Pour wet into dry and stir until combined.
In a greased loaf pan pour mixture in.
In a small bowl combine topping ingredients and mix up with fingers until resmebles course crumbs
Spread the topping mixture over the batter and bake in a 350 oven for 40-50 minutes or until done.

Good Morning Tea Biscuits

My friend made tea biscuits the other day for the play group she was hosting, when we walked into their home it smelled so good.
I was sad, they were not vegan.
Then she asked me...how do I make them? I have never made vegan biscuits.
This morning I wanted to make some, so I google it, and found this recipe.
They are really easy to make, just be sure not to over knead the dough, otherwise they will be rock hard.


vegan biscuit recipe

Cinnamon Buns

I was planning on trying my hands at making cinnamon buns, and last night was the night! The kneading the dough was the toughest part...5- 10 minutes. I think I managed to do 7.Had to take my sweatshirt off to do it.

Kneading dough is an art all in itself.  So once the dough doubled in size, at least 2 hours I left it on the counter. Keep in mind I live in cold climate, so I am certain it would be less time if you lived somewhere warmer:P

Now most of my recipes are my own, or adapted from somewhere. But because I wanted a fool proof recipe, I googled the best vegan cinnamon bun recipe, and found this one...
http://www.thebestvegancinnamonbunrecipe

Seemed simple enough. So I put everything together and keep it in the refrigerator over night, so in the morning the smell of cinnamon was what got them out of bed:)

Rolls

2½ t active dry yeast
½ C unbleached sugar
1 C soymilk, warmed
2 eggs worth of egg replacer OR 2 T ground flaxseeds whisked together with 6 T hot water
⅓ C Earth Balance margarine, melted
4½ C unbleached flour
1 t salt

1 C brown sugar, packed
2½ T ground cinnamon
⅓ C Earth Balance margarine, softened

Frosting

About 3/8 (3 oz) of a container of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
¼ C Earth Balance margarine, softened
1½ C powdered sugar
½ t vanilla extract
⅛ t salt

Mix yeast, sugar, and heated soy milk in a large mixing bowl and let stand until foamy.
Add egg replacer, melted margarine, flour, and salt. Mix well and knead for 5-10 minutes. The dough should be firm and smooth, not sticky. Set the dough aside in a covered bowl and let double in size.
After the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured work surface, cover, and let rest for 10 more minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with margarine and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 sections with a sharp knife.
Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. (A cookie sheet also works fine.) Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together Tofutti, margarine, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.
 

Carrot Spice Muffins

This morning I was looking for something that would go nicely with my cup of coffee, and we have no bread for toast ( I need to go to the grocery store today:P), which is what I usually have. So I made these, they are not super sweet,  perfect for a breakfast muffin!

• 2 cups four
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground clove 
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg 
• 1/3 cup cane sugar
• 1 cup oat milk
• 1/3 cup sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 4 carrots- peeled and  grated
  

Preheat oven to 375 , grease up a muffin pan ( I used earth balance).

In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients.

In a small bowl mix together wet ingredients. 

Pour wet into dry, and stir to combine, fold in carrots,

Spoon into muffin tin, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean! 

Banana Bread

I never throw away an old banana, my mom always put them in the freezer, so that's what I do too.  I just pull out 3 or 4 at a time and put them in a bowl to defrost. They look gross, but they are sweet and mushy. Exactly what you need when you are making  bread or muffins.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 3/4 t. baking powder
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 t. apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups mashed banana, from about 4 large very ripe bananas
•  1/4 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
Mix wet ingredients in a bowl.
Pour wet into dry, and stir until combined, pour into pan and bake for 1 hour.

Blueberry Muffins

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup sunflower oil
• 1 cup rice or soy milk
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

preheat oven to 400.
grease muffin pan or use paper muffin liners.
Mix flour,sugar,powder,and salt together
In a separate bowl mix oil, and milk,
pour over dry mixture, mix with wooden spoon, until just combined
stir in blueberries.

Bake for 20-25 minutes