Your Vegan Mom

Crockpot Tapioca and the Art of Cookbook Pairing

Are you done shopping?  I have one more present to make and one more to buy.  (I'm not whittling legos.)   

We've really been enjoying Kathy Hester's new cookbook, The Vegan Slow Cooker, lately, and I was thinking that a thrift store crockpot and this book would make such a nice little gift set.   That, of course, got me to thinking about all the other cookbooks I love and how to turn them into tidy little packages, like -  

• Hannah's beautiful new book, Vegan Desserts: Sumptuous Sweets for Every Season and silicone baking mats or a pastry bag or a classic cookie cutter or a madeleine pan, actually this one could be more a lavish baking basket than a humble pair, oh but packed into a baking pan or big ol' mixing bowl rather than a basket
• Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (or the whole grain version, but I haven't had a chance to check that one out) and a dough bucket
• Cook Food and a cast iron skillet (perfect for someone just figuring out how to feed themselves)
• Clean Food and a bottle of ume plum vinegar (for the healthy-inclined)
• Ratio and a kitchen scale (for the scientific-minded, or someone wanting to move beyond recipes)

What else?  What cookbook pairings would you suggest?

Fig Tart

Our best pals are in town, and I am beside-myself excited.  I made a tart this morning to celebrate - my favorite tart filled with my best pal's favorite fruit.

I remember a few years ago in the LA Times food section, Russ Parsons talking about how easy it is to make frangipane (that puffy almond-y paste) in the food processor, and when I looked at the recipe I realized that it would totally work with flax-y goop in place of the egg, but it took me until now to actually try it.

It works.  Beautifully.

So, here's Your Tuesday Tip:

Any vegan can tell you that 1 tablespoon flax meal + 3 tablespoons water = 1 flax egg, which works well in most baked goods - cookies and muffins and pancakes and such.  If you let it sit for about 5 minutes and then whisk it up, you will see that it has created an egg-like gel that will work as a binder. 

But you should also know, that if you need to replace an egg yolk, in say a sweet tart dough, you can just cut the water in half.  So 1 tablespoon flax meal + 1 1/2 tablespoons water = 1 flax egg yolk.

Armed with flax eggs and vegan butter, a half dozen figs and a bag of almond meal from Trader Joe's, you have everything you need to veganify and fig-ify, Dorie Greenspan's excellent tart recipe.  

Homemade Ice Cream Bars

We made ice cream bars.  You probably should too.  Can you imagine what a hero you will be when you bust these out at your next barbecue? 

 But I can also tell you that a single serving is equally festive pulled out of the freezer bag on any given Tuesday afternoon.  This is what summer is made of.  (Also, lots of fruits and vegetables.  I'm not saying that just because it's summer, you can eat nothing but ice cream.)

 

There's a really good tutorial up on Chow, but it was a foot note to the recipe that sold me.  After lengthy instructions on tempering chocolate and keeping it within the two degree range to stay tempered while repeatedly inserting and removing frozen objects, they mentioned that if you couldn't be bothered with all this, you could always use their magic shell coating.  So I did that, with coconut oil, for an additional layer of summery yum.  We made them smaller too and put them on sticks and then rolled them in rice crispies.  The boys had fun dipping and rolling, but I really recommend (from negative experience) that you keep the bar shaping and stick inserting a grown-up affair.  Ice cream gets messy fast in the hands of small children.

(I feel compelled to tell you that I ate most of Felix's.)

So, these are easy.  And you can make them as small as you want to mitigate their effect on your waistline.   

I've also been meaning to make some with homemade peanut butter ice cream and roll them in smashed pretzels.  Really, the combinations are limitless.  What will you do?

Homemade Ice Cream Bars
Makes: 12 medium or 24 mini ice cream bars (the boys are eating the medium size) 
Takes: 7 hours (30 minutes active)  

Ingredients:

• 32 ounces of ice cream (I used the Trader Joe's soy vanilla.)
• 3 cups chocolate chips (a bag and a half)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil 
• 2 cups rice crispies or other add-ons (Chopped peanuts or almonds would be the classic.)

Other Stuff:

• 1 9 x 9 inch baking pan
• plastic wrap
• 12 or 24 popsicle sticks (you can get these at a craft store, if they don't have them at your market)
• 2 wax paper lined cookie sheets
• a big freezer bag to store your finished ice cream bars

The Steps:

1. Set your ice cream on the counter for 10 minutes to soften a bit while you get out a 9 x 9 inch square baking pan.  Line it with plastic wrap leaving a big enough overhang on either side to cover your ice cream in the freezer.
2. Using an ice cream scoop or a big metal spoon, scoop all the ice cream out onto the plastic wrap, distributing the ice cream somewhat evenly around the pan.  
3. Cover the ice cream with the flaps of plastic wrap and press down with something flat, like the bottom of a dry measuring cup, to compress the ice cream into a nice even square.  
4. Stick it in the freezer until it's very hard - for 3 hours or overnight.  
5. Lift the plastic wrap encased ice cream square to a surface you can cut on (and that does not smell of onions).  Unwrap it, and cut it into thirds.  Turn it and cut it in half and then in half again to make 12 small rectangles.  You can also cut each rectangle in half again to make 24 very small bars.  I will do this from now on.  A little treat will suffice, right?  Also, remember, it's going to get bigger when you coat it in chocolate and other nice things.  
6. Carefully jam an ice cream stick in the bottom of each rectangle and place the individual uncoated ice cream bars on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.
7. Return the bars to the freezer, again until very hard, about 2 hours.
8. In a double boiler (aka a bowl set over a pan of simmering water) melt the chocolate and the coconut oil.  Let it cool to room temperature before you dip your ice cream bars.
9. Dump your rice crispies into a pie plate.  Dip your ice cream bar into the waiting chocolate.  Let any excess drip off.  Press each side into the rice crispies and place on another wax paper lined cookie sheet to freeze (again.  sigh.).
10. Put the bars back in the freezer for one last firm up - a couple hours, if you can wait.  

Butterscotch Brownies

These are for my best pal.  (And you too.)  She moved to Louisiana.  And she needs a treat.  Her husband just started a new job which is fantastic, except that I'm picturing her on her own now with her 1 1/2 year old in a city where she doesn't know a ton of people yet.  

If she were here, I would bring over a plate of these and we'd sit on the back porch commiserating about the whip lash effect of having a partner in the film industry.  (It's all or nothing, Man.) 

These bars are salty sweet (which she recently requested) with a nice chewy texture.  Plus they're easy to make with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, and the pecans are, of course, a friendly nod to her (hopefully temporary!) home state.  

They were a total hit at the park the other day with moms and kids alike, and I'm thinking will maybe be new-pal-makers for her.  And you too.  

Butterscotch Brownies
Inspired by this recipe.
Makes: 16 2-inch squares
Takes: 40 minutes (15 active)

• 1 cup flour (as per usual, I used half white whole wheat and half all-purpose)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon flax meal
• 3 tablespoons water
• 4 tablespoons non-dairy butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon black strap molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces

1. Heat the oven to 325 and line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour(s), baking powder, salt, and pecans.
3. In a very small bowl, combine the flax and water and set aside to thicken.
4. In a large bowl (This is the last bowl!  I promise!), whisk together the sugar, molasses, and melted butter to the consistency of wet sand.
5. With a fork or your whisk, quickly beat together the flax and water, and add the flax-y goop and vanilla to your wet sand.  Beat until smooth-ish.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the big bowl and smash the flour into the wet stuff with a rubber spatula.
7. Turn the thick batter out into your prepared pan and spread it into the corners.
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is set and the edges are barely brown.
9. Let cool before cutting into squares.

You are taking these to a picnic this weekend, right?  Let me know how they turn out.  Or do you prefer a classic, dark, rich, decadent, chewy chocolate brownie?

Gauva Cheese Turnovers

If you come to my house for Valentine's Day, it is required (not optional) that you bring a valentine for all those present.  I love the elementary school version of the holiday that celebrates love for all your pals in a non-icky-long-stem-roses kind of way.  

In this vein, this is my valentine to you.  Each of you.  Inspired by a long ago lazy afternoon spent with good friends at that purple Cuban cafe on Sunset in Silver Lake.  

These turnovers should be accompanied by big steamy mugs of cafe con leche, and of course, people you really like.  

Guava Cheese Turnovers

• 1 17.3-ounce package puff pastry sheets (I use Pepperidge Farms.)
• about half a tin of Guava Paste, cut into thin (1/4 inch?) slices
• 2/3 cup raw cashews
• scant 2/3 cup plain soy yogurt or one 6-ounce container (I really like Wildwood.)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch salt

If your puff pastry is frozen, get it out of the freezer.  Open it up and let it thaw on the counter. 

Now let's make the cheese.  Grind the cashews in a food processor to a a pretty fine meal.  Add the yogurt, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.  Process again until smooth and creamy.  

Arrange a rack in the center of your oven, and preheat to 400 degrees.

When the pastry is pliable, unfold it on a floured counter or board, and cut each sheet into four smaller squares.  

Place a generous tablespoon of cheese onto the middle of each square.

Arrange a slice or two of guava paste on top of each dollop of cheese.

Fold over to make a triangle.  Seal edges with the tines of a fork.  With a sharp paring knife, cut a few little slits in the top of the pastry to allow steam to escape.  

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  

 Happy Valentine's Day, Love.