When I was little, my mom used to make the most wonderful gingerbread with a large dollop of homemade whipped cream on top. She always used fresh ginger which gave it a deliciously spicy punch. It was moist and dense and just sweet enough, with a rich molasses undertone. This gingerbread almost satisfied that nostalgia for my mom’s gingerbread. It uses ginger in four ways–powdered, juice, fresh, and crystallized–for real ginger lovers. I was planning to whip up some coconut milk cream for the top, but I’ll have to work on that recipe because it was a fail. Oh well! After we tasted the gingerbread, though, we all agreed that it didn’t really need whipped cream anyway.
The Recipe
Makes 1 9×9 square cake
1/2 cup earth balance or vegan shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegan white sugar
1 cup applesauce
3/4 cup boiling water
3/4 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 cup minced crystallized ginger
1 Tbls ginger juice
1 tsp fresh ginger grated finely
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×9 baking dish. Blend the shortening and sugar together. Add the applesauce. Add the boiling water and molasses. Add the ginger juice and fresh grated ginger. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and combine thoroughly. Stir in the crystallized ginger. Pour into pan and toss it (gently) into the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until a knife or toothpick comes out clean. Cool enough to eat it and cut into large squares.
I’ve always liked egg nog. I’ve spent many a Christmas Eve with my mom’s side of the family drinking some quite strongly spiked egg nog. When I worked at a coffee shop, we made a holiday egg nog latte. One of my favorite things was to pull a double shot of espresso and pour a splash of egg nog into it. Yum. Since becoming vegan, I like to try a nondairy nog around the holidays. The vegan versions are especially appealing, well, because they’re vegan and they don’t have cholesterol and the high fat content of dairy egg nog. This year, we’ve tried two of the vegan brands and I thought I would post my thoughts on them–So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog and Silk Soymilk Nog. Boy, the more I write the word ‘nog’ the more bizarre it sounds! Apparently, it may come from the Middle English word ‘noggin’ which was a small round wooden mug used to serve alcohol and in England, it was a drink mainly consumed by the aristocracy because of the high price of milk and eggs. Once it was introduced to early colonial America, it because more widely consumed as milk and dairy became more widely avaiable. Interesting historical note! (thanks, Wikipedia!). Anyway, here goes:
So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog: The coconut milk nog is definitely thicker and creamier–more like a super-rich dairy nog. It has a coconutty flavor, though, so that is definitely a little different than a traditional nog. It is soy-free and gluten-free, so for those with allergies, this might be the way to go.
Silk Soymilk Nog: The Silk is thinner and less creamy, with a good balance of flavor. Soymilk, naturally, has protein, which is an added bonus to this one. I find that I can actually drink a serving of this nog, whereas the other is too rich to do so.
Nutrition Fact Comparison: The two nogs have the same number of calories (90 per 1/2 cup). The coconut nog has slightly more sugar, slightly more fat (saturated), more sodium, and no protein. The soymilk nog has 3g of protein per 1/2 cup and is lower in fat, sodium and sugar.
The Verdict: I actually like both for different uses. If I am going to drink a teacup full of nog, plain or with a splash of rum, I like the soymilk nog. As an additive to coffee, or for baking, I like the coconut milk nog.
I’ve also seen a Rice Dream Rice Nog out there, but when I went to the store to buy the nogs, they were out of that one. Has anyone tried the Rice Nog? What’s your favorite nondairy nog?
The other night I made up this chili recipe and we topped it with the butternut squash salsa I had made the night before. I grew up on green chili stew, which is probably my favorite, and is very different from the tomato based chili to which most Americans are accustomed. Lately, though, I’ve been on a kick to develop a tomato based chili recipe as an alternative to the green chili stew. This one turns out smoky, spicy and hearty. Great with the butternut squash salsa. You can also add a dollop of vegan sour cream, guacamole, and some chopped green onions. I made cornbread on the side and Eric, my dad and I enjoyed a cozy dinner on the couch in front of the latest season of Misfits, one of our favorite british TV shows (If you haven’t watched it, I would highly recommend it).
Saute the onions, garlic and red pepper in a splash of oil, in a medium sized pot until slightly softened. Add spices (Note: if you’re sensitive to spice, you might want to omit the chile powder since the chipotle chiles are spicy). Drain and rinse beans. Add beans, tomatoes and tomato puree. Add the chipotle chile and water. [Note: Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce can be purchased in small cans in the Latino section of most any grocery store. They are quite spicy, but have a great flavor. I used one whole chile, along with the sauce it was coated with and we like spicy food. If you prefer less spice, use less of the chile. The rest of the can should be transferred to a glass jar and stored in the fridge for future use.]
Let simmer for about 30 minutes, adding more water if it thickens too much. About 10 minutes before serving, add the lime juice and fresh cilantro.
When I was in New York, I had dinner with my friend Emma at Angelica Kitchen. We both had chili and cornbread, which came with a side of a pico de gallo/fresh salsa made with butternut squash instead of tomatoes. I loved this little side dish and have been wanting to try to recreate it since I had it in October. It uses raw butternut squash, so it’s got a great crunch, and a fresh taste. In particular, I like how seasonal it is. Unless you’re using canned tomatoes to make salsa in the winter, tomatoes are really out of season for December. Using butternut squash is a great winter alternative to fresh tomatoes. Plus, the color is amazing on top of a bowl of chili or in a burrito or taco. This salsa is much better the second day, so for the best results, I would recommend making it the day before and letting it sit in the fridge overnight.
The Recipe
Makes about 2 cups
2 cups raw butternut squash, peeled and diced in 1/8-1/4 inch cubes
1/3 cup minced onion (white, red, or sweet)
2 Tbls minced fresh cilantro
2 Tbls fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
pinch salt and some fresh ground pepper
Peel and dice the butternut squash in tiny cubes (1/8 inch is preferable):
dice squash
Rinse and drain squash in a colander. Toss into a mixing bowl. Chop onion very finely and add to mixing bowl. Mince cilantro and add to bowl. Add spices and lime to the bowl and mix well.
mix ingredients together in a bowl
Put the salsa in a container and place in the fridge (overnight, preferably) to let the flavors come together. My mom sent some of our favorite handmade tortillas out to us with my dad (from a Mexican grocery in Pittsburgh). The first night we had burritos with black beans, green chili, guacamole, red salsa, and butternut squash salsa:
bean burrito with squash salsa
The next night, I made chili and cornbread and we had the butternut squash salsa on top of the chili:
My dad usually comes out west during the holidays each year. He arrived on Thursday and he will head down to Portland to visit his mother and brothers for about a week. Usually, we have a very low-key Christmas and either go down to Portland to visit my grandmother, or stay here and make a nice dinner at home. Eric’s family is Jewish, so sometimes we go to Hanukkah at one of his family member’s homes. One year, we sort of combined Christmas and Hannukah at our house and made latkes (potato pancakes) out of purple potatoes from our garden. I’m not sure yet what we will do this year.
Because the rest of my family is back east, I always get together a Christmas package to mail in time for Christmas. I’m down to the wire on this year’s presents. They need to be put in the mail tomorrow, I think. Yikes! Despite the fact that Tish and I have been crafting every Thursday since September, making holiday gifts, I still have some sewing projects I’m finishing up last minute. Of course, yesterday I realized I was completely out of white AND black thread. And I can’t seem to find any packing tape anywhere, despite the fact that I buy a new roll every time I need to mail something. Tish and I do most of the crafts together, but sewing is something we do separately. Check out the tote bags Tish made. Aren’t they awesome?! I didn’t make any totes, but I’m working on a couple of things which I’ll post about after I give them away.
In case you, too, are down to the wire on holiday gifts, this week’s posts had a few easy handmade ideas that there is still time to execute:
Monday December 12, 2011: Cookie Mix Jars. Impress all your friends and family with these vegan cookie mix jars (applesauce included). They just need to add shortening and vanilla and they can make vegan cookies without even knowing it!
Thursday December 15, 2011: Vanilla Extract. This is a really easy and unique gift to give to any bakers in your life. It needs to infuse for 2 months, but you can make it and give it away with instructions for when to start using it.
Friday December 16th, 2011: Peppermint Bark. Vegan peppermint bark that takes about 15 minutes to make. So easy and delicious for those with a sweet tooth.
When I used to work as a barista in a coffee shop at the Pike Place Market, we sold peppermint bark as a seasonal holiday treat. As an employee, I got a significant discount on these gift-type items and so I bought some of the peppermint bark to take home to Pittsburgh for my aunt and uncle and my grandmother for Christmas one year. It was a big hit. This year, I decided to try making it. Sometimes, I think, peppermint bark has a layer of white chocolate on top. I was unable to find vegan white chocolate at the grocery store–though you can easily order it online (like these from Vegan Essentials). To make this vegan peppermint bark, I used vegan chocolate chips (you can use semi-sweet or bittersweet) and Tru Sweets Organic Vegan Candy Canes. These candy canes are great (sweetened with brown rice syrup and dyed with beet juice), but they are not very pepperminty. As such, I added some peppermint extract to the chocolate portion of the bark.
The Recipe
1 12oz bag of vegan chocolate chips (semi-sweet or bittersweet)
1 tsp peppermint extract
10 vegan candy canes, crushed
parchment paper or flexible non-stick surface
Unwrap and crush the candy canes. We used the food processor for this in short bursts. Tish and I first tried to crush them in a bag with a hammer. This was disastrous and made a big mess (read: the bag burst and candy cane shards went everywhere!). It’s just fine if the sizes of the candy cane are varied:
crushed candy canes
Melt the chocolate very slowly over low heat in a double boiler, stirring constantly:
melt the chocolate over double boiler
When the chocolate is melted, mix in the peppermint extract and pour the chocolate mixture onto your flat non-stick surface (either a piece of parchment on a cutting board or counter, or a silicone baking mat). Use a spatula to spread the melted chocolate out evenly (about 1/4 inch thick):
spread chocolate evenly
Immediately spread the crushed candy cane on top, pressing down gently to embed the candy cane pieces into the warm chocolate:
press candy cane pieces into chocolate
Let cool. When completely cool, peel the parchment or silicone away from the bark. Break the bark into pieces. The more irregular the better!
break peppermint bark into pieces
You can wrap this up in compostable cellophane bags as gifts, or serve it up at a party, or simply toss it in a container and keep around for when your sweet tooth is humming.
One of our crafting projects for holiday gifts (quick! family and friends cover your eyes!) was homemade vanilla extract. The first thing we did was locate the materials we needed for the best price possible. We found beautiful 4 oz corked bottles at Specialty Bottle for $1.89 each. We bought a reasonably priced, but good quality vodka (I can’t remember the name, unfortunately). And we found the best price for whole vanilla beans at Costco- 10 vanilla beans for $12 (just a little over a dollar each). We used soy wax to seal the corks to help seal the bottles for mailing purposes, which in retrospect was a little delicate, but worked nonetheless. We printed up labels on clear labels, which has a nice effect on the bottle. The coolest part about making your own vanilla extract is that when you have used up 3/4 of the bottle, you can refill it with vodka and let it infuse again. A great gift for bakers in your life, or just a nice thing to have in your own kitchen for baking projects that adds a little something special!
The Recipe
For 8 oz of extract
1 cup of vodka
3 whole vanilla beans
glass jar for storage
wax for sealing cork (optional)
label (optional)
Prepare the vanilla beans by carefully scoring down the length of the bean with a sharp knife. With your fingers, peel the bean open slightly. We needed to cut our beans in half to fit them into the short bottles we got. If the beans fit into your container whole, great. If not, cut them to size. Place beans in container and cover with the vodka. Seal the container and let sit for 2 months, until the liquid is dark and tastes amazing!
If sealing a cork bottle with wax, melt wax in a small pot. Make sure the cork is tightly situated in the bottle. Turn over carefully and dip the top of the bottle/cork in the wax. You may need to do this a few times to get a thick coating of wax covering the cork and top of the bottle.
As the Occupy movement thunders along with no hint of going away anytime soon, there have been some exciting and innovative alternative models emerging for how we relate to one another outside of more typical market economic relations. One of these movements is ‘Feed the Movement’, an informal coalition devoted to donating produce from small, local farms to the Occupy movements throughout New York and New England. Feed the Movement operates on donations to pay farmers for their contributions so that they can support both the Occupy movement and the small-farm economy at the same time. Part of sustaining the Occupy movement is ensuring that occupiers are well-fed with healthy food, particularly as the cold sets in across the country.
I like this idea. Is this happening in other places? It seems like it would be particularly useful in places where fresh produce can be grown year-round!
By the way, this is Serenity in the Storm’s 100th post! Happy 100th post day to all!!
Sidecar for Pigs Peace, in case you’re in Seattle and have not visited it, is a tiny 100% vegan grocery store in the University District. It is owned by Pigs Peace Sanctuary, which my mom and Eric and I visited for my birthday this year, and a portion of the proceeds from the store go straight to caring for the pigs at the sanctuary. Pigs Peace is a wonderful sanctuary where approximately 190 pigs have a safe and happy home. Judy, who runs Pigs Peace, is an amazing person and works SO hard to make a good life for the pigs with whom she shares the sanctuary. It really is a wonderful spot.
This coming weekend, Sidecar for Pigs Peace is hosting a bake sale:
Saturday December 17th 11am- 8pm
Sunday December 18th 10am- 7pm
This apparently happens a few times a year, but this is the first time I’m actually tuned into it. Whoops! You can visit their facebook page for more info on the bake sale. The bake sale is, of course, all-vegan. It would be a great way to grab a selection of treats for the holidays, for some immediate snacks, etc. And you can check out the store as well, if you haven’t already been there. In addition to groceries, they have some nifty gift ideas.
But the bake sale also NEEDS BAKERS! If you can bake for the sale, contact Donna via bakesale@pigspeace.org and she will send you the instructions. Drop off for the bake sale is Friday night and Saturday morning. I think I’m going to make my cranberry orange bread, since that seems to be the only thing I’m baking these days, and maybe something else–I haven’t decided yet.
On our crafting day last Thursday, Tish and I decided to make cookie mixes in recycled mason jars. There are lots of recipes floating around online for these and we improvised, using some recipes for guidance and creating a veganized recipe that we hope you’ll like. We used 24 oz spaghetti sauce jars. The recipe here is for ‘Cranberry Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies’. Variations on this recipe could be any number of things. Dried cherries instead of cranberries would be one I would suggest, if you’re not crazy about cranberries. Adding nuts would be a good addition too, if nutty cookies are your thing. Basically, the idea is that you want the jar’s contents to be packed tightly all the way to the top so that the ingredients stay layered and don’t shift around in the jar. Tish and I were at Costco on Thursday picking up a few things, and saw a case of individual 1/2 cup servings of applesauce. We opted to buy the applesauce and include it in lieu of a lid. If you’re mailing these, you’ll probably want to use a lid instead of the applesauce as a top. You can always include the applesauce separately. Our idea with these jars was to make a vegan recipe that people wouldn’t immediately think of as ‘vegan’. We both have people in our lives who would turn up their noses at vegan cookies, but by including applesauce (as an egg replacer) and recommending vegetable shortening in the recipe, we were thinking people could try out vegan cookies without using any unusual ingredients.
For the labels, Tish used her handy skills in Microsoft Word to create the labels, and we used clear shipping labels from Office Max in the printer. You can use whatever scraps of cotton fabric you have lying around.
THE RECIPE
For one jar mix
Supplies:
1 24-oz mason jar
1 5-inch piece of elastic cord
1 9×9 square (or circle) of lightweight cotton fabric
label of your choosing
Cookie Mix
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup vegan white sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries
1/2 cup vegan dark chocolate chips
one 1/2 cup package of applesauce (optional)
Sift together the flour and the baking soda. You may want to use a wide-mouthed funnel or a rolled up sheet of paper as a funnel to avoid making a huge mess when filling the jars. Add the ingredients in the following order:
1/2 the flour/baking soda mixture
oats
rest of flour/baking soda
brown sugar
white sugar
cranberries
chocolate chips
Before each new addition, make sure each layer is packed down firmly. This will help prevent the layers from mixing together in the jar. You may want to push the ingredients out to the edges slightly to make sure each layer is visible from the outside.
pack each layer tightly
When you get to the top, depending on how tightly the ingredients were packed, there may be a little extra space. You can either toss in some chopped nuts, or add some extra dried fruit and chocolate chips to reach the top of the jar. I never think it’s a bad idea to add more chocolate chips to cookies. In fact, the dough is usually just a vehicle for the melty chocolate, in my opinion. Top with either the applesauce, or a lid.
top with applesauce pkg or lid
Make your label, either on the computer/printer, or you can hand-write a decorative label on fun paper and stick it to the jar with double-sided tape. The directions on the label should be as follows:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. 2. In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened vegetable shortening or margarine, 1 pkg apple sauce and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until fluffy. Add the entire jar of ingredients, and mix together by hand until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. 3. Bake for 8 to 10 mins, or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheets, or remove to cool on wire racks.
Stick the label on the side of the jar, and you’re almost done!
Drape the fabric over the top of the jar/applesauce. Knot the elastic cord tightly around the neck of the jar to secure the fabric. Give to someone you like and let them enjoy the fun of baking some delicious vegan cookies!
Any ideas for other add-ins or alternate recipes for the cookie jar mix?
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