Vegan Soft Pretzels

better than the ballpark.
plus you can yell at the TV...

Make Your Own Soft Pretzels.

Where's the mustard??

Every spring, when the weather subtly shifts from just plain cold to cold with a *hint* of warmth, its like a switch is flipped. Suddenly, more than anything, I wish I were at Fenway. Sitting in the cheap seats, yelling at the umpires (or the Sox, if its an off night) with a beer in one hand, a scorecard in the other and a soft pretzel in my lap. When I can't get to the ballpark, I do the next best thing. Put the game on the TV, sit on the couch, yell at the screen more often than I'd care to admit, drink much cheaper beer and have a plate of homemade soft pretzels close by. These are those pretzels. Buttery soft, a little sweet, a little salty and perfect paired with yellow mustard.

Vegan Soft Pretzels Recipe:
(makes about 16 pretzels)
You will need:
 A stand mixer fitted with a dough hook
or quite a bit of elbow grease.
A large bowl for dough rising (you can also reuse the mixer bowl for this step)
Baking sheets
Pastry brush

Fully risen pretzel dough.

Part One:

3 1/2c all purpose flour

1 1/4c warm water

1Tbsp active dry yeast
1/3c + 1tsp organic sugar
1Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2tsp ground sea salt
extra olive oil for rising bowl
Part Two:
2c warm water
1/4c baking soda
and/or
1/4c melted vegan butter
Coarse sea salt for topping
Recipe notes:
There are two different ways to finish off the raw pretzels before baking. My preferred method is to do both the baking soda dip and brush with butter before sprinkling with salt. The baking soda dip will give them a nice golden brown hue and the butter will keep them extra soft.

You can also forgo the butter and just do the baking soda dip and sprinkle with salt.
This will give the pretzels a more "traditional" golden brown look
and a slightly harder exterior.

I wind up with 16 pretzels from this recipe almost without fail, 

but you can easily make the pretzels larger or smaller to your preference.

To make the dough by hand, without a stand mixer, first proof the yeast as instructed.
Once yeast is frothy add in all other ingredients,
Stir well with a wooden spoon until dough is roughly incorporated,
then turn out onto a lightly floured work surface.
Knead dough for 10 to 15 minutes until smooth, elastic and well incorporated.
Dough should not stick to your hands or the work surface when finished.
Form into a rough ball and place in a well oiled bowl to rise.

Formed pretzels baking soda dipped and ready for butter and salt.

Part One:
Measure 1 1/4c warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Sprinkle in the yeast and 1tsp of the organic sugar and whisk to combine.
Allow yeast mixture to proof for 10 minutes or until frothy.
Once yeast mixture has proofed, add flour, remaining 1/3c of sugar, sea salt and
olive oil to the bowl.
Mix at low to medium low speed for approximately 8-10 minutes.
You may need to stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the dough off of the hook
or the sides of the bowl.
You want a smooth, elastic, well incorporated dough that pulls away easily from the bowl and does not stick to your hands.
If the dough seems too dry, add extra water a few drops at a time.
If too wet add a small pinch of flour at a time.
Once dough is mixed, roughly form it into a ball and
place in a large well oiled bowl.
The dough will roughly double in size, so be sure your bowl is large enough.
Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm dry place,
inside of an unheated oven with the light on works perfectly.
Allow to rise for 1 hour.

Ready for the oven.

Part Two:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Grease baking sheets or line with silpats.

Prepare baking soda dip by mixing 1/4c baking soda and 2c warm water in a medium bowl, stir to combine.
Melt 1/4c vegan butter in a microwave safe bowl.

Once risen, turn dough out onto a well floured surface and roughly form into a rectangle.
Use a dough scraper or a sharp knife to divide it into 16 equal sized pieces by first cutting the rectangle in half lengthwise, then making eight slices across the two pieces.



This will give you 16 small rectangular dough pieces.
Roll each piece into a long "snake" shape (about 12") and twist into pretzel forms.
Dip each formed pretzel into the baking soda mix, shake off the excess liquid and
place on prepared baking sheets.
You may need to give the baking soda mix a stir from time to time, as it can separate.

Once you have dipped all of the pretzels sprinkle each one with a generous
pinch of coarse salt
or
if using the vegan butter (recommended)
brush each pretzel with butter then top with the salt.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Perfect. 

Homemade Curry Powder

a well stocked spice rack is a magical thing.

DIY Spice Mixes: Homemade Curry Powder

Coriander in the mortar and pestle, turmeric and whole cardamom pods. 

So... store bought curry blends are ok, if you splurge for the fancy-pants kind they can even be pretty tasty. But having a well stocked spice rack and the ability to throw together a complex, from scratch, homemade curry at the drop of a hat?That's something special. As a bonus, every individual spice required for this curry powder has endless other applications. Why limit yourself to a pre-blended curry powder when you can stock up on gorgeous fresh spices that can be used in a million other recipes? Turmeric, for example, has an indescribably earthy flavor and is a know anti-inflamatory, a flavorful addition to soups, stews, rice dishes and can even be made into tea. Cumin is a heavily used spice in Latin American dishes. Cardamom can be used in a variety of Indian dishes, is a key ingredient in Chai and is also wonderful paired with many different fruits. With the exception of the turmeric and chili powder, which are infinitely easier to find ground, I highly recommend splurging for whole spices. While a bit more expensive than ground, they stay fresh significantly longer and absolutely nothing compares to the taste/aroma of freshly ground spices. Bulk whole spices are sometimes available at food co-ops and are a great value. Indian/Asian markets are also a reliable spot to seek out less expensive spices. Whole spices can be easily ground by hand with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder, blender or even electric coffee grinder. When using fresh cardamom, pinch the pod until it splits and peel away the exterior green shell, using only the interior seeds. The shell can be reserved and used to make cardamom sugar. Simply bundle the shells in a bit of cheesecloth, tie closed and toss into a small jar of sugar.
 Let sit for a week or so and you'll have fragrant cardamom scented sugar,
a lovely addition to baked goods, tea, coffee or even mixed drinks.


Homemade Curry Powder

4 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cardamom, exterior pods removed
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Place all spices in a mortar and pestle
or spice grinder.
Grind into a fine powder.
Store in an airtight container.
Keep in a cool dry place.

Vegan Caramel Corn

You can even add your own prizes!

Vegan Molasses Tahini "Caramel" Popcorn

Molasses tahini coated "caramel" popcorn.

Cracker Jacks are one of those "accidentally vegan" foods I care not to eat. Plus the prizes are garbage these days. When I was a kid it was all whistles and rings and tiny rubber animals in little plastic domes; now its just slips of paper with word games and tiny temporary tattoos?? Come on. We can do better than that. Make your own! Bundle these up and add your own prizes for tasty and healthy party favors. Or, forget everyone else, just bundle them up and add prizes for yourself. Who among us can say that their day wouldn't be made better by finding a shiny little plastic trinket in their afternoon snack? This is not a guilty little indulgence; molasses tahini popcorn is a surprisingly healthy treat. The blackstrap and tahini are both loaded with viatmins, and coconut oil? Yes please. You can use a regular molasses, but I encourage you to splurge for the blackstrap; its a nutritional powerhouse and has a much richer flavor. I pop my popcorn on the stove top with coconut oil, both delicious and fragrant, but an air popper could be used instead. If popcorn balls are your thing, this is the recipe for you; they are easy to form and store perfectly.

Organic popcorn kernels, off the pantry shelf and ready for popping.

Vegan Molasses Tahini "Caramel" Corn

(makes about 6 cups, prepared)

1c of unpopped popcorn

3tbsp of non-hydrogenated
virgin coconut oil

1/4c unsulphured
blackstrap molasses

1/4c tahini

1/4tsp salt

1/4c salted or
unsalted peanuts
(optional)

If preparing popcorn on the stove top:

Heat 2tbsp of coconut oil in heavy bottomed pot with lid over medium high heat.
Once oil has melted, add popcorn and cover pot.
As popcorn begins to pop, shake pot back and forth over the burner a couple few times, this will prevent the popcorn from burning.
When popcorn popping slows to a few seconds between pops, remove pot from heat.

Measuring out organic virgin coconut oil for corn popping.

Let sit until popping stops.
Uncover and set aside.

Preparing molasses tahini sauce:
In a small saucepan, heat remaining 1tbsp of coconut oil over medium low heat.
Add molasses, tahini and salt, whisk to combine.
Reduce heat to low.
Continue to whisk mixture until it is well incorporated and softened, about 2-3 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Position rack in center of oven and
preheat to 350 degrees.

Drizzle molasses tahini mix into the popcorn, using a large spoon to stir as you go.


Once all the molasses tahini mix has been added, continue to stir until well distributed.

There will be some areas of the popcorn with more
molasses tahini mix and some with less.
Once the molasses mix has cooled slightly, I like to go in with my hands
and mix everything together a little bit better.
If adding peanuts, stir them in.

Spread your coated popcorn onto a baking sheet.
Bake on the center oven rack for 5-6 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container.

If making popcorn balls:
Grab a hand full of popcorn mix, about 1/3 cup,
and form loosely into a ball.
Placed formed balls on a cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for 5-6 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Oh yeah.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Less buying, more diy-ing:

Homemade Bourbon Vanilla Extract

Gorgeous homemade bourbon vanilla extract in the morning light. 

Like yesterday's DIY brown sugar post, once you've experience the taste of homemade vanilla extract you'll never go back. Again like yesterday's post, this requires but two ingredients: fresh vanilla pods and alcohol. This one will require a wee bit of patience; once assembled the vanilla needs a few weeks for the flavor to deepen properly, but the payoff is enormous. There is no comparison between homemade and store bought; where store bought smells/tastes weak and over alcohol-y, homemade is rich and full of natural vanilla aroma and taste.

Whole vanilla beans, stem ends. Ready to be turned into extract. 

While most DIY vanilla recipes call for a neutral alcohol like vodka, I prefer to use an unblended whiskey or bourbon. The natural oak-y notes in bourbon blend perfectly with the fresh vanilla to create a mellow yet robustly flavored extract that is still perfect for baking. The ability to easily replenish your supply is one of the very best things about DIY vanilla extract. When you're running a little low just add a bit more alcohol, maybe another split vanilla bean and voila, you're topped off. Now I do a lot of baking, so my vanilla lives in an old 750ml Bulleit Rye bottle, not only is it a beautiful bottle that looks pretty bad ass on my pantry shelf but its also just the right size for my needs. If you bake less frequently maybe a smaller size is in order. A little tip though, homemade vanilla extract makes a fantastic gift, so why not make a big batch and share it with some well deserving friends?

Homemade Vanilla Extract:

You will need a glass bottle or jar with a screw top
or tightly fitting corked lid
funnel
fresh vanilla beans

You will need a ratio of approximately 3 vanilla beans per 1 cup of alcohol

Using a small, sharp knife split your vanilla beans lengthwise by making a cut just below the stem and run your knife along the length of the bean,
splitting it in two,
leaving stem end attached.



Using the knife, scrape the pulp from the interior of one of the split vanilla beans.
Place the scraped pulp into your jar or bottle.
Add split vanilla beans, including the scraped one.
Funnel the appropriate amount of alcohol into the bottle.
Tightly cover your bottle or jar and give it a good shake.

Place your bottle/ jar in a cool, dark place and allow it to sit for at least 4 weeks.
Be patient!
The longer you let the vanilla beans steep in the alchol,

the darker and richer your extract will be. 

My big ol' bottle of homemade vanilla extract. Needs a bourbon top-off. 

Homemade Brown Sugar

Time to stop buying, and start making:

DIY (Vegan) Brown Sugar

DIY brown sugar, ready for baking, and a bottle of Plantation Blackstrap molasses. 

There are at least three fundamental truths about cooking/baking me that apply to this post. One: I'm a cheapskate, theres no denying it. Two: I like to DIY whenever/ wherever possible and three: I like/ need my pantry to be VERY well stocked at all times. Organic vegan sugar and black strap molasses are two things I ALWAYS have on the shelves. These are the only ingredients you'll need to make your very own brown sugar. We've all had plenty of experience with store bought kind; its always rock hard or clumpy, or (if buying organic) a little too pricey for what it is. Why not just make it yourself? Less buying, more DIY-ing! After making this and using it for the first time you'll wonder how you ever used anything else. You can halve or quarter or double the recipe; make a large batch and store it in an airtight container for as long as it lasts, or make it as needed for your recipe. As long as you have molasses and sugar on hand you can whip it up in a snap.

I prefer unsulphured blackstrap molasses over traditional molasses. Its a bit more expensive but is more flavorful and a bit sweeter with a much higher nutrient content, including potassium, B vitamins and 20% of your RDA of iron per tablespoon (we vegans always need a little more iron in our diets). Blackstrap is a richer, darker molasses, so a small amount will make a very light brown sugar, the more you add the darker it will get. I usually begin with 2tbsp to 1 cup of sugar,
adding more if I want the sugar a bit darker. 

If you decide to splurge for the blackstrap molasses, and I strongly encourage you to do so, here's a little side recipe for you:

Stir 1 tbsp of molasses into a heated cup of your favorite non-dairy milk and drink up.

That's it! Its a delicious and nutritious warm winter beverage, perfect for breakfast on a snowy day or just when you need a little pick-me-up.
A great iron boost too!

Molasses drizzled over organic sugar, ready to mix.

this will be a short recipe...

DIY Brown Sugar:

1 cup of organic vegan sugar

2-4 tbsp of unsulphered
blackstrap molasses

Place your sugar in a large bowl.

Drizzle in 2 tbsp of molasses to start. 

Using a dinner fork, mix the molasses into the sugar until it is well incorporated.

This should take a few minutes. Don't get discouraged if it look like the mix isn't coming together, keep mixing, it will incorporate perfectly.

If you find small molasses chunks remaining, simply break them up with your fork and mix them in.

If you want your brown sugar darker, repeat the process with the extra
1-2tbsp of molasses until you reach the desired color.

And there you have it. 5 minute DIY brown sugar. How easy was that???

Now get baking!

Vegan Peppermint Patties

food gifts are the best gifts.
DIY Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patties.

Processed peppermint patty filling, ready to be formed.

Ok, I'm not gonna sugar-coat it (badum bum), these might get you in a little trouble. You may find yourself lying on the couch, face and hands covered in chocolate, cursing the day you first decided that they would make fantastic and (theoretically) easy Christmas gifts. Or, if you're more responsible and more time-management focused than I, you may just have a delightfully relaxing day putting these treats together. Learn from my mistakes, kiddos. Don't try to prep, dip, individually wrap and box up two hundred and fifteen of these in one day. My hands might be permanently claw-shaped from so much teeny tiny wrapping. But still, worth it. These mints are GOOD, (relatively) easy to prepare, and are sure to make you the king/ queen of holiday food gifts. 

They're such a hit with my friends and family 

that people start asking me about next year's batch right around January first. 

But, as much as they may beg, I make them but once a year.

First rule of show business (or peppermint patty making), 

gotta keep 'em wanting more. 

Now, this recipe is for a large batch. If you make small patties (about teaspoon sized) it will make between 60-70. You can easily halve the recipe, but I encourage you to make the full batch. You'll already be putting in the work, so why not make more? You can vary the size of the patties a bit, though if you go too big they can become a bit unwieldy. I like to make mine small, about 1/2" across;

 I find the filling holds together perfectly at this size. 

These keep super well in the fridge and also freeze beautifully. 

Formed and frozen peppermint patty filling, ready to be dipped.

 So here we go:

Vegan Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patties

( makes approximately 60-70 small patties)

First batch of finished mints, only 200 more to go.

You will need a food processor and a double boiler

set-up on your stove top for this recipe.

Ingredients:
6c organic powdered sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2Tbsp room temperature coconut oil

2tbsp peppermint extract

2tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup light (unsweetened) coconut milk

4 cups (2 12oz bags) vegan dark chocolate chips

What a mess.

To prepare the filling:

Combine sugar, 1/4c coconut oil, coconut milk and extracts in the food processor.

Mix until ingredients have combined to form a well incorporated paste.

The mixture should look like the photo above.

Scrape filling out of food processor and into a medium sized bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

Once the filling is chilled:

Remove from fridge and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpats.

Measure out a teaspoon sized ball of filling and roll into a ball in your hands. 

Place the ball on mat and gently flatten with two fingers.

Repeat until you have filled your cookie sheets. 

Place filled cookie sheets in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.

If you find that the filling is becoming sticky and hard to work with,

place it back in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. 

When your filling is nearly chilled, set up a double boiler on your stove top.

Bring water to a slight simmer over medium high heat.

Add chocolate chips and 2Tbsp coconut oil, stirring until melted.

Remove frozen fillings from the freezer and loosen them from the trays.

They should be solidly frozen enough to easily pop off.

Dipping your mints:
Dip a dinner fork into the melted chocolate to coat the tines.
Place a frozen filling disc on top of the coated fork.
Dip completely into the melted chocolate, coating the disc.
Allow the excess chocolate to drip off, then drag the fork
over the edge of the bowl, removing the rest of the chocolate.

Use another fork or knife to gently slide your coated mint off of
the dipping fork and back onto the silpat.
Repeat this process with all mint fillings,
then return dipped mints to the freezer to set up.
If you find that your un-dipped fillings are becoming too soft to work with,
return them to the freezer to re-freeze.

Once your dipped mints have set up (10-15 minutes in the freezer)
remove them from the silpats and package however you'd like.
I find that, if giving them as gifts, individually wrapping them makes for both
neater storage and better presentation.
Just pick up some baker's paper or parchment and cut it to the appropriate size.
Because there is no dairy these can be stored at room temperature,
but also keep very well in the fridge or freezer.

Now go make some and impress all your friends!

This is the best part.
My hand should uncramp any day now...

Homemade Ginger Ale

you decide:
Yeasted Ginger Ale
or 
Yeasted Ginger Beer

Fermented ginger ale, with ice and a fancy straw, ready to drink.

 Ugh, high fructose corn syrup, why are you in EVERYTHING?? I get the processed foods; I wouldn't touch that garbage with a 10 foot pole, but in tonic water and ginger ale? Come on. I like a good stiff drink; I also like a well mixed cocktail. I do not however like that cocktail with a side of corn poison. The organic ginger ales from the local co op are delicious, but way too expensive. What to do? Homemade of course! There was a bit of trial and error before settling on this recipe. An exploding plastic bottle or two, one bottle of flat-as-all-get-out ginger "juice", and one bottle filled with a weirdly syrup-y, congealed mess. But all of the sticky disasters were worth it because THIS recipe produces one outstanding drink. Its fizzy and fresh and actually very little work to put together. The final result is something of a cross between ginger beer and ginger ale. It is fermented like a ginger beer, but has the light, fresh taste of a ginger ale. Best of both worlds!

Freshly squeezed lemon juice, ready for ginger ale makin'.

You decide what to call it...
Yeasted Ginger Ale
or 
Yeasted Ginger Beer
or
Yeasted Ginger Beer-ale
or 
Yeasted Ginger Ale-beer:

You will need a
clean 2L plastic bottle or jug with tightly fitting cap.

Plus:

1c organic vegan sugar

2 1/2tbsp peeled and freshly grated ginger root

1/4tsp active dry yeast

2tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 

7.5-8c of cold filtered water

Clockwise from top left: Organic sugar, lemon juice, pre-grated ginger, yeast. 

Using a funnel or spouted measuring cup pour sugar, yeast, lemon juice, and grated ginger root into plastic bottle.

Pour approximately half of the filtered water into bottle, cap and shake vigorously to combine.

Remove cap and add the rest of the water, leaving about 1" of headspace.

Recap and shake again.

Place capped bottle in a warm, dark place to ferment for 48 hours,
then transfer to the refrigerator.
About halfway through the fermentation you should unscrew the cap,
to release some of the carbonation, then re tighten it. 

Leave in the fridge for 12 hours, this will stop the fermentation process.

Fermented ginger ale, getting fizzy in the morning sun.

Your ginger beer is now carbonated and ready to drink!

At this point it can be strained,
or you can drink it as is.
I leave mine un-strained.
Nothing wrong with a
little minced ginger in your drink, right?
Leaving the ginger in makes the drink feel fresher and more alive. I think thats a pretty good thing.


My favorite new cocktail:

Gorgeous!

I'm calling it the Royal Ginger Fizz, at least for now...

Combine:
2 shots of yeasted ginger ale
1 shot of Crown Royal Black
topped with a few pickled cranberries,
My recipe here: SlowClubCookery's Spiced Bourbon Pickled Cranberries

Drink it down.
Repeat as necessary.