Desserts

Vegan Pani Po’ Po

Vegan Pani Po' PoVegan Pani Po’ Po. You knew this was coming, didn’t you? 🙂

I had a little break from the Green Smoothie Challenge and the first item of business was to bake some bread. I’m a little obsessed with bread to tell you the truth. I can’t count the number of times I’ve thanked my lucky stars that I don’t have any issues with gluten. This recipe is adapted and veganized from one my sister-in-law Linda contributed to our family cookbook. She was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia. She met my brother in Hawaii. I think all the islanders want to claim this recipe as their own. I can’t blame them. It’s truly fantastic. I can’t call it healthy though, this is pure indulgence. I’m back on the challenge, but I’ll share a couple naughty recipes with you from my break.

Vegan Pani Po’ Po

For the dough:

  • 3/4 cup warm soymilk or other plant milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons agave or pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons organic extra virgin coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon ground golden flax seed
  • 1 3/4 cups unbleached organic flour
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

For the coconut custard sauce:

  • 5 ounces canned coconut milk
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 1/4 cup agave or pure maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot

Dough Method: Combine all ingredients for dough and knead for 10-15 minutes. Dough will be soft and sticky. Cover and let rise for 60 minutes. Punch down, cut and divide into 16 even pieces. Shape into round balls and place in a lightly oiled tall round dish. Cover and let rise again until double, about 30-60 minutes.

in the pan

Coconut Custard Sauce Method: While the dough is rising (2nd rising)  combine all ingredients for the custard sauce in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat til it comes to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and boil and stir constantly for 1 minute until thick. Let cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the slightly cooled custard sauce over the risen dough. Bake for 18-20 minutes. The tops of the bread rolls will be golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with a little coconut oil if desired. Serve with spoonfuls of the custard sauce. I sprinkled mine with a bit of toasted shaved coconut.

Vegan Pani Po' Po-001This recipe is featured on the Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck!

Oil Free Banana Muffins

Banana Muffins

I make these muffins at least once a week. My kids love them and they provide quick after school snacks or mid-morning treats. I’ve found they don’t need oil to be tender and delicious. The extra banana takes care of that and makes them deliciously and intensely banana flavored.Bananas

I always buy 5 or 6 bunches of bananas so I can have extra ones to go brown just to make these. The rest of the bananas go in to smoothies and for eating.Blender batterBlending up the wet ingredients makes for a really quick recipe with no fuss

Combine

Then you simply pour the liquid into the dry mixture and stir.Fillings

We all have a different preference for fillings, my youngest likes them plain, I like the goji berries, my husband likes cranberries and my daughter likes the chocolate chips. I can just press some into the filled muffin tins to make an assortment, then we’re all happy. Alley at Made of Stars mentioned chopped walnuts in the comments below, chopped pecans would also be lovely, how did I forget? 🙂

In pan

Oil Free Banana Muffins

I always double this recipe, but we’re banana muffin fiends, so here’s the single recipe here

  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 1/2 C. plain soymillk + 2 T. lemon juice stirred together = vegan buttermilk
  • 1/2 C. raw sugar
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1 1/2 C. whole wheat pastry flour or for gluten free option use an equal amount of Cara’s all purpose GF mix + 1 t. xanthan gum or 1 T. ground flax
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1/2 t. sea salt

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend bananas, sugar, vanilla, and vegan buttermilk in your blender until smooth. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Pour wet mixture in and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Measure out by 1/4 C. measures into a lightly oiled 12 tin muffin tin (don’t use papers, these will stick). Press in a few fillings if desired, or leave plain. Bake for 20-25 minutes until just golden. Cool on a baking rack for a few minutes before eating.

Bite

For more oil-free recipe goodness, check back on Wednesday the 12th, I’ll be reviewing and giving away a copy of Lindsay Nixon’s new Happy Herbivore Abroad cookbook as part of her 31 days of giveaways Blog Tour.

HHA_31DaysofGiveaways_badge

Keepin’ it Kind Holiday Cookie Exchange, Brookie Grasshopper Squares

It’s Cookie Party time!

The darling Kristy over at Keepin it Kind is hosting a vegan cookie exchange party for the holiday season with cookies from her favorite bloggers. I’m not only in love with this idea, but I’m the lucky girl that’s first in the line up. This little treat I have for you I thought was gonna be a cookie square. But somehow it came out softer and more like a brownie, or a “brookie” which was fine by me! I hope you love these as much as I do! Head on over to Kristy’s site to get the gluten free (optional), egg free, dairy free, soy free and nut free recipe, however these are NOT sugar free or fat free, but I think you’ll forgive me! Just click on the link below:

Visit the Keepin’ it Kind Vegan Cookie Exchange 

Now for a word about Kristy:

This lovely girl is a former fromagier gone vegan. Her passion for food and animals will warm your heart and your belly. She was pivotal in my inspiration to go solo as a blogger and even gave me all kinds of amazing advice when I wasn’t sure  exactly how to set up my new blog. Follow her over at Keepin it Kind, you’ll be in love with every post and dish!

Vedged Out Thanksgiving Menu

A Vegan Thanksgiving for 21 Guests including the Ladies at

Good Clean Food and An Unrefined Vegan

Bloggers, If I’ve included a link to your post and you’d like a photo of your recipe to be included here, please give me permission to share your photo in the comments below. I would have loved to make and photograph everything in advance, but I’m not that cool. xx -Somer

Appetizers

Vedged Out’s Macadamia Nut Brie En Croute

Vegetable Platter with Hummus

 Salad

Sunday Morning Banana Pancake’s Baby Spinach Salad with Cranberries, Pecans and a Maple Basalmic Vinaigrette (she uses cherries in hers, we’re going to use dried cranberries)

photo used with permission 

Bread

Vegan Monologue’s Buttery Pan Rolls

Amanda’s Whole Grain Cranberry Walnut Sourdough Bread

(this is what we slathered the Brie En Croute all over! They were made for each other!)

sourdough bread

Drinks

Lemon Seltzer Water

Cranberry Fizzy

 

Mains and Sides

In Pursuit of More’s Cashew Loaf

Dad’s Wild Rice, Cranberry and Pine Nut Stuffing

Dad’s Pine Nut and Glazed Onion Mashed Potatoes

Vedged Out’s Sauteed Green Beans, Red Onions and Radishes

Butternut Squash Puree with Orange and Ginger

Fruited Cranberry Compote

photo used with permission

Post Punk Kitchen’s traditional Green Bean Casserole

Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Keepin it Kind’s Miso Mushroom Gravy

 

Desserts

An Unrefined Vegan’s Apple Pie

applepie3

photos used with permission

Razzleberry Pie

Gabby’s No Bake Pumpkin Mousse Cake

An Unrefined Vegan’s Hazelnut Pumpkin Cheesecake w/ Chocolate-Hazelnut Topping

Hazelnut cheesecake

Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream

Vegan Pumpkin Pies

and Vegan Ice Cream

Double Dark Chocolate Coconut Pecan Cookies

all photos in this post courtesy of Annie at An Unrefined Vegan

So I made an incredibly delicious batch of cookies a couple weeks ago, but I didn’t even attempt to photograph them for the blog because quite frankly, I thought that they looked like poo. Sometimes when I have a great recipe like this that doesn’t end up here, I’ll email it to my best friends because I want them to have it to enjoy, even if I can’t make it look pretty.

Would you believe Annie at An Unrefined Vegan baked some right up AND then photographed them for me? Now that’s what you call true blogging buddy love. Somehow she managed to make the cookies look a lot prettier and a lot less like poo than my batch. Perhaps that had something to do with the fact that she didn’t have a scrap of coconut in the house to add to them.

Double Dark Chocolate Coconut Pecan Cookies

  • 1 C. whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/4 C. cocoa powder
  • 1/4 C. chopped pecans
  • 1/4 C. shaved dried coconut (not the itty bitty kind, and toasting the coconut makes it even more delicious)
  • 1/3 C. dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 t. baking soda
  • 1/3 C. agave
  • 1/4 t. sea salt
  • 2 T. coconut oil
  • 2 T. almond butter
  • 1/4 C. non-dairy milk of choice
  • 2 t. vanilla

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda together. Cut in almond butter and coconut oil (solid) until crumbly. Add soy milk, vanilla, agave, coconut, chocolate chips and chopped pecans. Stir  with a wooden spoon until combined. Form 12 big cookies, place on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before eating.

Have you subscribed to our blog over at the Virtual Vegan Potluck yet? If you haven’t, head on over there now! We have some awesome giveaways coming up over there! And don’t forget to vote for your favorite entry in each course before the 13th!

Layered Plum Tart with Apricot Crumble

Would you be compelled to make this if I told you that it’s healthy enough to eat for breakfast?

Layered Plum Tart with Apricot Crumble

Inspiration comes from this other fabulous dessert of mine

Ingredients: 1 C. Whole wheat pastry flour OR for gluten free option 1 C. certified gluten free oat flour, 1/3 C. Cashews, 10 pitted dates, 10 dried apricots, 1 t. vanilla, 2 T. raw sugar, 2 T. coconut oil, 1/2 t. sea salt, 1 t. cinnamon, 4-6 large plums, pitted and thinly sliced (with skins on)

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, cashews, dates, apricots, vanilla, raw sugar, coconut oil, salt and cinnamon in a food processor or high powered blender. Process until fine and crumbly. Press 1/2 of the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch spring-form pan, mixture will be a bit dry, but the juices from the fruit will moisten it while baking.

Top with sliced a layer of sliced plums

follow the pattern shown in above photos. Sprinkle with only 1/2 of the remaining crumble 

Place another layer of plums over the crumble.

Add 1 T. water to last bit of crumble and put the moistened remaining crumble over the plums.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until fragrant and crumble is golden. Remove from springform pan and let cool slightly before serving. If you’re feeling naughty (I was), you can drizzle yours with a vegan powdered sugar and water glaze.

This tart would also be good made with peaches, apples, pears, etc. Use your imagination!

Healthied up Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I make these bars two different ways depending on the company I’m serving. I make the first version for my family, it’s oil free and uses less sweetener so it tastes a bit healthier and results in a more cake-like cookie but is still delicious!

The second version is good for convincing company that being vegan doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor! It has a small amount of oil and more (unrefined) sweetness and tastes and crunches more like traditional cookie bars, but is still relatively healthy compared to regular vegan cookies. Try both recipes to see which one is your favorite! Enjoy!

Healthied Up Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Oil-Free & Less Sweet Version:

  • 2 C. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (for Gluten Free option substitute Cara’s all purpose GF mix)
  • 1/2 C. Rolled Oats (use certified Gluten Free for GF version)
  • 1/2 C.  raw agave
  • 1/2 C. unsweetened Apple Sauce
  • 1 T. Ground Flax Seed
  • 1/2 C. Almond Milk
  • 2 t. Vanilla
  • 1 t. baking powder
  • 1/2 t. sea salt
  • 1/2 C. Vegan Chocolate Chips

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, oats, ground flax, baking powder and salt in a large bowl with a wire whisk. Add agave, apple sauce, almond milk, vanilla and chocolate chips. Stir til just combined. Pour into an 8×8 pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Do not over bake, that’s the secret to the awesomeness of these babies. Let cool for 10-15 minutes then cut into 16 squares.

Tiny Bit Naughty Version:

  • 2 C. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (for Gluten Free option substitute Cara’s all purpose GF mix)
  • 1 C. Rolled Oats (use certified Gluten Free for GF version)
  • 1/2 C.  raw agave or pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 C. raw sugar
  • 1/4 C. Coconut Oil
  • 1/4 C. Almond Butter
  • 1 T. Ground Flax Seed
  • 1/2 C. Almond Milk
  • 2 t. Vanilla
  • 1 t. baking powder
  • 1/2 t. sea salt
  • 1/2 to 1 full C. Vegan Chocolate Chips (depending on your chocolate meter)

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, oats, raw sugar, ground flax, baking powder and salt in a large bowl with a wire whisk. Cut the coconut oil and almond butter into the flour mixture. Add agave, almond milk, vanilla and chocolate chips. Stir til just combined. Press into an 8×8 pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Let cool for 10-15 minutes then cut into 16 squares. 

Try to eat just one.

WOOHOO MOFO! Plus- Extra Snappy and Soft Ginger Cookies

Not sure if I’m going to be kicking myself, BUT I’VE SIGNED UP FOR VEGAN MOFO!!! “What is MOFO”, you ask? Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but it’s not an acronym for any foul swear words (you dirty birds). It’s an October-blog-fest where vegan bloggers bore you to death blog your socks off all month long. Are you ready?!?

So while you are all waiting to be blown away by a month of vegan radness, I have this tasty little tidbit for you.

Extra Snappy and Soft Ginger Cookies

Adapted from this recipe here at Thom’s vegan blog Don’t Switch off the Light

Ingredients: 2 C. whole wheat pastry flour, 1/3 C. unsulphered molasses, 1/3 C. raw sugar, 1 t. baking soda, 4 t. dried ginger, 1 t. grated fresh ginger, 3/4 t. ground cloves, 1 t. ground cinnamon, a smidgen of cayenne pepper, few grinds of black pepper, 1/2 t. sea salt, 1/4 C. coconut oil, 1/2 C. soy milk, 1 T. vanilla, small bowl of vegan powdered sugar for rolling the dough in.

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl

combine wet ingredients in a small bowl (or measuring cup).

Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mix until combined.

Measure out cookie dough by rounded tablespoons and roll into balls. Roll each ball in the powdered sugar until completely coated. Place cookies onto a baking sheet and flatten each cookie with the bottom of a measuring cup.

Does anyone’s baking sheet look as gnarly as mine does?

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Once cooled store in an airtight container so that the cookies will remain soft.

Prepare yourselves for Monday!

Insane Chocolate Layer Cake

What would you do if you had cause to celebrate but you couldn’t just go out and buy any old cake? I mean I could have picked up a specialty vegan cake at City Cakes or Cake Walk, but I’ve tried their not-so-amazing cupcakes, so a 45 minute drive didn’t seem worthwhile for something I wouldn’t LOVE.

So instead, you make the awesomest plant-based cake. Ever.

Okay, well maybe it wasn’t really the best one ever, and this other cake probably wins the healthiest cake contest, but mine was pretty dang tasty.

Insane Chocolate Layer Cake:

This cake features a simple chocolate cake base, layered with chocolate cheezcake ganache, topped with coconut whipped creme and adorned with figs.

For the cakes: 3 C. whole wheat pastry flour (blend it again through your power blender to get it extra fine, I used extra finely ground kamut berries instead of wheat), 2 C. water, 1 C. unsweetened applesauce, 1 C. raw agave, 2/3 C. cocoa powder (I used raw cacao), 1 t. baking soda, 1 t. salt, 2 T. vanilla, 4 T. apple cider vinegar.

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil two 9 inch cake rounds, dust with cocoa powder. Set aside. Combine flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt in a large bowl. Then combine water, vanilla and agave in another bowl. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and stir til just combined. Add the 4 T. apple cider vinegar and stir until swirls start to form in the batter. Immediately pour batter into the cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cakes rest for 10 minutes before turning out on a cooling rack. Let cakes cool completely. This cake IS NOT made with buckets of white flour, white sugar and loads of fat, so it’s not very sweet or rich, so the batter may not taste like you think it ought too, but the finished product is delicious.

For the Chocolate Cheezcake Ganache: 1 1/4 C. raw cashews, 1/3 C. agave 1/4 t. salt, 1/2  C. dairy free dark chocolate chips, 1 T. lemon juice, 2 T. Cocoa Powder (I used raw cacao), 1 box lite silken firm tofu, 2 T. dry pectin (the kind you use for jam making), 1 C. boiling water.

Method: Place cashews in power blender, grind to a fine powder (if you don’t have a powder blender, soak the cashews for a few hours and skip this step), add agave, cocoa powder, lemon juice, chocolate chips, pectin and salt. Pour the boiling water over the other ingredients and blend until fully combined. Add the box of tofu and blend again. This mixture will be hot and will need to cool in the fridge for a few hours before using.

For the Coconut Whipped Creme: 1 can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated for at least 3 hours.

Method: Open the can, pour off the liquid and save for use in a smoothie, scoop solidified coconut creme into a chilled bowl and whip with beaters or whisk until light and fluffy. See the Veggie Witch method here, I only used one can of coconut as opposed to her 2 cans and didn’t sweeten the creme.

Fresh Figs for decorating

Assembly: Slice the two cakes in half width-wise into layers using a long serrated knife. You will have 4 layers now. Put First layer on a plate or cake platter, spread 1/3 of the cheezcake ganache over the top of the cake. Carefully place the next cake layer on top of the ganache. Repeat until you reach the top cake layer, for the top of the cake, frost with the coconut whipped creme and adorn with sliced figs. This cake MUST be kept covered and refrigerated or the ganache will melt and start to slide everywhere (as it clearly did in my photo shoot).

The Ultimate Ratbag

First I want to thank you all for the overwhelming response for this new blog! 

Now, let’s get a little more acquainted.

My name is Somer, and I am a Ratbag.

I started blogging earlier in the year at Good Clean Food and I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help of my three friends there: Amanda, Erika and Carolyn. They gave me my blogging wings and helped me stand firm when the transition to a plant-based diet was toughest.

In an act of penance for leaving them and going solo on this site, here are 3 fabulous recipes in photo form, one of my favorites from each lovely lady.

Amanda’s African-Inspired Peanut and Vegetable Stew

recipe here

This beauty of a dish is a one pot meal. You can cook it on the stove-top like in Amanda’s directions, but it’s also fabulous simmered in a slow cooker all day. It’s autumn comfort food meets creamy, spicy and peanut buttery goodness.

Guess what else? There’s a whole head of kale in it (shhh!) and your kids will eat it AND lick their bowls.

Erika’s Happiness in a Cookie Bite

recipe here

When Erika named these cookie dough bites, she wasn’t messing around. She brought them to a lunch we had at my house and we were all very happy to eat every last one.

They made us so happy we couldn’t stop. Delicious, meet nutritious!

Carolyn’s Sourdough Quinoa and Black Bean Bread

recipe here

I’ll admit when Carolyn first posted this recipe I was too afraid to try it. Quinoa and black beans in sourdough bread? Um, weird! Then, once I made it, I couldn’t figure out why I waited so long. It’s unique and amazing!

Here’s a little hint: don’t go searching high and low for the black bean flour. Grind your own flour from bagged, dried black beans in your high powered blender or coffee grinder. If you’re trying to cut back on oils and sugars like I am, just replace them with an equal amount of almond milk in the recipe.

If you don’t all ready have a sourdough start, there are also lots of recipes on-line for getting your own start going. Carolyn gave me some of her ancient sourdough starter with this warning: if it turns orange, it means DEATH! Chuck it out! Thanks girl, it still hasn’t turned orange!

Much love and thanks, Somer

p.s. I’m finally on Facebook and Pinterest. I don’t know what the heck I’m doing in either forum yet, but you’re welcome to come hang out with me in either place.

Facebook Link

Pinterest Link