Vegan Cooking & Cookbooks discussion
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Original or Pseudo-Original Recipes

I think I"m following your blog, but could you post the link again, here. I want to make sure. Thanks.

www.carrottopvegan.com

www.carrottopvegan.com"
Thanks, Farrah. Almost sure I'm following but I'll triple check.
You've got a good deal going with someone who will eat the cake for you. I like a little bit of cake actually, but ridiculously heavily frosted.
;-)


Thank you all for posting!
A little off-topic question since I'm reading Tempeh in some of them. How much is a package of Tempeh for you guys in the US or Canada? I've only seen one here (smaller than the size of my palm) in a tiny, tiny Asian/health food store and that was incredibly expensive.. something like 10-12$! Which is why I didn't buy it..

I only see now that the chocolate cake from your blog was from this recipe Lisa posted! Awesome! I was about to ask you for the recipe after seeing the pics! ;) (Looked great by the way, all of your food! I'd have loved coming over to your feast! ;) )

Everyone keeps asking if it was really a vegan cake...lol

Val, to answer your question about tempeh, a package here in Canada costs about $4-5. It's not huge, about 6 inches square maybe? Sorry I don't have some on hand to check the weight.

I have yet to make the cake! I want to make it *with* frosting (of course! ;) ) and our store on base is out of confectioners sugar *roll eyes*.. Heaven knows for how much longer!..
Lee,
thanks for letting me know about the costs for Tempeh! I guess it really is more expensive here in Italy then.. Next time I'm in Germany (spring) I'll have to check the prices there!


Things like that make living overseas often very frustrating.. (Don't even get me started on non-food items that *should* be available at a certain time of year -like now the rainy season will start and 'surprise', no store carries rain boots (or only limited sizes) or raincoats!.. The list goes on and on all year round!..)
I could order some things, though unfortunately from Amazon it doesn't work as they don't ship food-related items (also no vitamins) to military addresses, so I once had it shipped through another company called 'ship it APO', but of course you pay them too, so in the end I pay 3x the price..
For confectioners sugar I'm hoping it's just a glitch and they'll get it soon.. just like the canned pumpkin -that finally came in and I bought the last 5 cans! LOL
Val, I'm glad you were able to snag the last five cans of pumpkin! It's too bad the store doesn't stock those crucial items when you need them. What a pain in the bum.

The non-vegan version consists of a fudge like chocolate cake bottom, a middle green layer of mint than a chocolate glaze on top. BUT... I veganzing bottom cake layer was difficult and I didn't have all the ingredients SO...I used Lisa's delicious chocolate cake (above) as the bottom layer. I just substituted the 2/3 cup vegetable oil for 1/3 cup applesauce and 1/3 cup vegetable oil to cut down the fat and used 3/4 cup cocoa powder to give it more richness like the original.
I made Lisa's chocolate cake in a 9x13 pan to make the bars.
Ingredients for the mint layer:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup vegan butter melted
2 tbs dairy-free milk
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
2 drops vegan food coloring
Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
3 tbp vegan butter
(See why this is normally a once a year recipe lol? lots of butter!)
Ok after you have baked the cake, let it cool completely.
Then to prepare the mint layer combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, milk, extract and food coloring in a mixer and mix until smooth and pretty. Then layer over the cake in an even, smooth layer.
Then prepare the glaze by putting the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute, or until melting making sure to stop and stir halfway (30 seconds) through. Mix with a spoon until all the chips are melted and it is smooth and creamy and let sit for a minute or two. Stir again then spread gently and evenly over the green layer.
Put in refridgerator for an hour to chill then take out cut and serve.
MMMM! Let me know if you make them and you like them.
These remind me of a giant, cakey andes mint cany bar! LOL


My husband likes the combo of chocolate & mint, maybe I'll surprise him with this as a 'welcome home' when he's coming back from Germany, hopefully next week!

Terri's curried mushroom noodles may be my next suggestion!


I think it was posted somewhere else that you made it on your blog and that it's from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook. I think.
Veganomicon has a recipe called Spicy Peanut and Eggplant Soup. It must be that! I can't remember making it though. How silly am I?

You did. ;-) (It's below the aloo gobi, and it's an entry I must have missed since I didn't comment on it):
http://plentysweetenough.blogspot.com...
Edited to add:
and here are all your [book:Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook|1059680 recipes. All look delicious to me. If only there were photos for every recipe on the recipe pages, I think this would come close to being a perfect cookbook.
http://plentysweetenough.blogspot.com...
Wow Lisa, thanks! So Jeannette made it and I posted it on my blog when we were cooking together. I thought that was strange I didn't remember making something so yummy sounding.

Multitasking again. Now I see that you posted for Jeannette, yes. It looks as though we both should make it because it does look delicious.
If you are going to keep mentioning my name, I thought I should join -- if you'll have me. :)

Hooray, Jeannette! Welcome to the group! Yes, we're very happy to have you.
Thanks you two! :D I hope I can add a few more good recipes; I'm sure I'll discover a few.

Jeannette, When you have some time check out our discussion threads and all the books on our bookshelves. Yes, I suspect you'll get plenty of recipe ideas. And we have a great group of people here too, just as we do in the Comfort Reads group.

Yes, that is the recipe, Lee. Endre left out one of the spices since I am supposed to steer clear of them, unfortunately. Thanks for posting it, Lisa! And what an adorable little one you have, Lee!
Well, I just invited myself in, Diane! I am really curious about vegan recipes, and I find that a lot of what I cook as vegetarian is also vegan. I don't know that I could ever go 100% vegan, especially living in Iowa (think hogs and soybeans), but I do want to try to cook and bake more vegan recipes.
Diane, I just noticed your comment about my daughter. She's a little bit bigger now. You can see her in her Halloween get up on my profile.
Jeannette, I have a couple of new vegan baking books at home right now and they both look amazing.
I have Peas and Thank You at home right now.
We have a vegan baker at our local natural foods store, and she makes terrific scones and the best Mexican chocolate cake! Yum!
We have a vegan baker at our local natural foods store, and she makes terrific scones and the best Mexican chocolate cake! Yum!
I love making scones! They're surprisingly easy. I haven't screwed them up yet. I usually use the plain recipe from Vegan Brunch and then add in whatever fruit I have around.
I have marked a few recipes, including the chick pea peanut slow cooker soup! I guess I am attracted to recipes with peanut butter. lol
I have to do some baking for Thanksgiving, and make some non-vegan fudge for my niece -- special order. :)
I have to do some baking for Thanksgiving, and make some non-vegan fudge for my niece -- special order. :)
In Peas and Thank You? It certainly looks easy!
Quinoa with Potatoes & Cumin
Quinoa's my favorite grain. I make this in my rice cooker, but I included stove top instructions here, too.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 medium thin skinned potatoes, scrubbed and cut to 1/2 inch dice
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
Stovetop Preparation:
Heat olive oil in large pot. Saute onions, garic, potatoes, and cumin until the onion begins to soften. Stir in vegetable stock and bring to
a boil. (If the stock isn't salted, add a little salt.) Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn heat off and let stand 5 minutes.
RIce Cooker Preparation:
For the rice cooker version, use 3 measures of quinoa and the quantity of vegetable stock indicated by the rice cooker marks or instructions. Rinse and drain the quinoa and add it to the rice cooker. Add vegetable stock as indicated. (Add a little salt if needed.)
Heat olive oil in a saute pan. Saute onions, garic, potatoes, and cumin until the onion begins to soften and the potato begins to cook.
Add them to the rice cooker, stir. Set rice cooker as you would for white rice. When done, stir and serve.
Quinoa's my favorite grain. I make this in my rice cooker, but I included stove top instructions here, too.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 medium thin skinned potatoes, scrubbed and cut to 1/2 inch dice
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
Stovetop Preparation:
Heat olive oil in large pot. Saute onions, garic, potatoes, and cumin until the onion begins to soften. Stir in vegetable stock and bring to
a boil. (If the stock isn't salted, add a little salt.) Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn heat off and let stand 5 minutes.
RIce Cooker Preparation:
For the rice cooker version, use 3 measures of quinoa and the quantity of vegetable stock indicated by the rice cooker marks or instructions. Rinse and drain the quinoa and add it to the rice cooker. Add vegetable stock as indicated. (Add a little salt if needed.)
Heat olive oil in a saute pan. Saute onions, garic, potatoes, and cumin until the onion begins to soften and the potato begins to cook.
Add them to the rice cooker, stir. Set rice cooker as you would for white rice. When done, stir and serve.
That recipe sounds really interesting. I've never had quinoa cooked with potatoes before. The combination of cumin, garlic and onions with that sounds fantastic!

I'm thinking about veganizing my family's pierogies, but I'd need a good egg substitute. Plus, they're a lot of work. The filling is easy, it's just the dough calls for an egg. I'm happy to share the original if someone wants to give it a try.

There are lots of good egg substitutes. One of my favorite books, because it gives the original purpose of the eggs and the best substitutes depending what the reason, is The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions: 200 Foolproof Food Substitutions for Everything from Milk and Meat to Sugar and Soy-Includes Recipes.
Books mentioned in this topic
The Garden of Vegan: How It All Vegan Again! (other topics)The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions: Veganize It! Foolproof Methods for Transforming Any Dish into a Delicious New Vegan Favorite (other topics)
Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love (other topics)
Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook (other topics)
The Peaceful Palate (other topics)
Lisa
I made the cake yesterday for the family dinner and OMG! It was SUCH a hit. I think they liked that more than the Okra Gumbo and Cornbread I made lol. The frosting was some of the best I have ever had! Thank you so much for posting such a great recipe. I am going to update my blog today with photos of the cake. I add some orange and black halloween sprinkles. So yum!