Haselnuss and Chipotle

Over the weekend I made two batches of haselnuss (hazelnut) themed cupcakes. Haselnuss was one of my favorite words from German class back in the day. Sorry I didn't figure out how to insert one of those s set things for those of you that speak the language. The purpose of these cupcakes was twofold: snacks for an Art Car decorating party and dessert for a townhome potluck.
Here is a basic chocolate cupcake, with hazelnut liquor added to the batter. The frosting also is spiked with hazelnut liquor. On top, you see my first experiment with chocolate transfers (inspired by Emilie's post). These things are so cool, you can't really see the green floral scroll pattern on this photo, for a better one, see flickr. I have a few kinks to work out with the process (i.e. not all the pattern transferred, streaks in the chocolate, etc.), but for my first try I was pretty happy. The bending of this piece of chocolate is courtesy of the Texas heat.
Continuing the hazelnut theme are these haselnuss cupcakes filled with chocolate mocha hazelnuss mousse from VCTOTW. The mousse is perfect on its own, and luckily the recipe makes a little extra. I know I should have gotten a shot of the inside, but everytime I bite into one it somehow disappears in my mouth.
And just because you can't live on cupcakes (darn!), I'll show you some real food as well! Last week I tried out the chickpea romesco from V-con and absolutely loved it. This was quick and easy and is one of those dishes I should remember to make for company. I had just finished watching Iron Chef, so that's why I plated my chickpeas in a row (to compliment the asparagus). Oh, and I finally invested in some real sea salt, you can see those fatty grains on the asparagus. Very worth it!
In addition to bringing cupcakes to the potluck, I also made empanadas. The dough was from V-con (acorn squash and black bean empanadas), but the filling was my own. A mixture of Field Roast chipotle sausage, black beans, canned chipotles, jalapeno, onion, and some spices. These were HOT! Unfortunately, these suckers wouldn't stay sealed, and opened up a bit in the oven. I still have some learning to do as far as pastry goes. Oh, and I'm proud to say this was my first time using dried black beans!
Finally, a super duper late vegan mofo post. Back in November, I promised that I would use these dried faux meat patties that I got ages ago. Well, finally I got around to it. Actually, John got around to it because I had decided that they scared me. He marinated them in a pseudo teriyaki with chipotle peppers. Bless his heart for trying, but I thought the texture was too meaty and it weirded me out (though he enjoyed them). On the side is a chipotle quinoa with black beans and a grilled veggie salad.
Next post I'll have an announcement! And maybe some food.

Mostly Winners Here

So if you've ever leveled a cake for a fancy frosting job (I usually don't mind the bump), you've probably also found yourself munching on the "throw away" top part of the cake. Not that I'm saying you should stop this sensible and traditional practice, but if you're looking for something else to do with it, here's an idea.... cake truffles!

Got this idea from my cake decorating class. You simply pulverize your leftover cake in a food processor, then mix with just enough frosting to form balls. Pop them in the fridge and you've got cake truffles! You can thank me later. Just be careful not to eat them all yourself.

For the super bowl on Saturday, we went over to my parent's house where my mom had a platter of veggies and tofutti cream cheese french onion dip (thinned with a little soymilk) waiting. The best part? Some of the super addivtice tamari roasted chickpeas that seemed to disappear before kick off!

For dinner we had personal pizzas, a favorite now for get togethers as it allows everyone to put on their own toppings to their liking. I used tomato sauce, pesto, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, and artichokes. Yum. Forget to snap a photo I was so engulfed the game (yeah right, I was engulfed in pizza). But I did manage to sneak a picture of dessert, coconut cream pie from My Sweet Vegan! My mom was looking forward to making this one as coconut has always been one of her favorites. So in the photo, a winner (the pie) and a loser (the Patriots)....

I was rooting for no team in particular. But since John is from Boston and all his family and nieces and nephews were rooting for the Patriots, I was pulling for the Giants just a bit (sshhh, I've always been a bit of a black sheep).

Okay, enough about football. Last week we also tried the Green Wa from Yellow Rose Recipes. Since I couldn't find plain soy yogurt in the grocery store, I went with the Indian version and used coconut. Since I love quinoa so much, it's great to find new recipes that use it, and this was no exception. If you like cilantro, this one's for you!
There was even enough to serve as a side dish (along with some lunches) the next night alongside curried soy curls with red pepper and snow peas. I'm telling you the soy curl possibilities are endless....

Much prep work and cooking to be done in the next few days. I'm in charge of bringing in breakfast to work on Friday. Most people just stop by the donut shop, or the kolache shop, or McDonald's (ick) and bring in something greasy and unhealthy. Come to think of it, although I attend these breakfast meetings every other week, I've never actually eaten anything at them. That will all change on Friday.
And on Saturday evening John and I are hosting a "Vegan Sweets and Eats Potluck" for the local Society of PEACE group. I've got some fun door prizes to show off, and I'm sure all the food will be fabulous as well. Can't wait to tell yall all about it! (Please note, I realize how southern I sound when I say yall all...)

Let's Roast!

Veggies that is! I have been roasting vegetables like crazy the last few days. The oven has been keeping our house warm through this Texas winter cold snap! Wednesday night I was starving when I got home and so I fixed the tamari roasted chickpeas from ED&BV. Where have these been all my life? I ate close to the whole can of beans and still wanted more. I managed to save a couple to add to my dinner plate.

Amazing that I still had an appetite after all those legumes! The roasted items for dinner were: portobello mushroom (marinated in red wine, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, etc), brussels sprouts, and red bell pepper. And on the side some steamed swiss chard and quinoa. I discovered just how much I love balsamic glace swirled on my plate (makes it so fancy!) and sopped up with roasted veggies. This stuff is worth searching out and buying!

And alongside a salad last night, we had perfectly roasted cauliflower, tossed with just a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and finished with lemon juice and fresh parsley.
A healthy start to the new year, if I do say so myself! Oh, and I took another step towards fulfilling my resolutions and signed up for an 8-hour cake decorating course here in Houston (spread out over four weekends). And thankfully, we get to bring our own icing and cake, so I can ensure that they are vegan :-) Can't wait to report on my learnings... Enjoy the first weekend of 2008!

Saint Nick Delivers

Our stockings were hung by the chimney with care... in hope that yummy vegan treats soon would be there.

And what do you know, maybe I should start believing in Santa Claus! Christmas day dinner with my family was full of new, yummy vegan treats. For the main course, I made the Festive Chickpea Tart (thanks to Dreena) from the November issue of VegNews.
I loved the different textures of chickpeas, paired with crunchy walnuts, tart cranberries, and the green (festive!) parsley and spinach. We topped it with a balsamic maple sauce as Dreena suggested, but since I didn't have ED&BV with me, I just made one up (combined some maple syrup and balsamic vinegar (duh) with olive oil and whole grain mustard). The whole family loved this one, and I'm kinda sad that it's already gone :-( Maybe I'll make some more before the winter season is over.
The rest of the dinner was rounded out with twice baked potatoes (topped with FYH mozzarella), broccoli, homemade bread, and a green salad with raspberries and strawberries.

And another new recipe for the holidays... I got my mom (and myself, shhh) a copy of Hannah's My Sweet Vegan and perused it for quite awhile trying to figure out what to make for our holiday dessert. The answer was obvious when I saw the Mocha Devastation Cake. Two layers of moist chocolate cake with a mocha buttercream frosting and crushed chocolate-covered espresso beans in the center and topped with chocolate ganache and more chocolate-covered espresso beans. Wow.

I think maybe I should have crushed my beans a little more because mine didn't look nearly as pretty as the one in the book. And I made a little booboo with the ganache. I got unsweetened dark chocolate, and didn't notice till I tasted it halfway through frosting. Whoops. We ate it anyway and just discarded most of the ganache. Oh, it was sooo sooo good, and I don't even like coffee.
We brought it along (since it made a huge cake) when we went to see my more extended family yesterday. It got devoured. And of course you should have seen the look on their faces when I told them there was tofu in it! I will definitely be making this cake again, but hopefully with the right kind of chocolate, I'll bet the ganache would have made it even better.

I had a wonderful time the past few days hanging out with my parents and brother and sister, this is the best part of the holidays. Since we are all grown up now, our family is cherishing those moments we can spend together as getting everyone in the same place at the same time gets harder and harder.

Sad to say, but I'm back at work today (but I have tomorrow off again). I'm so excited though because John returns home this afternoon!! Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday meals with family and friends. Now it's time to start turning our attention to the New Year... and of course what treats we'll be making to celebrate!

Dinner Before Dining

We've all done it before (ok, let me qualify that, if you are a vegan and reading this, then continue)... you're invited out to dinner at a place where your only choice is some steamed broccoli and a baked potato, so you eat before you go. Tonight, I was obliged to attend a recruit dinner for work at a Steakhouse. And not just any steakhouse, one where they bring out the raw meat to the table to show you their "cuts of the evening". This place went a step further and brought a live lobster on a platter to your table. Talk about an uncomfortable situation for a vegan. I even felt wierd using my steak knife on the vegetables knowing how many steaks they had cut into previously.

So my dinner before dining was using a new vegetable (for me): Thai eggplants! I picked them up at the farmer's market last week and have been trying to figure out what to do with them since. They're almost too cute to cook!

I decided to go with something quick and easy, Thai Eggplant and Chickpeas in Peanut Masala from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. I made quite a few substitutions for spices and cut way back on the onion while increasing the chickpeas. Here's the eggplant starting to brown...
I served the dish over brown rice sprinkled with fresh parsley and some edamame and potato samosas (from VWAV) that have been buried in my freezer for months (but still very yummy). Some of you may remember that I'm not a fan of eggplant. Thai eggplant seemed to have a milder flavor than it's purple cousins, not quite as bitter. The woman I got them from at the farmer's market suggested using them for pickling.... which I've never done before (so maybe it's time during this Vegan MOnth of FOod).
I think I added a bit too much water to thin out the sauce (the eggplants were taking awhile to soften). In the end the sauce lost much of it's flavor, so this wasn't my favorite dish. But, then again, it was light years ahead of what I was served at the steakhouse....

His Choice

When I first started cooking (maybe two years ago, before that, I relied on restaurant food and cereal), I made lots of simple salads. After all, they are easy and versatile and good for you! Since developing my fondness for cooking, I must say that I tend to want to try more complicated things in the kitchen. John always begs for salads, so to appease him, last night we had the Roasted Portabello Salad with spicy mustard dressing from Veganomicon.

The salad did not disappoint. The roasted mushroom was tender and juicy, and the aroma of garlic and red wine filled the house to our delight. While I usually add a bit of mustard to vinaigrette's that I make, this recipe called for a large amount of spicy mustard. What a difference! The mushroom, dressing, salad greens (with fresh herbs, I love cilantro in my salads), avocado, and chickpeas all came together beautifully in this salad. It was one of those salads where I plan my final bite to include a bit of everything, so the flavors can all join forces in my mouth. Am I the only person who does this?

Houston Vegan Potluck

That's right, you read the title correctly. A vegan potluck in Houston! When I first became vegan I thought I might be the only one in the city, but there are actually quite a few of us. The Houston vegan meetup group hosted a potluck last night at a gracious member's home. There was a wonderful variety of vegan food and it was a good time chatting with other Houston vegans. Here is a peak at plate #1:



The food includes (from the left): chickpea patty (which I brought, see below), Ethiopian food with injera bread, veggie sushi, mini-sandwich with hummus and deli "meat", three different kinds of tofu, and beans with veggies dogs. I gobbled up all the food and went for seconds, which included a Santa Fe green chile casserole and General Tao's tofu. Yum!! Here's plate #2:

And of course, who can resist vegan desserts. Here are the desserts I sampled, a vegan cheesecake, some kind of tart (must find out, it was delish), and chocolate cake. I was stuffed by the end of the night.

Here are the dishes I contributed, including Moroccan Chickpea Patties from Vive Le Vegan, served with Sesame Mustard Tahini Sauce. These were delicious and I thought the spices added a unique flavor, we will definitely be making them again. I also brought the Maple-Mustard-Glazed Potatoes and String Beans from VWAV that I've blogged about before. Love those, they are the perfect potluck food.

And of course I had to bring a dessert. I tried out Vivacious Vegan's recent post, the Best Vegan Brownies Ever. I have to say I must agree with the name! I used pecans instead of walnuts and topped them with some powdered sugar. They disappeared from the plate very quickly, a good thing because I'm trying (regardless of the dessert plate you saw) to cut back on sweets since this past week full of cupcakes.



The evening was a great experience. I can't wait for my next vegan potluck (which I think will be in September!), it is such a nice way to discover new types of food, share recipes, and meet new people.