Pumpkin Muffins (Refined Sugar-Free)

 
So this morning - a Saturday - I woke up early without meaning to, and randomly had too much energy to fall back asleep. And this is weird because 1) I don't wake up early on Saturdays and 2) I don't have energy when I wake up early on Saturdays. But I thought I'd make the most of my time, so I baked these muffins, then cleaned the kitchen and some of the house, and painted a picture, and basically just had a productive morning. The muffins are really good. I'll admit it's pretty much the pumpkin muffin recipe in Vegan With A Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, just with a bit of tweaking to make it with unrefined sugars. The turbinado sugar is optional, so feel free to omit it and the molasses if you don't eat sugarcane products at all. I think if you wanted to add some chocolate chips or carob chips to the batter, it definitely wouldn't hurt.

Pumpkin Muffins (Refined Sugar-Free)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• dash of salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 5/6 cup agave nectar or maple syrup (okay, weird measurement, I know...just do your best)
• 1 cup pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned)
• 1/3 cup non-dairy milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil or other mild-tasting oil
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar, optional

1) Preheat oven to 375° and lightly oil a twelve-muffin tin.

2) In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.

3) In a medium bowl, mix together the agave, pumpkin, non-dairy milk, oil, and molasses.

4) Add pumpkin mixture to flour and mix until completely combined and batter is smooth.

5) Pour batter into muffin tins (fill each tin about 3/4 full). If using turbinado sugar, sprinkle about 1/2 to 1 tsp on each muffin.

6) Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. 

Serves 12

an update + a fabulous granola recipe

Well I am very disappointed that it's been so long since I've posted a recipe here, and that I was unable to finish the Vegan Month of Food. I'm actually pretty surprised that I managed to stick with it as long as I did. Hurricane Sandy hit Maine last Monday afternoon, and we lost electricity almost immediately. Obviously I couldn't cook anything until it came back on Wednesday. 

I made these on Tuesday when there was still enough daylight (still had the help of some candles though). Basically I chopped the apple into slices and cut out a chunk on the peel side for a mouth. Then I filled some of the mouths with peanut butter and some with jelly. I added some almond slivers for teeth and raisins for eyes (glued on with a bit of peanut butter). I made these with the general idea of this recipe, only I didn't have internet so I couldn't actually use the post as a reference, so mine turned out much differently (but I'm glad they did because they're much cuter than they are spooky). It was a nice Halloween snack.

On Thursday my parents and I left for a road trip to North Carolina, to go to my cousin's wedding. It was such a good week! The weather was perfect, I got to see all my cousins, and the wedding was absolutely beautiful. I met his bride at the wedding for the first time and she was so sweet, I'm very glad she's now a part of our family.

When I go on long car rides, I tend to get hungrier than usual and bring lots of energy-filled snacks to keep me going. I never travel without Clif Bars, or any energy bar, because you never know when one might come in handy (I'm not even joking though. When I went to Europe last summer I brought like 5 boxes of Clif Bars and my friends made fun of me at first, but eventually they were jealous). I also bring fruit and veggies, peanut butter, granola, and herbal popcorn (or whatever flavor popcorn is currently my favorite). I've found that at hotels, the breakfasts aren't usually vegan-friendly (or whole food-friendly), but if you know what to do, it's more than satisfactory. There's almost always oatmeal you could eat - add a little more water instead of adding milk and stir in some peanut butter (best to use your own since the hotel's PB will be filled with HFCS and other mystery ingredients) or syrup (if it's good syrup). Sometimes I bring a cooler with me with almond milk, which I use with the oatmeal or cereal (which, by the way, you can eat with orange juice if you really want). The hotel will also have toast or bagels, which you can eat with PB or jelly. Another idea is just to slice up an apple or a banana and eat it with peanut butter. I obviously like peanut butter a little too much.

On this trip though, I ate granola with orange juice for breakfast pretty much every day, and it was such a great way to start the day. Now that I'm looking at the ingredients, I realize it's actually pretty loaded with sugar, but oh well, that's probably why it tastes so fantastic. Haha, at least it doesn't have refined sugar! If you're gluten-free, just make sure the oats are too! :)

Energy-Packed Granola

• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 1/4 cup chopped or sliced nuts (I used 3/4 cup sliced almonds + 1/2 cup chopped walnuts)
• 1/3 cup seeds (I used a mixture of sunflower and sesame seeds)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup canola oil or other mild tasting oil - or melted coconut oil if you want that flavor
• 3/4 cup liquid sweetener (I used 1/2 cup maple syrup + 1/4 cup agave nectar)
• 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips, optional

1) Preheat the oven to 300°. 

2) In a large baking dish or a 9 by 12" baking pan, stir together oats, nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, and salt. Add oil and sweetener and stir until completely combined.

3) Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Again, remove from oven and stir.

4) Add raisins and stir in (the granola will still seem sticky but don't worry, it will get crispy when it cools!). Once the granola is completely cool, you may mix in the chocolate chips, if using.

Makes about 6 cups 

First there was the hurricane that left me without power for a few days, and now I'm in North Carolina for my cousin's wedding, so I haven't really had the opportunity to write up recipes to post. I have like 5 that I pictures for and everything, but I just haven't been able to get around to it. I promise I will within a day or two!

VeganMoFo Day Twenty-Three: (Refined Sugar-Free) Date Squares

This is the first time I've made up my own recipe using liquid sweetener instead of regular sugar, and I am overwhelmingly pleased with the results. This is loosely inspired by a recipe in The Meatless Gourmet: Favorite Recipes from Around the World, except I pretty much changed the entire thing.  I had intended on using all agave nectar in it, but I didn't have enough on hand, so I used 1/2 agave nectar and 1/2 maple syrup. I think either sweetener would work fine.

(Refined Sugar-Free) Date Squares

cake:

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 tablespoons canola oil, or other mild-tasting oil
• egg replacement equivalent to two eggs (I used Ener-g)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup dates, pitted and finely chopped

topping:

• 1/2 cup dates, pitted and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon orange peel zest
• 2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped

1) Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking pan (or coat with cooking spray).

2) In a large bowl combine all cake ingredients, except dates, and beat until there are no lumps. Stir in dates. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

3) Bake for 25 minutes or until top is golden and a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan completely on a wire rack.

4) While cake is cooling, prepare topping. Combine all topping ingredients, except walnuts, in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.  

5) Spread topping evenly over cake, then sprinkle with chopped nuts. Cut into squares to serve.

Serves 16

This was also my first time using real dates, and not the type that come in bags (it's been a long time since I made anything with dates though). They taste so much better.

VeganMoFo Day Twenty-Two: Scalloped Potatoes for One

This recipe is similar to one my family used to make on a regular basis. I veganized it and we make it pretty often. I reduced the portions today to make a single serving. Not trying to brag, but these are pretty perfect. The nutritional yeast makes such a nice creamy filling, and really is a perfect replacement for cheese.

Scalloped Potatoes for One

• 1 small potato, sliced thin
• about 1/5 medium onion, sliced into rings
• 3 tbsp cup non-dairy milk of choice (I used soy milk)
• 2-3 tbsp flour
• 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp vegan margarine, refrigerated and chopped into small squares
• salt & pepper, to taste

1) Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400°. Lightly oil a small oven-safe dish (mine is 380ml, or 2/3 cup).

2) Layer potatoes onions, milk (1/2 tablespoon at a time), flour (also 1/2 tablespoon at a time), nutritional yeast (also 1/2 tablespoon at a time..), margarine (a few pieces at a time), salt, and pepper. Continue layering, ending with potatoes drizzled with nondairy milk.

3) Bake for 40 minutes, or until top layer is crispy.

VeganMoFo Days 19, 20, and 21: Spinach Tofu Frittata

I'm very disappointed in myself for going several days without posting here (and for my last several posts being incredibly lame). I am so busy, it's not even funny anymore. I cannot wait for this month to be over and for things to start calming down again! Today was the first time I had the opportunity to cook an actual meal, with a side dish and everything, in what feels like forever. I made stuffed peppers using this recipe, only I used barley instead of rice, and dried herbs instead of fresh (fresh herbs are one thing I really miss about summer); I added some diced onions to the filling too. As a side dish, I made this frittata, mostly because I was looking for a creative way to add protein to my meal. I used Isa's recipe for Asparagus and Sun-dried Tomato Frittata from her book Vegan With A Vengeance as a general guideline, but I changed it enough that I feel okay posting it online. It was absolutely wonderful. I'd never had a frittata before I was vegan, so I'm not sure how close this is to the real thing, but even if it's not, it's still a great dish. It works well as a side, but I could imagine it'd be good for breakfast too.

Spinach Tofu Frittata

• 1 package firm or extra firm tofu (about 14 oz), drained and pressed
• 3/4 tbsp soy sauce, tamari, or Bragg's
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 package frozen spinach (about 5 oz), defrosted with excess liquid drained
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 400°F.

2) In a large bowl, crumble tofu with your fingers, squishing it until it looks sort of like ricotta cheese. Add soy sauce, mustard, and nutritional yeast and mix well.

3) In a non-stick skillet (if you have an 8-inch oven safe skillet, use that! If not, that's fine), heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are soft and slightly transparent.

4) Add spinach and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in thyme, turmeric, and lemon juice and remove from heat.

5) Add onion mixture to tofu and stir to combine.

6) If you used an oven-safe skillet, then place tofu in the skillet and firmly mash it down. If you used a regular pan, then place the tofu in a pie dish and firmly mash it down.

7) Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Set oven to broil setting and bake for another 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm.

Serves 4

And here is a photo of my kitten Boo, because he is cute.

VeganMoFo Day Eighteen

This post is ridiculously long and not that interesting, so I apologize in advance.

I loved today because I finally didn't have driver's ed! I went on a long walk with my best friend which was lovely because I hadn't seen her in a while. I didn't really take any fantastic photos, but trust me, it was very pretty out today.

We saw like 8,000 geese (actually, 111, if you want to be exact)...flying in the wrong direction. 

I got some herbs from my acupuncturist (I know she has a more official title than that, but I don't remember it) today. They will work along with my acupuncture treatment to hopefully help continue to reduce my psoriasis (amongst other things). I've been surprisingly pleased with the acupuncture so far, as I've been able to fall asleep much easier than before (only a week ago it took me several hours to fall asleep, but now it's significantly better). Even though they look like potpourri, the herbs literally smell like a pile of sticks and dirt, and the tea it makes tastes terrible, but I'm still going to try it anyway because I really trust it will work. Let's see how long I can force myself to drink two cups of this stuff a day.

My cat climbed onto my shoulder and spent most of the evening there. It's cute, but he weighs far more than any cat should and my shoulder killed after a while. Pretty sure the only reason he wanted to be held was so he could get a better view of the food in the kitchen. He's ridiculous.

I finally got to cook dinner again! I got home from my walk just as my mom was starting to cook, so I promptly took over, of course. She/I made Cuban-style black beans, out of the cookbook Vegan Planet. My parents both love that cookbook, and almost everything they've made from it has been great; I don't tend to use it very often though because there's no pictures and I can't stand looking for recipes just by looking at the titles. It's a pretty basic recipe, beans, peppers, onions, and the usual veggies cooked with some chili powder and a few other ingredients (not saying both because it's not my recipe and I honestly can't remember), and I served it on top of a mixed grain mix. It was a pretty perfect meal actually.

VeganMoFo Day Seventeen

I don't have much interesting to post, as, like always, driver's ed interfered with the time I would normally spend cooking dinner. I made a pretty delicious lunch, but of course my camera was dead and I forgot to write to down what I put in it. I used barley for the first time, and it's probably my new favorite grain; I've been getting tired of always using rice and quinoa, so it's nice to use something new. Basically, I simmered the barley for 1 hour, then threw some chopped veggies (pepper, onion, carrots) and continued to simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the veggies were soft. I added a handful of fresh spinach and stirred in a large spoonful of peanut butter, 1 clove garlic, splash of liquid amino, splash of lemon juice, small amount of agave, and a very small amount of ginger (basically the same as this sauce). For dinner, my mom made a full-sized version of this shepherd's pie.

I really hate the fact that I have driver's ed during the entire Vegan Month of Food.

VeganMoFo Day Sixteen: Sugar-Free Stuffed Baked Apples

I have to admit that I didn't make these, but my mom did. And I'm not gonna lie, it was really nice to wake up to the aroma of baked apples filling the house. They were remarkably sweet, and I actually didn't believe her at first when she said there was any sugar in them at all (not even syrup!). I ate mine by itself and it was great that way, however, you could top it with some apple butter or maple butter or granola or vegan whipped cream or ice cream if you'd like. The recipe is originally from the book More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally; I have mixed feelings about that book because every time I've made something from it, it's been disgusting, but whatever my mom makes is fantastic. She did change the amounts a bit, which is surprising for her, because she always follows recipes religiously. And I'm glad she did, because the apples were perfect!

Also, on a side note, most exciting thing that happened in Maine today (or like, in 14 years) was a 4.6 earthquake, with the epicenter five miles from my home. It was pretty crazy! I've never experienced an earthquake until now. My poor kitties are still terrified though, two hours later. :(

Sugar-Free Stuffed Baked Apples

• 4 apples
• 1 cup apple cider (or juice)
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc.)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

1) Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly oil an 8x8-inch baking dish or other dish large enough to hold 4 apples.

2) Core the apples from the top, stopping 1 inch from the bottom.  Peel the top quarter section of each apple. Put the apples in the baking dish, and pour the juice over them.

3) Mix the raisins, nuts, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl.  Spoon the mixture into the apples and sprinkle any leftover filling in the bottom of the baking dish.

4) Cover the apples with a sheet of parchment paper and overwrap with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Uncover the dish and baste the apples with the pan juices. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until the apples are tender but not mushy. The total baking time will depend of the variety of apple.

5) Remove the baking dish from the oven. Serve the apples warm, spooning some of the pan juice over each.

VeganMoFo Day Fifteen: Butternut Squash Mac & Cheeze

Today I spent three hours in driver's ed, then immediately two hours afterwards driving, so again I didn't really have any free time. However, I did get to make this for lunch, and it took surprisingly little time to make. It was very good, probably one of the best vegan mac & cheeze recipes I've made (and I've made a lot!). It almost tasted a little too bland though, so I'd add a bit more of the flavorings than called for (nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt & pepper, etc.). Still, overall, this sauce was great. I also cooked some spinach with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic, because that always is good with macaroni.

RECIPE HERE