This is the story of Goldilocks and the 3 batches of doughnuts. The first batch was tasty but ugly and definitely not camera-ready. Number two was cuter, but too spongey and airy, and batch #3 was just right. (After this post, we’ll be going back to salads to recover from all this doughnut “testing”).
These might not be your Dunkin’ or your Krispy variety, (come on, a little healthy baked doughnut can’t really compete with the deep fryer) but for hundreds of calories less they are a tasty little treat with a delicious flavor thanks to the coconut oil, almond flour, cinnamon and especially the fresh nutmeg. To our surprise, these were actually better the second day after the cocoa and the nutmeg flavors had some time to get to know each other better.
I should also add that the mini-doughnut pan, while cute, makes it hard to keep these little puppies moist. I got a nice result from a mini-muffin pan (making slightly larger sized “doughnut holes”). And I have yet to try out a regular sized doughnut pan because I don’t have one, but I might get one for next time.
I made this twice before I started this post. I thought I had made some good tasting polenta until I went to Alt Summit a few weeks ago and had some amazing polenta at a dinner hosted by Lindsay of cafejohnsonia and Jen of delightfuldelicacies. Theirs was somehow much more rich and creamy than mine had been and I was surprised to find out how little dairy they had actually used (they used a bit of pecorino and non-dairy milk).
They used a quick cooking polenta called Caputo’s (which Lindsay was kind enough to give me some to take home). This finer milled polenta (vs. corn grits polenta) made all the difference in the world. After reading up a bit more about how others go about cooking polenta (ie. here and here) and finding out that, really, no two people seem to cook it the same, I took a few guesses and the result was super luscious.
I wanted to prove that this could be delicious vegan, so I made the base of this non-dairy, and just shaved some pecorino over Jack’s plate as I served it.
Oh, and I couldn’t find a link to buy Caputo’s polenta online…if you have a suggestion of a finer milled polenta brand that you like that is sold everywhere or easy to buy online, please let me know so I can share!
Continue reading “Polenta with mushrooms & caramelized onions”…
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by jeanine
Tortilla salad with tofu & cashew cream
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This is an easy salad I threw together for lunch earlier this week. It’s made up of ingredients I had left from our nacho night dinner. With the exception of soups and stews that freeze well, I don’t love leftovers. For as often as I eat the same foods and go to the same restaurants, I’m never excited to eat the same meal two days in a row. (I know, it’s a rough life).
What I do love, is having a fridge full of orphaned ingredients and making it a game for myself to figure out what I can come up with that’s different than what we had before. (Which sounds more creative than it is because ninety-five percent of the time it ends in just throwing stuff together into a big salad).
Continue reading “Tortilla salad with tofu & cashew cream”…
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by jeanine
vegan nachos with cashew “cheese”
5
This recipe is from the Native Foods cookbook. Jack and I first stumbled upon Native Foods one night in California on our way back from Disneyland. I typically don’t eat foods at theme parks (I know, I’m “fun” like that), so after the fireworks we set out to drive around and find a restaurant. This was years before iphones and yelp, so it was nothing short of a Disney miracle that we aimlessly found ourselves at this awesome vegan restaurant.
If you are new to the idea of nut cheese, it’s really nothing like cheese… but more of a cheese-like sauce (sans the yellow #4 food coloring). Feel free to put together your nachos however you like. I did black beans, pico, a quick guacamole, and “taco meat” made from soy granules. If fake meat isn’t your thing (I admit, I enjoy it occasionally), just leave it out and use what you like.
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by jeanine
shrimp & feta bake with spinach & dill
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This has become one of my favorite go-to winter meals because it tastes like it shouldn’t be as easy as it is. It’s healthy, comforting, and is made up of ingredients I usually have on hand. But I have to say that my favorite part about this dish is that in the 20 minutes or so while it bakes, I can have the dishes done, the kitchen cleaned, and a glass of wine poured. (Ok, who am I kidding, the wine was in hand before I started).
My mom won’t believe that it’s actually me writing this post, but I now find that there’s nothing better than sitting down to a nice hot meal in a clean kitchen.
This could also easily become a delicious vegetarian bake by using chopped zucchini, eggplant or whatever vegetables you prefer in place of the shrimp. My mom also does a version of this with orzo in the mix and crunchy bread crumbs on top.
Continue reading “shrimp & feta bake with spinach & dill”…
