Bread making part 2

I have been experimenting with the bread recipe I posted last time.  I recently added cinnamon to the dough.  If you love cinnamon like I do, it is a nice added flavour to the bread.  If you cut the slices ticker you are able to put it in the toaster.  I toaster a couple of piece of the cinnamon bread and it was better than eating it not toasted.  I had the toast with Earth Balance buttery spread, however, it will be great with jam.
I have also been making two loafs at a time.  I make the dough and then before the water is fully absorbed.  Once the dough it separated I add different spices to the two balls.  This way I have some variety in flavours and I don't have to make the bread as often.  Two balls fit onto one pan and the cooking time is still 40 minutes.

Till next time!

M

I am unable to eat yeast right now.  As a result I decided to look into making my own bread instead of buying it.  I like this recipe because it is plain and you can add different spices.  Adding rosemary and garlic powder to the dry ingredients makes a great tasting focaccia type bread.  I also added flaxseeds for extra nutrition.  It is a little more dense than yeast bread, but the versatility is amazing and means you will never get bored.  It is also great because you know what it is in it, plus the best part it is super easy and uses things you are likely to already have in your house.

3 cups whole wheat flour 

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup liquid (water, alternative milk or a mixture of both)

1/4 of fat (oil, melted "butter") -I used olive oil

1. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl

2. Mix liquid ingredients in another bowl

3. Mix dry and liquid ingredients together until combined. Do not over work the dough. Dough should be moist not sticky, it could take a few minutes for the flour to absorb the liquid

4. Oil hands and place the dough onto baking sheet and make into a ball or oval

5. Score lightly the surface in diamond or "x" shape (to prevent splitting of the crust)

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes

I also decided to use it as a replacement for pizza dough by adding basil and summer savory to the dough.  It doesn't roll out instead use flour to push it out into a pizza dough shape.  

Enjoy!

M

"Egg" Salad Sandwich

I made this version of eggless salad sandwich for lunches this week.  Instead of eggs I use tempeh.

1 package of tempeh
1 celery stalk, diced
3 Tablespoons red pepper, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 Tablespoons mustard (use your favourite)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
salt & pepper

Place tempeh in pot of boiling water.  Simmer for 12 minutes.  Drain tempeh and let sit till cool.  Once cool cut into small pieces or grate with cheese grater.

Place celery, red pepper, carrots and tempeh in bowl.

Mix vegan mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, garlic powder, ginger powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Place mayonnaise mixture into bowl with tempeh and veggie.  Mix well.

Mixture will keep 3-4 days in the fridge.  I like mine on bread with some lettuce. Makes for a quick and tasty lunch.

If you have different vegetables in the fridge you can also use them.  Green onions, pickles or green peppers would add a different flavour, but still adding a nice crunch in contrast to the tempeh.  

Enjoy! 

M

I made a delicious dinner of roasted tofu, potatoes, onions, carrots with quinoa and a side of swiss chard.  My boyfriend was worried about roasting the tofu.  He was paranoid about it getting too dry without marinating it first.  But since I am I always one to try something new I just wanted to go for it.  And this way if it didn't worked out I would know for next time.  Thankfully, it worked out! We had ourselves a delicious improvised meal of influenced by Indian and Moroccan spices! 

Recipe:
1 block of firm tofu, cut in slices then in half
2 medium potatoes, cut into cubes
3 carrots, cut into pieces about same size as potatoes
1 medium onion, sliced
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cinnamon
1/4 tsp-1/2 tsp chili flakes (depends on how much spice you want)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the tofu, potatoes, carrots and onion pieces onto a baking sheet.  Mix the olive oil and spices in a small bowl and drizzle over tofu and veggies.  Mix the oil and veggies with your hands to make sure they are well coated.  Put in oven until veggies are cooked. Serve on top of quinoa, rice or couscous.

I served this with swiss chard that I washed and cut into strips.  I then cooked it in a pan with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  If using the stems be sure to cook them for a few minutes before you throw in the rest of the chard.  It is a nice light compliment to the spices on the tofu and veggies. 

M

I have been a vegetarian for 15 years, however, I am a relatively new vegan.   As a vegetarian I was well adapt at making sure I didn't accidentally ingest something non-vegetarian.  Now I am having to once again learn to be extra careful when not eating at home.  I decided to start a blog to channel my frustration into something positive.  I want to share my love of cooking and discovering new foods.

This week for the first time in a LONG time I was craving a chocolate cookie.  This fact was not helped by my work.  Every Friday cookies are delivered to the staff to munch on.  To my delight halfway through a lovely long walk on Saturday my boyfriend and I were near a vegan bakery I had seen many times from the Queen Street streetcar.  I figured this was the perfect opportunity to get me a chocolate cookie! We walked into the unassuming LPK's Culinary Groove (www.lpksculinarygroove.com) and bought two chocolate cookie sandwiches - pictures below to show their yumminess.

They were super delicious:) I was sad to leave without one of their cakes, however, my boyfriend (he was buying the cookies as I had not anticipating being near the LPK's I did not bring my wallet) would not drop that kind of cash without there being a special occasion.  So I will have to wait for my birthday to try one of their cake creations.

Till next time,

M