Vegan Jewish Apple Cake

August 12, 2008 at 2:52 am (Recipes)
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Growing up my mother always made a Jewish Apple Cake that I absolutely loved. Why it is called “Jewish” Apple Cake I do not know. And no, I did not grow up Jewish :) . I’ve been a bad girl regarding fruit intake lately. Yes, I know….how is that even possible for a vegan? Well I tend to go crazy on veggies and no so much on fruit. Makes NO sense since I really do LOVE fruit. But anyway, dessert is a good way to get your cake and eat your fruit too ;) . So here you go, my latest creation: Vegan Jewish Apple Cake. Not only do you get your fruit, but the batter is delicious…so is the cake when baked too haha. Oh, and it has flax meal….so its “extra” healthy ;) .

Jewish Apple Cake

2 Tbsp flax meal with 6 Tbsp water

1/2 cup applesauce

2 cups sugar  (clearly not a diabetic’s cake but indulge would you? it has apples, eh? :) )

3/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup vegan milk

2 Tbsp vanilla

4 Tbsp cinnamon (yes an entire 1/4 cup of cinnamon, trust me it is JUST right, not overwhelming)

2 cups flour (I use AP)

2 tsp baking powder

3 medium apples, sliced thin

 

1-Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.

2-Peel and slice 3 medium apples (I used Gala and Red Delicious, although any kind would work…I would stay away from the more sour Granny Smith though). Set aside in a bowl of water with a tsp of lemon juice in it to prevent browning. Or you can mix everything THEN slice apples and add to mixture to reduce their sitting time.  

Apple soaking in H2O/lemon combo

Apple soaking in H2O/lemon combo

3-Whisk together flax and water to get “egg”-like consistency

4-Mix flax mixture, applesauce, sugar, oil, soymilk and vanilla together.

5-In a separate bowl mix together cinnamon, flour, and baking powder.

6-Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add apples and mix until evenly spread around.

Wet and dry mixed

Wet and dry mixed

 

Mix apples in gently

Mix apples in gently

7-Place in greased tube pan (I’m sure another type of pan would work, it would have to be large though since this batter fills the entire tube pan with little room to spare). Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes. Check at about 40 minutes and from then on to ensure no over-baking occurs.

Put batter into tube pan (however much you don't eat before that is ;) )

Put batter into tube pan (however much you don't eat before that is ;) )

8-Enjoy! This cake is good when it comes out of the oven but it is 10 times better after sitting overnight (covered of course). The crust that forms when baking moistens when it sits and the flavor really develops. How many cakes can you say get better with age? This one does! Well, not TOO old mind you, there is fruit in there….;) .

Hey there pretty lady.....

Hey there pretty lady.....

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I’ve Got Donuts On My Mind…..

August 12, 2008 at 2:30 am (Food, Recipes)
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….Thanks to Sara over at Innocent Primate! Sheesh! All her talk about my donuts caused me to have to make some over the weekend. They only lasted about a day, but I made a half batch so it’s not THAT bad (and I’m not the only one eating them!) Thank god for self control or I’d have to cut back on my baking…and we all know I can’t have that!!

Yummy Goodness....

Yummy Goodness....

I’m really quite pleased with how well my recipe turned out. *Pats self on back* Ah, to hell with you Dunkin’ Donuts! I no longer need to let out a whimper when passing you by! ;)
 
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I’ve been newly introduced to the Noodles & Company “restaurant”. They have 3 options for vegans, all in the Asian noodles section. The three are: Japanese Pan Noodles, Bangkok Curry and Indonesian Peanut Saute. My favorite is Japanese Pan Noodles. Since I enjoy this dish so much I wanted to try to recreate it at home. Apparently the udon noodles you buy in a store are NOTHING like those served at Noodles & Company. The udon noodles at Noodles & Co are thick, whereas the kind you find elsewhere are pretty much spaghetti-esque. With that disappointment aside, I managed to make an excellent ONE cast iron skillet meal. Well, other than the apparatus you would use to steam broccoli and carrots to serve with it, as I did. Well, there are the noodles to be cooked too. But, you throw everything into ONE skillet, how about that then ;) .
One Skillet--How Awesome Is That??

One Skillet--How Awesome Is That??

I didn’t really measure anything, it’s not really my style. But I will hopefully have a recipe next time I make it and keep closer track. It wasn’t quite like the Japanese Pan Noodles, but it was delicious in its own right!!
Udon Noodle Stir Fry With Sesame Seed Garnish

Udon Noodle Stir Fry With Sesame Seed Garnish (Missing the Broccoli & Carrots)

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Dessert, Snack? And More Dessert!

August 7, 2008 at 3:00 am (Food, Recipes)
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The dessert bug hit me the other day. Perhaps it was my cravings for something sweet, or perhaps it was the fact that it actually didn’t feel 120 degrees in the house!! Regardless of the reason, I baked up a storm. Although”baked” isn’t the correct terminology for one of my desserts. Perhaps, baked and froze would be a better option.

I ordered popsicle molds off of Amazon some time ago, and have been using them endlessly since. Well a full set of 6 became available after Matt consumed the popsicles they once included, so I knew I had to try something new! Vegan Fudgsicles, Fudge Bars, whatever you wish to call them, were in fact calling my name. Usually when I first try an idea, I try a similar recipe first. This time, I followed a recipe so little that I can in fact proclaim this one as mine! The Fudgsicles (or Fudge Bars….I’m torn) came out rather well. They are rich, creamy and yummy. They are not overly chocolaty, but they have enough to cater to a chocoholic’s heart (like me).

Vegan Fudgsicles!!

Vegan Fudgsicles!!

Fudgsicles
 
1 package Mori-Nu Tofu (soft, firm, whatever you have–I actually used firm since it’s the only kind that is organic)
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/4-1/3 cup soymilk (I used chocolate)
Pinch salt
 
Just blend all ingredients in your blender until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds, leaving 1/2 inch for expansion. This recipe actually made slightly over 5 popsicles, so feel free to drink the remaining liquid! Yummy chocolate shake!! Then freeze for about 3-4 hours. If you are impatient, just check them after 2 hours! I let them set overnight.
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Snack time!
 
Now I do not know if this actually classifies as a dessert, but I did make it during my dessert-aholic venture the other day! I had been meaning to make granola for some time, I had been making it weekly but have tried to avoid heating the kitchen as much as possible these days! I always make granola that includes cashews, raisins and coconut. This time was no different. I love to have this in soy yogurt, as cereal (as it is actually rather nutritious since I add flax meal and wheat germ to it before baking) and in parfaits. It is always a good go to snack for someone like me who has to snack constantly or she becomes, well, crabby ;) .
 
 
so it's not much to look at, but it is sooo good!

Granola: so it's not much to look at, but it is sooo good!

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Chocolate chip cookies. Is there any better phrase to be uttered? Perhaps vegan chocolate chip cookies would be the best phrase after all. I love my own chocolate chip cookies and have made numerous changes to it since I became vegan. Each change has succeedingly made it better (well there were some disasters, but lets not focus on the negative! :) ). My newest venture regarding my chocolate chip cookies was to make them “healthy”. If you’re thinking “how on earth can you make them healthy??”, then you’re on the right track. You see, I would like to imply that simply adding flax meal to the cookies will in fact make them healthy, and convince myself of this I will. So, by using flax “eggs” rather than my usual applesauce (which, lets face it, is also healthy indeed! So I guess these cookies were always healthy ;) ), I would have healthy chocolate chip cookies.
 
I was somewhat disappointed by the job done by the flax “eggs”. The batter tasted better to me, but the cookies themselves came out less moist than I desire. With the applesauce “eggs”, the batter tends to have a hint of applesauce in every bite, which isn’t a terrible thing but when you are looking for a full on bad for you taste, you become rather disappointed. But the applesauce does result in delicious and moist cookies. I’m thinking of varying the recipe to include 1 applesauce “egg” and 1 flax “egg”. My vegan chocolate chip cookies are forever changing….but will forever remain an AWESOME dessert!
 
Chocolate Chip Cookies in all their glory!

Chocolate Chip Cookies in all their glory!

Oooooh yeah baby!

Oooooh yeah baby!

 

 

 
 

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Baked Vegan Donuts “Revisited” Recipe

August 4, 2008 at 2:28 pm (Recipes)
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Hi! I just wanted to let everyone know that I completely forgot to put SUGAR on the ingredients list of the newly changed Vegan Baked Donuts Recipe found here. Sara over at Innocent Primate alerted me to it and I was HORRIFIED! I forgot SUGAR! ME!! I never forget sugar!! Well, I never forget to eat it or add it, but apparently I am capable of forgetting to TYPE it! Grr! I am so sorry to anyone that this recipe error has affected. I have made the appropriate changes on the original post as well.

**Please note: only change in recipe is the addition of 1/2 cup sugar in the heated mixture!

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Baked Vegan Donuts and Donut Holes Revisited

July 29, 2008 at 11:24 pm (Recipes)
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Yummy Vegan Baked Donuts

Yummy Vegan Baked Donuts

A couple weeks ago I posted a Yummy Baked Vegan Donuts recipe. Well since then I have been trying to revamp it so that the donuts would come out a tad sweeter and softer. Well I’ve done it! I think this recipe is even better than the first (especially for donut holes) and they even keep longer. Please refer to the recipe above for instructions unless otherwise noted!

Baked Vegan Donuts

2 cups soymilk (I use very vanilla)

1/4 cup canola

1/4 cup agave nectar

2 1/2 tsp yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup applesauce    **Add the applesauce and vanilla during the first flour stage!**

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 Tbsp salt      **Just like the other recipe, the salt is added with the remainder of the flour**

4 3/4 cups & 2 Tbsp flour

Bake at 350 Degrees F for about 10 minutes, if they begin getting light brown sooner then remove them early. Unlike the previous recipe, these donuts come out much more soft and unlike dinner rolls.

The main changes were adding applesauce (for moisture), vanilla and eliminating the baking powder and baking soda. Baking powder and baking soda essentially only work to help the dough rise or “fluff” if baked soon after it is added to the dough. Since I recommend placing the donuts in the fridge overnight, these two ingredients were of little use. However, if you do want to bake immediately, let the dough rise for about 30 minutes. A small adjustment may have to be made for flour, but not a significant one since there is only a total of 1 tsp of baking powder/baking soda in the recipe.

These donuts are great if you are having a large (or small) gathering and want something sweet. These donuts can easily be glazed then left out to dry fully on a serving dish. The donuts actually take on an even greater donut texture when let to sit out for a few hours. The way in which the glaze dries on the donuts and the texture of this new dough makes me remember getting a glazed donut at Dunkin Donuts when I was a kid. They’re delicious! (Mine, not the ewy non-vegan Dunkin Donut ones ;) ) Only problem with these donuts is that they do not keep especially long, just a few days before the dough is no longer soft like we all enjoy (although the same thing happens when you buy a donut and bring it home and don’t eat it for days!). Therefore, if you are not having a large gathering or sharing with family members (aka baking just for you), I would recommend halving the recipe as it does make about 80 donut holes and 12 large donuts!

Hope you enjoy!!!

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Vegoftheweek Honors My Recipe

July 3, 2008 at 9:20 pm (Random, Recipes)
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I was just going about my daily routine and what do I find? An advisement on my blog that someone has mentioned me on their website. Whatever could it be? It just so happens that vegoftheweek has mentioned me in the top 4 recipes that I assume were discovered in the past week. Yay! I shall live in infamy! I was mentioned regarding my Spinach-Ricotta Manicotti recipe that I blogged about recently. I’m glad that someone was enticed by my recipe and continues to share it!!

I want to thank vegoftheweek for including me in their webpage, hopefully it will bring more readers to Vegan Verve! Here is the link to the specific blog that mentions me: Mamma Mia!

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