Chai Cupcakes and Vanilla Butter Cream September 26, 2008

It’s my favorite tea drink…needed to make these in cake form.

Chai Cupcakes

1 cup of  butter

1/2 cup of veggie oil

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2  free-range eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp of each cinnamon  and cardamon

1/4 tsp each ground ginger and allspice

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups milk

2 good quality chai tea bags or equivalent loose tea

Pre heat oven to 325

In a saucepan combine milk and tea and gently heat over med low heat for about 5 minutes, just before a boil. Remove and let tea cool in milk while you are mixing other ingredients.

In a large bowl beat butter, oil and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, spices and vanilla and combine well.

In a smaller bowl combine baking soda flour and salt.

Add flour mix to the wet mix 1/3 at a time alternating with warm milk until all combined and smooth.

Mix should be kind of runny so ladle into muffin tins lined with cup cake liners 2/3 full . Bake approximately 20 minutes, until they come clean with a cake tester and don’t give to touch. Let Cool before Icing.

Vanilla Butter Cream

1 cup butter (room temperature)
6 (to 8, if needed)cups icing sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cream butter with a mixer until smooth and creamy. With mixer on low, slowly add  6 cups of sugar, milk and vanilla until blended well. Only add the extra 2 cups if needed. The recipe yields a large amount of icing I would cut it in half if you are making these cupcakes, but if you are making a 2 tiered cake you will need the full recipe.

Brownies September 14, 2008

Brownies there is nothing else to say…. (psst you can also find this recipe on the Hershey’s website and they have a chocolate  icing to go along with it, I’m just not a huge icing fan)

Brownies

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup  Cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips or 1/4 c of each

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan.

2. Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Mint brownies… add mint chocolate chips and substitue 1/4 tsp of peppermint flavoring for the vanilla. If you like icing on your brownies, make your favorite chocolate icing and add 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract to it. If you are going to do this I might omit the peppermint extract from the brownies themselves and use regular chocolate chips so it’s not mint overkill.

Peanut butter brownies.. you can do this a few ways, omit the nuts and pour half of the batter in the pan. Spread out as evenly as possible and then drop small tsps of peanut butter, spacing them out, imagine cutting them into square syou wnat one for every “middle”, cover with the rest of the batter.

Another way to do it is to make peanut butter icing and ice while the brownies are still warm. I would still ommit the nuts and maybe replace the chocolate chips with peanut butter ones if you want another peanut kick.

Play with the combos of icings and chips. Add some amaretto to the brownies and make Amaretto icing. Or make with dark chocolate chips and make a coffee icing. This would also be good topped with fluff or the cream cheese icing I posted with my carrot cake recipe.

Peanut Butter Icing

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk or soy milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and beat well until creamy.  Ice brownies while still warm, then let cool. This works really well as a vegan icing if you sub soy milk for milk and butter for vegetable margarine.

A bad habit my sister Sandy taught me is to freeze your uncooked mixture over night and spoon out individual portions when you want a hot brownie. This is nice if you have will power or live alone. Just find a shallow microwavable dish and put about 2 tbspn in it, cook for about 40 secs depending on the mircrowave but sandy and I also liked our a little undercooked. We would also put peanut butter in it or icecream on top…yum!

Super Easy Vegan London Fog September 14, 2008

London Fog is a tea latte I was introduced to by Caitlin, typically it’s steamed milk, Earl Grey tea and a shot of vanilla, but I don’t drink milk so I use soy.

2 -2 1/2 cups of vanilla soy milk

2 Earl Grey Tea bags

a milk frother

Heat soy milk in sauce pan or use an espresso machine to steam the milk and make froth. Place a tea bag in each cup and if you don’t have  a steamer use a mechanical frothier to make the froth. Pour milk over tea bags, make froth and top latte. Super easy and super delicious.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing September 12, 2008

Umm, my favorite, that is all.

Carrot Cake

Servings: 18

Ingredients:

2 cups  flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp of each cinnamon and cardamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup each granulated and packed brown sugar

3 free-range eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups grated carrots

1 cup drained canned crushed pineapple

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut

Cream Cheese Icing

1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla

1 cup  icing sugar

1/4-1/2 cup chopped walnuts of pecans for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 and get your pan ready. I use a large round pan whcih I later cut in half to have 2 layers. You could also make cupcakes, or two smaller cake tins.

In large bowl, add flour, baking powder, spices, baking soda, and salt.

In separate bowl,mix sugars, eggs, oil and vanilla until combined.

Pour sugar mix into flour mix,loosely combine.

Add carrots, pineapple and coconut. Transfer into pan(s) and bake for 30-60 minutes depending on pan type. It should be a deeper color, and bounce back at your touch. I always check the centre with a toothpick, cake tester or even twist tie and if it comes out clean it’s done. Let cool completely on wire rack before icing.

For the icing,  beat softened cream cheese and butter until smooth.

Add vanilla and mix well.

Beat in icing sugar, one-third at a time, until smooth. Ice cake and top with walnuts/pecans.

Tahini Dressing September 12, 2008

Falafel’s condiment….Simple dressing that is good slapped on any sanwich.  It can be thinned out and used as salad dressing, but it’s really garlicky…be warned, but soo yum.

Tahini Dressing

1/4 cup of tahini

2-3 tbspn olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 -1/2 cup of water (use water to get desired consistency, I like mine a little runny)

1 large clove of garlic grated

salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix. Chill atleast 30 minutes. I find it tends to set thicker, so you might need to add a little water after it chills if you like it runnier.

Homemade Goodforyou Granola September 9, 2008

Shannon my old roommate showed me this recipe 2 years ago and ever since I’ve been a homemade granola  type of girl. I really like  that you can thrown any nuts, dried fruit, seeds and cereal grains in it as you want. I like to use spice and this recipe doesn’t use sugar (unless u want it sweeter) or any oil. The recipe that follows is just my favorite combo of flavors. It’s a bit of effort but it’s well worth it and  it stores dry for up to 2 weeks.

Granola

1 can of frozen orange juice

6 cups of large flake oats (this is approximate, you might need to add more if the mix seems too wet)

1 generous cup of dried cranberries (of equivalent amount of dried fruit)

1/4 cup of flax seed

1/4 cup wheat germ (or bran)

2/3 cup unsalted sliced almonds ( or any other unsalted nuts)

1 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds

2 generous tsp of any combination of spices such as all spice, cinnamon, cardamon

******Coconut is also good mixed in just limit the amounts cause it can burn, and if you want to use other nut/seed combos just measure out approximately 2 cups

1-2 tbsp honey or maple syrup optional (if you like sweeter granola, I usually do without)

Preheat oven for 350F.

Place frozen OJ in a large mixing bowl, and let melt. Add dried fruit, spice(s) and coconut (if usuing) and let sit for 20-30 minutes.

Add nuts, bran, oats and honey/maple syrup (if using). Mix  until everything is coated well in OJ.

Spray a large cookie sheet and spread  mixture on pan sparsely. You want to be able to turn it and move it around so it toasts on all sides. Bake about 5 minutes then turn and bake about 5 more minutes, you want it to be dried out and light-medium brown.

As you cook the granola in small batches cool on wax paper or in a lage shallow dish before storing in an air tight contain, make sure it is totally cooled otherwise it will hold moisture and go bad sooner.

Enjoy with yoghurt/soy yogurt, milk/soy milk or as a snack with fruit.

Ginger Spice Cookies September 3, 2008

Yummy fall cookies, good with tea! You can make these vegan by using margarine instead of butter and powdered egg substitute accoridng to package directions.

Ginger Spice Cookies

1 cup butter

1-1/3 cups packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup molasses

3 cups all-purpose flour

3  tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 tsp baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2″ piece of fresh ginger grated

Preheat oven to 350

In a large mixing bowl, creambutter and brown sugar together.

Add egg and molasses and mix well.

Mix in flour, ground ginger, allspice, cinnamon, fresh ginger, vanilla, baking soda, and salt; stir into the molasses mixture using a wooden spoon.

Refrigerate dough for atleast one hour if not over night

When making cookies, roll into 1 inch balls, dip in granulated sugar mixed with ground ginger. plac eon greased cookie sheet then press with a fork to flatten.

Bake for about 10 mins and let cool on rack for a bout 2 mins before transfering to wire rack.

Macaroni and Cheese September 3, 2008

Breaking out the Fall dishes already, and this one can really be dressed up. I’ll do both basic then common additions. My best advice with making any macaroni and cheese is to always use the sharpest/ strongest cheeses you have because with the other flavors it really mellows out. Cheeses like Brie or Gouda really add to the creaminess, cheeses like Goat, Feta, Blue or Parmesan will add tonnes of flavor but for that reason should be used sparingly the texture is also something to take into consideration. Also be careful because a lot of stronger cheeses contain rennet or lipase, just check the labels.

Basic Recipe

3 generous tbsp s of butter

5 level tbsp s of white flour

1 box of whole wheat or white macaroni (or a mix)

2 cups of milk, any percentage will work but the higher the fat content the richer it is

3 cups of sharpe cheddar cheese (you can split this up into a variety of cheeses)

1/4 Parmesan, or another strong cheese

1 tbsp prepared mustard

1 tbsp grainy mustard

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Topping

Bread crumbs, Parmesan and approximately 1 cup of shredded cheese. You can also use store bought or homemade croutons, grind extra pepper on top and use different cheeses.

Preheat oven for 350.

Boil water for pasta an cook accoridng to package directions.

In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat and whisk in flour. Stir constantly until butter flour mixture starts to brown, this might take  up to 5 minutes.

Slowly whisk in milk and spices. Once mixture begins to thicken add small handfuls of the cheeses until you reach a unified consistency.

Drain cooked pasta, and add to cheese mixture. Coat completely then transfer into a medium-large baking dish. Cover with breadcrumbs parmesan, pepper, and extra cheese and bake about 30 minutes, until everything is brown and bubbly.

Variations

If you want to throw some veggies in this dish I highly recommend mushrooms and red bell peppers. Just saute them in some butter before adding the flour and continue the recipe as is. You can have a lot of fun changing the cheeses to compliment the flavors.

If you like spicy food, I usually will add 1 jalapeno chopped, 1-2 cloves of garlic chopped with some chipotle canned chillies and saute them in butter. When I do this I always use a strong cheddar, a white organic is very good.

When making it with mushrooms, I usually use a combination of portobellos and button mushrooms and sometimes criminis. I like to use thyme and pepper to spice it and add in some brie or Gouda to my cheese mix, along with my Parmesan.

You can make it more flavorful by adding diced fresh tomatoes, fresh or roasted garlic and basil to the mix right befor eyou bake it. Or rehydrate some sundried tomatoes and throw in some feta or goat cheese.

Palao Rice September 1, 2008

This recipe I had wanted to try every since I laid my eyes on it. It is so beautiful with all the colors and textures and a good mix of sweet and savory. This recipe is not my original because I had no clue how to make it so it’s an adaptation of one I saw on Video Jug. If you follow my link on the blog roll then look for Palao Rice in their search bar you get to see an instructional video. The problem I had with it, which I why I rewrote it for myself was Video Jug is from the UK and their proportions are metric. You should also know this recipe makes quite a bit, but is very impressive when served. I serve it with palak paneer and dahl mostly but that is what I like to eat, not really traditional.

Palao Rice

1 cup long grain rice (like basmati)
1/2 cup cashew nuts
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 cloves
2 cardamom pods
A cinnamon stick broken in half
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium onion diced
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp saffron threads
2 cups boiling water
salt to taste

Garnish (optional but makes it even prettier)

1 tbpsn olive oil
1 red onion sliced thinly in rounds
1 bunch of coriander(flat leaf parsely.. omit if Kim

Dice onions while 2 cups of water is boiling in a small pot with saffrom threads.

Wash and drain the rice.

In a large skillet or wok heat 3 tbspn of oil on medium high. Add nuts, cloves, cardamoms,cumin seeds and cinnamon and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the shallots and fry for 2 minutes, till they are translucent. Add the raisins, salt and turmeric and stir for a few seconds. You have to constantly stir
this mix so nothing chars or burns.

Add washed rice and stir well until all the grains have been coated with the spices.

Add the saffron boiling water to the other ingredients. Cover, and turn the heat to low, allowing the rice to cook for about 12-15 minutes.

While rice is cooking, slice onion (into loops) and brown well in a little oil. Wash and chop coriander. Keep both aside, ready for garnishing at the end.

When the rice is done, top with fried onion and coriander.