Mocha chocolate chip muffins
As Matt’s and my one year anniversary approached, I had numerous ideas running through my head as to what celebratory baked good I could present to him. I was saddened, though, to learn that he had to leave town on business that very day! My visions of towering cakes and dreams of elaborate desserts were dashed, and my mind turned to simpler, more portable treats. I altered this recipe from Vegan With a Vengeance to my liking (and to include Tempt hemp milk, my new mini-obsession), and sent Matt off on his trip with a bunch of these muffins in his bag. They’re no mocha devastation cake, but they were tasty nonetheless.
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
2½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup hemp milk
¾ cup sugar
6 Tbsp canola oil
3 Tbsp soy or coconut milk yogurt
2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp instant coffee powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 12-cup muffin pan (or a 24-cup mini muffin pan). In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
Living Harvest had sent me a coupon to try their new Tempt hemp products, so I’d picked up a container of their unsweetened original hemp milk. I enjoyed the taste on its own – smooth, full-bodied, and mild in flavor – and I was eager to try it in a recipe. These muffins were the perfect vehicle.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the hemp milk, sugar, oil, yogurt, applesauce, coffee powder, and vanilla. (You can certainly use soy or almond milk in place of the hemp milk!)
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. I made some mini muffins for me…
…and some regular-size muffins for Matt.
Bake for 18-22 minutes (or 14-18 minutes for minis), until a toothpick comes out clean.
The rich, creamy hemp milk worked beautifully in this recipe (though substitution possibilities abound). There’s only a whisper of coffee in these, with the mild chocolate flavor taking center stage, studded with melty little pockets of chocolate chips. They made a perfect anniversary airplane snack for my honey!
Yield: 12 muffins.
Per muffin: 209 calories, 9.6g fat (2g sat), 30.7g carbs, 3g fiber, 2.5g protein.
By the way, stop by Katie‘s blog and enter her Larabar giveaway!
If you like this, you might also like…
Raw mocha-chocolate mousse tart
V-Day mocha devastation cake
Chocolate brownie muffins
Reviews: Inspired Cookie, Zhena’s Tea
Hey everyone. I hope you’re having a better Labor Day weekend than I am. It’s all good though, because these products I want to share with you today are worth smiling about.
Firstly, Sarah from The Inspired Cookie sent me some samples awhile back. Gluten-free vegan baked goods? Yes please!
All of The Inspired Cookie‘s products are vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, corn-free, egg-free, dairy-free, casein-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, and cholesterol-free—wow! It’s no wonder they were nominated in this year’s VegNews Veggie Awards. Sarah sent me two brownies and three cookies to try. I couldn’t wait to dig in.
I found the Espresso Lemon Chocolate Chunk cookie a bit perplexing at first. The espresso was hard for me to detect, and the lemon with the chocolate was an unexpected combo. The cookie itself, though, had a great texture, on the soft and crumbly side.
A flavor combo I was downright hesitant about was the Peppermint Chocolate Chunk cookie. You may know how I tend to feel about mint (I almost always hate it), so I tried this cookie with trepidation. I was flabbergasted to find that from the first bite to the last, I really liked it! The peppermint notes reminded me immediately of Andes mints, one of the only minty things in the world I can say I love. What a pleasant surprise!
That wasn’t the last surprise, though—I also loved the Lemon Lavendar cookie more than I expected to. The common thread through all these cookies seemed to be unusual, original flavor combinations, and The Inspired Cookie executed each with flair and tasty results.
But I saved the best for last—the Chocolate Chunk brownie. Ohh, this brownie. Though I’ve been on a casual quest for the best vegan brownie recipe, I didn’t have a particular flavor or texture in mind to look for…until I tried this. Whatever her methods, whatever her recipe (which I would LOVE to have!), Sarah has crafted the best packaged brownie I think I’ve ever had. Chewy, fudgy, PERFECT!
Thanks again to Sarah and The Inspired Cookie for the samples. I hope you all check out their website and web store, and/or “like” their Facebook page.
Some other samples I received recently came from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea.
They have some of the most amazing, original flavors I’ve seen in any teas. Actually, it was only after I got these samples that I realized I had an entire canister of Zhena’s Tea in my cabinet! I’d been fascinated by the Goji Cacao Berry green tea as soon as I saw it at World Market, and I’d bought it on a whim. I’m glad I did, because it’s delicious!
The flavors that Zhena’s sent me individual samples of included Coconut Chai black tea…
…Cacaoberry and Pomberry women’s health green teas…
…Blueberry Vanilla and Caramelized Pear biodynamic green teas…
…and Açai Berry red tea and Raspberry Earl black tea.
I’m no good at describing the complex flavor notes in various teas, but I can say that every one of these was wonderful. The Açai Berry red was a particular favorite of mine. Zhena’s is uncompromising in their rigorous production standards, and the thoughtful selection and high quality of their ingredients shines through in each cup.
Thank you again to Zhena’s Gypsy Tea for the great samples. Check out their website and/or “like” their Facebook page to keep up-to-date on specials. Right now, you can get 20% off your online order, plus a free tin of Berry Bellini tropical green tea, until Monday 9/6 with promo code SUMMER2010!
If you like this, you might also like…
Tofu ricotta cheeze + gadget reviews
Review & giveaway: Wholesome Chow
Review: Coconut Secret
Kale chips ’n cheezy dip
Ooh, I am excited about this one!
Here’s the deal: I hate leafy greens. I hate lettuce. I hate salad. I may be the only vegan out there who does not, will not, no way no how, eat salads, ever. As such, it completely baffles me to hear people, even (especially) seasoned veg*ns, lament the fact that there’s nothing veg they can order at [insert restaurant name here] except a salad. No! I believe that 100% of the time, this is NOT true; there IS something else you can order or request. I’ve eaten at every kind of restaurant, from barbecue to Austrian food, without consuming a single salad, my entire life.
Anyway, that is why I have featured greens or lettuce in this blog a mere three times in over two years: once when I finally resolved to try a green smoothie, once when I shocked my boyfriend by eating a bite of lettuce in Dallas, and recently when I ate a kale chip at 105 Degrees in Oklahoma City at a dinner with Ani Phyo. The last of those occasions brings me to this.
The very day I returned from that amazing event, I stopped by the Merc in Lawrence, where I picked up a bunch of kale on a whim. It felt surreptitious, clandestine in a way, like I was working under the radar of my own bias, sneakily breaking a commandment of my own personal foodie religion. But that kale came home with me, and by the end of the night, inspired largely by recipes of Ani and Averie, I’d improvised my own dehydrated coated-kale chips.
The take-home point of all this is: I ATE GREENS!
1 bunch kale, stemmed and roughly chopped
½ a large red bell pepper, chopped
½ cup soaked cashews
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp agave nectar
1 tsp olive oil
¼ tsp sea salt (or to taste)
Place all ingredients except kale in a blender.
Purée, adding a splash of water if needed.
Add the mixture to the chopped kale in a large bowl.
Toss to coat the kale thoroughly. You’ll need your hands for this, and yup, it gets messy! Spread the kale on mesh-lined (with or without Paraflexx sheets) dehydrator trays.
Dehydrate at 105-115 degrees for 6-8 hours, or until crisp, flipping once halfway through. But you didn’t think I’d leave you dehydrator-less people hanging, did you?! You can instead bake these in a 300-325 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, watching them closely so they don’t burn and flipping them halfway through. Alternately, you can turn the oven on the Warm setting, leave the oven door ajar, and bake them for a few hours (I don’t know how many, sorry—just keep an eye on them); the low-temp baking will mimic the effects of a dehydrator.
Yield: 6 servings.
Per serving: 121 calories, 6.5g fat (.5g sat), 13.3g carbs, 3g fiber, 5.5g protein.
I admit it—these are shockingly good all by themselves, unsullied, unadorned. But that didn’t stop me from trying out Averie’s “spicy Doritos” cheezy dip recipe to go with them.
I made a half batch, reversing the amounts of sunflower seeds vs. hempseeds (for frugality’s sake) and adding an extra heaping teaspoon of chili powder.
You’ll have to visit Averie’s page for the full recipe, which I highly recommend you do. It’s not just for kale chips—hell, dip French fries in it if you want to!
Yield (full batch): 8 servings (about 2 cups).
Per serving (about ¼ cup): 102 calories, 7.8g fat (.5g sat), 4.2g carbs, 2g fiber, 5.3g protein.
You can have this whole snack – a mountain of kale chips and a big scoop of cheeze dip – for barely over 200 calories, yet it nets you nearly 11 grams of protein. Ok, ok, I concede—score 1 for leafy greens!
Is there any ultra-popular vegan food/dish/ingredient you simply can’t stand?
If you like this, you might also like…
Raw cashew-macadamia nut hummus
Raw cumin-walnut flatbread/crackers
Curry-lentil crackers w/spinach-avocado dip
Vegan lasagna made easy
Yesterday, besides showing off my new toys (a TofuXpress and a spiralizer!), I gave a recipe for tofu ricotta cheeze. You’ll need a batch of that for this simple lasagna, as well as a ribbon-cut zucchini, but you can just slice it very thinly if you don’t have a spiralizer. I recommend using my perfect marinara sauce in this, but you can use any sauce you like, jarred or fresh; you’ll need about 3 cups, give or take. Lastly, feel free to substitute just about anything you want for the “meat”—Boca crumbles, homemade mock meat of any kind, sliced mushrooms, or even just a can of cannellini beans. Possibilities galore!
1 lb. vegan sausage or beef (like LightLife), crumbled and browned OR 1 batch tempeh sausage crumbles
1 batch tofu ricotta cheeze
½ batch perfect marinara sauce
½ package whole-grain lasagna noodles, cooked per pkg directions, drained, and cooled
1 zucchini, spiralized into ribbons OR very thinly sliced lengthwise
Nutritional yeast, vegan mozzarella, or both, for topping (optional)
Once you’ve prepped your ingredients, lasagna is just a matter of assembly. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch square baking dish. Spread a thin, even layer of sauce (about ½ cup) across the bottom, then arrange 1/3 of the cooked lasagna noodles in a single layer on top, cutting them to fit as necessary.
Crumble half the tofu ricotta over the noodles.
Arrange half the ribboned (or thinly sliced) zucchini atop the ricotta.
Evenly distribute half the “sausage,” then spoon more sauce (½-¾ cup) on top.
Repeat the layers: 1/3 of the noodles, the other halves of the ricotta, zucchini, and “sausage,” and more sauce. Finally, add the last 1/3 of the noodles and cover the top completely with sauce. Sprinkle nutritional yeast across the top, and/or add a layer of sliced or shredded vegan mozzarella if desired (I didn’t, clearly).
Cover with foil and bake for 35-45 minutes, until heated through. (If you added mozzarella, you’ll want to take the foil off for the last 10 minutes or so to brown the cheeze.) Remove from the oven, then please let it cool for 10-15 minutes before serving, lest it fall apart when you try to cut it!
Serve generous slices of lasagna topped with extra sauce and nutritional yeast.
Uh, YUM! I wasn’t a big lasagna fan in the past precisely because of the ricotta, but the use of tofu ricotta has made me a convert! As for the rest – pasta, marinara, “sausage,” and a zucchini for good measure – what’s not to love?! Even the staunchest vegan-skeptic wouldn’t be able to turn down this tower of Italian tastiness.
Yield: 6 servings.
Per serving: 371 calories, 11.3g fat (1g sat), 46.3g carbs, 9g fiber, 22.6g protein.
If you like this, you might also like…
Spaghetti & vegan meatballs
Spaghetti with tomato and peas
Tempeh bolognese sauce
Tofu ricotta cheeze + gadget reviews
I adore kitchen gadgets—probably a little too much. In my dollhouse-sized kitchen (which is not as cute as it sounds!), space is at a premium, but I still can’t stop myself from acquiring new and interesting foodie tools. I’ve got two to share in this post, along with a recipe using one of them, and tomorrow I’ll show you a dish for which I utilize both gadgets (though neither one will be required to make it).
If you’ve ever come across a recipe calling for “tofu, pressed and drained,” you’ve probably either rolled your eyes and skipped it, decided to grin and bear it and dirty all the necessary appurtenances, or just skipped the pressing step altogether. The truth is, pressing and draining tofu really does make a difference in the texture, which will be firmer, chewier, and just better overall. I must admit that I used to not bother with it—who wants to put a plate on a block of tofu on a cutting board, pile cans or a brick or the family cat on top to weigh it down, and then find some way to rest the board at an angle such that the water drains into the sink? Not I. Enter TofuXpress.
I knew from the first time I saw an ad for this thing that I would covet it until I got my hands on one. So when Richard at TofuXpress sent me one to try, I was grateful and excited.
So how does it work? You just put a block of tofu in…
…and fasten on the lid. Its spring mechanism gently and slowly compresses the tofu, and the released water rises to the top.
All you do is pour off the water that collected on top, and you’ve got extra-EXTRA-firm tofu! You can press your tofu anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours, depending on how dry you want the final product to be. You can also remove the spring top, pop on the included lid, and refrigerate your drained tofu in the very same container until ready to use. Clean, simple, and effortless. Here’s my tofu after just 30 minutes in the TofuXpress.
It can be used for more than just tofu, as well; for example, to press the water out of thawed frozen spinach, zucchini, eggplant, etc. You can also use it to press homemade nut cheeze! Speaking of cheeze, a great use for pressed tofu is homemade vegan ricotta.
Tofu ricotta cheeze
1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed for 30 minutes
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp sea salt (or to taste)
Crumble the tofu into a food processor or blender. Add all remaining ingredients.
Cover and process until mostly smooth (add a splash of water if necessary). Use immediately, or transfer to a small container and refrigerate for up to a week.
Yield: 6 servings.
Per serving (about 1/3 cup): 114 calories, 8.1g fat (1g sat), 2.3g carbs, 1g fiber, 7.3g protein.
The TofuXpress is such a time (and frustration!) saver, and I can already tell it will be an invaluable item to have in my kitchen for years to come. Thanks so much again to Richard at TofuXpress for sending me one!
Another kitchen gadget I recently received is a Paderno World Cuisine Spiral Vegetable Slicer, formerly known as the Spirooli. I’d been wanting to try it for quite awhile, so I was stoked when Christian at World Cuisine sent me one!
I have no doubt that many, if not most, of you guys have seen/read/heard about this device already. It’s most popularly used to make raw spaghetti with zucchini, so that’s what I tried first.
The Spiral Slicer has four rubber “feet” that grip the countertop to keep it in place as you crank the handle, which helps a lot. It comes with three different blades; two of those create spaghetti-like strands in 1/4-inch and 1/8-inch diameters.
With just a turn of the handle, I instantly had a pile of looong zucchini noodles. It pretty much comes out as one big strand, so you need to cut it as you go along (unless you want feet-long noodles!). You’re also left with the zucchini core (Averie once cracked me up by calling it a “zucchini schlong,” haha!), which you can either throw away or find some other use for. The noodles, of course, can be eaten with a yummy raw pasta sauce, or in any other way you can dream up.
The third blade is used to make thin ribbon-like cuts like you see below. The Paderno World Cuisine Spiral Vegetable Slicer is easy to use (just turn a handle!), easy to clean (it’s dishwasher-safe), and will be easy to find multiple uses for in my kitchen. Thank you again to World Cuisine for sending me the Spiral Slicer!
Do you have a tofu press or a spiralizer? Have you ever wanted either of these gadgets? What’s your most coveted kitchen tool?
You’ll see those zucchini ribbons and the tofu ricotta above in the recipe I’ll post tomorrow. To be continued!
If you like this, you might also like…
Tofu-veggie breakfast scramble
Tofu parmigiana alla marinara
Tofu makhani curry
