Caramel Coffee Cake

This is my new favorite cake.  I made it with decaf so I could eat it at night, but now I'm thinking I should have made it with regular coffee so I'd have an excuse to eat it for breakfast. (Note: the cake looks sunken in the photo because it's on a concave platter; it actually rose perfectly.)

The Ingredients:
Cake:
1 c sugar
1/2 c strongly brewed coffee
1/2 c almond milk
1/3 c oil
1 t vanilla
1 2/3 c flour
2 T cornstarch
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 T instant coffee granules

Caramel Sauce:
1/3 c margarine
2/3 c brown sugar
1/4 c almond milk
2 t cornstarch
1/2 t vanilla
pinch salt

The Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Whisk together sugar, coffee, milk, oil, and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine remaining cake ingredients.  
4. Whisk dry ingredients into wet until just combined.
5. Pour into an oiled 9-inch round cake pan, and bake for about 35 minutes.
6. Cool on a baking rack for a few minutes before removing from pan.  When cake is cool, make caramel sauce:
7. Whisk cornstarch into almond milk.
8. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together margarine, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt.  Bring to a boil, then add almond milk/cornstarch mixture and continue to cook at a low boil for 3 minutes.  Let cool for a couple minutes before drizzling sauce over cake.  Any leftover sauce can be stored in the fridge and reheated in the microwave to use as ice cream topping.

Bean and Sweet Potato Stir Fry with Spicy Orange Sauce

This meal was a delicious way to use up the last of the cherry tomatoes from my garden.  I microwaved the potatoes before stir-frying them so they would cook through faster; if you have time to spare or don't want to microwave, just fry the potatoes longer.  I served this over whole wheat couscous.

The Ingredients:
2 pounds sweet potatoes (peeled if non-organic)
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved if large
1 1/2 cups black beans
1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans

Sauce:
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 c water
3 T orange marmalade
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 T sherry
1 T rice vinegar
1 1/2 t cornstarch
1 t tarragon

The Process:

1. Pierce potatoes with a knife, then microwave 4-5 minutes on high.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside.
3. Cut potatoes in a 1/2 inch dice.
4. In a wok over medium heat, fry garlic and onion until softened, about 2 minutes.
5. Add potatoes, increase heat to high, and cook, stirring constantly, 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are almost cooked through.
6. Add beans and tomatoes and continue to cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
7. Add sauce, reduce heat to low, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.
8. Serve over couscous or your favorite grain.

"Cheesy" Potatoes and Broccoli

There's nothing quite like a bowl of creamy potatoes on a cold winter day.  Granted it is neither cold nor winter here, but they still taste good.  The broccoli is a nod at making these healthier, though they are by no means health food.

The Ingredients:
1 1/2 c almond milk
1 c nutritional yeast
3/4 c raw cashews
1/2 cup Vegenaise
2 T miso
1 T arrowroot
2 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t turmeric
1/4 t black pepper
3 pounds potatoes, chopped in bite-sized pieces
4 cups broccoli florets

The Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a blender, pulse the cashews to a fine powder, then add everything except the broccoli and potatoes and blend until smooth.
3. Toss broccoli and potatoes with sauce in an oiled 9x13 pan, and bake about 50 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through, stirring a few times.

Leftover Makeovers

 

I usually cook in batches, partly because I like having leftovers for lunches and partly because I am my mother's daughter and thus culturally/genetically predisposed to making way too much food for any occasion.  After a couple meals of the same food, however, I get bored and want something new.  These are a few of my methods for giving my leftovers a makeover so they seem fresh again.

1. STUFFED PEPPERS 

I think stuffed peppers are the perfect way to use up grain and bean leftovers.  The peppers have a bold enough flavor that they make the leftovers taste like a completely new meal.  To prepare, cut the tops off of bell peppers, pull out the seeds, cram the leftovers inside, and bake in a 350-375 degree oven until heated through.

2. TEMAKI

I like to make temaki (sushi cones) out of vegetable leftovers (pictured is spaghetti squash and kale).  A sheet of nori adds flavor and minerals, and also turns any food into finger food.  To assemble, spread leftovers diagonally across a sheet of nori, and roll it into a cone.  Dampen the edge and press it down to help the roll hold together.

3. BURRITOS

This one is pretty obvious, but lots of leftover dinners make good burrito fillings.

4. BAKED POTATOES

Lentils and chili are two of my favorite baked potato toppings.

5. PET FOOD

If all else fails, most dogs are happy to help use up leftovers.  My dog Jasper is a vegetable fiend and in addition to leftovers, will gladly compost my carrot tops, zucchini ends, and any green beans I'm willing to throw his way.  I figure as long as I avoid giving him anything that might be toxic to dogs, like onions and chocolate, eating some vegan leftovers is a healthy addition to his diet, and can save me a little money on dog food.

Apricot Brazil Nut Muffins

I've always loved putting apricots and brazil nuts together in trail mix, so I figured it would also be a good combination in muffins.  You could also replace out the apricots with peaches.  These muffins get REALLY tall and I was a little worried they'd collapse, but they came out pretty much perfect.

The Ingredients:
2 1/2 c flour
1 T arrowroot or egg replace powder
1 T baking powder
3/4 t salt
1 1/4 c almond milk
3/4 c apricot jam
1/3 c oil
2 T sugar
2 t vanilla
1 c dried chopped dried apricots
3/4 c chopped brazil nuts

The Process:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Whisk together flour, arrowroot, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together almond milk, jam, oil, sugar, and vanilla.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet and beat until just combined.
5. Fold in nuts and apricots.
6. Scoop into oiled muffin tins, and bake for about 20-24 minutes.
7. Let cool a few minutes before removing from muffin tins, then cool completely on a baking rack.