Go Shortbread, It's Your Birthday

Happy New Year, friends! What wishes and goals do you have for 2015? I have resolved to floss daily, and to continue baking/cooking/eating things that make me happy. One of these things will be easier than the other. First up to ease the pain: Maple Walnut Shortbread.

I love cookies in general, and the sweet, crumbly, buttery goodness of shortbread is a particularly simple yet classy form of this delicious dessert. In this recipe, the walnuts and maple syrup both add a deep, rich layer to the dough - a perfect match for hot tea on cold nights! I couldn't resist immediately sliding a tray of these into the oven, but you could also make the dough in advance, form it into a log, and freeze it for those nights when the sweet tooth strikes...as long you as remember to floss afterwards!

Maple Walnut Shortbread
veganized from Martha Stewart

Makes 3 dozen cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (sea salt is best here)
1 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts
1 cup Earth Balance at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup

First, toast those nuts. Spread them out evenly on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven at 350 F for 6-10 minutes. Watch them like a hawk! As soon as they start to get a little golden, take them out - no one likes burnt nuts.

Once the nuts have cooled for about 10 minutes, grab your food processor. Dump in the flour, salt, and walnuts, and go to town. You want a pretty fine mixture without any large walnut chunks.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my food processor?

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream your butter until it's super soft. Add the sugar and keep mixing until it's a lemony color and very smooth. Now add the maple syrup and go at it again for another minute or so. Add the dry ingredients and mix one last time, stopping as soon as everything is evenly incorporated. You should have a slightly sticky dough that isn't crumbly or runny. Cover your bowl with a dish towel and pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.

Heavenly.

Once your dough is nice and chilled, preheat the oven to 350 F and line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Carve out hunks of dough and form them into 1-inch balls. Once they're all neatly lined up on the baking sheet, use the bottom of a glass to flatten them out to about 1/2 inch thick. I had some leftover walnuts so also stuck little chunks on top of my shortbread to dress it up a bit! Throughout all this, you might need some extra flour to keep the dough from stick to your hands or the glass.

Pre-rolling!

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges of your shortbread start to turn a nice golden brown. If you'd like, you can dust them with powdered sugar once they cool, or just pop the warm nuggets straight into your mouth as they are. Enjoy!

Hey Pumpkin

You thought we were done with pumpkin, huh? Not a chance! With just a couple of days left in 2014, I'm sneaking in one of my absolute favorite foods: Pumpkin Curry.

I had never had pumpkin curry before I lived in Thailand a few years ago, and frankly I'm not sure how I lasted for over two decades on this earth without it. It's such a versatile dish - you can throw in meat or fish if you're cooking for omnivores, or leave out the coconut milk to make it light and spicier, or cut down on the chillies if you're looking for a milder, creamier curry. I used green beans, red peppers, and kale in this recipe, but mix and match your veggies at will.

The secret to good pumpkin curry, in my humble opinion: leave the skin on! This will help prevent your pumpkin chunks from dissolving into mush, and the skin will have a wonderful soft texture once it cooks for a bit. Heaven!

Pumpkin Curry with Tofu
veganized from Nigella Lawson

Serves 4

1 small buttercup or kabocha squash (so technically this is squash curry!)
1 can full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
2 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3-5 red Thai chillies, crushed
3 stalks lemongrass, crushed
1 cup green beans
1 red pepper, roughly diced
1 block firm tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes
2 cups kale, roughly chopped
juice from 1 lime

The hardest part about making this curry is cutting up the pumpkin, so we're gonna go that first. Make sure you grab a large, very sharp knife and a stable cutting board, and perhaps a friend who wouldn't mind a quick trip to the ER if things go south. Carefully cut the squash into quarters, scoop out of the seeds and gunk, then chop each section up into large chunks. They should be big enough for two bites - with smaller pieces you run the risk of the pumpkin getting too soft as the curry simmers. Use a smaller knife to trim the stringy innards off the inside of each chunk, and you're done! That wasn't too bad, right?

Camouflage.

Chopped!

Grab a large pot and set it on the stove over medium-high heat. Skim the cream off the top of your can of coconut milk and dump it in the pot, then add the curry paste. Mix this all together until the bright red mixture is bubbly and fragrant, but not smoking.

The goods. 

Once the curry paste has had a chance to warm up and release its delicious flavors, pour in the rest of the coconut milk, along with the veggie stock, soy sauce, sugar, turmeric, chillies, and lemongrass stalks. Stir this all up and wait until the mixture starts to boil, then dump in the pumpkin chunks and cover the pot while the squash cooks. This will take about 10 minutes - you can check how the little nuggets are doing by stabbing them with a fork. The orange flesh should be easy to pierce, while the skin should still offer a bit of resistance. Don't worry, it'll keep softening up over the next couple of steps.

Bubble bubble. 

When you're happy with the pumpkin's texture, toss in the green beans and red pepper chunks. Cook for a about 5 minutes, then add the tofu and kale and simmer for another 5 minutes, until the kale has wilted down and become nice and tender.

Add the lime juice to your curry and give it a taste - you can also add sugar, salt, or chillies at this point depending on your preference. Once you're satisfied with your creation, sprinkle the curry with chopped cilantro, and serve over rice with extra chillies and lime on the side. Enjoy!

Gingerbread Balls

Merry almost Christmas, friends! I know you've all probably inhaled an unreasonable amount of cookies already this holiday season, but on the off chance that you're still looking for a sweet fix, I present you with these delectable Gingerbread Balls.

My wonderful mama had these waiting for me when I arrived in California for the holidays and they were SO good. Crispy on the outside, impossibly fluffy on the inside, and radiating a spicy holiday smell. Now, you can absolutely make gingerbread people with these (non-heteronormative and non-binary gender, of course), or you can do what I did and go straight for the balls. They're quicker and softer that way! Lolz.

Click on over to the always magnificent Minimalist Baker blog for this awesome recipe. I added 1/4 teaspoon each of cloves and allspice for even more fragrant magic, and opted out of frosting in favor of a light dusting of powdered sugar, but you do you. I also used a store-bought gluten-free flour, but think these gingerbread balls would probably work out fine with regular flour - if you give it a shot, let me know!

Almond butter and five different spices - can't go wrong.  

Slower than molasses. 

Gluten-free goodness.  

Ready for baking! 

I'm in Love with the Cocoa

One of my favorite things about being a vegan is the pure, unadulterated joy that comes from discovering things that are accidentally vegan. Oreos, Bac'n Bits, and today's Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting are all excellent example - and believe it or not, the latter is much tastier and less chemically than the first two combined!

My mom found the recipe for this dairy-free, egg-free chocolate cake years ago in the Moosewood Cookbook, before anyone in the house was even vegetarian, and it's remained a family favorite. The cake is super light and fluffy, thanks to the chemical reaction between baking soda and apple cider vinegar, and has an incredibly rich, deep flavor that adults and kids will both love. And the recipe is incredibly simple - I can almost guarantee you already have all the ingredients in your pantry.

The frosting is a new addition that comes from Oh She Glows, and only has two ingredients. Two! It's a little time-consuming since you have to chill the coconut cream and the melted frosted before you can actually spread on your cake, but it also keeps well in the fridge so go ahead and make a batch ahead of time, then spread all over anything and everything.

Take a gander at the photos below, and click through for the recipes above - you won't be disappointed!

No bowl necessary. 

Baking soda vinegar swirls.  

Coconut cream and chocolate chips. Heaven.  

This was at 6:30am. I did not plan ahead.  

Worth it. 

A Typical Wednesday Night

I had every intention of making a delicious lemony green bean risotto today for dinner, but my plan was thwarted when Safeway was completely out of arborio rice (or "weird rice", as K calls it). So, I went home and did what any self-respecting 27 year old would do: I made pancakes. 

Sometimes dinner is just too much work and pancakes at 7pm sound like an infinitely better option, ya know? Especially when they're giant, fluffy pancakes with a big fistful of chocolate chips and plenty of maple syrup and butter. MM. I like to sweeten the batter with maple syrup instead of sugar, which locks in that rich sweetness, and I use coconut oil to make these babies smell even more heavenly that regular pancakes. Perfect for any time of the day or night!

Vegan Pancakes

Adapted from About Food

Makes six 3-inch pancakes pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

a pinch of salt 

1 cup almond milk (or soy, coconut, etc)

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons coconut oil, plus extra to coat your pan

1/3 cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk the almond milk, maple syrup, and coconut oil until it starts to get a little frothy around the edges. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir until everything is evenly incorporated. If you're in an indulgent mood, this is where you'll add the chocolate chips. Your batter should be smooth and thick, almost like a brownie batter.

All you need!

Grab a non-stick pan, set it on a burner over medium heat, and pour in a little bit of coconut oil. Let this heat up for 20 seconds or so, then carefully pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan. Tilt the pan around to help the batter spread, then cook until you see little bubbles start to form on top.

My bubbles my bubbles!

Flip! If you're fancy you can fling your pancake up in the air. I'm uncoordinated and wary of accidentally destroying perfectly good food/my kitchen, so I use a spatula like a peasant. Toast your pancake until it's nice and golden brown on both sides. Serve with maple syrup, apple butter, cranberry sauce, or any other toppings your heart desires!

Orange You Going to Make this Bread?

If you don't have a big sweet tooth, I'm going to apologize in advance because things are about to get pretty sugary here for the next couple of weeks ahead of the holidays. First up: Cranberry Orange Bread with Whisky Glaze.

I associate the holidays with sugar cookies, gingerbread animals, fluffy scones, traditional Polish cakes, etc. This is partly because I adore desserts and would eat them non-stop if that weren't frowned upon by polite company and medical professionals, but it's also due to the fact that baking, especially around the holidays, feels so communal. This bread is a perfect example! The scents of cranberries and orange will make your kitchen smell warm and cozy, and the recipe is super simple so it's easy to make together with a friend or while chatting with family.

Obviously the eating part of the process is also very much a group activity. You can whip this easy bread up for a holiday brunch, or take it to your office party, or serve with tea after an evening with friends. Don't skimp on the whisky glaze!

Cranberry Orange Bread with Whisky Glaze
Adapted from Doron Petersan's Sticky Fingers' Sweets

Makes 1 loaf

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Earth Balance
1/2 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup and 1 teaspooon coconut oil
2 tablespoons water
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup fresh cranberries

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon whisky

Preheat your oven to 350 F and line a bread pan with aluminum foil. In a medium bowl, use a mixer to cream the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and Earth Balance. Then, in a separate small bowl, whisk together the almond milk, orange juice, vanilla, and 1/3 cup coconut oil. Pour this delicious-smelling mixture into the butter-sugar bowl and mix again until it's more or less combined. It's going to look a little gross, but don't worry!

Told you so. 

In a cup or yet another small bowl, combine the remaining 1 teaspoon coconut oil with 2 teaspoons baking powder and the water. Whisk it up really well - this is your egg substitute! Pour it into your batter and give it another whirl with the mixer.

In a large bowl, mix up the remaining 1 teaspoon baking powder with the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, and 2 cups of the flour. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix only until everything is blended together. Leave some lumps! Don't overmix!

Nice and lumpy. 

Chop up those cranberries - make sure they bounce first! Dump these suckers into a small bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup flour and stir to coat. I have no idea why and for once in my life the Google didn't yield any useful answers. Anyone know what the point of this is? Anyway.

Flour berries!

Once the berries are nice and floury, fold them into your batter then pour the whole mess into your bread pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when you poke it into the loaf. Wait until your creation is totally cool, then make your whisky glaze - just whisk the powdered sugar, orange juice, and whisky together until smooth - and drizzle it generously over your bread. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Pumpkin Art

You didn't think I was done with pumpkins, did you? No sireee Bob, not while there's pumpkin pie that needs to be eaten! And especially not if it's Vegan Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake.

The holidays can be tough if you're vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc. All that good food is such a central part of celebrating with your family and friends, and too often the substitutes just don't measure up to the originals that you remember from your childhood. Good news! This pumpkin pie is definitely something to be thankful for. Bot only is it relatively quick and easy, but also because it's beautiful and delicious - perfect for a Friendsgiving feast!

Ready for mixing.

Minimalist Baker has done it again, unsurprisingly. I'm pretty sure I could plan my entire dinner based on this gorgeous blog - if you've volunteered to bring dessert to your feast this week, just click here for the recipe and upstage all the other pies at the table. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

 Pre-pulverization.

Dollops... 

...swirls!