Makin' Whoopie, Gluten-Free Style

I haven't had a whoopie pie in...probably 4 years.  I've had some of the most delicious food of my life since becoming vegan; but let's face it - I never thought I would have a real, indulgent, cakey, cream-filled, rich, I-shouldn't-have-eaten-that-whole-thing whoopie pie again. 

I thought wrong. 

I set out to make vegan whoopie today, and since my few adventures with gluten-free baking have resulted in a this-is-even-better-than-with-wheat-flour outcome, I went GF to boot.  These pies are moist, rich, and dark like my favorite chocolate cake.

I filled mine with a simple whipped coconut cream, because I was never wild about the over-the-top sugar and shortening thing (or the belly-full-of-yuck-feeling after the fact), but I'm originally from the Live Free or Die state, so stuff these puppies with whatcha like. 

Makin' Whoopie (makes about seven 3-1/2-inch, filled pies):

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. 

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl:
1-1/2 cups white rice flour
1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
1-1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xantham gum

Beat wet ingredients in separate bowl:
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup Earth Balance buttery spread (or more coconut oil), at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/8 cup almond milk & 1 tsp vinegar
2 Tbsp instant coffee granules

Add dry ingredients to wet in batches, and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Using a 1/4-cup scoop, place batter on prepared pan, about six scoops per pan.  Bake for 18 minutes, and transfer to cooling rack.

Filling:

2 cans full-fat coconut milk, that has been in the fridge for at least 6 hours (only use the thick part at the top)
2 Tbsp confectioner's sugar

(I've had the best results with this brand)

Whip with electric mixer until fluffy (will thicken even more in the fridge).

Scoop a quarter cup onto half of your cooled pies, and lid with the other half.

The taste test...

 

Oh my...

 

 Nom....nom...

 

Ummm....
Store the survivors in the fridge...

 

Hubbard & Cupboard Stew

An overnight in Maine with girlfriends...complete with a pub, a great concert in the pouring rain, up-til-2AM chatting, shopping, a stop at Big G's for lunch, and a roadside squash purchase from a cute little old Frenchman...makes for a great start to a 3-day weekend.  Day 3 I've spent in the kitchen, with my girls and the neighbor girls running in and out and eating apples from our tree out front. 

It's a beautiful Autumn-is-near kind of day.  I made a pea soup and a veggie stew and roasted some veggies (eggplant, onion, peppers).  There are whoopie pies in the oven, and apple pie is on deck for this evening.  I love these kinds of Sundays. 

The veggie stew today was inspired by a couple purchases from my girls night away...blue Hubbard squash and Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix.  I love love love winter squash.  Leave the peel right on if it's local/organic.  I love the texture, and you get the extra nutrients that otherwise would be tossed in the compost. 

Hubbard & Cupboard Stew!  It's chunky, thick, and stick to your ribs.

In a large soup pot, in 2 Tbsp EVOO, sauté 5-10 minutes:

5-6 stalks of celery, sliced
2 onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1-1/2 cups carrots, chopped
S&P and garlic powder (eyeball it)
6 small yellow potatoes, cubed

Add:
8-10 cups water (and/or vegetable broth)
2 cups Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix (or a combo of split green and yellow peas, barley, lentils, and tiny pasta)

Simmer for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add 8 cups blue Hubbard squash, chopped into large chunks (about 1 x 2 inches).

Simmer another 25 minutes.

With a bowl of this in hand and the smells of fall treats baking...the thought of Monday just won't seem so bad.

Balance (aka Pesto, Oatmeal, Fries, and Cremees)

Today we journeyed home from a 3-nighter at Lake Carmi State Park.  We've been camping there for years:  First as a couple, then as young parents, and now with our tweens. We went several years with my best friend and her family too.  One year I even found out I was pregnant with our second daughter, right there in the campground's restroom. 

This year, the girls spent most of their waking hours scootering and biking.  We went for a lot of walks.  My husband and I went for a run together one morning.  We kayaked in the afternoon.  We did a lot of reading around the campfire.  And we had nightly treats that I normally wouldn't condone, at least not on a consecutive-day basis.  But, we did get a fair amount of activity in.  It's once a year.  I shaved my Food-Nazi mustache off and broke out the boxed brownie mix and pie iron, and shared in the girls' excitement when they heard the ice cream truck making its rounds.  Balance. 

Friday morning before we headed north, I had made up a double batch of pesto with basil from my tiny garden.  Over the weekend, my eldest daughter and I dipped into it with rice crackers and baked tortilla chips, tossed it in rigatoni, and even dolloped it on campfire pizza (multigrain dough, Daiya cheese, marinara, onions, shrooms, the pesto....magnifico!)  One morning I had a tofu/pesto/greens breakfast sandwich on oatmeal bread toast.  And we still brought some back home with us.

Lemony Pesto (single batch - makes about 3/4 of a cup):

2 cups fresh basil
4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup walnuts
2 Tbsp miso
Pepper
1/8 cup water
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 Tbsp EVOO

Whiz up in the food processor until desired consistency, and refrigerate. 

About 5 miles from the campground is Hartman's Farm Stand, which we'd visit daily for corn and other treats such as blueberries, a giant tomato, lettuce, cantaloupe, and...ground cherries.  When I picked one of the little husk-covered things up and questioned the farm-stand lady, she told me what they were and said they tasted like a blend of (insert 5 different fruits here)..."ending with a nutty aftertaste."  I really still can't tell you what they do taste like, but they're sweet and benign enough so that my veg/fruit-picky husband approved of them.  One website described the flavor as a cross between a cherry tomato and pineapple.  Maybe.  Upon some research, I realized I've had them dried (golden berries, they were called), and fresh is definitely preferable.  The second morning at the campground, I threw some in my oatmeal with sunflower seeds. Yum.

The third and last morning I also made oatmeal:

Campground Oats (amounts estimated due to no proper measuring devices on the premises)

1/2 cup of old-fashioned oatmeal
1+ cup water
1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling (I used Farmer's Market Organic brand)
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
1/3 cup blueberries

Cook all in a saucepan (I used our propane tabletop stove), stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until thick. 
Turn off the heat, and mix in about 1/2 a cup of hemp milk.  Top off your coffee so it's good and hot alongside.

As I ate my final breakfast this morning, I watched the girls reading in their chairs by the unlit fire ring, took in the fresh air, greens and browns and blues all around, wishing we had at least one more day.  It seems it takes me 36 hours just to get into Relax Mode, and then I'm left with only another 24 hours to truly enjoy.

 

But alas, we had to pack up and head out.  We made an impromptu roadside lunch stop in Montpelier.  I mentioned Balance, didn't I? 

The Dairy Creme. 

I became giddy when I realized they offered about 30 soft-serve flavors, and they all could be made NON-DAIRY!  So after I devoured my tub of fries smothered in vinegar and ketchup, I ordered up a "white birthday cake"-flavored cremee in a dish. 

Healthy?  No.  Processed-soy and sugar-filled?  Surely.  Did I care?  Hell no. 

Ice cream is not something I generally crave anymore.  Once in awhile I'll buy a pint of the coconut- or almond-milk variety and swirl in some peanut butter as a bedtime snack.  But having something other than sorbet, and so many flavor options to boot, with my kids at an ice cream stand was a fun treat.  Hopefully this non-dairy thing will become a new trend in these parts.  But then again maybe it's a good thing the Montpelier Dairy Creme is not conveniently close enough to become a habit.

When we got home and mostly unpacked I rushed out to pick all my sungold tomatoes that grow alongside the basil, and wild blackberries from the bushes up on the bank.  The dog munched with me as I picked.  It's good to be home, to know our other pets made the weekend OK without us.  And it will be good to sleep on a real mattress tonight.

Tomorrow morning I'll go for a long run, to sweat out the cremees and fries stuck to my thighs and memory.  Then I'll process the six dozen ears of corn we brought home from the farm stand.  In January when we're boiling up freezer-fresh cobs, we'll take heart that another long August weekend by the lake....with treats, healthy fun, and campfires...is coming.

Orange-Glazed Seitan Ribs & Asian Slaw

We just got back from a week-long trip to Indiana and Kentucky.  Despite all the wonderful (and delicious) hospitality, and living on snacks from the cooler on the other end of the spectrum, it was so good to be barefootin' in my own kitchen again yesterday.  I whipped up a couple recipes I'd seen on-line that I thought would complement each other, and with the usual few adjustments had a yummy summer dinner with the family. 

The Slaw

Whisk the dressing:

1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 Tbsp liquid aminos
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sriracha sauce
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 minced garlic clove

Pour over:

1 bag broccoli slaw (4-5 cups)
2 cups shredded carrots
1 red pepper, sliced thin
1 cup cooked, shelled edamame
2 medium scallions, sliced thin
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup loosely packed, chopped cilantro

Toss and refrigerate.

The Ribs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Make the seitan:

1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic (or onion) powder

3/4 c water
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp liquid aminos
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp grated fresh ginger

Mix dry ingredients in one bowl.  Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  Then mix together, and knead gently for a couple minutes.  Pat into a sprayed 7 x 7- or 8 x 8-inch baking pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the glaze:

1 clove garlic, minced.
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup orange juice
1/8 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1-1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp liquid aminos
1/2 tsp sriracha sauce
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water

Whisk together.  Pour over the seitan and bake for an additional 20 minutes, til bubbly and thickened.  Cut into 16 finger-lickin' slices. 
You could try throwing them on the grill for a few minutes at this point, to get some smoky flavor and grill marks.

 

Groundnut Stew

I really love anything sweet and spicy, peanut buttery, or sweet potato-y.  So, the combo in groundnut stew has always screamed to me.  Ever since having it at a local Ethiopian restaurant eons ago for the first time, served with Injera bread, I've been in love.  Mmmmm!  Here's the rendition I made tonight.  I can happily say I'll be feasting on it out of my lunch box all week. 

Saute for 4-5 minutes in a medium-sized pot:
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1 can diced green chiles

Add and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes (til potatoes are tender):
2 cups diced sweet potato
2 14-oz cans stewed tomatoes
2 cups water
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1-1/2 tsp each:  Dried thyme, salt, cumin

Stir in:
1/2 cup peanut butter

and then:
2 cups baby spinach


Serve as is, over rice, and/or if you're lucky enough to have some on hand - some of that yummy Injera I mentioned up top. 
 

Pasta Abruzzese

 

A couple weeks ago I had my girls go through some cookbooks looking for recipes they might like to try, creativity being at an all-time low and cookbooks being plentiful but neglected. 

This one comes from Rachael Ray's original 30-Minute Meals.  I'm not sure about the title of the recipe, honestly, but with a brief Google search I was informed that Abruzzo is a region in Italy, so perhaps this dish originated there...or...something.  All you really need to know is it's easy and surprisingly delicious for all its simplicity (but then again most things in life are). 

I thought the fennel might be an overwhelming flavor in the dish, but it was really mild and lovely.  Daughter #1 and I gobbled down bowls of this for a few days.  Definitely a new favorite.

Makes about 6 servings

1 pkg Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage sausage (or other sweet sausage of your choice)
1 yellow onion, diced
1 bulb fennel, tops and tough outer layer removed, diced fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
1-1/2 tsp Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken Base
1 28-oz can organic diced tomatoes
A sprinkling of dried or fresh parsley

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion, fennel, and garlic.  Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in water, No-Chicken Base, and tomatoes. 

Crumble the sausage and add to the skillet along with the parsley.  Stir, and bring to a bubble.

Serve over pasta (which in this case happened to be a mixture of shells and spaghetti).

I added some greens to the leftovers the next day...because everything is better with leafy greens.

I'd like to think the Abruzzosians would approve.

Taco Soup...Slainte!?

This afternoon I ran a St. Patty's Day 5K.  I put more effort in than usual.  And then I came home, told my battle stories, listened to the family talk about their day, did some laundry, changed the sheets, fed and watered the chickens, and made an elaborate Irish meal to celebrate our heritage.  Ok, that last bit was a lie.  Just save this one for Cinco de Mayo...

1 pkg veggie crumbles (I used Lightlife SmartGround Original, or just leave out if you're not into it)
2 pkgs taco seasoning (I used Simply Organic Southwest Taco, or make your own)
1 28-oz can organic diced tomatoes, UNdrained
1 28-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1-1/2 cups mixed frozen veggies (or just corn)
About 3 cups cooked pasta (I used leftovers, but you could certainly cook dry pasta right in the soup)
About a quart of water, or add until you get the soup-ish-ness you like

Throw everything in a soup pot.  Cook til heated through.  That's it.

 Sprinkle with your favorite nondairy cheddar, taco chips, or whatever other toppings you like.

And now you know why I made it for dinner tonight.  It's soup-er hearty, quick, and easy. 
And I'm one whooped senorita leprechaun.

Seitan Cutlets &Truffle Mashed Potato

It was 'Backwoods meets New York City' here on the hill tonight.  A few weeks ago I overheard a friend raving about the truffle mashed potato she had at a restaurant.  TV is as close to a truffle as I've ever come; and given that truffles are considered a delicacy and that I consider mashed potato by itself a valid reason for living, I decided I'd give it a whirl.

I also tried a new chicken-esque seitan recipe today.  It's a keeper.  It was far less spongy than others I've tried, and the noochy saucy crust that forms at the end of cooking was difficult to keep my hungry paws out of...so hot and delicious out of the pan!

So, anyway...let's bring this meal together:

You can find the recipe for the seitan cutlets here:  http://thevegetariancarnivore.blogspot.ca/2010/02/seitan-chicken-its-whats-for-dinner.html
Notes/changes I made:  Instead of bouillon powder, I used "Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base," and I just used as much as the directions say on the container, for the amount of water used in the recipe. 
I kept the pan covered, on low, for about 90 minutes, flipping, until the last 20 minutes or so when I uncovered it and let the sauce concentrate until it formed a nice coating on the outside of the seitan.  I let the cutlets cool completely and then reheated for dinner in a frypan.

Mushroom topping for the cutlets:
Saute some sliced mushrooms in a bit of olive oil until browned.  Coat with a bit of flour, and cook another minute.  Slowly add veggie stock and keep moving in the pan until thickened to the consistency you like.

For the mashed potato:
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
1/4 cup Earth Balance buttery spread
2 Tbsp white truffle oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup almond-cashew cream (or other nondairy milk/cream of your choice)

Heat a pot of water to boiling, enough to cover potatoes.  Peel and dice potato and add to water.  Boil for 10-15 minutes, until fork tender.  Drain.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mash. 

My electric hand mixer went up in smoke last week, so I went old-school mashin' tonight. 

Roasted Asparagus:
Preheat oven to 350.  Trim ends from asparagus.  Place on a baking sheet, and toss in a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Mine were really thin, delicate spears and roasted up perfectly after 25 minutes.

Outcome/Impression:
While this "meat and potatoes" meal made for a totally comforting and delicious Sunday dinner, I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed with the truffle oil.  With all the hype about how magical and deep the flavor is (not to mention the expense), I expected essence of Unicorn and Rainbows with earthy golden undertones.  However, when I opened the bottle and gave a sniff and then when I tasted it in the potato, my one and only impression was:  Garlic.  It just smelled and tasted like a really nice garlic!  Perhaps my palate is too simple...perhaps this brand of truffle oil didn't do the product justice...I don't know.  But I think it'll be my first and last bottle.  Garlic is cheaper and easier to come by, after all.  If nothing else, though, "truffle breath" sounds so much more appealing than the other. 

Tempeh Tikka Masala



So, I'll confess right up front - this comes from the McCormick Recipe Inspirations spice pack/recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala.  I switched it up a bit, of course. You might have most of the necessary spices in your cupboard already, but buying a one-meal spice pack is a good way to find out if you like a spice or spice blend you haven't tried before, like garam masala (which translates to "hot mixture").  I know I like it now and won't be afraid to buy a container of it to use again in this recipe and others. 

Serves 4

2 tsp paprika
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional - this dish is pretty spicy!)
2 Tbsp Earth Balance buttery spread
12 oz tempeh, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium onions, chopped
2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
1-1/2 cup marinara sauce (or diced tomatoes)
1/3 cup almond-cashew cream (or other non-dairy cream)
1/2 tsp salt

Melt butter in a large skillet over low-medium heat.  Add tempeh chunks, onion, and lemon juice; cook and stir until onions are transparent, adding a little water if necessary.



Add all of the spices, stir, and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in marinara/tomatoes, then the cream and salt. 

Simmer until heated through. 

I simply served this over quinoa...

....but the second night I added in a layer of fresh baby spinach and baked sweet potato chunks (the sweetness helped cut some of the heat, along with adding to the delicious factor).