Apple Cinnamon + Brown Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

get it together.

Apple Cinnamon + Brown Sugar

Pull-Apart Bread.



Sometimes things fall apart.
Life gets overwhelmingly garbage-y and the impulse is to assume the defensive position, remain static, and hope nobody notices.
Because one can only handle so many
metaphorical kicks to the crotch...
But sometimes everything comes together in the most inconceivably, ridiculously perfect way possible.
So inconceivably, ridiculously perfect that a "cynical is my default position" person such as myself would suspect an elaborately staged practical joke before believing the truth.
Out of the blue, life got really good.
Then there was this bread.
Keep pushing through the gray, you guys.
There's sweet stuff under all those layers.

Get it together, pull it apart.

Raw Vegan Cashew-Cranberry Cheesecake Bites

because one can only eat so many cookies.

Raw Cranberry-Cashew Cheesecake Bites.

shame-free.

Bake, eat, repeat. My perpetual holiday mantra. Bake the treats. "Quality test" the treats. Second round "quality test' the treats (because this is the very definition of important stuff, folks). Realize I don't have enough treats left to actually give as gifts. Bake the treats again. Feel shame.

I did not break the cycle this season. I did, however, supplement with something raw and full of whole food-y deliciousness and PRETTY.

The most important feature of any food gift.

I quality tested the entire first batch as my gift to you, my dear readers.

And then I made some more.

xoxox





 Raw Vegan Cashew-Cranberry Cheesecake Bites

(makes approximately 12 1" bites)

Crust:

1 1/4c raw walnuts

1 heaping cup pitted medjool dates

1/4c raw flaked coconut, unsweetened

1Tbsp flax seeds

pinch sea salt

Filling:

1 1/4c raw cashews, soaked for 2+ hours and drained

1c raw cranberries

1/2c liquified coconut oil

1/4c agave or maple syrup

1/4tsp sea salt

1.5Tbsp lemon juice

Dark Chocolate-Dipped Candied Citrus with Vanilla Infused Sea Salt

conflicted confections.

Dark Chocolate-Dipped

Candied Navel Orange + Clementine Slices 

with 

Vanilla Infused Sea Salt.

confections gotta be confected.

Apparently today (yesterday, as I post this) is (was) national dipping things in chocolate day, or some equivalently contrived BS foodie holiday. I loathe participating in these things and tend to avoid them like the transparently disingenuous plague they are. Yet here I am, joining in. It really couldn't be avoided. Sometimes confections need to be confected and this was a pre-planned, pre-holiday food gift prep day that just so happened to fall on an unfortunately coincidental calendar square.

But I feel a little tool-y about it all the same...

Addendum-- all previous complaints notwithstanding, if there's ever a national vanilla-infused 

sea salt day, I'm all over it. 

That stuff is worth a cynical and VERY public sacrifice of integrity.

candied.

dipped.

Dark Chocolate-Dipped

Candied Navel Orange and Clementine Slices

with 

Vanilla Infused Sea Salt

(makes about 25 pieces)

3-4 medium sized organic navel oranges +

3-4 organic clementines
(should yield somewhere around 4c, once sliced)

6c water

2c (+ 1-2Tbsp) unrefined sugar

1/2c dark chocolate chips 

2tsp unrefined coconut oil

1Tbsp finely ground sea salt

1/4 fresh vanilla bean pod, halved

vegan thanksgiving recipe round-up

STOP STRESSING!

Thanksgiving-ish Recipe Round-Up.

Have a seat, take a breath and check out these relatively simple, plant based recipes.

Including a few for breakfast. 

'Cause, you know, most important meal of the day and all...

Vegan Pumpkin-Walnut Sticky Buns

Bourbon Pickled Cranberries

cranberry picklemania.
Spiced Bourbon Pickled Cranberries

Fresh cranberries and pickling spices: cinnamon, whole cloves, and black peppercorns.

It has been said before but bears repeating; I am a firm believer that almost any fruit or vegetable can be improved by pickling. I am also a firm believer than almost any dish can be improved by adding a wee bit of Bourbon. These pickled cranberries certainly prove both statements true. Fresh spiced cranberry sauce is a regular on my Thanksgiving table and I  always add a dash of  bourbon to top it off. Using the same flavor profiles, with the addition of cider vinegar, I whipped up this brining recipe. Boozy pickled cranberries! The first jar has only just been cracked open, but already my mind is spinning with the possibilities. While drinking a tonic spiked with pickled cranberries for breakfast this morning images of beautiful cranberry-topped cocktails were dancing through my head. I can also envision these as a great addition to a winter salad, an accompaniment to a holiday appetizer spread, even tossed into a batch of hot mulled cider.  I'll be stocking up on fresh cranberries before they disappear for the season and canning up a bunch of these for holiday gifts. 

Prepared canning jars and brined pickled cranberries, ready to pack. 

Spiced Bourbon Pickled Cranberries Recipe

(Yields 4 pints or 2 quart jars)

2 12oz bags of fresh cranberries

2 1/2c apple cider vinegar

2c organic vegan sugar

1/4c Bourbon/ Whiskey 

1/2tsp whole cloves

1/4 tsp black peppercorns

2-4 whole cinnamon sticks (1 per jar)

*One note for this recipe: save your leftover pickling liquid! It can be used to poach other fruits,
like pears or apples, or used to make a batch of refrigerator pickles.

Sterilize your canning jars and in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. 

Prepare your lids and bands in a small saucepan of simmering water.  

If you are new to canning, here is a helpful page on preparing your jars:

ehow: how to prepare canning jars and lids

In a medium saucepan combine vinegar, sugar and bourbon. 

Bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat.

Stir until all sugar is dissolved.

Add cloves and peppercorns to brine.

Add cranberries, stirring to combine and cook for 5 minutes, 

returning to a boil and stirring frequently. 

When cranberries begin to pop, remove from heat.

Pickled cranberries; packed, brined, and ready for their lids.

Once the sterilized jars are removed from the water bath, add 1 cinnamon stick to each.

Ladle pickled cranberries into prepared jars with a slotted spoon.

Pour remaining brine over the top of packed cranberries, 

leaving 1/2 inch of headspace in each jar.

Wipe the rims of your jars with a clean, damp cloth; then apply your lids and bands.

Place in boiling water bath, making sure jars are covered with at least 1 inch of water. 

Process for 10 minutes.

Remove jars from water bath once the processing time is up.

Place on a cooling rack or other heat surface.

Allow to cool for 24 hours.

Remove bands and check seals. Place any unsealed jars in the fridge.

Now you can eat 'em up!

Spiced bourbon pickled cranberries in tonic. Pretty close to perfect.

No-Fail Vegan Cornbread

we all have our vices...
No-Fail Vegan Cornbread

I dare you to not eat it all. 

 I'm not going to lie. I ate an entire pan of this yesterday, and another is in the oven as I type this. It appears I may have a problem. I recognize that as far as vices go vegan cornbread is a pretty innocuous one, though complaints have begun to surface from other members of the household for my lack of "sharing skills". Hence batch number two. This is a pretty bad-ass recipe; you should make it. Its the perfect blend of sweet and savory and is a wonderful side for that vegan chili I posted yesterday.
The decision was made to stock up on local corn at the end of the season this year and freeze it up for winter use. Brilliant, right? Not so much. Only once this was done did I realize I'm not a super big fan of frozen corn. What to do? Cornbread! A 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen corn kernels really makes this recipe sing.

Homemade hempmilk turning into vegan buttermilk.

No-Fail Vegan Cornbread Recipe
1/2c whole wheat flour
1/2c all purpose flour
1c cornmeal
1/4c vegan sugar
1tbsp ground flax seed
3tbsp hot water
1tbsp baking powder
1c non dairy milk
1tsp white vinegar
1/2tsp salt
1/4c olive oil
1/2c corn kernels, fresh
or frozen

Preheat oven to 400 degrees then grease a 9" square baking dish.

Prepare your vegan buttermilk:
Measure out 1 cup of non dairy milk, add 1tsp white vinegar.
Stir gently and set aside for 10 minutes and allow to curdle.

Prepare your flax egg:
Combine ground flax seed with the 3tbsp of nearly boiling water.
Whisk mixture well and set aside.
Allow to sit until cooled and thickened, about 10 minutes.

In a medium mixing bowl combine flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together.

Frozen corn kernels, being incorporated into batter.

Add olive oil, vegan buttermilk, flax egg mixture, and corn kernels.
Stir well until all ingredients are combined.

Spread mix evenly into greased baking dish.
Bake on center oven rack for 20-25 minutes,
or until top is lightly browned and cake tester comes out clean.

Allow to cool then EAT!

Vegan cornbread, fresh out of the oven.

Brown Sugar Whipped Sweet Potatoes

because Martha knows. MARTHA ALWAYS KNOWS.
Vegan Grand Marnier 
& 
Brown Sugar Whipped Sweet Potatoes.

Vegan brown sugar whipped sweet potatoes, plated up and ready to eat. 

All credit to Martha Stewart on this one. Though the recipe I use today only slightly resembles her original, she provided the framework. Her "Martha Stewart Living Cookbook" was a life raft for me during my early teenage vegetarian years. 

The original recipe includes a topping of caramelized apples and a more than healthy dose of dairy. The first years I followed the recipe verbatim, over time I phased out the dairy, toyed with the add-ins and eventually started making the dish sans caramelized apples. Today I make a simple sauce of coconut milk, brown sugar, vegan butter, and a splash of Grand Marnier (or other orange liquor)  to whip into the baked potatoes. Super easy, super quick, and undeniably delicious. These potatoes are not only a perfect thanksgiving side, an easy yet impressive dish to add to your repertoire, but great for the entire season.       

I encourage you to give the Martha recipe a try, but if you're looking for something a little simpler (and a little more vegan) mine is below.

You can find the original recipe here: 

http://www.marthastewart.com/344434/sweet-potatoes-with-caramelized-apples 

Save your skins! They make a great snack.

 Vegan Whipped Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes

4-6 large sweet potatoes

4 tbsp of vegan butter (such as Earth Balance)

3 tbsp vegan light brown sugar

1/3 cup of light coconut milk or other non-dairy milk

1/3c Grand Marnier (or other orange liquor)

Scrub sweet potatoes and pierce several times with a fork

Bake in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for approximately 40-45 minuted or until they can be pierced through with a knife

Allow potatoes to cool, then remove skins and place flesh in a bowl

Add a pinch of salt and mash with a fork

In a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat

Add brown sugar, stir until dissolved

Whisk in milk and Grand Marnier,

Heat for 5 minutes or so, continuing to stir, until liquid is slightly thickened

Pour over mashed sweet potatoes and use a fork to incorporate liquid, stirring and mashing until potatoes are light and fluffy

Spoon potatoes into an oven safe dish

If you're making this for a thanksgiving of christmas dinner they can be prepared a day ahead of time, stored covered in the fridge, and baked to heat through. Another super easy holiday dish, how awesome is that?? Less time cooking, more time eating, isn't that what we all really want?

And don't toss those sweet potato skins! Sprinkle with a little sea salt and throw them back in the oven to crisp up a bit. They make an excellent (and easy) snack. 

Vegan Pear and Cranberry Crumble

eat it for breakfast, eat it for dessert, eat it all day long.
Vegan Pear and Cranberry Crumble.

Pears from the Egleston Winter Farmer's Market and local cranberries. 

When the first local cranberries start to appear, I get uncontrollably excited. Like jumping up and down and dancing for joy excited. Why? Because it means crumble season has arrived. And you guys, crumble season IS THE BEST SEASON. Tart cranberries offset by fragrant pears and baked to warm, gooey, crunchy perfection makes (winter) life worth living. Seriously. It was originally conceived as a dessert dish, but a couple of years ago the dangerous equation of 1 pre-baked thanksgiving morning crumble + 2 hungry and impatient people morphed it into a breakfast dish. So now it's a little of both.
A bit to start thanksgiving day, a bit to end it and a whole lotta carbs in between. 

Assembled crumble, ready to bake.

Breakfast is (sadly) often overlooked on big cooking holidays like thanksgiving and christmas. But breakfast is important, dammit, and cooking on an empty stomach sucks. Enter the crumble. It can easily be assembled the day or night before, stored in the fridge, and freshly baked in the morning. Or pre-assemble it to bake later in the day. One less thing to pull our hair out over about on thanksgiving or christmas morning? Yes please. And hey, be sure to stock up on cranberries while they're available. They freeze beautifully and can provide a much needed burst of color and taste in winter dishes. If pears are in short supply, apples work just fine, or you can do a mix of the two. 

Gorgeous local pears, soon to be crumble-d. 

Vegan Pear and Cranberry Crumble Recipe

(serves 8-10, or two if you're me and mine)

8 pears peeled and cut into roughly 1/2" pieces

3 cups fresh cranberries

3/4 cups white flour + 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, combined

2 1/4 cups rolled oats

3 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 cup vegan sugar

1 cup vegan butter, chilled

1 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp salt

If baking right away, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To prepare the topping:

In a food processor, combine flour and butter and pulse until small crumbs form. 

Add 1/2 cup of the white sugar, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt. 
Pulse until mixture forms into coarse crumbs. 
Set aside. 

If you do not have a food processor, no worries. 

Follow all the same steps, just cut the butter into cubes and get in there with your hands, working the ingredients until everything clumps together nicely. 

To prepare the filling:

Peel and cut pears into 1/2" pieces.

Combine pears, cranberries, other 1/2 cup of sugar, and lemon juice in a large bowl.

Toss to incorporate all ingredients.

Using about half of the crumble, gradually take the pieces and break them up in your hand, adding to filling.

Toss to combine, making sure things are more or less evenly distributed.

Transfer to an ungreased 9" x13" baking dish 

(or two 8" sq dishes, or a dozen or so ramekins)

Sprinkle remaining crumble over the filling 

Place on center rack in oven and bake for 34-40 minutes or until fruit has begun to 

bubble around edges and topping has reached a nice golden brown color.

If refrigerating unbaked, cover tightly with plastic wrap and store for 24 hours max. 

Take baking dish out of the fridge and allow to reach room temp before baking.

Baked and ready for eatin'.

Keeps for up to a week in the fridge, though (trust me)

there's no way it will last that long. 

Enjoy!