Vegan MoFo Day 31: Apple Cranberry Tea Ring

My little family and I have started a new tradition of going apple picking every Fall and this was our second year to do so. It’s so much fun being able to go and pick your own apples right off of the trees and the place we have gone to the past two years has an Apple Harvest Festival the first three weeks of October. Last year we went a little crazy with how many apples we picked and some of our apples didn’t last long enough for us to eat them, but this year we only picked the amount we knew we would use.

It’s so pretty and I get this feeling of accomplishment from being able to pick my own fruit! I know that may sound silly, but I have come a long way from the way I use to be. In my younger days supporting local farms and thinking about where our food comes from were not one of my top priorities.

My husband is up in there somewhere.

If you live in or around Virginia you should visit the Apple Harvest Festival that is held annually in October at Graves’ Mountain.

If you have an abundance of apples from your apple picking adventures also, here is a recipe that will help you put those apples to good use. This Apple Cranberry Tea Ring is the perfect pastry to have at any up coming holiday brunches you may be hosting.

 

Apple Cranberry Tea Ring

Makes 2 Tea Rings

5 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 ½ Cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1 ½ Cups Non-Dairy Milk

½ Cup Margarine

½ Cup Sugar (I use Evaporated Cane Juice)

4 ½ Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast

½ Cup Warm Water

1/3 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce

1 ½ Teaspoons Sea Salt

Filling:

1 ½ Cups Chopped Apple

2/3 Cup Coarsely Chopped Dried Cranberries

1 ½ Cups Brown Sugar

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour

½ Cup Margarine

Apple Cider Glaze:

1 Cup Powdered Sugar

2 Tablespoons Apple Cider

2 Teaspoons Brown Rice Syrup

Preheat oven to 350 ^ͦF and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the non-dairy milk, sugar and margarine in a small saucepot over medium heat until the margarine has melted. Allow mixture to cool to lukewarm.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl; if mixing by hand, combine the yeast and ½ cup of warm water. Let yeast and water sit for 10 minutes.

Stir the milk mixture, whole wheat pastry flour, 2 cups of the all-purpose flour, sea salt, and applesauce into the yeast mixture. Gradually add the rest of the flour until the dough is no longer sticky to the touch.

At this point if you have a dough hook attachment for your stand mixer you can allow the dough hook to knead the dough for 6 to 8 minutes. If you do not have a dough hook; turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for 6 to 8 minutes until it is firm. Shape the dough into a ball and place the dough in a large bowl that has been lightly greased with oil. Turn the dough over once so the top has been lightly greased. Let the dough rise for about an hour or until it had doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Slice the dough in half and allow it to rest while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a medium bowl mix together all the ingredients for the filling instead of the margarine. With a pastry blender or two forks, cut in the margarine until the mixture becomes crumbly. Stir in the chopped apples.

Roll one half of the dough out into a rectangle and sprinkle half of the filling evenly over the dough. Sprinkle half of the chopped cranberries of the dough and roll the dough up starting with the long side. Pinch the seams to seal them. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

Place the tea rings on the prepared cookie sheets, form into a circle and pinch the seams to seal where you connected the circle together. Cut slits into the circles 1-inch apart and twist each one outward placing them seam side down. Allow the tea rings to rise for another 30 minutes.

Bake the tea rings for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 ^ͦF until golden brown.

In a small bowl; mix together the powdered sugar, apple cider and brown rice syrup. When the tea rings have cooled, drizzle them with the apple cider glaze.

Vegan MoFo Day 30: Apple Cider Sorbet

During this time of year apple cider is a main staple in our home and is undeniably one of my husband’s favorite drinks, but I convinced him to save me some of the cider from the last gallon we purchased. Even before we bought our first gallon of apple cider this Fall, I knew that I wanted to use it in a recipe, but was not sure how I would use it. That’s when  it dawned on me the other day that a sorbet would be a nice and refreshing treat and a great way to use apple cider in a different way.

I don’t know about you, but I can eat frosty treats all year long and actually love to eat vegan ice creams during the Winter. Even though the East Coast was hit with it’s first Nor’easter of the season this weekend, I thought an apple cider sorbet would still be a yummy treat .

Apple Cider Sorbet

3 Cups Apple Cider

½ Cup Unsweetened Applesauce

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/3 Cup Agave Nectar

Juice of 1 Lemon

Mix together all ingredients in a medium bowl and place in ice cream maker. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for making ice creams and sorbets.

Vegan MoFo Day 26: Vegan Pumpkin Fudge-Take 2: Sweet Success!

I’m so excited and happy to report that I was able to successfully veganize a pumpkin fudge recipe! I had been so disappointed last week when the recipe had not turned out for my first attempt , but I think it really had something to do with my candy thermometer being broken.

I have never made fudge before, so making it for the first time while trying to veganize it was an undertaking. I thought it turned out deliciously and when my daughter took the first bite of hers she went “Mmmmm” and rubbed her tummy, so that made me happy.

 

Here is a picture of the Ricemellow Creme and Vegan White Chocolate that I used. My sister’s job sent her to Portland, Oregon for a week and when she was out there she picked me up a bunch of these vegan white chocolate packages from Food Fight! Grocery. If you need some vegan white chocolate you can order it direct from them online.

 

Vegan Pumpkin Fudge

Veganized from this recipe.

2 Cups Sugar (I use Evaporated Cane Juice)

1 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Brown Rice Syrup

¾ Cup Pumpkin Puree

2/3 Cup Coconut Creamer

¾ Cup Margarine

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

½ Teaspoon Ground Ginger

¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

¼ Teaspoon Ground Cloves

¼ Teaspoon Allspice

1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1 10oz Package of Vegan White Chocolate

7oz Ricemellow Crème

*You will also need a candy thermometer*

 

Line an 8 x 8-inch glass pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray.

In a large sauce pot over medium-high heat, mix together the sugars, pumpkin puree, margarine, brown rice syrup, coconut creamer and all of the spices using a wire whisk. Whisking constantly, bring mixture to a boil and continue to whisk the mixture until the candy thermometer reaches the soft ball stage.

Once the mixture has reached the soft ball stage you will know it is ready because the mixture will have thickened quite a bit. Turn off the burner and whisk in the last three ingredients. If the white chocolate seizes up when you add it to the mixture just turn the burner on again and whisk until the mixture has melted again.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and allow it to set before cutting it. Mine took about an hour to set, but it could take up to a couple of hours.

Store the fudge in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.

Vegan MoFo Day 25: Creamy Pumpkin Polenta with Praline Pecans

I normally eat polenta savory, but thought a sweet version would be just as delicious! Add in some pumpkin and it makes the perfect Autumnal breakfast for the cold mornings we are starting to experience. I grew up eating Cream of Wheat for breakfast, so this creamy polenta reminds me of my favorite breakfast meal from childhood. I think I might actually like this polenta version better.

This recipe makes quite a bit, so when you go to reheat your leftovers add some non-dairy milk to the polenta to make it creamy again because it does thicken up in the refrigerator.

Creamy Pumpkin Polenta with Praline Pecans

2 ½ Cups Water

1 Cup Non-dairy Milk

1 Cup Coconut Creamer or Soy Creamer

¼ Teaspoon Sea Salt

1 Tablespoon Margarine

1 Cup Yellow Cornmeal

¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

2/3 Cup Pumpkin Puree

½ Cup, Plus 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Praline Pecans

½ Cup Pecans

1 Tablespoon Margarine, melted

¼ Cup Brown Sugar

½ Teaspoon Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 ^ͦ F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.

Mix together all the praline pecan ingredients in a small bowl and spread over the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes. Allow pecans to cool before sprinkling over the polenta.

In a large sauce pan, bring water, non-dairy milk, creamer, margarine and sea salt to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; slowly whisk in the cornmeal. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the polenta is thick and creamy; whisking constantly in order to prevent lumps. Whisk in the pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract until smooth. Top with praline pecans and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

without praline pecans

6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		226.5
Total Fat		4.6 g
	Saturated Fat	0.3 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.8 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.5 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		150.5 mg
Potassium		235.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate		51.3 g
	Dietary Fiber	2.4 g
	Sugars	31.4 g
Protein		2.9 g

Vegan MoFo Day 23: Coconut Tofu

Mmmmm…Coconut Tofu. Totally unhealthy, but oh so good! I think these little fried bites of scrumptiousness are the perfect food for game day and take care of the savory/sweet craving all in one. I almost always have a bunch leftover, so what I do is freeze them for later and pop them in the oven at 350 ^ͦF for about 10 minutes to crisp them up again.

Coconut Tofu

Ingredients:

2 16oz Packages of Extra-Firm Tofu, Frozen, Thawed and then Pressed

Salt and Pepper

1 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour

1 Cup Cornstarch

¼ Teaspoon Sea Salt

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

½ Teaspoon Cajun Seasoning

1 ¼ Cups Cold Water

2 – 3 Cups Shredded Coconut

Oil for Frying

Dipping Sauce:

½ Cup Apricot Preserves

2 ½ Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

 Here’s what I do:

Heat oil to 350 ^ͦ F.

Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, sea salt, baking powder and Cajun seasoning. Whisk in the cold water until the batter is smooth.

Place the shredded coconut into a shallow bowl or plate. Dip a couple of the tofu cubes into the batter, (I usually do four at a time) making sure to coat completely and then dredge the tofu in the coconut. Fry the tofu until golden brown and place on a brown paper bag or a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

For the dipping sauce: Mix together the apricot preserves and Dijon mustard in a small bowl and serve alongside the tofu.

Vegan MoFo Day 21: Vegan Pumpkin Fudge – Take 1!

 

 

I love fudge! I especially love pumpkin fudge and I first discovered this yummy treat when my mom and I were at a Craft Fair. We still go to this same Craft Fair every year, but I no longer purchase the pumpkin fudge because it is not vegan. I loved that fudge so much that I decided I would get to work veganizing it so I can enjoy this yummy pumpkin treat during this time of year also.

I don’t have a recipe for it today because something went wrong with the recipe. For some reason the fudge set in the middle of the pan just fine, but some of the mixture on the sides of the pan did not. The candy came out as a cross between a fudge and caramel, so I just plan on melting down what I have left over and making caramel apples with my daughter. The fudge tasted delicious and some of it did have that fudgy texture, but I want to figure out what caused some of the mixture not to set. I did discover later that my candy themometer was broken, so I am on my way this weekend to buy another one and retest the recipe.

There are a couple of different things I’m going to try also to see if that makes the recipe better and then I will post it and a better picture.

On another note…

 

I also wanted to share that Florence over at Anchors and Feathers nominated me for a Liebester Blog award which means favorite, dearest or beloved in German. I feel so honored that she would even consider my blog as one of her favorites and I am very grateful to her for that.

The idea behind the award is to give recognition to blogs that have less than 200 followers. Here is what you do when your blog is nominated for an award:

1.  Show your thanks to those who gave you the award by linking back to them.

2.  Link to 5 of your top picks and let them know they’ve been nominated by leaving a comment on their blog.

3.  Post the award on your blog.

4.  Enjoy the love and support of some wonderful people on the interweb!

 

Here are my picks:

1. Ashlae at Oh, Ladycakes

2. Jes at Eating Appalachia

3. Sarah at Winged Snail 

4. vegan.no.tbsp

5. Cindy and Mike at Star City Vegan

 

Vegan MoFo Day 20: Pumpkin Cranberry Scones

As you can tell I really love pumpkin, but I also love scones. I normally make these scones with just cranberries and orange, but recently experiemented with adding pumpkin. Wow was I surprised! I love how the combination of the cranberries and orange pair well with the pumpkin to make the perfect Fall breakfast treat.

 

Pumpkin Cranberry Scones

Ingredients:

½ Cup Non-Dairy Milk

1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Flaxseed Meal Plus 3 Tablespoons Warm Water

1 ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour

2/3 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

2 ¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder

¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda

¼ Teaspoon Sea Salt

½ Teaspoon Cinnamon

4 Tablespoons Margarine

¼ Cup Dried Cranberries

¼ Cup Pumpkin Puree

¼ Cup Plus 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

2 Teaspoons Orange Zest

Orange Drizzle:

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

2 Tablespoons Fresh Orange Juice

 

Preheat oven to 375 ^ͦ F and lightly grease or line with parchment paper a baking sheet.

Mix together the non-dairy milk and vinegar and set aside to curdle. Combine the flaxseed meal and water in a small bowl and mix until frothy. Set aside to thicken, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon. Cut in the margarine using a pastry blender or two forks until the flour mixture looks crumbly. Add in cranberries and set aside.

Whisk together the pumpkin puree, non-dairy milk mixture, brown sugar, flaxseed meal mixture and orange zest until well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and using a fork combine the ingredients just until the dry ingredients have become wet. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. With lightly floured hands press down on the dough until a circle is formed and cut the dough into 8 wedges, but do not separate them.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes at 375 ^ͦ F until golden brown. While the scones are baking, prepare the orange drizzle. When the scones are done baking drizzle glaze over warm scones.

 

Nutrition Facts

8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		224.0
Total Fat		3.4 g
	Saturated Fat	0.6 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.2 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.9 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		68.8 mg
Potassium		109.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate		46.5 g
	Dietary Fiber	2.6 g
	Sugars	19.1 g
Protein		4.4 g

 

Vegan MoFo Day 18: Pumpkin Swirl Brownies Veganized

Before I became a vegan I would purchase every Betty Crocker Fall Baking issue. It was one of the reasons why I looked forward to Autumn because I couldn’t wait to fire up my oven and start baking all the yummy Fall treats the issue offered. Last year, as a new vegan, I decided that I would purchase the book anyway and challenge myself with the task of veganizing some of the recipes in it.

The Pumpkin Swirl Brownies  was one of the first recipes in the book that caught my eye, so I got to work in veganizing it. I am pretty happy with the end result, but will continue to work on improving this recipe because I feel that it can be perfected.

Vegan Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Adapted from the Betty Crocker Fall Baking Issue 2010

 Brownie Batter:

1 ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour

1/3 Cup Plus 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder

½ Teaspoon Baking Powder

½ Teaspoon Sea Salt

1 Cup Brown Sugar

½ Cup Sucanat or Sugar

1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

½ Cup Plus 4 Tablespoons Margarine

¼ Cup Plus 2 Tablespoons Pureed Silken Tofu

 

Pumpkin Filling:

6 Tablespoons Non-Dairy Cream Cheese, Softened

½ Cup Pumpkin Puree

3 Tablespoons Pureed Silken Tofu

3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

 Preheat oven to 350 ^ͦ F and lightly grease an 8-in x 8-in square pan.

Using a mixer beat together the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, pureed tofu, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined and smooth and set aside.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and sea salt in a medium bowl, set aside. Using a mixer, cream together the margarine, brown sugar, sucanat or sugar, vanilla extract and the silken tofu until light and fluffy. In three batches, add in the flour and cocoa mixture and mix until combined.

Pour ¾ of the batter into prepared pan and smooth out the batter using a spatula. The batter is going to be really thick and you may have a hard time spreading the batter out. One method I have used is to spray your spatula with some cooking spray so the batter is easier to spread.

Pour the pumpkin mixture over the brownie batter and then pour the remaining brownie batter on top. Using a butter knife, make swirls in the batter.

Bake brownies for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 ^ͦ F. Allow the brownies to cool completely before serving.

 

Nutrition Facts

 

16 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		180.4
Total Fat		5.2 g
	Saturated Fat	1.3 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.3 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	1.2 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		245.4 mg
Potassium		116.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate		30.9 g
	Dietary Fiber	1.1 g
	Sugars	15.9 g
Protein		50.4 g

 

Vegan MoFo Day 17: A Long Absence and Another Cake!

Ugh…this past week proved to be more complicated for me than I anticiapted. I wanted to make a post everyday during the week and take the weekends to cook up some of my recipes and take photos of them. Well that did not happen as I had planned for it to. My mom, sister and I spent last week trying to get everything in order for my brother and husband’s 30th birthday party, so the party preparations took up more time than I had expected.

I spent most of my week trying to make my husband’s birthday cake, which had me pulling my hair out in frustration. For some odd reason the cake recipes that I have depended on did not want to cooperate with me and I ended up remaking the cake six times! Everything that could go wrong with the cake went wrong. Once I was happy with how the cakes turned out and was ready to decorate it things started to go wrong with that. I couldn’t get my fondant to the color I needed it to be, but in the end he really enjoyed his cake and seemed to love it.

 

My husband was a Marine and there is no doubt that every Marine who wears this uniform absolutely loves it, so I thought that it would be special to make this cake for my him because he had loved being a Marine. I am always reminded by him that “Once a Marine, always a Marine!”, so there are no former Marines.

The bottom tier is a chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream with chopped homemade peanut butter cups mixed in. The top tier is a pineapple coconut cake with a pineapple coconut cream cheese filling. Everything on the cake is edible and vegan except for the cover. We had a little bit of difficulty with trying to make the cover from crispy rice cereal and Dandies, so I ended up using his actual cover for the cake. I was going to try and make it out of cake and cover it in fondant, but I ran out of time.  For those of you not familiar with the Marine Corps they call their “hats” covers. I was quickly corrected when my husband and I first started dating when I called his cover a hat, ha!

 

I was pretty happy with how this cake turned out and I was really happy to see the look on my husband’s face when he saw it. Everyone at the party seemed to really enjoy it also. I am still trying to improve on my decorating skills and I am starting to see improvement which has me really excited! I love edible works of art, especially when they are vegan!

Vegan MoFo Day 11: Pumpkin Biscuit Rolls

Is it a biscuit or is it a cinnamon roll? Oh wait, it’s both! I love this recipe and there are some days that I want my cinnamon roll and I want it now! So this recipe is great for when I have a craving, but don’t have the patience to wait for the yeast version to rise and rise and bake before I can sink my teeth into them. What is also great about this recipe is that it is a hybrid of a biscuit and a cinnamon roll, so you can beat two cravings with one treat!

Pumpkin Biscuit Rolls

Ingredients:

¾ Cup Non-Dairy Milk*

1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar

1 ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour (you may need more depending on how wet your dough is)

½ Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda

½ Teaspoon Sea Salt

¼ Cup Canola Oil

1/3 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Pumpkin Puree

5 Tablespoons Margarine, Softened

¾ Cup plus 2 Teaspoons Brown Sugar

 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

½ Teaspoon Ground Cardamom

3 Tablespoons Chopped Cranberries

Cinnamon Glaze:

½ Cup Powdered Sugar

½ Teaspoon Cinnamon

½ Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1-2 Tablespoons Coconut Creamer or Non-Dairy Milk

*I used Soymilk because I like the way it curdles compared to other non-dairy milks. I also use Almond Milk with success in making vegan sour milk.

Preheat oven to 400 ^ͦ F and lightly grease a round baking pan (I use a pie plate). In a medium bowl, mix together the non-dairy milk and vinegar and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.

Mix together the ¾ cup of brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and cranberries in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt.

In the bowl with the milk mixture, mix in the pumpkin puree, canola oil and the 2 teaspoons of brown sugar until well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined. With floured hands, knead the dough while still in the bowl until the dough is formed into a ball and no longer sticky on your hands. I added 1 tablespoon at a time until my dough was no longer sticking to my hands. Lightly flour your counter top and roll the dough out into a rectangle. Spread the margarine over the dough all the way to the edges. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the top of the dough and start to roll the dough up from the longer side. Using a serrated knife or piece of string (I like to use sewing thread) cut the dough into 12 rolls and place in baking pan.

Bake at 400 ^ͦ F for 15 to 18 minutes. While the biscuit rolls are baking, mix together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and coconut creamer. When the rolls are done baking drizzle the glaze over them while they are still hot. Enjoy!

 

Nutrition Facts

 

12 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		226.9
Total Fat		7.3 g
	Saturated Fat	0.8 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	2.1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	3.4 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		266.6 mg
Potassium		94.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate		42.4 g
	Dietary Fiber	1.4 g
	Sugars	23.1 g
Protein		2.7 g