Monthly Archives: October 2011

Cinnamon Rolls

Posted on October 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

When I think of Halloween, I think of fall… pumpkins… having fun… dressing up (more fun)… and let’s face it – SUGAR!! If you have kids (or are a big kid at heart), you’ve probably been pretty busy lately going to pumpkin patches and Halloween parades. For Halloween this year, I’ve decided to share with you my most recent, most favorite, most-sugary, non-candy, yummy homemade treat… a.k.a cinnamon rolls!

I have warm fuzzy memories of eating cinnamon rolls throughout my life… There’s the Pillsbury ones I used to eat as a kid that you popped right out of the refrigerated tube & baked… & there’s the ready-made, full-of-preservatives boxed kind (that sit on store shelves for days before being eaten)… sadly(?), neither are vegan – which I have decided is probably a good thing! If you are vegan, you probably know it is practically impossible to find a vegan cinnamon roll, let alone a freshly baked one.

Once upon a time, there was a vegan bakery here in Athens (the Green Scene Baking Company) that made some out-of-this-world delicious vegan cinnamon rolls, baked fresh on the weekends, but the Green Scene sadly closed a few years ago when the owner decided to move to New York 😦 We miss you, Green Scene!

I definitely have a love affair with sugar, and I have dreamed of making cinnamon rolls for what seems like FOREVER. I’ve long ago book-marked all my cinnamon roll recipes in my books, but still kept putting off making them. I guess they just seemed like too much work or time. Well, let me just say, there is definitely something to be said for homemade cinnamon rolls. For one thing, they do take some effort (kneading the dough… and being patient while the dough rises), but that effort turns into the most delicious treat that you simply cannot replicate from a can. Personally, I think rolling & cutting the cinnamon log is fun! I was practically drooling from the anticipation of eventually eating one!

So, make these yummies and pat yourself on the back (or tummy) for doing some actual work! I promise you, these babies are so much better than store-bought rolls or tubes. They are worth the extra effort! If you have a mixer with a bread hook, let it do most of the work for you! If not, get those arm muscles ready to knead some dough!

~Cinnamon Rolls~

Dough:

1/4 cup water
3/4 cup soymilk
1/4 cup sugar
1 pack yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp if you are using yeast from a jar)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 – 3 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped nuts, like pecans or walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup softened earth balance (or other soy margarine)
a little raw sugar to sprinkle on top before rolling the dough

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
< 2 Tbsp almond or soymilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

RITA’s TIP: I like to let my mixing bowl sit with some hot water in it to warm it up first. Just don’t forget to dump it out before starting your recipe!

First, make the dough:

Heat the water, soymilk & sugar in a small saucepan until warm. If it’s too hot, it will kill the yeast – if it’s too cold, the yeast won’t grow, so think like Goldilocks and make sure it’s just right! Put in the dough-mixer bowl. (I have a Kitchen-Aid mixer with a bread hook attachment.) Add the yeast and wait until its bubbly/foamy looking, so you know the yeast is “alive”. Add the oil, cinnamon, salt and 2 1/2 cups flour. Mix (using bread/dough hook) until it’s not sticking to the sides, adding more flour as necessary. If you do not have a mixer with a bread hook, you will have to knead this by hand! Knead for 5-7 minutes until dough is nice and smooth. (Don’t skimp on the minutes here – the kneading process is vital (no pun intended) to making the gluten activated in the dough.) Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place.

Make the filling by mixing the filling ingredients together while the dough is rising and set it aside. After dough has risen, punch it down and then let it rest about 10 minutes. Then roll out the dough into a large rectangle (try to shoot for a large rectangle, 12″ x 18″).

Spread the filling evenly over the dough and give it a little (or a generous) sprinkle of raw sugar. Next, carefully roll the dough as tight as you can into a big log, pinching it closed when you get to the end (spread a little water on the edge to help seal it shut).

Cut the log into 12 rolls. I like to cut it in half and then cut each half into 6 even pieces. They should roughly be 1″ thick.

Arrange them, slightly spaced out, on either a baking sheet or a 9 x 13″ pan. As you can see, I first used a round baking dish but the rolls got too big and were popping out as they were baking, so I would recommend not using a small round pan. Give them a little room to rise and cover them loosely with plastic wrap or a towel*. Let the rolls rise for another 30-40 minutes until almost doubled.

* At this point, if you tightly wrap the prepared rolls, you can put them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake them, take them out of the fridge & let them come to room temp for about 30 minutes and then wait until they double in size before baking.

The rolls looked good in this pan until they grew more in the oven and were popping out!

Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, or until rolls are golden and sound hollow when tapped. Let the rolls cool for about 5 minutes – in the meantime, prepare the icing by mixing ingredients together well with a fork in a small bowl. Drizzle the icing on the warm cinnamon rolls and ENJOY!

This is after baking...See how they are all popping up and out of the pan?! I would recommend using a different pan with more room for them to grow! This is before I put icing on them.

The end result - a stunningly delicious homemade cinnamon roll!

P.S. I came up with this recipe after reviewing several other cinnamon roll recipes, taking & giving here and there… I have only made these once, so feel free (as always) to comment and give me some feedback! I decided to only make these on special occasions or when I have guests because there is no excuse to eat 2-3 cinnamon rolls a day by oneself! Not to mention, my kids tried to eat one for every meal!

Butternut Squash Soup

Posted on October 26, 2011 | 2 comments

Lately time has been passing by so quickly. I really can’t believe that Halloween is almost here and then we will be heading towards Thanksgiving… & then Christmas!! Well, I’m glad the holidays are coming up. I am definitely the kind of person that actually enjoys being with family for the holidays. In that sense, the holidays can’t come fast enough. Speaking of holiday gatherings, I made this soup at my family’s last Thanksgiving feast. Need I say, it was a huge hit. I think this soup is perfect for holiday gatherings. The kids loved it, it is easy and can be made rather quickly. If you have a emulsion blender (the stick-like blender you “stir” with, if you will) it is even faster to make this as you wont have to dirty up your food processor to purée. One thing you surely won’t have to wash are the serving bowls – they will be licked clean!

~Butternut Squash Soup~

1 large butternut squash
olive oil (2-3 Tbsp)
1 large yellow onion
5 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp dry ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 cups soymilk
2-3 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/4 cup arrowroot flour

First, cut the butternut squash in half, de-seed it & lay it flat side down on a baking sheet (I usually cover the baking sheet with tin foil and lightly oil it first). Roast at 400 F for 50-60 minutes until soft. Once it is done, remove the squash from the oven and let it cool while you assemble the rest of the soup.

Saute the onion in 2-3 Tbsp oil in a large stockpot & set aside. Add the broth to the stockpot. (NOTE * If you do not have an emulsion blender, you will want to puree the sautéed onion first in the food processor with about 1-2 cups of broth.) Next, add all the other ingredients (except the squash) to the stockpot.

When the butternut squash is cool enough, scoop the yummy out of the shell. If you are using a food processor, puree the squash before adding it to the stockpot. If you are using an emulsion blender, just plop the butternut squash into the stockpot, & puree away. Heat until ready to serve & ENJOY!

Mmmmm... I think I can hear it calling me!

This soup is gluten-free and can be made soy-free as well if you use a different non-dairy milk, such as almond milk. Honestly, I haven’t ever tried it that way, but I’m sure it would be just as delicious! Oh – I almost forgot to tell you – this soup freezes well… and yes, I suppose I have ‘a thing’ for orange soup! 🙂

2 Comments

Posted in dinner, fall, gluten free, holidays, lunch, soup & stew, Uncategorized, Vegan, winter

Tagged butternut squash, cooking, dinner, fall, gluten free, healthy, soup & stew, Vegan, vegetarian

Fettuccine NoAlfredo

Posted on October 22, 2011 | Leave a comment

So this is my vegan version of Fettuccine Alfredo… I have always wanted to try making an alfredo sauce using cashew cream (surely an awesome recipe like that exists out there somewhere)… however…I LOVE the way this sauce turns out so much that I always end up saying, “I’ll try using cashews next time!” and then I keep making this one again and again and again and again! (It’s truly that good!) I prefer to use the Vegan Gourmet brand of mozzarella soy cheese in this recipe. Serve with some sliced & buttered French bread on the side. This recipe always gets my kids to happily clean their plates… and there really isn’t anything much better than that!

~Fettucini No-Alfredo~

Saute in a little olive oil & set aside:

1 small (or 1/2 of a large) yellow onion
4 cloves chopped garlic

To make the sauce, puree the following in a food processor:

1 block xtra-firm silken tofu (i like the MoriNu brand)
< 1/4 cup vegenaise (vegan mayo)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup soymilk
1 tsp arrowroot flour (or perhaps cornstarch)*
heaping 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup shredded (packed) Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet mozzarella soy cheese
the onion & garlic mixture from above
pinch nutmeg, pinch cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste
fresh basil for the top (or you can mix in 2 tsp dry basil to the sauce)
2 packs regular fettuccine noodles (I usually use DuBoles)

*I initally used the arrowroot flour as a thickening agent, though since it is such a small amount, I honestly don’t know if it is really a neccessary ingredient. If you don’t have any arrowroot, I wouldn’t sweat it.

After you have made your sauce, heat it over medium heat in a saucepan, whisking often. It’s okay to let it bubble a little, but don’t let it boil rapidly. You should probably keep a cover on it so it doesn’t splatter. Turn heat to low until noodles are done, but continue whisking every minute or two.

Cook fettuccine noodles according to the package. Drain noodles & toss them with the sauce, or if you prefer, plate noodles and then top with sauce & fresh basil. Serve with sliced bread, if desired, & ENJOY!

Gathering the ingredients...

Now you see it... now you don't!

Veggie Meatloaf

Posted on October 15, 2011 | 1 comment

I have always been somewhat hesitant to try a vegan meatloaf… the ones I have made in the past weren’t the greatest, to say the least, so I hadn’t tried to make one in a while. However… I made this the other night and was pleasantly surprised with the delicious outcome! In fact, I have been tempted to call this recipe “Veggie MeatLove”!

If you can get tofu in bulk, I strongly recommend using that. If you are using the water-packed kind of tofu in a tub, drain & press the tofu before crumbling it. (Pressing tofu is when you set it on a plate wrapped in a towel and put something heavy on it, such as a big fat cookbook, for about 15 minutes to draw out more water.)

~Veggie “Meatloaf”~

(makes 4 single serving “loaves” / makes 4 4×6″ rectangles about 1″ high)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 green pepper, minced
2 cups crumbled veggie beef (I recommend 5 crumbled Veggie Burgers of your choice)
2 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (the brand Annie’s is popular – regular Worcestershire contains anchovies)
1 regular sized block of xtra-firm tofu, drained & crumbled
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup walnut pieces
4 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp each salt, pepper
1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease/oil 2 rectangular baking pans.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet & add onion, garlic & peppers. Saute until translucent. Add “beef” and vegan Worcestershire. Cook on med heat, stirring often, about 20 minutes, until its nice and browned.

In food processor, combine all else until fully well-blended. Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Warning : this mixture will be very sticky!

WET HANDS THOROUGHLY!! Form into 4 “loaves” (four 4×6″ rectangles, 1″ thick) – The trick here is to wet your hands often to keep it from sticking. Trust me- you will need to keep wetting your hands in order to form these loaves! Place 2 in each prepared pan, separated so they are not touching each other or the sides of the pan. Bake the pans on the middle oven rack for about 25-30 minutes. Flip the loaves & bake for another 25-30 minutes or until each side is well browned (add a little more oil if you think necessary). Cool at least 5 minutes before serving.

Top with gravy or ketchup and serve alongside your favorite sides like cauliflower mashed potatoes & collards or sautéed kale! Mmmmm!

I adapted this recipe from the Grit’s (Athens best vegetarian restaurant) cookbook! There are tons of great recipes for vegetarians & vegans- like their yeast gravy! Click here to order the Grit Cookbook!

Zucchini Muffins

If you have trouble getting your kid to eat zucchini, look no further! These light fluffy muffins are packed with zucchini, yet they are moist & delicious (and they also happen to be gluten-free*)! They are perfect for breakfast or a quick snack. I really like the flavor that using sucanat adds, but if you have trouble finding sucanat, regular light brown sugar will do.

* Spelt flour is a good subsitute for people with a low intolerance for wheat, though some people with serious wheat allergies, such as those with celiac disease, are also allergic to spelt. In that case, you should try replacing the flour with a 100% gluten free baking mix (most grocery stores carry a blend for general flour replacing).

I have been experimenting with some gluten-free cooking lately, which was inspired by one of my sisters, who is also soy free (be on the look out for my gluten & soy-free pumpkin pie around the holidays)! I love learning about different kinds of baking… its all science really. Sometimes your experiment ends with a truly amazing result… sometimes it doesnt turn out like you hoped. Thats when you try a different ingredient, a different flour… one tiny change in a recipe can take it to an entirely different place. I love baking more than any other kind of cooking!

~Zucchini Muffins~

1 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk… Stick with almond milk if you are making a soy-free muffin)
3 Tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 cup canola oil (or use half oil, half applesauce)
1/2 cup packed sucanat**
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 small zucchini)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray/grease muffin tin. In a small/medium bowl, whisk the milk & flax well. Add the vinegar, mix, and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.

Add the canola oil, brown sugar & vanilla to the milk mixture. Make a well in the center of the flour bowl & pour in the liquid mixture. Stir to combine then fold in the zucchini.

Fill muffin cups and cook 25-28 minutes, until tops are firm and knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out free of batter. Since spelt flour is tender, let the muffins cool for about 15-20 minutes in the muffin pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely, to avoid the tops breaking off.

You’d never know these were gluten-free muffins!

** Sucanat is made by simply crushing the sugar cane to squeeze out the juice, heating it until it’s a rich syrup and aerating it by hand-paddling to create a porous granule. It hasn’t been separated, blended, refined or filtered. It has a distinct molasses flavor that enhances many foods. You can use sucanat as a 1-for-1 replacement for refined brown sugar. It is found with the other brown sugars in the grocery store/health food supermarket.

Veggie-licious Dog Bones

Dog bones are really easy and fun to make! Not only will your kids like to help cut out these little bones, your dog will also be very happy to help by eating them up! You will need a dog-bone cookie cutter, or you can get creative and shape them as round “balls”, or cats… or whatever cookie-cutter shape your dog will devour! (But of coarse, I hope your dog doesnt really like to devour cats!)

~Veggie-licious Dog Bones~

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup diced celery
1/8 cup diced red bell pepper (optional)
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower kernels
1 1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix flour, oatmeal, vegetables, & sunflower kernels in a bowl. Whisk the water & oil together and then mix into the flour fixture. Fold with a rubber spatula until it starts to turn doughy. Knead dough for 2-3 minutes and roll out 1/4″ thick. Cut into shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the bottoms of the biscuits become brown. If they don’t seem hard enough, leave them in the oven as it cools.** (We got 42 bones when we made these!) Store in air-tight container and freeze extras, if desired.

Sofia loved to help cut the "bones"

Mmmmm!! Henny likey!!

Whats this? A HOMEMADE bone?!!

** UPDATE: I would definetly recommend leaving them in the oven to cool or even flipping them halfway through the cooking time to make sure both sides are good and brown. If you don’t cook them until they are nice & crunchy, they will get almost rubbery after a few hours (which could lead to them getting moldy after several days). So… cook those bones until they are “bone-hard”!

Kale Chips

At first I was skeptical about these kale chips…I knew they were really healthy but would they really taste good? I found that the answer is (happily) YES!! High in vitamins K, A, C, manganese & fiber, these chips can easily replace my potato chips, at least occasionally! Maybe “guilt free super chips” would be a more appropriate name!

We made them in two batches: the olive oil batch and the olive oil spray batch. I highly recommend using real olive oil. We all thought they were literally a gazillion times tastier!!

~Kale Chips~

1 bunch organic kale
1 Tbsp olive oil or olive oil spray
sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F. Rinse & pat dry kale leaves. Remove leafy part from stem and rip into chip size pieces.

If using olive oil (recommended method): put all the leaves into a bag, drizzle in olive oil, add seasonings and shake well. Spread out on cookie sheet. If using olive oil spray: arrange kale on the cookie sheet, lightly spray all the “chips” & season with salt.

Cook 15-20 minutes. Watch carefully that they do not burn. As soon as the edges turn brown, they are done and ready to enjoy!

(P.S. to avoid possible embarrassment, check your teeth after eating these chips! I learned the hard way! hahaha)

Maple Roasted Parsnips

I don’t think I had ever eaten a parsnip in my life until yesterday. They were one of those vegetables that I would occasionally read about in books, but for some unknown reason, they didn’t exist in my world… like a unicorn! They look like white carrots – come to think of it, they actually DO kinda look like unicorn horns! It’s amazing that in the 12 years I’ve been eating vegetables I had never had parsnips before. Well, the times they are a-changin’ because it turns out I really like them! My kids weren’t as crazy for them as me & my husband were (which I couldn’t believe since they turned out like sweet maple french fries) but give them time… give them time! They WILL come around!

~Maple Roasted Parsnips~

1 1/2 – 2 lbs parsnips
vegetable oil (at least 1/4 cup)
maple syrup (at least 1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Peel parsnips and halve them crosswise, then halve or quarter each piece lengthwise. Basically, cut them into big fat french fries.

Toss the parsnip-fries onto a large rimmed baking sheet and generously oil them and stir them around well. Try to even them out to one layer. Drizzle the parsnips well with maple syrup and roast until tender, at least 45 minutes, or until as brown & crispy as desired. I stirred mine around about halfway through the cooking time.

These parsnips are a great simple side to keep in mind for holiday dinners!

Coffee Muffins

In the morning I really like my coffee… sometimes with some more coffee on the side. If you are anything like me, you will love these delicious coffee & chocolate muffins. I don’t ever give my kids soda, so I feel that the small amount of caffeine they ingest is minute in comparison. Plus, you could make these muffins decaf if you wanted to anyway! I would definitely recommend using organic applesauce since apples can be high in pesticides. I must warn you… these muffins are highly addictive!

~Coffee Muffins~

1 cup almond milk (I recommend almond milk for these muffins, though you could always use a different non-dairy milk)
1 heaping Tbsp instant coffee crystals
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsweetened organic applesauce (or organic cinnamon applesauce, if you prefer)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly grease/spray your muffin tin/cups.

In a large measuring cup, mix the coffee crystals with 1/2 cup of the milk, stirring to dissolve. Then mix in the rest of the milk & vinegar and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, & salt. (I like to use a whisk to mix my dry ingredients cause it helps not fling flour everywhere.)

Take your coffee/milk/vinegar mixture and add the applesauce, canola oil, & vanilla to it. Whisk together well.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the liquid mix. Mix together until just mixed. Try not to overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill all the muffin cups evenly and bake for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick/knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from tins and set them on a cooling rack for further cooling.

: These reusable muffin cups are great & they keep you from having to buy more stuff!

Variations: These can also be made jumbo, by adding an additional 7-10 minutes to the cooking time. You can also skip the applesauce if you don’t have any handy and use a 1/2 cup canola oil.

: who doesnt like coffee & chocolate?!

(This recipe was adapted from a recipe in the book, ‘Vegan Brunch’.

Rita’s Vegan Chili

So… Did you know that October is Vegetarian Awareness Month? October 1st is actually World Vegetarian DAY – and of coarse, since we’re talking vegetarian (& since eggs, dairy & cheese is included in the vegetarian diet) there’s NO excuses to not do your part for the Earth by saying no to meat for ONE day! YOU CAN DO IT!! Hopefully you will want to shoot for all 30 nights of meat-less meals (or more)!!

I have been wanting to share this recipe for a while, which is (like all of my recipes) 100% vegan. I have had many rave reviews on my vegan chili and I hope I can add yours to my comments below! Did I mention that my kids really love it too?! They usually arent crazy about spicy stuff, but they make an exception for this mildly spicy delicious chili!

I like using Lightlife Smart Ground in my chili, but there are many different kinds of vegetarian crumbles you can find in the grocery store! Look in the freezer section if you can’t find it by the tofu. (Boca makes frozen crumbles but they may contain eggs if I recall correctly… that is also typical of Morningstar Farms varieties. (Unless you are vegetarian, look for the vegan symbol on the box.) Get one or two boxes depending on how “meaty” you like your chili!

Mmmm! There's nothing like some good homemade chili!!

~Rita’s Vegan Chili~

First, crumble and brown the “meat” in a non-stick pan in a little olive oil. (I don’t even know if this step is really necessary, but for some reason, I always felt weird about just dumping it into the pot… but since there’s no chance of e-coli or anything, you could honestly probably just do that & save a step if you wanted!)

2 packs of Lightlife smart ground (or “mock-crumbles” of choice)

Saute everything in a little olive oil and combine it with the “meat” in a large stockpot – or the biggest pot you have!

1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced

Stir in all other ingredients and cook until heated through!

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed & drained
2 (15 oz) cans red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 (15 oz) can white kidney beans, rinsed & drained (or you bump it up to 3 cans of red kidney beans)
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (28 oz) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 Tbsp cumin
2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp each oregano, basil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 Tbsp raw sugar

Cover and simmer. The longer it cooks together, the better the flavor! Top with soy cheese & vegan sour cream if desired! Serve with crackers or cornbread (my personal fave)! This chili also freezes great!

OPTIONAL: You can even add 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup each chopped carrot, celery, or corn to the mix to throw in some more veggies, but allow some extra cooking time to soften those carrots!