Cup-Cones

Ok, coming up with a cute name for these has proved impossible, but they are damn awesome even without a name. I got this idea from Vegan Yum Yum and they came out even better then I could have expected, for the most part. This weekend I went up to Boston for Unrestrained show, as part of their bike tour to raise awareness for OXFAM. The show was a ton of fun and I was really impressed with Unrestrained. I decided I wanted to make some sort of after show treat for hanging out and these came to mind.

For the recipes, I used the basic chocolate cupcake out of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World and the vegan buttercream icing. I filled the cones almost all the way full, as you can tell from the photo. Next time, I will fill them a little less so the icing sits a little closer to the cone. The rest is pretty self explanatory, bake normal, pipe icing however you desire and decorate how you choose.

Mishaps:
I had a ton of trouble with the icing. I am really realizing how important using the proper vegan margarine is. My icing started to melt so fast, I didn't even bring them with me to Boston because they were a mess. I popped them in the fridge to attempt to harden them, and as soon as I would take them out they started to melt again. This is something I am going to have to work on. I also have to figure out how to transport these babies without toppling them over. I think it is going to involve creating some sort of cardboard container and getting crafty. Overall, even with the shortcomings, I would recommend making these.

Soundtrack for baking:

The Loved Ones- Build And Burn

Ghostlimb- Bearing and Distance

Tom Petty- Greatest Hits

Vegan French Toast!

I know, I've disappeared. Call it frustration, or bad weather or whatever you want but I just didn't feel like blogging. I also was too broke to buy food. But! I am back and ready to go! Tonight I made french toast for dinner. French toast takes me back to my childhood big time, my dad would always make it for me and, most importantly, cut it for me. I shouldn't admit this, but he cut it for me until I went vegan and I can assure you I was way too old for my father to be cutting my food for me. Every time I see french toast on a vegan menu I have to get it, its one of the treats I miss the most. Making vegan french toast at home is a lot easier then you might think though, and I really should do it more often. Here is a great recipe thats simple and easy. 

Vegan French Toast Recipe
You Will Need:
1 cup soy milk
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp cinnamon
*optional - a drop or two of vanilla. if you use vanilla soy milk you don't need it
Bread of your choice- The thicker and crustier works best. Even leaving bread over night tends to work best, makes it more solid.
1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl
2. Coat each side of bread into mixture and onto pan over medium heat
Recipe makes about 5-7 pieces of toast

Where Do Eggs Come From?

In my blog searching I was directed to an awesome post at Brooklyn Feed. Melissa discusses the debate if eating eggs raised by your own chickens is humane. She is a brooklyn based chicken farmer who has an excellent set up for her very spoiled chickens. This is a debate I have actually been pondering for a while, concluding that I'd rather just not eat any eggs until I make up my mind. I guess I feel like it is a slippery slope as well. If I make exceptions for one part of my beliefs, it won't be long before I am making mass exceptions and eating pizza, right? Well, maybe it is not that extreme, but I'd rather just not go there.
You can find the blog entry here

She also discusses a new documentary that came out recently. Fowl Play discusses the harsh realities of factory egg farming, and is supposedly extremely disturbing. I really want to see it, even though I assume I will probably cry my way through most of it.
Fowl Play

I made more vegan alfredo for dinner tonight, its so damn good! As mentioned before, I totally feel like I am cheating. Daiya cheese man!

Vegan Mac n' Cheese Recipe

Mac n' cheese is one of those amazing comfort foods that I have missed terribly. Not necessarily because it is tasty, more because I ate it in hoards as a kid. It takes me back to those kraft macaroni and cheese boxes, so tasty, and one of the first things I learned to cook. This is a recipe for a cheese sauce that can be easily be used for macaroni and cheese, or on top of veggies, or as nacho cheese. Endless possibilities!

Vegan Cheese Sauce:
You Need:
3 tablespoons margarine
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 and 1/2 cups soy milk
1 cup vegan (daiya) cheese
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

To Make:
1. In small saucepan on medium melt the butter.
2. Take the saucepan off the burner and whisk in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Put back on the burner.
3. Add 1/2 cup of milk, and whisk constantly until the mixture is thick. Add the rest of the milk 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly and letting it get thick before adding more. You should end up with a thick white sauce.
4. Add the cheese a handful at a time to the white sauce, letting the cheese you add melt fully before adding more, whisking constantly.
5. Add the dijon mustard.
6. Pour over macaroni (or veggies, or whatever your hearts desires).

You can use any vegan cheese for this, but I used daiya and seriously it was one of the best things I have eaten in a long long time.

Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe

Vegan alfredo is something I have been experimenting with for ages. Every recipe I have tried uses tofu. The cream cheese works so much better as a base then tofu its nuts! This is a pretty basic recipe you can change any way you want depending on what you like. Roasted pine nuts are always awesome to add if you want a roasted taste, more or less onion changes the taste, the amount of nutritional yeast, etc. I could not believe the difference adding melted daiya cheese in made! I seriously feel like I am cheating. Its not traditional alfredo, but it is the closest thing I have made to alfredo yet. 

Vegan Fettuccini Alfredo

You Need:
1 ¾ Cup Soymilk (If you want it extra creamy use coconut milk)
1/2 or so of a small onion sliced
Garlic to taste (this really depends on how much garlic you like, I use a couple cloves) minced
1 tablespoon vegan butter
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt (more or less depending on what you like)
¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
half a container vegan cream cheese
half a bag of shredded daiya cheese (again, this can be to taste on how “cheesy” it is)
A box of fettuccini pasta

Directions:
1.Cook the fettuccini according to the package directions

2.In a medium pot sauté the onion and garlic in the vegan butter until the onions are clear

3.Lower the heat and add the vegan cream cheese to the pot, so it melts but doesn’t burn

4.In a blender blend the soymilk, salt, black pepper, nutritional yeast flakes and the onion, garlic and cream cheese from your pot.

5.Put back in pot, heat. Make sure the mixture is hot enough to melt the cheese, but the heat is not so high you will burn the sauce.

6.Add the daiya cheese a handful at a time, making sure it melts before you add more.

7.Pour over fettuccini! Top with fake chicken, broccoli, peas, etc. etc.


Also, why does alfredo show as being spelled wrong? It is a real thing, whats word thinking?