Hot Cross Buns

A reader emailed me asking if I had a hot cross buns recipe. I didn't, but I thought that sounded like a great idea for the upcoming Easter holiday. My go-to guy is Peter Reinhart, but his recipe was basically a spiced panettone, which sounded delish but also like way too much work (what with it being leavened by wild yeast instead of commercial). But I do love the taste soughdough starter brings to bread, so I incorporated some into this recipe, veganized and adapted, and came up with this. I used citrus zest instead of candied peel (because I hate it), and it provided the perfect balance to the spiciness of the dough. The buns are chewy and moist, substantial but not dense.

INGREDIENTS
Make 12
Buns
- 1 cup warm soy milk (about 90 degrees)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp instant or active dry yeast (not rapid rise)
- 1/4 cup sourdough starter (optional, see method)
- 2 tbsp ground flax seed
- 3 tbsp warm water
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup melted margarine, or oil
- zest of 1 orange
- zest of 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup currants
- soy milk for brushing

Glaze
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar

Icing
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp light corn syrup (optional)
- 2 tsp orange juice (more as needed)

METHOD
1. Mix sugar, soy milk, and yeast together in a large bowl. Let sit until yeast is hydrated (about 1 min for instant yeast, a few mins for active dry). Mix in sourdough starter. If you don't want to use the sourdough starter, just add 2 tbsp of soy milk to the above amount and proceed forth).
2. In a separate small bowl, mix flax seed and water together. Let sit for 1 min to hydrate, then whisk until thickened. Whisk in orange juice, then add to soy milk mixture.
3. Add 3 1/2 cups of flour, spices, margarine, and zests and bring into a dough, adding more liquid or flour as needed. The dough should be firm but still tacky. Knead on a lightly floured surface (or in a stand mixer) for 5-8 mins, until smooth, kneading in the currants right at the end.
4. Place in an oiled bowl, turning dough to coat, cover, and let rise until doubled (1 to 1.5 hours).
5. Line a backing sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (about 100g each), and shape into a ball. Place on prepared sheet and press down to flatten. Mist with oil, cover, and let rise until about doubled (30-45 mins). Preheat oven to 400.
6. Before baking, uncover and cut a shallow cross into the top of each bun with a razor blade or sharp knife. Brush with soy milk and bake for 15-17 mins, until a deep golden brown.
7. While buns are baking, bring glaze ingredients to bubbling over medium heat in a small saucepan. When buns come out of the oven, brush with glaze. Let sit for 1 min, then brush with glaze again. Let cool in the pan. The glaze is optional. It adds some sweetness, but also helps keep the buns fresh by sealing them off from the air.
8. When buns are cool, mix together icing ingredients (it should be stiff but not too stiff) and fill in the cross shapes with a piping bag. The corn syrup is optional, but does help the icing retain its shape.

NOTE: If you want to bake these buns up fresh on Easter day, the dough will keep in the fridge (I had my dough in the fridge for 24 hours). So, make the dough, place in a greased bowl, cover, and place in the fridge overnight to rise. On baking day, remove the dough from the fridge, cut into 12 pieces, and shape into buns while still cold (it's a bit harder to do cold). Mist with oil, cover, and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled (this will take about 1.5 hours). Score and bake as per the recipe above. The end result is more tender and a little more complex in flavour.

Happy Valentine's Day

Yes, I am a little early with my valentine salutations, but today my three sons and I entered some pieces in a food art competition held at our local public art gallery. If you follow me on Facebook you already know that my concept was to make Sweetheart candies out of cake and emblazon them with vegan slogans. The idea was to juxtapose the familiar colours and shapes of the candies with the more shocking realities of eating animals, and I figured since it was being displayed at an art gallery I could get away with it. I guess the concept worked because I took home first prize! I tried out this recipe for the cake: it was durable (and therefore perfect for this project) but chewy. A little more oil needed, perhaps, or just more liquid in general. I used this buttercream fondant recipe for the icing: it worked perfectly but did not taste very good. Perhaps a 50:50 margarine to vegetable shortening mix is needed.

Son #1 made these mini cupcakes (chocolate from VCTOTW), decorated to look like a box of chocolates.

Son #2 made this "cup"cake. I baked the batter right in the cup with the spoon and all, and he added the topping and chocolate shavings.

Son #3 decorated this little heart cake. Too cute!
So have some fun with your food this Valentine's Day. I don't suggest giving your sweetie a cake with E. coli stamped into it . . . unless that is his or her thing.

Holiday Roundup 2010

So my dream of creating all sorts of holiday recipes this year was destroyed by a manuscript, a book proposal, and far too much grading. Still, I did come up with a few ideas, and there are plenty more in the Vegan Dad archives to make your holiday a gastronomic success:

It is a tradition of ours to start Christmas day with a lovely Swedish Tea Ring. You could also do Lemon Currant Rolls, or even this Chocolate Cinnamon Babka.

We usually don't eat lunch on Christmas Day, but spend the afternoon nibbling on finger foods and cookies, like these Russian Tea Balls. Those of you who have Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice can follow my vegan notes to make your own Stollen or Pannettone.

For dinner, you could have Veggie Mini Pies (but add some cranberries into the mix), Mini Pot Pies, Stuffed Tofu, or Festive Phyllo Traingles. You could also go old school with a Stuffed Seitan Roast, or something more simple like Cranberry-Glazed Tofu (with a side of Scalloped Potatoes and Butternut Squash), or a Holiday Stew.

All the best to you this holiday season, and happy cooking!

Maple-Apple Cider Tofu with Stuffing and Apple Cranberry Chutney

Here is my contribution to Thanksgiving this year. It may look a bit complicated, but it really isn't that bad. Once everything is chopped and sliced and ready to go, the whole thing comes together pretty quickly. When I go back home for Thanksgiving I am usually responsible for providing the vegan entree (all the sides are made vegan), and this one seems perfect because it incorporates traditional Thanksgiving flavours but can be eaten alongside other holiday fare. The components really work well together, so try to get a bit of everything in each bite.

Apple Cranberry Chutney
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 4 Gala apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (or another cooking apple)
- 1/4 cup golden raisins (optional)
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2-4 tbsp apple cider
- 10 fresh sage leaves, chopped

METHOD
1. Heat margarine over med-hi heat. Add apples and cook for 5 mins, stirring regularly. Add raisins and cranberries and cook for 3 mins.
2. Add maple syrup and mix well, then add 2 tbsp of cider. Cook until cranberries burst and apples are soft but still have some texture. Add more cider, if needed. It should be moist but not runny. Lower the heat and let simmer while you prep the other components of the dish.
3. When ready to assemble the dish, mix in the sage leaves and remove from heat.

Stuffing
INGREDIENTS
- 2 slices sourdough bread (or so. You will need 1.5 cups of cubed bread when you are done)
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1 leek, white and light green part, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp apple cider
- 1 tsp thyme
- 4 cups packed baby spinach
- salt and pepper

METHOD
Turn oven on to 300 degrees
1. Heat a frying pan over med to med-hi heat. Lightly butter (margarine?) the sourdough bread on both sides and fry both sides for 2-3 mins, until golden. Remove from pan and cut into 1/4" cubes. Measure out 1.5 cups and put into a bowl.
2. Put the pan back on the stove over medium heat. Add the 2 tbsp of margarine, and when melted add leeks and garlic. Fry for about 5 mins, until leeks are translucent but not too brown. Reduce heat if needed.
3. Add cider and thyme and mix well. Add spinach and cook until wilted but still a vibrant green. Season with salt and pepper then add to the bread cubes. Mix well. Put in an oven proof container and keep warm in the oven.

Maple-Apple Cider Tofu
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1 pkg firm or extra firm tofu
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp apple cider
- salt and pepper

METHOD
1. Cut the tofu in half vertically, then cut each half into 5 thin slices. Use a 2.5" biscuit cutter to cut out 10 rounds. (The size of your rounds may vary, but since my tofu block is roughly 5 x 2.5 this worked out perfectly).
2. While you are cutting the tofu, heat a frying pan on the stove over med-hi heat. Add margarine and swirl pan to melt, then add tofu circles. Fry for 3-5 mins, only on one side, until a nice golden brown.
3. Add maple syrup to the pan and swirl/shake to distribute. Flip tofu over and swirl/shake again. Season lightly with salt, and a some freshly ground pepper. Add cider to the pan and swirl/shake to distribute. Flip tofu over (i.e. fried side is now back down, and season with salt and pepper. Let reduce for a minute or so, then remove from heat.

TO ASSEMBLE:
This dish relies on a biscuit cutter (or metal ring) that is 2.5" in diameter, and 1.5" tall. Place one tofu circle on a plate, fried side down. Place ring over the tofu, then pack in stuffing, compressing the stuffing down with a spoon. Carefully remove ring, then top with another tofu circle, fried side up. Top that with a generous spoonful of chutney.

The chutney recipe makes plenty, so serve more on the side.

Festive Phyllo Triangles

As you can see by the paltry number of posts this month, December has been a pretty busy month in every sense but the culinary. I had all sorts of plans to do baking and post a bunch of ideas for the holiday season, but alas . . . . What is it they say about the best laid plans? I did make Peter Reinhart's stollen recipe (awesome), and I have finally figured out what to make for Christmas dinner. Since I will be feeding vegans and omnis alike, I wanted to make something that could be enjoyed for what it was, and not some imitation of a meat dish. Enter the phyllo! The filling is chickpeas with cranberries and spinach: tasty and also red and green for Christmas.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1 19 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 cup packed baby spinach
- 10 roasted chestnuts, chopped
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp rubbed sage
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pkg phyllo dough
- melted margarine, or oil

METHOD
Makes 16 Preheat oven to 375 degrees
1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic, and celery for 5-7 mins, until soft and translucent.
2. While onions are cooking, pulse chickpeas, cranberries, and spinach in a food processor. Make sure not to process into a paste.
3. Place chickpea mixture in a bowl, then add onions. Add chestnuts, flour, and spices and mix well. Season to taste.
4. Place one sheet of phyllo on the counter and brush with melted margarine or oil. Place another sheet on top and brush with oil. Cut phyllo lengthwise into three long strips of equal width. Place a scant 1/4 cup of filling at the bottom of each strip. Fold like you see here. Brush folded triangle with oil or margarine. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Repeat with remaining filling. Bake for 15-20 mins, until golden brown.

I served mine with roasted mushroom gravy. As you can see, I could not really figure out how to present the dish. On Christmas day I just plan to put them on the plate with all the other veggies and not worry about how it looks in a picture.

Thanksgiving Roundup

This post won't help my Canadian readers, but perhaps it will be of some use to all you Americans (and anyone else celebrating Thanksgiving some time soon). First, let me apologize for the lack of a picture (of food--this is from our fall hiking trip). I was all ready to snap a pic of the feast when I realized my battery was dead. Sigh. For the entree I made the Thanksgiving Mini Pot Pies than I blogged about a few days ago. I made a triple batch of the roasted mushroom gravy to pour over absolutely everything. Both the pot pies and the gravy went over very well with vegans and omnis alike. I was afraid that the pies would be a little redundant, but that really wasn't the case. The other problem was how to serve the pies since they were baked in a ramekin. I placed them off centre on the plate, then piled all the other dishes around the ramekin--it worked perfectly. The other dishes were pretty standard: mashed potatoes, baked yams, acorn squash, peas, carrots, and corn. I also made stuffing, though it I didn't stuff it anywhere. First, I made Peter Reinhart's Italian Bread recipe, subbing the water in the dough (not the starter) with pureed pumpkin. The result is a wonderfully soft and golden loaf. I cubed the bread and tossed it with onions and celery that had been sauteed in olive oil. I seasoned it all with sage, thyme, and salt and pepper, and added raisins and dried cranberries and baked at 350 in a greased pan for about 1 hr and 15 mins.

Thanksgiving Mini Pot Pies with Roasted Mushroom Gravy

Canadian Thanksgiving is just around the corner so I took our holiday meal for a test run. I am not in the mood for seitan this year--for some reason it just does not appeal. Obviously, this recipe isn't breaking the mold but it really is tasty. After all, Thanksgiving dinner is really like a big plate of pot pie anyway. I suppose that means this entree might be a bit redundant, except that the roasted mushroom gravy takes it to another level. In fact, you might want to make extra gravy to pour over all those other fall veggies you will be serving.

INGREDIENTS
Makes 8 individual pot pies
Roasted Mushroom Gravy
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 4 shallots, unpeeled
- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 2 tbsp oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup plain soy milk
- 1 cup water
- splash of mushroom soy sauce (optional)
- sage and thyme to taste
- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/2 recipe puff pastry (sub margarine for butter)
- 6 small potatoes, thinly sliced
- 3 large carrots, thinly sliced
- 19 oz can white kidney beans
- 1 cup (or more) fresh cranberries

METHOD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. Toss sliced mushrooms, shallots, and garlic in olive oil. Spread out on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 mins, turning a few times to keep from burning. Remove from oven, let cool, the peel and chop shallots and garlic.
2. Heat margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir. Let flour darken slightly, then add chopped shallots and garlic. Slowly add soy milk, water, and mushrooms and bring to bubbling. Add soy sauce, if using. Season to taste with spices and salt and pepper (I like a really sagey gravy). Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch potatoes for 1 min, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Repeat with carrots.
4. Lightly grease 8 ramekins (1 cup capacity). Spoon a layer of gravy on the bottom. Top with a layer of sliced potatoes, then carrots. Top that with another layer of gravy, then top with beans and cranberries. Top with more gravy, then a final layer of potatoes. Note: don't go too crazy on the gravy or your pies will bubble over and make a huge mess. It's OK to have some gravy left over.
5. Roll out puff pastry to about 1/2" thick and cut into circles to fit the top of the ramekin (use the leftovers to make turnovers). Top each pot pie with the pastry, then bake for 20-25 mins, or until pastry is golden and gravy is bubbling.

Holiday Roundup

With the cookbook(s) done and the trip back home for the holidays done, I finally have some time to blog again! No real recipes in this post, I am sorry to say, just a tour of some of the gastronomic holiday highlights.

First up, birthday cake (sort of). If you have been reading this blog for a while you know that I decorate a cake however the birthday boy wants for his special day. This year, under the influence of the Christmas cards arriving daily at our door, Son #1 requested a gingerbread house. Vegan Mom and I thought it would be a good idea to let each kid at the party decorate his own house, so I made these four houses (thankfully, Son #1 only had one friend over for a sleep-over party, plus his two brothers). I used the same recipes as last year, except I tried something new for the icing to hold the houses together. I heated 1/3 cup of light corn syrup in a small pan, then added enough icing sugar to form a thick paste. I let it cool a bit, then rolled strips of it in my hands to create a mortar-like substance. It held really well.

For Christmas dinner with my in-laws I made the roast from Everyday Dish. No pic, I am sorry to say. I found the whole thing rather disappointing--bland and tough. For Christmas with my parents I made seitan cutlets cooked in apples, apple juice, roasted chestnuts, dried cranberries, and thyme. The recipe was rather like this one, and was very tasty.

Here is an apple frangipane tart that my sister-in-law made. My plan is to veganize this puppy in the near future, so stay tuned for that.

Other dishes in the recent past that were simple and tasty but not novel enough to warrant their own post: red peppers, onions, garlic and seitan chunks (could be tofu), and rotini tossed in olive oil, nooch, and plenty of basil.

Rice vermicelli, tofu, and bok choy in and orange ginger sauce. Kind of like this recipe.

Happy Halloween!

We are getting ready for Halloween around here, so just a quick post to wish everyone a sage and happy Halloween. Supper will be Creamy Mac and Cheeze (a fast and easy go-to meal on nights like this). Instead of the fancy jack-o-lanterns I did last year, I had the boys design their own. Son #1 came up with the angry design, while Son #2 did the smiley face--I think it reflects their personalities perfectly (ha ha). I will be taking the kids around tonight dressed as a chef--appropriate, I think.

Maple and Apple Cider Caramel Corn

Planning to have a Halloween party? Need some vegan treats to serve? Enter caramel corn with a hint of maple and apple cider. Prepare to have your friends praise your treat making abilities. (Son #1 helped me stage tonight's photo)

INGREDIENTS

- generous 1/4 cup popping corn

- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar

- 1/4 cup light corn syrup

- 2 tbsp Earth Balance margarine

- 2 tbsp maple syrup

- 2 tbsp apple cider

- 1/4 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp sea salt

METHOD

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

1. Pop popcorn and place in a large bowl.

2. Place sugar, corn syrup, margarine, maple syrup, and cider in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the margarine melts and the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to med-hi and bring to bubbling. Without stirring, bring mixture to 118 degrees Celsius, increasing heat as needed. Keep a careful eye on it (or nose, rather) making sure it does not burn.

3. Remove mixture from heat and stir in baking soda and salt (it will foam like crazy). Pour over corn and mix well.

4. Transfer and spread over prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 mins, mixing/turning after 4 mins to further spread caramel coating. Bake until coating looks glossy. Again, make sure it does not burn.

5. Remove from oven and let cool. Break into chunks and serve.

Chunks of caramel corn are great for a party because guests can get a handful without having to fiddle with individual pieces of popcorn. If you want individual pieces, place caramel corn back into the mixing bowl and keep tossing the caramel corn until the coating cools.

Happy Holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all my Canadian readers! I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by family and so I will keep this post very brief. Enjoy your time with family and friends, and don't forget about my seitan roast if you are looking for good vegan eats. See you all on Tuesday! In the meantime, enjoy these pics from a recent walk through the woods.

Seitan Roast with Wild Rice and Chestnut Stuffing

As I mentioned yesterday, Canadian Thanksgiving will soon be upon us. And by us I mean mainly me since most of my readers are American. I thought I had better take some dishes for a trial run before I make them for members of my family next weekend, like this roast. I will warn you now that the stuffing is a tad finicky. I think when I make it next week I will add in a slice of bread or so to make it all stick together. I also discovered that I made the chestnuts pieces way too big--small is the way to go with stuffing.

INGREDIENTS

Stuffing

- 12 roasted chestnuts, chopped

- 1/2 cup wild rice, cooked

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tbsp margarine

- 1 large shallot, chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 rib celery, finely chopped

- 1/4 cup water

- 1 tsp sage

- 1 tsp thyme

- 1 tsp salt

- freshly ground pepper

- 1 cup fresh cranberries

- 1 tbsp flour

- you may want to add a some bread cubes to help hold it all together

METHOD

1. Roast chestnuts and cook rice according to the directions (usually 1/2 cup of wild rice is cooked in 2 cups of water for 50-60 mins. Drain off any excess water).

2. Melt margarine in oil on a saucepan over medium heat. Saute shallot, garlic, and celery for 5-7 mins, until soft and translucent. Add water, spices, and cranberries and cook for 3-4 mins, until cranberries begin to soften. Add rice and chestnuts and cook for 2 mins. Then add flour and mix well. Remove from heat and transfer to fridge to cool. (If you are using bread cubes, omit the flour and toss mixture with the bread)

3. While stuffing is cooling, make seitan. Your stuffing needs to be cool or it will make your seitan break apart during rolling.

Seitan
Get your water on its way to boiling in your steamer
- 1 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp poultry spice
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup soy milk
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar

METHOD
1. Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate bowl and add to dry. Mix with a wooden spoon into a wet dough. If it seems too wet, add a bit more gluten flour. It should be soft and pliable, but still hold together.
2. Transfer dough to counter top or board. With your hands, flatten into a rectangle, about 1/2" thick. The width will depend on how wide your steamer is. Make sure it will fit.
3. Put stuffing in a line the center of the dough. Compress the stuffing in your hands so the center of the roast will be firm. Gently but firmly roll the seitan with the stuffing in the middle (i.e. make sure there is a cavity in the middle with the stuffing in it--don't roll it like a jelly roll). Seal the ends and seam as best you can.
4. Transfer the roll to a piece of extra wide, extra strength aluminum foil (it is important to have this), and tightly roll up like a Tootsie Roll.
5. Steam for 30 mins, turning over after 15 mins. While steaming, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then, place roast in a loaf pan and bake for 25 mins.

6. Let roast stand for 15 mins before unwrapping and slicing with a very sharp knife. Serve with your favourite gravy.

The roast, unwrapped, after coming out of the oven.

Swedish Tea Ring Update

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my mom made a Swedish Tea Ring for Christmas morning that was tender and light. While part of this is the mother's touch, I think the other part is the fact that she makes it the night before and lets it rest before baking it in the morning. This lets the gluten in the dough relax, makes the dough rise slowly, and gives the tea ring a better flavour. So, here is the deal: make the tea ring as I described, then cover and place in the fridge overnight. The next morning, uncover and place in a cold oven. Turn oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20-25 mins, or until golden brown.

Vegan Gingerbread House

Many, many hours later the vegan gingerbread house is done! I learned a lot about gingerbread, house building, and icing. I am not sure I am cut out for gingerbread house making--I am an anal retentive perfectionist when it comes to food and gingerbread houses are messy and sticky with goopy icing and nary a straight line anywhere. But, the kids thought it was the best gingerbread house ever, and they had fun "helping," so that is all that matters.

VEGAN GINGERBREAD

The gingerbread recipe comes from the Vegan Lunchbox blog. It is awesome--durable, pliable, and reliable.

- 1/3 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, at room temperature

- 1 cup packed brown sugar

- 1 cup sweet unsulphured molasses

- ¾ cup water

- 6 cups all-purpose flour

- 2 tsp. baking soda

- ¾ tsp. kosher salt

- 1 tsp. cinnamon

- 1 tsp. ground ginger

- ½ tsp. cloves

- ½ tsp. allspice

METHOD:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the margarine, brown sugar, molasses, and ½ cup of water.

2. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, adding just enough of the water to incorporate all the flour and form a dough that holds together well.

3. Turn the dough out of the bowl and form into four equal balls. Wrap each ball well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 350º. Line some baking sheets with parchment and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

5. Working with one ball at a time, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Roll the dough about ¼-inch thick and cut into desired shapes.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the surface is firm. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Some sagely advice: make the supporting walls thickish, but make the roof pieces thinner. Any tricky pieces, like dormers, should be cracker thin.

VEGAN ROYAL ICING

The icing comes from http://www.goodbaker.com/.

- 1 lb. confectioners' sugar

- 1/4 cup powdered soy milk

- 6 tbsp soy milk

- 6 tbsp light corn syrup

METHOD:

In a mixing bowl, mix the sugar and soy milk powder, then add most, but not all, of the soy milk. Add corn syrup just until combined. Add remaining soy milk if the icing consistency is not smooth enough, but be careful not to add so much that it will be too runny or fail to harden.

SOME TIPS:

1. Go small. Don't try to be a hero and try to make a scale version of your own house.

2. Make sure the afternoon is free. This is going to take a while.

3. Make the icing is as thick as possible. You really can't replace egg whites in royal icing, as it turns out, and gravity is not your friend.

4. Thin is good for gingerbread. Things can get unruly if the pieces are too thick.

5. Be patient. Let base pieces set and dry before you start building up.

Russian Tea Balls

This recipe started out as "Christmas Cookies with Walnuts," a recipe I found in my Mexican cookbook. I thought they would be a nice way to finish off our chimichanga dinner (see the other post for today). The recipe called for lard, which I thought could be easily replaced with vegetable shortening. I also replaced the walnuts with pecans (Vegan Mom is not a big walnut fan). The picture in the cookbook showed fairly flat cookies, but mine stayed as balls (maybe the lack of lard?). In fact, the end result tasted just like a cookie my Mom makes for Christmas called Russian Tea Balls. So, by my mistake I veganized yet another childhood favourite.

INGREDIENTS

- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening

- 1/4 cup icing sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

- 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans (I pulsed whole pecans in a coffee grinder)

- icing sugar for dusting

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350

1. Beat shortening in a bowl until fluffy. Slowly beat in icing sugar, then vanilla, and beat well.

2. Add in flour by hand, gently working it in until mixture resembles rough bread crumbs. Gently mix in pecans by hand.

3. Form/press mixture into 24 balls by hand (about the size of ping pong balls). Bake 12-15 mins, until very lightly golden. Cool on baking racks.

4. When cooled, roll cookies in icing sugar to coat. Enjoy!

Tofu with Sweet Cranberry Glaze, with Stuffing and Glazed Potatoes and Gravy

Tonight's goal was to create a Christmas-style meal in 1 hour. Mission accomplished! I am not the biggest fan of cranberries, but this glaze was perfect and worked well with the other flavours of the meal. I broiled the tofu on a stoneware baking sheet (this way you don't have to use oil-- well-seasoned stoneware is non-stick). I have texture issues and like a firm and chewy tofu. If you don't have texture issues you can skip this step and save some time.

Tofu with Sweet Cranberry Glaze

INGREDIENTS

- 1 pkg firm tofu, cut into 8 triangles

- 2 1/2 cup fresh cranberries

- 1 cup water

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- pinch of allspice

METHOD:

Preheat broiler

1. Slice tofu and dab with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Place on a stoneware baking sheet and broil about 5 mins per side, until golden brown. Be careful not to burn.

2. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Place cranberries and water in a saucepan. Bring to boil, cover, and cook for about 15 mins, until cranberries are soft, Blend with a hand blender until smooth. remove from heat and stir in sugar and spices.

3. Turn oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place tofu on sheet, leaving ample room between. Spoon cranberry glaze over tofu, making sure to coat the sides. Bake for 15 mins. Turn over, coat again, and bake 15 more mins. Turn over, coat one last time, and bake 15 more mins.

Not all the glaze will be used. I boiled Yukon Gold fingerling potatoes, and tossed them with the remainder of the glaze.

Stuffing

INGREDIENTS

- 1/4 cup margarine

- 1 onion, diced

- 1 rib of celery, diced

- 8 slices of thick sliced whole wheat bread, cubed (I used Wonder Texas toast)

- 2 tsp sage

- 1 tsp thyme

- 1/2 tsp salt

METHOD

1. Melt margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions and celery until soft. Add spices. Pour over bread cubes and toss well.

2. Press bread into a stoneware loaf pan, cover with foil, and bake for 45 mins (i.e. while tofu is baking).

Easy Gravy

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- generous tbsp flour

- 2 cups plain soy milk

- 2 tsp sage

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Heat oil in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Whisk in soy milk and bring to bubbling. Stir in sage and salt and pepper.

Chewy Noels

Here is another veganized favourite from my childhood. I debated about how to replace the eggs in this one. Tofu did not seem like a good candidate since it would not provide enough moisture. Bananas are generally good for baking, but only if you like the taste of bananas, and I don't equate bananas with Christmas. Ground flax was really the only option left (I don't have egg replacer, but find it kind of chalky anyway). I was worried that the taste from the flax seeds would be too strong, but figured the walnuts and sugar would win in the end. I was right. The end result was a little more dense than the non-vegan version, but still really tasty and delightfully chewy.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp non-hydrogenated margarine
- 2 tbsp ground golden flax seed
- 6 tbsp water
- 1/3 cup flour, sifted
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 tsp vanilla
- icing sugar

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Melt margarine on low heat in a square baking pan (8x8) on the stove top.
2. Whisk flax seed into water in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar and nuts. Stir in
vanilla and flax mixture. Be patient and let the moisture work its way through the dry stuff.
4. Spoon batter into the pan, carefully spreading to the sides, but being careful not to mix into the melted margarine.
5. Bake for 22-25 mins, until top is deep golden brown. The batter will be bubbling and gooey. Let completely cool--everything will solidify. Cut into small squares, and remove from pan, placing on serving tray bottom side up. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Holiday Stew

I have been tossing around this dish in my head for a few days. How to make something that tastes like Christmas is coming? Do you serve with rice? Noodles? Do you bake it? Roast it? Fry it? I finally settled on a stew--warm and hearty. The thyme and sage remind me of stuffing, and the roasted chestnuts and chickpeas work really well together. Cranberries add a nice splash of tart flavour to finish everything off.

INGREDIENTS

- 30 chestnuts

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 small yellow onion, diced

- 1 small red onion, diced

- 1 celery stalk, diced

- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

- 3 tsp sage

- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

- 2 tsp thyme

- 1/2 tsp paprika

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1 cup apple juice

- 2 large (or 4 small) Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and diced

- 1 cup fresh cranberries

- 3 cups of water

- 2 tsp soy sauce

- 3 generous tbsp flour

- 1/3 cup plain soy milk

- 1/4 cup vegan "chicken" broth powder

- 1/2 cup dried cranberries

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. First, roast the chestnuts. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Use a sharp paring knife to cut/punch an X through the shell of each chestnut (lets the steam escape). Place nuts, X side up, on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 mins, until shell splits and peels back around the X. Set aside to cool.

2. Heat oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Saute onions and celery until browned. Add chickpeas and spices and saute an additional two minutes. (While onions are cooking, slice chestnuts in half and peel).

3. Add in apple juice to deglaze pot. Add in potatoes, cranberries, water, and soy sauce. Bring to bubbling. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 15 mins, or until potatoes are softened.

4. Mix flour into soy milk (I put both in a small container with a lid and shake). Add to pot and mix well. Add in broth powder. Bring to bubbling and let thicken.

5. Add in dried cranberries and chestnuts and cook for 5 mins. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Thanksgiving

I jettisoned the apple seitan roast that I was planning and went with a traditional Thanksgiving meal. And by traditional I mean we ate a tofu and wheat gluten-based mock turkey product. If that is not tradition, I don't know what is. On the menu: "Turkey," stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, homemade apple sauce, corn, beans, mixed veggies, and lots of gravy. Recipes for the turkey, stuffing and gravy are on Bryanna's holiday recipe page. Thanks Bryanna!

Thanksgiving Preview, Take One

Thanksgiving will soon be upon us here in Canada, so I thought I would take a trial run of a recipe I have been developing in my head. We are having family come, none of whom are vegan. The trick is to make something that will satisfy everyone. The plan is to make a maple and apple seitan roast (something like pork tenderloin). This trial run was fairly successful, though the colour was darker than what I was going for and the seitan was a little spongy. The taste was good, and the maple and apple glaze was delicious. I will post the recipe when I sort it all out next weekend.