Some Compassionate Easter Candy Ideas

Here's a link to a post I came across this morning for some great looking Easter goodies
Even though our kids are 31 and 27, I am going to give the Cadbury Creme Eggs a try...I think I even have some little eggs molds somewhere. I'll post a picture when I get them made.

Vegan Irish!

Here's some fun things to cook and drink ( of course! ) for St. Patrick's Day on the 17th, from Vegweb!

Lazy Samoas ( rushed along )

I had given up on Girl Scout cookies...Samoas were my favorite...they were good but stubbornly not vegan, year after year. I hadnt even thought of Samoas for a good while. And I had thought after making and baking vegan for going on 4 years, that I had seen most of the ideas out there about baking vegan cookies. I even resisted checking out Isa Chandra Moskowitz's new( ish) book...Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. After all...what more could one possibly say/do about making vegan cookies? It had already been proven that not only was it possible to have great ( often superior ) animal-free baked goodies, so why bother? Well, luckily I happened to see VCTOYCJ at our local library, which in itself was a happy moment, and figured i had better see what it's all about ! A quick flip-through revealed a veganized version of ...of...Samoas!!!! I have to buy this book very soon ( and so should you :) ) , since the library would not appreciate me marking up their book, and I can take my time trying all the great looking recipes. Have a look at Vegwebs review of the cookbook, with lots of people chiming in with their experience making the recipes...a fantastic resource if you are wondering about how some recipes worked for others. Also check out this take on Lazy Samoas at The Bad Vegan.
Pictured above are some Lazy Samoas I made yesterday and took to a talk on Animal Behavior. A fellow compassionate cook ( who also organized the talk ) made some fantastic Peanutbutter Cookies too...maybe she'll post her recipe here for us...Meggin ? I ran out of time and so had to rush the drizzle on top, so they are not real pretty... but man, do they taste fantastic! Perfect blend of coconut and chocolate. Don't let the recipe's lengthy instructions scare you off...they come together very easily once you have things lined up. I toasted my coconut the night before. [My comments are in brackets]. Happy baking!
Here's the recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.
Lazy Samoas
2 cups grated unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup unrefined coconut oil [ I used refined...it's what I had]
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup nondairy milk [will try coconut milk next time!]
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

For Decorating:
1 cup chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons unrefined coconut oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper [do not be tempted to skip this step...they will stick]
2. Pour the grated coconut into a large heavy skillet and toast over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally and toast coconut to a light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Promptly remove the coconut from the heat and stir occasionally as it cools. If the coconut continues to turn overly brown [mine did!]promptly pour from the skillet into a large dish and spread around to hasten cooling and stop cooking.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the coconut oil [warm a bit if it's too solid], brown sugar, nondairy milk, ground flax seeds, and the vanilla until well blended [i let it beat for a few minutes on low on my stand mixer] and smooth. Sift in the all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt and mix to form a batter [note: it'll be fairly soft...a batter, not a dough]. Fold in the coconut.
4. Scoop about 1 Tablespoon of dough 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with the back of a measuring cup and use your fingers to work a small hole into each center. Bake for 8 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are golden.
5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. Transfer the cooled cookies onto waxed paper, then place them on the onto a cutting board or other firm surface that can be easily slid onto a refrigerator shelf.
6. while cookies are cooling, melt chocolate chips in a microwave or double-boiler, then stir in the coconut oil into the melted chocolate [blend very well]. Allow the chocolate mixture to cool for about 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Dip cookie bottom into the chocolate and return them to the waxed paper. Now drizzle the remaining chocolate over the cookies, either by dipping a fork into the melted chocolate [ did not work for me] or by pouring the chocolate into a pastry bag fitted with a very small round tip [ i ran out of time and sloppily drizzled with a spoon ]. Chill cookies for at least 30 minutes to completely firm up the chocolate. Store the cookies in a loosely covered container in a very cool place.

Almonds on the Brain and the Road

Almonds have been on my mind a lot lately...whole unblanched or blanched, slivered or sliced and toasted, they are perfect to toss into a bowl of cereal, on top of a casserole or pilaf or just eaten out of hand,their flavor and nutritional profile are hard to beat. Lots of protein, calcium, iron and vitamin E. I like to keep some in a jar with other seeds and nuts in a jar as high energy road food.

Almond milk purchased in the tetra-paks at the grocery store are too sweet and weak...the homemade kind is so much better. Here's a great detailed tutorial at The Vegan Reader, and how I made almond milk earlier this week. It could not be easier : Pour 1 1/2 cups of whole unblanched or blanched almonds into a jar or bowl, cover with water and soak for 12 hours in the fridge, or up to 3 days ( if soaking longer than 12 hours, pour off the water after 12 hours and then rinse the almonds twice a day ). Toss the nuts into a blender along with 3 cups of filtered water and blend, blend, blend until it's ground up very fine. Pour the contents of the blender into a fine mesh sieve ( or colander ) that has been lined with several layers of cheese cloth and is straddling a bowl large enough to catch the milk. Let it drain for 10 minutes, then twist cheesecloth up so that you can wring out the almond pulp. Keep twisting and wringing until your hands cramp or you're not getting anymore milk. Save the pulp ( it's just enough! ) for the following cookie recipe, which btw, would also make great road food!

Almond Almond Cookies
Adapted from Christina Pirello's recipe for Pignoli Cookies in her wonderful "This Crazy Vegan Life" book. These are a soft, not too sweet cookie. Experiment with the kinds of flours and even the nuts that the cookies are rolled in.
Makes about 25 cookies. Preheat oven to 350.
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 cup oil ( sunflower, safflower, avocado, canola...)
1 cup almond pulp
1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup, or maple syrup
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup almond milk ( see above !)
1 cup toasted, chopped almond slivers in a shallow bowl
Whisk together flours and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Combine oil, sugar, almond pulp and syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until well combined and smooth...about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in almond extract and almond milk and let cool for 15 minutes or so. Stir the almond mixture into the flour mixture and combine to make a soft, sticky dough. If it looks dry add a little more milk, if it's too wet, add a little more flour. Roll dough into 1 1/2" balls , then roll in the chopped almond slivers and arrange on the ungreased cookie sheet. Press down a little to flatten them out somewhat and to set the slivers into the cookie. These dont spread out much, so you can space them about 1" apart. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove cookies from sheet immediately and cool on a cookie rack.
Try to save some for the road.

Polar Bear Plunge 2010

Chesapeake Climate Action Network held their 5th Annual Polar Bear Plunge on the Chesapeake Bay beachfront property of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Annapolis ,Maryland, the 23rd of January, 2010. New Leaf participated in several ways. I baked and brought along 100 muffins ( Apple Pecan and Carrot Cake Orange ) and 250 cookies ( Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Raisin and Chocolate Chip)to give away to the hungry Plungers and their support teams. New Leaf's own Jamie raised approximately 350.00 ( I say apprx, because I'm not sure how long the donation period stays open....we've had several come in after the actual dip! ) and put up with my non-stop bake-athon the few days leading up to the plunge....thanks, Hon!

Great hot coffee and tea were being given away by Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company. They are an awesome company that pledges 2% of their gross sales to community organizations that are making a positive impact on the health of the Chesapeake Bay. And they graciously shared their tent with us :)

Lori Hill, of Lori Hill Productions, is "committed to the belief that sustainable meetings and events should be the standard, not an option." Lori not only provided us with a gorgeous table and signs labeling the foods, but enthusiastically applauded New Leaf's efforts to introduce people to the joys and benefits of a vegan diet. AND she plunged in the frigid water, raising over $ 1,000.00 for CCAN....!


The recipes I had used for two of the three cookies are from the following cookbooks. The Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe is from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's fantastic Joy Of Vegan Baking, and can be found on an earlier post on our blog. The Chocolate Chip Cookies are from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's venerable Vegan with a Vengeance. However, I am no longer going to use those recipes due to their dependence on Earth Balance margarine which, unfortunately, uses the really problematic palm oil. Check out this post on Vegan Baking.net to see a good overview of the palm oil issues, and enjoy browsing the rest of their site. They are a very valuable vegan baking resource ( say that 5 times fast! ) And it's not that I won't ever use Earth Balance again, but baking hundreds of cookies to give away and essentially promoting the product, definitely does not feel right. So look for newer, more responsible recipes in the near future here. The third cookie was a soft Peanut Butter Oatmeal that used tofu as a secret ingredient...those were pretty darn addictive!

2nd Annual Vegan Baking Roundtable

Maybe Jocelyn has got a nice photo of one of our creations to insert here, but until then this frosted Chokecherry plant will hold the place :)

For only 6 adult participants ( and two great kids! ) there sure was a lot of food at our 2nd annual Vegan Baking Roundtable on November 22nd. Some of the recipes will follow my shameless gushing of our wonderful vegan baking efforts, and others are available on several links provided. All in all, it was another wonderful testament to how great cruelty-free cooking can be :)
Meggin brought the most incredible Blueberry Pie...only one ragged little piece was left standing by the time we wrapped up ( I got to have it all to myself the next night ). The blueberry flavor was intense in a perfect balance of sweet yet tart. Amazingly deep color and a lightly browned lattice crust made this pie as nice to look at as to eat! Keep reading to find her recipe.

Vineet and Pooja brought 2 gorgeous pumpkin pies that were made from pumpkins they grew themselves. I have had issues with "traditional" Pumpkin Pie in the past...too sweet, too dense....all that egg and dairy I guess. Vineet's pie was fresh and light, the pumpkin and spices were the stars, not just a flavor. He generously brought the second pie for Jamie and I to keep and have for Thanksgiving...thanks Vineet! You can find his recipe and check out his cool blog, The Green Vine.

Jocelyn, her husband Michael Neese, and their two kids, Nylah and Jackson brought a ton of food! Before long she was browning a skillet full of Tofurky sausages she'd found at a bargain price, and decided to share with us ! We munched on those along with my Roasted Cauliflower Quiche ( recipe to follow ), some local Winesap Apples w/ Vegan Caramel Sauce ( also to follow! ) to dip the slices in if you wanted to. Then Jocelyn, with help from Nylah, did her Spiced Banana Pancake demo, including a variation that uses an easily found brand of vegan chocolate chip, Gheradellis. Visit Jocelyn's awesome new blog, Vegan Family Values ! Check out Michael's informative little essay on a strange , but harmless ( and apparently tasty! ) fungus found growing on a tree, and how they cooked and ate it on their blog as well.

A Vegan Baking discussion would not be complete without talking about all the ways to replace eggs, not only as a leavening, but as a main ingredient as well, as in my quiche. We also surfed the net some, looking at several vegan sites, including Veganbaking.net which has loads of information on all things vegan baking. Check out the recipe for the Raw Cranberry Cheesecake there...I've got to try that soon ! Of course, we also showed off our own lovely blogs.
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's book The Joy of Vegan Baking is highly recommended for clear instructions and inspired recipes...this would make a nice gift for the baker in any family.

Jamie ( who provided our tech support for the computer/tv connection) joined us towards the end, bringing Bosky back from a visit with Dad, and offering his opinions on our efforts...the pies were his favorites!

Meggin's Blueberry Pie
For the Crust:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
8-10 Tablespoons cold water

For The Filling:
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup tapioca
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon lime juice
Stir together the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening until pieces are pea-sized. Add in the water 1-2 tablespoons at a time, mixing with a fork until dough is moistened, but not sticky. Sepearte dough into two halves. In another bowl, stir together the filling ingredients. Roll out half the dough and line a 9" pie pan with it. Add the blueberry filling ingredients. Roll out the second half of the dough, and either cut into 1/2" strips for a lattice top or place entire sheet over the filling and cut steam vents. Roll together and pinch crusts along edge of pie pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes, until filling is bubbling and crust is lightly browned.

Vegan Caramel Sauce
3/4 cup canned coconut milk ( i used Trader Joe's light)
3/4 cup light brown evaporated cane sugar
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
2 Tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Combine milk and sugars in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Mix the arrowroot and water, stirring to dissolve the arrowroot. Add to the simmering mixture,whisking well to keep it moving. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool completely before pouring it into a jar for storage. Store in the fridge. Will keep for several weeks. Try it on ice cream, pie, or as a dip for apples.

Roasted Cauliflower Quiche
The crust was pre-baked, at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, using the recipe from an earlier post on this blog, titled Hand Pies...or you can use your own recipe, a store bought crust, or even make crustless naked quiche. Try also in-season asparagus, broccoli, greens ( Vineet has made some great ones using Swiss chard ). The filling is based on a recipe from the cookbook, You Won't Believe It's Vegan! I like all the ingredients to be room temperature before it goes into the oven.
2 heaping cups of cauliflower florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, cut into a small dice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt,pepper
1 14oz. water-packed block firm tofu, drained but not pressed, room temp.
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons light miso ( optional)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt-free Spike seasoning "salt"
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine
Heat the oil in a big heavy skillet, add the onion and cauliflower, cover lightly and sweat the veggies for a few minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook,on medium-high, stirring the veggies to keep them from burning, but allowing them to caramelize some. Cook until just tender. Remove from heat. ( alternatively, you could roast these or just about any other veggies you want in your quiche, in the oven at 400 for about 20-30 minutes. Be sure that the vegetables are cooked thru ).
Crumble the tofu into a food processor or blender, along with the next 5 ingredients and blend until very smooth, adding a little water or plant milk as needed to get a very thick batter. Stir the roasted veggies and parsley into the tofu blend and spread into your pie crust and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Serve hot, warm or cold!

A NYTimes Look at "Eating Animals"

I just finished reading this book, "Eating Animals", by Jonathan Safran Foer a few days ago. I really enjoyed Foer's style and the hard questions he asks himself and others about our connections with the animals we live with and that animals that are brought into this world to be eaten. There is enough humor, modesty and self discovery here to keep it real.
The New York Times has a nice little review of the book, AND a cute picture of a Boston Terrier !