Better Late Than Never - WW Vegan Bake Sale Pics!!!

Ok it's been weeks since we had the very successful Tempe version of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale at Loveland Boutique in Tempe. I've had school projects and computer issues going on, so I apologize for the delay.  The sale was truly a smashing success. We had a steady stream of very happy customers. Many of them bought in bulk and several asked if we would be there every week. This proves my theory that the East Valley is in dire need of a vegan bakery.

We were able to raise $650-ish for Arizona Boston Terrier Rescue, which I find amazing. Thanks to everyone who baked (you guys rock more than words can say!), helped transport, and came out to support the sale. A special thanks to the lovely ladies at Loveland. They are totally awesome. Make sure you go check out their adorable clothes and accessories. I have to shout out to Rikki Cupcake too. Without her, this would never have been so successful. Woot! I'm posting a few pics here and the link to the rest. There was so many amazing goodies that you must check out. Here is the album in Flickr.

Willow and Lil' Beans

Rikki's Amazing Mini Cheezecakes

I made Lemon Coconut Bundt cake with Blueberries from VCON

Tracy brought towers of deliciousness

Hand Made Peanut Butter Cups by Kenike from Chicos and Beans

Cupcakes!!!

The Next Food Network Friday Challenge is June 4th - Rachel Ray

Ok folks. This next challenge is for you Rachel! This one is chock full of Yumm-o. I can't even believe I typed that. This next challenge will will be doing a remake of Rachel's Spring Chicken Roll-Ups with Lemon Dijon Pan Sauce.

I'm trying to figure out how this can be made to match the fitness and diet goals for my 30 day challenge. I may have to stray a bit from the original to get it done...or I may have a cheat day. You will have to check back on the 4th to see which one happens!

Tami Noyes of Vegan Appetite will be posting the results of the challenge. If you haven't checked out her blog yet, you really should. She posts some scrumpdillyicoius food and has awesome contests. As a bonus she is really cool too!

I hope some of you will take the challenge and give this one a try. We usually come up with very different interpretations. I'd love to see your versions!!!

30 Day Challenge

Hey Folks - I'm going to be taking more time off of hi calorie cooking to focus on a fun challenge. I've been testing for Isa Moskowitz's Appetite for Reduction cookbook for some time now. At the same time I have been testing for Carla Kelley's Vegan Bake Sale. Needless to say, no weight has been lost in the interim. I am embarking on a 30 day challenge. I will be eating mostly Isa's low fat recipes for 30 days. I will also be exercising (as I feel this is truly the best way to lose weight and be fit).

Coincidentally, two of my friends happened to be doing their own challenge to lose 5% of their total weight in 30 days. I have to lose quite a bit more weight than my slim friends, so this is a big challenge for me! I will be posting before and after pictures...scary for me. If I am feeling very brave, I may even post my numbers.

Fret not my friends. I will not be lacking for delicious food. Check out some of the test recipes I will be indulging in for the next month and beyond.

From the upcomong Appetite for Reduction.

Chipotle Lentil Burgers

 

Yummy Gravy (Yes it is low fat thank you very much!)

Food Network Friday - Jamie Oliver

Hello my little blogatrons. I am so sorry I have been remiss in my blogging duties. We've had surgery recoveries, dog adoptions, and graveyard shifts to attend to. We also had a freaking awesome vegan bake sale in between, which I must blog about next. It was epic!

This week's FNF challenge was a remake of this Jamie Oliver recipe. I found it very curious that Mr. Oliver works so hard to bring healthy cuisine to school lunches but feels it is just dandy to use pork, bacon and it's grease in this recipe. Not exactly going to give him a glowing report card on healthy cuisine here. In his defense, he does also incorporate red peppers and chard which both pack a great nutritional punch. Check out Vegan Appetite website to see the other interpretations.

When I go about my conversions, I do my best to try and stay true to the original recipe as best I can. For this conversion I had to do a little math as it is written in metric measurements. He also makes use of the term a small handful which can be a bit subjective. Sometime I have to let go of my inner Virgo and just run with it.


For the chops I did a variation of a seitan tester from Isa Moscowitz's upcoming Appetite for Reduction cook book. You could really use any simmered seitan recipe that tickles your fancy. This one is nice because it is wetter than some others. It lent itself very well to being stuffed. For the "bacon" I used another tester from Julie Hasson's upcoming Vegan Diner; Smoky Curls. Yummy for the tummy. I had a hard time not eating them all before I finished the dish. I honestly think you could make a meal out of the beans alone (2 servings) if you didn't have the time or the inkling to make the chops, but they are truly special. If you have the time you should make them.

Here we go...

Moorish Seitan Chops
4 servings

For the filling
1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
a few dashes of fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sherry
1/4 teaspoon olive oil
2-3 teaspoons raisins (if raisins are dry, rehydrate in hot water for 5-10 minutes and drain)


1 recipe simmered seitan (1 lb)

Sauce:
1 tablespoon Earth Balance
1 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
1 cup Beefy vegetable broth
1 small sprig rosemary

Beans:

1/2 cup Smoky Curls or vegan bacon, plus a little extra set aside for garnish

1 Tablespoon Earth Balance
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced into 1/2 inch chunks
1 large red onion, diced small
1 15 oz. can butter beans (or other white bean)
1/2 cup beefy vegetable broth

2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary, leaved removed and coarsely chopped

1/2 lb baby chard or regular chard leaved coarsely chopped
As a little side note I got the chard, oregano, and rosemary out of our garden!!!!!

Using a mortar and pestal grind fresh oregano, salt and pepper. Add raisins, sherry and oil and grind until paste is formed.  Divide into 4 equal portions. Mix seitan recipe together. Divide into 4 pieces. Flatten into 5 inch rounds. Spread filling over half, leaving 1/2 inch border. Fold other half over and seal edges. Simmer as directed. Let seitan chill for several hours or overnight.

Once seitan is chilled start the beans. In medium sized saute pan or iron skillet heat Earth balance and olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and pepper. Saute 5-10 minutes until onions are translucent and pepper are just starting to soften. Add curls or bacon. saute for 2 more minutes. Add butter beans, vegetable broth, bay leaves and rosemary. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add chard and simmer for 2-3 minutes until it is wilted.

While beans are simmering. Make sauce and cutlets.

For Sauce:

Melt EB. Add flour and cook for 5 minutes on low heat to make roux. Slowly pour broth in whisking constantly until roux is incorporated. Add sprig of rosemary. Let simmer on low until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

For cutlets:

My preferred method is to use a large iron skillet on the grill. I find the grill give a beautiful even heat and sears the cutlet perfectly. Heat the grill on the highest setting. When grill is very hot put very well oiled iron skillet directly over the flame. Give it about 5 minutes to get very hot. Add cutlets and sear for about 5 minutes on one side. Make sure to spray uncooked side generously with spray canola before flipping. Sear other side for about 3 minutes. Turn grill to the lowest setting and let cook for about 5-8 more minutes being careful not to burn. As an alternate method this can be done on the stove top with an iron skillet or griddle pan.

Keep cutlets warm while you finish the other items.

To assemble:

In a shallow bowl or high sided plate dish out 1/4 recipe of beans to make a bed for the "chop". Place seared chop on top. Drizzle with 1- 2 tablespoons of the sauce. Garnish with sprig of fresh oregano and crispy vegan bacon bits.

Inside shot

Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale Comes to Tempe this Saturday!!!!

Folks it is almost here - the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale - Tempe Edition at Loveland Boutique. We have a great line up of awesome vegan bakers, featuring the lovely Rikki Cupcake from Seitanic Vegan Heathen, making sweet culinary delights for every taste. There will even be gluten free options! I know all of the bakers are super excited about what we have in store for you. You will be amazed at the variety and deliciousness that will abound. Sweet sugary bliss!

Don't worry if you are one who has to have coffee with your sweets. The fine folks at Solo Cafe right next door will hook you up! Grab a couple of friends and head on over. Satisfy your sweet tooth while you help save lives. All proceeds to benefit Arizona Boston Terrier Rescue.

See you there between 11am - 4pm (or until the goodies run out).

Hey Bakers and Lovers of baked goods!!!

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.

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.

****A special note to my friends who often fear the "V" word. Do not fear. Just look at the gorgeous baked decadence in this blog and other blogs listed here. I have served hundreds of vegan dishes to my friends, family and co-workers. They are still alive to tell about them...some would even rave about them! I challenge you to a taste test. Come try our goodies and remove all doubt that vegan desserts are weird or boring****

Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale - Baker Sign Up

Wow!! Two posts in one day. This could be historical!

I'm super excited about the upcoming Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale on Saturday, May 1st from 11am - 4pm at Loveland Boutique, Baseline and Mill in Tempe. We are going to have some incredible bakers and baked goodies!

To get a bit more organized, I'm hoping all of the bakers can post what they plan on making in the comments to this post. That way we can be a bit more organized AND let everyone know what awesomeness awaits them!

So please post your contributions in the comments to this post with prices. Please add a link to your blog too! Thanks to all the bakers who are generously donating their time and talent for such a great cause.

FNF - Bobby Flay Throw Down

In his show Throw Down with Bobby Flay, Mr. Flay often travels into some great cook's/chef's home territory to challenge them to a culinary duel. The native is the master at a particular dish in his or her region. Well, we Food Network Friday foodies don't do a head to head competition with the fabulous Mr. Flay, but it doesn't mean our throw downs aren't pretty darn exciting. Who knows, maybe someday he'll want to take one of us on!

This week's challenge was a vegan makeover of Bobby's recipe for BBQ Duck and Sauteed Shiitake Mushroom filled Blue Corn Pancakes with Habenero Sauce. Our little group has become fairly masterful at converting recipes. Check out Vegan Appetite for the other submissions. This one only needed a bit of tweaking to make it totally animal free. I did take the liberty of straying a bit from the original by making Blue Corn Crepes rather than pancakes. I felt that the mushroom/protein filling should stand out more and not be weighed down by a thicker fluffier wrap. The results were all the proof I needed. The crepes were beautiful and let the filling really shine.

There were a couple of tweaks made to the Mesa BBQ Sauce recipe. Vegan Worcestershire sauce was used. I only used 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar as I don't like an overly sweet sauce. The honey was replaced by agave nectar. Pasilla chili powder was unattainable this week. Instead I finely chopped 2 large fresh pasillas and sauteed them with the onions at the beginning of the recipe. This makes a huge amount of sauce. You could easily halve this recipe and have plenty for the 4 servings the recipe below makes.

Veganizing the habenero sauce was a breeze. The only necessary adjustment was vegetable stock for the chicken stock. I only used 2 tablespoons sugar in the sauce. I did use the full recipe of this sauce.

No changes were necessary for the shiitake mushrooms. I do have to say that I used a full recipe of the mushrooms for the 4 servings below. Bobby used this amount for 8 servings.

The biggest challenge was to make a delicious substitution for the very fatty and unhealthy duck thighs. Butler Soy Curls to the rescue!!!

BBQ "Duck"

4 servings

1 cup Butler Soy Curls
1/2 cup Habenero Sauce
3/4 cup vegetable stock
2 tablespoons Mesa BBQ Sauce
1 recipe shiitake mushrooms
1 cup Mesa BBQ Sauce

Bring habenero sauce and stock to a boil. Stir in BBQ Sauce. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to rehydrate soy curls. Add soy curls to pan that the mushrooms are in. Saute and stir for about a minute. Add BBQ sauce and simmer until sauce becomes slightly sticky (5 minutes or so). Turn heat to very low to make crepes.

Blue Corn Crepes
(Makes 11 crepes if you are a crepe master and don't lose any)

3/4 cup blue corn meal
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup soy milk
1 cup water
1 tablespoons tapioca flour
1 teaspoon salt

Blend all ingredients in blender until well combined. Mixture will be very thin. Let chill in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes. Heat crepe pan or 8" non stick pan until it sizzles when a drop of water hits it.. Lightly spray pan with canola oil before pouring batter in (for each crepe). Using a 1/4 cup measure, quickly pour batter in pan and swirl around to cover the bottom of the pan evenly. When the crepe is dry on top and there are a few bubbles, flip crepe with a thin spatula and cook for 1-2 more minutes on the other side. Transfer to plate and keep warm making sure to put either wax paper or parchment between each crepe to prevent sticking. Freeze any leftover crepes for later use.***

To assemble:

Once all of the crepes are cooked, place 1/4 cup BBQ mixture in the center and roll up. Place 2 filled crepes on each plate. Drizzle equal amounts of reserved habanero sauce on each plate. If desired, serve with extra BBQ Sauce. Garnish with cilanto leaves and avocado slices.

***Everything can be made up a day ahead of time, stored in the fridge. Reheat sauces and filling on the stove top. For the crepes, spray a little oil in your non-stick or crepe pan and reheat for about 1 minute on each side.