HOMEMADE ENGLISH MUFFINS AND HEART-SHAPED CORNBREAD

INGREDIENTS READY AND WAITING

MIXED INGREDIENTS WAITING TO BE KNEADED

AFTER 10 MINUTES OF KNEADING BY HAND AND WAITING TO RISE.

STRAIGHT FROM THE OVEN, WAITING TO BE EATEN.

CUT IN HALF TOASTED AND SLATHERED WITH EARTH BALANCE AND APRICOT FRUIT SPREAD.

Yesterday I Made:

HOMEMADE ENGLISH MUFFINS for BREAKFAST.

Recipe from VEGAN BRUNCH by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Making english muffins from scratch was always something I wanted to do and I finally did it!!!

It was so much fun to make, from proofing, to kneading by hand, to rising, to punching down the dough, rolling it out, cutting out perfectly round circles, and finally to baking.

This recipe only called for 7 ingredients and that's including water.

I'm pretty sure store-bought ones have way more than that.

I don't think I will ever buy store-bought english muffins again (not that I ever did).

Just gotta plan ahead.

Heart-shaped muffin tin from TARGET.

On Monday I Made:

HEART-SHAPED CORN BREAD for DINNER.

Don't remember where I got this recipe from, but it's pretty straight forward.

Whole wheat flour, cormeal, soymilk, flax seeds, baking soda, and salt.

Served alongside Chocolate chili (not picture)which I made here.

I can't wait to use this tin again.

Muffins, cupcakes, miniture cakes.

The possibilities are endless.

BLACK AND WHITE COOKIES

*Elaine holding a BABKA and Jerry holding the famous BLACK AND WHITE COOKIE*

Yesterday I Made:

BLACK AND WHITE COOKIES for DESSERT.

Recipe from My Sweet Vegan by Hannah Kaminsky.

Soft, sponge cake-like shortbread cookies frosted half with vanilla frosting and the other with dark chocolate frosting.

Ever since watching Jerry eat a BLACK AND WHITE COOKIE on SEINFELD, I told myself that one day I would make a homemade VEGAN version.

Thanks to Hannah, I finally got the chance.

Yummy,beautiful looking and so much fun to eat!!!

Where do you start?

The white or the black?

Tough decision.

My husband bit the chocolate and I bit it right in the middle.

As Jerry says "THE TRICK TO EATING A BLACK AND WHITE COOKIE ,ELAINE, IS YOU WANT TO GET SOME BLACK AND SOME WHITE IN EACH BITE. NOTHING MIXES BETTER THAN VANILLA AND CHOCOLATE."

Last Week I Made:

CHOCOLATE BABKA for DESSERT.

Recipe from The Vegan Table By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and also from the same SEINFELD episode as the BLACK AND WHITE COOKIE.

Sweet yeast bread filled with melted chocolate and cocoa powder.

It turned out a little too dry and didn't taste sweet enough.

BARLEY CASSEROLE AND VEGAN CHEESECAKE

Today I Made:

BARLEY CASSEROLE for DINNER.

Recipe from The Kind Diet Planet by Alicia Silverstone.

Barley, carrots,peas,onions,spices and tahini dressing.

Baked in a casserole dish until nicely browned.

The tahini dressing is made with tahini, onions,soy sauce, and spices.

All blended up and layered over the barley mixture, lasagna style:

1.Barley mixture

2.Tahini dressing

3.Barley mixture

4.Tahini dressing

I made one substitution, I used frozen peas instead of celery.

Can you believe the Pasadena Arroyo Parkway Whole Foods ran out of celery?

This is the second recipe I make from Alicia's book.

Remember ALICIA'S CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS I made back in Nov.?

Both recipes turned out fantastic!!!

Can't wait to try more of her recipes.

This recipe makes a ton,perfect for large families or parties.

Yesterday I Made:

VEGAN CHEESECAKE for DESSERT.

Recipe from here.

This cheesecake really is more like a New York Cheesecake.

Plain,dense,rich, and so YUMMY!!!

This is THE best recipe I've ever come across for a VEGAN cheesecake.

Most recipes call for some type of tofu, making the cake a little too spongy.

Not this cheesecake, no tofu here, just plain VEGAN CREAM CHEESE, a little sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, corn syrup, egg replacer, and a homemade cinnamon graham cracker crust.

Not the healthiest, but ok to enjoy once in a while.

I bet if a non-vegan had a slice, they wouldn't even taste the difference.

Since it's plain, topping possibilities are endless.

I used Soyatoo and chocolate sauce.

Next time, I might top it with a thick layer of melted chocolate or even a thinned out strawberry jam.

ORZO PILAF WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS AND PEAS,BOSTON BAKED BEANS AND CAULIFLOWER SALSA

Yesterday I Made:

ORZO PILAF WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS AND PEAS AND BOSTON BAKED BEANS for DINNER.

ORZO PILAF and BOSTON BAKED BEANS recipes from The Vegan Table By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau .

The orzo pilaf was so simple to make.

Kinda reminded me of RICE-A-R-ONI.

Flavored with garlic, green peas, roasted red peppers and salt and pepper.

Simple, mild but oh-so delicious!!!

The beans on the other hand, were so full of flavor.

Sweet yet savory.

Perfect for the mild pilaf.

The cauliflower salsa was my attempt at recreating one of my mom's creations.

Chopped cauliflower, tomatoes, red onion, jalapenos,julienned cabbage, cilantro,avocado, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Mix and let rest for at least an hour in the fridge.

But the longer it marinates, the more flavor.

Enjoy with chips, tostadas or over food.

CRISPY CHICKPEA FRITTERS AND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Today I Made:

CRISPY CHICKPEA FRITTERS, SPICY GARLIC SPINACH, AND BROWN RICE for DINNER.

Recipe from CLEAN FOOOD by Terry Walters.

Chickpea flour, red onions, carrots, seasoned with Italian Seasoning and salt and pepper.

All ingredients are mixed with water in a pot over medium heat and whisked until thickened.

Then transfered to a casserole dish and refrigerated until thickened (2 hours or so).

Once thickened, cut into strips and fried in a small amount of oil until golden brown.

I served ours with Spicy Spaghetti sauce and salsa (not pictured).

Definitely going to make these again and again and again.

And for Dessert:

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!

Recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope.

No explanation needed here.

Best chocolate chip cookies ever and I'm not even a cookie fan!

Easy to make and easy to clean up, since you only end up using one bowl.

Of course we had these with coffee and tea and just all by themselves!!!

SOUTHWESTERN PINTO BEAN SLIDERS WITH CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE

SOUTHWESTERN PINTO BEAN SLIDERS WITH CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE for DINNER.

Recipe from MyRecipes.com.

Pinto beans, corn, onions,cilantro, jalapenos mini patties topped with a tangy and spicy chipotle VEGENAISE sauce, roasted poblano peppers and romaine lettuce on a mini burger bun.

SLIDERS are bite-size burgers.

They are super fun to eat and are so cute to look at.

Only problem is that they are a little messy to eat.

You literally end up licking your plate!!!

Spicy, crunchy, tangy, just plain DELICIOUS!!!

This is really THE best burger ever!!!

I've made it a few times and we still can't get over how amazing it is.

MONKEY BREAD

Today I Made:

MONKEY BREAD for DESSERT.

Recipe from THE VEGAN TABLE by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

Sweetened pizza dough balls dipped in melted Earth Balance and covered with a sugar-cinnamon mix then baked until light brown.

The cool thing this bread is eating it.

You pull individual balls out and the whole bread stays intact.

It turned out a little too dry, but tasty.

Goes great with coffee!

BUCATINI WITH GREEN BEANS,TOMATOES, AND OLIVES

Today I Made:

BUCATINI WITH GREEN BEANS,TOMATOES, AND OLIVES for DINNER.

Recipe from THE VEGAN GOURMET by SUSANN GEISKOPT AND MINDY TOOMAY.

I've had this book for months and months, even had this recipe bookmarked.

But for some reason, I always passed it up for another.

BIG MISTAKE!!!

First off, this recipe calls for bucatini, a pasta we've never tried.

Bucatini is a thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole right in the center (which holds more sauce).

Isn't it cool looking?

Second, the sauce was delicious!!!

Made with whole tomatoes, garlic, red chili pepper flakes, green beans and olives.

Overall the dish turned out amazingly good.

It's rich, hearty, and so full of flavor.

I can't believe it took me this long to make it.

But so glad I finally made it.

Husband loved it too and can't stop saying B-U-C-A-T-I-N-I.

TOMATO-RICE SOUP WITH ROASTED GARLIC AND NAVY BEANS

Yesterday I Made:

TOMATO-RICE SOUP WITH ROASTED GARLIC AND NAVY BEANS for DINNER.

Recipe from VEGANOMICON by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.

Rich tomato soup with brown rice, roasted garlic, and navy beans.

I had really high hopes for this soup and it did not disappoint!!!

It was rich, thick, filling, and oh-so garlicky.

ROASTED GARLIC, that is!!!

*To roast a whole head of garlic, all you do is cut off the top, exposing the inside of the garlic.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and wrap tightly in foil.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until soft and cloves have turned golden brown.

Once cool, squeeze the garlic cloves out of the skin and into a small bowl and mash with a fork until smooth.*

You can also smear it over toasted bread...yum yum!!!

Leftover soup tends to thicken up a little too much, but can easily be thinned out by adding water or vegetable broth.

Topping ideas: chopped avocado,diced jalapenos, green onions, vegan sour cream, or red chili pepper flakes.

GREEN PESTO SPAGHETTI AND BLUEBERRY SPICE CRUMB BARS

Yesterday I Made:

GREEN PESTO SPAGHETTI for DINNER.

This is my attempt at recreating one of our favorite dishes from Shojin, LA's only VEGAN- ORGANIC and GOURMET Japanese restaurant.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti mixed in a basil walnut pesto with sauteed kale, cauliflower, red chili pepper flakes, and pine nuts.

Simple dish, yet so full of flavor.

I think I may have succeeded in copying this dish!!!

It was AWESOME!!!

And for dessert, I made the BLUEBERRY SPICE BRUMB BARS from VEGAN COOKIES INVADE YOUR COOKIE JAR by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.

A spelt shortbread crust with a sweet blueberry layer and a crumb topping.

This recipe actually got better the second day, because the bottom crust hardened up and held its shape.

So make it a day ahead and refrigerate.