CHOPPED CHALLENGE: MEXICAN HOT LIPS CAKE

Vegan Mofo set forth a challenge for this weekend.  Using four ingredients that seem completely not connected in a recipe that will blow your mind.  Our ingredients were:  OOLONG black tea, plums, radishes and jalapeño peppers. My initial instinct was to create a spicy bean burger with pickled radishes and beets, with a plum ketchup.  I, in fact, did make this creation.  However, I went to go post my idea and realized someone had the same / similar idea.  Wah.  Wah.  So instead I got thinking Mexican.  I was going to then do a taco very similar to the burger.  But that was just me replacing the bun with a tortilla.  So I got thinking about Mexican desserts and decided to make a Mexican cake.  A chocolate cake with a hint of toasted jalapeño pepper seeds with a sweet and sour plum compote and sweet pickled radish for pretty factor.

THE CAKE

Ingredients:

10 -12 seeds of a jalapeño pepper toasted (over medium heat) 

1 cup of all purpose flour

2/3 cup of sugar

1/2 chopped walnuts

2 tbsp of cocoa powder

1 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of salt

1 cup of water

2 tbsp of oil

vanilla to taste

Method

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 and butter an 8 inch square cake pan.

2.  In a skillet, toast the jalapeño seeds on medium heat.  You may decide to toast all the seeds and save what you don't use for a later time in a mason jar.

3.  Mix all the dry ingredients with the toasted seeds until well incorporated.

4.  Add the oil and water and vanilla and mix until "just mixed".

5.  Place in the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes.

THE PLUM, RADISH COMPOTE

Ingredients:

1 bag of oolong tea infused in boiling water

4 tbsp of earth balance

1 plum chopped

2 peaches chopped

1/4 cup of cranberries

1/4 tsp of minced radish

1/2 cup of apple sauce (mine was homemade from my apple tree)

1 chopped apple

1-2 tbsp of sugar to taste

Method

1.  Infuse one bag of oolong tea in boiling water and set aside.  

2.  Heat a pan on medium heat and melt the butter.

3.  Place all ingredients in the skillet and bring to a boil.

4.  Keep the boil for 5 minutes and then reduce to a low simmer.

5.  The compote should thicken after 15 minutes.

6.  Serve warm or chilled.

PICKLED RADISH GARNISH

Ingredients:

1 radish sliced thinly

1 small mason jar

2 tbsp of rice vinegar or omeboshi vinegar

2 tsp of sugar

Method

1.  Mix the vinegar and sugar.

2.  Place sliced radish in the jar and infuse for 1-2 hours.

3.  Place on dessert as desired.

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To assemble the dish I placed the mexican cake on the dish and covered it with a melted mix of chocolate chips and earth balance with a few jalapeño pepper seeds.  To the side I placed the compote with a generous amount of cookie dough ice cream (because I'm pregnant and I want to).  I garnished with a piece of dark chocolate, cacao dust and the pickled radish.  

Hope you enjoy!

( Proof that I purchased the ingredients )

(proof that Vegan MoFo makes the pregnancy pain go away) 

BABY BUMP CRAVINGS: TATERS SMOTHERED IN GRAVY

So I made the Papa venture to the store to pick up a vegan mushroom gravy and packaged tater tots.  I am not the sweetest of fans and this pregnancy has mostly been a savoury one (Could it be a boy?).  It may be the last of such gluttony due to the fact that acid reflux has come on hard the past couple days.  But they were oh so good!  I'll be making some homemade stuff soon but as the Eldest Babe and I agree:  "AWESOME!!"

Happy MoFo!  And I'm still looking for pregnancy recipe ideas.  Get in my belly!

VEGAN MOFO 2014: BABY BUMP CRAVINGS THEME

TODAY'S DISH:  Buffalo Cauliflower Wings with Ranch Sauce from Hot For Food

For the past 5 years I have participated in Vegan Mofo.  It is a month where bloggers write about everything vegan.  You don't have to be vegan but you blog vegan.  This year, being the preggo that I am, I decided to have the Baby Bump Cravings theme.  It is a great way for me to meet my cravings and participate.  I plan on making some recipes up and just wingy it.  I also plan on using inspiration from other vegan bloggers, recipe books and good old pinterest.

First up, I have been dying to try cauliflower wings.  Recently I came upon the Hot For Food blog.  It is run by Lauren Toyota, a Canadian MuchMusic VJ and her partner.  Her photos are stellar and just make me salivate.  When I saw this recipe I just had to try.  

I really did love the taste but I also made a few minor mistakes which I will improve upon next time.  First, I coated the cauliflower bites too much with the batter.  It didn't crisp as I would have liked.  Parchment paper is also a must.  I had a lot of burned spots on my baking dish.  

Lastly, with regards to the ranch sauce, I suggest soaking your cashews overnight rather than the minimum 3 hours for a creamy taste.  

All in all, it tasted amazing!

If you are interested in saying hello or have any questions please comment in my comments section.  I really enjoy talking about veganism and meeting new people in the online community.  

Happy MoFoing!

  

VEGAN MOFO: COMFORT FOOD SERIES - ASIAN TOFU SLIDERS

It is getting cold outside.  Autumn in Canada is my fave season.  It brings about thoughts of harvest, cozy socks, tea and chilling with a blanket.  It is when I get most of my crafting done and recipe development.  Vegan Mofo has begun and I am too exhausted to come up with a clever theme.  So I thought..."this is the season of comfort so why not blog about comfort food!"

I plan to post all the deliciousness prepared over the next month.  There is no set schedule but if I'm feeling like a little home cooking is necessary and it is infused with nostalgia and taste, I'll be sure to bring it!!!

Tonight I was craving sliders.  I've actually never had one but for some reason the end of summer weather is making me yearn for a good tasting burger, fresh and sweet.  So I came up with Asian sliders with homemade guac and grilled pineapple.  

Asian Tofu Sliders

1 block of tofu (if you like a more raw tasting burger... If you like a mild more solid burger go for two blocks)

1/4 cup parsley

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/2 a bunch of green onion finely chopped

2 tbsp of soya sauce

1 tsp of ginger and curry spice each

2 tbsp of maple syrup

1 tsp of lemon

1.  Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until desired consistency.  I prefer very smooth.

2.  Preheat the oven to 375•

3. Heat a skillet with a generous amount of oil on medium-high heat.  Place a heaping tablespoon of the "batter" in the hot pan and press down. Cook until brown on both sides and place on an non-greased cookie sheet. 

4.  Once all patties are on the sheet place into the oven and cook for approx. 15 minutes.

COMPOSURE

Grilled pineapple

Guac

Greens

Ketchup

Sliced shallots

Sweet relish

Dijon mustard

I found that all of these components out together make the best tasting slider.  Enjoy!!! And happy vegan mofo!!!

 

VEGAN MOFO: BAKING WITH BABES

As vegan parents to vegan babes it is important to model our veganism as well as involve our babes as much as possible in the preparation, gathering and making of food.  We live in a great community surrounded by local Farms and gardens which I am hoping to be involved in the upcoming growing season, but for now we cook and eat with our babes and to us, it is important.  This morning the Littlest Big Babe helped the Papa in the kitchen with making his Sunday morning pancakes (today is a holiday so we are making them instead).  It is so fun to watch them make messes and feel the ingredients.  I think there is great satisfaction in making something.

Here are my top tips for baking with babes:

1.  If you are new to the idea, pick a day and time each week to bake a simple cookie recipe.

2.  Have all ingredients gathered beforehand and read the recipe so you can better guide them in the process.

3.  Let go of the idea of containing the mess.  It may get messy.

4.  You can write down the recipe for each child and put pictures of the ingredients beside the measurements to visually guide.

5.  Ask them what they enjoy doing.  Everyone has tasks they like.  Let them do those.

6.  Get down to their level or bring them up to yours.

7.  Invest in some baking tools for little hands.  They would definitely enjoy that trip.  

 

VEGAN MOFO: CUPCAKES AND VISITS

Today was our official day in our new home after frantically moving and cleaning the old apartment.  It has been exhausting.  For me, I am so worried about getting everything in its place.  I cannot sleep well until this and that are just so.  As I look around at the piles of boxes, the realization that my desire to settle easily may take a long time.  The Papa is exhausted for other reasons.  He literally moved our entire contents of our apartment in eight loads.  I helped a lot with our first but after that I was on baby duty, which is a bit much in itself, considering that nothing is baby proofed yet.  He also was the one who had the pleasure of going back to the old apartment (which I have separated from weeks ago).  He was the one to bid it a fond farewell.  He said goodbye to the home our babes grew up in, the room my babe was born in and their recorded heights on the doorframe.  There was no looking back as he said goodbye.  He left to new memories but it is hard to say goodbye to a place you called home for soooo long.  

Well, the house is a work in progress but today is the start of the most awesomest month of the year VeganMoFo.  Basically it is a month where bloggers dedicate their posts to veganism.  Some people have themed blogs, others share recipes. The support for being vegan is there.  I believe this is my fourth one!!!  So WELCOME!!!  All of my contact information is available on the blog if you wanna connect.  Follow my instagram and also leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you.  

For today's post I am gonna talk about the best housewarming gift.  We live in a small town as some of you know.  We love it, except for the fact that amazing vegan fare is hard to find.  You have to travel about an hour to get to Ottawa to experience vegan heaven.  Today we happened to head to Ottawa for business (which I will talk about shortly), so vegan restaurant hopping wasn't in the cards.  

We did our thing and rushed back to meet our friends Em (who is starting a blog soon eeek! ) and Graham.  These two are awesome!!!  Anyways, we ended up stopping at a tool store for my hubby and guess who was there too.  Yep!!  I fell in love with some boxes and Em did too.  I had the idea of putting them up as bookshelves.  We went ahead from the store because the babes were bugging out.  Our friends were close behind.  Next thing we know they are in our foyer with the box I adored full to the brim with vintage finds, handmade aprons for the babes and vegan Thimblecakes cupcakes: tiramisu, double chocolate, s'more, cookie dough and a baby cake.  Yum!!! 

I think we will keep them around.  In other news, I bough this:  

 

 

Vegan MoFo Day 8: Canadian Thanksgiving, Pumpkin Pie and Chumpcakes

 

 Well I must confess that completing the cupcake list has been difficult but I am still up to the challenge. There was one day where I was completely out of commission due to an infection - nothing to worry about.  There was another day where the hormones of being a new Mama for the third time combined with the lack of hours in a day collided to leave me a mess.  Then there was the day when I actually completed one of my cupcake to-dos and my little family took it upon themselves to devour the deliciousness while I napped (So no photograph for that day but I can tell you they were tasty and maple).

But my Vegan MoFo was rejuvenated with the best of all holidays:  Tofurkey Day!  At least one day in the weekend, the Papa and our family (mine through love and marriage and his through biology) gather to share in the vegan goodness.  Although the Papa's parents aren't vegans they make the entire spread vegan for their 5 granddaughters, children and their spouses.  It is absolutely divine.  The Papa always makes the most delicious of pumpkin pies.  I contribute a stove-top stuffing and cranberry sauce.  The Honourable El makes the most amazing Double Chocolate Chip Cookies whose recipe can be found here.  (NOTE:  if you want to experience transcendence MAKE THESE COOKIES!!!!)

This year we gathered on the Saturday and it was marvellous.  The cousins play so well together.  Each takes on a role based on their birth ages and they simply enjoy!  The second generation (we) get to chat with each other and catch up on the small or big changes in our lives.  It is a chance to reconnect and laugh and share.  The G-units get to watch the magic happen and usually let us all experience the best of everything.

On the Sunday:

We went for an amazing hike in the woods and noshed on pumpkin pie, stuffing and samosas on a cliff overlooking a small town.  It is so nice to see the autumn leaves from the sky.

On this day:

We enjoyed the weather with a bike ride and a park jaunt.  We spent the afternoon making more Tofurkey-liciousness and I completed the Chumpcakes (or Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes).  These cupcakes share a special place in our hearts because I made about 100 of these suckers for our wedding on Halloweeny 2 years ago (which can be viewed here).

Vegan MoFo Day 3: Minty Fresh and Thoughts on Mindful Mothering

P.S. Gotta love a man who comes home with Baroque inspired cupcake liners - my fave

On Cupcakes:

It is 10 o'clock, the cupcakes are cooling and the minty fresh icing is ready to go on.  I skipped the ganache and instead plopped a lovely decadent chocolate chip in the centre.  They will make a lovely snack for the Papa on the scaffold.  NOTE TO SELF & LITTLEST OF BABES:  Caffeine may be a problem, but it is oh so good.

On Mamahood:

Today this Mama was exhausted.  Each day is filled with caring for these amazing Babes.  They each have their own personalities and I relish (mostly) in the aspects of all.  But at times when you combine a frustrated Mama with frustrated Babes and throw in a whole bunch of miscommunication from all sources, the day becomes long and hard.

My Babes are my world.  I cannot reiterate that enough.  They have filled my life with so much love, life, light and purpose.  With that comes huge responsibility. The responsibility of wanting them to experience life without thwart.  The responsibility to be nothing but supportive, encouraging.  The responsibility of not exposing them to that which my dysfunctional upbringing did me.

So on a day when the compromising became overwhelming, getting fresh air became an obstacle and lower back pain was a physical struggle, I lost sight of that responsibility and feel ever so guilty and upset.  As mother's we swear to do things differently, positively from those before us.  And I know I cannot beat myself up over it but I do and vow to change.  It is constantly a struggle trying to be mindful of each being in this Mess and their individuality and how we interact.  But I must continue to be mindful.  I want to affect my Babes positively and have a relationship with them based on trust, love, acceptance and communication.

xoxo

Vegan MoFo Day 2: Ghost Stuffies and Basics

The Babes helped me with this recipe and deserve all credit for its preparation and deliciousness.  Most of the day I was feeling overwhelmed by a body that is still recovering from birth.  Walking is a bit difficult and my lower back is full of pain.

I did muster up enough energy however to create these cute little ghost stuffies from leftover fabric.

Super Easy DIY:

You will need

1 piece of fabric square about 12 inches by 12 inches
1 12 inch piece of yarn
Stuffing / Batting
Eyelets (these ones you poke through the fabric and they go into a metal piece)

1.  Find the middle of your ghost and attach eyes on the right side of the fabric
2.  Stuff the middle with a ball of stuffing
3.  Cover the stuffing and secure by wrapping the yarn around

Happy MoFo!

Vegan MoFo Day 1: Intro to my Month, Cupcakes

Yes it is upon us again...Vegan Month of Food 2012 Edition.  Vegan MOFO is awesome.  It is a chance to blog about all things deliciously vegan.  The MoFo-ers ask that we do a minimum of 20 posts but I am going to try and do one everyday, maybe more.  I know. I KNOW!!!  This Mama just had a baby 2 weeks ago, the Papa started a new career and the Eldest Babes are amazingly exuberant and requiring a lot of stimulation.  Not to mention I will be incorporating a little homeschooling into the mix.  Well, Vegan Mofo is awesome.  The month of October propels me:  changing leaves, changing lives, changing body, changing babes.

This year I decided to go simple with a theme.  I will be making 31 varieties of cupcakes over the month.  My goal is to bake a cupcake each day but realizing that some days may be a bit of a write off with the amount of responsibility in the mess, I may not get to it.  So some days I may not bake at all but others I may bake 4 varieties.  We'll see.  31 Cupcakes are promised however.

Here is a tentative list of the cupcakes I would love to complete (they are all courtesy of the amazing Isa Chandra - the vegan Goddess that I wish to meet desperately...last year I won a signed copy of her book Vegan Pie in the Sky):

1. Golden Vanilla Cupcakes
2. Your Basic Chocolate Cupcake
3. Carrot Cake Cupcakes
4. Gingerbread Cupcakes
5. Crimson Velveteen Cupcakes
6. Peanut Butter
7. Chocolate Cherry Creme 
8. Brooklyn vs. Boston Cream Pie Cakes
9. Maple Cupcakes
10. Pineapple Right-Side Up
11. Chocolate Mint
12. Smores
13. Brooklyn Brownie
14. Banana Split 
15. Toasted Coconut 
16. Dulce Sin Leche
17. Lemon Macadamia
18. Green Tea with Green Tea Glaze & Almond Flowers
19. Mexican Hot Chocolate
20. Coconut Lime
21. Chai Latte
22. Pistachio Rosewater (DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN GET ROSEWATER?)
23. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip
24. Apple Cider 
25. Mucho Margarita
26. Blueberry Lemon Creme
27. Cappuccino
28. Sexy Low-Fat Vanilla
29. Peanut Butter Bombes
30. Peanut Butter Chocolate Heavencakes
31. Simple Vanilla and Agave Nectar

Let the Vegan Yummy Games Begin!!!

My Grocery List for Tomorrow:

Cupcake Liners

Icing Sugar

Canola Oil

Soygurt

Walnuts

Raisins

Carrots

Lemon Zest

Vegan Shortening (Earth Balance of course!)

Vegan Buttery Spread

Chocolate Chips