Mini MoFo! For December... We Have A Prompt!

Have you missed me? Vegan MoFo is doing "Mini MoFo" so looks like from time to time there will be prompts and we can participate if we choose. Of course this is my first "mini" and of course I've waited until 33 minutes before closing time... and we've had weeks on this prompt. Of sure, I knew what I would do, but dang if I know where the entire month of December went.

Let's talk hot chocolate, shall we? That's our prompt. I used to love the stuff, in fact I still do, however I watch my sugar intake (cruel considering my occupations....) but yeah, I watch it. I don't drink it, haven't had it in years, besides since living in this beautiful tropical environment, hot chocolate isn't on my menu. Despite all that, I did reminisce a bit to the thick, dark, steamy hot chocolate of my past, including when I'd spend 6 - 8 hours shoveling snow, taking short breaks to warm up. With hot chocolate.

I found a recipe for Matcha white hot chocolate, what a great combo, so I took a stab at it, and you know what.... it's GREAT! Here's a picture with a couple of my version of holiday cookies, and of course there's a credit to the author of this recipe. Enjoy everyone, and if I don't post again in 2016, I wish you all a happy Solstice, because by the way Solstice is how this happy vegan rolls.

Shown:

Vegan Matcha White Chocolate Hot Chocolate with So Delicious Coconut Whip, and my version of holiday cookies.

recipe courtesy of: loveandlemons.com

Vegan Month of Food 2016 - Day 30 ... Gifts ("something" in a jar)

Today is day number thirty of Vegan Month of Food 2016, our last day for this year. Our prompt today is something like holiday gift giving, vegan food style.... do we or don't we? Here, we do.

Every year for the last few years I have baked and shipped countless vegan food holiday orders around the world. This year I am not. I will be handling things only local (lower Keys), sorry peeps. I will be giving family and some friends a few surprises in the mail, and I'm so happy to show you more of the homespun things I love to do.

I save pretty much any size wide mouth jars for repurposing. These are great for home gift giving. Inspiration lurks everywhere, you can put pretty much anything in a jar and make it look pretty. Popcorn (movie night... Netflix gift certificate, a jar of unpopped popcorn with some tiny bags of nooch and a small of Bragg's or any other topping you'd like to give... perfect!) Unbaked cookies in jar, with directions attached. Bath salts, teas, infused oils, the list is endless (thanks to Pinterest and such). Packaging is what makes the beautiful final touch, your gifts are worth the effort of packaging, and you can still be kind to the environment. I use biodegradable heat seal bags, they will compost in home composters. They look like plastic, but are a wood pulp, a far more Earth friendly choice. I use "Kraft" brown colored food service boxes, which are available to the home cook/baker too. The ones I use are 100% recycled content. I use tulle instead of thin ribbons, which most people will reuse too.... thin ribbon is horrible for the environment. All my swing tags are 100% recycled content, even my heat seal food service bags are recycled content bags. I like the "Kraft" choice because it can be customized for any occasion at all from weddings to graduations to holidays and so forth, plus it's the easiest for recycled content, and also the most budget friendly.

Today I'm showing you what I'm doing in jars this year, along with a few tips. Scroll past the video, you'll find the recipe for the chai hot chocolate and the cornstarch ornaments. Here we go, last MoFo for 2016 video:

CORNSTARCH ORNAMENTS  - GLUTEN FREE

(this recipe is readily available on many sites, so there is no credit)

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 cup baking soda

3/4 cup water

combine all ingredients in a large pot. Over medium heat, stir until it thickens, about 3 minutes. When it becomes a smooth texture, remove from heat, form into a ball, cover with a damp cloth, and allow to cool to a temperature you can work with (do not cool completely).

Preheat your oven to 175 degrees (reduce heat by 25 for convection)

Place dough on a rolling mat and knead a little bit. Add more cornstarch if it seems too sticky to roll.

Roll the dough on a board dusted with cornstarch to about 1/4".

Use a cookie cutter to cut out your decoration, stamp with lettering, designs, handprints, pawprints or whatever else you want. Poke a small hole at the top of each ornament.

Place gently on parchment covered baking sheet, bake from 30-45 minutes depending on your oven, turning the sheet half way through to get even baking. Keep an eye on your ornaments, they should NOT brown at all. If the edges curl up at all (mine never do) tap back til flat.

Cool, and paint/decorate as desired.

Take note: for anyone who is giving gifts for gluten free people, these ornaments are great, as people with gluten allergies should not even touch gluten. They will love you all the more for thinking of this.

CHAI HOT CHOCOLATE - Adapted from a recipe published by Frontier Natural Foods

2.5 cups powdered non-dairy milk (I used Native Forest Powdered Coconut Milk)

3 cups plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (sift before placing into your jar!)

1.5 cups plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (sift before placing into your jar!)

3.5 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp ginger

2 tsp cardamom

1.5 tsp allspice

pinch sea salt

Either layer your ingredients in a jar, or sift everything together and place in a jar. Wrap and tag with directions.

To use: Combine 1/3-1/2 cup mixture into a cup with 1 cup boiling water, stir until well combined. Serve with choice of vegan whipped cream, if desired.

It's been a fun run in 2016 for VeganMoFo. I've enjoyed finding and following many new writers and video people, and we still have so many to go through.

We wish everyone a peaceful holiday season, vegan style.

Peace begins on our plate. Go vegan.

xo

Vegan Month of Food 2016 - Day 29 "Test Run & Fail"

It's day number twenty nine for Month of Food, and I cannot believe it. Where did the time go, for reals. Today we're supposed to bring you our "holiday test run" and "fails" recipes or something along those lines. Fails. I could wax poetic on fails for days and days on end. I think what I'm working on today will be in the "fail" category, but we won't know til tomorrow. More on that in just a moment.

If anyone may be wondering what happened to the preplanned videos I shot, as I had a few in the tank so to speak, they got eaten by the devil that is the computer. Gone. Vanished. So, I've been plugging along on a daily basis mostly. And, for those who also may be wondering about the Key deer, things are improving. You can see my mentions of that occasionally on our Facebook page, and the Key Deer Refuges page offering regular updates (they've just moved to a weekly update, from daily).

A few years ago, I was gifted a beautiful rolling pin for Springerle.  I had no idea what it was for, but to me it was art. I loved it just for it's form, never mind the function. I had always been drawn to them in antique shops by the way, but couldn't believe the pricing. Then a friend gave me that one, and I thought wow, this is amazing.

I never used it.

Last year I finally figured out what Springerle is all about. I wanted to veganize it. My pin had vanished. Things like that happen when you move 4 times in one year (I had a year like that once, I hope you never do, it's awful) or when you move 2000 miles away from what was once home. Thus, I took to begging on the internet to my friends if anyone had a loaner they would let me use. No one had one. Springerle did not happen.

Then, a very special person in my life mailed me a new Springerle pin. I put it in my drawer where I keep the other pins.... I used to "collect' vintage rolling pins, but I donated them to thrifts mostly in my efforts to keep clutter at bay. I kept only those which I use (ok, I do have one that was my grandfathers, but that's a story for another day). The Springerle pin made the cut, and was tucked safely in that drawer.

After reading the history of Springerle, and looking at quite a few traditional recipes, I settled on one to veganize with some additional adjustments to measurements as well. Springerle has to sit for 24 hours before baking, it creates a "step" on the bottom of the cookie or something similar (if done properly) when the cookie dries out during these 24 hours which is also very desired in the finished cookie appearance. I believe my cookies will be a fail. The dough was tough and springy, not what I expected. I rolled them out flat, then used my fancy pin. I cut the cookies with a pizza cutter, and then set them on a sheet which I had dusted with ground whole star anise (seeds were not available anywhere down here that I looked). The house still smells like licorice, I have no problem with that. But, when I went to check on my Springerle to take pictures for you, most of the embossing has been lost. I'm so disappointed. I don't see how these are going to be good at all. These probably are the type of cookies that look very simple, but take a real expert to do properly. My version of Italian Christmas cookies are like that.... the recipe is so basic and simple, but one wrong move in technique and the entire cookie is ruined. It doesn't help at all that I've never even tasted a Springerle either. Anyway, here's my Springerle:

Tomorrow is our last day in Vegan Month of Food for 2016. I'll try not to let you down for the swan song here.

xo

Vegan Month of Food 2016 - Day 28 "Let's Bake"

Note: Sorry this is published in the morning of the next day.... our internet service went on the blink in the middle of me working on this last night. It was out for hours, I gave up.

Let's get to it!

This prompt was made just for me! "They" want to see what we're baking for the holidays. Now, it's just a wee early in the month for me to be full tilt baking in the kitchen, but I DID do some holiday related baking today, and I have some pictures of years past to share. If you ever really want to know what goes on probably in most baker's kitchens during the month of December, I'd say it's a safe bet if you said "chaos."

Up until last year, if you asked me to bake something, it was available for the holidays. Nothing was off limits (as long as it was vegan), my entire inventory was always available. This resulted in tons of orders, sure, but unfortunately many different things. I've been known to pull all nighters baking, and it is NO fun. Last year I moved into a different mindset, I streamlined. I still had an enormous amount of work as a result, but it was better. This year, I'm even more streamlined, and I am not taking orders for shipping. It is just too overwhelming, you know the story.... be careful what you wish for. Especially if you're a specialty vegan baker. They say beware the Ides of March????? No one EVER mentions December. Hm.

Without further chit chat, here's some stuff I've baked today, some stuff I've baked in the past, and a general idea of what goes on around here to bring the goods to the vegan community for the holidays.

Vegan Gingerbread People
Many of them

This is my idea of how cookies should look every December
Many of them

Gluten Free Organic Vegan
I do like these. A lot.

Vegan Macaroons with cacao nibs
With beet added to make them extra festive
Many of them
I do these at Valentine's as well

More of my version of iced Christmas cookies

Many cookies

I don't give my own platters as much attention as I should

Here's some Solstice cookies I made for someone else's Solstice party a few years ago
I think these were lemon lavender, I forget
Many of them. Trays and trays and trays of these
Moon shaped

I observe the Winter Solstice
Unfortunately the last few years I don't have time to do things the way I really want
This was a rushed Yule Log, but so delicious
Chocolate Sponge
Whipped Cream
Dusted with cocoa
Fondant 'shrooms
Of course vegan

I was gifted a recipe by a NY Kosher bakery for rugelach
I veganized it
I only do chocolate
These are something I wish I everyone could taste
They are drops of Heaven

Italian Christmas Cookies--veganized!
I made these today, and will be making MANY
of these for the season
One of my prize recipes
Organic anise
Of course vegan down to the sprinkles
These cookies took A LOT of trial and error to perfect
They're awesome

At 4am-ish, things get a little skewed in the kitchen
A few years ago on a night I had no customers I worked all night in the kitchen filling orders
I had a little leftover icing
I made Vegan Black Metal Chef cookies
What did you THINK they'd look like produced at 4am-ish?
Maybe I should've saved this picture for "fail" day?

Sweet Taralli
Veganized!

Traditional Taralli
Veganized!

My version of veganized
black and white biscotti
Every holiday season!

I made veganized cookie ornaments

These are veganized Polish Kolacky
My version is Gluten Free 

Key deer really do know how to fly

Coconut Mango Biscotti
All summer long I buy and dehydrate local mangoes
just for these cookies and macaroons

Last year, I finally perfected mom's Hermit cookies
using aquafaba

I have dozens of bins like this every holiday season
at the ready for shipping
Not this year though. I'm taking a little break.

Last year, during another all night bake fest, I pressed thousands of vegan spritz style cookies, bagged them up, and headed down to Key West dressed up foolishly in a tutu, and sparkly stuff. I had two friends with me. We walked up and down the streets of Key West handing out bags of free vegan cookies to people. We also stopped at a local soup kitchen where I dropped off dozens of mini-bundt cakes, and we walked around talking to the people there while we handed out cookies too. It was the second year I've done that, the year before I took the other happy vegan with me. I have to say the soup kitchen was pretty well received, however I'm not sure what other people we met thought of our randomness. Key West usually is known for it's "anything goes" attitude, but there were some questionable moments during the hours of passing out vegan cookies to anyone and everyone. 

That chubby dude in the red suit showed up everywhere
I sure hope my friends don't mind this picture...
my friend on the left is "Jen #2" on the far right is Julie
I'm in the pink tutu.
The guy in the red suit approved of the spritz.
By the way, it was about 80 degrees the day we were doing this...
major props to Mr. Chunky in the suit

Ho ho ho, plant style!

xo

Vegan Month of Food 2016 - Day 27: "Ex-Hideous Food"

Todays' prompt I'm tasked with bringing you a food that I used to dislike, that now I like. Easy!

Roll 'em:

xo

Vegan Month of Food 2016 - Day 26 "Cookbook Bonanza"

Our prompt today is to show you our favorite cookbooks. We touched on this last year, and my obsession has not slowed down since then. I now own over 200 cookbooks, of course some from very well known vegan chefs, but many others are from the local thrifts. I really like books from the 40s and 50s especially. They are simple easy ingredients, before processed foods really took hold, and I find them pretty easy to veganize. Easy on the budget, and a fun hobby for sure. However, the one cookbook I use more than any other lately is a concept cookbook which I think is brilliant, so unlike any other book I own. It's an original concept as well. I was drawn to this chef because of his music (METAL!) but the videos slay me every time. Epic.

I wish I had time to do this video properly, one that this concept book truly deserves. The amount of information in this book is unbelievable. It's not just food, there's philosophy sprinkled in (just enough), practically every recipe has a QR code which takes you to an original video tutorial with original music for each video/recipe, and the food comes out perfect every time. This book is the result of the vision of one person. I'm in love with this book, we backed the Kickstarter last year, and have to say the final product far exceeded anything we expected. I highly recommend this book. I owe Chef a debt of gratitude. I'm a baker, there's passion there for me there for sure but cooking? Not so much. This book is exactly what I needed, without me ever knowing it. It's changed how I work in the kitchen when it comes to food I'm willing to prepare for ourselves. Which book do I speak of....?

Vegan. Black. Metal Chef. YAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

\m/

Vegan Month of Food 2016 Day 25 - "First Vegan Meal!"

I LOVE TODAY'S PROMPT!!! We're tasked with talking about what our first vegan meal was, or one we remember very well. I remember so MANY great vegan meals, and while I may not remember my first vegan meal (seriously, I mean, I've had many vegan meals before I even knew what vegan was....most of us have) but let's talk about my first experience as a vegan at a 100% vegan restaurant. It practically blew my mind, and I still reminisce about it.

My first vegan meal at a 100% vegan restaurant was at a place that is long gone. They were so far ahead of their time. This was a very long time ago, when vegan food was not nearly as prevalent as it is today, and when vegan restaurants were very far and few between. This wasn't just "plant based" eating, this was a place run by 2 ethical vegans who spoke of the ethics involved. They spoke about vast injustices towards animals, people and planet. They would come out of the kitchen to meet their customers. They prepared all the food themselves without any prep cooks in the tiniest kitchen you could imagine. They made their own staples of seitan and things like that. I remember walking in there as a vegan, sitting down, picking up the menu, reading it, and being jubilant. I could have ANYTHING on the menu! I was with a non-vegan; I wanted to be "cool" but my effervescence bubbled over. I ordered loaded potato skins, nachos, a garden salad, Southern Cajun seitan with collards and mashed yams, chocolate cake, and peach tea. I'm really serious about this.... I ordered all that. On a date.

When the loaded potato skins came out, I actually gasped.... they had vegan versions of bacon and cheese. They were perfectly crispy, and absolutely delicious. I don't remember if I shared... I'm serious about my food, that other person may have a fork mark scar on their hand knowing how I am. I was full after the first app, but remember all the other stuff I ordered was still on the way. Nachos were next, I do remember sharing.... loaded up.... jalapenos, vegan cheese, tomatoes, onions. OMG. Dinner had not even arrived, and there I sat beyond stuffed. Then the entree came. This place became a staple for me after that first visit, and I always ordered their collards and other greens. I've never had any place do greens any better, I think they cooked them with fresh lemongrass or something... they had a subtle flavor I have no idea what it was, today I might be able to identify. But, this was back in a time when I didn't cook at all, I hadn't a clue (we've already talked about that). So, I ate the greens not caring how they were prepared, they were vegan, and they were perfect. The seitan was unbelievable, it was the first time I even had seitan. I don't know how they prepared it, but it was fried. It probably had panko because it was so crispy, plus it was spicy. Chunks of heaven, with mustard sauce. I had the audacity to order chocolate cake and peach tea for dessert. On the ride home I honestly felt sick I had eaten probably more than ever my whole life, but it was so good, and did I mention, I COULD ORDER ANYTHING ON THE MENU!!!

I made a feeble attempt tonight to recreate the entree. Very feeble. The day got away from me here, we were volunteering medicating Key deer with Doramectin (that nasty screwworm is still around, but the fatalities have plummeted, the eradication efforts and medication is working!) so I'm sure anyone reading this will understand that the deer are a priority.

Here's a picture of my feeble version of my first vegan entree at a vegan restaurant, approximately 17-20 years ago, give or take....

My feeble version of one of the most memorable meals I ever had....
Southern Cajun seitan, smashed yams, sauteed greens

I actually hoped to bring you a video today on this, but turns out obviously there's no video, but not even homemade seitan. Worse yet, I bought strips not cubes because the strips were on sale, so the feeble got more feeble.

That restaurant experience totally changed my outlook on food. It made me realize my thoughts on vegan food were FAR off base, and I needed to up my game, as well as my expectations. Those ladies opened my eyes and mind to so many other ethical issues, not just my simplistic view of going vegan "for the animals." I used to drive almost 1 hour each way to eat there, and when they closed to move on to other ventures I actually cried. To this day I remember their menu, their regular specials, the art on the walls, the smells, and the joy I felt every time I made plans to eat there. In time, the other happy vegan made the trek there with me. He wasn't even vegan back then, but going there was always something he would look forward to although certainly a non-vegan probably will never understand the joy of being vegan at a vegan restaurant and that realization that nothing on the menu is off limits.

By the way, that chocolate cake was the best I've ever had too. One year, the other happy vegan actually drove all the way to that restaurant to pick up a secret chocolate cake he had ordered for me. Again, this was back in a time when practically no place did vegan baking, not to mention an entire custom order cake. Damn, they made good cake.

Some days I sit and think that the world is going backwards, that we will never have a vegan world, and I feel very helpless maybe even occasionally hopeless. But, when I really stop and think, there's been huge steps of awareness as to the reasons we need to go vegan, as well as the growth of vegan companies and availability of vegan foods. Thinking back to this very first vegan meal at the very first vegan restaurant I ever set foot in makes me realize how far we've come... and reminds me how high the bar was set even close to 2 decades ago.

I owe a debt of gratitude to those pioneers for many things, least of which is the great vegan meals I ate for years at their place, as well as the complexities that come with farmed food.

If they were still in business, they'd be getting tons of referrals from me, and you can bet I would still be eating there even though I'm thousands of miles away. I'm known to plan vacations around restaurant hours, who knows if they were still in business I may have never even moved here.

Plant strong forever!

xo