Your Vegan Mom

Egg Replacer: the hunt for a vegan easter tradition

If I was feeling a bit ho-hum about Saint Patrick's Day, I have no qualms whatsoever about easter.  A giant rabbit that hides colorful eggs filled with candy in your backyard!?  How fabulously surreal is that? 

Also, it's one of those holidays with a family craft tradition - like baking christmas cookies.  I loved those cups of brightly colored dye and wire egg dippers and little shrink wrappers.  But really, does anybody think that hiding hard-boiled eggs in the hot sun is a good idea?

So I've been gradually trying to figure out what our easter making tradition will be.  This year we started with sugar cookies (from Joy of Vegan Baking) decorated with melted chocolate (crammed in a ziploc bag, corner poked with a tiny skewer hole).  But we have lots more experimenting to do.   

There are candy molds and cakes to be baked and maybe when Desmond is older we'll do something with wooden eggs. 

My yoga-practicing pal made cadbury eggs, and even though I always thought the store-bought ones were gross, I bet hers were rad and I want to eat them.  

I'll get back to you with more experiments in the coming weeks.  

How about you?  What do you put in the easter basket?

Swedish Heirloom Cookies

I had every intention not to bake this year, but somehow it is just not Christmas without my grandma's Swedish Heirloom Cookies.  You know this cookie.  Every culture has a variation - it's the Mexican Wedding Cookie, the Russian Tea Cake - that nutty, buttery confection perfect for any sort of celebration.  When my mom married my step-dad five years ago, I made hundreds of these.  I think Grandma Marilyn would have approved.  

Swedish Heirloom Cookies

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. shortening

1 c. powdered sugar (plus about 1/4 cup more for dusting)

1/2 t. salt

1 1/4 c. ground almonds

2 c. flour

1 T. vanilla 

1 T. water

Position a rack in the center of your oven, and heat to 325.  

Cream together the butter, shortening, powdered sugar, and salt.  Blend in the ground almonds and flour until just combined.  Add the vanilla and water and mix to form a stiff dough.

To shape the cookies: Pick up about a teaspoon of dough.  Roll it into a ball.  Then roll the ball back and forth between your palms to make about a 2-inch-long rope.  Bend the rope into a crescent, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Repeat.  Space the cookies about 1/2 inch apart.  Bake for 15 minutes, until just beginning to lightly brown around the edges.     

Let cool on sheet for about 5 minutes.  Remove to cooling rack and sift with powdered sugar.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.  

Happy Holidays!  

Brownies and a Quick Harangue on the Wonders of Flax Meal

Oh my, I am so giddy with brownie joy.  Also the music helps, I'm listening to The Weakerthans' Reconstruction Site.  I love it when smart people write good songs.  But the brownies, we were talking about the brownies.

I have made a lot of bad vegan brownies in my time.  It's a problem of egg replacer.  When adapting cookie recipes, I like to use flax meal.  For custards, I prefer pureed tofu.  If you think about it, a brownie lies somewhere between a custard and a cookie.  Maybe that's why a good brownie is so delicious and so elusive.  

But then Martha Stewart's Cookies came home from the library with me last week, and amidst the lovely layout, nice simple photographs (one per cookie), and well-written recipes, were directions for a basic brownie that called for just two eggs.

Sure there are exceptions, but as a general rule, I don't mess with baking recipes that call for more than two eggs.  So after a bit of wavering on the replacer issue, I got out the flax meal.  As you may know, for the purposes of baking one large egg has a volume of 1/4 cup.  So a flax egg is 1 tablespoon flax meal plus 3 tablespoons water equaling 1/4 cup.  When you let this mixture sit for about 5 to 10 minutes it gets a goopy texture very similar to a raw egg.  It's pretty magical.  You'll see some recipes that call for warm water, and this just speeds up the goopdifying process.   

The flax meal worked great.  I got crackly tops and a fudgy brownie.  Really you, why keep the eggs?  You can buy already ground flax in a bag at Trader Joe's.  I use it so often that I just keep it in a jar on the counter (other nuts and seeds I keep in the fridge, and you should too).  You mix it with water - you've got that right?  If there is absolutely no compromise in flavor, well then it seems like a simple decision.  You're probably trying to figure out how to get more of this omega-3 rich seed in your diet anyway, I say have a brownie.

Brownies

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies

6 tablespoons butter

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flax meal 

6 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Line an 8-inch square baking pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper.  Leave a handle on each side to make it easy to lift the brownies out of the pan.  Here, let me show you:

2. Put flax meal and water into the bowl of your electric mixer.  Let sit.

3. Put butter, chocolate, and cocoa powder into the top of a double boiler.  Stir until butter and chocolate have melted.  

4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. 

5. Once the flax mixture has been sitting for a good ten minutes or so, beat it on high with the whisk attachment until thoroughly goopy, about 30 seconds.  Add sugar and vanilla to the flax and continue to beat with the whisk for about 4 minutes, until thoroughly combined.  Add chocolate mixture, and mix again.  Turn off the mixer, add dry ingredients, and quickly mash together, just until the flour is incorporated into the chocolate.  I'm certain you've heard this before, but you don't want to overmix the flour or you'll wind up with one tough cookie.  Just firmly mash the flour into the chocolate mixture with as few strokes as possible until combined.

6. Pour batter into prepared pan spreading evenly with your spatula.  Bake until a toothpick comes out clean or with a couple crumbs (avoid center or edges for testing), 30 - 35 minutes.  Let cool partially in pan, about 15 minutes.  Remove to cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.    

Happy weekend.  May you be just as sick with too much chocolate as I am.  Or perhaps, may you be blessed with greater moderation.  

Crunchy Little Animals with Chocolate Boots

Despite my best pioneer woman intentions, more often than not you will find one or two open plastic tubs of Trader Joe's animal crackers in my pantry.  The kid loves them.  I find them a bit dull, but wearing chocolate boots... well now, that's another story.  Then, they're both adorable and delicious.  

I imagine the "recipe" is fairly obvious, but here it is none the less:  chop up a few squares of chocolate (I used 5 squares of Trader Joe's 72%) and microwave until melted (for me that was 1 1/2 minutes on 50% heat).  Dip animals.  Let cool until hardened on wax paper or a silpat mat.  

Now, I am resisting the urge to set up a miniature parade route through my kitchen.  Really, I have more important things to be doing.  I swear.  

Chocolate Chip Cookies

We are so lucky to live in a world that has Dreena Burton's home-style chocolate chip cookie recipe. It is so simple and straight forward, and most importantly, produces perfectly chewy chocolate chip cookies. I have made them several times now, once with all-purpose flour, twice with spelt flour, in the name of science, not more cookies, really, that was why. The second time I cut the salt almost in half, increased the molasses by a teaspoon, and went with 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. I have found my cookie.

Liz Lovely has Cookies for You

How happy was I after stumbling off of that dipping and rumbling flight, after finding that all 70 pounds of our entire lives' possessions had not chosen to make the last leg of the journey with us, looking forward to a shower and a change of clothes and a cocktail, to discover not only my loving husband waiting for me in Shreveport, but also a box of cookies!

The wonderful people at Liz Lovely were somehow under the misconception that my opinion was influential, and am I ever happy that I did not disabuse them of this notion.

These are some good cookies. The Ginger Snapdragons are big and soft and chewy, spicy with fresh ginger, and, dare I say it... better than homemade. This cookie magic does not come from any kind of unrecognizable chemical combination though, the ingredients are all, not only kitchen shelf staples, but also certified organic and Fair Trade wherever possible. Now I know statements like that can be incredibly misleading, but when I say "wherever possible" I do not mean, "They can't use organic flour, it's just not cost effective." I am instead referring to the fact that there is not organic certification for things like (Vermont well) water and (sea) salt and (would somebody please come up with artisanal) baking soda.

In addition to the ginger, that, by the way, went quite well with that little dram of bourbon, we also had a four pack of dark chocolate covered sandwich cookies. This classic vegan oreo-style treat finds its fancy pants in a gorgeous draping of high quality dark chocolate. The crunchy cookie in its velvety coating was a treat indeed. Fortunately, in the name of research, I had to horde most of them for myself.

This company impresses the pants off me. 5 people in Vermont putting out an exceptional product in the most conscientious fashion. This is the kind of shopping that is just good for everybody. Now excuse me while I go join their fan club.

Oh, but first, leave a comment for an opportunity to win your very own sampler box. You could tell me about the best cookie you've ever had, or just say, "I want cookies," or if you think it will help, you can always talk about how much you like me. In any case, I'll pick a winner at random and pass on the info to the Lovely people.

Soft and Spicy Gingerbread Cookies

So holiday panic has taken a firm grip on my heart. It's a real shame that I don't practice holiday yoga or meditation or holiday planning-ahead. The baking is done. The packages have not yet been sent out, but if they go out tomorrow morning maybe they'll be there by Christmas Eve, right? My annual mantra of, "next year it will be different," is in heavy mental rotation. I was hoping that writing it down here would help to make it so. The gingerbread won't get iced this year, but I figure that makes them more appropriate breakfast cookies. And I find what I really need right now is a good breakfast cookie. To go with the coffee and sleep deprivation. Merry Christmas.

Gingerbread Cookies
5 1/4 c. flour (I use half whole wheat pastry flour and half all-purpose)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
rounded 1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 c. black strap molasses (this has a strong flavor, if you want your cookies milder and sweeter, use a lighter molasses, or a mixture of both)
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. ground flax + 6 Tbsp. water

In a very small bowl, mix together the flax and water and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour-salt).

In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and continue beating, again until the color gets lighter and the mixture looks a bit fluffier. This takes a couple minutes. Beat in the flax goop and the vinegar. When all of your wet ingredients are well incorporated, add the dry mixture in 2 or 3 batches. Mix.

Divide into 3 balls. Flatten into disks, wrap (I use parchment paper because I'm trying to abstain from plastic wrap), and chill for at least 2 hours. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness, and if you're doing this at the last minute like me, then just slice into diamonds- rationalizing that you'll make them look pretty with a fancy icing job later- or use cookie cutters if have the time and patience.

Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheets at 375 for 7-8 minutes. Cool for a minute on pan before gently removing to cooling racks.

It Has Begun: holiday baking, part 1

The recipe for these low-fat chocolate-mint numbers is here. I doubled the recipe, used soy yogurt, Earth Balance, reduced the salt to 1/8 tsp. total, replaced the vanilla with 1 tsp. peppermint extract, and added 1/2 c. crushed candy cane to the 1/2 c. chocolate chips. Yum.

Snickerdoodles and Tofu Tacos in Eagle Rock

My dearest friends moved into their very own beautiful house yesterday in Eagle Rock. It has fig trees, along with orange and lemon and loquat in the backyard. There's a big front porch looking out onto one of those quiet tree-lined streets with nice neighbors. All us movers were incredibly jealous. Though apart from being unspeakably happy for my friends, I am excited for me too, because it means a lot more time in this food-friendly neighborhood.

As everyone else toiled at the old apartment (sometimes it's convenient to have a baby), Desmond and I walked down to the Taco Spot. It was good. There are three different kinds of vegetarian tacos that can easily be made vegan. All the vegetarian choices, and there are many, are clearly marked on the menu. Desmond and I had the tofu tacos. (I got the okay from the Doc last week to broaden baby's diet. I'm so excited! She didn't specifically mention tacos, but he did just have little bites of soft tortilla and beans, which he enjoyed heartliy.) I agreed that lunch was delicious. The taco combo came with three soft tacos filled with marinated tofu and topped with guacamole and finely diced onions and cilantro. The beans and rice were basic, but well-executed. They were moist and flavorful, everything that you want from your side of rice and beans. And the salsa - there was love in every single one I tried, and I'm not talking about some icky kind of love that you don't want in your salsa. These sauces were made with care- that's something rare and special to find in the salsa bar at the healthy Mexican place down the street. This is an order at the counter sort of establishment with a couple of tables out front on Colorado and maybe a dozen inside. It's comfy and clean, and the food is solid. I will go again, quite possibly the next time I'm in the neighborhood, which will probably be tomorrow. (D & K - I think you need to make the guest room a priority. Oh, and I was of course kidding about the convenience of baby getting me out of work-it was a quick taco stop to give us cleaning strength.)

As everyone knows, a moving day is incomplete without a full jar of cookies, and I think that no cookie says home sweet home like the snickerdoodle. It's all that cinnamon and sugar- it's like a realtor's candle from the 99 cent store. Here's my vegan recipe (adapted fairly literally from the excellent Classic Cookies pull-out by Joanne Chang in the special holiday baking issue of Fine Cooking magazine from winter 2005):

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar
2 earth balance buttery sticks, softened at room temperature
1 1/2 cups evaporated cane juice
2 replaced eggs
2 Tbsp. cinnamon

Heat oven to 350. Whisk together flour, soda, and cream of tartar. Prepare the egg replacer. Beat the butter with 1 1/4 c. sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Add replaced egg. Beat until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl again. With the mixer on low speed, slowly blend in the flour until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls into the cinnamon sugar and roll around to coat and form a ball. Set the coated balls of dough about 3 inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake until golden brown on the edges and slightly soft in the center, about 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 1 minute before transferring them to a rack to cool.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

Mmm...smells like home.

Your Food Section

Despite my dismay at the decline of the L.A. Times Food Section, I, of course, persist in reading it, hoping each week that it will have returned to its former glory, back from the edge that is its current near advertising supplement status. Last week was pretty good, I found myself interested in several articles, and what was especially exciting, even using a recipe. I veganized the Molasses Cookie recipe from Regina Schrambling's review of the recently reissued Silver Palate Cookbook. They turned out absolutely delicious.

Molasses Cookies
3/4 c. margarine
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. black strap molasses
1 flax egg
1 c. flour
3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

1. Get out your ingredients and prepare your flax egg (1 Tbsp. ground flax + 3 Tbsp. water). Heat the oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium saucepan, melt the margarine over low heat. Remove from the stove, and mix in sugar and molasses. Add the flax egg and blend well.

3. Whisk together the dry ingredients and stir this mixture into the wet. The batter will be oddly gelatinous. That's okay.

4. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto the prepared cookie sheet, leaving about 3 inches in between each mound.

5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies have just begun to brown. Remove from the oven while they are still soft. Let cool on cookie sheet. Makes about 20 large cookies.