Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Vegan Muffins: Recipe Swap


My mother works as a nurse, and she's darn-tootin good at what she does. I guess she was telling a patient about how much I love to bake, and so begins the recipe swap. A notecard with this on it arrives home for me:

Oatmeal Cookies
"Heat oven to 375 degrees and oil cookie sheets.*

Cream:
1 1/4 c. "Earth Balance" (butter substitute)
3/4 c. dark brown sugar (packed)
1/4 c. evaporated cane juice crystals (such as "Florida Crystals")

Add:
1 T. "Ener-G" egg replacer w/ 1/4 c. water (beaten seperately)
2 T. Water
1 tsp. vanilla

Add & mix:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 c. rolled oats

Stir in:
1 1/4 c. walnuts, chopped
1 c. raisins

"How many cookies you get depends on how you divide the batter. The neighbors who game me the recipe makes only nine--big, huge circles. I made two dozen.

"Drop onto the cookie sheet, then flatten and shape with the back of a spoon.

Bake approximately 16 minutes (golden on top, but still moist). Cool on rack before storing."

Apparently, this woman is a vegan, something I tried one year for lent. It was rather difficult for me because I went about it very unhealthily.** If it had eggs or butter or the like in the recipe, I just wouldn't go for it. This is rather stupid, I now realize, because there's so many alternatives! My mother confused a gluten-free muffin recipe I once made up with a vegan recipe, but I can work with that.


Now, I have yet to actually try out her recipe, but the idea was that maybe we could start swapping recipes. A lady I've never met who knows me through her nurse... I find it interesting. All the more interesting with the added challenge of vegan cooking. So, I have decided to play with muffins using my personal favorite substitutions. More blackberry, because I have it on hand.


Vegan Blackberry Muffins
1 1/2 c. all -purpose flour, divided
1/2 c. oat flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 T. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 ripe banana, mashed (substitutes eggs)
1 c. soy milk (substitutes milk)
1/4 c. applesauce (substitutes butter)
1 c. blackberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift 1 1/4 c. of all-purpose flour with oat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. In another bowl mix banana, soy milk, and applesauce. Pour this over the flour mixture. Stir just enough to moisten the flour.*** Dust 1 cup fresh blueberries with the reserved flour and stir gently into the batter. Pour paper muffin cup liners two-thirds full of the batter and bake about 15 minutes. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen muffins.


They turned out fairly well, moist and not too sweet. My friend, who prefers things too sweet, said they would be better with some sort of frosting, so I smeared some Nutella on one and that made it perfect. Now just to copy the recipe down and send it off to this random woman!

*I would just use parchment paper.
**I should really try it again, now that I'm more informed. Maybe next year.
***The batter should not be smooth.

Mango-Blackberry Cobbler

Mmmmm... cobbler.

We still had a few leftover bags of blackberries from last year's picks, and my mother accidentally left one out after grabbing a handful for her oatmeal. Can't let that go to waste! I'm trying to get over my sugar-phobia, so I had some myself. If I might say so myself, it was pretty delicious. My friends and I play this game every week or so, and I like to make food for the occasion. Plus, my sister and dad are in town to enjoy some too. Not to mention, I love baking. But who needs an excuse anyways?


Mango and Blackberry Cobbler
(Recipe from Baking Bites)

16oz fresh blackberries
16-oz fresh mango, cubed
1 medium apple, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk*
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon**

Preheat oven to 357F.

Combine blackberries, mango, apples, cornstarch and sugar in a large bowl. Toss well and let stand for 2-3 minutes. Pour into an 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch square baking dish.

In the same bowl you used for the fruit, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla and whisk to combine. Pour batter (should be similar to cake batter) over the fruit in an even layer.

Bake at 375F for about 45 minutes, until dark golden brown. The center will spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted into the cake will come out clean, just like a regular cake that is done. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.***

Serves 6-8


*I used 2% milk, and it turned out just fine.
**My addition, because I love cinnamon.

***With vanilla ice-cream! Alone is swell as well.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Lemon-Lime Bars


I attended a farewell party for two dear friends who will be moving to Portland, Oregon. It'll be sad when they aren't around. Change is sometimes difficult, you know? I will enjoy going to visit them.

Lingfei is from China, Chris's dimpled, charming wife, and she made an authentic Chinese dinner for a dozen or so of us. Let me just say, it was a spectacular feat, complete with a half a dozen dishes or more including, fried rice, fried eggplant, wilted spinach and eggs, cashew chicken, a cabbage dish, a tomato dish, fried tofu, various vegetable dishes and meat dishes, a shrimp stir-fry, wontons, and fried bananas and apples for dessert (among others!). The theme was fried food, it seems. And MSG--about half a bagfull. I don't normally eat either of those foods, but I decided to enjoy myself, and I think we all did. She just kept dishing these things out, even after everyone was satiated. I came to the party a few hours early to help out, and it was quite a project. She was wonderfully adorable, a perfect hostess.


Bellies full, we walked home in the cold, thundering night together, me finding my way into bed around four in the morning.

I had made a dessert for the night, a little lemony treat inspired by a friend's craving a week or so back. We didn't really get to it though, not even close, so it became the dessert for our National Man Day Barbeque on June 14 the next day.


Lemon-Lime Bars
(Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens, May 2008 Issue)

2/3 c. butter
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, divided
4 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel, divided
6 eggs
2 1/4 c. granulated sugar*
1/2 c. lemon juice
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. finely shredded lime peel
2 T. sifted powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13x9x2-inch pan with heavy foil; set aside.

2. For crust, in large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high 30 seconds. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Beat in 2 cups of the flour until crumbly. Stir in 2 teaspoons of the lemon peel. Evenly press on bottom of prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, for filling, in medium bowl combine eggs, granulated sugar, remaining 1/2 cup flour, lemon juice, baking powder, and nutmeg. Beat on medium 2 minutes. Stir in remaining lemon peel and the lime peel. Pour over hot crust. Bake 20 minutes more or until edges are browned and center appears set. Remove to racks; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours.

4. To serve, sprinkle evenly with powdered sugar. Lift from pan using foil; cut into bars.

5. If desired, add Candied Slices (recipe follows).**

Candied Citrus Slices In large skillet combine 1/4 water and 3/4 cup sugar; bring to boiling. Add 2 lemons or 10 key limes, thinly sliced. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 1 to 2 minutes or until just softened. Transfer to rack; cool.

*Or less, depending on if you're like me who loves the sour lemony flavor.
**The candied citrus slices weren't really a hit, mostly picked around. I like them more as decoration, so it might be prudent to half or quarter the recipe. It makes too much.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Bwiiiiffff!!

It's the Clif's first birthday!


We shall celebrate in July when I get back from Alaska. All the woofs will be invited, but the woof of honor will need lots and lots of presents! I'm thinking BBQ on the beach? Lots of friends, foods, and splashing around.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Ski to Sea 2010!!

TEAM WE LOOK BETTER NAKED FINISHED THE RACE WITH NO INCIDENT!!


Ski to Sea is an annual race in Whatcom County comprising of seven legs and eight team members. It starts up on Mount Baker--four miles of cross-country skiing, a hike up a mountainside just to go downhill skiing, then the runner begins the descent down the snow-capped mountain towards the road biker eight miles away. The road biker then travels nearly forty miles to the town of Everson, speeding off the mountain and through the foothills. From there, the two canoeists wind down the Nooksack River (the hardest leg, in my opinion). The mountain biker has a short trip to Bellingham where the kayaker takes off in the bay. Finally, at Marine Park in Fairhaven, the race ends with a bell to ring at the finish line.

We Look Better Naked didn't place in the top ten, nor in the top one hundred or two hundred, but I'm still very proud of us. Those of us who began on the mountain (two skiiers, runner and road biker) began our day at 4 o'clock in the morning of race day, driving up snuggled close in the car. I waited hours for my leg to begin, sleeping on cement and wandering throughout the hundreds of bikers and bicyclists. Luckily, my boyfriend was there with me. Look, a Bellingham Herald photographer snapped a shot of us:

Bikers around here are intense. I placed 334 our of 462... Not that great. I could have done better; My biggest mistake was not drafting anybody else. However, the amount of fun I had... When I first started the leg, there was a big cheesy grin on my face. I was riding with the elite, the big dogs, and I was finally part of this big race that seemed to impossible only a year ago. The weather cleared up, the road dried out, and the route was perfect. So scenic and gorgeous. I'd like to give a shout out to 330 for being very thoughtful and entertaining for a good chunk of the ride. "The boys have fallen asleep!" apparently. Next year I'll know what I'm doing and will kick some butt! I can't wait. I really cannot wait.


TEAM 426:
Cross Country Skiier: Alana Thelan
Downhill Skiier: Danica Yates
Runner: Annelise Nielsen
Road Biker: Me
Canoers: Mariah Brown-Pounds & Sabrina Lorgen
Mountain Biker: Chaya Dupree
Kayaker: Mary Ann Dupree