Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale at Loveland Unique Boutique in Tempe, May 1!!!!

***There is a really cool coffee shop next door, so you can have a great cup of Jo or tea with your home made baked goods***

Check out our mascot - Lil' Beans.

Lil' Beans was found abandoned in the parking lot of an apartment complex emaciated and terrified. He was lucky enough to find a wonderful foster family, and even luckier when they fell in love with him and decided he would be a permanent part of their family. Not all furry babies are this lucky. We want to change that by supporting Arizona Boston Terrier Rescue so that more of these beautiful babies can be as lucky as Lil' Beans. This picture below was taken shortly after he was saved.

Hey Bakers and Lovers of baked goods!!!

I'm so excited that we have finally made it official. The Tempe edition of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale is coming:

Where?   Loveland Unique Boutique, 107 E Baseline Rd. A-3, Tempe, AZ 480-456-8610

When?  Saturday, May 1, from 11am - 4pm or we run out of the goodies.

All proceeds to benefit Arizona Boston Terrier Rescue. Help us save these adorable, sweet, babies from abuse, neglect, and worse. 

There will be an incredible selection of vegan baked goods: cookies, cupcakes, bars, pies, cakes and other treats. Bring your veg and non-veg friends alike! They will thank you for turning them on to such awesome sweet sensations.

Meet our bakers:

Rikki Cupcake

Are you a baker? Show off your mad skillz by baking some vegan goodies for this great cause. Click here to send me an e-mail to see how you can get involved. 

Check out Lil' Beans Now! He is happy, healthy and oh so loved.

Vegan Bake Sale Testing and Viva Vegan by Terry Romero now available!!!

If you follow me on Facebook or here for that matter, you know I do a bit of testing for awesome vegan cookbook authors. My latest ventures into the test kitchen are for Carla Kelley's upcoming Vegan Bake Sale. I've been known to be pretty good at getting around the kitchen, but not so great at the whole baking thing. Enter Carla whose recipes are turning me into a respectable baker. As a matter of fact, people may start thinking I'm good at this thanks to her recipes!! There is no release date for the book yet, but I will post here when I find out.


Here is a little sampling of some of the goods. The first one is my absolute favorite.

Car Tire Cookies

I have traditionally had issues with yeasted baked goods. These Hot Cross Buns were perfect!

Hot Cross Buns

Lemon Mousse Pie

The savory stuff is brag-worthy as well

Up Side Down Olive, Sun Dried Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper “Cake”

Asparagus, Pine Nut, and Roasted Garlic Quiche

Viva Vegan is OuT!!!!!!!

In other testing news, a while back I was testing for Terry Romero's Viva Vegan. Viva Vegan has hit the shelves. You can get it through Amazon or at B & N. If you want to check out some pictures of the fabulous vegan fare and you are a member of Flickr, Click here to see my testing album. You can also see some of my pictures tagged Viva Vegan on this blog.

May I recommend the Spicy Tortilla Casserole with Roasted Pablanos?
Omnis and Veggies both love this one!

April 23rd is the next Food Network Friday Challenge - Don't Miss Out!!

We're taking on Bobby Flay. Oh yeah! It's a vegan throw down! I don't have pictures yet, but the challenge is to veganize his recipe for BBQ Duck and Sauteed Shiitake Mushroom filled Blue Corn Pancakes with Habanero Sauce.

The FNF challenges are a blast. It is a great way to get you trying out different ingredients and cooking methods that all the TV folk are into these days. We've had a lot of fun veganizing recipes from many of the chefs and shows. Check it out and join in! Tami at Vegan Appetite will take your submissions and post them on her blog Vegan Appetite. I can't thank her enough for organizing and encouraging us to be creative.

Can't wait to see what you come up with!

We're coming to get you Bobby! (Image courtesy of foodnetwork.com)

The Return of Food Network Fridays - BBQ "Pork" Panini Sandwich

It has been a bit of a hiatus for Food Network Fridays. This is a little challenge started by the one and only Tami Noyes of American Vegan Kitchen (AVK) and Vegan Appetite fame. A few of us goofy food obsessed types go about converting a Food Network recipe to a much more kind vegan version. It is a lot of fun to see what all of the fantastic cooks whip up.

This week we converted this BBQ Pork Panini Sandwich from an episode of Down Home with the Neelys.

I started off yesterday with a test recipe from the upcoming Vegan Bakesale by Carla Kelly of The Year of the Vegan. Her recipe for what she calls plain bread was hailed by my number one taste tester, Fred, as the best bread he has ever had! It was darn good. Because I had my sights set on this conversion, I made the bread into French-style torpedo rolls. It had to bribe Fred not to eat all of the rolls so that we could eat them with this today.

This morning when I got home from another graveyard shift (yuck), I whipped up another tester from Julie Hasson's upcoming Vegan Diner: Smoky Sandwich Spread. This cheesy, creamy, tasty spread stood in for the cheddar in the original recipe.

For the "pork" I used Tami's Beefy Seitan recipe from AVK. If you don't have her book yet, there is something seriously wrong with you. Go buy it!

I bring you my version of

BBQ Porque Panini Sandwich

Makes 4 Sandwiches

3 tablespoons Earth Balance, softened
2 large cloves garlic, minced
12 oz Beefy Seitan roast
Rub - Recipe below
1 cup BBQ Sauce - Recipe Below
4 French-style sandwich rolls
Smoky Cheezy Sandwich Spread (or your favorite vegan cheddar)
4 large dill pickles, sliced length wise

In a small bowl, blend the Earth Balance and garlic. Set aside for later use.

Coat seitan roast with rub. Save remaining rub in airtight container for later use. Let rub soak into seitan for at least and hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In covered casserole, bake roast for about 20 minutes. Roast will be warm, but not hot. Slice as thinly as you can and return to the pan with 1 cup of the BBQ sauce. Bake for 10-15 more minutes until heated through and sauce becomes a little sticky. Remove from oven and set aside while you prepare the sandwich.

Preheat Panini press or griddle depending on what you are using. I used the griddle on my stove and a big old cast iron pan for the press.

Butter the outsides of the bread with the Earth Balance mixture. Spread a thick layer of cheezy spread on top piece of bread. Working quickly set the bottom piece of the bread on the press/griddle. Top with pickle slices and seitan (divided into four equal portions). Grill on each side for about 2 - 3 minutes until bread is golden and crunchy. Slice at a diagonal and serve with a little extra BBQ sauce for dippin' if that is your style.

Fred likes more pickles and less meat on his. This is a very flexible recipe, so add and subtract the ingredients to fit your taste.

Happy FNF!

Dry Rub

1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 Tablespoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Can store in airtight container for future use.

Smoky BBQ Sauce

Makes approx 4 cups

2 teaspoons canola oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 medium)
3 cloves garlic minced
1 - 15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (leave seeds intact)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
6 oz can tomato paste**
2 teaspoons vegan worcestershire sauce
5 Tablespoons chili powder (hot if you like a very spicy sauce)
3 teaspoons celery salt
1 Tablespoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons toasted yellow mustard seeds*

In medium saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. While they are sauteeing puree diced tomatoes and chipotle together making sure chipotle is chopped fine. Pour mixture and remaining ingredients into saucepan. Bring to simmer and turn heat to low. Simmer on low for at least 30 minutes.

This sauce is even better if you can let it chill overnight in the fridge to intensify the flavors.

* Some people like thinner smoother sauce. For a thinner smoother sauce, add 1/2 cup of water and puree all ingredients except for the mustard seeds. Add seeds and then simmer.

** I have to indulge myself in a little rant here. I get so miffed when recipes call for 2 Tablespoons or less than a whole can of tomato paste. I know this has to happen sometimes, but it irks me to no end to have this small amount of tomato paste sittin' in the fridge. I purposely developed this recipe so that you, my dear reader, will not encounter this common cooking irritation. Boooooya!

Mushroom and Chickn Fried Rice with Spicy Asian Greens

Fred had surgery on his knee this week. I wanted to make him something tasty, healthy, and full of veggies. I had some leftover rice from the other day. The farmers market has had some excellent produce. Put them together and you've got some great stuff to work with. I've been craving some fried rice, but most don't have enough veggies for my taste. I thought I'd get to work and create something we'd both enjoy. Here's what transpired.

Mushroom and Chickn Fried Rice

4 servings

2 tablespoons low sodium tamari

1 tablespoon mirin

2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

4 ounces chicken Gardien or Chicken Seitan, diced

1 large carrot brunnoise (small diced)

1 cup snow peas, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

 1 - 8 oz package cremini mushrooms sliced

3 cups brown rice, cold

1-2 additional tablespoon low sodium tamari

In small bowl, mix tamari, mirin, ginger, sesame oil. Let sit for at least 30 minutes to marinade. In wok or large deep saute pan on high heat, pour chicken and marinade into pan. Saute for 2  minutes. Add garlic and carrots. Saute until "chicken" browns. Add snow peas and mushrooms and saute until mushrooms release their liquid. Add additional tamari. Heat until rice is heated through.

Spicy Sauteed Asian Greens

8 cups Asian greens

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon mirin

2 tablespoon low sodium tamari

1 teaspoon sriracha sauce

In large saute pan or wok over med high heat, heat oil. add ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add greens, mirin, and Tamari. Saute for a couple of minutes until greens start to wilt. Add sriracha and saute for another minute. Serve immediately.

Guess Who's Testing Again

Yep. I said I would stop testing for a while. Ha! That didn't last long. I love testing and being part of the process of helping make amazing books come to the shelf. I can't help myself.

Right now I am testing for three people...one who prefers to remain obscure and annonymous. The two other I'm hoping will offset each other. One is for Isa Chandra Moscowicz's upcoming Appetite for Reduction (I hope they keep that name - Love ya Axel), a low fat book. The other has yet to be named and it is a baking book by Carla Kelley. Both gals' recipes are amazingly good. I'll post a couple of teasers for you today.

It is St. Patrick's Day, so being the good Irish girl that I am, I must post this fantastic Irish Stew. It is not only delicious and bursting with homey, flavorful goodness, it boasts only 330 calories for a big hearty serving. It is low fat too. Bonus. I'm sure the green beer will offset any calorie savings, but hey, it's all about balance, right? (Please ignore the Smithwicks in the picture...I just found out it is not vegan...boo!)

Next comes a very fun and festive cupcake from the fabulous Carla (who you PPK folks know better as QueenV). These are a little bit on the pricey side due to the hazelnuts, but so worth it if you are a fan of them. I made these for a bake sale to benefit the Breast Cancer Fund, so the pink ribbon sprinkles were the perfect touch. I will be making these again! They are a decadent treat and are sure to impress your guests, friends, and family.

Hazelnut Latte Cupcakes

Our waistlines may not be excited about the testing, but I am. It is my way to unwind and have fun. It gives me excuses to cook, invite people over to taste test and spend some quality time in the kitchen. So you local peeps, don't be surprised if you get a desperate call from me to help eat the goods!

Calling All Local Vegan Bakers - Or Bakers Willing to Bake Vegan

Wow this is my 100th entry. What a great way to celebrate my 100th post!

April 24 - May 2, 2010 markes the second annual Worldwide Vegan Bakesale. Vegan bake sales are held all over the world to raise awarenss of how to help people, animals, and the planet. The proceeds go to your charity of choice. Of course my charity is the Wellness Community - Arizona as many of you already know.

I really wanted to do this last year, but I heard about it too late to put anything together. This year there is plenty of time. I want to get a big ol' group of bakers together and do this! I know that many of my friends and followers are incredible bakers. I think we could really wow a lot of people and raise a lot for the charities...not to mention have a blast doing it!

Let's have fun, help, people and show people vegan baking rocks! I can do it on Saturday May 1st or Sunday May 2nd. If I get some interested bakers, I will get a venue set up. Let me know if you are in and available. It will be a blast!

E-mail me and let me know if you are interested!