"American Vegan Kitchen" Testing

We're coming to a close on testing for Tami's upcoming cookbook (American Vegan Kitchen, for those of you who haven't been paying attention). How better to finish up than to go out with a bang... Here it is, a fabulous (and fabulously easy) summer soup:



Now go pre-order the book!

Protein-Rich Breakfast Bars

One of our favorite shows to watch on the Food Network is Alton Brown's "Good Eats." Most of the recipes aren't vegan, but many are easily veganizable. A while back we saw an episode in which Brown makes protein bars--vegan other than the addition of eggs. Eggs are pretty easy to remove from recipes like this one, so I figured to try my hand at making the protein bars as a quick and inexpensive breakfast option for my husband (who otherwise would rarely eat breakfast on his way to work).

As I played around with the recipe a bit, I decided that I would rather use hemp protein powder for the soy.  While I [obviously] eat plenty of soy protein, I prefer to get it in slightly less-processed form. (Granted, my favorite store-bought soy milks are quite processed; but they do retain some of the soy's natural fiber.)  The hemp, while not my favorite on its own, worked quite well in these bars.

The following is the result of the inspiration I took from the "Good Eats" protein bar recipe.  It's really forgiving, so feel free to play around with the nuts and fruit.

Protein-Rich Breakfast Bars (Makes 12 bars)

1 cup hemp protein powder

1/2 cup oat bran

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 cups mixed dried fruit and nuts*

1 package Mori-Nu soft silken tofu (12.3 oz)

1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

4 Tbsp flaxseed meal, whisked into 6 Tbsp water

2/3 cup natural peanut butter**




Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking pan (or use cooking spray).

In a large bowl, whisk the first five ingredients (hemp through salt). Set aside.

Coarsely chop the fruit and nuts; set aside in another bowl.

In a third bowl, whisk the tofu until relatively smooth. (Small lumps are OK.) Add the remaining ingredients one at a time and mix well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry; mix well. Fold in the fruit and nuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth with the back of a spoon or a spatula. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool completely.




*Some variations we've used (and liked) are

pinapple/macadamia/candied ginger

cherry/cranberry/blueberry/walnut

date/cherry/walnut

apricot/cranberry/cherry/candied ginger

walnut/almond/pecan/cashew

**Other nut butters work well, too.

Curried Acorn Squash and Apple Soup

Acorn squash and apples may invoke more thoughts of autumn than August, but I promise you this is worth it for the odd cool rainy day--even in summer. Curry powder rounds out the sweetness of the apple and squash, while coconut milk adds richness without a lot of additives.



Curried Acorn Squash and Apple Soup

1 medium acorn squash

1 medium onion, chopped

1 apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch dice


2 tsp curry powder

3 cups vegetable broth, divided

1 cup coconut milk (regular or light)

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and place in a baking dish, cut side down. Roast for 45 minutes, or until extremely tender. Remove from the oven; scoop out and discard the seeds.  Scoop out the flesh and set aside.

In a medium-sized soup pot, cook the onion and apple in 2 Tbsp broth for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Add the curry powder and squash and cook, stirring constantly, for another two minutes--until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with about 1/2 cup of the broth.  Add the remaining broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, process soup until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Serves 4.

Dessert Heaven

My extended family is getting together tomorrow for a big shindig--24 people!--and I was "volunteered" to bring dessert. Okay, okay... I actually volunteered to bring something and my grandmother requested cake and cookies. She promised to have grilled veggies brushed with olive oil, so at least I'll be balancing out the sugar with some produce!  I kid. My family is pretty good about cooking with olive oil instead of butter, so except on Thanksgiving I can usually get away with the sides.

So, time to wow the fam with some delicious vegan baked goodies. I decided on a variation of the Veganomicon coconut-lemon bundt cake for the non-chocolate option. I substituted lime juice and zest for the lemon and added a lime glaze to hide the fact that the cake stuck a little in the pan as I turned it out. Top with flaked coconut, and problem solved!



For cookies I made some chocolate hazelnut biscotti. Classic.

I <3 Peanut Butter

There's nothing like a big puffy heart to describe how much we like peanut butter in this household. I actually prefer almond butter to straight up PB, but Peanut Butter & Company has some varieties that just about make me drool on my keyboard. Apples and nut and/or peanut butters are one of our favorite snacks, so I thought I'd share what I found at our local Albertson's last week:



Yes, that's right--white chocolate peanut butter... That's gluten-free/dairy-free/vegan. Hooray! This stuff is seriously good. Other PB & Co. varieties include Dark Chocolate Dreams, Mighty Maple, The Heat Is On (spicy), and Old-Fashioned.

And yes, in case you were wondering... It is fabulous on toasted sandwiches with banana.

More Testing-- Breakfast!

Another great recipe test from American Vegan Kitchen.  I can't wait until this book comes out! (And I really, really wish I could tell you more about these recipes. Soon, I hope!)