Category: Food

Disappointed with my previous experiment of the sweet potato rolls, I decided to take a different path.

This time it would be rice paper (I wanted nori but couldn’t find any) filled with quinoa. There would be a cucumber slice for a base and it would be topped with toffuti [vegan] cream cheese, half a baby tomato, and a dash of basil & pepper.

This second trial was better. The cucumber base provided a nice crunch, contrasted by the creamy cream cheese. The pepper and tomato complimented that combination well. The quinoa/rice paper was more iffy. Maybe if it was nori this time? Or perhaps substitute the quinoa for julienne carrots intermixed with pepper and avocado?

So I had this idea to make sweet potato spring rolls. I rolled up mashed sweet potatoes in rice paper. I then topped it off with a maple-soy sauce, and a bit of decoration.

It was unspectacular taste wise. The sauce was good though, which I had stolen that one from a recipe in the Metro.

The sauce was 3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp maple syrup, and 2 tbsp corn starch. You whisked them together and boiled it in a small sauce pan, continuing to whisk 2 minutes afterwards as it thickened.

I liked the idea of these rolls, and perhaps if I introduced another layer on top of the mashed potatoes – something creamy perhaps – it could have worked.

Vegan Cinnamon Roll Tortillas

Makes 4 portions. About 250 calories per portion.

Tortilla shell ingredients

• 3/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp Flour
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• Dash Salt
• 1/4 Cup Hot Water
• 2 Tbsp Vegan Butter (eg. Earth Balance)

Filling ingredients

• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 2 Tsp Cinnamon
• 2 Tsp Vegan Butter

Instructions

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt together in a bowl.
2. Add in the butter, and mix it in until it forms coarse crumbs.
3. Make a well in the center and add in the hot water.
4. Knead the dough until a smooth ball is formed; about 3 minutes.
5. Cover the bowl and let rest for 15 minutes.
6. Turn on the oven, set it to 350 F.
7. Cut the ball of dough into 4 equal parts.
8. Roll out the dough to make tortilla shells. Or use a tortilla shell press. I have no idea why I have one of these, but hey.
9. Spread butter over the surface of the tortillas.
10. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together. Sprinkle on the surface of the tortillas.
11. Roll up the tortillas, and bake in the oven for 12 minutes.
12. Pull out, let cool, and enjoy!

Verdict

Not half bad. I plagiarized the idea of tortilla cinnamon rolls from my last trip to Mucho Burrito. The recipe for the tortilla shells came from here, though I didn’t follow through the final step of putting the shells on a skillet. The texture after they were baked was pretty similar, however.

They’re not as savoury as real cinnamon rolls, the doughnuts I make, or pies… but they’re still pleasant.

So the other day, I was doodling on a piece of paper this idea for a dessert I had. It was going to be a miniature cheesecake on a shortbread cookie base. I went at it, and after a few attempts, I’ve finally got a recipe!

Vegan Cheesecake Cookies

Makes six large cookies. About 450 calories per cookie.

Shortbread Cookie Base

• 1/2 Cup Cornstarch
• 1/2 Cup Icing Sugar
• 1 Cup Flour
• 3/4 Cup Vegan Butter (eg. Earth Balance)

1. Set the oven to 300F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together.
3. Add in the softened butter until a dough forms.
4. Roll out a sheet of wax paper and place on working surface.
5. Take out a big ball of dough and place on the wax sheet. Then lay a second sheet of wax paper on top of the dough.
6. Roll over the dough and sheets with a rolling pin. You want the dough to be a centimeter thick.
7. Cut out the dough in a circle (you can use an upside down glass), and place on cookie sheet.
8. Put another ball of dough on the wax paper. Lay the second sheet of wax paper on top, and roll over it again – just like before. Also just like before, you want it to be a centimeter thick, and you want to cut out the cookie shape.
9. With this second cookie, you’re going to cut out a smaller circle in its center. So now you have two circles. Take the outer one, and lay it on top of your cookie on the baking sheet – making a rim for the “crust”.
10. Repeat steps 5 to 9 until no more dough remains.
11. Bake for ten minutes. Prepare the topping during this baking time.

Cheesecake Topping

• 1/2 Container Vegan Cream Cheese (eg. Tofutti)
• 3 Tbsp Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Water
• 1 Tsp Vanilla
• Pinch Salt

1. Set the oven to 350F.
2. Use a mixer or whatnot to blend cream cheese until softened.
3. Add in sugar, vanilla, salt, and water.
4. Blend thoroughly.
5. Pour with a spoon in the center of the cookies.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, until topping becomes golden brown.
7. Let cool. Then refrigerate if they aren’t going to be served immediately.

Garnish

• Vegan Whipping Cream (eg. Soy Whip)

1. Once the cookies are cool, add the whipping cream.

My Thoughts

I did half the quantity of topping, and it was still tons! I think next time I might even go for half that. But otherwise, this was a real success. I kind of wish there was a greater filling to cookie ratio, but I’m not too sure how I’d go pulling that off without having it crumble under its own weight or be unwieldy. Nevertheless – delicious.

Fluffy White Bread

I was tasked with making my loafs of bread more like Wonderbread. In other words: sweeter and more fluffy. After some experimenting, I found success with one recipe. I then tried again with a veganized version, and it worked just as well. So I present to you both editions.

Regular Version:

• 3 Cup Flour
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1.5 Eggs
• 2.5 Tbsp Butter
• 2.5 Tsp Yeast
• 3/4 Tsp Salt

Vegan Version:

• 3 Cups Flour
• 1 Cup Almond/Soy/Rice Milk
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
• 2.5 Tbsp Vegan Butter (Earth Balance)
• 2.5 Tsp Yeast
• 3/4 Tsp Salt

Note: My machine’s bread cycle lasts 3 hours. That’s too long for this recipe. I usually turn the machine off at 2h30 hours if not before. If I want to brown the bread a bit more, I’ll leave the loaf in for a few more minutes after the machine is turned off, then take it out.

Vegan Gluten-Free Maple Doughnuts

I also discovered a good recipe for doughnuts, which I made gluten-free. The doughnuts were more frail than those with the gluten to bind them together, but careful handling and a bit longer cooking time made them just as great.

Doughnuts:

• 1 1/4 Cup Flour
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
• 2/3 Cup Vegan Milk
• 1 Tbsp Vinegar
• 1/4 Cup Apple Sauce
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Glaze:

• 3/4 Cup Icing Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
• 2 Tsp Maple Extract

Going Gluten-Free:

Substitute the flour for all-purpose gluten-free flour, like that made by Red Mill. Also add 1 Tsp of Xanthan Gum.

Instructions:

1. Set the oven to 350°C.
2. Mix the milk and vinegar together in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Mix all the dry ingredients for the doughnut.
4. In the bowl with the liquids, mix in the apple sauce and vanilla extract.
5. Combine the liquids and solids together. Do not over-mix.
6. Pour into a doughnut pan and bake for 10-12 minutes. If you go gluten-free leave for a bit longer.
7. Pull out the doughnuts and let cool. While they cool, mix the ingredients for the glaze together.
8. You can glaze the cooled doughnuts by dipping them in the bowl with the prepared glaze.

Vegan Gluten-Free Cheesecake

This was my second attempt at a vegan cheesecake, and with an entirely different recipe. I wanted something that was easy to put together, and so was weary of going for something that involved crunching cashews or whatnot. I ended up finding it. I used a separate recipe for the crust.

The end result was good, albeit a touch runny. I think it’s because I put 4 tablespoons of lemon instead of 4 teaspoons. Also, the crust was very tough – perhaps another recipe or using this one differently would have been better. But overall it was a success.

Crust:

• 1 Cup Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
• 1/3 Cup Icing Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Vegan Butter (Earth Balance)
• Pinch Salt

Filling:

• 2 Packages Cream Cheese (Tofutti)
• 2/3 Cup Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Water
• 1 Tbsp Extra-Firm Tofu
• 4 Tsp Lemon Juice
• 1/2 Tsp Salt

Instructions:

1. Butter the bottom of a pie-sized pan.
2. Mix the ingredients for the crust together until it becomes dough.
3. Place the dough on the bottom of the pan to form the crust. Use your fingers to ensure even distribution.
4. Poke holes in the crust with a fork.
5. Place the crust in the freezer for 15 minutes.
6. Set the oven to 425°C.
7. Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown and allow to cool.
8. Lower the oven temperature to 350°C.
9. Blend the cream cheese together until it softens.
10. Add the sugar, salt, tofu, water and lemon juice.
11. Blend until uniform. Add the contents to the pan containing the cooled crust.
12. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
13. Let it cool and then refrigerate it.