Vegan Pumpkin Spice Bread

This recipe was originally from PPK, back in the day.  I think it's no longer available online, but you really can't go wrong with this pumpkin bread.  It's all kinds of moist and delicious.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with canola oil.

Mix together:
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp allspice (I used garam masala)
1/8 tsp cloves

In a separate bowl, combine:
1 cup pumpkin or squash puree
1 cup light coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
2 Tbsp maple syrup (I used sorghum molasses)
1-1/2 tsp powdered egg replacer OR 1 Tbsp soy yogurt

Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Pour the batter into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  (Mine didn't exactly get to the clean/knife stage, but that's fine by me. And since the batter's vegan, it's safe if undercooked.)

This photo is all that remains after taking this to a gathering of friends.

Vegan Cheesecake Cookie Dough Bars

These, adapted for vegan-friendliness from this recipe, are absolutely decadent.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp brown sugar
5 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine, at room temperature

Cheesecake Filling:
8 oz vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup hot cocoa mix (I used Ghiradelli) OR 1/4 cup sugar + 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1-1/2 tsp egg replacer (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cookie Dough:
2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine, at room temperature
3 Tbsp canola oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Before you start, set out your margarine and vegan cream cheese and let it warm up. (This isn't essential, but it makes things easier.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Crush the graham crackers into crumbs. Mix with the sugar and 5 Tbsp margarine. Press the mixture into the bottom of an oiled baking dish. Bake the crust for 6-7 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let crust cool a bit. (You could also use a pre-made graham cracker or Oreo crust, if you want to skip this step.)

Mix the cream cheese, hot cocoa mix (or sugar + cocoa powder), egg replacer and vanilla together until smooth. Spread over the crust.

Combine the remaining margarine, canola oil, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add the flour and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop the cookie dough evenly over the cheesecake layer.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the top is crunchy. Let cool as much as possible before eating.

Vegan Chocolate Stout Cheesecake

I winged this recipe when a quick Google didn't turn up anything, and yes. This wins.

2 8-oz tubs vegan cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 tsp powdered egg replacer (I used Ener-G egg replacer)
2 Tbsp molasses
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan stout
1/3 cup mini vegan chocolate chips (optional)

1 pre-made Oreo or graham cracker crust

Blend all ingredients except chocolate chips with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the chocolate chips and pour into prepared crust. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees, then let cool before serving.

Ingredient Notes: I used Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese and Samuel Smith's oatmeal stout (check other stout brands here), which I picked up at the Hy-Vee Drugstore at 42nd & University. If you can't find vegan chocolate chips, you can always chop up a vegan chocolate bar and use that instead.

Blueberry-Pear Ginger Cobbler

2 cups blueberries
1 ripe pear, diced
1 ripe nectarine, diced
3-4 Tbsp agave nectar (or honey or maple syrup)
1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/3 cup canola oil
1 8 oz container vanilla soy yogurt
1 cup flour
1 cup raw sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
a few dashes ground ginger & cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix the fruit together and spread in the bottom of a pie dish. Top with the liquid sweetener and the ground ginger.

Whisk the soy yogurt and the oil together. Add the flour, sugar and salt and stir gently until a thick batter is formed. Drop the batter by spoonfuls over the fruit until the fruit is mostly covered. Sprinkle a little ginger and cinnamon on top.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Veganized Chocolate Eclair 'Cake'

This is a mostly veganized version of a recipe a friend made at a party this weekend. The only non-vegan elements remaining are honey in the graham crackers and milkfat in the standard chocolate chips I bought at Hy-Vee. If you hunted a little harder for vegan versions of these two ingredients (according to Accidentally Vegan, Nabisco original graham crackers are vegan, and you could chop up vegan dark chocolate bars to sub for the chocolate chips), it'd be totally sinless.

1 package graham crackers

2 packages vanilla Jell-O Instant Pudding Mix
2 cups cold vanilla soy/rice milk
1 tub ricemellow creme (or vegan whipped topping)

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chopped sweetened dark chocolate)
2 Tbsp margarine
1/4 cup soy/rice milk

Place a layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Whisk the pudding mix and milk together and let sit for 5 minutes to set. Fold in the ricemellow creme.

Spread one half of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers. Top with more graham crackers, followed by the rest of the pudding. Top this with graham crackers, too.

Meanwhile, melt your chocolate chips, either in the microwave (30-second bursts, stirring after each one) or in a double boiler (I use a stainless mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water). Add the margarine and soy milk and stir until very smooth. Pour the chocolatey goodness over the graham crackers and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Lower-Fat Banana Muffins

This is my adaptation of the recipe from Veganomicon, made solely because I had three overripe bananas attracting fruit flies. These are delicious, moist and rich. They don't taste healthy at all.

3 overripe bananas
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp molasses (I used sorghum)
2 cups flour (I used 1 cup pastry flour + 1 cup spelt flour)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Grease muffin cups and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mash the bananas really well. Add the sugar, oil and molasses and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, salt and spices. Add the dry to the wet and stir very gently, just until combined. Spoon into muffin cups (mine were about 3/4 full) and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crack Cookies

These are dead simple, completely addictive, and they satisfy my junk food cravings like nothing else. Sweet-tooth alert: these are super-sweet, so be warned. This is no namby-pamby dessert. It charges onto your tastebuds with sugar guns blazing.



1/2 cup liquid sweeter (agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, etc.)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup chocolate chips
4-5 cups cereal (I used Corn Chex, but Special K or Rice Krispies would work, too)

Combine the sugar and liquid sweetener in a stovetop pan and heat until it bubbles and froths. Remove from heat, mix in the peanut butter and chocolate and stir until incorporated. Add the cereal and stir to coat. Press into a greased pan and stick in the fridge until cooled. Nom with great abandon!

Instant Vegan Chocolate Pudding

I am eating this right now. It is delicious.

1 package silken tofu
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup all-fruit jam (I like raspberry)
a splash or two of vanilla soy milk
agave nectar/sugar to taste

Combine all ingredients, blend (with a stick blender or in a normal blender), adjust sweetener to taste and enjoy.

Vegan Brownies

This recipe is adapted from Peter Berley's The Modern Vegetarian, and it works like a charm.

1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup maple syrup (or agave nectar)
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sweetened hot cocoa mix (I use Ghiradelli)
1 cup unbleached or pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a medium baking dish (I find Earth Balance works well).

Combine the canola oil, maple syrup, soy milk and vanilla, mixing until creamy. In a different bowl, sift together the cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir very gently just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spread the batter in the greased dish and bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Vegan Cranberry Upside Down Cake

This is a family recipe, and it never fails to make a good impression. It's all kinds of gooey and tart and sweet. Mm.

1 pound cranberries
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/4 cup melted Earth Balance margarine (or canola oil + 1/4 tsp salt)
1 6-oz. container vanilla soy yogurt
1 cup flour

Spread the cranberries in the bottom of a well-oiled pie dish. Top with 1/2 cup sugar and chopped nuts.

Mix the remaining 1 cup of sugar with the margarine and the soy yogurt. Add the flour, mixing just until incorporated. Pour the batter over the cranberries and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

We had this for Thanksgiving. Super-easy and delish.

1 can pumpkin puree
2/3 cup Mexican hot chocolate mix (or normal hot chocolate + 1 tsp cinnamon)
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cornstarch/arrowroot
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 Oreo crust
1 handful chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine all ingredients except crust and chocolate chips in a bowl. Taste and adjust sweetness as desired. Pour the filling into the crust. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Chill overnight to set.

Eat with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Pumpkin Bread

Original recipe:
http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/recipe.php?RecipeID=234

1-3/4 cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
1 cups brown sugar, raw sugar or Sucanat
1/3 cup light sugar
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 pinches ground cloves
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan.

Combine the flour, sugars, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, coconut milk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir very gently until combined.

Bake for one hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

I got this recipe from my local health food store (New City Market). It's both vegan and gluten free, and something about ricemellow creme just says 'Easter' to me. (Maybe it's a childhood Peeps association.)

1 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine
1 Tbsp natural peanut butter (optional)
3/4 cup ricemellow creme
2-1/2 cups Erewhon crispy brown rice cereal

Grease an 8 x 8 x 2 inch pan. In a largish pan over medium heat, melt the Earth Balance and the peanut butter. Add the ricemellow creme and stir to blend. Add the cereal and stir until well coated. Remove from heat; pour into greased pan. Cool completely, then cut into squares.

Best Ever Cinnamon King Cake

This got rave reviews from party guests and my coworkers. It's pretty darn perfect.

Make a batch of the dough for the Overnight Cinnamon Sticky Buns. Instead of slicing the rolled-up dough into rolls, however, touch the ends of the rolls to each other to form the roll into an oval shape. Let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes (or in the fridge overnight). Bake the cake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Mix together the following ingredients:
2 Tbsp melted margarine
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanillla extract
4 Tbsp soy milk
2 tsp light corn syrup

Pour the glaze over the top of the cake. Sprinkle the cake with equal parts of yellow, green and purple sugar.

Once the cake has cooled, insert a dried bean, nut or plastic baby into the bottom of the cake.

Vegan Kringla

This dairy-and-egg free take on a traditional Scandinavian recipe is considerably lighter than the original, which called for eggs, butter, buttermilk and sour cream. Lars (who may very well be buttering me up) gives them his thumbs up.

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup Earth Balance OR other non-hydrogenated margarine
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup soy creamer OR plain soy/rice milk
1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp plain soy yogurt
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Add the vinegar to the soy milk and let sit for a few minutes. Cream the sugar and the margarine in a large bowl. Add the vanilla extract, soured soy milk and soy yogurt. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, one cup at a time, until everything is well combined. You should have a sticky dough. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Once the dough is thoroughly chilled, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Flour a surface well. With clean hands, grab a handful of dough and roll it out to form a rope. Split the rope into three pieces and roll each piece until it forms a rope 1/2-inch thick and about 18 inches long.

Twist the two ends over each other, then bring the loop up on top of the twined ends to form a pretzel-like shape. (The cookies will puff up as they bake, so leave some space inside the loops.)

Transfer the pretzel shapes to an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the undersides are golden brown. Keep the remaining dough and any unbaked shaped cookies cold in the fridge so they don't spread.

The traditional way to eat these is spread with margarine (or butter) along with a strong cup of coffee. They'll keep for a few days at room temperature or in the fridge, or you may freeze them for up to 3 months.

Lady Cassandra Cookies

1. Make a batch of sugar cookie dough and put it in the fridge to chill for an hour or two. I used this recipe (modified from the back of my flour bag):
   
   1 cup Earth Balance margarine (half a tub)
   1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
   1 tsp vanilla extract
   1/2 tsp almond extract
   1/2 tsp baking soda
   2 Tbsp Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
   3 cups unbleached flour
   
   Cream the Earth Balance and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla & almond extracts and the cream cheese. Add the flour, forming a slightly sticky dough. Form into a ball or log, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for an hour or two.
2. Get a screen cap of Cassandra. I used the one here:
   http://shillpages.com/dw/story/d9/02/dw200502-047.jpg
3. Open it in Illustrator. Trace around the picture using the pen tool. You should end up with sort of a spiky rectangle. Put a 2px black stroke on it. Size it to roughly 3 inches by 4 inches and print it out.
4. Tape the piece of paper to a flattened cereal box. Cut out a cardboard version of the rectangle with scissors.
5. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease your cookie sheets. Unwrap the cookie dough and place it on a large sheet of waxed paper. Cover with another sheet of waxed paper and roll it out to 1/4 inch thick. If it's gotten too warm, you might want to put it back in the fridge for a few minutes. Cold dough will be easier to work with.
6. Lightly flour the cardboard cutout and place it on top of the dough. Trace around the dough with a sharp knife, then lift up the cut out and place it on the cookie sheet. Leave a few inches between the cookies... they'll spread a little in the oven. Pop into the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until getting light golden brown. Re-roll the remaining dough and stick it back in the fridge while the first batch bakes.
7. Mix together your frosting base:
   
   1 drop red food coloring
   1 drop yellow food coloring
   1 Tbsp maple syrup
   1/2 tsp almond extract
   2 Tbsp vanilla soy milk
   2 cups powdered sugar
   
   Keep adding powdered sugar and soy milk until you get a light peach color and a thick but drippy consistency.
8. Keep rolling, cutting, chilling and baking until your dough is all finished. Once your cookies are cool, dip the tops into the frosting and let the excess drip off. Place them on a sheet of waxed paper.
9. Shake out some chocolate sprinkles. Choosing smaller sprinkles, place the eyes close together a little higher than the halfway mark. Let the cookies dry several hours or overnight.
10. When the cookies are dry, take a red food-safe decorating marker and draw the mouth on below the eyes. Let the mouths dry before transporting.

Your Cassandras are now ready to be moisturized!

Chocolate Dalek (Reprise)

For those of you who came to my Crafty TARDIS panel at Chicago TARDIS this weekend, here's the link to the Chocolate Dalek Cake recipe and photos. I'll have the Cassandra cookies recipe up later today.

* Chocolate Dalek recipe & instructions
* Flickr photoset of the Dalek cake

Here are some of the other web sites we discussed during the panel:

* Doctor Who Scarf
* Scarf patterns from UNIT
* Crafty TARDIS LJ community
* Who Knits LJ community
* Dalek Builder's Guild
* K-9 Builders' Guild
* TARDIS Builders' Guild

Sweet Potato Brownies

I'm not sure what possessed me to make these. The idea just sounded tasty. They're not quite as decadent and crackly as my usual brownies, but they're still moist and delicious.

1 cup all purpose, whole wheat pastry or spelt flour
1 cup Ghiradelli hot cocoa mix
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup vanilla soy milk
2-3 handfuls dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a baking dish.

Whisk together the flour, hot cocoa, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, combine the sweet potato puree, canola oil and soy milk. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir just until mixed (don't overbeat, especially if you're using a whole flour). Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread the batter in the oiled dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Double-Chocolate Spelt Muffins

These fluffy, tender, decadent chocolate gems are, amazingly, wheat, egg and dairy-free. These are based off Isa's delightful recipe at the PPK.

1 1/2 cups spelt flour
3/4 cup Ghiradelli hot cocoa mix
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons soy yogurt (I used Wildwood's raspberry flavor)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 handfuls chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin cups with oil. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk the soy milk, oil, yogurt and vanilla extract.

Add the wet mix to the dry mix and stir just until combined. Gently mix in the chocolate chips.

Fill the muffin cups until nearly full. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Zucchini Chai Bread

A moist, spicy, decadent way to use up zucchini.  I think this recipe works best with smaller loaves or muffins.  

2 cups grated zucchini, packed

3/4 small container vanilla soy yogurt

2/3 cup soy chai

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 to 1-1/3 cup sugar

3 cups flour (unbleached white, spelt or whole wheat pastry)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup walnuts, crushed (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Oil two loaf pans or several smaller pans.  Combine the zucchini, soy yogurt, chai, oil, vanilla extract and sugar in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.  Add the dry to the wet gradually, stirring just until combined.  Fold in the nuts, if using.

Pour the batter into prepared pans and put in the oven.  If making larger loaves, bake 40-60 minutes.  For smaller loaves or muffins, 15-20 minutes should be sufficient.