Spoils from the Persian market

Barbari bread, Tribe spicy red pepper and tomato and veggie hummus, chickpea flour, red lentils, and sweetmeal biscuits!  Not pictured: Fuji apples and green onion.

A coworker suggested I look into Wholesome Choice, a Persian market in Irvine.  I'm so glad I checked it out, because look at these nommables!

First off, the barbari bread.  I was looking at the ingredients on the package when the baker asked me if I wanted a fresh one...hells yes!

Although the ingredients list checked out, I noticed it had unlisted sesame seeds, so I double checked that there wasn't any egg/milk in it.  Mm, nope, it's just a simple and wonderful bread.

Opened up, it's golden and perfect:

Yummmmm.  Armed with flat bread, I needed to get some hummus.  Fortunately, they were having a sale and these were pretty cheap at 2 for $3 and in a flavor I hadn't seen before... veggie tomato?

I also finallllllly got some chickpea flour.  And despite knowing that I'll probably be the only one eating them, I got some red lentils (who doesn't like lentils?!  The boy, apparently).

They were also having a sale on these biscuits.  I love Indian biscuits so I figured these would also be good.  We'll see about that tomorrow.

The next post ...the red lentil stew / curry I made!  I'm so happy, it's been a long time since I had lentils.  They are still one of my favorite legumes!

Vegan MoFo: Sparkle Ginger Cookies

From VwaV.

These were so rich and warm and not too sweet.  I really liked them and will definitely make them again.  I also liked that they used oil instead of margarine or shortening, which made them a very convenient recipe (and very visiting-omnivorous-relatives-friendly).

The recipe made 40 cookies for me (versus the 2 dozen as stated in the book).  Cookie scrooge am I.

The turbinado sugar was indeed sparkly in the cloud-sifted afternoon light.

Vegan MoFo: Interlude and new camera

Busy making things and cleaning up the house in preparation for Thanksgiving, but in the mean time here is a photo of a batch of gingerbread biscotti I made yesterday and have been eating for breakfast/lunch/dinner since... >_<

Approach carefully...

So as not to disturb...

The nesting biscotti.

I had forgotten the simple joy of biscotti with almond milk and coffee.  Nom.

Vegan MoFo: Farmer's Cookies (Bondkakor)

The Swedes know how to make cookies.  My family has been making these for decades, and they were always my favorite Christmas cookie (even more than my grandma's Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies).  Today, I veganized the recipe (and quartered it, since it makes 60 cookies!).

Om.  Nom.  Nom.

Farmer's Cookies (or Bondkakor)

2 c AP flour
1 t baking soda
1 c Earth Balance
3/4 c sugar
1 T dark corn syrup or molasses
1/3 c finely chopped pecans or walnuts
Sift together flour and baking soda.  Cream butter or margarine and add gradually sugar, cream until light and fluffy.  Blend in molasses, chopped nuts and flour mixture a little at a time.  Mix well.  Shape dough on lightly floured surface into long rolls about 2 inches in diameter.  Wrap in waxed paper; chill in fridge for an hour.  Slice thinly with sharp knife.  Place on cookie sheets - they don't spread much/at all so they can be pretty close together.  Bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes or until golden yellow.  Makes about 60 cookies.

You can also freeze the dough logs and bake them later, but you will want to let them thaw a little because the frozen dough can be difficult to cut without breaking (I learned this today).

Yes, that is a little bit of grease on the paper. Swedish recipes aren't light but they are delicious and hearty and make the house smell fantastic.

So what favorite childhood family recipes have you adapted to be vegan?

Vegan MoFo: Fat Free Gingerbread Biscotti

I recently purchased my first bottle of molasses (mo lasses!)...  and the grocery store was sampling some cheapo gingerbread men.  We are also running low on margarine, oil, shortening, and pretty much every fat but peanut butter.  I went searching for a good recipe and found Susan's fat free gingerbread biscotti recipe!

Hell yeah!  I followed the recipe (adding a bit of pepper and salt) despite cautions from the comment section that the recipe was difficult or impossible to get right.  Hey, what can I say, my oven is magical.  These turned out wonderfully!

I love biscotti all lined up and ready to go in for another baking!  Perhaps it's their resemblance to my other fondness (toast).

These could stand for more spices, but I really don't mind the lack of fat in these at all.  I've dunked them in my coffee, and they held up wonderfully.  When I make them again, I'd probably add some icing or maybe half-dipped in chocolate - or maybe add some dried cranberries.

I've been testing cookie recipes looking for some very tasty that will hold up to mailing.  These aren't quite yet what I want but perhaps with the addition of chocolate or glazing they'll be just right.  But in the meantime, it's time for some more coffee or maybe a strong cup of black tea... and a half dozen of these. :P

Vegan MoFo: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Phone camera photos still.  Someday, I will reinvest in a new camera.

I felt like making cookies last night - the Vegan with a Vengeance chocolate chip cookies with a few modifications that I think make these cookies even more awesome, namely:

- Used half shortening instead of all margarine 

- Used peanut butter instead of the remaining margarine... <_<  thus leaving no margarine at all

- Used about 1/2 c turbinado sugar in place of just normal ol' sugar... the big sugar crystals stay crunchy and amazing on top and melt a bit on the bottom...zomg.

The cookies were crisp and decadent.  I sent them off with the boy - he didn't get home until 3 so not sure how they went down.  But I ate three of them last night so I guess they weren't that bad ...

He asked me to save the monster one he made.

.rar

Swedish Coffee Crescents: Gifflar! And a rant about race

Sometimes I think the worst part about most surveys, employment forms, ballots, and similar documents is that they have the optional (or not so optional) "race/ethnicity" section.  The typical choices are often limiting, and I don't think I'm alone in feeling this way.  Asian?  What kind of Asian?  Caucasian?  Black?  There are hundreds of flavors in any one of these categories--so what do you glean from pegging someone in one of these general categories?  And more and more, why is this question still "check one?"  Why is it a radio button instead of a "check all that apply?"  I love it when surveys and forms have this option, because like millions of other humans, I don't have a single ethnic or racial heritage.

What do you do when it's "select one?"  I think lots of people who are mixed race pick the one that isn't white.  I do, sometimes.  I think I do because I'm afraid that by not saying that I'm part Asian, somehow that "minority" part of me will be underrepresented on surveys.  But why don't I put white?  Is it because caucasians tend to be overrepresented in surveys, forms, opportunities, etc?  By checking the Asian box, aren't I buying into the archaic "one drop" rule?  I don't know.  But once in a while, I get a pang of guilt for saying simply, "Yes," when someone asks if I'm Asian.  Which is a silly question to ask someone, anyway.  What does knowing the race of a person tell you?  Not a lot!

Recently my great great aunt, a tall, fabulous Swede, passed away.  My Caucasian side is all about the Swedish recipes, especially cookies.  So here's to you, Aunt June.

Swedish cooking is all about buttttttahhhhh.  The veganized version is all about the maaaargarine, but they still taste fucking delicious and don't let anyone tell you that if it ain't buttah it aint worth it.  Filled with nuts, or with cream cheese and fruit, these are wonderful with coffee and tea.  We bake up batches of these with apple or nut filling for Christmas...but I doubt they'd let me "bastardize" them and bring vegan versions.  So I just enjoy these at home!

Swedish Filled Coffee Crescents (Gifflar)

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water

2 cups sifted all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup non hydrogenated margarine (or vegetable shortening...nom)

1/4 c water + 1.5 tsp Ener-G egg replacer OR 1/4 c water + 1 T ground flax seed (equivalent of one egg)

Traditional Filling:

2 Tablespoons butter or margarine

2 Tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

Cream Cream Cheese and Fruit Filling

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup vegan cream cheese

1/4 jam of your choice

Garnish:

oil/melted margarine

Soften yeast in lukewarm water. Sift flour into bowl, add sugar; cut in butter or margarine with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in egg and dissolved yeast. Work dough with floured hands until smooth. Cover; let rise 1 hour in room temperature. In the meantime make the filling; cream butter or margarine with sugar and add chopped nuts, or mix sugar and cream cheese. 

Divide dough into four parts. Roll each part into a circle about 11 inches in diameter and about 1/4 inch thick, cut each circle into 8 wedge shapes. At the wide end put a teaspoon of filling. Roll each wedge shape up by beginning at the wide end, stretching the wide end a bit as you roll it. Place crescents on buttered/margarined cookie sheets. Brush crescents with Garnish . Let crescents rise for another hour at room temperature. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden yellow brown. Makes 32 crescents.

These flakey, tender rolls are so, so good.  Just wait until it's peach season... oh man.  Peach walnut crescents? Hell yeah.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies from VWAV

Oh my goodness, these cookies.  I used the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance, but used half shortening instead of all margarine.  Result: cookies reminiscent of childhood bliss.  Alas, this batch is destined for my cousin, but the practice chocolate and walnut batch is long history.