Petite Heat.

Through the past several years, as the majority of my diet has increasingly included healthier food, my palate has altered to desire foods that I had at one point been horrified to see on my plate. Such changes as these have inclined me to adore hot, spicy ingredients.

An amuse-bouche is a small, single bite sized meal. In French it is called "hors d'oeuvre" and in Italian "antipasto." Whatever the linguistic variant, the purpose is to provide either a companion to a fine drink, prompt the appetite of those dining, or highlight an aspect of the main course and possibly a theme of the dinner.

Curried Garbanzo beans with Brussels Sprouts:

Ingredients

Garbanzo beans

Onions

Tomatoe

Cilantro

Curry powder

Fresh and rinsed brussels sprout leaves

Next to working out like a boss (crossfit/cycling), learning German in three weeks, and making money to buy more dishware, I intend to cook/bake/photograph/blog my entire Winter Break. Expect great things.

Cheers,

Evrett.

Magic!

Jesus may have turned water into wine, but I made this in a dirty college dorm kitchen:

Vegan Peach Crepes

Topped with Cashew Cream and a cinnamon drizzle

Crepes

1/2 cup flower

1 tblsp of fine cane sugar

1/4 tsp salt or a few drops of vanilla depending on what dinner these are made for.

Replacement for one egg (the type of egg replacer used will change the consistency of the batter)

1 tblsp of vegetable oil

1 cup of non dairy milk

The heat of the pan you're using along with the thickness (in our case the thinness) of the batter is crucial. If the pan is not hot enough, the batter can stick even with some sort of "sticking" prevention (oil, butter, spray). The batter must also be very thin in order to quickly spread across the pan.

The cashew cream is the same recipe from my post on English scones.

Diaya Cheese Creations.

So, I got a hold of some Daiya Cheese thanks to friends and family. You can definitely eat it, but it's not the best cold. When you melt it though, it tastes amazing. Which means it's perfect for

Pizza

and quesadillas

The product is great. It gives you a lot of meal options that were previously unaccessible to vegans, many of which are traditional staples to Americans.

Now, who's ready for Thanksgiving?!

The Full Package.

Who needs a holiday in England when you have Top Gear, breakfast tea, and this...

... traditional English scone with homemade strawberry jam, and cashew cream.

Scone

2 cups of flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup vegan butter (cut in)

1 cup of non-dairy milk, curdled.

Add flour into desired consistency

Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes (depending on size). When done, the tops should be firm and slightly crisp.

Jam

Mash/blend 2 cups strawberries to desired consistency for jam

Add 1/2 cup of sugar

1 Tbls cornstarch

1 Tbls water (mixed with cornstarch)

Add cornstarch/water mixture to strawberries/sugar.

Bring to boil, then let simmer for 10 minutes. Stirring often.

Cream

4 oz cahews

1/2 cup of water

1/2 tsp maple syrup

a few drops of vanilla extract

Put cashews and a 1/4 cup water in food processor. Add syrup, vanilla, and more water until desires taste/consistency.

It's suuuuuper good.

Bo-nan-a! Bread!

Something leftover from Fall break. My recollection of this creation was most definitely prompted by the warm (HOT!) weather we're experiencing in Williamsburg, temperatures quite comparable to those of Fall break... except it's almost November this time.

Bread

2 cups flour

3 bananas

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/8 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup applesauce

1 egg replacement

cinnamon to taste (1 1/2 tsps +)

Topping

Mix vegan butter, flour, and sugar to desired consistency/quantity.

Raisins and walnuts, are of course, great to mix in. I want to try cashews and dates sometime, though. Unfortunately, I was out of all of the above.

Cheers,

Me.

I'm Pregnant with Excitement for Fall

So it's finally cooled off here in Williamsburg--the day after Fall Break. It hasn't stopped me from baking like it's the day before Thanksgiving, though.

Mini [chilled] pumpkin pie.

It's essentially a pumpkin pie. However, instead of baking the pie filling you just throw it in the fridge for several hours and then in the freezer for a few more. This means you do not need egg replacer or non-dairy milk. You are only required to make it taste good, not all the complications that hitchhike along with the process of baking. Pumpkin puree, pumpkin seasoning (or just cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc.), a little raw cane sugar, maple syrup and you're set. Chocolate and caramel drizzle with some crushed candied walnuts makes it an official danksgiving.

I am going here for an entire day for Thanksgiving break:

http://www.stickyfingersbakery.com/index.php

Cheers

LOTS of Goodies.

Ice Cream!

Vegan vanilla ice cream with a cinnamon drizzle and banana chips in a home made cone.

Ice Cream

3/4 Cup Vanilla soy milk

1/4 light vegetable oil (Blend thoroughly)

3 Tablespoons sugar (Blend once again)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Freeze overnight

Cinnamon Glaze

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 1/2 Tablespoons confectioners sugar (vary amount for desired quantity)

1 Tablespoon Soy Milk (vary for quantity and thickness)

"Cone" Bowl

The bowl is just a mini pie crust pressed into a jumbo muffin pan.

Pancakes

A regular pancake recipe. I substituted apple sauce for an egg and vanilla soy milk for cows milk.

More Biscotti!

This is my third attempt. The first was a lemon almond which I made at The Grind later (it sold out in a day), after that I made pumpkin with a chocolate glaze. This is plain recipe with a powdered sugar glaze and orange zest.

Orange Biscotti

Fluff 1/2 a cup of vegan butter

Mix in 1/2 a heaping cup of sugar

Add in a replacer for two eggs (Ener-G works best here)

Add 1 teaspoon of orange extract

Seperately,

Mix 2 cups of white flour

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 salt

Mix dry into wet in stages. If too dry at a tablespoon or two of Soy milk.

Bake on the top rack at 350F until the top is hard-ish and slightly brown (25 min+)

Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.

Cut into slices and cook each side 10 min.

Cool, then add drizzle and zest.

I want Fall weather for Fall break, meow!