Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vegan sour cream (OR 1/3 c almond milk + 1 tsp vinegar allowed to sit for 5 minutes)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cup shredded zucchini (unpeeled)
3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
optional: powdered sugar, for garnish

Directions
If using the almond milk/vinegar mixture, prepare this first and allow to sit-- this will make homemade buttermilk.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare loaf pan with cooking spray.

Prep the zucchini by shredding (skin on). There is no need to remove any excess moisture.

Whisk together the dry ingredients.

Add the rest of the wet ingredients (everything except for the powdered sugar & chips/chunks) and mix until well incorporated.

Fold in the chocolate chips by hand so as not to break them up.

Pour into oiled loaf pan, and bake for about 60 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool a bit before serving and top with powdered sugar.

Adapted from
https://www.living-vegan.com/vegan-chocolate-zucchini-bread/

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Easy Brownies

Ingredients
1/2 cup vegan butter, such as Earth Balance
3/4 cup cane sugar (or white sugar)
2 flax eggs (1 flax egg = 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 2 tablespoons water)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Optional: walnuts, hazelnuts, or chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray 7-8 standard-sized muffin tins with cooking spray.

Prepare flax eggs in a small bowl and refrigerate for 5 minutes.

Place butter in a large mixing bowl and melt in the microwave. Stir in the flax egg, sugar, vanilla, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.

Lastly, add the flour. Then fold in any mix-ins - chocolate chips or nuts.

Scoop batter evenly into 7-8 muffin tins until 3/4 full and bake on the middle rack for 22-26 minutes, or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides and they spring back slightly to the touch.

Remove from oven and let rest in the tin for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a plate or cooling rack.

Nutrition
makes 8 brownies

Adapted from
https://minimalistbaker.com/simple-vegan-brownies/

Celeriac Potato Soup

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
6 stalk of celery, diced
1 medium celery root, peeled and cubed
2 russet potatoes, cubed
6 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
Salt and pepper

Directions
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Saute diced onion and minced garlic until onion is tender and slightly clear. Add celery, celery root cubes, and potato cubes. Saute everything for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the rest of the ingredients: vegetable broth, paprika, turmeric and salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes.

You're almost ready to blend! To check if your soup is ready, poke the potatoes and celery root with a fork. These should be nice and tender and easy to poke the fork into. If they're still hard, continue to simmer for a few more minutes.

Once potatoes and celery root are fork tender, turn off heat. If you have an immersion blender, use that to blend your soup to a smooth consistency. If you're going to use a blender, let the soup cool for a few minutes so you don't burn yourself. After letting soup cool, blend, in batches if you have to, until it's smooth and creamy.

Pour back into pot if you want to reheat, or pour right into bowls to serve. Garnish with your choice of spices plus some fresh ground pepper. Chives, scallions, or dill are all good choices.