Strawberry Scones

While visiting my family in South Florida during spring break, my mom and I had an excellent lunch at Farmer's Table in Boca.  On our way out, we noticed the little take-out cafe on the side had 3(!!!) vegan dessert options, including a fabulous blueberry scone.  The next day, I got the itch to bake.  Although we didn't have an blueberries at home, we did have some beautiful fresh Florida strawberries.  I did a quick Google search and found a recipe that I was able to vegan-ize quite easily.  The original recipe can be found here.


Strawberry Scones:

• 1 cup strawberries, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 4 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons Earth Balance, cut into cubes and softened
• 2/3 cup almond milk + 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 400.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Sprinkle strawberries with 1/2 tablespoon of sugar and set aside.  Combine 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt with a fork.  Using a pastry cutter, cut in Earth Balance.  Stir in strawberries.  Then add almond milk mixture and vanilla.  Use a spatula to gently stir the dough until it comes together.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead the dough gently, adding a little bit of flour at a time if the dough is too sticky.  Press the dough into a circle that's about 3/4 of an inch thick.  Cut the circle into 8 wedges.  Place the wedges on your prepared cookie sheet, about 1/2 an inch of space between each wedge.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle scones with remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar, then bake 5-10 more minutes until very lightly golden brown and the tops spring back when touched.  Do not over bake, because you do not want dry scones!

I enjoyed mine warm out of the oven with a cup of Earl Grey tea.  These would also be great with some vegan pastry cream on the side.  You could also sub other fruits for the strawberries.  Let me know what scone creations you make!

Deviled Potatoes

I found this recipe while browsing my favorite vegan websites one night.  Now, I don't think I ever actually ate a traditional deviled egg before I was vegan, as I don't really like mayonnaise or really hard boiled eggs that much.  But this recipe looked delicious and simple and perfect for vegan Easter.  It would also be an impressive item for any potluck or picnic.

I followed the recipe found here and added some garlic and onion powder.  Garnish with paprika and dill.

Italian Apple Cake with Pastry Cream

The Original

Do you all remember my post from last summer about the best meal I ever ate?  At a family owned Tuscan vineyard I had a delicious, five course lunch that ended with an outrageously good dessert: pear cake with pastry cream and macerated strawberries.  I've thought a lot about the meal but I never dreamed of veganizing it until a few weeks ago.  There's a new vegan company that makes "The Vegg" a vegan egg yolk product.  They sent me a package for free but I didn't know what I would do with it.  Fast forward last week to when I was watching the Barefoot Contessa at my parents house while on spring break.  She made strawberry tarts with pastry cream.  As she beat five egg yolks with sugar it was like a lightbulb went off in my head.  I can do that now!  I found a recipe for Italian apple cake that seemed very similar to the pear cake I add.  And then I spent yesterday bringing it all together.

The Vegan

Pastry Cream (adapted from Ina Garten):

• 2 teaspoons of the vegg + 1/2 cup almond milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups scalded almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon Earth Balance buttery spread
• 1 tablespoon vegan coffee creamer (or more almond milk)

In a small blender blend the vegg with almond milk.  It will look and smell like real egg yolks almost instantly, it's crazy.  In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment beat the yolks with sugar on medium high speed for 4 minutes, until thick.  Reduce to low speed and add the cornstarch.

Keep the mixer on low then add the scalded milk.  Pour all of the mixture back into a saucepan and cook on low heat.  Stir with a wooden spoon constantly, until it thickens.  This will take about 5 to 7 minutes.  When it appears to be almost boiling switch to a whisk and whisk vigorously for two minutes.  When the mixture is very thick, like a pudding, add the vanilla, butter, and creamer.  Pour the pastry cream into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and cool in the fridge.  Serve cold.


Apple Cake (original recipe here):

• Earth Balance buttery spread + flour for dusting the pan
• 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flax seed + 6 tablespoons water)
• 1 Ener-G egg (1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg + 2 tablespoons water)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery spread, melted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (I used granny smith)
• Powdered sugar for dusting as a garnish

 Preheat the oven to 350.  Butter and flour an 8-inch spring form pan.

Combine the flax and Ener-G eggs with sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment.  Beat for about 5 minutes, until thick.  Gradually add the flour, milk, and butter.  Scrape down the sides after adding each ingredient.  Increase speed to medium high and beat for 3 minutes.  Add the baking powder and vanilla, beating for an additional 2 minutes.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan.  Arrange the apple slices vertically, core side down.  Begin laying the apple slices at the outside of the pan, working to the center.

Bake for about 50 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for ten minutes, then remove the sides of the pan.  Dust with powdered sugar and serve with pastry cream and fresh fruit.    

Southwestern Style Pizza

I'm sorry about the hiatus but I'll spare you with my whining about how busy grad school makes me and get straight to this recipe.  I make pizza roughly once a week.  I usually make a BBQ tofu pizza (which eventually I'll post the recipe for that one too) but this past week I wanted something different.  I had a package of Daiya pepperjack style shreds instead of mozzarella, and that was the basis for my inspiration.  I poked around my pantry, freezer, fridge, and produce bowl and came up with this beauty.

Southwestern Pizza:

• 1 recipe pizza dough (your favorite or pick it up from your local grocery store)
• Tomato sauce (I think salsa would also be great)
• Daiya pepperjack cheese
• Nutritional yeast
• 1/3 cup corn kernels (canned or defrosted frozen)
• 1/3 cup cooked black beans
• 1/2 small onion, sliced (red onion would also be good)
• 1 tablespoon minced cilantro
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced

Preheat your oven to 450 (or whatever temperature is recommended for your pizza dough recipe).  Shape your dough on a pizza pan.  Spread your preferred amount of sauce.  Spread a thin amount of cheese.  Even spread corn, beans, onion, and cilantro.  Top with sliced avocado, then sprinkle a bit more cheese and nutritional yeast.  Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the crust is brown and the cheese is brown and bubbly.  Slice and serve.

If you're skeptical about baking avocado, I also think topping your cooked pizza with homemade guacamole would also be delicious.  Other potential toppings would be vegan chorizo, bell peppers, or jalapenos.  The possibilities are endless!

Alfajores

For me, it just wouldn't be Christmas without alfajores.  Alfajores are a shortbread type of cookie, with dulce de leche in the middle.  My best friend's family is from Peru (and Bolivia) and she and her mom always make me alfajores for Christmas, as they are my all time favorite cookie.  Having recently gone vegan, they expressed their sadness that I would no longer be able to eat their alfajores.  I took this as a challenge.  And thankfully, I succeeded!  I will be bringing these to our Christmas Eve dinner, as I think they could fool any omni alfajor expert.

Alfajores:

• 2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar + more for dusting
• Zest of half a lime
• 11 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery spread, divided
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Combine coconut milk, 1 tablespoon Earth Balance buttery spread, and brown sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat. When almost boiling reduce heat and simmer for 45-60 minutes, until thick like dulce de leche. Cool.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350.  Combine flour, powdered sugar, and lime zest in a large mixing bowl.  Add the buttery spread and mix with an eletric hand mixer. Mix until a dough ball is formed. It's ok if it's slightly crumbly.  Roll out dough on a floured surface until 1/4 inch thick.  Use a shot glass to cut out the cookies. Place cookies on a greased cookie sheet (or line with parchment paper).  Bake for 5-7 until the edges are barely light brown. Cool.  Make cookie sandwiches by spreading the cooled dulce de leche inbetween two cookies.  Dust finished cookies with powdered sugar.

Christmas Party 2012

Last night I had a Christmas party for my new grad school friends.  They came over to help decorate my tree, watch Elf (best Christmas movie ever?), and share in some general Christmas cheer since the semester is finally over.  I provided them with a few snacks that everyone seemed to enjoy.  For the savory I had some celery and carrot sticks with hummus.  I also made a vegan goat cheese spread which was really delicious and served with triscuits.  The recipe for the cheese can be found here.  I also made the mushroom bruschetta from my friend's blog Vegan Pandamonium.  The only thing I changed was adding 1/4 cup or so of nutritional yeast.  A few of my friends felt it necessary to sample the mushrooms right out of the pan.  It's such a simple recipe but very impressive.  Definitely a crowd pleaser.

For the sweet I made the sugar cookies from Vegan Heartland.  I set up a decorating station with four different colors of frosting and some sprinkles.  Everyone had a lot of fun with this.  And you can send the guests home with their creations.

And a Christmas party wouldn't be complete without some hot chocolate.  I'm not sure which blog my friend found the recipe from but it was super simple and delicious.

Vegan Crockpot Hot Chocolate:

• 4 cups original almond milk (soy would probably work well too)
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Add all of the ingredients in your crockpot.  Whisk together until there are no lumps.  Put on the lid and turn your crockpot on low.  Cook for four hours, stirring occasionally.  I served it with a candy cane for stirring, giving it a nice peppermint flavor.  A friend also brought peppermint schnapps if you like even more peppermint. 

Pumpkin Waffles

Vegan Mofo is winding down but it feels like fall is finally starting here in Florida.  For brunch yesterday I made the pumpkin waffles from the Post Punk Kitchen.  They were amazing!  Delicious and tasting like fall.  I already had almost everything on hand and just did some simple substitutions for what I didn't have.  The recipe turned out perfect and it made a ton!  I now have breakfast for the rest of the week. 

Pumpkin Waffles from the PPK:

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons almond milk
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 15 oz canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine almond milk and vinegar, let curdle.  Sift together dry ingredients.  Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk together.  Pour wet into dry and stir until combined.  Prepare waffles in your waffle iron.  Serve with Earth Balance and real maple syrup.

Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer and reheat in the toaster.

Central Florida Veg Fest

 Have I mentioned how much I love living in an area that has not one, but two Veg Fests?  Because I really really love it.  The boyfriend and I hopped on I-4 yesterday to get to the Central Florida Veg Fest in Orlando, only about an hour drive from us.  We got there just in time to hear Dr. Melanie Joy speak.  Her presentation was awesome.  As a graduate student in sociology I find Dr. Joy to be really inspiring as she teaches both sociology and psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston.  I was able to talk to her afterwards and she was really nice and approachable.

But let's get on to the most important thing: the food.  We started out sharing a plate of vegan nachos with chili and queso.  Easily my favorite last year it definitely claimed that place in my heart again.  The added pieces of tempeh to the chili.  They were messy and delicious, exactly what nachos should be. 

We also had a meatball sub that I failed to take a picture of.  We scarfed it down pretty quickly; it was delicious.  As if we hadn't eaten enough food already we shared the combo plate of Indian food: a samosa, rice, stewed chickpeas, and jalebi (fried dough soaked in syrup).  We love Indian food and for $5, the plate was a bargain.

So after the nachos, sub, and Indian food we still had room for dessert.  The boyfriend had a chocolate cupcake with fall spice and cayenne frosting.  It was really good, he loved it.  I had the pumpkin espresso cupcake, a perfect taste of fall.  Overall, we had an awesome time.  I can't wait for 2013 so we can do it all over again!

ATL

 The boyfriend and I took a road trip to Atlanta last weekend to visit his family.  We had an awesome time.  We didn't get to eat at quite as many local Atlanta restaurants as I would have liked but we did find a pretty awesome vegetarian Chinese restaurant for a late lunch on Sunday afternoon.  It was a bit of a fiasco finding it, but really great once we did.

We shared an appetizer of crispy chicken drumsticks which was served with hot sauce.  The drumsticks were awesome.  The crispy outside reminded me of crispy skin, a texture I haven't had replicated too many times since being veg*n.  

 The boyfriend had a spicy eggplant and chicken dish for his main course, but I forgot to snap a picture.  I was a little to enthralled with my own dish.  Crispy orange beef with broccoli and a side of rice.  Oh.  My.  God.  The crispy pieces of beef were awesome and I loved the slightly spicy orange sauce.  It was one of my favorite Chinese dishes I've ever had.

For dessert we shared a mango bubble tea.  We're boba lovers so it was a pleasant surprise to find some in Atlanta.

I'd really love to go back to Atlanta to eat at some of the places we missed, especially Soul Vegetarian.  Any Atlanta people have recommendations for visitors?

My First Vegan Food Swap

 This was my first month participating in the vegan food swap organized by The Verdant Life.  I received my box from Amie at Whole Soul Vegan.  A fellow Floridian, she sent me a great box of goodies.  And most of it is snacks, perfect to bring with me to my prison cell of a graduate assistant office.  There's seaweed snacks (which I've been dying to try), granola, soup, tea, couscous, an oatmeal raisin cookies, almond butter, and ginger chews.  I can't wait to dig in.  Thanks Amie!

I'm mailing my box out to my lucky recipient today.  I did a Florida themed box with all the ingredients plus the recipe for my key lime pie.  She lives in Rhode Island so I think it will be a nice reminder of summer during the cold winter months.  I hope she enjoys her box as much as I've enjoyed mine.

October was the last month for the vegan food swap this year but you can still sign up for when it starts again in 2013.

Taco Bus

Taco Bus is kind of a big deal.  They're a local legend here in Tampa, pretty much with a cult following.  They've been featured on cable t.v. several times, including a feature on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  The cool part about that feature was they showed two dishes including one vegetarian option!  I always take my family to Taco Bus when they're in town because it has something for everyone.  But most importantly, the food is just super delicious.

The vegetarian (vegan when you ask for no cheese) options at Taco Bus include tofu, tempeh, "steak" strips, and my personal favorite, butternut squash.  On Saturdays and Sundays they also make vegan tamales.  I always get the same thing, the taco meal deal: two butternut squash tacos, rice, and beans.  It never disappoints.  In the gigantic cup is pineapple agua fresca, which is pretty much like drinking liquid pineapple.

I can't say enough good things about Taco Bus.  Seriously, if you're ever in the Tampa Bay area you have to check out Taco Bus!

I'm heading to Atlanta pretty soon for a mini vacation so if you have any recommendations on where to eat leave a comment!

Homemade Vegan Sausage

For my Chopped Vegan Brunch entry I made sausage gravy using homemade vegan sausage.  I used two for the gravy and the other two for a marinara sauce the next night for dinner.  The recipe is incredibly simple and the only ingredient I had to pick up for the recipe was vital wheat gluten. 

The recipe calls for the use of a steamer basket which is a kitchen gadget I don't have.  So I thought I'd share with you my inventive, homemade steamer.  You know those store bought pie crusts that come in a disposable pie plate?  Save that plate and poke a bunch of holes in it.  Put the plate on the top of a pot of simmering water.  And tada! You have a homemade steamer.

Tampa Bay Veg Fest 2012

 It's that time of year again.  The time of year that I attend not one, but two, veg fests.  This Saturday was act one, the 3rd annual Tampa Bay Veg Fest.  While it was still hot out it wasn't scorching with 98% humidity like Tampa has been all summer.  With the park being on the water there was even a nice breeze.  Perfect weather for the strawberry limeade I downed in about two minutes. 

The food vendors were pretty much the same as last year.  And I ended up eating what I had last year.  I'm a creature of habit.  Sammi had the giant Italian sausage with the works on the left.  I had the regular sized hot dog with onions, relish, and ketchup on the right.  Don't they look like a mommy and baby hot dog?

Of course, I'm all about dessert.  And I absolutely love this frozen banana soft serve from the Gone Bananas truck.  I had mine with "cookie crumbs" (which turned out to be two whole oreo cookies), graham crackers, and chocolate syrup.  It was divine.

I wish there had been more new vendors at veg fest this year.  That being said, I still had an awesome time.  The food was delicious and the weather was great.  I love that I live in a place that celebrates veganism at least once a year!

Chopped Vegan Brunch Round

It's another round of Chopped Vegan!  Again, I'm pretty impressed with myself.  This round was brunch so I could have gone sweet or savory.  The mystery basket contained butternut squash, fresh rosemary, popcorn, and apricot preserves.  I made Rosemary Sausage Gravy over Butternut Squash Biscuits and Rosemary Potatoes with Apricot Popcorn.  It's a mouthful to say, but a mouthful of awesome when you eat it.  The salty savory potatoes go surprisingly well with the sweet popcorn.

Butternut Squash Biscuits:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance (or other vegan margarine), cold
• 1 cup homemade butternut squash puree 
• 1/3 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar

In a bowl mix the squash puree, almond milk, and sugar; set aside.  In a food processor combine all other ingredients.  Pulse until the margarine is pea sized.  Add the squash mixture.  Pulse until a dough ball is formed.  Roll dough out on a floured surface.  Using a biscuit cutter, cut and drop biscuits until a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 12-15 minutes in a 425 oven, until the tops are golden brown.  Serve warm under gravy.  Or with margarine and agave or maple syrup.

Rosemary Sausage Gravy:

• 2 homemade vegan sausages, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

 In a saute pan over medium heat brown the sausages in olive oil.  Once brown add the rosemary and coat the sausage in flour.  Stir in milk.  Let the mixture simmer until thick.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over butternut squash biscuits.

Rosemary Potatoes and Apricot Popcorn

• 3 large red potatoes, chopped into even pieces
• Olive oil
• 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups salted popcorn, preferably homemade
• 2 tablespoons apricot preserves

Coat potatoes with olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper.  Roast in a 425 oven for 15-20 minutes, until cooked and slightly crispy.  Meanwhile, pop your corn with just a bit of salt.  Toss hot popcorn with apricot preserves, coating the corn.  Mix with roasted potatoes.  Serve with biscuits and gravy.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ever since I got an iPhone for my birthday I've been really bad about using a camera.  And I've also become kind of crazy about instagram.  So excuse the instagram photo.

I started graduate school in August.  I'm loving it and I've made new friends really quickly.  One of my new friends had a birthday in September and her favorite dessert is red velvet cake.  Wanting to let my new friends know how awesome vegan desserts can be, I made cupcakes for the M.A. students on her birthday.

I found the recipe for the cake here.  Instead of making 2 8-inch rounds as the recipe calls for I made about 20 cupcakes.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops spring back and a toothpick comes out clean. 

I topped the cupcakes with homemade cream cheese frosting.  That recipe can be found from the early days of the blog here. 

*Make sure the red food coloring you use is vegan.  Alternatively, you can substitute with an equal amount of fresh beet juice!

Paris Cafe

When I was in high school about once a month or so my school would have "late start days".  Sometimes I would sleep in, but more often my friends and I would meet downtown for brunch before going to school.  I'm not sure which friend found this gem, but the Paris Cafe was where we went.  The food has always been consistently fantastic.  The place is fairly vegetarian friendly, but this was my first time back as a vegan.

The options were more limited but I really enjoyed what I ordered.  It was the Moulin Rogue salad; mixed green, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and pistachios.  They also serve a house made tarragon dressing with almost all of their salads.   I'm not a huge fan of salad dressing but I'm tell you I could drink this stuff!  It's seriously the best salad dressing I've ever had.  And they serve it to you in a super cute Eiffel tower bottle.  Also served along with your salad is a big chunk of fresh baguette.  It's an awesome place and I highly recommend it if you're ever in downtown West Palm Beach.

Holy Guacamole

Probably like most people I go through cycles with recipes.  I'll find something I like, make it once a week for a month or two, then kind of forget about it for another few months.  Then one day I'll think, it's been a while since I've had ____, and then the cycle starts again.  Enter empenadas.  I've posted two different recipes for empenadas on the blog before.  And to be honest I never make the recipe the same way twice. 

The filling always consists of whatever I have in my fridge and/or freezer.  Today I used half a package of Boca meat crumbles, a can of black beans, red onion, garlic, cilantro, and spinach.  Then I sprinkled a tablespoon or so of taco seasoning.  Top that mixture with some pepper-jack Daiya cheese and that makes one tasty empenada.  In the past I used Goya brand empenada shells, which aren't vegan.  But I found another brand in the same section of the grocery store that is vegan.

I served these with yellow rice (Mahatma brand is vegan) and homemade guacamole.  Guacamole is a new passion of mine.  I simply can't get enough of it.  When I saw a recipe for a copycat of Chipotle's guacamole on Pinterest I knew I had to try it. 

Chipotle Guacamole:

• 2-3 ripe avocados
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• 1/2-1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• Juice of one lime
• Salt to taste

Mash avocado with a fork, it can be chunky.  Mix with all other ingredients.  Serve with empenadas, tacos, or tortilla chips.

Vegan in an Omni Family

 A few months ago I was the only vegetarian in my family.  It had been a little over three years and it seemed like everyone had finally adjusted.  And then I told them I was going vegan.  So now I'm even weirder, still the only one who doesn't eat animals, but now I don't eat their secretions either.

My family is very supportive of my choice to be vegan.  To me it seems like one of their primary concerns is how we're going to eat together as a family.  I'm vegan, my sister is notoriously picky, and my dad would eat junk every day if my mom let him.  So when we find gems like BurgerFi it's a very happy occasion. 

It's a burger joint, so obviously there's a whole lot of animal flesh going on.  But they do have an AWESOME veggie quinoa burger.  Seriously, probably the best veggie burger I've ever had.  Restaurants like this are great because they show my family that just because I'm vegan doesn't mean I can't share meals with them.  In fact, there are many places we can share a meal that satisfies all of us.  We each had our own burger with the fixings we wanted and shared/devoured a bucket of well done, super crispy french fries.  It was a great lunch.

If your family is hesitant about you adopting an animal-free diet I think it's really helpful to not only cook for your family, but find restaurants that serve all of your unique tastes.  That way they realize that you can still share meals together and that you're not missing out on anything.  My mom had a bite of my quinoa burger and loved it!  It's unrealistic to think that we can change our families, but we can come together and share delicious meals and have honest conversations about our values of compassion and kindness.

And just to reiterate, this was the best veggie burger I've ever had.  Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside.  And they have all sorts of cool toppings.  I had lettuce, tomato, grilled onion, pickles, and ketchup.  Be sure to tell them to hold the cheese. Hindsight, some avocado would have been great as well.  Not pictured is the glass of strawberry lemonade I had which was also amazing.

Onion Rolls

Oh onion rolls, how I love thee.  I've made these probably about ten times now.  They never get old.  They're always perfect.  Even though I know I usually eat two tempeh sandwiches, meaning two rolls, I always have to sample an extra one straight out of the oven.  You know, for quality control.

Onion Rolls:

• 1 cup lukewarm water 
• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance
• 1 egg replacer (1 1/2 tablespoon oil + 1 1/2 tablespoon water + 1 teaspoon baking powder)
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast
• 3 tablespoons minced dried onion, plus more for topping
• 1-2 tablespoons soymilk

Using a stand mixer with the dough hook, combine first 8 ingredients.  Mix on low until a ball forms.   Place dough ball in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a towel.  Place in a warm spot and let rise for at least 1 hour, until doubled in size.  Roll out dough into a 12x17 rectangle.  Sprinkle dough with the minced onion.  Roll the dough into a log, sealing the ends and the seam.  Cut the dough into 10-12 rolls.  Places the rolls on a lightly greased cookie sheet, then flatten with your hand.  Cover with a towel and let rise for another hour, until they're very puffy.  Remove the towel.  Brush the rolls with soymilk and sprinkle with more minced onion.  Bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown.  Cool slightly.  Slice in half to use as sandwich rolls. 

First Year of Vegan Mofo

This is my first year participating in Vegan Mofo (month of food).  Some bloggers have a theme they try to work on for the month.  For me, as a new vegan, my theme is simply what I'm eating on a regular basis and how I'm dealing with the transition from vegetarian to vegan.  And one thing I'm eating a lot is this BBQ tempeh sandwich with coleslaw and sweet potato fries.  I found the recipe through the Kind Life.  I make it about two or three times a month now.  The recipe can be found here.  I've also been trying to make the onion rolls that I serve the sandwich on.  Because what's better than homemade bread?  I'll post my recipe for onion rolls later this week.  And if there is anything you'd like to see on the blog during Vegan Mofo just let me know!