Vegan Naan Bread

This was my first time making naan bread. It turned out pretty darn good if I do say so myself. My family gobbled it up in no time, so I know this recipe will be a definite repeat in our household.

Naan Bread

2/3 cup soy, almond, rice, or hemp milk
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. rapid yeast
4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2/3 cup plain soy yogurt

In a mixing bowl, add sugar, milk, and yeast and stir well. Let it sit until it starts to activate and becomes frothy looking. In a separate bowl mix in all of the dry ingredients, then add milk mixture, oil, and soy yogurt. Mix until it is formed into a dough ball and knead for about 5 to 7 minutes. Put dough ball into a dry bowl, cover with a cloth and allow it to rise for 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to broiling temperature. Knead the dough another minute and then divide it into two parts. Oil a baking sheet and roll out one of the parts into an oval shat about 1/4"-1/2" thick. place in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes until it puffs up and appears golden brown. Watch it closely so it does not burn. Once it puffs up, take it out, flip it, then return it to the oven for another minute. Remove and serve warm. 

Vegan White Chocolate Bunny and Lamb Pops

These were some Easter lamb and Bunny pops I made for Easter. They were made with a Wilton candy mold from vegan white chocolate. On the backside I added pastel colored sprinkles.

This is the backside of the lollipops. The kids really enjoy them and it is a fun and festive treat for the Easter hoilday. Happy Easter!

Trader Joe's Cinnamon Coffee Cake Mix Made Vegan, Egg-free, & Dairy-free

Since I know many folks don't fancy themselves bakers, I've decided to share some examples on making baking mixes vegan. Clearly the mix itself needs to be free of dairy and eggs, which you can determine by checking the ingredients on the label.

Cake has a different texture from brownies, but I still favor substituting the egg with applesauce. It is a familiar item anyone could find at any grocery store, including Trader Joe's. The cake itself called for butter or oil, and I opted for oil. 

A topping mix is included, and all you needed to do is use Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or Natural Spread. These both can be found at Trader Joe's. 

The last modification I made was to add 2 teaspoons of vinegar. You won't be able to taste it afterwards, I promise! It helps the cake to rise.

Here is the list of ingredients for the cake mix:

2/3 cup almond, soy, coconut, or hemp milk

6 Tbsp. oil

2/3 cup applesauce 

2 tsp. vinegar

Crumb Topping: 

3 1/2 Tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or Natural Spread

Vegan Raspberry Swirl Muffins

I'm a huge Tori Amos fan, therefore I had Raspberry Swirl in my head while I was mixing these up. It was a pretty simple recipe which created a delicious aroma throughout the house.

They were for the next morning, but luckily there were a couple extra to taste test after cooling enough. If you try them out, let me know what you think of them.

Raspberry Swirl Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup almond, soy, hemp, or coconut milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3-4 Tbsp. seedless raspberry jelly

First preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Next put the jelly into a covered bowl and microwave for 30-45 seconds or until it is melted. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ones excluding the raspberry jelly. Line muffin pan with paper liners or lightly spray pan with oil.

Fill muffin well 1/4 full and then add 2-3 tsp. melted jelly. Cover with batter until 1/2 full. Add another 2-3 tsp. melted jelly. Once all the muffin tins are 1/2 full, swirl with a toothpick first clockwise starting at the middle and then counterclockwise. If it appears swirled enough they are ready for the oven. If not, run toothpick through in straight lines like creating a tic tac toe pattern. Bake in oven 15-25 minutes.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins or 6 jumbo muffins.

Baking Mixes Easily Made Vegan, Dairy-free and Egg-free

While I love to bake, there are times I just want a quick treat made from a baking mix. Everyone has days where simplicity is a necessity.

Being a stay at home parent, it seems there are always calls for bringing treats places. It is always nice to showcase vegan recipes, but I think it is also important to demonstrate how easily it can be done with a pre-made mix. Not everyone wants to start from scratch. From time to time, I'll post about mixes I've made without the dairy or eggs.

My first one is a brownie recipe. While they aren't low-fat, they are not as fattening without eggs and less oil. My husband is really the expert on brownies, as they are his favorite. What we discovered works well, is reversing the oil and water. For example, with the Ghirardelli Double Chocolate mix calls for 1/3 cup oil and 1/4 cup of water. Whenever we've followed the box, it has ended up a gooey mess. See below for how I exchanged the requested amounts.

1/3 cup water
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce (subbing for an egg)

I have a bar pan, so it required a significantly decreased amount of cooking time at 20 minutes. If you are baking in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan, it will require baking at the amounts recommended on the box.

Vegan Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ever since the vegan cookie exchange last December, I've wanted to tackle making these. After getting to scoop on how my friend Betsy made the "hershey" kisses, I decided to try making my own vegan peanut butter blossoms. It is a modification on my peanut butter cookie recipe.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar + 2-3 Tbsp. sugar to coat cookies

1/3 cup apple sauce or 2 Ener-G Egg replacer eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery sticks

2 dozen vegan "hershey" kisses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine the margarine and sugars until creamy. Add in applesauce or egg replacer and vanilla, and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until the ingredients are uniformly distributed. 

Once cookie dough is ready, roll into 1 inch size balls. Roll in sugar until completely coated. Leave in ball shape and place on cookie sheet two inches apart. Cook in oven for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown on edges. After removing from oven, immediately top with vegan "hershey" kisses. The chocolate will melt and attach to the cookie. Allow to cool so chocolate can reset. Place in refrigerator to speed up the process if you like.

Vegan "Hershey" Kisses

Do you ever miss having delicious "hershey" chocolate kisses? If you are like me and wish you could have them again, look no further. This past Christmas at our vegan cookie exchange, my friend Betsy made peanut butter blossoms. I inquired into how she made the kisses. I've been meaning to try it out, and finally got around to it this week.

Below are instructions to make them yourself using a microwave or stove-top method. You can choose whichever you prefer. 

Vegan "Hershey" Kisses

5 oz. Semi-sweet Baker's Chocolate or vegan chocolate chips

Parchment Paper

Stove-top Instructions: 

Start by melting three-quarters of the chocolate on the stove using a double broiler. I heat a small amount of water in a larger sauce pan, and melt the chocolate in a smaller pan nested in the larger one. DO NOT let water get into your chocolate, as it will seize up the chocolate. Once it is melted well, take it off of the burner and add the remaining chocolate. This tempers the chocolate, so it dries with a nice shiny finish.

Next add the chocolate to a pastry piping bag. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pipe the kiss onto the paper like you are creating a large dot. Continue to pipe it out of the bag, while slowing lifting up to create the "hershey" kiss shape. Continue with the remaining chocolate until you run out. It will make approximately 2 dozen kisses, depending on the size you make.

Microwave instructions:

Add 3/4 of the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl, and heat for 30 seconds. Take chocolate out and stir. Continue to repeat this step in 30 second increments until the chocolate is completely melted. DO NOT cook in increments longer than 30 seconds or you run the risk of burning the chocolate. Add the remaining chocolate and let it sit for a minute until the warm chocolate has melted it. This tempers the chocolate, so it dries with a nice shiny finish. 

Next add the chocolate to a pastry piping bag. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pipe the kiss onto the paper like you are creating a large dot. Continue to pipe it out of the bag, while slowing lifting up to create the "hershey" kiss shape. Continue with the remaining chocolate until you run out. It will make approximately 2 dozen kisses, depending on the size you make.