Cornbread Dressing

I know I'm posting this too late for Thanksgiving (this year), but here's something you can make for Christmas.  Vegans, I'm sorry this isn't vegan...it's got eggs.  However, I don't see why you couldn't use Ener-G's Egg Replacer in the cornbread recipe (here), and I KNOW you can skip the eggs in this recipe.  The dressing might not be as firm, but it will taste just fine.
The foundation of this recipe is from Irma Rombauer's Joy of Cooking with plenty of tweaks.  The cornbread recipe is from my sweet grandma.

Ingredients:
1/4 c. plus 2 T. canola oil, separated
1 recipe of cornbread (recipe here)
1 T. plus 1.5 t. dried sage
2 c. chopped onions
1 c. finely chopped celery
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
 3 c. vegetable broth/stock, separated
2 eggs, beaten, optional

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Pour 2 T. canola oil into a 9" x 13" baking dish, and use a paper towel to coat the dish with the oil.

Using clean hands, crumble the cornbread in a large bowl to the desired texture. (I like mine very crumbly, so I have almost no chunks in it when I'm preparing it.)  Mix the sage into the crumbled cornbread so that it is evenly distributed.

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 c. canola oil over medium-high heat.  Sauté the onions and celery until the vegetables are soft.  Stir the salt and pepper into the vegetables, then stir the vegetables into the crumbled cornbread so that they are evenly distributed.

Mix 2 cups vegetable broth/stock and the eggs, if using, into the cornbread mixture, 1/2 c. at a time, so that the mixture is uniformly moistened.  Spread the mixture evenly in the oiled baking dish, and pour the remaining 1 cup vegetable broth/stock evenly over the top.  The pan will look very moist; this is normal.

Bake for 45 minutes, and serve hot.

Roasted Vegetable Tacos

This is one I just threw together.  You could easily modify this...use smoked paprika instead of chipotles, stir in chopped fresh scallions instead of using onion, use refried beans instead of  black beans, add fresh jalapenos or minced garlic.  Use what you have on hand and what you like!

Ingredients:

2 ears fresh corn, shucked and washed

1 lb. baby bell peppers, seeds and veins removed, sliced

1 onion, halved and sliced

2 chipotles in adobo sauce, seeded if desired, finely chopped

3 T. olive oil

1/2 t. salt or to taste

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

non-stick spray

about 12 corn tortillas

1 lime, chopped into quarters

chopped lettuce

Method:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a rimmed baking sheet, stand each ear of corn on its end, and cut the kernels away from the cob using a sharp knife.  Toss with the sliced bell peppers, onion, chipotles, olive oil, and salt until everything is coated.  Spread into an even layer, and roast in the preheated oven 20 - 30 minutes or until the vegetables are browning on the edges.  Remove from the oven and toss with the black beans while still hot.

While the vegetables are roasting, heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat.  Spray with non-stick spray, and add a corn tortilla to the skillet.  When lightly browned, flip, and cook until the second side is browned.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Top each tortilla with the roasted vegetable mixture, a generous squeeze of lime, and chopped lettuce.

Serves about 4.

Apricot Oatmeal Muffins

I found this healthy recipe online at the Betty Crocker website while looking for something to do with the dried apricots I'd bought as a snack for Scott.  He didn't like them as much as the dried mangoes we had previously.  But after I chopped them up in muffins, everyone likes them!

 

 Ingredients:

3/4 c. AP flour

1/2 c. plus 1 T. old-fashioned oats, separated

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 egg (Vegans can use Ener-G's Egg Replacer product.)

1/2 c. packed brown sugar (I love brown sugar!)

1/3 c. plant-based milk

3 T. canola oil

1/2 t. almond extract

1/3 c. finely chopped dried apricots

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease only the bottoms of SIX regular-sized muffin cups OR line them with paper baking cups.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, 1/2 c. oats, baking powder, and salt.  In a small bowl, beat the egg (or replacer).  Mix the brown sugar, plant-based milk, canola oil, and almond extract together with the egg (or replacer).  Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until the flour is just moistened.  Fold in the apricots.

Divide the muffin mixture evenly between the SIX muffin cups.  Sprinkle each with 1/2 t. oats.

Bake 23 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.  Remove from pan to cooling rack.  Serve warm.  Makes six healthy muffins.

Grits with Smoky Black-eyed Peas and Collards

Yet another fantastic dish from Food Network magazine.  If you want to make this vegan, just omit the cheese from the grits (and probably increase the salt in the grits, but that is your call).  I know you're going to love this!

Ingredients:

1 T. canola oil

2 bell peppers, chopped (any color works, but orange is colorific)

1 small onion, chopped

1 bunch fresh collard greens, stemmed and chopped

¼ t. cayenne

Salt

1 t. smoked paprika

2 15-oz. cans chopped tomatoes (not drained)

2 15-oz. can black-eyed peas (not drained)

1 c. grits (not the quick-cooking kind)

4 c. water 

Method:

Heat the canola oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the bell peppers, onion, collard greens, cayenne, and ½ t. salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly soft (about 8 minutes).  Add the paprika, tomatoes (with liquid), and black-eyed peas (with liquid) and bring to a simmer.  Simmer 15 minutes, then season with salt, if desired.

Meanwhile, combine the grits, water, and ¼ t. salt (or salt to taste) in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cover, turn heat down to low, and simmer 5 minutes or until desired consistency.  Remove from heat.

Divide the grits between 4 pasta-style bowls, and top with tomato mixture.

Serves 4.

Candy Cane Cookies

I don't know where my mom got this recipe, because we've been making and eating it since I was a child.  At that time, we shaped the cookies into candy canes.  That's how the recipe went.  As I've gotten, ahem, older, we changed them to pinwheels.  The candy cane hooks were ornery and often broke off, damaging the appearance - but not the taste! - of these cookies.  The pinwheels give the cookies an impressive, complicated look, but they're not at all difficult to form.

These cookies have a cakey cookie texture, and they are not as sweet as many modern cookies.  Maybe that's why I like them:  the mild sweetness, the texture, and definitely the almond flavoring, which is my favorite.  I hope you enjoy them, too.

Ingredients:
2 sticks vegan margarine, room temperature (I recommend Earth Balance or some other vegan margarine that has no hydrogenated oils in it.)
1 c. sifted confectioner's sugar (a.k.a. "powdered sugar")
1 egg (Vegans, feel free to try this with an egg replacer like Ener-G and let me me know how it turns out!)
2 - 2.5 t. almond extract (I go with the extra half teaspoon.)
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 t. plus 1/8 t. salt
1 T. plus 1.5 t. baking powder
red food coloring, to color
granulated sugar, for dusting (optional)

Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix the butter, confectioner's sugar, egg, and almond extract in a medium bowl.  In another bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder.  Combine the flour mixture with the butter mixture.

Divide the dough in half.  In a separate bowl, blend red food coloring into half of the dough.  I'd start with about 20 drops, then go from there until you have the color you want.

Now, on a lightly floured surface (Don't worry if the red dough gets white flour dust on it.  It won't show up after cooking.), roll a 6-inch strip of red dough and a 6-inch strip of non-colored dough so that it looks like, well, a worm!  (You can make longer strips, but keep in mind the cookies will be larger and take longer to bake.  I usually make mine bigger.)  Twist the red worm with the white worm so that you now have a single red-and-white twisted worm.

At this point, you decide if you want "candy canes" or "pinwheels.":
(1)  If you want a candy cane, just make the cane hook at the end and move to an ungreased cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with granulated sugar, if desired.
(2)  If you want pinwheels, shown above, curl the twisted worm in a spiral, and you have your pinwheel.  Move to an ungreased cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with granulated sugar, if desired.
Either way, repeat with remaining dough.

Bake about 12 - 15 minutes or until risen and set.  Remember that finished cookies look a little undercooked in the oven.  The moment you notice the non-colored dough just starting to brown, it's time to remove them from the oven.  Cool on a rack, then enjoy!

The amount this recipe makes will vary, depending on how large you make your cookies.  I made large pinwheels last year, and I got probably 20 cookies.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Yesterday I set out to make some muffins for breakfast, and I thought I'd make the cranberry pumpkin muffins I previously posted (recipe here).  However, when I started getting out all the ingredients and getting everything ready, I just felt like it was too heavy, too autumn if you will.  I was feeling more spring.  My eyes noticed the poppy seeds in my spice cabinet, and the thought of lemon poppy seed muffins really fit the bill:  I had a fridge full of lemons, my muffin papers are the colors of easter eggs, and the flavor had a spring-like profile.  Done!

This recipe is based on the one in the quintessential cookbook Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker.  They were totally delicious.

Ingredients:

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder (try to find aluminum-free baking powder)

1/2 t. salt

1/3 c. granulated sugar

1.5 T. poppy seeds

2 large eggs (vegans could use Ener-G Egg Replacer), lightly beaten

1 c. plant-based milk

1/3 c. brown sugar, packed

1/4 c. plus 3 T. canola oil

1 t. almond extract

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T. grated lemon zest

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Either grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line the tins with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, and poppy seeds.

In another medium bowl, mix the eggs (or Egg Replacer), plant-based milk, brown sugar, canola oil, almond extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.  Stir until JUST MIXED, keeping the stirring to a minimum.  Too much mixing will make the muffins heavy, so the batter will be (and should be) lumpy.

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.  Bake about 20 minutes or until muffins are golden.

Pumpkin Pound Cake

Here's a great seasonal recipe I got from Country Living magazine's November 2012 issue. You can use mashed sweet potatoes OR pureed pumpkin, so it's a great way to use up leftovers if you have just a bit left after opening a can or making a recipe.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

non-stick baking spray OR vegan margarine for greasing the pan plus flour

1.5 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

1/4 t. baking soda

1/8 t. salt

1 stick vegan margarine (I prefer Earth Balance brand.), at room temperature

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 t. vanilla OR almond extract

1 c. leftover mashed sweet potatoes OR pureed or canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

2 large eggs, at room temperature (vegans can try substituting Ener-G Egg Replacer)

1/2 c. chopped pecans

Method:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt together. (Use a fork to fluff them together if you don't have a sifter.)

In a large bowl and using an electric mixer at medium speed, cream butter, sugars, and flavoring extract until light and fluffy. Blend in sweet potatoes or pumpkin puree, then eggs one at a time. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in thirds. Blend until just combined.

Spoon batter into the greased and floured loaf pan. Sprinkle with pecans, and bake until the cake tests clean when a wooden skewer is inserted into the middle, 65 - 75 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Release cake from pan to cool completely.

Makes about 8 servings.

Pumpkin Waffles

Feeling autumny yet?  Here's a great weekend breakfast to get you in the mood:  pumpkin waffles!  It's a recipe I adapted from a very inspiring book called The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash.  She makes this with mashed sweet potatoes, but canned pumpkin makes it super convenient.  Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:
1/4 c. vegan butter
1.5 c. all-purpose, unbleached flour
1 T. baking powder (try to find aluminum-free baking powder)
1 t. salt
cinnamon, to taste (optional)
3 eggs (or vegan egg replacer, like that by Ener-G)
1 c. plant-based milk
1 c. canned pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie mix...puréed sweet potatoes will also work)

Method:
Melt the butter, then set it aside to cool slightly.

Using a fork, blend the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.  Make a well in the center, and add the eggs, plant-based milk, and pumpkin.  Using a hand mixer, start mixing the ingredients on low, and pour in the melted butter while the mixer is going.  Mix on high until the batter is light and fluffy.

Cook on a preheated waffle iron as instructed by the manufacturer.  Serves about 4.

Note that these waffles are moist and may require additional cooking time if you prefer a crisp exterior.  Served with breakfast potatoes and hot cranberry tea, this is the perfect autumn breakfast!

Pumpkin-Banana Muffins

This is a muffin recipe I got from a friend maybe....15 years ago?  I modified it to have pumpkin and chocolate chips and nuts.  It makes the muffins more interesting and more healthy!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. sugar

2 1/2 t. baking powder (Try to buy the kind that does NOT have aluminum in it.)

3/4 t. salt

1 egg, beaten (If you want to make these vegan, use Ener-G Egg Replacer.)

1/2 c. plant-based milk

1/3 c. canola oil

1/2 c. canned pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie mix)

1 banana, peeled and mashed with a fork

1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, but delicious!)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease a 12-muffin tin (or line with cupcake papers).

In a 2-quart bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well-blended.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the egg, milk, oil, pumpkin, and banana.  Mix with a wooden spoon until just blended.  Fold in nuts and chocolate chips, if using, until just evenly distributed.

Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin tins.  Bake 20 - 25 minutes until golden.  Cool on a wire rack.

NOTE:  If you don't have any canned pumpkin, you can omit the pumpkin and just use 2 mashed bananas.

Herbed Rice

I got this recipe from Martha Stewart's Living magazine.  Although the thought of putting that much cilantro on anything does not turn me on and the thought of putting peppermint on rice is about equal in its attractiveness to me, something told me to give it a whirl.  And, of course, it works.  This rice is very fresh tasting, and it goes well with Asian-inspired or Middle-Eastern-inspired foods.

Ingredients:

1 2/3 c. water

1/2 c. packed fresh cilantro

1/4 c. packed fresh mint (I used peppermint.)

2 T. minced onion

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 T. olive or canola oil

1 c. jasmine rice

1 t. salt

Method:

Purée the water, cilantro, mint, onion, and garlic in a blender until smooth.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over high heat.  Add the jasmine rice, and stir to coat.  Cook until slightly toasted, 1 - 2 minutes.  Add the herb purée and salt.  Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and let stand - still covered - for 10 minutes.  The herbs will have floated to the top of the rice.  Use a fork to evenly distribute the herbs into the rice and to fluff the rice.  Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

I've mentioned these muffins before but just gave you a link for the recipe on Ocean Spray's website.  Allow me to type it out for you here with my slight modifications.  These muffins are deliciously seasonal.  They're sweet in an earthy way, not a cloying way, because they're sweetened with brown sugar and molasses instead of refined white sugar.  I made them last weekend.  Maybe they would be a perfect breakfast for your family during the coming weekend!

Ingredients:

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 t. baking soda (not baking powder)

1 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg (OK in this recipe, even though I don't like it in savory recipes!)

1/2 t. salt

1 c. canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 c. (or more or less - you decide) fresh cranberries (Ocean Spray suggests using 6 oz. sweetened dried cranberries.  I think that would be fine during those times when fresh ones aren't available, but I like the fresh ones better.  I buy them when they're available and freeze them for the coming year.)

1/2 c. canola oil

1/4 c. rice milk

1/4 c. molasses

1 egg (Vegans can use Ener-G's Egg Replacer.)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 12-muffin tin or line the muffin cups with paper baking cups.

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Combine the wet ingredients in a separate mixing bowl.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until just moistened.  Fold in the cranberries.

Divide the batter equally between 12 muffin tins.  Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove muffins from tins and cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

Potato-Leek Soup

A couple of nights ago I made a version of potato-leek soup adapted from Barbara Kafka and Christopher Styler's cookbook Vegetable Love.  I didn't expect much from it.  The recipe is simple, and I was really just trying to use some leeks I had in the fridge before they went bad.  But wow!  It turned out great!  Vegans, I'm sorry to say that, surprisingly, the cream made a fair difference, but you can certainly make this without it.

I didn't photograph it, because puréed potatoes don't make much of a photograph, but it was still quite delicious.  I served it with bruschetta (recipe and photo here), because we are still getting fresh tomatoes from the garden.  Here it is:

Ingredients:

1 lb. white potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces

2 leeks

3 c. water

1 pkg low-sodium miso soup mix (to prepare 8 oz. miso soup...I used Edward & Sons Miso-Cup brand.)

2 T. organic heavy cream (optional - As many of you know, I prefer Organic Valley brand.)

salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Remove the green leafy end and 1 inch of the root-end of each leek, and compost the removed parts.  For the remaining leek stalks, cut them into ½-inch sections crosswise.  Wash them in a basin of water to remove any grit.

In a large saucepan, add the potatoes, leeks, water, and the miso soup mix.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer, covered, 20 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Working in batches of approximately 2 cups each, purée the prepared potato mixture in a blender.  Salt and pepper to taste.  (I used approximately 1 tsp. salt.)  Add the organic heavy cream, if using, and serve warm.

Swiss Chard Tacos

Not familiar with Swiss chard?  It's a leafy green vegetable with edible celery-textured stems, related to beets.  Use it like spinach in general cooking.  We've had a very successful year with Swiss chard in our garden, so I've been looking for new things to do with it.  I'd seen Rick Bayless do Swiss chard tacos on his PBS show Mexico: One Plate At A Time before and had made a mental note of it just because it was a vegetarian recipe.  However, I didn't have an immediate use for it.  Later, I was unable to remember exactly what he did.  You can imagine my delight when I found this recipe for Swiss chard tacos in Martha Stewart's Living magazine.  As usual, I have adapted the recipe, if only slightly, to suit my tastes and needs.  And as always, you can definitely do the same!

Ingredients:
1.5 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and separated into rings
3 small cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
5 large leaves Swiss chard (stems removed and composted), washed and coarsely chopped
1 c. cooked pinto beans (canned is fine), drained and rinsed
1/4 t. coarse salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper
6 taco-sized corn tortillas (I haven't considered myself a fan of corn tortillas in the past, but I enjoyed them in this recipe.)

Method:
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Cook the onion rings until soft.  Add garlic slices, and cook 1 minute more.  Stir in the chard, and sauté until the greens are wilted.  Add the beans, and cook until warmed through.  Season with the salt and pepper.

Heat tortillas on a hot cast-iron griddle coated with non-stick cooking spray, turning so that each side is warmed and slightly browned.

Spoon chard filling into corn tortillas.  If desired, also top with Tomatillo and Chipotle Salsa.

Serves 2.

Indian Dal

I loooooove eating dal at Indian restaurants.  When we lived in Hot Springs, AR, there were no Indian restaurants in town, so I decided to teach myself to cook some of it.  This recipe is a sort of mash-up of advice I received for Indian cooking in general and various recipes I found for dal, especially the Dal Makhani recipe from Madhu Gadia's great cookbook New Indian Home Cooking, which is what I used to learn about cooking Indian food in Hot Springs.  Serve this with basmati rice and a side of spinach...and some garlic naan, if you can find it at your market.  I'm making dal for dinner tonight!

1/2 c. urad dal (Don't panic!  You can order this online, which is what I did in Hot Springs, or you can try your local international market.  If you can't find it, increase the amount of dried black-eyed peas and dried kidney beans to 1/2 c. each.  It'll still work!)
1/2 c. lentils
1/4 c. dry black-eyed peas
1/4 c. dry kidney beans
2 t. salt
1 t. turmeric
2 T. fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 T. canola oil
1 t. cumin seeds
2 small onions, chopped
1 T. ground coriander
1 t. garam masala (either make this homemade from a recipe you find yourself, or buy it premade at the store.  I've seen a McCormick garam masala, but I can't always find it.  However, I find giant jars of it for very cheap at the international market here.)
1/2 - 1 t. cayenne pepper (optional)
2 cans chopped tomatoes (I like to use petite-diced.  Of course, you can use fresh tomatoes, too.  Canned is just so convenient.)
fresh cilantro (optional)
cooked basmati rice, to serve with the dal


Clean all the dried legumes of any foreign material and rinse it in 2-3 changes of water.  Add the salt, turmeric, and ginger to the legumes in a large stock pot and cover well with water.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer 3 - 3.5 hours until the beans and water have melted together to form a creamy consistency.  (I've even been known to get at the legumes with a potato masher to speed this up.)  Add water as the legumes are cooking if the mixture gets too thick.


(Don't forget to start your rice!)  Heat the oil in a medium-sized nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the cumin seeds and brown until golden, just a few seconds.  Add the onion and sauté until transluscent.  Remove from heat.


Add the onion mixture, tomatoes, garam masala, coriander, and cayenne pepper to the legume mixture.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat back to a simmer.  Cook for 10-15 minutes, or to desired consistency.  Serve over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro, if using.

Chocolate-Chip Coffeecake

This one is a similar story to the stuffed chard leaves:  got it from The Commercial Appeal, original recipe from Carol Borchardt (I believe she is a personal chef.), I made some modifications to suit me.  The only story change here is that today wasn't the first time I've made this one.  I've had to work on it a bit to get a topping version I really like.  Here it is:

For the cake:
vegan margarine and flour for the pan
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
a 6-oz. container of plain vegan yogurt (although, honestly, I've used lemon-flavored vegan yogurt, and it worked fine...I'm sure other fruit-flavored yogurts would be fine.)
1 egg (or if you want this cake to be vegan, try using Ener-G's Egg Replacer)
1 t. vanilla or almond extract
1/2 c. canola oil


For the topping:
1/4 c. chocolate chips (and, hey, nothing's stopping you from using more, right?)
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. granulated sugar
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
2 T. vegan margarine (I like Earth Balance vegan margarine.), cold
1/3 c. chopped pecans


To make it happen:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  Grease an 11-inch x 7-inch (or 11-inch x 8-inch) baking dish with vegan margarine.  Put a handful of flour in the pan and shake it around so that the butter is coated with flour (discard any remaining flour in the pan).


In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake-ingredients flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a smaller bowl, combine the yogurt, egg (or egg replacer), and vanilla/almond extract.  Add the yogurt mixture and the canola oil to the flour mixture.  Stir until well-blended, and pour into the prepared pan, spreading evenly over the bottom of the dish.


Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the batter.  In a small bowl, mix the topping-ingredients flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon.  Cut the cold vegan margarine into small chunks.  Using your fingers, mash the margarine chunks into the flour-and-sugar mixture so that the mixture becomes crumbly.  There should be no visibly powdery ingredients left, no trace of flour or sugar.  Mix the chopped pecans into the crumbles, then spread evenly over the cake batter.


Bake 35-40 minutes.

Mayonnaise Rolls

Did that title get your attention?  Mayonnaise rolls sound like strange things, indeed, no?  Well, they are actually quite delicious, and this is one thing I use mayonnaise for even though I don't like mayonnaise, per se.  The rolls go really well with a soul food-type of meal.  They are yeasty and slightly sweet with a cake-y texture.

I got this recipe from my mom (Hi Mom!), and I'm not sure where she got it.

2 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 T. sugar
2 T. mayonnaise (or vegan mayonnaise if you want the rolls to be vegan)
1 pkg. (or 2 and 1/4 t. if using a jar) bread yeast (This is for flavor only, not for rising.)
1 c. plant-based milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a muffin pan using canola oil, nonstick spray, or vegan butter.

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add mayonnaise (or vegan mayo) and plant milk, stirring until blended.  Evenly divide the dough among 10 muffin cups.  (Most muffin pans have 12 cups, but this recipe makes about 10 rolls comfortably.)  Bake until golden brown.

Muffins

Here's a basic muffin batter that you can build several different types of muffins with, along with some ideas of what to do with it. I got the original blueberry muffin recipe (slightly tweaked, as usual) from Peta's Compassionate Cook cookbook.

Making muffins on Sunday morning makes breakfast on Monday and Tuesday a breeze. You just grab a muffin from Sunday's batch, and voila! A healthy breakfast with no effort!

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 t. non-aluminum baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 c. plant-base milk
1/4 c. canola oil (or 1/2 stick vegan butter, melted)
1 egg, beaten (or use Ener-G's Egg Replacer for an equivalent amount if you need the recipe to be vegan)

To make the muffins, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Either grease (using butter, canola oil, or nonstick spray) a muffin pan or line the muffin tins with cupcake papers.

Combine the dry ingredients in a 2-quart bowl with a fork. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, mix until just combined.

Fill the muffin tins about 2/3 full (or evenly among 12 muffin tins) with the batter. Bake 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden-brown.

NOTE: Store leftover muffins in a sealed container in the fridge. Let them cool completely before sealing them away.

Some ideas to add to the batter:
1. 1 c. fresh blueberries, washed; 1/4 t. grated lemon zest; and 1 t. lemon juice
2. 1/2 c. chopped walnuts, 3/4 c. vegan chocolate chips, 1 t. almond or vanilla extract
3. 1 t. orange extract, 1 t. vanilla extract, and 1 c. chopped pecans
4. Use your imagination! Think of chopped pecans or walnuts and/or poppy seeds and/or dried cherries and/or cinnamon and/or craisins and/or grated carrots and/or sprinkle sugar over the surface to make the muffins sparkle. Almost anything goes!

Cornbread

I am a Southern girl. I may have a cosmopolitan set of values or an eclectic variety of tastes, but my roots are true Southern. And nothing - NOTHING - is as quintessentially Southern food as cornbread. It transports me directly back to my childhood when my grandmother would make us a skillet of cornbread and a big pot of white beans for a meal. I still love that meal, so I made it last night. All Scott could do was roll his eyes while I exclaimed my love for cornbread every time I took a bite.

Here's my grandmother's recipe for cornbread (with some slightly modified ingredients to align with today's healthier values). I know some people don't share family recipes, but this stuff is too good to keep to myself.

2 c. yellow cornmeal (Since corn is one of the most common foods to be victimized by genetic engineering, consider getting organic.)
a little more cornmeal to spread in the skillet
1 c. all-purpose unbleached white flour
1 T. plus 1.5 t. non-aluminum baking powder
1 t. salt
2 T. sugar
1 stick of vegan margarine (or 1/2 c. canola oil, but the flavor won't be quite as rich)
3 free-range eggs, beaten (or substitute Ener-G's egg replacer if you need the product to be vegan)
1 3/4 c. plant-based milk


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the stick of margarine in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, and put the skillet in the oven while it is preheating to melt the margarine. Don't let it burn while you're busy doing other things. (If you're using the canola oil instead, just pour it into the skillet and let it get warm in the oven while it's heating up.)

Mix the dry ingredients with a fork in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients, including the margarine or oil. Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Sprinkle cornmeal over the margarine or oil to cover the bottom of your iron skillet. Pour in the batter. Cook at 400 degrees F until the bread is golden-brown on top and has pulled away from the sides of the skillet. Eat warm, with or without margarine. Perfect with a big pot of white beans and, perhaps, some sautéed kale or collard greens!

NOTE: Some people find cast-iron cookware a mystery. You are not really supposed to scrub them out with soap and water, because you want the cookware to become "seasoned." I can't stand the thought of not scrubbing mine clean, so I do so anyway. I then use a paper towel to coat the surface with a thin layer of oil to keep it from rusting. My cookware has still seasoned to a fine, black finish. Lodge cookware is what I use for cast-iron skillets and griddles.

Pancakes - The Quintessential Weekend Breakfast

I have had pancakes BOTH MORNINGS this weekend. Naughty, I know, but when they're as good as these, it's hard to resist. The original recipe I adapted was printed in The Commercial Appeal.

Ingredients:
1.5 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda plus another heaping 1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 free-range eggs (If you want to make this vegan, try substituting Ener-G egg replacer. You can probably pick it up at Whole Foods or buy it online.), beaten with a fork
1 c. rice milk
6 T. vegan butter, melted
1 T. fresh lemon juice (optional)

Method:
Start heating a greased (with margarine, canola oil, or nonstick spray) skillet or griddle over medium heat. The pan needs to already be hot when you put the pancake batter on it, but don't let the grease start smoking while you're working on the batter. I use a perfect cast-iron griddle that it is already beautifully seasoned and hardly needs any grease at all. It's the same pan I use to make vegan biscuits.

In a medium bowl, use a fork to thoroughly combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, rice milk, and lemon juice (if using). Barely mix ingredients before stirring in the melted margarine. Mix until just combined. The batter will still be lumpy.

Pour 1/4 c. batter onto your heated griddle. Keep an eye on the under side using a spatula. It shouldn't get too brown until the sides of the cake are starting to dry out and bubbles are coming to the surface of the batter. If it's browning too fast, turn the heat down. Once there are bubbles surfacing on the wet side of the cake, the edges are dry, and the bottom side is brown, flip it with a spatula. When the 2nd side is browned, plate it up and enjoy. Serves 2-3.

Cooking pancakes is only part recipe...it's also part art. Often, the first one doesn't turn out while you're getting the heat just right, so don't fret if that's the case. These pancakes are fat and fluffy. Here are some serving suggestions:

1. Serve with warm syrup and possibly some chopped nuts. I don't even put butter/margarine on my pancakes. Honestly, I don't miss anything in flavor without it. I just get to skip all those extra calories and fat grams.
2. Serve the pancakes plain, topped with fresh berries and/or confectioner's sugar.
3. Sneak some chocolate chips in between hot pancakes. Gooey chocolate rocks!
4. Serve topped with vegan yogurt and chopped nuts. This still gives you a rich mouth-feel with more nutrition than syrup.

Variation: Right after you pour the batter onto the skillet or griddle, press a few fresh blueberries into the wet side for warm blueberry pancakes.
Happy weekend!

Cranberry-Apple Crumble

I tried this recipe twice recently, and it's really good. It's not mine, so I'm just including the link. The first time I made it, I did it almost according to Martha's instructions. I substituted vegan Earth Balance margarine for the butter, and it worked fine. Also, I did not chop up my cranberries, and I liked it that way.



The 2nd time, I doubled the recipe, but I didn't double the recommended size of the dish. I squeezed it all into a pan that was smaller and, although it fit, it wasn't as good. The crumble topping really does need to spread out over that area. Also, don't cut down the amount of butter (or, in my case, margarine). I thought it called for a lot of butter/margarine when I made it the first time (only because the quantity seemed like a lot, not because it tasted like too much), so I cut some out the 2nd time, and it wasn't as good. Use the full amount!

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/apple-cranberry-crumble

Follow this advice, and you'll have a delicious autumn dessert (or breakfast! Why not?!).