Waffles, 'Nuff Said - Vegan

modified slightly from Vegan Brunch.

light, crunchy, satisfying, rich and everything a waffle ought to be.




Waffles, 'Nuff Said

2 C non-dairy milk
1 t apple cider vinegar
3 T canola oil

1.25 C AP flour
.5 C whole wheat white flour (or more AP flour)
.25 C cornmeal
2 T barley malt powder
1 T cornstarch
1 T baking powder
.5 t salt

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl; combine wet ingredients. Add wet mixture to dry and stir til smooth but not beyond. Set aside to rest while preheating waffle iron.

Cook according to waffle iron directions. Work on the higher end of the toastiness settings for optimal deliciousness, and remember to spray the iron with cooking spray between each waffle.

Serve immediately or let cool and toast as needed. Freeze for future enjoyment.


Blueberry Variation

set aside 1/8 C non-dairy milk and combine with 1 C dried wild blueberries. Microwave or heat on the stovetop briefly to plump the berries slightly. Incorporate the blueberries after the wet and dry have been combined.

Chocolate Sauce - Vegan

modified from an Alton Brown recipe, c/o FoodNetwork.com

Excellent sauce for hot chocolate, chocolate milk, sundae topping and general drizzling. Taste a bit of the sauce with milk while it's hot, before straining; it may taste acidic, depending on the variety of cocoa used. Adjust this by increasing the sugar by up to .25 C or adding up to two ounces of finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate.





Chocolate Sauce

.5 C water
.75 C sugar
.5 C unsweetened cocoa powder, plain or dutched
2 t agave syrup
1 t vanilla extract
1/8 t ground cinnamon
pinch salt


Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil while whisking or stirring with a spatula. Remove from heat, strain and cool to room temperature. Pour into a squeeze bottle or regular container for refrigerated storage.



Hot Chocolate

6-8 oz almond, soy, coconut or rice milk
2-5 T chocolate sauce

In a small microwave-safe container, nuke the milk for 2 minutes on high; if you have a $1.99 IKEA milk frother, use it to add some texturally delicious foam. Meanwhile, pour chocolate sauce into bottom of a heatproof mug. Pour hot milk over sauce and stir to combine.

Top with additional sauce, cinnamon or whipped rice cream.

Banana French Toast - Vegan

Only slightly tweaked recipe from Vegan Brunch

Creamy, banana-cinnamon goodness. enough said. Easily wheat-free with some good gluten-free bread. I recommend Virago's French rolls, sliced in half or thirds.



Banana-Cinnamon French Toast
1 loaf sourdough bread, sliced and a bit stale (or lightly toasted)

2 bananas, very ripe
1 C plain, unsweetened coconut milk
.5 C plain, unsweetened soymilk
2 T cornstarch
2 t vanilla extract
.5 t ground cinnamon


Combine everything but the bread in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. pour into a wide, low baking dish and place bread slices over the mixture in a single layer (you'll be doing this in several batches). Flip the slices and let soak 5-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat a lightly oiled nonstick skillet or large frying pan several minutes over medium heat.

Remove the bread slices from the batter, dragging them on the edge of the baking dish to remove some of the excess batter, and place on skillet/pan in a single layer. Cook til lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until browned, another 3-5 minutes. Remove to plates for eating or hold in a warm oven, covered in a tea towel, for up to half and hour.

Serve with vegan butter, cinnamon, confectioner's sugar, maple syrup, agave nectar and whatnot.

"Rock Pudding" - Chocolate Bread Pudding - Vegan

Creamy, toothsome chocolate bread pudding. Stale the bread for optimal results, and serve with a dollop of whipped soy cream or vanilla coconut ice-cream.

Note for the bread - challah, french, italian, whatever you've got, just keep the texture simple - don't use sticks and stones bread.




Rock Pudding

6 C bread, at least 1 day stale, cut to 1" cubes*
3 C non-dairy milk, divided - coconut, almond or soy are best
3 T corn starch
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 C sugar
1 T vanilla extract
.5 t cinnamon
pinch kosher salt
pinch fine ground black ro white pepper

non-hydrogenated margarine for pan prep

*alternatively, toast fresh bread cubes lightly til dry



Lightly coat the interior of one 8- or 9-inch square pan or 10 individual 6-8-ounce oven-safe ramekins with margarine, set aside. Place bread cubes in a large bowl and leave aside. Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat .75 C nondairy milk until just boiled and pour over chocolate. Stir briefly and then let stand 5 minutes. Stir with a fork until homogenous.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch with just enough non-dairy milk to create a slurry. Turn the heat to medium and whisk in the chocolate mixture, and remaining milk. Cook until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is somewhat thickened - bring to a boil but do not allow a sustained boil. whisk in the cinnamon and vanilla.


Remove from heat and cool briefly before pouring over the cubed bread. Stir lightly to coat all pieces and let stand 15 minutes for even absorption.

At this point, you may fold in chocolate chips, toasted nuts, coconut flakes, fruit or whatnot to your liking; 1-2 C of mix-ins would be appropriate.

Spread the bread mixture into the prepared pan and bake until any loose liquid is bubbling, and the top is puffy and lightly browned, about 30 mintues for a 8 x 8 pan, closer to 18 for individual ramekins. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Pineapple Upside-Down Coffee Cake - Vegan

The mild sweetness of the cake is offset by the tangy pineapple and mellowed by tones of vanilla and molasses. I used cornmeal to create a more texturally interesting cake, but one can certainly replace it with white flour or corn flour for a fluffier crumb.

The "Topping"

1t non-hydrogenated margarine + more for preparing pan
.25 C brown sugar
about 1/4 of a pineapple, sliced into 1/8-1/4-inch thick pieces lengthwise

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and 1 t of the margarine with fingers until homogenous and set aside.

Coat a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9-inch square baking pan with margarine, line with parchment (leaving an overhang on two opposing sides) and coat the parchment with margarine as well. Sprinkle or spread the browns ugar mixture ovenly over the bottom of the pan. Cut pineapple slices into pieces about 4-inches long, ang arrange as picture above. Set pan aside while preparing the cake batter.


The Cake

.75 C fine-ground cornmeal
.75 C unbleached all-purpose flour
1.5 t double-acting baking powder
1/8 t ground cardamom or 1.4 t ground cinnamon

.25 C canola oil
.5 C light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/3 C granulated sugar
.5 t kosher salt

1/8 t vinegar
1 C coconut milk*
1 T vanila extract

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. In a separate container, stir together the wet ingredients and set aside.

Cream together the oil, sugar and salt until lighter in color and texture. With the mixer running on low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until even. Scrape the bowl well before adding the wet mixture at low speed.

Pour into prepared pan and even the top with a spatula. Gently, run the spatula across the top of the cake in an X pattern, from corner to corner. Bake 20-30 minutes, until golden brown, springy and cake-tester comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack 20 minutes before unmolding. Remove parchment paper and serve warm or at room temp.

Corn Muffins - Gluten Free, Cheatin' Vegan

adapted from Babycakes : The Cookbook.

these muffins are fluffy, golden brown and just the right kind of sweet. adding pan roasted corn to the batter ups the sweetness and makes these even more toothsome. honey makes these acceptable for cheatin' vegans, but animal-friendly agave works just as well.

GF[V] Corn Muffins
makes 12 standard muffins

.75 C Bob's Red Mill GF Flour Blend
.5 C corn starch
.5 C corn meal (not coarse ground)
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t xanthan gum
1 t kosher salt

1 t apple cider vinegar
2/3 C non-dairy milk, measured over the apple cider vinegar
.5 C canola oil
1/3 C honey
1/3 C applesauce (unsweetened)
2 t vanilla extract

optional:
.75 C frozen corn, cooked in a hot, barely oiled, pan until a bit browned on every side

Preheat oven to 325 F. Oil a 12 cup standard muffin tin and set aside.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients til homogenous. Stir the wet mixture into the dry, whisking til combined. If using, fold in roasted corn.

Portion batter into prepared pan and lightly brush or spray muffin tops with oil. Bake 20-23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and/or the internal temperature is at or above 180 F. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Unmold and cool completely on wire rack.

Chocolate Cake with Berry Filling - Vegan

An incredibly simple and delicious chocolate cake. Moist, light and soy-free if you say so.



Basic Chocolate Cake
makes one 8-inch round layer cake or 2 dozen standard cupcakes

2.25 C AP flour
.75 C cocoa powder (a blend of dutch and regular rocks)
1 T baking powder
.25 t ground cinnamon

.5 C canola oil
1 2/3 C sugar

.5 t apple cider vinegar
2 C non-dairy milk*, measured over the vinegar
1 T vanilla extract

*coconut milk works quite well, but a blend of soy and almond milks is fantastic

Preheat the oven to 350 and oil two 8-inch round pans or line pans for 2 dozen cupcakes.


Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, powder, cinnamon and pepper and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the oil and sugar until lighter in color and texture, scraping the bowl once or twice. With the mixer running on low speed, incorporate the flour mixture; process until well combined, scraping the bowl once. Add the milk mixture and vanilla and mix on low, scraping the bowl once, until well integrated.

Portion into pans and bake 30-40 minutes for rounds, 22-26 minutes for cupcakes. The cakes are ready when they spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in pans 15 minutes, cupcake pans 5 minutes, before unmolding. Cool completely before frosting.



Chocolate Coating


5 oz semisweet chocolate, chips or finely chopped
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chips or finely chopped
6 fl oz non-dairy milk

1 t vanilla extract

Combine chocolates in a heatproof bowl.

Heat the milk to boiling in the microwave and pour over chocolate. Stir just to distribute the milk through the chocolate pieces and let stand, without stirring further, for 5 minutes. Starting in the center, stir the chocolate into the milk until the mixture begins to become cohesive. Increase stirring radius to homogenize the mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Let cool til slightly thickened but not set before using.

Assembling the cake

1 recipe basic chocolate cake, baked in 8-inch rounds, sliced to level as needed
(if you prepared as 2 rounds, split to make 4, prepared as 3 rounds, let them be)
.5-.75C raspberry-blackberry preserves (depending on number of layers)
1 recipe chocolate coating, cooled slightly

Place one layer of cake, cut side up, on serving platter. Spread .25C of preserves evenly over cake, stopping about .25-inch short of the edge all around. Place second layer on top of coated first. Repeat the application of preserves on this round once or twice more, depending on layer number, taking care to position the final layer cut side down. The final layer should not have preserves on top.

Pour the chocolate coating onto the center of the top layer, letting the chocolate distribute itself over the cake. Egg on as needed, but do not overwork the coating. Wipe excess coating from servign platter as desired.

If desired, let the leftover coating set further until it is pipable and use a paper cone to decorate the cake top.