The Perfect Vegan Garlic Bread

Vegan Garlic Bread
Vegan Garlic Bread

Thursday was my birthday. It was lovely. Wolfie slept longer than she ever has the night before and night after my birthday. Hours of sleep in a row. It was amazing! For my birthday dinner my amazing husband made me vegan eggplant Parmesan, and this delightful garlic bread. I was a happy lady.

Oh, how I love garlic bread. The soft pillowy bread, the creamy butter, the slight bite from the garlic. So delicious. This is one of those recipes we have been making so long that I always forget to post it, I just think I already have. You will probably want to make this tonight with some loaded pasta, or lasagna, or maybe ravioli with brown butter sage sauce. You never know what you might want to serve it with. Maybe you just want to eat it on its own. I won’t tell anyone.

Vegan Garlic Bread

 Ingredients

  • 1 loaf Italian bread
  • 1/2 cup Earth Balance buttery spread at room temperature
  • 8 small cloves garlic, finely minced

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Cut bread into slices on the horizontal from top to bottom most of the way through the loaf leaving the bottom intact. (see picture below)
  3. Mix the garlic into the buttery spread until combined.
  4. Spread garlic butter on each side of each slice of bread.
  5. Wrap in aluminum foil.
  6. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the butter has melted and the crust is crispy.
  7. Serve immediately.
Slicing and buttering
Slicing and buttering

Mom’s Lasagna (vegan and just perfect)

Vegan Lasagna
Vegan Lasagna

My birthday is next week and I’m already starting to prepare. I tend to celebrate my birthday all week long by pampering myself as much as possible. I feel like birthdays are a good time to take care of yourself and indulge a little. As  you know, food is my favorite indulgence. One of my all-time favorite comfort foods is lasagna. I have published a recipe before, but I have updated and simplified it. Use this one, it’s delicious. Hot, saucy, cheesy, and even filled with vegetables. Preferably served with garlic bread and salad.

We all have an idea of what the perfect lasagna tastes like, and according to my research, the lasagna we prefer is directly related to the lasagna our mothers made growing up. My mother made one filled with tofu and veggies. I know this may not be how yours was, but trust me it’s amazing. I did have to take out some cheese to make it vegan, but it is still amazing. You can of course change or reduce the vegetables to make this recipe fit your perfect lasagna.

Vegan Lasagna

 Ingredients

  • 2 TBL Olive Oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
  • One med zucchini, diced
  • 10 oz frozen, chopped spinach
  • Tofu Mixture
  • 1lb Firm Tofu, drained
  • 8 oz Vegan Cream Cheese
  • 3 TBL Italian Seasoning
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • ¼ C. Nutritional yeast
  • 2 26 oz Jars Spaghetti Sauce
  • 1 box lasagna noodles (or make your own)
  • 1-2 cups vegan mozzarella cheese (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in skillet, add onion and mushrooms, sauté for about 3 minutes until they start to soften.
  2. Add Zucchini and sauté one more minute.
  3. Add spinach and cook until the water is absorbed, then remove from heat.
  4. In a large bowl crumble the tofu, then add the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper and Nutritional yeast. Mix well.
  5. Add Cream cheese and sautéed veggies and mix well.
  6. In a 9×13 pan pour ½ a jar of sauce. Lay uncooked noodles in pan to cover the bottom.
  7. Pour the rest of the jar of sauce on noodles.
  8. Layer with 1/3 of the tofu and veggie mixture.
  9. Place more noodles on top of this.
  10. Pour on another ½ jar of sauce and spread around.
  11. Layer with ½ the remaining tofu and veggie mixture.
  12. Add another layer of noodles, sauce and tofu and veggies.
  13. Finish with a layer of vegan mozzarella if using.
  14. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes.
  15. Remove the foil and cook 20-30 minutes more until the noodles are soft.
  16. Let lasagna sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Wordless Wednesday 1/27/16

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What to Eat for a Vegen Celebration of Snowy Weather

Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I know I’m a little late to the party on this, but I wanted to add my ideas for some snowy day comfort food. I would have had this out yesterday, but I was getting ready for my first real date with my husband since my daughter was born. It took a while to get ready sinceI had to take a very long nap so I could stay up past 8pm. Today I’m a little sluggish from staying out too late, and totally craving comfort food even though winter storm Jonas mostly missed us in Boston, but it did snow which is a good excuse to snuggle in and eat delicious food. So what would I eat?

Vegan Hot Chocolate
Vegan Hot Chocolate

Vegan Hot Chocolate: Absolutely a must on any snowy day. This one is rich, thick, so chocolaty you won’t believe it, and you will never go back to instant again.

 

 

Vegan Sloppy Joes
Vegan Sloppy Joes

Vegan Sloppy Joes in the Crock Pot: While you are outside playing, or shoveling off your car, you can also be making a super yummy dinner of sloppy joes.

 

 

If you have a few more minutes, or a second day because you are actually snowed in, this perfect vegan lasagna is the way to go. It is so creamy you will be sure there is cheese in it, and it will satisfy your every comfort food craving while still giving you a good serving of vegetables.

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Planning ahead for tomorrow morning? Make these cinnamon rolls today and they will be ready for a Monday morning pick me up that will bake while you’re getting ready for work.

 

 

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

Maybe a little dessert? Ice cream is a perfect way to celebrate the snow. Choose one of my flavors like this vanilla with chocolate and peanut butter swirl, or create your own using my “without a recipe” guideline to vegan ice cream.

Have fun in the snow and I hope you are safe and warm.

 

Wordless Wednesday 1/12/16

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Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting-and-How to Measure

Vegan Chocolate Cupcake With Vegan Chocolate Buttercream
Vegan Chocolate Cupcake With Vegan Chocolate Buttercream

I woke up a few mornings ago thinking about chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Waking up thinking about food is not unusual for me, thinking about frosting is. In general I’m not a huge frosting fan, but something triggered a need and I had no choice. I made cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting. They were delicious.

Both recipes are from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. A perfect cupcake book, and one you should own. In case you don’t, I’ll share the wonderful recipe here. These cupcakes are ultra light, tender, and moist, with a slightly dense frosting that is perfectly chocolatey, creamy, and seductive. Speaking of seductive, you should make these for your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day.

After the recipe I’m including a short tutorial on measuring. I know measuring seems simple enough, but when it comes to baking, the way you measure can make or break the finished product. I hope it helps turn your cupcake dreams into reality.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1 tsp. apple cider or white vinegar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup sunflower oil, canola oil, or other mild flavored oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 3/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. and line muffin pan with paper liners.
  2. Briefly stir non-dairy milk and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside to curdle.
  3. In a separate bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  4. Once the milk and vinegar has curdled add the sugar, oil and extracts.
  5. Beat together until foamy.
  6. Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined.
  7. Pour batter into prepared cupcake liners filling 3/4 of the way full.
  8. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the tallest cupcake comes out clean.
  9. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool on a cooling rack.
  10. Do not frost until completely cool.

Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup Earth Balance buttery spread, softened to room temperature
  • 1/4 vegetable shortening, softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 TBL non-dairy milk
  • 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Cream together the butter and shortening until thoroughly combined.
  2. Add the cocoa powder, beating until combined.
  3. Add the powdered sugar in three additions followed by a tablespoon of non-dairy milk after each addition.
  4. Once all the sugar is incorporated add the vanilla extract, and beat until everything is light and fluffy.

How to Measure

First off there are two kinds of measuring cups: those for wet ingredients, and those for dry ingredients.

Measuring cup for wet ingredients
Measuring cup for wet ingredients
Measuring cups for dry ingredients
Measuring cups for dry ingredients

You can use the dry ingredient cups for wet, but please, please, do NOT use the wet ingredient measuring cups for dry ingredients. Why you might ask? Simply; because you cannot get a precise measurement of dry ingredients. You might try, but then you will end up shaking or tapping the cup to level the ingredients, then they will become packed down, and you will have heavy, dense, yucky baked goods.

Another important thing to remember when measuring dry ingredients into a dryingredient measuring cup, is to never ever scoop with the measuring cup. Again, this results in too much of whatever you are measuring. You always want to scoopup your ingredient with a separate cup, scoop, or spoon, and sprinkle it into the correct size measuring cup. You overfill the cup, and level it off before adding your ingredient to your recipe. Please see this video of my mom measuring flour for a good example (she starts measuring flour at 24 seconds).

Sifting… I don’t always sift my dry ingredients when I bake, but I do find it important in most cakes. It removes any lumps from your dry ingredients and adds air creating a light, more tender finished product. So, when I do say sift, I really am suggesting you sift.

Sifting the dry ingredients together
Sifting the dry ingredients together

Happy New Year!! -Reflections and Goals

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Happy New Year! I hope your new year is filled with happiness, love, and passion for people, ideas, and goals.

I’m writing this as Wolfie sleeps and my husband does whatever it is he does on the computer for fun. I’m baking cookies, chocolate chip, and just hanging out reflecting on the last year, and the year to come. This last year had some big changes for us and I still feel like I’m adjusting, even as more changes are coming. Wolfie was born in late 2014, so that wasn’t actually in the last year, but since it was between the holidays it feels like it. I quit my job and started my own private practice (clinical social work); my husband got a new job and we spent a few months traveling back and forth between Maine and Boston spending several nights a week apart; I closed my private practice to move to Boston; we moved to Boston while still owning our house in Maine; I put a lot of time and effort into blogging this year; I accepted a new job, but when it came time to start I just couldn’t leave Wolfie at the times I would have needed to so I resigned before starting; My husband traveled A LOT; We traveled together to Utah, San Diego, Wisconsin (3 times), and up and down the east coast from RI to ME countless time; I finally accepted and started a new job; Wolfie started daycare a few days a week; we moved again in Boston; we are hoping to close on the house in a few weeks.

So, it’s been crazy. I was telling my husband yesterday that I feel like I haven’t done anything this year, but when all that is listed and we still managed to raise a happy, sweet, child, who is mastering skills every time we turn around, and keep our marriage healthy and strong, I guess it’s been a good year. I think what I meant is that I haven’t done much for me. My life totally changed from being a person, to being a mom. My work, my free time, my sleep schedule, all revolve around another person. My goal for this next year is to get a little bit more time for me, to feel like I am still an individual. My other major goal is to continue to put as much time and effort into blogging as I can. It is something I love, and I have started to see movement (people actually stopping by) this year.

What are your goals this year?

Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms
Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

The holidays are flying by! Just New Year’s Eve and we are back to dreary winter with a far off February break to look forward to. I actually love winter, but I’m still waiting for it here on the East Coast. No snow yet and it makes me sad! Who knows if I’ll still like winter now that I’m living in the city, but I’m willing to give it a shot. I mean, it hasn’t even really been cold enough for hot chocolate, and what is the point of winter if not to drink copious amounts of hot chocolate?

On a side note, I think you should make these stuffed mushrooms for you fancy New Year’s party to serve while you sip on champagne and make plans for the awesome year to come. These stuffed mushrooms have been a part of my family’s holiday table for a very long time, well, not these exactly. I had to develop a vegan recipe that brings all the yummy to the table. These have gone through lots of trials, and this is a very tasty and simple way to make them. I hope you enjoy!

Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

 Ingredients

  • 8 oz button mushrooms
  • 2 TBL fresh lemon juice
  • 1 TBL olive oil
  • ½ cup minced shallots (yellow or white onions work just fine as well)
  • 2 small cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • ¼ cup white wine
  • 2 TBL vegan cream cheese
  • 1 TBL tahini
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 TBL nutritional yeast
  • ½ -3/4 cup bread crumbs (make sure they’re vegan)

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Remove stems from Mushrooms. Chop stems and set aside.
  3. Place Mushroom caps in a baking dish. Pour a few drops of lemon juice into the center of each cap.
  4. Heat oil in a skillet. Add mushroom stems, shallots and garlic. Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add the salt and white wine. Stir until combined.
  6. Add the Cream Cheese , tahini and nutritional yeast. Stir again and remove from heat.
  7. Add Bread crumbs until totally incorporated and the mixture becomes stiff.
  8. Stuff each cap with mixture to very overflowing.
  9. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until caps are soft. Serve immediately.

Wordless Wednesday 12/23/15

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One Dish Vegan Holiday Meal That Has It All

Vegan One Dish Holiday Meal
Vegan One Dish Holiday Meal

I didn’t think I was going to get a post up this weekend; It has been such a crazy week here! I started working again, Wolfie started daycare, and well, life. I’m still adjusting to my new schedule and it feels like I’m running around all crazy like and getting nothing done. I’ve also decided to give up caffeine, so that doesn’t help! But, here we are, 6am, the family is still sleeping, and I’m writing a post just in time for your Christmas dinner.

I actually brought this to Thanksgiving this year, and it was delicious! I have told you I go to a meat-eating Thanksgiving so I like to bring an entire vegan meal in one dish. This had potatoes, roasted vegetables, gravy, a hearty “main” component, and a light and fluffy bread. It was just all layered together so it could be re-heated in a small portion of the oven, and I could bring everything with my in a very full car. With this dish the only other things you need to bring are dessert, and cranberry orange relish. Your holiday is complete. You’re welcome.

One Dish Vegan Holiday Meal

 Ingredients

  • 1/2 of a small butternut squash, cut into cubes (I made the whole squash and we ate the part I didn’t use here for other things throughout the week.)
  • 2 TBL olive oil
  • salt to taste
  • 2 TBL olive oil
  • 3 small/medium portabella mushrooms, sliced into long strips
  • 1/2 batch vegan gravy without the mushrooms.
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 batch cooled scalloped potatoes (I make a full batch, then eat what I don’t need for this.)
  • 2 sheets vegan puff pastry

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Place your squash in one layer on a large baking sheet (I like to put a silicone mat down first).
  3. Drizzle 2 TBL oil over squash, sprinkle with salt, and give it a stir.
  4. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes until the squash is soft, and starting to brown, about 45 minutes.
  5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
  6. Pour in the oil, heating it for a few seconds, then add the portabella mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally until tender, about 5 minutes.
  7. Remove from heat and set aside.
  8. Get all your pre-made everything and set it out for easy access.
  9. Line your baking dish with parchment paper (this is optional, but it looks good and is functional.)
  10. Place one sheet of puff pastry in the bottom of your baking dish.
  11. Cut a rectangle out of the scalloped potatoes just smaller than the puff pastry.
  12. Place the potatoes on the puff pastry, layer with mushrooms, gravy, and squash.
  13. Cover the top with the second sheet of puff pastry making sure to seal the edges so everything doesn’t leak. I cut my top sheet into strips and braided it just for fun.
  14. Bake the whole thing in a 350 oven until golden brown 40-45 minutes.
  15. Serve warm for sure, extra gravy over the top would not be unwelcome.
The Finished Dish
The Finished Dish
Roasted Butternut Squash
Roasted Butternut Squash