Category Archives: dessert

Twenty Two

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Let them eat cake.

- Marie Antoinette

As of right now, I am twenty two years old.

Not a particularly thrilling birthday, but still young enough to make a deal out of it – even if not a big one.

My plans include exercise, my favorite kombucha, a massage, and buttercream.

Lots and lots of buttercream.

On top of this cake.

In honor of my birthday, do something nice for yourself today. Because I said so. I recommend it involve very dark chocolate and very nice wine.

chocolaaaaaaate (2)

A Cookie to Rely On

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One of the [many] things I love about baking is how wonderfully reliable it is.

Now matter how gray the sky is, or how tired I feel, or how many times I dropped my pen in a 10-minute period, I know that I can mix butter, sugar and flour together in a very specific combination and it will make something wonderful. I love that.

It is that passion, in fact, that is what got me interested in vegan baking. Just because someone exercises their personal right to not consume animal products do NOT mean they shouldn’t experience that same reliable joy that a cookie or cupcake can bring. It just shouldn’t.

And so as I tiptoed into the realm of vegan baking, I came across Dreena Burton, author of three quite successful vegan cookbooks and a fantastic blog. I made her chocolate cake and fell in love. But what drew me to her first were these.

Super-Charge Me! Cookies.

Sick and tired of the hydrogenated-oil filled, high fructose corn syrup-ridden, over-processed cookies that are all the rage on grocery store shelves, she got down to the business she knows so well and created a cookie as delicious as it is healthy.

For me, it was love at first bake. The recipe involves OATS, one of my favorite foods, and yet was still adaptable in terms of flavor combinations and add-in variety. Most importantly, they taste.so.good. I kept a constant stash in the freezer and looked forward to whipping up a new batch when the last one disappeared. They made a perfect pre-gym snack, early morning my-stomach-is-not-awake-yet bite, accompaniment to tea. And I can’t remember how many times I would finish a batch and have to make another after the plate of fresh cookies “mysteriously” disappeared when a wanderer happened by the kitchen.

I played around with the recipe a lot, but here is my basic go-to mix when my stash starts to get low. I always play around with the spice combination, add-ins, and nut/seed butter, and every batch turns out just a little differently. You can make them wheat-free (with spelt flour) if you’d like – this recipe actually introduced me to spelt flour and I’ve kept some around ever since!

Ingredients:

1 c. rolled oats

2/3 c. spelt flour OR scant 2/3 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 – 1 tsp. cinnamon (I always use more like 1 tsp because I’m a cinnamon addict)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cardamom

3-4 Tbs chocolate chips (I use vegan chips because they taste the exact same and are cheaper at Whole Foods)

1/4 – 1/3 c. dried fruit (cranberries are my fave, but anything will work – you don’t have to add any at all, if you’d prefer!)

1/3 c. ground flax

1/2 c. maple syrup (or any kind of liquid sweetener; maple seems to have the best texture)

3 Tbs. nut/seed butter

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (can also do combinations of vanilla + almond, vanilla + rum, etc)

2 Tbs oil (olive, canola, sunflower…walnut oil makes one amazing cookie!)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. I always forget that part, and then I have to use all of my will power to not eat all of the dough…don’t do that to yourself.

 

Mix the oats, flour, baking powder, salt, and spices in a medium-large bowl.

Then add the chocolate chips (or butterscotch, or peanut butter…) and the dried fruit and mix it in.

Next in a smaller bowl, mix your wet ingredients: flax meal (yes, I know, not really ‘wet’, but it has just enough moisture that it works better mixed in here), maple syrup, extracts (vanilla and whatever else – I’m a fan of rum extract myself ;) , nut butter, and oil. Not gonna lie – I’ve used half oil/half applesauce before for various reasons (walnut oil is, um, a tad pricey), and it works [almost] just as well.

I highly recommend experimenting with different nut butters – even the brand makes a difference in flavor. I’ve used different peanut butters, almond butters, and most recently sunflower seed butter (one of my roommates is deathly allergic to nuts). Nutella is next on my list…

Looks weird, tastes great. Go with it.

You probably know where I’m going with this: wet —> dry!

Mix it all together, put it on a silpat mat/parchment papaer/aluminum foiled/greased baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes – check it then. They can dry out, but in my experience they need more time in the oven rather than less.

And while you’re waiting….lick the spoon.

These freeze really well, and I’ve found they last longer if I freeze them after letting them cool for about an hour.

And by “last longer,” I mean it becomes slightly more difficult for me to eat 4 in one sitting.

Do let me know if you make these and come up with a particularly amazing combination – I’ll do the same.

Marbled Velvet Cupcakes

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One of my roommates was just in Missouri, auditioning for a post-graduation internship. When my roommates and I heard that she was offered the internship on the spot, we knew what we had to do.

Cupcakes.

After one or two rather sketchy text messages, we confirmed her favorite cakes were red velvet and marble. I dutifully began researching to find the best recipe I could – aka, what recipe had the most ingredients I already had on hand – and lo and behold, what did I find but red velvet marble cupcakes. Done and done.

I made a quick trip to the store for the necessary buttermilk and red food coloring, but alas, the dye was not to be found. Hence, they became simply “Marbled Velvet Cupcakes.” Feel free to add in the color if you make these!

Marbled Velvet Cupcakes

adapted from this recipe from Baking Bites

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners, or just throw your shiny brand new silicone cupcakes liners on a cookie tray.

You will need 3 bowls: a small-medium bowl for dry ingredients, a larger one for creaming, and a small one for the marbling.

In the small-medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the egg and the tsp. of vanilla extract.
Either using a hand mixer on low speed or just with a spoon and your yoga muscles, gradually incorporate one third of the flour mixture followed by half of the buttermilk.
Add another third of the flour mixture, followed by the remaining buttermilk and the last of the flour.
Stir just until mixed. Be careful not to overmix!! I fail at this (although not having a hand mixer might not have helped either?), but it can really make the cupcake tough and not as fluffy and delicate.
Take about a cup of the batter and put it into your small bowl. Add the tablespoon of cocoa powder and mix (gently). [If you'd like to add the coloring, here is where you would mix it in.]
Spoon the batter evenly into the cupcake liners and then spoon the chocolate batter on top.
Now take a knife and swirl, baby swirl. Go easy – you don’t want it too well-mixed or the marbling effect will be lost. Just a couple seconds of swirling should do.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. While you’re waiting, may I recommend playing with your camera’s self-timer?
Be sure to check them after 20, sticking a toothpick into the center. When it comes out clean and batter-free, they’re ready!
Let them cool, and frost as desired. Be sure they are completely cool – you don’t want your frosting melting all over the cupcake!
To frost, I went with Betty – girlfriend knows her frosting. That, and because of said lack of hand mixer, I was unable to make buttercream from scratch.
I used the classic Ziploc method – cut the tip off of a corner and use that as a makeshift pastry bag. It works pretty well, but like everything else, it takes practice. I guess I’ll just have to make more cupcakes…
Don’t forget to lick the spoon.

All in the Family

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***Author’s Note: This post is about 3 days overdue because the internet and blizzards don’t get along. At all.*** 

I mentioned that I made my brother Sticky Toffee Pudding for his birthday.

Well, my dad’s birthday is actually in the month of December, and so I made him a cheesecake. Boys are darn hard to shop for, so I go with the “the way to his heart his through his stomach” adage for gift inspiration. It has never been received with disappointment.
He’s not big on sweets but he loooves cheesecake, and so I dug up my grandmother (his mother)’s recipe and got to work, almost the minute I walked off the plane!
Not perfectly pretty, but damn was it good – and I am not a big fan of cheesecake! It was “iced” with a little nutella, microwaved to make it a little liquidy and scooped into a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off for perfect makeshift frosting purposes. This was the French style – about half as high as New York cheesecake, less cakey, and topped with a sour cream + sugar topping. I made a gingersnap crust instead of graham cracker, just for something different, and I highly recommend it! Dad had it for breakfast. Twice.
Yes, it is my grandmother’s recipe, but I don’t believe in withholding recipes because of family tradition or anything. The holidays are a time for sharing, after all!
For the crust:
8 oz gingersnaps
2 T sugar
1/2 stick (4 T) butter
sprinkle of cinnamon
Put the cookies between two sheets of wax paper (or use a fancy schmancy pulverizer) and a rolling pin to crush the snaps into crumbs. It’s fine if there is some irregularity in the size of the crumbs and a couple bigger pieces here and there – just makes it rustic ;)
Melt the butter and mix it in with the crumbs, sugar, and a bit of cinnamon if you like.
Press the mixture into the bottom of a springform pie pan and set aside. (The crust is only on the bottom – not the sides.)
For the cake:
2 eggs
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 – 1 tsp vanilla
3/4 lb (12 oz) cream cheese
Beat the eggs and sugar. Add in the vanilla and cream cheese and beat ’til smooth.
Pour over the crust and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake for 20 minutes at 375 F. Let cool.
For the topping:
3/4 pint (12 oz, about a cup and a half) sour cream
2 T sugar
1/2 – 1 tsp vanilla
Beat all ingredients til smooth. Pour over the cooled pie. Bake at 450 F for 5 minutes. Chill very well before serving (several hours and overnight would be best).
In any recipe I use ever, when I see vanilla, I usually double it. I swear it makes it 10 times better.
Alas, with great recipes comes great responsibility. So for the love of all things sweet and creamy, do not use lower fat cream cheese or sour cream. Just don’t. Promise me.
~Namaste~

Blog’s First Thanksgiving

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*knockknockknock*
Did you hear that?
*KNOCKknockKNOCK*
What is that????

Why, it’s Lulu, begging me to use the photos of Thanksgiving she still has in a blog post!
Sheesh. Even my camera gives me grief.
My blog’s 1st Thanksgiving – this calls for celebration!
And hors d’ouvres, of course.
We had a very small gathering, which was really really nice – made for a very fun and relaxed holiday.
They brought crostini (in my honor :) , which is just good toasted bread with a topping.
They made an herbed ricotta to go with!
 It had scallions, dill, and other herby goodness. I had to remind myself not to eat to much before the main event – but it was hard!
 They also brought these amazing spiced nuts – recipe to come! I know there was orange juice and maple syrup involved. They totally had that sweet-salty-crunchy thing going on. I was very happy to see these leftover the next day.
While the master carver was at his station…
with the ever-faithful turkey lurker never far from the action…
*must. get. turkey.*
…we brought out the side dishes.
 Some holiday greenery, simply steamed.
 Mom’s spoonbread.
It’s basically a cornbread souffle, and tasted like….um, cornbread! I really liked it, and Mom hadn’t made it for Thanksgiving before. A welcome addition!
You know that dish that is so darn good that you wait all year long for, but know better than to request it earlier in the year because then it would lose some specialness? That is my mother’s sweet potatoes for me. I don’t remember a single year I haven’t had them and loved every buttery, brown-sugary bite. She always makes one section without nuts for my brother and I – but in the last few years, I’ve come around to the bourbon-praline-pecan topping too. 
It’s even better than it sounds.
[There were also mashed potatoes that apparently went unphotographed. The sweet potatoes usually distract me. You understand.]
  
And finally, the bird was ready.
And so was my stomach! 
 The evening was capped off with a classic:
Pumpkin pie, made from scratch. Oh yes, I was one happy foodie.
I’m all for going all out and making crazy experimental dishes, but there is something to be said for sticking to tradition. And sweet potatoes. Man, those things are good.
I will return soon to celebrate vacation, sleep, the end of my ridiculous semester…and food, of course.
 In the spirit of this post, I wish you all happy holidays…and good digestion!
~Namaste!

Over-The-Humpday Challenge: Veganizing Brownies

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After multiple awe-inspiringly successful attempts at tofu frosting topping Dreena’s Triple Chocolate Cake with tofu-based frosting…
…you had to have seen this one coming.
Oh yes, people. This week’s Over-the-Humpday Challenge: tofu brownies.
I figured there had to be a recipe out there in the depths of Google somewhere – and lo! The universe and I were clearly on the same page, because I woke to find my AllRecipes.com newsletter in my inbox with none other than a recipe for Triple Chocolate Tofu Brownies. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.
So, I got straight to work – you can view the recipe here.
I stuck to the recipe as closely as possible, which I like to do when trying a recipe for the first time. Then, I figure out what needs to be changed. The only alteration I made this time was to use a combo of  vegan chocolate chips and white chocolate chips in the batter – and LOVED it. I would definitely keep the white chocolate next time, it rocked! A nice contrast to the dark cocoa-y flavor.
It was overall a success – they were almost gone by the time the plate returned after I sent it over to the neighbors’. I found them a tad too sweet though, and would like to add some instant espresso powder to the batter – coffee in general emphasizes and complements chocolate and just helps bring it out more. I meant to add it, I just forgot! I think I’d reduce the sugar – I knew a whole cup of white sugar sounded like a lot, but I went with it. I’d prefer to use raw sugar, and not quite so much. I’d also like to experiment with different oils – I couldn’t quite tell how the olive oil affected it, but I would like to try canola or walnut just to see what happened. 
Another day, another OTHd Challenge done. And the weekend is almost here! Make some brownies – it will get here faster. I promise.
~Namaste~

Split Decision

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I hope you’re enjoying the new blog daily themes! I’m sure having fun thinking up my spices and OTHd Challenges to come!
Today, however, I decided to tackle a different challenge. Foodbuzz, my ever-so-fab sponsor, has issued a challenge to all of its featured publishers to create the Ultimate Banana Split. Recently they helped Electrolux and Kelly Ripa raise money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund by sending 2 featured publishers to New York and giving them the opportunity to make banana splits with their kids, and now they are sharing this idea with everyone! For every post published, Foodbuzz will donate $50 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Ice cream for a good cause? No need to ask me twice!
So I thought. And ate some Fage + berries.
Thought more. Made some kale chips.
[P.S. - make.these.NOW.]
And then it came to me, with the help of newest best friend:
Meet Martin, the mini food processor! I saw him in the store and just couldn’t say no. He was just too cute! (That, and our old food processor from the 80s caused me a slight mental collapse a few nights ago. Something had to change.)
So, don’t yell at me, but I have yet to try the wonderful banana soft serve that’s been flying across the foodie blogosphere lately! Mostly because of said food processor problem. But, I had a frozen banana in the freezer, and with Martin as my companion, I knew it was time. Into the bowl went:
1/2 banana
1/4 c. frozen mango chunks (because no Gillianasana Ultimate anything would be truly complete without mango!)
…and that’s all! Just blend, baby, blend, and BAM! 
Soft serve ice cream, just waiting to be eaten. Or, in my case, paired with a fresh-baked brownie:
I call it my Lazy Summer Split – the banana IS the ice cream!
Happy Splitting!
~Namaste~

One of Those Days

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Have you ever had one of those super-foodie days where everything you make turns out just spot on?
Today was NOT one of those days.
No, sadly, the Gillianasana kitchen produced multiple failures this morning. I documented the more epic one because, as with most things, I had high hopes for the outcome. Oops.
It all started with this new cereal I found, Newman’s Own organic Cinnamon Flakes. This is unlike any cinnamon cereal out there – it’s super flavorful and has strong notes of cloves with the cinnamon. It literally jumps out of the box asking to be eaten in some kind of apple cinnamon dish. So, I made one up.
Ok, it does have a basis in reality: the hotel my family usually stays in when they visit me at school serves this french toast that is encrusted with crushed corn flakes before cooking. So I thought, hey, I’ll do that with this cereal! Only instead of bread, I wanted to use tofu. It worked in my head, I swear.
I laid out my ingredients…
…crushed the flakes…
…cut up the tofu to be dredged in egg white and then the cereal crumbs…
And threw it on the skillet. And that’s about where my big idea, um, shrank. The flakes didn’t stick at all, some of the egg white slipped off and cooked separately, and then my brother poked me and I burned my finger on the skillet. All resulting in this:
Yup. Just dumped some applesauce and extra cinnamon on top and attempted to eat it. It actually didn’t taste bad or anything, it was just…er, nothing like the picture in my head. On the bright side, it did give me another idea for playing with an already-existing recipe – and that one has considerably less chance of failing.

I went on to make a truly revolting smoothie, and eventually gave up and let mom take over. She made a kickass salad featuring some spicy salad greens fresh from the Farmer’s Market!
I used these to create a very tasty little salad myself yesterday:
With fennel and some tempeh sauteed in golden balsamic vinegar. YUM!

Mom’s luck continued into dessert (although in her case, luck hasn’t much to do with it, she just knows what she’s doing):
A strawberry-blueberry-rhubarb crumble. Totally has that sour-sweet thing going on, and then with a little vanilla ice cream, wowza! Seriously good stuff.

I’m excited – I’ve finally nailed down a new “plan” for the blog and it shall start tomorrow! 

Happy July 1st! [Anyone know how that happened??]

~Namaste~