Cathy and Alyson’s Birthday Cake

Here we have another birthday cake. The lined design on the top and sides is thanks to my handy Wilton cake comb, which is just a plastic triangle with crimped edges. The cake was a chocolate cake based on this one, with some blackcurrant liqueur replacing some of the liquid. The icing used Tofutti cream cheese, shortening, and raspberry latte syrup. I’m so sick of frostings that don’t set up properly– this time the culprit was the cream cheese (a repeat offender) and the raspberry syrup. Strawberry jam in the middle!

Chickpea Pancake

Here we have a delicious treat! The Chickpea Pancake from Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Nonna’s Italian Kitchen. This is one of the first things I’ve made from this book, but I’ve made recipes from her website before and she is a fantastic chef. I think I recall that she isn’t a fan of people reprinting her recipes, but this one is similar to this one, with fewer seasonings, and a longer sitting time for the flour/water mixture (2 hours). This results in a thicker, frittata-like pancake, which I baked in a pie pan instead of a pizza pan, since I was making a 2/3 version. I also baked it with caramelized onions sprinkled on top, which was an awesome move if I do say so myself.

Apple Pie!

Plain ol’ apple pie from the Farm Journal Complete Pie Cookbook. People ask me more questions about veganising pie than any other dessert. Which is ironic and fun, because if you’re a shortening-crust person, like I and the Farm Journal Complete Pie Cook are, then apple pie’s already vegan. Yes, already vegan in 1965.

Potato Spinach Squares

These are from Vegan Brunch. I’d say they’re alright, as in, not bad. Very lemony and thyme-y, which is definitely not a bad thing, but I dunno, it’s almost like these were the only tastes. A little more balance would have been great. But, as I say, not bad.

Whole Foods Plate

Sometimes there’s nothing better than some plain whole foods! I hated lentils as a kid; thought they were grainy and boring. Now I love their clean taste– and cooked properly, I find they aren’t grainy after all! Especially french lentils, which you see here. Simply boiled with a bay leaf and then seasoned with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Plus roasted potatoes and assorted vegetables…

Neighbour Dinner!

I am a lucky girl– my new next door neighbour is not only a riot, but also a vegan, an awesome cook, and a kind of person who knocks on your door and asks you over to eat delicious dinners on his balcony!

Lemon Pepper Tofu

I made the leftovers from the last meal into dirty rice (voila! by mixing them with rice) and made the Lemon Pepper Tofu from Vegan Brunch. It was alright. the book warns against using cheap dusty lemon pepper, and I think mine was ultimately too cheap and dusty. But okay.

Cajun-Creole-Spiced Tempeh

Wow. I love Vegan Soul Kitchen. This is a great tempeh recipe. First the tempeh is poached in broth, then fried in (quite a bit of) olive oil, then tossed in a spice/herb blend. My pieces broke up a lot in the tossing process, but it’s likely because I had to toss the mixture in a covered pot instead of a paper bag like the book suggests. I’m barely going to the liquor store this month (the dissertation calls), so I don’t have any paper bags on hand for once! To go with I made collards with mushrooms and tomatoes and garlic, and mashed yams with some lime juice, cardamom and cinnamon added.

All Dressed Nachos

Here’s a HUGE pan of nachos, and they were so good. I made a batch of the nacho cheez sauce from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, which by itself is not one of the best sauces in the book, but provides a nice saucy salty backdrop. I actually added some tomatillo salsa to it. Then we have refried beans: an onion sauteed in olive oil, then some shakes of hot smoked paprika and coriander, then a mashed can of pintos, all mixed and warmed up together. Other toppings? Oh, let’s see: some canned green chiles, some chopped-up bottled cactus (this is a GREAT addition to nachos, I got mine from Mex-I-Can) and some regular salsa. After broiling the nachos I added guacamole, of course. These nachos were awesome and definitely an emotional eater’s dream!

“Chicken” Kale Crepes

Another round with the crepes. This time I made the mushroom gravy from Vegan Brunch (delicious, if a teensy bit on the gluey side). That’s what you see under the crepes. For the filling I sauteed my last Gardein chicken breast and combined it with some of the gravy and chopped steamed red kale. These were very tasty, too, and the filling suited crepes quite well.