Vegan Baking

Absurdly Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake

Not only is this recipe easy, it also happens to be vegan (no animal products used).

Ingredients

3 cups flour (680 grams)
2 cups sugar (450 grams) (read this first)
6 tablespoons cocoa (100 grams)
2 teaspoons baking soda (10 cc's = 10 ml)
1 teaspoon salt (5 cc's = 5 ml)
3/4 cup vegetable oil (200 cc's)
2 tablespoon vinegar (30 cc's)
2 teaspoon vanilla (10 cc's)
2 cup cold water (480 cc's)

Directions

Mix the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients. Stir until smooth. Bake two greased, floured pans at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes two layers of a two-layer 9-inch or 8-inch round cake, or one small sheet cake. When cool, frost it.
Eat.

Quick Cake Frosting

This is similar to the recipe you may have used before canned frostings were available. But before serving it to a vegetarian guest, check out our note on the use of table sugar, including confectioner's sugar.

Ingredients:

One pound (one box) confectioner's sugar (read this first)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (2/3 stick) Earth Balance or Soy Garden vegan margarine, room temperature
1/4 cup thin liquid
1-2 teaspoons flavoring, optional (usually vanilla extract)
some drops of coloring, optional (juice of crushed berries works well)

Method:

Mix the sugar, salt, and margarine in a very clean bowl. Add the liquid. Beat until smooth, adding more liquid if necessary. Use immediately and rapidly: spread over a cooled cake with a rubber spatula or blunt knife. Decorate the cake quickly, before the frosting hardens.

Notes:

The salt is indispensable. If you leave it out, the frosting will not become a proper emulsion and will be runny. This is science!

The liquid can be almond/rice/soy milk, coffee (make it from instant or there will be too much oil), tea (try green tea!), fruit juice, juice from mashed berries of any sort, or even cow milk if you don't follow a strict vegetarian diet. All-natural suggestions for flavor and color (always use a quarter cup of liquid):

Mint flavor -- add some peppermit extract to some strongly-brewed mint herbal tea and cool to room temperature
Green color -- use a few drops from one "shot" of wheatgrass juice or some packaged green juice drink
Strong pink color -- mash a half pint of ripe raspberries through a strainer
Mystery melon -- purée some canteloupe or honeydew and strain
Pale pink color -- try Knudsen Hibiscus Cooler or a tablespoon of black cherry juice concentrate
Summertime treat -- combine the juice of half a lemon with light, watery juice or other thin liquid (enough to make a quarter cup)
For adults only -- use some kind of liquor: rum, bourbon, or brandy
Takes five minutes or fewer to prepare.

As shown, recipe will cover two layers of a 8- or 9-inch round cake.

Butter Tarts

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (read this first)
1/2 cup corn syrup
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup currants or raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons vinegar
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
One batch of pie crust

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Beat the eggs well. Add sugar, syrup, and melted butter and beat again. Add the currants, walnuts, vinegar, salt, and vanilla extract and mix vigorously.

Put a small amount of corn meal into tart tins or muffin pans OR use cupcake papers (latter is recommended). Place circles of uncooked pie crust into the pans. Fill the shells 2/3 full and bake until the pastry is light brown, about 20 minutes. For runnier tarts, cook for 15 to 17 minutes.

Notes:

Recipe yields two dozen tarts of approximately 10,500 calories each.

The tarts should cool before they're eaten. Store in a sealed container at room temperature. Consume within five days, if they last that long. Freezing is OK but may result in loss of flavor.

Vegan (Strict Vegetarian) Pumpkin Pie

No cream or eggs, none none none. Sure, it tastes different. But think of it this way: it's almost healthy! Aren't we all being told to eat more soy all the time? Here, try this recipe and see how easy it can be to eat tofu. It turns out well with canned pumpkin or with pumpkin you cook yourself.

Also included are instructions for cooking a whole, raw pumpkin, preparing a vegan fresh pie crust, and using leftover cooked pumpkin.

Ingredients:

1 350-g box of silken firm tofu, drained
1 heaping cup of cooked or canned pumpkin
1 to 1 1/4 cups brown or golden sugar, not packed tight (read this first)
dash salt
4 teaspoons blended "pumpkin pie spice" OR:
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground dry ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoons nutmeg
1 pie crust

Method:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Blend the tofu in a food processor or with a blender until smooth and cream-like, for about four minutes. Stop the machine every once in a while to scrape large pieces of tofu down into the machine's blades. Add the cooked pumpkin and blend some more, again stopping the machine and scraping the mixture down. The result should be a light orange-colored paste with no lumps of tofu.

Put the paste into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar, salt, and spices. Mix well and spoon it into the pie crust; decorate with cheerful shapes of leftover crust, if desired. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until the crusts are dark brown (but not burned).

Serve warm or chilled, plain or topped with whipped cream or ice cream.

Notes:

This pie takes about two hours to prepare, depending on how you budget your time preparing all the ingredients, and whether you have pie crust and cooked pumpkin available.

A single good-sized sugar pie pumpkin will usually yield enough material for two pies: the recipe doubles easily.

The pie refrigerates and freezes well.

Grandma's Hot-Water Pie Crust

This recipe could well be two hundred years old. It is English or Scottish in origin, and used to call for lard and butter. I've modified it for vegetarians. Another note: white flour works better than whole-wheat flour. You lose nutrition, but it's a pie crust, not a staple.

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening
1 large teaspoon margarine
3/4 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups pastry flour or 3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

Mix up the shortening, margarine, and water until creamy. While it's still creamy and not yet cold, sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until a dough forms. Try not to knead it while forming it into a large ball. Separate the dough into two equal balls for easier rolling; each portion will yield a single 9-inch pie crust or one dozen small tart shells.

Chill the dough before rolling it out, but not overnight (depending on your fridge, 20 to 40 minutes). Use all-purpose flour, not pastry flour, for rolling. To freeze: Roll the dough into individual pie crusts and place in an airtight container, placing a sheet of wax paper between the sheets of dough. Fold the sheets as necessary to fit in the container, but thaw completely before unfolding!

Quick Canola Pie Crust

Inspired by the recipe above, this recipe is not quite as flaky, but contains no hydrogenated oils and does not require chilling in advance.

Ingredients:

1 cup canola oil
3/4 cup water
4 cups white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly to combine the baking powder with the flour. Add the oil and water. Mix until a dough forms. Try not to knead it while forming it into a large ball. If the dough is too dry, add water a tablespoon at a time. Separate the dough into two equal balls for easier rolling; each portion will yield a single 9-inch pie crust or one dozen small tart shells.

Roll the dough out right away and press into pie plate. You're ready to add your filling and bake your pie!

Vegan Banana Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Vegan means "strict vegetarian." These cookies contain no ingredients derived from animals. However, see our note on the use of granulated sugar.

Ingredients

1 cup margarine, cold
1 1/2 cups tightly packed brown sugar (read this first)
1 cup table sugar (read this first)
1 ripe, mashed banana (if the banana peel isn't spotted black, cover the mashed banana with the juice of half a lemon for about 15 minutes before incorporating it into the mix)
3, 4, or 5 teaspoons vanilla (be generous)
2 tablespoons water or soy/almond/rice drink
2 cups all-purpose or whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder stirred into the flour for guaranteed dispersion
2 1/2 cups rolled oats (quick oats work well)
2 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips (check the bag for milkfat!)

Method

Beat together the margarine and sugars. Electric mixers are unnecessary. Add the well-mashed banana and mix well, then add the vanilla, then the water. The water will try to separate; keep mixing with a figure-eight motion and add the dry ingredients, in the order above, bit by bit (say, by half-cup increments).

The final batter should be almost too dry to hold the chocolate chips; if it isn't, I've misrepresented the amount of flour or oats you need and you should add more or less, according to the problem. Dry batter is good, since any chips that fall off the batter can go directly into your mouth, and no one will miss them. If the batter is too wet, the cookies will flatten while baking and turn out hard and flat.

Bake them for 10 or 12 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cook them longer if you prefer a hard cookie, but be aware that bananas only approximate the action of an egg in the mix, and you can get cookies as hard as the cookie sheet if you aren't careful.

Let them congeal on the sheet for a moment after removing them from the oven, then cool on a plate or a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container. They taste even better after they sit overnight or in the fridge.

Fast and Easy Vegan Pecan Cookies

Vegan means "strict vegetarian." These cookies contain no ingredients derived from animals. (See the Index's home page for a note about using table sugar.)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup white flour
1 cup sugar (read this first)
3/4 cup crushed pecans
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
Optional: 8oz chocolate chips (note: most brands contain dairy)
Water or soy milk (see instructions)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet (yes, you may use canola oil for this).
Mix dry ingredients. Add canola oil and mix. Add water or soy milk until a workable but NOT sticky consistency is reached.

Roll out on a floured countertop, about 1/4 inch thick.
Cut with your favorite cookie cutters and transfer to cookie sheet.
Bake for 13 minutes or until edges are brown.

Instant Chocolate Quickbread

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons honey
3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (check the bag for milkfat!)
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Mix the ingredients. Add water until a bread-dough consistency (smooth, not wet) is achieved. Form into generous bite-size balls. Microwave on high for five minutes.
Eat.

Vegan Reduced-Fat Double Chocolate Brownies

Lilith makes chocolate overload brownies.

1 stick butter,
8 oz baking choc, melted,
1/4 tsp salt, some water,
2 cups sugar,
2 eggs.
Lilith says, "and chocolate chips."
Lilith says, "and 1.3 cups flour."


The vegan reduced-fat version:

10oz. applesauce
8 oz. cocoa powder, unmelted, or baking chocolate, melted
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar (read this first)
1 banana
1 1/3 cups flour

LOTS of vegan chocolate chips (let's say 2 cups). Check the bag for milkfat!
Beat the above with a fork until smooth. Pour into a square 8"x 8" pan for traditional square brownies; I improvised with an 8" pie pan. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Comments:

These are fantastic, IMHO. Not just "pretty good," wonderful. This may have something to do with the fact that with so much chocolate there's still a significant amount of fat. Oh well, they're worth it.

They're intentionally sticky, as are the originals.

Vegan Reduced-Fat French Silk Pie

Derrick says, "I got the recipe my mom used for French Silk pie. I'm shocked. It's 1 pound butter, 1 cup sugar, 4 eggs, some squares of chocolate, and you just beat the hell out of it and refrigerate it with a pie crust and whipped cream."

The vegan reduced-fat version:

16 oz applesauce
1 cup sugar (read this first)
4 bananas
chocolate

blend the above mercilessly. If you don't have a blender, melt the chocolate and beat it in with the rest.
Pour into the pie crust of your choice; makes an 8" pie.

Refrigerate for at least 12 hours before eating.

Vegan (Strict Vegetarian) Waffles or Pancakes

These waffles are a tasty way to start the day or end a meal. They can be served with maple syrup, honey, or preserves and can be frozen and reheated in the oven, microwave, or toaster.

The batter also works well for pancakes, and is especially tasty when you add small berries (blueberries, marionberries, raspberries, blackberries, loganberries, etc.) to the mix.

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana, mashed
2 cups water
1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
vanilla extract to taste (optional)

Method:

Mix together the mashed banana and water. Add dry ingredients and mix, leaving lumps in the batter. Waffles: Cook on a waffle iron, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pancakes: Pour 1/2 cup of batter into a hot, lightly oiled frying pan. When bubbles rise through the middle of the pancake and break on the top, flip the pancake and cook until browned underneath. (Note: Test the pan before cooking the pancakes by throwing a few drops of water onto it. If the water jumps around and then disappears, the pan is at the correct temperature.)

Serve for breakfast or dessert; add margarine and top with sweet syrups, fruits, or preserves. Great with coffee.

Notes:

This recipe takes less than five minutes to prepare, not including cooking time.

You must leave lumps in the batter. Waffle or pancake batter which is too smooth will spread out very thin on the waffle iron or pan, and the result will be a rubbery, tough cake.

The batter doesn't freeze well but can be refrigerated for a short time. Waffles can be made in large quantities and frozen for future use; this is a good option if your waffle iron is small!

Pancake suggestion: Put small slices of banana or apple onto the top of each pancake before flipping, and dribble a small amount of batter onto the pieces of fruit. Finish cooking the pancake according to the recipe, and call the result "Dad's World Famous Banana/Apple Fritters" (can you tell this was a family tradition?).

As shown, recipe makes roughly four waffles; the number of pancakes will vary according to size. Recipe can be doubled.

When preparing this recipe and any other food you enjoy, please use organically-grown vegetables, fruits, grains, and flavorings. The Earth you save may be your own.

Vegan (Strict Vegetarian) Bisquits

This is a great recipe for home-made bisquits, often spelled biscuit or scone by people who don't know any better. This recipe is simple and uses ingredients you probably already have around the kitchen.

Bisquits are a tasty complement to any dinner, vegetarian or not. Full of carbohydrates, bisquits fill you up and are a nice change from potatoes. They're also great for breakfast, served with gravy or with fruit preserves.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup soy, rice, or almond drink

Method:

Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir them up real good with a fork. Cut the shortening into bits and stir it into the mix. It should not look very good yet.

Add the liquid and stir until a dough forms. Gather the dough into a large ball, without kneading it much (too much kneading will yield bisquits that are not very flaky). Roll it out on a surface floured with whole-wheat flour to about an inch (2.5 cm) thick. Cut it into round bisquits with a floured cookie cutter or a glass. (Or cut them into any other shape you prefer. Scones are often triangular, for instance.)

Bake on an ungreased, unfloured baking sheet at 475 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes. The bisquits' edges should be browned but not black. The whole-wheat flour on the surface will be nicely toasted and add little speckles to the bisquits.

Serve smothered in gravy, with your favorite jelly, or as a side for soup or vegetables.

Notes:

Preparation time is less than 20 minutes, and most of that is spent waiting for the bisquits to bake.

Bisquits are also quite tasty when warmed over. They store well in the fridge and can be frozen. Warm them up in the oven, a toaster oven, or the microwave.

Got no non-dairy milk-like beverage? You can use water instead.

When preparing this recipe and any other food you enjoy, please use organically-grown vegetables, fruits, grains, and flavorings. The Earth

Vegan (Strict Vegetarian) Gravy

Use this recipe for bisquits-'n'-gravy or for any other dish that calls for a gravy -- Thanksgiving stuffing, poutine, Salisbury "Steak" made with veggie burgers, etc. It can also be used as a supplement or even substitute for meat gravies. Please note that this gravy, however, is not a low-fat food -- each serving has about 2/3 tablespoon of oil.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3-6 cloves of garlic, squashed and minced very well
2-3 slices of yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
4 tablespoons low- or reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 or 6 white mushrooms, sliced (optional)
extra flour or cornstarch (optional)

Method:

Measure the vegetable oil into a small saucepan. Cook the garlic and onion in it for about two minutes on medium or medium-low heat, until the onion is a bit tender and translucent.

Add the flour, yeast, and soy sauce to make a paste. Add the water gradually, stirring constantly. Bring the gravy to a boil on medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly -- the gravy has to boil for it to thicken. (Grandma always told me to cook gravy for a full five minutes at a boil to make sure you kill the bugs in the flour, but I don't always bother.) Add pepper. Stir in the sliced mushrooms, if desired. Add salt, if desired.

If the gravy is too thin for your taste, add one or two tablespoons of flour or small amounts of cornstarch to thicken it and add home-made-looking lumps. Use a wire whisk to eliminate lumps.

Serve piping hot.

Notes:

This gravy takes about ten minutes to prepare.

Poutine:

Stir some chunks of fresh cheddar cheese curds into a serving of hot french fries. Cover with gravy, prepared a bit more thinly than the recipe above (use more water) and without mushrooms. It's impossible to find the truly authentic fromage en grain outside of Québec, but diced Colby or mozzarella works well, even if it won't squeak when bitten into.

Flavor tip for the gravy: take a package of dried shiitake mushrooms and reconstitute them with about a cup and a half of very hot, but not boiling, water. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then strain -- use that mushroom juice plus enough water to make 2 cups of liquid for the recipe.

This gravy refrigerates well. Freezing is not recommended; unused, undesired quantities should be discarded rather than frozen (the ingredients are inexpensive). The cooled gravy re-heats well in the microwave or on the stove.

As shown, recipe makes roughly a quart. Recipe can be halved.

When preparing this recipe and any other food you enjoy, please use organically-grown vegetables, fruits, grains, and flavorings. The Earth you save may be your own.

Daily Bread

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat "bread" flour
2 cups unbleached white "general purpose" four
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dry baking yeast
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses or honey (optional)
2 tablespoons gluten flour (optional, rises much, much better)

Directions

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the honey or molasses. Begin adding water in small amounts, kneading with your hands until a bread dough consistency (smooth, not sticky-wet) is achieved. Knead for ten minutes. Don't cheat! Use your oven timer to keep yourself honest. Kneading can be a pleasant activity once you get used to it. Push your thumbs in at the front and pull your hands around the back, then repeat.
Form and smooth the bread into a suitable loaf shape for your bread pan. (You can make a nice round loaf on a pizza or cookie pan.) Dust the outside of the loaf with flour so it won't stick to the pan! Corn meal works even better.

Place the loaf in the pan, cover the pan and let it sit in a warm spot for an hour and a half. If you kneaded it for a full ten minutes it should rise very nicely.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly flour the outside of the loaf once more to make sure it doesn't stick. Bake the loaf for 30 minutes.

Apple Pie Bread

Ingredients

1 apple
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

In a food processor, finely chop an apple (I suggest a granny smith). Add just enough water to allow the apple to be chopped properly. Add to the dry ingredients before adding any additional water (you won't need as much as usual). Also add the spices. Knead, rise and bake as usual.

Easy Vegan Pasta Sauce

The Center for Science in the Public Interest calls home-made spaghetti sauce "better than bottled." I call it "easier than you think." Contrary to what I've found in a lot of overpriced cookbooks, pasta sauce works just fine if you let it cook for just as long as it takes your pasta to boil.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
half a small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6-8 small roma tomatoes or 4-6 large red tomatoes
1 small green bell pepper (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Method:

Sauté the onion and garlic in a saucepan. (Place the onions in the pan first, and add the garlic on top of the onion. This procedure will keep the garlic from burning.) Turn the heat to low or medium-low.

While the onion and garlic are cooking, chop the tomatoes into cubes. An easy way to chop them is to slice them in half, then julienne the halves, and then chop the julienne slices into small cubes. Some people prefer large chunks while others prefer a very smooth texture close to purée. Either size works fine for this recipe and the cooking time does not need altering for large or small cubes.

Place the tomatoes into the onion and garlic sauté and stir. Add the diced bell pepper (optional) and stir. Add the spices and stir again. Let simmer whilst preparing pasta. Stir occasionally, turning down the flame if it sticks.

When the pasta is done, spoon the sauce onto the individual servings of pasta or mix with the entire batch, following your own custom.

Notes:

Tomatoes have a high acid content, so experts advise that tomato dishes be cooked in pans that do not have a non-stick coating.

Serves three to four. A rule of thumb is to use two or three roma tomatoes per serving. Added bell pepper will increase the yield, of course.

The sauce should be used within three or four days of preparing. It freezes OK but is much better fresh.

Vegan (Strict Vegetarian) Pizza
Pizza without cheese?! Well, yeah. Or put cheese on it, if you prefer.

Check out the health-food area or dairy case of your local grocery store, where you may be able to find a product called "VeganRella," which is a vegan substitute for cheese (it's also available in many co-op groceries and natural-foods stores). The product appears to be soy-free which may be convenient for some. I'm not crazy about it, though. In fact, I prefer my vegan manicotti filling on a pizza - or no cheese at all. With no cheese at all, be sure to sautee the vegetables in olive oil first. Just remember: regular pizza has gobs of fat, so don't be too stingy with the oil in a vegan pizza.

Ingredients:

fresh pizza dough, dough from a mix, or store-bought crust
1 can or jar of tomato sauce, enough to cover the dough (about 2 cups)
dried or fresh Italian spices (optional)
chopped vegetables and other toppings to taste:
onion, green pepper, red pepper
mushrooms, olives
zucchini, cooked squash, dried tomatoes, cooked beans or lentils
broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, kale, spinach
minced fresh garlic, dried crushed red pepper
tofu, vegetarian "sausage," vegetarian "Canadian bacon"
etc.
grated VeganRella (optional)

Method:

Prepare your pizza dough as described below or according to the box directions (Bisquick used to include a pizza dough recipe on the box), or let thaw, if it's frozen. Scatter a bit of corn meal into a pizza pan, pie plate, or casserole, and press the dough into the pan. Cover thinly with red sauce and add Italian spices (optional). Add vegetables and other toppings. Top with VeganRella (or with mozzarella, cheddar, colby, and/or Monterey Jack cheese for a non-vegan pizza). Bake about 20 minutes at 350 degrees F (if you use cheese, bake until the cheese has completely melted and starts to turn brown around the pizza's edge).

Serve hot, topped with alfalfa sprouts (optional).

Notes:

The pizza takes about 25 minutes to prepare, or one hour and 25 minutes if you prepare your own dough.

Pizza dough, boxed mixes, and pre-baked crusts can be purchased at many grocery stores. However, these preparations often require or are made with eggs, milk, or whey, making them far from vegan.

Many health-food stores sell dry mixes for preparing vegetarian "sausage." You can also find "Canadian bacon" in health-food store dairy cases, next to the tofu hot dogs and other imitation meat products. Be aware that not all of these products are vegan, but they are vegetarian.

Refrigerate any unused pizza right away and finish it within a few days. It can be warmed in the oven or the microwave. Freezing is not recommended.

Number of servings depends on the size of the dish used to cook the pizza and the amount prepared. One pizza can usually serve four adults, especially if the meal includes salad and bread.

When preparing this recipe and any other food you enjoy, please use organically-grown vegetables, fruits, grains, and flavorings. The Earth you save may be your own.

Fresh Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour, half whole-wheat and half white
1 cup water
2 tablespoons yeast
dash salt
1 tablespoon honey or molasses (optional)
1/2 teaspoon rosemary, 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)

Method:

Mix the ingredients and knead (or let a breadmaking machine do this work). Let sit and rise for an hour in a warm, dark place.

Strech out the dough to fit a floured pan (9-inch pie pan or other pizza pan) and add toppings.

Vegan Manicotti Filling (Ricotta "Cheese")

Ingredients

16 ounces firm tofu (not silken)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 heaping tablespoons sesame tahini
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (co-ops and upscale groceries have it)
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste

Mix in food processor until smooth. If it does not smooth out easily, add a very small amount of water and scrape down the sides.

This goes very well in baked manicotti or lasagna.

Pizza Rolls

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp marjoram
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup tomato sauce

Optional: grated mozzarella

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the flour, oregano, marjoram, baking powder and one tablespoon of olive oil. Add water in small amounts until a workable dough is produced. Knead briefly. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out very thin and flat on a floured countertop. Make sure the dough does not stick to the countertop.

Using your fingers, spread the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil thinly over the entire surface of the dough.

Using a spoon, spread tomato sauce very lightly over the dough. If you wish, sprinkle mozzarella cheese at this time.

Using a pizza cutter, or a knife, cut the dough into vertical strips, one inch apart. Then roll up each strip, beginning at the end closest to you.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. If you added cheese, you may need to bake them significantly longer.

Notes:

This simple dish is very easy to prepare, and looks much harder!
Recipe yields four servings when served as a main dish.

Crackers

Not particularly low-fat crackers, but, barring labor costs, they're far less expensive than store-bought crackers. They're also frightfully easy to make. They're based on a recipe found in a haute cuisine publication; I don't expect the writer planned his hoity-toity recipe for "Oat Cakes with Brie and Caviar" to be used by hippies.

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup cold margarine cut into bits
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons rice milk

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 F and butter 2 large baking sheets.

Chop oats in food processor until fine. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and margarine and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add rice milk and pulse until a dough just forms.

Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick and cut 1 1/2 inch crackers. Bake 12 minutes (until the crackers brown a little around the edges). Cool on wire rack.

Notes:

Now I suppose all that food-processor work can be done by hand. I have neither the skill nor the patience of my Black & Decker workhorse.

This recipe will yield about 50 little crackers. Number of crackers depends on the size of the form used to cut them out, of course.

Store the crackers at room temperature in an air-tight container after they have cooled.

When preparing this recipe and any other food you enjoy, please use organically-grown vegetables, fruits, grains, and flavorings. The Earth you save may be your own.

Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 c flour
1/3 c cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c cold water (or ice coffee)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp vinegar

preheat oven to 375. Use small brownie size pan (no greasing required). Mix all dry ingredients right in pan. Mix all wet ingredients in separate bowl EXCEPT VINEGAR (important!). Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until all dry ingredients are mixed. Add vinegar quickly and stir in--immediately put in oven and bake for 25 to 30 min. Cool and then consume!

***OPTIONAL: after you add the vinegar, you can put some frozen cherries, raspberries or cranberries on top of the batter (or you can mix them in beforehand)

Applesauce Spice Cake

1/2 cup molasses
1 cup applesauce
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 3/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)
2 tsp. ginger (optional)

Combine the molasses and applesauce in a large bowl. Combine remaining ingredients and stir into the liquid. (If the batter seems very dry, add a little more applesauce or a little water.) Bake in a nonstick or pan-sprayed 8*8-inch baking pan, in a 350 degree oven, for 30-45 minutes or until it tests done.

The optional ginger makes an acceptable gingerbread. I have also had success leaving out the ginger and adding 3 or 4 tablespoons of cocoa (I guess you could use carob) to make a tasty but not very sweet or rich chocolate cake. If you use cocoa you might need to add extra sweetening, but that depends on your taste.

Chocolate Frosting

1 c sugar
6 tbl corn starch
4 tbl cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbl oil
1 c water
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cocoa in a medium sauce pan. Whisk in the water. Heat over medium until it gets thick and starts to boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes. (Make sure you don’t boil too long, or it will set like taffy.) Remove from heat and stir in oil and vanilla. Cool and spread on cooled cake. Enjoy!

Makes: enough frosting for 1 cake

Dairy Free Chocolate Cake

Cake:

150ml/6floz espresso coffee
75ml/3floz water
75g/3oz caster sugar
75g/3oz vegetable margarine
200g/7oz plain unbleached flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
25g/1oz cocoa
3tbsp soya milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Icing:

75g/3oz chocolate
25g/1oz veg. marg
275g/9oz icing sugar
(The ingredients are listed in english metric/imperial measurements.)

Pre heat oven:180oC/350F (gas mark 6). Grease a 20cm/8in round cake tin. Put coffee, water, margarine, sugar and syrup in a pan and heat stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 mins. stir in dry ingrediants and beat well. Stir in the soya milk and vanilla essence. Put in tin and bake for 25 mins. until set. Slice in half and allow to cool.

To make icing, place chocolate and margarine (+3tbsp) in a bowl or pan and place over another pan of boiling water until melted. Stir well until amalgamated then beat in dry icing sugar. Allow to cool slightly then sandwich cake together with icing. Spread the remaining icing over cake. Top with raspberries or chocolate curls.

Serves: 12

Lemon Tofu Cheesecake

Crust:

2 cups graham crackers
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp almond extract

Filling:

1 lb. firm tofu
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond exact
1 Tbs. tahini OR almond butter
1/2 salt
1 to 2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbs cornstarch dissolved in
2 Tbs soy OR rice milk

Crust:

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix cracker crumbs, syrup and extract in bowl until moistened. Pour into 9″ pie plate, press evenly to form crust and bake for 5 minutes. Cool while preparing filling.

Filling:

Blend all ingredents in food processor or blender until smooth (30 secs). Pour mixture into crust and bake until top is slightly brown, about 30 minutes. Cool and refrigerate untill throughly chilled, about 2 hours.

For no bake cake omit cornstarch mixture. Texture will resemble a cream pie.
This is a recipe taken from June 1997 Vegetarian Times, not an original recipe.

Chocolate Cake

1 c whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 can fruit slices or 2 whole peaches/pears/etc
1 c soy milk (coconut milk is also nice)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
50 grams vegan margarine
1 cup raw/brown sugar
1 tablespoon golden syrup

Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder in a large bowl. Melt margarine, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.

Mash the fruit and add to margarine mix.
Mix with dry ingredients.
Add baking soda to soy milk and then add to previous mix.
Bake for 1/2–3/4 of an hour at 180 degrees c (350 F).

Serves: 8

Vegan Frosting

1 tsp. vanilla flavour (clear or brown)
1 tsp. butter flavour (McCormick makes a good one)
1/2 tsp. almond flavour
Enough water to make the liquid level equal to 1/2 cup.
1 cup shortening (crisco)
1 2lb. bag powdered sugar (it can’t have any dextrose!!!)
In a liquid measuring cup, add the first four ingredients. Mix in last two

ingredients.

If you’d like to substitute butter or margarine for the shortening, you’ll just have to add a tad more sugar to hold it together. Another suggestion is to add a tablespoon or two of powdered whipped cream to help add crispness in humid weather. This stuff keeps well either on the shelf in a covered container, or in the fridge. Shelf life (I’ve had luck with) is about 4-5 months.

Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies


prep time: 15 minutes | cooking time: 10 minutes per batch | makes 3 dozen

These are brownie-like and chewy. Be careful not to overbake them, they may seem like they aren't done after 10 minutes but they are! See the variations for Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies and Chocolate Hazelnut (or almond or walnut or whatever) Cookies at the bottom of the directions.

Equipment:

Baking Sheet, Blender, 2 large bowls, mixing spatula, cookie sheets

Ingredients

3/4 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon whole flax seeds
1/2 cup soymilk
2 cups all purp flour
3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grind the flax seeds on high in a blender until they become a powder. Add soymilk and blend for another 30 seconds or so. Set aside.

In a large bowl sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

In a seperate large bowl cream together oil and sugar. Add the flax seed/soy milk mixture and mix well. Add the vanilla.

Fold in the dry ingredients in batches. When it starts to get too stiff to mix with a spatula, use your hands until a nice stiff dough forms. Add the chocolate chips and mix with your hands again.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and flatten into a disc that's about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes, then set them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Variations:

For chocolate chocolate chip cherry cookies, replace 1 teaspoon of the vanilla with almond extract, and replace 1/2 the chocolate chips with dried cherries.

For chocolate nut cookies, replace 1 teaspoon of the vanilla with a nut extract (almond, walnut, what have you) and replace the chocolate chips with 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts all are good).

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemony Frosting

prep time: 20 minutes | cooking time: 17-22 minutes | makes 12 cupcakes

Nothing says waiting for the holiday season to end like these moist, fluffy gingerbread cupcakes. Bring them to your holiday functions and eat them as you grit your teeth and marvel at your family.

Equipment:

12 cupcake tins and paper liners, 2 medium mixing bowls.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup light molasses
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup soy milk
2 tablespoons soy yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

For the frosting

1/4 cup soybean margarine
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup soymilk
juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line tins with paper cupcake liners.
Sift together flour through salt.
Wisk together wet ingredients (oil through yogurt) until well emulsified.
Fold dry ingredients into wet, wisking to combine.
Fold in lemon peel and crystalized ginger.
Pour into tins, 2/3 of the way.
Bake 17 - 22 minutes, until top springs back when touched or a toothpick comes out clean.
When fully cooled frost them with frosting below.

Prepare the frosting

In a round bottom bowl cream margarine and shortening with a strong fork. This could take 5 minutes, to make sure they are thoroughly blended and smooth. Add sugar and mix, adding splashes of soymilk as you go along to make blending easier. Add lemon juice, and keep creaming away until everything is perfectly smooth. Refrigerate until cupcakes are ready for frosting.

Pumpkin Muffins

prep time: 7 minutes | cooking time: 27 - 30 minutes | makes 6 jumbo muffins

These are moist and fluffy, with a hint of molasses and warm spicy flavor. This recipes is for 6 jumbo muffins, if you want to make little muffins change the cooking time to 15-20 minutes.

Equipment:

Jumbo muffin tin

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup pureed pumpkin (fresh or from a can)
1 tablespoon soy yogurt
1/2 cup soymilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons molasses

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease muffin tins with vegetable shortening or spray on oil.

Sift together dry ingredients (flour through cloves). In a seperate bowl, wisk together wet ingredients (pumpkin through molasses). Pour wet into dry and combine. Fill muffin tins 2/3 of the way. Bake for 27-30 minutes, till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Coffee Cake

prep time: 15 minutes | cooking time: 45 minutes | makes 12 big slices

So moist and with the perfect hints of cinnamon and spices, this coffee cake will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Equipment:

A couple of large bowls, 9 x 13 baking pan.

Ingredients

For the cake:

4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 cups plain soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping

1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinamon
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease or spray a 9x13 baking pan with non stick cooking spray.

Make the topping

Sift together flour, sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle the oil in a little at a time and mix with your finger tips until crumbs form. Add the walnuts and mix.
Make the cake
Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a seperate bowl, vigorously wisk together the wet ingredients until well combined. Add the wet to the dry and combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the topping over it. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until a toothpick or butter knife comes out clean.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

prep time: 30 minutes | cooking time: 15 minutes + | makes 40 cookies

There are chewy, gooey and... I can't think of anything else that rhymes. They are peanut-y oatmeal-y good! They will feed an army so half the recipe if you need to.

Equipment:

A good old' fashioned baking sheet

Ingredients

6 oz firm silken tofu (1/2 a package of the vacuum sealed kind)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup soymilk
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
2 cups sugar or sucanat
4 teaspoons molasses
2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Prehat oven to 350

In a medium bowl, sift together whole wheat pastry flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a seperate large bowl, cream together peanut butter and sugar with a spatula until well combined, 3 - 5 minutes.

In a blender, crumble the tofu in, add applesauce, soymilk and oil. Whiz on high until completely smooth. Add this mixture to the sugar mixture and cream together until well combined. Beat in the molasses and vanilla. Fold in the oats/flour mixture.

Drop by rounded spoonfulls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten the tops by lightly pressing with a fork in a criss cross pattern. Bake for 15 minutes.

Optional: Fold 1 1/2 cups raisins or semi sweet chocolate chips (or both) into the batter

Basic Marinara Sauce

prep time: 10 minutes | cooking time: 1 hour 5 minutes | makes 1 quart

This is my attempt to recreate the red sauce you get at many Italian restaurants in my hometown Brooklyn, using ingredients that are pantry staples. You can substitute the dry herbs for fresh, but triple the amount. The secret ingredient, a bistro chef once told me, is the carrots.

Equipment:

Blender or food processor

Ingredients
2 28 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes
3 teaspoons olive oil
3 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced (should be about 1 1/4 cups sliced)
4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 bay leaves

Directions

1- Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium sauce pan (with a lid) over med heat, add carrots, cover and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2- Add 1 more teaspoon oil, saute gralic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add spices and salt saute one more minute.

3- Add tomatoes, mash with fork or potato masher, till tomatoes are broken up. Add bay leaves. Let simmer 45 minutes uncovered. Remove from heat and let cool, just so that it's not steaming very much. Remove bay leaves.

4- Puree in blender. Add back to pot, heat over low heat 15 more minutes.

Salsa Verde

prep time: 15 minutes | cooking time: 30 minutes | makes about 2 cups

Delicious, succulent salsa verde. Serve chilled with chips and guac, or hot over enchiladas and burritos. This is a mild version, add more jalapenos if you like it hot. Wear gloves to avoid touching the seeds, or your hands will burn all day. (If you're like me and don't have gloves, just be careful!)

Equipment:

blender or food processor or strong arms

Ingredients
10 tomatillos (husks removed), cleaned and diced
1 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
Juice of one lime
1 cup cilantro, loosely packed

Directions

Saute the garlic and jalapeno on low heat until, fragrant, about 3 minutes
Add tomatillos and salt, saute until tomatillos begin to soften and release moisture, about five minutes
Add vegetable broth, bring to a slow boil for 1/2 an hour, stirring occassionally
Remove from heat, let cool until it is not steaming, then add the cilantro and lime juice, pour into a blender and blend until it's pretty smooth, about 30 seconds

Pumpkin Waffles

prep time: 10 minutes | cooking time: 20-40 minutes | makes 16 waffles

I used to serve these at Sunday Brunch at the doghouse, a loft in Brooklyn I used to live in. It was so great to smell these cooking on those freezing cold winter mornings. Yeah, we had no heat, but we compensated with the best vegan waffles you'll ever have. Serve with maple syrup and tempeh bacon.

Equipment:

A Waffle iron, mixing bowls, a wisk or a strong fork

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purp flour
1/3 cup demerrara or brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 Tablespoons soy yogurt
2 cups soymilk
15 oz pureed pumpkin, fresh or canned
1/3 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

Sift together dry ingredients. In a seperate bowl, vigorously wisk together wet ingredients until well emulsified. Pour wet into dry and combine. Prepare waffles according to manufacturers instructions. I use a normal 4 waffle iron, but I've made belgian ones, too.

Sunny Corn Muffins

prep time: 10 minutes | cooking time: 20-25 minutes | makes 12 muffins

These are perfect sweet corn muffins, crispy outside and soft inside. They've got a great crumb, perfect for spreading on a pat of soy margarine.

Equipment:

12 muffin tins

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup corn or vegetable oil
3/4 cup soymilk
2 tablespoons soy yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients (flour through sugar). In a seperate bowl, wisk together wet ingredients (oil through vanilla). Fold wet into dry, halfway through mixing add lemon zest and distribute well.

Spray muffin tins w/ non stick cooking spray. Fill each tin 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

Mocha Chip Muffins

prep time: 7 minutes | cooking time: 18 - 20 minutes | makes 12 muffins

I don't think I need to tell you that Mocha Muffins are amazing. Do I? OK. Mocha Muffins are amazing.

Equipment:

1 Muffin tins and paper liners

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons instant coffee
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons soy yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients (flour through salt).

In a seperate bowl, wisk together wet ingredients (soy milk through yogurt) until emulsified.

Pour wet into dry and combine until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill muffin tins almost to the top. Bake 18 - 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.