Breakfast: Perfected Pancakes!

There are so many pancake recipes, I've tried a lot of different ones. Even cook book recipes, not just random google experiments. They always seem to be a litte too dense, not fluffy and light as is my preference. This is good if I'm going for a pancake that has pumpkin or oatmeal, but I usually just want a good basic pancake... So here is a recipe I've adapted from a few, and we had them this morning and they were perfect!

Serves 2 hungry or 4 skinny people.

2 cups Flour (for fluffiest results white flour is best)

2 TBS baking powder

2 TBS sugar

1 TBS cream of tartar (this is the secret ingredient)

1/4 tsp salt

4 TBS vegetable oil

1 cup water

1 cup soy milk

Mix dry ingredients (I sifted them because my baking soda was chunky, and I think it probably helped make everything fluffy and nice) and then add the wet. I use a griddle, so I don't usually need oil, but now i use just a little oil to have a nice crisp edge. If you're using a normal pan, you will need oil, so use whatever amount you like. Ah yes, and as for using half milk and half water, I have found that using all milk contributes to the density of the pancakes, but I like the idea of a little protein, so I don't use all water. You can if you want to though. I add chocolate chips to the individual pancake once I have poured them out on the pan because the boys like them that way but I prefer plain or blueberry. Enjoy!

Dessert: Gingerbread Biscotti

This is the first time I think I've even had biscotti! I've been back for more, let me tell you. Recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade your Cookie Jar!

1/4 c molasses
2/3 c sugar
2tbs ground flax seeds
1/2 c canola oil
2 tbs soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4c flour (I have used both whole wheat and unbleached white)
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c finely chopped candied ginger

Preaheat oven to 350F. Beat together molasses, sugar, flax, oil, milk and vanilla with a whisk. Sift in flour, spices, baking powder and salt. Use a spatula to form a dough, and knead in ginger. I used my hands. Form a log on a baking sheet covered with parchment. Bake for 28-30 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool for 45 minutes, slice, and place back in oven for 22-24 minutes at 325F.

Once cooled, I drizzled with an icing made with 1 c icing sugar and the juice of a lemon. Yuuum!

bake, bake, bake

I've been busy!

Today I made my own vegan white chocolate! I used the recipe from this website: http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/the-white-stuff/

I have never had vegan white chocolate (haven't been able to find it) so last week I bought some super expensive cacao butter, and today I had a chance to try it out. It turned out pretty good! I used it melted to drizzel over some biscotti that I made, and then I used some hardened stuff to put into some cranberry scones.

Matcha Green Tea Macadami Nut Biscotti (modified from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, originaly recipe calls for walnuts but I had none!)
1/4 c soy milk
4 tsp matcha green tea powder
2 tbs ground flax seeds
1/2 c canola oil
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c flour
1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
2 tbs cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 c macadamia nuts (chopped up a bit)

Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk the matcha powder with the milk until there are no lumps, and then add the flax. Add oil, sugar and vanilla. Sift in the dry ingredients, mix, and kneed in the nuts. On a baking sheet covered in parchment, form a log of the dough 10 by 4 inches. Bake for 30 minutes, take out, let cook for 45 mins, and bake again after slicing into 1/2 inch slices for 26 minutes at 325F. I usually try to plan to bake something or use the oven in some way while the biscotti cools, rather than turn off the oven.
Once these were cooled, i drizzelled them with the melted white chocolate!

The other thing I baked today was something of my own creation. Well, kind of. I couldnt find a cranberry white chocolate scone recipe I liked so I used the recipe for "Sweet Biscuits" from How it All Vegan:

2 1/2 c flour (I used one unbleached white flour, 1 1/2 whole wheat)
1/4 sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c margarine
1 cup soy milk (I also added a splash of apple cider vinegar to thicken the milk)

My additions: 1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 c vegan white chocolate
1 tsp sugar to sprinkle on top before baking

Preheat the oven to 400F, sift together dry ingredients, cut in margarine, mix in milk, cranberries and white chocolate. I used my hands to mix, form into a ball, flatten, and slice into 6 triangles. Place on baking sheet covered in parchment, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 16 minutes (give or take a couple minutes!). Some of my chocolate leaked out (the cacoa butter melts a lot I think) but it was still delicious!

Snacks: Macadamia Ginger Crunch Drops

Man these were sooo good!
Taken from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowicz.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour (I used whole wheat and it worked well)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sald
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2/3 c canola oil
2/3 c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1/3 c soy milk
1 tbs ground flax seed
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp coconut extract (if you don't have it use more vanilla)
1 1/3 c chopped macadamia nuts (I smashed mine, and lots were in big pieces)
1/2 c chopped candied ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. In a large bowl beat together oil, sugar, brown sugar, milk, flax seeds and extracts. Fold in dry mixture and combine just to moisten. Fold in macadamia nuts and ginger.
The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon drops of cookies on the sheet 2 inches apart, but I doubled that. Bake for 14 minutes until edges start to brown. Let cookies rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire cooling rack. My way made 15 cookies. I think next time I might add just a handful of carob chips, although that might overwhelm the ginger. Maybe a chocolate or carob drizzle on the top would do. Mmm the possibilities!

Babycakes chocolate and vanilla cupcakes

I am going to post here the basic gluten free recipe from Babycakes by Erin Mckenna that I have used for cupcakes. They are different than any cupcake I have eaten, worth a try for sure!

Chocolate

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c garbanzo-fava bean flour (I used regular bean flour, but I have seen specific type at Farm Boy)
1/2 c potato starch
1 c unsweetened cocoa flour
1/4 c arrowroot
1 tbs plus 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp salt
1 c coconut oil
1 1/3 c agave nectar
3/4 c applesauce
3 tbs vanilla
1 c hot water or hot coffee (I think coffee worked best for me)
Frosting of your choice! (I have made coconut frosting and peanut butter frosting for these, mmm! I have yet to use the Babycakes recipe for this though)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
Whisk together dry ingredients and stir in the wet until smooth. Pour 1/3 cup into each muffin cup. Bake on center rack for 22 minutes, rotating pan after 15 minutes. Let stand in tins for 20 minutes and transfer to wire cooling rack to cool completely. Store in fridge! These turn out so dense and delicious!

Vanilla

Ingredients:

2 c garbanzo-fava bean flour (again I used bean flour)
1 c potato starch
1/2 c arrowroot
1 tbs plus 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp salt
2/3 coconut oil
1 1/3 c applesauce
3 tsp vanilla
grated zest of one lemon
1 c hot water
Frosting (I used coconut)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
Whisk together dry ingredients and stir in the wet except the water and combine. Add water and stir until smooth. Pour 1/3 cup into each muffin cup. Bake on center rack for 22 minutes, rotating pan after 15 minutes. Let stand in tins for 20 minutes and transfer to wire cooling rack to cool completely. Store in fridge! The lemon makes these interesting, and they are dense as well.

The ingredients in these may not be in your cupboard. I did most of my stocking up at the Natural Food Pantry! Agave nectar and coconut oil are expensive, but they are really nice to work with.

Breakfast: My favorite zucchini muffins

This recipe is awesome. If you don't have the ingredients, equivalents should be fine. Its from Babycakes by Erin McKenna. Babycakes is a vegan, mostly gluten-free, sugar free cupcake store in New York city. This recipe uses spelt flour which is not gluten free, and if you don't have spelt, whole wheat worked for me (I have used spelt as well, both were perfect). I think that the secret to this recipe is the ground flax seed, which you can get at Loblaws. Its commonly used as an egg replacer in baking, but is good to slip in to just about anything baked and oatmeal etc.

Ingredients:

2 c whole spelt flour
1/2 c flax meal
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbs ground ginger
1/2 c coconut oil
3/4 c agave nectar
3/4 c soy milk (recipe calls for rice milk, I have always used soy)
1 tbs vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini (I have shredded it different ways, the smaller the shreds the easier it disappears into the batter when baked)

Preheat over to 325 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. Add the wet (except the zucchini) and stir until smooth. Fold in the zucchini with a spatula.
Pour 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup. The first time I made these I sprinkled walnut pieces on top, which was nice. Bake in the center rack for 22 minutes, rotating pan 180 degrees after 15 minutes.
Let the muffins stand in tin for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Store at room temperature.

Breakfast: Pumpkin Pancakes

So with the leftover pumpkin from the bread... Pancakes!
Recipe from Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

3/4 c canned pumpkin
2 tbs canola oil
3/4 c soy milk
1/2 c water
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbs maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 c flour (I used whole wheat)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch cloves

Whisk together wet ingredients, then stir in the rest until there are very few lumps left but do not over mix. Oh yes, I didn't have nutmeg and cloves so I used cinnamon, ginger and pumpkin pie spice.
Preheat a non-stick pan or better yet griddle (that is what I always use and I am a bit of a pancake master. It's the secret to perfect pancakes I think) to medium. Use cooking spray if you must. Pour half a cup of batter at a time, and let cook until the edges are dry and there are bubbles in the center. Flip once only!
I served with powdered sugar and maple syrup...