Pumpkin-Stout Bread (or Cupcakes)

While the desired weather of Autumn may still be of an ebb and flow nature here in Houston, the feeling of soups, roasted vegetables, and spiced baked goods is in full effect. It’s a moon day today, so I get the day off from my Ashtanga yoga practice, my teaching practice, and as much of my work as possible. On moon days, I like to visit with the sprouting fall veggies in the garden, snuggle with Marley, and bake.

On this moon day, I present to you Pumpkin-Stout Muffins. You can also make this in a 9-inch loaf, if that pleases you. I made mini-muffins (just shy of 4 doz minis) for easier sharing at the yoga studio tomorrow, but I think a loaf or full size muffins would behoove the bread or non-frosted teacake experience. Enjoy!

Pumpkin-Stout Bread

Mini cupcake liners [or coconut oil for greasing the pan if making a loaf]

1 3/4 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Pinch ground nutmeg

Pinch ground allspice

3 TBSP vegan butter

1 C pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 C brown sugar

1 TBSP Ener-G Egg Replacer [Mixed in 4 TBSP warm water]

1 C stout beer*

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line mini muffin pans (or grease 9-inch loaf pan). Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice in a large bowl.

2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Remove from the heat. Stir in the pumpkin and brown sugar, then stir in the egg replacer mixture. Finally, stir in the stout*. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Transfer the batter to the lined mini muffin pan or greased loaf pan.

3. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 14 minutes for mini muffins (about 1 hour for loaf). Cool thoroughly before serving.

Leftover pumpkin bread can be wrapped in foil or plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to a few days.

*If choosing not to use beer, any vegan milk will suffice. I suspect black tea or earl grey might also be a nice experience.

Option: Pumpkin-Stout Cupcakes

Add a dollop of cinnamon-ginger frosting (or pumpkin spice frosting, if that tickles your fancy). I made a buttercream frosting with Glenlivet & Pumpkin Pie Spice blend to top these bite-size beauties.

1 C Earth Balance Vegan Butter

2 C sifted powdered sugar

3-4 tsp Glenlivet

2 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 pinches of Pumpkin Pie Spice blend

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Classic “Buttermilk” Biscuits

A great classic breakfast for a holiday morning, or an average weekend morning! Top with your favorite jams, nectars, or butters (I think an apple or pumpkin butter would be top-notch for a holiday feast). This recipe makes about six 2″ mini biscuits, or 3-4 larger biscuits. Perfect if your baking for one or two, if you’re baking for more.. you can easily double the recipe without issue.

Ingredients:

1 C All-Purpose Flour (I used King Arthur Organic) – you could also use a 50/50 blend of AP and Cake Flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 TBSP Earth Balance Vegan Butter, super cold

3/4 C Coconut Milk + a splash of apple cider vinegar (I didn’t measure, but probably close to 1/8-1/4 tsp)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Splash in the apple cider vinegar with the Coconut Milk, set aside.

2. Whisk (or blend with a fork) together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With two knives (or pastry cutter), cut in the EBVB.

3. Add the vanilla extract to the “buttermilk.” Add milk mixture to flour/butter mixture. Stir until just combined. Slowly slowly, gently gently here. Once combined, turn out onto lightly floured surface and pat into a round until about 3/4-inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutters, or if you want to get whimsical.. any shaped cutter of choice.

4. Place biscuits on parchment lined baking sheet or pizza stone. Bake 16-18 min. If they aren’t brown enough to your liking.. you can turn on the broiler for a few. Serve with jams, agave nectar, Earth Balance, fruit, veg.. whatever! I topped mine with some festive Cranberry Habanero jam (found at the Feast of Artisans Farmer’s Market, handmade by the lovely Jackie’s Gourmet).

Happy Baking!

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Basic “Buttermilk” Pancakes

After taking picture after picture of pancakes in various flavor permutations, i realized I didn’t have a basic buttermilk recipe on here! *GASP* So here it is.. a great morning breakfast, weekend brunch, or if you’re like me, a cozy dinner. 🙂 The other pancake recipes on the Primate are fluffier and more dense.. whereas these are little thinner and more moist. I like both styles.. some days I have a preference one way or the other. I’ll let you decide..

Ingredients:

2 C All-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 TBSP raw sugar (sucanat, turbinado, etc)

1/4 C canola or safflower oil

1/4 C hemp, almond or coconut milk

2-2.5 C hemp, almond or coconut milk + 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar

4 TBSP Earth Balance Vegan Butter + more for greasing the skillet

2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Proceed with mixing while the skillet gets good and hot.

2. In a measuring cup, mix 1/4 tsp ACV + 2.5 C vegan milk. Set aside to “buttermilk-ify.”

3. Melt 4 TBSP EBVB, set aside.

4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. [sidenote: If you want to add things like cinnamon or other spices.. now would be the time].

5. Add 1/4 C oil and 1/4 C milk to dry ingredients. [It’ll be kinda lumpy until you add more moisture].

6. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and 2 C of the “buttermilk”.. determining if you need the last 1/2 C or not based on the consistency of your batter. The thicker the batter, the thicker/denser the pancake will be. The thinner the batter, the more slender the pancake will be. Again, this is a personal choice. You could even add up to 3 C milk for *really* thin pancakes.. I have never found the need.

7. Stir until just mixed ~ don’t overmix the batter.. a few lumps are okay.

8. Pour about 1/4 -1/3 C batter per pancake.. Once the cake starts popping bubbles or the sides are congealing.. it’s time to flip! Mine don’t take very long since they’re thinner. I barely have time to walk away from the stove. Probably about 2-3 min per side (depending on thickness).

9. Top with favorite jam, syrup, or powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Add-ins: fresh blueberries; spices like cinnamon, clove, or nutmeg; alternative extracts like almond or coffee.. so many variations can be created using this base recipe!

🙂

Happy Cooking!

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Raw Date Bars

I fell in love with date bars last year in South Lake Tahoe.. So in love that I’ve carried around an ingredient list from a date bar that I ate in 2011, purchased at one of the cutest little hippie grocers (Grass Roots). And after a second venture to Lake Tahoe, and many a date bar from Grass Roots.. I came home and made my own! This recipe makes a small batch – enough for a bread loaf pan – but feel free to double and make in an 8×8 cake pan.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1/2 C raw almonds (no need to soak, unless you want to)
1/4 C raw walnuts (no need to soak, unless you want to)
3/4 C rolled oats
5 dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1/8-1/4 C coconut oil, melted [you can use less coconut oil and it’ll still come out nicely..if you need a little extra healthy fat in your diet, use the 1/4 C]
1/4 tsp salt

Filling:

12-14 dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1/4 C water

Instructions:

1. Crust: Place all crust ingredients (except the coconut oil) in a food processor. Blend until crumbly. Add melted coconut oil and blend until combined. This entire process does NOT take very long at all.

2. Remove 1/4 C of the crust and set aside. In a lined bread loaf pan (or if doubling, use an 8×8 cake pan lined with parchment), spread the crust evenly in the bottom. Place in fridge while you make the filling.

3. Filling: Place 12-14 pitted dates into a food processor. Begin to blend..and slowly add the water as you blend. Blend until preferred smoothness. Spread puree onto crust.

4. Topping: With remaining 1/4 C crust, add in a dash of ground clove and about 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Mix with a fork, then sprinkle on top of date puree.

5. Chill in fridge 1 hr (to overnight). Slice and enjoy!

Happy Processing! 🙂

On this day in History: Refried Beans

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Mace & Chai-Spiced Crumb Cake (and Mini-Muffin Variation)

I made this recipe twice – the first time as a full cake for our Cherry Blossom Yoga vegan holiday potluck, the second time (after a little recipe tweaking) as mini-muffins for the Breakfast Yoga Club in The Woodlands. Both came out delicious, but I think after the recipe tweaking it’s now a supreme recipe! The original recipe was veganized from Food & Wine, plus I added in a Chai-spice upgrade. 😉 This recipe makes 1 10-inch crumb cake or 42-46 mini-muffins. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Spiced Cake
2 TBSP ground flaxseed in 4 TBSP warm water
1/2 C almond or hemp milk + 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 C + 2 TBSP AP (sifted) or Cake flour
1 C turbinado/sucanat sugar (or 1/2 C granulated + 1/2 C brown sugar)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp mace
1/2 tsp each Cardamom, Cloves
1/4 tsp each Ginger, Allspice, Black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C canola oil

Crumb Topping
3/4 C AP flour
1/4 + 1/8 C turbinado/sucanat sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 C canola oil

Directions:

1. Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, combine ground flax and water; set aside. In a small measuring cup, mix together the milk and apple cider vinegar; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients and spices.
3. Add in canola oil, ground flax combo, milk mixture, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine; set aside.
4. Make the crumb topping: Whisk together all the dry ingredients. Pour in canola oil, and massage together with your fingers until it becomes crumb-like.
5. Spoon the batter (it’ll be a little thicker, not so much pourable as scoopable – like a really soft cookie dough) to a greased/floured 10′ springform pan or lined mini-muffin tin (about half-full each mini-muffin). Top with crumb topping.
6. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 min (for the full cake) or 12-14 min (for mini-muffins).

Happy baking!

On this day in History: Chai Granola

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Redux: Red Velvet Cupcakes

The first time I posted about Red Velvet Cuppies, I did mini’s and the frosting didn’t turn out as well as could be expected, so the post was lacking in standard Primate verve.. So here’s the redux post. This time I made full-size, since I didn’t have enough liners for minis.. and sometimes it doesn’t hurt to go standard-sizing – I’m just a gnome deep down, and love all things mini or gnome-size. 🙂 But who’s really going to turn down a cupcake, regardless of size.. honestly. This recipe makes 12 regulars, or about 24-32 minis. I old-school frosted with standard vegan Buttercream Frosting. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Red Velvet Cuppies:

1 C hemp or almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 C turbinado sugar
1/3 C canola oil
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1 C oat flour
1/4 C AP flour
1/3 C cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
red food coloring, as needed (or omit for a basic chocolate cupcake)

Buttercream Frosting: [this will make enough for piping the frosting, if frosting old-school style freehand..HALF the recipe]

1 C Earth Balance Vegan Butter, lightly softened
4.5-5 C sifted powdered sugar (I put in 3 C as the original recipe called for, but then added about 1.5-2 C more..didn’t measure it, but added until it was the right consistency)

2 TBSP Coconut Milk Beverage or Almond Milk

1 TBSP vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-muffin tin with cupcake liners (or opt for minis). In a large measuring cup, combine milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, stir together sugar and oil. Pour into milk mixture. Set aside.

3. In same mixing bowl, sift (or whisk) together flours, cocoa powder, baking soda & powder, and salt. Add liquid mixture. Stir to combine. Add red food coloring to desired color.

4. Allocate around 1/4 C per cupcake for regulars (about 1 TBSP or so for minis). Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes for regulars, 12-15 minutes for minis.

5. Let cool while you make the UnButtercream Frosting in a stand mixer. Frost. Enjoy!

Happy Baking!

On this day in History: New Years Eve @ 1323 Menu

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New and Improved Chocolate Chip Cookies

Readers may be surprised by this, but I find it absolutely impossible to follow a recipe exactly – even ones I’ve developed myself!  I always think, oh, it would be great to add a little of this, or leave out just a little of that.  The downside is that sometimes things are not quite as delicious as they could be, but the upside is that sometimes I improve on things.  So, I was baking my other Chocolate Chip Cookies, which are a bit on the thick side, and wanted them to be a little bit thinner, with tantalizingly crisp edges, and soft gooey middles.  And here it is, my new and improved chocolate chip cookie recipe:

Ingredients:

2 TBS flaxseed meal combined with 1/4 C water, and then microwaved for 30 seconds

1.75 C AP flour

1 stick Earth Balance buttery sticks

1 stick Earth Balance shortening

1 C cane sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 bag chocolate chips

1 C nuts (optional)

Instructions:

1.  Soak the flaxseed meal in warm water for at least 10 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Cream the Earth Balance sticks with the sugar.

3.  Add vanilla and flaxseed goo.

4.  Add dry ingredients in a few stages, mixing each thoroughly.

5.  Mix in chips and nuts.  Taste test!

6.  Roll spoonfuls of dough into balls.

7.  Bake at 400 degrees for 9-10 minutes.

On this day in History: Roasted Corn Salsa

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Babka

“Cinnamon takes a back seat to no babka. People love cinnamon. It should be on tables at restaurants along with salt and pepper. Anytime anyone says, “Oh this is so good, what’s in it?” The answer invariably comes back, “Cinnamon.” “Cinnamon.” Again and again. Lesser babka?? I think not.” – Jerry Seinfeld

Just like the Black & White cookie – this babka brings “two races of flavor living together side by side in harmony.” Enter the Elaine-loving chocolate babka, and the Jerry-touting greatness  of the “lesser” cinnamon babka in this explosion of dual-babka heaven! Don’t “go in with a lesser babka” – serve an empirically superior combination of cinnamon and chocolate. A perfect babka for dinner parties, breakfast, or lazy afternoons on the couch at teatime.. 🙂

Ingredients

Bread:

2 tbsp  instant yeast

3/4th cup lukewarm almond milk

6 tbsp Earth Balance

6 tbsp  sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 TBS plain coconut milk yogurt

3 ½ cup  all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

Filling:

1 ½ cups coarsely grated chocolate chips

1 tsp cinnamon, ground

1/4th cup Earth Balance

Directions:

1.  Whisk the yeast into lukewarm almond milk and set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, or the bowl of a KitchenAid, cream together the sugar and Earth Balance until smooth.  Add the yogurt to the bowl in a couple of additions, mixing constantly for 30 seconds between each addition.  Add the vanilla and mix until light and fluffy.

3.  Add 3 C of the flour and salt and continue to mix until it all comes together.

4.  Now mix in the almond milk + yeast mixture and let it mix until it forms a soft dough.  Add in some or all of the remaining 1/2 C flour as needed for a soft, but not not sticky dough.

5.  Turn out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for another 2-3 minutes. You will have a soft, supple, but not sticky dough.

6.  Let this rise for about 2 hours, or refrigerate overnight, making sure to remove it from the fridge two hours before baking.

7.  For the filling: butter and cinnamon together in a bowl.

8.  Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a sheet with a thickness of 1/8^th to 1/4^thinch. Make sure to keep it dusted well with flour at all times, or else it might stick.

9.  Spread the cinnamon mixture over it, and then spread out the chocolate.

10.  Roll the sheet of dough and then pinch the seams to seal it. Roll it to a length of about 24 inches. Place onto cookie sheet.  Cut the log down the middle lengthwise, making sure to keep the top end attached. Twist over each other to get the braided look.

11.  Let the dough proof for another 1-2 hours.

12.  Preheat the oven to 350F and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Happy Baking!

On this day in History: Chocolate Duo Almond Bark

“Look to the cookie, Elaine..look to the cookie.”

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Kugelhopf

My new favorite egg replacer in baked goods is coconut yogurt!  I’m obsessed with trying it out for all kinds of things.  This kugelhopf recipe turned out great the very first time I tried it.  I just took a non-vegan recipe I found on the web, replaced two eggs with 4 ounces of yogurt and voila!  Light and tasty kugelhopf.  For those of you who’ve never had it before, kugelhopf is a breakfast sweet bread from Austria or Alsace, depending on your nationality.  I did use the “traditional” kugelhopf pan, but really, any 11 cup (or greater) bundt pan will work just as well.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water
1 cup almond milk
7 tablespoons Earth Balance, or other vegan margarine
6 tablespoons cane sugar
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces plain coconut (or soy) yogurt
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries or raisins
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange or lemon zest
About 20 whole blanched almonds
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar

Instructions:

1.  Stir together yeast and water in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)

2.  Heat almond milk with 6 tablespoons Earth Balance and cane sugar over low heat, stirring, until mixture is warm, butter is melted, and sugar is dissolved.

3.  Sift together flour and salt into large mixing bowl. Make a well in flour and add yeast mixture. Add warm almond milk in a slow stream, mixing at low speed with paddle attachment (or with a study wooden spoon, if mixing by hand – yes, it can be done!). Increase speed to medium and beat in yogurt, then beat in craisins and zest. Continue to beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. (Dough will be very sticky.)

4.  Grease kugelhopf mold with remaining tablespoon Earth Balance. Put 1 almond in each depression in bottom of mold (the almonds are only decorative; you can skip them altogether if your mold has no depressions), then scrape spoonfuls of dough evenly into mold (dough will be very elastic). Cover top of mold with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a warm place until it fills pan, about 1.5 – 2 hours (depending on temperature in room – to speed things up set heat the oven to its lowest setting, then turn heat off, but let dough rise in the warm oven).

5.  Remove pan from oven, if using that to rise it.  Preheat oven to 400°F.

6.  Remove towel from kugelhopf and gently peel off plastic wrap. Bake kugelhopf in middle of oven 15 minutes, then loosely cover mold with foil and continue to bake until golden and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes more. Cool in pan 2 minutes, then invert cake onto a rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. Dust with confectioners sugar.

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Delectable SunButter Cookies

Smiling cookie 🙂

They’re veritable kissing cousins, this sunbutter cookie and their nutty counterpart, the peanut butter cookie. The difference is the awesome nut-free goodness of SunButter. And if you use a gluten-free flour, these are gluten-free to boot! I used a 50/50 blend of buckwheat and all-purpose, so it’s possible to make these GF, just adjust the amount of flour to result in a sturdy enough consistency to resist spread during baking. They are flaky and delicate, moist and crumbly, and are perfect with a yummy cup of tea. These cookies are many things, insipid not being one of them. 😉 And is it just me..or does the cookie look like he’s laughing/smirking?

Ingredients:

8 oz (two sticks) Earth Balance Vegan Butter, room temperature
1/2 C turbinado sugar
1/3 C brown sugar
1/4 C mixture of almond milk and canola oil (approx a 50/50 ratio)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 C chunky (or creamy) SunButter
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2.5-2.75 C buckwheat (for gluten-free) or oat flour (*start with 2 C flour & add accordingly to make the dough the right consistency so as not to flatten out during baking – if you use regular AP flour, the 2 C should be fine..but you may need to add more)

Directions:

1. Cream the Earth Balance, SunButter and sugars until light. Add the almond/canola mix (or flaxseed mix), vanilla, and almond extracts. Blend together.
2. Add the salt, baking soda, and flour. Mix until well combined.
3. Preheat to 350°F. The dough can rest in fridge or on the counter.
4. Using a well-rounded teaspoon of dough for each cookie, drop the dough onto a cookie sheet. I used a small melon-baller to just scoop and drop..scoop and drop..very easy peasy!

5. Bake 8-12 minutes, until the cookies are light golden brown. Cool on racks.

**Additionally, you could smother in some ganache for a more decadent treat..but these babies are delicious all on their own!

 

 

Happy Baking!!

On This Day In History: Golden Delight (tea)

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