Hummus Crackers & Ginger Lemon Tart

I only have about 20 minutes of battery life left on my computer, so this has to be quick. I don't have any recipes of my own to post, but I wanted to post the links to some fantastic recipes I've made recently.

First is hummus crackers. Yes, crackers that are essentially hummus. I found the recipe for these delicious little pieces of heaven while perusing the hummus tag on Tumblr. I actually ate these with hummus, and it was like hummus-ception. These were pretty simple to make, and they tasted incredible. They're gluten-free too, if that's the sort of thing you like. The recipe is here.

Second is a lemon tart in a ginger cookie crumb crust. This is probably one of the most fantastic desserts I've eaten in a long time. It took essentially no effort to make, so I really would suggest you try it. The flavor is ridiculously good and the texture is perfect. Assuming you use gluten-free ginger snaps, it's gluten-free (there's a recipe link for the gf cookies with the tart recipe), plus it's refined sugar-free and SCD-friendly. Recipe here.

Thanksgiving!

Well I'm very happy to say I had a lovely Thanksgiving! I think this was one of the first Thanksgivings I can remember that we didn't spend with friends or family. I do love my extended family, but it was so much more relaxing to spend the day with just my parents and brother, who is visiting from college. It was especially nice to not have several genuinely-worried aunts fussing over me and inquiring about my protein intake. Of course, the whole protein thing happens to almost any vegan anytime their lifestyle is mentioned, no matter who they're with.

I witnessed lots of people on Tumblr and Facebook arguing about veganism today, mostly about turkeys. Basically the main idea of the arguments was that people who eat meat are doing their part to keep the world from this horrible turkey overpopulation. I guess they don't realize that, other than the very few people who only eat animals they hunted themselves, the animals they eat were raised to be killed. If people didn't eat turkeys and there was not such a high demand for turkeys, they would not raise so many turkeys in the first place and thus there would not be an overpopulation of turkeys. But it was also nice seeing so many sweet people standing up for the innocent animals.  

Not so fun fact: Each year over 45 million turkeys are killed for Thanksgiving alone in the U.S. That's about 34 times the human population in the state of Maine. For added perspective, about 11 million people were killed in the Holocaust. That's a lot of turkeys on a yearly basis (especially considering that  that 45 million is just one day out of the whole year).

Anyway, I need to take a break from talking about the mass murder of turkeys that everyone so proudly supports. I really am much more of the type of vegan who tries to inspire people to try this lifestyle through good food and cute pictures; however, days like Thanksgiving make me so overwhelmingly mad that I just have to rant about how horribly cruel meat is.

For supper, my family ate a fantastic (almost entirely vegan!) meal. I never got around to making a trip to Whole Foods to buy more vital wheat gluten, so we had to use a pre-made Tofurky, but that was fine with me because it was superb. I used this recipe for the cranberry sauce, since it doesn't use refined sugar; I might use less juice next time, as it was rather liquidy (incredibly good dish though). My dad made what may just be the world's best mashed potatoes, using the perfect amount of soy milk, Earth Balance, and French fried onions. My mom made a green bean dish that's a family recipe; we considered veganizing it but it called for too much cheese to really spend too much time working on a replacement, so instead we made a separate serving for me without cheese. I also made maple-glazed carrots, using a couple different recipes as guides. And lastly, for dessert I made the Sweet Potato Brazil Nut Crunch Pie from Vegan Pie in the Sky by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, only I used pecans instead of Brazil nuts since my parents hate Brazil nuts; it was topped with a dollop of vegan Rad Whip from the same cookbook (the first time I made it a couple months ago it didn't turn out well at all, but this time it worked perfectly..!). Basically everything was perfect and I honestly don't even want to look at food again for days. 

I need to get some sleep now, so goodnight everyone, and happy Thanksgiving! I hope you had a wonderful holiday! :-)

VeganMoFo Day Eleven: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I finally had to give in to my cravings and make something using actual sugar. Even though I got a stomach ache (only because I don't handle sugar well, not because of the recipe!), these were completely worth it. I guess when I read the recipe, I missed the note at the beginning saying these are not similar to traditional whoopie pies, and are more like cookies than cakes; I was a bit surprised (especially growing up in New England where whoopie pies are one of the main food groups at all major events), however, these are completely fantastic just the way they are. The only adjustments I made were non-hydrogenated margarine instead of shortening because I never seem to have shortening on hand, and an extra cup of powdered sugar because it was too liquidy without it.

RECIPE HERE

Also, just an update from yesterday, I tried my Daysoft contacts today, and I love them. They are just as comfortable as my last brand, if not better, and I can see perfectly with them. For sure changing to this brand permanently!

Autumn Apple Pie

The weather outside is getting chilly, the leaves are starting to change colors, and finally the apples are ready to be picked. As soon as apple season hits New England every September, we start picking apples at least once a week, sometimes more, depending on how many apple-based desserts and breakfasts and snacks we can stand. Of course, the first thing I make with apples is always pie because there's no better way to start autumn. 

Perfect Vegan Pie Crust

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons organic sugar
• 8 tablespoons vegan margarine, refrigerated
• 8 tablespoons vegetable shortening, refrigerated
• 4-6 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1) Mix together the flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  

2) Add margarine to flour mixture, cutting it into small pieces.  Stir until flour appears crumbly. Add the shortening, also cutting it into the flour. 

3) In a small glass, mix together 4 tablespoons of the cold water with the apple cider vinegar. 

4) Stir flour as you slowly pour water and vinegar mixture into the bowl. 

5) Knead the dough several times, adding more water if needed to hold it together. 

6) Divide dough into two pieces, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Apple Pie

• one recipe pie crust
• 6 apples
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3/4 cup organic sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1) Preheat oven to 425°F. Place a baking sheet on the bottom of oven or the lowest rack to catch drips. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate.

2) On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the balls of pie crust into a 13-inch circle. Place crust in the prepared pie plate. Set aside.

3) Cut apples into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Place in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice to keep from browning.  

4) In a small bowl combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Add to apples and toss well until evenly coated.

5) Roll out remaining piece of pie crust into a 12-inch circle.  Stir apples and place in prepared pie shell. Carefully cover with the crust. Trim edges to leave a slight overhang, press in and crimp rim. Cut three slits in the top of the pie.

(I was out of shortening and had to use only margarine, so I apologize for the lack of a picture-perfect crust!)

6) Bake pie in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F, and bake for another 45-50 minutes, or until filling is bubbling and crust is browned. Place pie on a wire rack and let cool before serving. Tastes bests served warm and with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream!

view more photos here