Archive | December, 2010

Finally!! Pecan Sandies!!

25 Dec

This is a holiday favorite of mine! I would eat these every Christmas Eve from, ironically, my aunt Sandy! I’ve never given them a go, but I thought, since this was my first Christmas being vegan, I should bring something to the party!

This recipe I found on the Whole Foods Market website in the recipe section.  I did a few modifications.

Vegan Pecan Crumblies

Yields 48

1 cup Earth Balance butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup pecans, finely processed

3/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Cream the Earth Balance butter and the powdered sugar until light and fluffed, then add the vanilla; meanwhile, process the pecans in a food prrocessor until finely processed, yielding 1 cup.

In a separate bowl, combine the pecans, flours and salt.

Stir the pecan mixture into the creamed butter and sugar until incorporated.  Dump out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and wrap tightly.  Refrigerate overnight.

one…

And two!! I just had to double this recipe!

DAY TWO:

Take out of the refrigerator and dump out onto a clean surface.  Use a teaspoon, or any scoop, to portion out the cookies.  Roll them each in powdered sugar and place on a baking sheet an inch apart.

Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 9-10 minutes; let them cool for 4-5 minutes then dredge a second time in powdered sugar.  Set onto a drying rack and cool completely.

I hope everyone had a great holiday, got spoiled by Santa, and enjoyed many cookies.  I’m stuffed and it’s time for bed.  See you next year Santa – these cookies are for you!

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Pancake Breakfast!!

22 Dec

Today Ryan and I woke up (slowly) and decided to have a nice Christmas pancake breakfast.  No, no, I know it’s not Christmas yet… but it’s 2 days away!!! I guess you could call this the pre-pre-Christmas breakfast  We like to be prepared for the real thing. Time to prep our stomachs for stretch!!

Choco. Chip Banana Pancakes!

serves 4

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 cup almond milk, unsweetened original

2 Tbsp. oil

1 tsp. vanilla

2 mashed, very ripe, bananas

1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat a nonstick skillet on medium-low with a little bit of oil; once preheated wipe out the oil lightly with a napkin or paper towel.

Mix the flours, baking powder, salt and brown sugar together in a bowl with a whisk.

In a separate bowl, mash the banana up well with a fork; add the oil, vanilla and milk and mix well to combine.

(I purchased some new measuring cups from Urban Outfitters… they all go together into one big cupcake! SO presh *stole Kelly’s word* (-: )

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together lightly.  I like to follow America’s Test Kitchen’s technique on combining pancake ingredients by letting the batter fall through the whisk gently a few times.

 

 

Fold in the walnuts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Use a tablespoon, or any scoop you’d like, to portion out the batter into the hot skillet.

Let cook a few minutes, until the sides bubble and the pancake is set, then flip and do the same on the second side.

Set the pancakes aside on a plate, or set your oven to low and set the pancakes onto a baking sheet to be kept warm.  Enjoy with maple syrup and/or a big slab of Earth Balance butter atop!

Mmm!! 1 serving of fruit… CHECK!

 

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Warming Winter Soup

21 Dec

Snow fell throughout Massachusetts today! It is so beautiful!! Aunt Sue is here from California and snow is just what she needed!

Warming soup was also needed… so Ryan made some kale and sweet potato soup to get us through the night.

Sweet Potato, Kale and Carrot Soup

Serves 4-6 (4 meal portions; 6 smaller portions)

3 bunches of kale, washed, de-ribbed and roughly chopped or torn (we used a mixture of varieties: 1 dino/lacinato, 1 scots/curly, and 1 purple kale bunch)

10 garlic cloves (don’t be afraid…)

4 cups of vegetable broth, divided

1 large sweet potato

6 carrots, chopped or diced to your liking

6 celery stalks, chopped or diced to your liking

2 bay leaves

1 cup white wine mixed with 1 cup of water

Salt and pepper to taste

2-3 tsp. olive oil

Directions:

In a large stock pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the carrots and celery; cook for a few minutes to soften them.  Add the sweet potatoes and cook for 2 minutes more.

Add 2 cups of liquid and a small pinch of salt and pepper; bring to a simmer to infuse.

Add in the kale, a small pinch of salt and pepper, and 2 more cups of liquid.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and let cook until the kale has wilted.

Add the rest of the liquid, the wine, bay leaves, garlic and another pinch of salt and pepper.  Cover the pot and let this simmer for 20-30 minutes until everything is tender.  Don’t forget to serve this with some hearty grain bread smothered in Earth Balance butter!! :-)

This is an extremely easy, warming soup that is packed with nutrients!! Hopefully this will keep sickness away…

Betty was quite jealous!!

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