Sasha's Kitchen: Green Tea Cupcakes with Violets

I have a great book of vegan cupcake recipes that are sans-butter, and hence much healthier.  I had been meaning to try the green tea cupcakes for a long time because I like anything with matcha powder.  My husband Brad and I got married at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, so my first thought was to make little cherry blossoms out of marzipan to put on top of the green tea glaze.  However, I have two pink gels and with the one I used, the marzipan came out more purple instead of pink, so I made violets instead.  These cupcakes are cute little Japanese style cakes, flavored just like green tea.  The glaze is just perfect - much lighter than frosting, but still quite satisfying.  These dainty little cupcakes, remind me of a delicate little violet, or spring at the Cherry Blossom Festival at the BBG just the same.  This is a great book even for a non-vegan like me and I can't wait to make more recipes from it soon.

Green Tea Cupcakes (adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)
1/2 cup soy yogurt
2/3 cup soy milk (recipe called for rice milk but I used soy instead)
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 tsp matcha powder (there is no substitute)
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Green Tea Glaze
2 T margarine
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 to 1/4 tsp matcha powder
1 T soy milk (I used soy instead of rice milk)
1/4 tsp almond extract
drop of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a cupcake tray with liners.  In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, soy milk, vanilla, oil and almond extract.  Combine the sugar, matcha powder, flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl.  Combine the two bowls together and beat until smooth, to break up any lumps and combine.  Fill cupcake liners 2/3 to 3/4 full and bake for about 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely.

To make the glaze, I used a mixer.  I beat the margarine in the mixer until fluffy.  Then beat in the confectioners' sugar to form a crumbly mixture and add a tablespoon or two of soy milk along with the almond extract.  I used a spatula to spread the glaze on each cupcake.

To make cherry blossoms or violets, dye a little marzipan purple or pink and form little flower petals.  I used a little yellow dyed marzipan for the center of each violet. Pretty!

Sasha's Kitchen: Green Tea Cupcakes with Violets

Sasha's Kitchen: Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

So sorry I haven't posted in almost a week. Things have just been crazy around here and quite hectic, and it seems it will still be a bit before they settle down.  I didn't get a chance to cook or bake too mcuh in the last week, but still have some good recipes yet to share.  Recently, I bought the book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World upon recommendation from a friend.  I'm not vegan, not even vegetarian, but after trying a couple of these fabulous (and healthier) recipes, well I'm sold.  My first foray into vegan baking was the complex flavors of mexican chocolate, with a delicious chocolate mousse frosting - and yes, it's really vegan, too! What I love about this book is the complexity and artistry in each of the vegan cupcake recipes. Next up, I plan to try making the banana split cupcakes and the apple cider cupcakes!

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)
1 cup coconut milk
1 T ground flaxseeds
3/4 cup flour
2 T cornmeal
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

Preheat the oven to 350 and line your silicon muffin tin.  Whisk together the coconut milk and flaxseeds and allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl (almond meal, cocoa, flour, salt, cinnamon, cayenne baking powder and baking soda).  whisk the sugar, oil and extracts into the coconut milk.  Gently add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way to the top and bake for about 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.


Vegan Chocolate Mousse Frosting (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)
1 12.3 oz package extra firm tofu, drained
1/4 cup soy milk
2 T maple syrup or agave
1 tsp vanilla
12 oz vegan chocolate chips

Crumble the tofu in a blender and add the agave/maple syrup and the soy milk.  Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, and then let cool for five minutes.  Blend in the chocolate with the tofu mixture.  Transfer to an airtight container and chill for 1 hour before piping on the cupcakes with a pastry bag. So good you won't even realize its vegan!!!

Sasha's Kitchen: Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

Sasha's Kitchen: Vegan Coconut Curried Noodle Salad

I'm not vegan, or even vegetarian, but I appreciate vegan and vegetarian cooking, and am always enjoy cooking with fresh fruits and vegetables as center stage.  Plus, it is such a healthy way to eat, so it is totally smart for any carnivore like myself to mix some vegan and/or vegetarian meals into the weekly meal rotation.  My friend Shannon was visiting from Toronto recently, and gave me the book La Dolce Vegan by Sarah Kramer as a present to try some new vegan experimentation in the kitchen (although she's not vegan either, she vouched for the excellent cookbook).  When she was still visiting last weekend, we tried the cold coconut curried sesame noodles, and discovered they taste good either hot or cold. The recipe was not too difficult and delicious, either as a side dish, appetizer or a main course. I love the coconut flavor with the noodles, and it was boatloads better than traditional sesame noodles.

Coconut Curried Noodles Salad (from La Dolce Vegan)
dry broad rice noodles (full package or box, enough for four servings)
1/2 cup shallots, diced (I substituted onions)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T sesame oil
2 T curry paste
2T tamari (you can use soy sauce)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt (I used 1/2 tsp)
1 13.5 oz can light coconut milk
1/2 cup fresh basil (I used parsley instead)
1 large tomato, chopped (we added two instead when I made it with Shannon because one was lonely)

Boil the rice noodles in salted water. While the noodles cook, dice the tomatoes and onions/shallots. Cook the shallots in canola oil until translucent, about three minutes.  Add the curry paste, soy sauce, turmeric, salt and coconut milk and simmer on hight for six to eight minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the basil (I used parsley) and tomatoes. Drain the noodles and mix with the sauce. This dish tastes great either hot or cold.

Sasha's Kitchen: Vegan Coconut Curried Noodle Salad

Sasha's Kitchen: Visit to Mast Brothers Chocolate

I live in Park Slope, but recently I've discovered some great places in Williamsburg/Dumbo as well. A couple weekends ago, my husband and I visited and took a tour of brooklyn's "bean to bar" craft chocolate producer, Mast Brothers Chocolate.  You can buy tickets for the tours, which cost about $10 here.

At Mast Brothers, they make all of their lovely wrapped chocolate bars on site from start to finish. All are different types of vegan dark chocolate. Some of my favorites include Madagascar, Fleur de Sel, Almonds & Sea Salt, Hazelnut and Serrano peppers - all ingredients lovingly mixed with handmade dark chocolate.

Mast Brothers uses the bean to bar approach, which means all of the dark chocolate is made directly from cacao beans, by extracting the cocoa right here in Brooklyn. The whole process uses the finest organic ingredients, a wholesome handcrafted approach and some beautifully wrapped chocolate bars. We enjoyed the tour to learn how the chocolates are made, and tasted all of their delicious dark chocolates in the tasting room. Below are some pictures from the time we spent there.

Above is a picture of me with some of the chocolate, while below is one of the cacao pods. Chocolate is made from the beans inside. There is also a bit of fruit inside which apparently tastes like mango. Who knew?

Below is where they wrap and package the chocolate.

Mixing, from the ground up beans . . .

Tempering of the chocolate, below . . .

Sasha's Kitchen: Visit to Mast Brothers Chocolate

Emily's Kitchen in Seattle: A New Twist on Coconut Cream Pie

I feel bad having not contributed a blog entry in about a month. I started a "cleanse" that allowed me some fun foods, but nothing worth writing about. Then I sort of fell of the recipe wagon and made all sorts of things without recorded measurements, which I also didn't feel comfortable sharing with those less adventurous cooks, lest one of my beloved meals turn into someone else's disaster.

I think I can share this creation in good faith. It's a "creamy coconut pie" recipe from a vegan cookbook that I adapted. I was struggling between wanting to make a cheesecake for a lunch gathering and my values, which are intuitively opposed to the entire idea of cheesecake. But would a vegan tofu pie really impress the people I was invited to eat with? These are really good cooks. How could I risk possibly showing up with a bland, watery pie?

The solution: Replace one cup of tofu with one cup of cream cheese. Bonus: replace the graham cracker crust with a nut crust for the gluten-free people popping up all over the place. I have to say, the result is pretty darn divine.

No-heart-failure-and-even-less-guilt Coconut Cream Pie

1 cup soft tofu (I believe soft or firm tofu is best - silken can be too squishy)
1 cup cream cheese - or tofutti to keep it dairy free
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 c. plus 1/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

Pie crust:
Use a graham cracker crust
Or:
1 c. pecans or walnuts
1 c. pitted dates
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
a smattering of sugar for that graham cracker touch, optional

Preheat oven to 350

For the nut crust:
Combine all ingredients in the food processor and process until blended.
Press contents evenly into a spring form pan (or a pie pan).

For the pie:
Combine all ingredients, except for the 1/4 c. coconut, in the food processor. Mix until smooth.
Pour into the crust and bake for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, sprinkle remaining 1/4 c. coconut on top of the pie.
Bake for 10 more minutes.
Refrigerate until it's time to serve.

If you have leftover filling, you can use it like cream cheese frosting or just eat it with a spoon!

Emily's Kitchen in Seattle: A New Twist on Coconut Cream Pie

Emily's Kitchen in Seattle: Simply Amazing (Raw Vegan) Coconut Macaroons

Before you skip this post because it has "raw vegan" in the title, hear me out. Raw and vegan they are, yes, but only second to Simply Amazing. I generated this recipe over Passover, when Jews are not permitted to consume leavened products (thus two of my favorite food groups, homemade pizza and vegan baked goods, are taboo). I was also feeling a little bloated on bread and sugar in the days leading up to the holiday (I wonder why), and so I began searching for alternatives to the nutrient-free Passover cake meal and recipes that call for, like, 12 eggs. Passover tends to raise Jewish cholesterol levels with its own newfangled Angel of Death. Plus, being the gastronomic anarchist that I am, I try to avoid brands and products that we all think we need, especially the kosher-for-Passover products that are usually unhealthy, if not strange. See my gefilte fish post for more on this. With all the fruits and nuts available to Passover-observers, it's a wonder how underrepresented they are in Passover cooking.

And we can make most of these products ourselves, which is how I passed Passover without eating one macaroon out of a jar (incredible! I know!). The recipe is based on a macaroon tartlet crust in Ani Phyo's Ani's Raw Food Desserts. I highly recommend this book - the recipes are easy and it's not one of those "out there" raw food cookbooks. I did make the crust and fill it with homemade mixed berry vegan "ice cream" and on another occasion mango "ice cream." But just mushed into little balls, the crust recipe makes killer cookies, rich and buttery with the healthy fats and goodness of coconut and nuts. They don't leave you with that "I shouldn't have eaten that" feeling and they are satisfying. In case you're still worried about the raw vegan thing, know that I could hardly churn them out fast enough for the carnivore enthusiasts in my life. And another perk: you can eat them for breakfast without feeling guilty. At least I do.

Simply Amazing (Raw Vegan) Coconut Macaroons
Prep time: 10 minutes
Can make about a dozen macaroons

2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup cashews or almonds
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup agave nectar or raw honey

Process the nuts in a food processor until powdery. Add the other ingredients and process for about 30 seconds, or until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Make balls by scooping out a tablespoon of the mixture and rolling it between your palms. If desired, roll them in a little dried coconut to garnish. They are best served room temperature but can be stored in the refrigerator - if you happen to have any leftover!

Emily's Kitchen in Seattle: Simply Amazing (Raw Vegan) Coconut Macaroons

Gilly's Kitchen in Queens: Vegan Pumpkin Pie

If you are vegan (or just allergic to certain ingredients), store-bought pumpkin pies are most likely just a hazy memory. I experimented with several recipes just prior to Thanksgiving and settled on this particular pumpkin pie recipe. Please note that this pie does not taste like a store-bought pie, which may tend to have a very dense filling and a very certain taste (I cannot describe it, but store-bought pumpkin pies all seem to taste the same delicious way). This filling, which is also somewhat dense, has a slightly different taste -- still perfectly pumpkin-y, however -- so you might need a few bites to adjust. As usual, my vegan pumpkin pie passes the stepson test (it is also pareve), and is therefore worthy of publication.

This recipe comes from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's "The Joy of Vegan Baking."

You will need:
a pie crust (I used a 9-inch pre-made graham cracker crust from the supermarket, but you should feel free to make your own -- and if you do, 9 inches should be the absolute minimum size)
12 ounces silken firm tofu
2 cups pumpkin puree (I used Libby's)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a food processor, blend the tofu, pumpkin puree, syrup, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger and cloves until smooth and creamy. Scrape the bowl if necessary to get everything fully blended. (my own note - my food processor was actually a touch too small to hold all of the ingredients, and I therefore had to make some creative mid-recipe ingredient adjustments, but it turned out well because generic, store-bought pie crusts tend to run a bit small sometimes anyway.)
3. Pour the mixture into the crust and smooth as necessary. (my own note - to get the "homemade" looking swirls as in my photo, don't smooth the mixture perfectly in the crust. Store-bought pies are always perfectly smooth, probably because they are made by machines.)
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned and the outermost inch of the filling appears to be set. The remaining filling towards the center will firm up a bit as the pie cools.
5. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. (my own note - I left the pie in the pie pan and just put the pie pan itself on a wire rack to circulate the air.)
6. Let the pie cool until it is at room temperature and then put the pie in the fridge for 1-2 hours to set.

I find that this pie holds well in the fridge for at least 3 days. For all I know, it holds even longer, but we always eat it all by day 3!

Gilly's Kitchen in Queens: Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Gilly's Kitchen in Queens - Vegan Chocolate Mousse Pie

Vegan chocolate mousse is perfect for dark chocolate lovers, who find themselves drawn to the bitter side of the spectrum. This is rather obvious, given that dairy milk and dairy chocolate are clearly missing from the equation.

This recipe only requires 4 ingredients, 5 if you count the crust, and takes a matter of minutes from start to finish. No baking is actually required, and this is therefore the perfect recipe for when you need a fabulous dessert but you have no time to make one (but please note that the mousse must set in the fridge for at least an hour before serving).

I made this vegan chocolate mousse for our kosher Thanksgiving dinner. Every single guest tried one, and every single guest finished it. My stepson declared the mousse one of the best parts of Thanksgiving. If you have guests that are tofu-phobic, you might want to refrain from mentioning the ingredients until after they devour it.

For elegant presentation, do not put the mousse into the crust, but rather put the mousse into clear glasses (such as small wine or champagne glasses, as they typically do in restaurants). For beyond elegant presentation, put some berries on top.

This recipe comes from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's "The Joy of Vegan Baking."

You will need:
1 cup nondairy chocolate chips
12 ounces silken tofu (soft or firm -- I generally use firm)
1/2 cup nondairy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
optional - for a chocolate mousse pie, I use a chocolate graham cracker crust. Berries can also be added on top of the pie or the mousse in cups.

Directions:
1. Put the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat for 1 minute, stir, and then heat for another minute (until melted). If you feel like doing this the slow way, melt via double broiler.
2. Put the tofu, milk, vanilla and melted chocolate into a blender or food processor, and watch as chocolate mousse is created in seconds right before your eyes. You may need to scrape chocolate from the side of the bowl and process some more. Process until entirely smooth (this should only take a minute, if that).
3. Pour the mousse into the crust, or put into individual cups, and place in the fridge for at least an hour.

Dessert is served.

Gilly's Kitchen in Queens - Vegan Chocolate Mousse Pie

Gilly's Kitchen in Queens: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

First, my introduction. I will mainly be posting vegan recipes (generally of the baked goods variety), many geared at a person who doesn't cook often, doesn't have much time to cook (hello, gigantic international law firm), and may have a kid running about (for me, a 5 year old stepson on weekends). But anyone who knows me may be very confused, as I am not vegan! I eat steak, salmon, and oysters much too frequently. I eat entire blocks of cheese. The more ice cream, the merrier. But a few months ago I was finally diagnosed with a food allergy, after years of living unhappily with no understanding of why. I was.... allergic to eggs. This was totally unexpected. Add in the fact that my stepson is being raised to keep kosher by his biological mom, and I decided that it was easier to keep my cooking pareve (simply put, dairy-free) rather than try to figure out who could have dairy products and when. Because my stepson has an interest in food, I try to also incorporate recipes in which a child can assist. They may not be very complicated, but they definitely taste great and keep a kid entertained.

The first recipe -- the delicious chocolate chip cookie. Simple and pure. But without dairy and eggs? Without milk chocolate chips? Yes, yes and yes, and as my stepson said today, "These are REALLY delicious." He is the ultimate judge of my baking, and in the coming weeks I will be posting my pumkpin pie, chocolate mousse and Mexican wedding cookie recipes.

This chocolate chip cookie recipe comes from Robin Robertson's "1,000 Vegan Recipes." It is quick to make, can be mixed entirely by hand (a/k/a safe for kids), and tastes incredibly sweet.

You will need:
1/2 cup vegan margarine, softened (my own note -- be careful when buying margarine because not all margarine is actually dairy free)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (my own note -- invest in PURE maple syrup, not the generic type you put on waffles. The taste difference is worth the extra money)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegan chocolate chips (you can find these in Whole Foods, specialty organic-y type of stores, etc.)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy (my own note -- I just mixed it with a spoon, and the result wasn't necessary light and fluffy but it didn't matter in the end). Then stir in the maple syrup and vanilla and mix until smooth.
3. In another large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Then add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir to combine (my own note -- I was surprised to see that the resulting mix was very dry and cumbly, as we are all probably used to having wetter mixes. This is probably due to the lack of liquid ingredients, such as milk. Again, it didn't matter in the end). Fold in the chocolate chips. (And let your kid chef help you out with all of the mixing, and perhaps some chocolate chip taste testing.)
4. Drop the dough by tablespoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet (my own note -- little kid's hands are a pefect measuring substitution, and any little kid will love to squish together the mix for you to put on the sheet. This particular mix is very dry, so you will need to actually squeeze the mix in your palm into a circle so it all holds together). Bake for about 15 minutes or until slightly brown on the edges. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes (or if you are impatient, cool just long enough until you can pick it up without burning yourself, because this is obviously how chocolate chip cookies taste the best).

The picture at the top of this post is our actual result. These cookies don't look fancy, totally circular, or overly professional, but they will satisfy any sweet tooth (I personally ate three for breakfast this morning before going to the gym, as ironic as that sounds).

Gilly's Kitchen in Queens: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sasha's Kitchen: Pad Thai - Chicken and Vegan Versions

Tonight I made pad thai for the first time. My dinner and subsequent post were delayed by having to attend a long and boring condo board meeting. However, the pad thai actually didn't take long to make and turn out great. Tonight's pad thai recipe has plenty of wonderful flavors. I also think that I have worked out a wonderful vegetarian variation to this dish as well, which I plan on making for an upcoming dinner party we are having in January with some vegetarian friends.

Thai food is one of my favorite ethnic cuisines. Thailand is one part of the world that I would love to travel to (the closest I've been was a trip to Australia and New Zealand in 2004). My mother spent three weeks in Thailand a couple years ago and I would love to go back with her on a mother daughter trip in the next couple years. She loved visiting the elephant preserve, as well as the different types of thai dishes she ate in Thailand, which has encouraged me to experiment with some different Thai dishes, including pad thai.

Here is the recipe for Pad Thai. Note that I included a vegetarian/vegan variation on the recipe that I made tonight.

Sasha's Pad Thai

8 oz extra firm tofu (16 ox if you are making a vegetarian dish) cut into small cubes
2 8 oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into pieces (obviously omit if doing it vegetarian style)
2 T peanut oil
salt and pepper (for seasoning the chicken and/or tofu)
2 shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 T ancho chile powder
1/4 cup water with 2 tsp concentrated tamarind paste (reconstitute the tamarind paste in the water according to the instructions on the tamarind paste you use)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 T fish sauce
2 T brown sugar
2 T peanut butter
1 package pad thai noodles, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
4 oz bean sprouts
1/4 cup cashews, toasted
1 T sesame seeds
2 T truffle olive oil
1/3 cup sauteed pineapple (optional - not included in the dish I prepared today)

Season and grill the tofu and/or chicken separately until cooked through for the chicken or slightly charred for the tofu. Set aside.

Heat 2 T of truffle olive oil in a medium saucepan. Note that truffle oil, if you have it, might work as well. However, I have never had the privilege of cooking with truffle oil, as it is extremely expensive. A smallish bottle of truffle olive oil, which I did use, will cost you about $10.

Add the shallots and garlic and cook until soft. The add the ancho chile powder, tamarind water, vinegar, peanut butter, fish sauce, brown sugar and peanut butter. Bring to a boil. When the sauce has a nice not-too-thin but not gooey consistency, you can turn the heat off. If it gets a little too gooey, add a bit of extra water to thin.

Add the sauce to a large bowl with the chicken and/or tofu. Add the pad thai noodles and sesame seeds and mix.

As I said above, do not be afraid to make a vegan/vegetarian version of this dish. I love tofu even though I am not a vegetarian. I find it extremely rewarding to cook with since it basically adapts the flavors of the other ingredients that are used in whatever sauce it is cooked with. Preparing this dish with tofu, along, rather than combining with chicken, would help highlight the other flavors in the dish - namely the truffles, tamarind, and peanut butter. I think that some sauteed pineapple would also potentially be a welcome addition to this pad thai, which I might consider adding in the future.

Sasha's Kitchen: Pad Thai - Chicken and Vegan Versions