Raspberry Limeade Cupcakes

Raspberry Limeade Cupcakes~
Yield: 2 dozen

I made these for a girls night, and they were a hit :) These little gems, scream summer! If you like food coloring, than add a few drops of green to the cupcake batter. I'm not a fan of the artificial coloring, since I had read somewhere that the food dye is tested on animals.

Cupcake Batter
1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened hemp milk (really any non-dairy milk will work)
1/2 cup lime juice
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons lime zest chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine non-dairy milk and lime juice in a medium bowl. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to thicken. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Add coconut oil, vanilla extract, and lime zest to the lime juice non-dairy milk mixture, whisking to combine.

3. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture, stirring gently till no longer lumpy and the batter is smooth. Divide batter evenly into lined cupcake pan.

4. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Repeat the process till all of the batter is gone.

5. Allow the cupcakes to cool before frosting.

Raspberry Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup raspberries, pureed
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 Tablespoons vegan margarine
hemp milk to thin

1. Add pureed raspberries, vegetable shortening, vegan margarine and powdered sugar in a bowl. Blend until smooth, adding non-dairy milk to desired consistency.

2. Frost cupcakes and enjoy!

Lemon Lavender Scones

Lemon Glazed Lavender Scones
Vegan

Since The Compassionate Vegan had a tabling event at Herb Fest in Colorado Springs, I made these to pass out as samples. Quite tasty and SUPER easy to make, these are perfect for a brunch or a Mother's Day get together.... Depending on the size you shape the scones will change the amount the recipe yields. Adapted from food.com

1/2 cup organic sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried lavender buds
1/2 cup earth balance, at room temperature
egg replacer equal to 2 eggs
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/4 cup hemp milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F; line a 12 count muffin pan with paper liners or shape into triangle scone shapes.

2. Put the sugar and lavender buds in a food processor. Process briefly to combine. Sift flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.

3. Tip the lavender sugar into a bowl with the earth balance and beat together until pale and fluffy. Beat the egg replacer into the earth balance mixture, a little at a time, then fold gently into the sifted flour. Stir in the hemp milk, then spoon the mixture into the muffin cups.

4. Bake for about 18 minutes until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Lemon Glaze

2/4 cups sifted organic powder sugar
the zest and juice from one lemon

1. Sift the powder sugar in a bowl. Zest the lemon and set aside. Squeeze lemon juice into the sifted powder sugar a little at a time and stirring, till you get a glaze consistency. Drizzle over the scones and sprinkle with lemon zest, store in the fridge till ready to serve.... Enjoy!

Saffron-Vanilla Snickerdoodles

Saffron-Vanilla Snickerdoodles

These are more spicy and earthy than sweet, as far a a cookie goes. I made these to with the Christmas arrangement of sweets that I sent out to family and friends for presents. I loved the exotic flavors that come together in this cookie, and even Grant liked this one. A few extra steps in this recipe, but SO worth it.

about 30 threads of saffron (to yield 1/8 teaspoon ground saffron)
1/2 vanilla bean
2 tablespoons hemp milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup earth balance, at room temperature
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 cup packed organic light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
egg replacer equvilant to 1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Crush the saffron threads with a mortar and pestle until powdery or grind them in a clean spice grinder; alternatively, you can finely mince the saffron. The finer the powder, the more intense the saffron color and flavor in the cookies.

2. Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape the pulp into a small saucepan. Add the vanilla pod, milk, and saffron and cook over very low heat, just until bubbles begin to form at the edges, between 180°F and 190°F (82°C and 88°C). Alternatively, combine the vanilla pulp, pod, milk, and saffron in a small microwavable bowl, and microwave just until the milk is hot, 20 to 30 seconds. Cover and let steep for about 10 minutes; the milk should have a sunny yellow color.

3. Sift the flour and baking soda into a medium bowl.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on low speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.

5. Remove the vanilla pod from the milk, squeezing off any liquid or pulp clinging to it back into the milk. In a medium bowl, combine the milk mixture, egg, and vanilla extract and whisk vigorously until well blended. With the mixer on medium speed, add the egg mixture very slowly, in a steady stream, and mix until well-incorporated and very smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix on medium speed for 30 more seconds.Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the flour mixture. Mix on low speed just until uniform in texture. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the dough out into an airtight container or onto a piece of plastic wrap. Cover the container, or, if using plastic wrap, shape the dough into a rough disk, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 5 days.

6. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Roll 1/4-cup (60 ml) portions of the dough into balls, and place them on the baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Bake for about 16 minutes, until golden but not too dark, rotating the pan midway through the baking time. Ideally, the baked cookies will be tall and slightly under-cooked in the center, and will buckle shortly after coming out of the oven. If the cookies don't buckle, don't worry; they'll still be delicious. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes before removing. These cookies are best when eaten warm, shortly after they come out of the oven. However, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Alternatively, the dough can stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as needed and saving the rest of the dough to bake another day.

Makes 9 large cookies.

Black Cherry Phyllo Tarts

Black Cherry Phyllo Tarts
Vegan; Makes 12 tarts

So, this is the rest of the dessert recipe that I served last night. These little tart are super impressive. Just remember to spray your muffin pan before you put the phyllo sheets in them, or (like me) you'll have a difficult time removing them and may have a few tasty causalities... ~_^

Here I used organic black cherries from a jar (Red Hills Fruit Company). Phyllo dough will dry out quickly, so having a damp surface will help delay that. Also, it is really a delicate medium; so please don't get discouraged. I've ripped and destroyed more sheets, but they're still good to use. I'll post some tips on using the ripped pieces...

5 sheets of of Phyllo dough
1/4 cup of ground almonds
1/4 cup of Turbinado sugar
4 Tablespoons of Earth Balance (melted)
1 cup black cherries, (drained if from a jar, reserve 1/4 cup of syrup)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup sugar

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine Turbinado sugar and ground almonds, set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, mix reserved syrup, almond extract and sugar. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. On a damp surface (I use a large cutting board), lay out your sheets of phyllo dough and cut into 12 squares (as even as possible). Brush melted earth balance on a square of phyllo and sprinkle with ground almond and turbinado sugar mixture. Repeat with all 5 squares, then gently press square phyllo dough into a lightly sprayed muffin pan. Add cherries (I was able to get 3 large cherries into each tart). And repeat steps with remaining phyllo dough pieces, util the pan is full and the cherries are gone. Sprinkle the tops of the tarts with extra ground almond, sugar mixture.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Or until the edges of the phyllo dough turns golden brown. Allow to cool before removing from the pan. Spoon Coconut Vanilla Custard into each tart and serve.

Raw Blueberry Cheesecake

Raw Blueberry Cheesecake
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Yield: Makes 12-16 Servings

Crust Ingredients:
1 Cup Almonds
1 Cup Pre-Soaked Dates
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
Zest of 1/2 a Lemon
pinch of sea salt

Cheesecake Layer Ingredients:
2 1/3 Cups Pre-Soaked Cashews
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil, liquidfied
1/2 Cup Agave Nectar, or Maple Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon (about 1/4 cup)

Blueberry Topping Ingredients:
1 Cup Blueberries
1 teaspoon Almond Extract
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Pre-soak cashews and dates separately overnight.

2. In a food processor, combine dates, almonds, shredded coconut and lemon zest. Press into a springform pan.

3. Combine filling ingredients in a food processor, blend until smooth. Pour filling on top of crust and spread out until smooth. Cover with foil and freeze overnight. The freezing process will re-harden the coconut oil and set up the cake. After it is frozen you can refrigerate and it will be ready to serve after about one hour. Even though you have to freeze this cake to set it up, it is not a frozen cake… once refrigerated, it takes on an extremely similar texture to a regular old cheesecake.

4. Topping: Combine berries, extract and sugar in a small bowl. Place on a slightly frozen cheesecake and let set for a few hours. Serve and Enjoy!

Basic Vegan Pizza Dough

Basic Vegan Pizza Dough

Make any type of vegan-pizza with this basic dough. If you’re entertaining a crowd or just want to prepare extra dough for freezing, double the recipe (pizza dough freezes very well for up to a month).

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
3 cups unbleached all-purpose bread flour, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil (plus extra for greasing bowl)

1. In a measuring cup, place warm water. The water should be warm to the touch but not too hot (water that is too hot will kill the yeast; and water that is too cold will not activate it).

2. Sprinkle the yeast into the water, add sugar, and stir gently until both ingredients dissolve (about 1 minute). When yeast is mixed with water at the proper temperature, a smooth, beige mixture results.

3. Let stand for 5 minutes, until a thin layer of creamy foam covers surface, indicating that the yeast is effective. (Note: If bubbles have not formed within 5 minutes, discard mixture and start over with a fresh package of yeast).

Found: Vegan-pizza.com

Cashew Cream Stuffed Strawberries

Cashew Cream Stuffed Strawberries
Vegan; Gluten Free; Raw

Well, these little red creamy jewels are truly the taste of the summer sun.... Super easy to make, use the cashew cream (I used 1/3 of the recipe for this recipe and the rest for spinach artichoke dip) in the blog, adding sugar to it.

1/2 pound of strawberries, cleaned and hulled
1 cup cashew cream (with 1 teaspoon of sugar)
2 Tablespoon almonds
1 teaspoon sugar

1. Clean the strawberries and hull "hollow" the strawberries. Fill with prepared cashew cream.

2. In a coffee grinder (this seems to be my best method, so if you have one make sure it's a clean one) put almonds and sugar. Grind until coarsely ground and sprinkle on top.

Enjoy as a snack or as a light dessert!

Strawberry Mousse Cupcakes

Strawberry Mousse Cupcakes
Vegan; Makes 16

Speaking of birthdays, I made these a few years ago for mine. So, these were my "Stuck in the Middle with You" cupcakes to with my Quentin Tarantino themed party. These turned out really good, my non-veg friends were very impressed! I warn you, there are a lot of steps-so worth it!

For the Cupcakes:

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk
2 cups plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. organic sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

2. Mix the vinegar and soy milk together and set aside.

3. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

4. In another bowl, stir together the soy milk mixture, the canola oil, and the vanilla extract and add to the dry ingredients, mixing well.

5. Fill each cupcake liner about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

6. Let cool in the cupcake pan for 5 minutes, then remove and place on a wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting.


For the Strawberry Filling: (This part can be cut in half, I had WAY too much left over)

2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup organic apple juice
1/4 cup organic unbleached granulated sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup water

1. Place the strawberries and apple juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the strawberries soften.

2. While stirring, slowly add the sugar. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and add to the saucepan. Heat until thickened, being careful not to boil.

3. Remove from the heat. While still warm, blend briefly with a hand blender, creating the consistency of a very thick purée. If you do not have a hand blender, use a traditional blender instead.

4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until jelly-like.

For the Strawberry Mousse:

1 cup vegan margarine
1/4 cup nonfat soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4-5 Tbsp. prepared strawberry filling
5-6 cups organic powdered sugar
1 drop red food coloring (optional)

1. Beat the margarine until creamy. Add the soy milk, vanilla, and strawberry filling and mix well. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the food coloring, if desired. Beat for 5 to 10 minutes.

To Assemble:

1. Cut a cone-shaped piece out of the top of each cupcake. Fill with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the strawberry filling. Replace the cupcake top and frost with the strawberry mousse.

Found: PETA

Non-Dairy Cheese Cake

Non-Dairy Cheese Cake
Vegan

Bruce loves this with strawberries, and Grant really liked this too.... My favorite topping is raspberries, it compliments the lemon so wonderfully! My sister in law would always ask for this as the dessert during holidays.... ~_^

Ingredients:

2 8oz. containers of plain non-dairy cream cheese (I like Follow Your Heart)
1 cup organic sugar
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
dash of vanilla (about 1/8 teaspoon)
1 graham cracker crust
Fresh Fruit topping of your choice (raspberries, blueberries or strawberries are all good)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine ingredients until smooth and pour into the graham cracker crust. Bake for 60 minutes or until the top is golden. Allow to cool at room temperature then chill in the refrigerator until firm. This take several hours or overnight. Cover with fruit topping and serve.....

Found: PETA

Banana Bread

Banana Bread
Vegan

The secret to getting this moist and perfect, is using really ripe bananas. Bruce and his youngest love this. In fact his youngest detests bananas and he will eat 3/4 of the loaf by himself. My family gets their own loaf for each family member. My brother doesn't share and my sister in law never gets a slice. My friends love this, the same Jason won't share with Angela. Enjoy this recipe, it's a keeper......

Ingredients:

2-3 bananas sliced
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons of flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons organic canola oil
egg replacer equivalent to 2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) non-dairy milk-I use Hemp
1/3 cup walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour loaf pan, set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl beat bananas with a hand mixer. Add egg replacer and liquid ingredients and mix. Combine dry ingredients to the wet, folding in walnuts if using and pour into greased pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Looks Not So Simple-Very Simple Cherry Pie

Looks Not So Simple-Very Simple Cherry Pie
Vegan

When I made this for Bruce, he instantly fell in love with it. So much, that he didn't even share with his boys. Since my oven had been on ALL day, earlier I made 9 dozen dog biscuits for a fund raiser, my crust edges ended up being darker then I would have liked.... I used a small star cookie cutter for the design.

Two rolled out basic pie dough (see recipe)
1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups (1 1/2 pound) drained jarred or canned pitted sour cherries, plus 1/3 cup cherry liquid
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon cold earth balance

1. Fold 1 dough round in half and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. Unfold and ease the dough into the pan without stretching, patting it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Using kitchen scissors or a knife, trim the edge of the dough leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Refrigerate the dough lined pan and reserved dough round till ready to use.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Place the cherries in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar mixture, tossing to cover evenly. Add the vanilla and mix well. Pour the cherry mixture into the prepared pie crust and dot with earth balance.

3. Lay the second pie dough on a lightly floured work surface and cut a pattern using a small cookie cutter. Or, cut into strips to make a lattice pattern using a sharp paring knife. If using a cookie cutter, save the shapes for decorating the top. Fold the dough in half and carefully position over half of the filled pie. Unfold the dough, and fold the edge of the top dough under the edge of the bottom dough. Crimp the edges with a fork. Apply cutouts to the top of the dough, applying a dab of water to the bottom of each cutout to help them stick. Refrigerate pie until the dough is firm (about 30 minutes). Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

4. Bake pie for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake until the crust is golden and the filling is thick and bubbling. About 40-50 minutes longer. Let cool completely to set the filling. Warm pie again before serving.

Adapted from Willams Sonoma Fruit Desserts

Basic Pie Crust~Vegan Style

Basic Pie Crust
Vegan

I'm old school, so I always make my pie crust from scratch. However, to make this recipe even more simple you can buy prepared pie crust-just make sure to read the ingredient list.

Here is the basic pie crust recipe-double it for both layers.
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold earth balance, cut into cubes
3 Tablespoons cold water (being in a higher altitude, I keep having to add more liquid)

1. Stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using two knives, cut the earth balance into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with earth balance pieces are no larger than small peas. Add the water a little at a time and mix with a fork just until the dough pulls together.

2. Transfer the dough to work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk. Lightly flour the work surface, then flatten the disk with six to eight gentle taps of the rolling pin. Lift the dough and give a quarter turn. Lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed, then roll out the dough into a round disk about 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick.

**Note: Pie crust can be frozen for up to two months. To freeze, place dough on a 12-inch cardboard circle and wrap it well with plastic wrap.

Adapted from William Somona Fruit Desserts

Blueberry-Banana Muffins with Crumb Topping

Blueberry-Banana Muffins with Crumb Topping

These are by far my mom's favorite muffin recipe! When I worked at the CPA's office in SA, I would bring these in on those deadline days, and they would be devoured (by non vegans)! Super easy to make and they go quick, this is one of those perfect recipes for super ripe bananas....

3 ripe bananas
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour, divided
3/4 cup fresh or unthawed frozen blueberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp. nondairy margarine

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas with the oil and sugar and mix well.

3. In a small bowl, sift together the salt, the baking soda, and 2 cups of the flour.

4. Add the dry mixture to the banana mixture and stir by hand until the two are thoroughly combined. Fold in the blueberries.

5. Pour the batter into a lined muffin pan.

6. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, the brown sugar, and the nondairy margarine. Stir until the mixture forms coarse crumbs, then sprinkle the crumbs onto the muffins.

7. Bake the muffins for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Makes 10–12 muffins

Found: PETA.org

Classic Vanilla Cake (Vegan Style)

Classic Vanilla Cake (Vegan Style)
45 minutes bake time

I made this for Bruce on Father's Day, and of course he loved it! In fact, I'm not sure if the boys even got to have any of it. To make it moist in the higher altitude I needed to put one cup of hemp milk instead of the 3/4 cup. Instead of frosting, I made a raspberry blueberry glaze (recipe to follow).

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegan margarine (I used Earth Balance)
1 1/2 tsp. egg replacer
1 cup hemp milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray one 9 inch round cake pan with oil and dust with flour. Set aside.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Cream sugar and margarine with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes, or until fluffy. (Mine looked more like little course balls of fluff.)

3. Stir egg replacer into 1/2 cup of water (I always mix it in my measuring glass cup). Add to sugar mixture, and beat until combined. Combine hemp milk and vanilla in bowl. Reduce mixer speed to low, and alternate adding flour mixture and hemp milk mixture, ending with hemp milk mixture. (Do not over mix.)

4. Fill cake pan and bake 40-45 minutes, or until center comes out clean. Cool.
**Note- You can make this recipe as cupcakes bake for 16-19 minutes.

Found: Vegetarian Times March 2012

Apple-Almond Quinoa

Apple-Almond Quinoa

Since apples are in abundance during the fall season, why not take advantage of this versatile fruit?

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
1 3/4 cup water
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, peeled and shredded
1 Granny Smith apple or apple of choice, unpeeled and cubed
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons sliced almonds, lightly toasted
1 teaspoon palm sugar or your favorite sweetener
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Dash of pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse quinoa well and add to pot along with water. Heat to boiling and reduce to a very low simmer. Cook until liquid evaporates, about 15 to 20 minutes. Don’t stir while cooking.

2. Sauté onions and carrots in pan with olive oil on medium heat, stirring occasionally. After about 5 minutes, add apples and more oil if needed. Cook until tender. Stir in cinnamon, almonds and palm sugar.

3. Mix quinoa with apple mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 to 6. Cooking time 30 minutes.


Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving