Your Vegan Mom

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?

Things I Like, and Also, the Winner from Last Week's Contest

I loved reading about all of your barbecuing and picnicking plans for this weekend.  I drew Allison Blakeley's comment.  Here's what she said, 

Would love to get some groceries over at the new seasons by me (http://www.localpages.com/or/portland/new-seasons) i want to try making some homemade veg-burgers, bbq corn, and some sort of veggie salad. I'm also going to try making those chocolate mint cookies you posted over the holidays!

If you weren't here for the contest, you should really go read the comments for weekend cookout inspiration.  So, so great.  I feel so honored that all you smart, creative, good eaters read this blog.  Thanks. 

In addition to you, here's some more things I like:

• The Bolani and Sauce stand at the South Pasadena Farmers Market.  But apparently they're everywhere.  Chow Vegan just wrote about sampling their wares at Costco.  (Is there a way to get around paying to shop there?  I just can't get over that.)  But this Afghani snack is amazing.  It introduced me to a whole new array of flavors.  We took the spinach and pumpkin flat breads to the park and slathered them with alternating smears of the sundried tomato and cilantro pestos.  Everything was dolloped with the sweet chile jam.  If you haven't tried it, you need to go get the sweet chile jam.  It's like everything you hope jalapeno jelly will be and never is - sweet and spicy and richly flavorful.     
• The looks of this laksa recipe from Robin Robertson.
• These baby socks made from a big old sock.  Such a clever idea.
• The fact that my kid is building an apartment building out of a cardboard box for the stuffed echidna right now.  "It had to end!  The echidna had to go home."  He says to someone in his most forlorn dramatic play voice.   
• My new "window treatment" made from 5 pieces of white origami paper and a large doily.  
• Which reminds me of this poem.
• And makes me wonder, of course, where the word, doily, comes from.  ("Named after a London draper of the late 17th century," says Random House Webster.)

 What are you really liking at this moment? 

Giveaway: Free Groceries!

By Paul

So.  It's raining, I've been working 16-hour days, Felix is not at his sleeping best, and Trina has to provide "V" snack for 14 pre-schoolers this morning.  Oh, and I forgot to do the dishes.  So I'm jumping in to help out here.

Who's up for a contest?  This one requires some work on your part, but it is super worth it.  In the picnic/barbecue/outdoor-food-of-all-kinds-inducing spirit of Memorial Day, Local Pages is offering to get you started with $50 toward the grocery store or gourmet food store of your choice listed on their site.

Simply find a grocery store or gourmet food store on localpages.com, tell us in comments what you plan on preparing for Memorial Day Weekend, and link to Local Pages in your comment.  All entries must be received by 5PM PDT on Sunday, May 22, 2011 to be eligible.

The winning commenter, chosen at random, will get $50 worth of items from the Local Pages store of their choice.

And now, the legal stuff:

In order to be eligible to win, commenter must be at least 18 years old, reside in the U.S. and must not have won any Local Pages giveaways within the past 30 days.  There is a one prize per household limit per 30 day period.

Good luck!

Things I Like

Spare the Rock (the soundtrack of a good part of our life)

My newish crepe pan from the Beka people and the crepe recipe from Vegan Brunch.  Beka has a whole line of non-toxic non-stick cookware that is very well made.  This crepe pan does not seem to be from that line.  It's a beautiful pan - sleek and solid - a pleasure to hold, but I'm not sure exactly what sort of chemical business that magic coating is made out of.  I rationalize that we don't eat crepes everyday, and it's great to have one pan with the magic coating for things like crepes and tofu omelettes that just really don't get along with cast iron.  

Back to Nature Madagascar Vanilla Wafers (These are so good!  Plus, they're made with all whole wheat flour.  The fact that the box says Madagascar is a major selling point for the 4 1/2 year old lemur lover in our house.  And while, I do my best to avoid packaged snacks, this is a healthy indulgence that we have indulged in more than once lately.  I keep buying them to make banana pudding, and then we just eat them.)

Truckee (We just got back from a vacation with Paul's whole family.  Paul and I had a great dinner at Pianeta, lovely cocktails at Moody's Bistro and Lounge tucked inside the Truckee Hotel, and bought loads of provisions from New Moon Natural Foods - great market.  There were also hikes and hanging out and beer from Fifty Fifty Brewing Company.  It goes with out saying that I also like my family, right?  It was so much fun to have all the cousins in one house.) 

Ed Emberley.

Your Tuesday Tip: Citrus Strainer

This tip comes from my friend Tara- 

Those little mesh bags that hold garlic and ginger and shallots and whatnot are perfect for straining out the seeds when you need a squeeze of citrus.