Whole Wheat Vegan Carrot Muffins

For a little while, Gary was juicing in the mornings. We had carrot/apple juice, orange/carrot/tomato/spinach, etc. It was quite interesting and didn't taste too bad. What I didn't like was the waste of the pulp of all the carrots we were using, thus this recipe came forth.

This was so easy to whip up. Within a half hour, Gary had muffins to take with him before he went to work. I met up with a few friends and brought some over, and they were a hit. It's healthy but wasn't dry at all.

I did omit the raisins, as I don't think raisins belong in everything. Gary is in agreement about that :). I also replaced some of the applesauce with oil, since I didn't have enough applesauce.

---

Whole Wheat Vegan Carrot Muffins

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from fannetastic food




ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup shredded carrot (or pulp from juiced carrots)

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a muffin tin with 12 liners.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, flour through salt. In a separate bowl, combine the carrot and the apple sauce. (I didn't have quite enough applesauce, so I used canola oil to make up the balance).
3. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk to combine.
4. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter evenly into the liners.
5. Bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Yield: 12 servings

---

Pin It

Whole Wheat Zucchini Brownies

My sister in law gave me a huge zucchini she grew in her garden. I really didn't know what to do with it savory-wise, so I ended up baking up a few things. One of the things I made were these "healthy" brownies, and it was a great decision! I've baked zucchini in a chocolate cake before and it was delicious, so I didn't hesitate any longer making this.

I first saw this on one of my friend's pins on pinterest. At first, I didn't give it a second look, I had pinned a few other zucchini recipes to try. When I was throwing out some ideas to the hubby, he wanted chocolate. Only one of the recipes I had included chocolate chips. I wasn't really feeling that recipe though, and neither was he.

Since this recipe was still front and center on my pinterest page, I decided to make this and it turned out great. When I told hubby it was "healthy", he didn't want to hear it! It does not taste healthy at all, and each square will cost you about 170 calories, which I don't think is bad at all. I love how hubby told me he liked the frosting, but he was actually talking about the gooey melted chocolate chips inside. Try this soon, you won't regret it!

---

Whole Wheat Zucchini Brownies

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from Baltic Maid




ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 large eggs
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 cups grated zucchini (from 1 zucchini), excess water squeezed out (peeling optional)
• 1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Liberally spray an 8x8 baking pan with baking spray, or grease and flour the pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cardamom. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, salt, and applesauce.
4. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients while whisking to combine. It's ok if it's thick at this point, the zucchini will help moisten the batter.
5. Using a spatula, mix in the zucchini and chocolate chips until just combined.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
   
7. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean (we don't want it totally clean and dry!).
8. Let cool in pan completely, then cut into 16 pieces.

Yield: 16 servings

---

Pin It

Cookies and Cream Cookies

I don't know how to describe these cookies except for heavenly! They're rich and buttery, and I love that they have my favorite cookies baked right into them!

I had a huge box of Oreos in my pantry because my sister helped me get them from Costco. I use some for the base of the red velvet cheesecake per my brother's birthday request, and still had a ton left over. Of course, since I love Oreos, I would have no problem eating the whole box..but it would take a while since I only eat one or 2 a day.

I pinned these cookies a while ago and I'm glad I made them! They're so easy to make and they taste great. It really is hard to describe! I had to stop myself from eating the whole batch! Luckily I was bringing them to a housewarming party, and they went like hotcakes!

I made these dairy free by swapping out the butter for Earth Balance Sticks. They still came out great! I also accidentally added 1 tsp of baking soda instead of the 1/2 it called for, but luckily it didn't make a big difference since there were enough cookies in the dough to keep it from totally flattening out. In the end, these still tasted like perfection. Try these, you won't regret it!

---

Cookies and Cream Cookies (Oreo Filled Cookies)

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from Erica's Sweet Tooth




ingredients:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter (I used vegan butter)
• 6 TBSP granulated sugar
• 6 TBSP light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 sleeve Oreo cookies, coarsely broken into pieces (13 cookies/sleeve from a bulk pack)

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy.
4. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.
6. Fold in Oreo pieces with a spatula.
7. Using a small cookie scoop, drop cookies onto a greased cookie sheet or a sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes on the top rack until edges start to turn golden brown.
9. Remove from oven and let cool on the sheet on a rack for a few minutes before transferring to the rack to cool completely.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

---

Pin It

Chocolate Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

For this recipe swap, we are assigned a random blog and we would choose any recipe from that blog. I was assigned JBean Cuisine. I had a tough time choosing which recipe to make. I probably bookmarked half a dozen recipes before I finally chose these chocolate cherry shortbread cookies. These look like a great sharable recipe, and I love that she also provide a vegan alternative.

I've never been a huge fan of shortbread cookies. I'm probably one of the few people in the world who doesn't like butter on everything. Give me plain lightly salted steamed veggies and I'm a happy camper! However, even though these shortbread cookies have a pound of butter in them, it isn't too rich and balances out nicely with the chocolate and fruit. I guess I'm not a fan of plain shortbread, but as long as they have some sort of mix-in to cut the butter taste for me it's fine. It was slightly powdery from the cornstarch, so I might reduce slightly next time to see how it turns out.  My family liked them, but my sister mentioned that there wasn't a lot of butter taste, even before I said anything.

I didn't need 7 dozen of these things, so I halved the recipe. I got about 2 1/2 dozen cookies from that batch. I also swapped out cranberries, since I have a lot of them!

Remember to check out Sarah's blog for the full swap round up!

---

Chocolate Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from JBean Cuisine




ingredients:

• 2 cups (1 lb) butter, softened (sub vegan butter to make it vegan!)
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300° F.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour and cornstarch. Set aside.
3. Using your stand-mixer with your beater blade (or in a large bowl) beat together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla.
4. Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture until smooth.
5. Stir in chocolate chips and cranberries to the cookie batter.
6. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop dough and drop onto ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheets. Press down to flatten (these don't spread) Bake 25-30 minutes (adjust to about 18-20 minutes if baking in convection oven).
7. Remove from oven and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
8. Store in an airtight container or freeze.

Yield: ~7 dozen (I got 2 1/2 dozen when halved)

---

Pin It

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Snack Cake

For this latest recipe swap, I received Kate's blog. I had my choice of anything I wanted to make, but I had quite a difficult time narrowing it down to one recipe! I wanted to make a dessert, but didn't really have an occasion to make or bring a decadent dessert. While her chocolate peanut butter cheesecake looked amazing, I knew I had to make the peanut butter oatmeal snack cake when I saw it pop up.

I love how this dessert isn't too sweet and it's pretty healthy to boot. It had a great salty/sweet taste. My peanut butter loving aunt wanted to hoard this all for herself. Pretty much all the fat is from the peanut butter, and since I use natural pb with no added sugars or anything, I had no guilt eating this for breakfast! ;)

I did cut the cake into 16 pieces instead of 9. It was pretty dense, so a little when a long way, and you definitely want a glass of milk or coffee or something to wash it down with. I did replace the milk with soy milk powder with water since I usually don't have milk on hand. Doing this ended up making this vegan (as long as your chips are dairy free), which is a plus in my book!

As always, remember to check out Sarah's blog for the full roundup of recipe swap recipes. I'm curious to find out who got my blog and what they picked!

---

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Snack Cake

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from Kate's Recipe Box




ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk (I used soy milk powder with water)
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a metal 8x8 pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Beat the peanut butter and sugar in your mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix until combined.
4. Slowly add in dry ingredients while beating at medium speed. The mixture will be dry and look like coarse sand.
5. Reduce speed to low and slowly pour in milk. Mix until a dough ball forms. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Form a dough ball with your hands then transfer to the prepared pan. Press the dough evenly in the pan.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
8. Let cool, then cut into 16 pieces (or however big you want them!)

Yield: 9-16 servings

---

Pin It

Chocolate Sesame Cookies

While I was browsing through my plethora of food and home magazines, I saw this recipe and it definitely spoke to me. It looked a lot like 煎堆, these pastries that my mom would make for the Chinese New Year holiday, so I knew these would fit right in.

When I told my sister about it, she thought it was weird, but I'm willing to try anything once. I'm glad I did, since these were quite tasty. The chocolate and sesame actually work very well together. Since mine were probably larger than the original recipe size and I baked it for about the same time, the middles were still fudgy and soft.

After reading the ingredients, the amount of flour was concerning me, however it looked like it worked for most people according to the reviews.

I've modified the directions to make it easier to handle. The first ball I tried to roll was still almost pudding like in my hands. I definitely couldn't roll those! I put it in the fridge for another half hour to set. Even then, although it was stiffer, it was still sticky. Then I just dropped the ball in the bowl of sesame seeds and shook it to coat it. It worked much better, my hands didn't get coated with chocolate and I was able to transfer to the sheets easily.

---

Chocolate Sesame cookies

recipe by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from BHG Magazine October 2011




ingredients:

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate
  
• 2 TBSP butter (I used vegan butter)
  
• 3 TBSP Tahini
  
• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
  
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
  
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted (I buy jars of toasted sesame seeds, much easier!)

directions:

1. In a small saucepan melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat then stir in tahini. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs until frothy. Add brown sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined and light. Beat in chocolate mixture, then beat in flour mixture just until combined. Cover dough then chill at least 1 hour, until easy to handle.
3. Preheat oven to 350° F.
4. Scoop out dough with a cookie scoop, then drop into the bowl of sesame seeds. Roll the dough ball in the bowl to cover complete with sesame seeds. Place on cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Bake for 11-13 minutes, until puffed and set on the bottoms.
5. Allow to cool mostly on the sheet, then twist slightly to remove from the sheet, so the bottom doesn't stick to the sheet. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: about 2 dozen (I got 26 using my cookie scoop, not the original 42 the recipe stated!)

---

Pin It

Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have to admit, when I read over this recipe and saw that it no sugar, I was concerned of how it would taste. I love healthy options for everything, but I never thought for a cookie.

Well, this came out of the oven and the chocolate was all melty and gooey. I tasted it and it tasted like a crunchier version of a bowl of oatmeal I would eat in the morning, with the addition of chocolate. These ended up being a great breakfast option for me to grab on the go on the way to work, so I've also dubbed them as breakfast cookies.

I've never baked with olive oil, but I went back to the original source and saw that they used coconut oil. Since I always have that on hand and I've baked with it before, I used that instead.

The first batch came out as the shape of my cookie scoop, so while it was still warm, I pushed it down and it ended up like the shape of a mini hockey puck. The second batch, I flattened it before baking. I stored these in a zip top bag and they ended up a little soggy from the banana. I didn't mind the texture, and it made it seem more like little oatmeal energy bites than a cookie. Next time I try this, I might pack it into a pan to bake then cut into granola bars.

Remember to check out Sarah's blog for all the healthy recipes from the swap, including my contribution of lemon pepper salmon.

---

Healthy Oatmeal Cholate Chip Cookies

recipe by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from Tastetastic Voyage originally from 101 cookbooks



ingredients:

• 3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, slightly softened (or olive oil)
  
• 2 cups rolled oats
  
• 2/3 cup almond meal (or heaping 2/3 cup blanched almonds, ground)
  
• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut, finely shredded
  
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  
• 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
  
• 1 tsp baking powder
  
• 6-7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar, chopped

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F, racks in the top third.
2. In a large bowl beat the bananas, vanilla extract, and oil. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the oats, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. In a food processor, grind up heaping measurements of almonds and coconut, then add to the dry ingredients (if you already have almond meal and small shredded coconut, add it directly to the dry ingredients and skip this step).
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate. Drop dough, about 2 teaspoons in size, or with a cookie scoop, an inch apart onto a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet. Press down slightly.
5. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes or until golden brown on the top.
6. Allow to cool 5 minutes on cookie sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely

Yield: a little less than 3 dozen

---

Pin It

Cranberry Almond Biscotti

I can't believe the year is almost over. It's been a crazy end of year, and I wish I had shared Christmas treats with you earlier, but better late than never.

I made these biscotti for part of my Christmas cookie tins to a few coworkers. My sisters took the bulk of the first batch, and Gary ate the rest in a matter of minutes, so I ended up making a second batch which turned out better anyway! He was glad he was able to enjoy something that was naturally dairy free instead of adapted to be dairy free.

The second time around, I decided to add more almond and add the almond extract, which made the difference. It was a great dessert, as well as a nice breakfast treat to pair with coffee. I may or may not have eaten cookies for breakfast the whole week before Christmas!

The original recipe didn't call for brushing the tops, but I had an extra egg white leftover from another recipe. One of the other biscotti recipes I was using called for brushing the top, so I did that as well. It adds a nice sheen instead of a dry top.

---

Cranberry Almond Biscotti
adapted from What's Cooking, Chicago?

ingredients:
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds
milk or egg for brushing

directions:
Preheat oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl lightly beat 3 eggs and extracts together. Set aside.

In a bowl of your stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix well to combine. Gradually add the egg mixture and beat until a dough forms, adding the cranberries and almonds about halfway through.

With floured hands divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface roll dough into a log and flatten to about 10 inches long and 3 inches wide. Transfer log to the prepared baking sheet, brush with extra egg or milk and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Note - logs will spread during baking. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.

Transfer log to a cutting board and using a serrated knife, cut log into slices 1/2 inch thick. Arrange evenly on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake another 10 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool.

---

Pin It

Vegan Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

These past few weeks, a few friends and I hit a huge milestone. We all turned the big 3-0! While most people see it as a big deal, I didn't see it that way. I really am one of those that feel like 30 is the new 20, and my life and adventures have only just begun. If anybody looked at Gary and I, we definitely don't look like we're already in our 30s! These are the same folks I celebrated 2 years ago at the sausage fest party.

A bunch of my friends are ones that I've known since elementary school, as early as kindergarten. I think it's great that we've still kept in touch all these years. Even though we've all hit 30, we decided to go do something fun and kiddy - Laser Tag! I've never gone before, so better late than never!

We went out for an early dinner at a Shanghai Restaurant and I brought cupcakes. I made two flavors, this vegan vanilla one being one of them. I actually bookmarked this recipe a while ago, and I decided to make it for this occasion since I had almost everything on hand. I didn't have many eggs left, and I had some soy milk to use up. I didn't have to go the vegan route, but I did. To be honest, I think vegan cupcakes are pretty easy to make, and seem less messy.

If you think there's no way these cupcakes can stand up to regular ones, well they can! Nobody knew they were vegan until I told them!

---

Vegan Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Fluffy Vanilla Frosting
adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World, as seen on their blog

ingredients:
cupcakes
1 cup unsweetened soy milk (or almond milk and omit the almond extract)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 TBSP cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped

frosting (half the original recipe)
1/4 cup non hydrogenated shortening
1/4 cup vegan butter (rec: Earth Balance)
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBSP soy milk

directions:
make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Whisk the milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.

Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and mix to combine.

Beat together the milk mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla bean in a large bowl. Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix until no large lumps remain. (batter will be thin)

Fill cupcake liners two-thirds of the way and bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool.

prepare the frosting:
In a stand mixer, beat together the shortening and butter until light. Add sugar a little at a time and beat for 3 minutes until no lumps remain, scraping down the sides as necessary.

Add vanilla and milk and beat for another 5-7 minutes until light and fluffy.

Scoop frosting into a piping bag or heavy duty zip top bag and pipe from the outside in.

Makes 12 cupcakes

---

Pin It

Apple Upside-Down Cake

APPLES! I had a lot, and between the free ones I eat at work and the 5lb bag I bought for home, I was up to my ears in apples. I've been enjoying them with peanut butter at work everyday, but there's so many apples a girl can eat before I get sick of them. Then came this recipe. I saw this upside down apple cake and thought it looked delightful.

I trust King Arthur and their recipes, even if they have recipes that require their specialized products. One of the ingredients this recipe called for was a few tablespoons of boiled cider. I haven't tried it, and I'm sure it's great. HOWEVER, since I will probably never use it other than the few tablespoons for this recipe, I decided to sub apple cider. I think it worked out fine. If you need an apple cake, this one turns out moist and dense, what a perfect fall cake should be.

One note is that a 2" high pan needs to be used. I didn't have one and used a leakproof springform pan. That was probably why some of the brown bits on the bottom stuck to the pan. It may also be because I forgot the grease the pan. Please don't make that mistake if you're using a regular pan.

---

Apple Upside-Down Cake
adapted from King Arthur Flour

ingredients:
topping:
2 medium apples (or 3 small apples), peeled, cored, and sliced (reserve one apple top)
4 TBSP butter (I used Earth balance)
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 TBSP apple cider
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup light corn syrup

cake:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 TBSP apple cider
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 large apple, peeled and finely chopped (or 2 small)
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional

directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" round cake pan at least 2" deep. Line the bottom with parchment, and grease the parchment.

Slice the top, including the stem, off one of the apples and set it aside before peeling and slicing the rest of the apples into 1/4" thick wedges. (an apple peeler corer was very helpful here!)

Place the apple top, stem side down, in the middle of the pan, and overlap the rest of the apple wedges in a ring around it.

Prepare the topping by heating the butter, sugar, apple cider, cinnamon, and corn syrup together over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

Pour 1/2 cup of the syrup mixture into the prepared pan, and set the rest aside.

make the cake:
Beat the oil, brown sugar, apple cider, eggs, spices, and salt together for 2 minutes at medium speed

Mix the flour with the baking soda, and stir it into the batter.

Add the chopped apple and nuts, and mix until just blended.

Drop scoops of the batter atop the apples in the pan, gently spreading to cover.

Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven, and run a thin spatula around the edge to loosen. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a serving plate, bottom side up. Scrape out any sauce that remains in the pan, and spread it over the cake.

Reheat the reserved topping. If butter starts to separate as you reheat, add water by the teaspoon and stir until the butter rejoins the rest of the sauce.

Pour the sauce over the cake. Serve cake warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream if desired.

---

Pin It

Pear Pie

To tell you that I've had this recipe bookmarked for a while is an understatement. I saw this recipe almost 3 years ago, and I just got around to making it.

I don't really have any excuse other than we usually don't have pears on hand. Since pears are one of the fruits we don't buy often I totally forgot about this recipe until now. Whole Foods had some organic pears on sale, so I remembered this recipe when I snatched some up.

Lately, I've had a bit of bad luck with pie crusts. Since I need to make a dairy free crust for Gary, I haven't found the right crust, until now! This crust rolled out wonderfully, and it didn't crack while I was rolling it out. I think I've found the one! Gary also thought the crust worked out well and that it had a buttery aspect to even though I didn't use butter.

---

Pear Pie
crust adapted from Being Vegan and Getting Away with It
pie filling adapted from Honey and Jam

ingredients:
pie crust:
1 cup all purpose flour (plus more as needed and for dusting)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup non hydrogenated shortening
4 TBSP ice water

filling:
2-3 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4 inch thickness (I used 2 pears and it was sufficient)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter (I used earth balance)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten

directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F (175°s C).

prepare pie crust:
In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour and salt. Cut in shortening using a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture looks like course crumbs. Slowly pour in water while mixing with fork in a circle. Once all the water is in, knead and form the dough into a ball. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in fridge for 10 minutes. (I skipped this and it was still fine.

Roll out dough for a 9" pie pan and place in pan. Cut off excess dough from the edges and flute or press edges with a fork.

prepare filling:
Peel and cut pears in half. Remove cores and slice into 1/4 inch thickness (approx). Place the pear slices down in the pie crust with the small ends toward the center to create a circular design in one layer. Chop excess pears and place in the center.

In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time until light and fluffy. Stir in flour and vanilla. Pour mixture over the top of the pears to completely cover.

Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, until pears are soft and custard is set in the center. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

---

Pin It

Banana Bread with Crunchy Streusel Topping

Over the weekend, a gal named Irene came to NYC. You've heard of her right? She was supposed to come in and swoop us off our feet, but for us she was all bark and no bite. Don't get me wrong, there was massive flooding throughout the city and some houses were wrecked, but our apartment was fine. I did manage to find a leak in the kitchen window we need to get fixed. I'm actually not sure if the crack was a result of the earthquake or not, since I've never noticed a leak before.

Well, since we weren't able to go out, I decided to bake. I had 6 ripe bananas, and no room in the freezer, so banana bread it was! I've made banana bread before, but it was a while ago. It only called for 3 bananas, so I found this one in the BHG Cookbook. I love this cookbook, and I should use it more often. It's a great all around cookbook.

I omitted the walnuts in this recipe, since I didn't have it on hand, but if you have them, I would put it in. I probably won't next time either, because after I finished baking, Gary told me that he doesn't like nuts in his bread. Who knew! You would think that after 10 years together, I would have known something like that! I also replaced some white sugar with brown sugar, and reduced the overall amount by 1/4 cup. It was perfect for me, but Gary thought it could be sweeter.

I love that I was able to whip this up without bring out the stand mixer. Overall, this stayed moist and delicious even after a few days. I stored it in a plastic ziptop bag, but the streusel ended up soggy. If you know how to keep it and keep the crunchy top, let me know!

---

Banana Bread with Crunchy Streusel Topping
adapted from Better Homes and Garden Cookbook 14th Edition

ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 TBSP all purpose flour
2 TBSP cold butter (I used Earth Balance coconut spread)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 9x5 pan.

In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients (flour through nutmeg). Make a well in the middle of the bowl for the wet ingredients and set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk 2 eggs, then add wet ingredients (banana through oil) and mix well. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir well until just incorporated. Batter will be lumpy. Pour batter into prepared pan.

To make the streusel, combine the brown sugar and flour in a small bowl. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

---

Pin It

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

You would never have known that this innocent looking chocolate cake would be chock full of vegetables!

For my mom's birthday, I decided to make this chocolate zucchini cake. I purchased some zucchini because I had plans on making chocolate chip cookies with them. I didn't make them yet, but since I was going to need to use them up, I made this cake. I figured if carrot cake is one of my faves, why not zucchini!

This cake came out beautifully and nobody knew there were hidden vegetables inside! My little cousins ate up big slices and gobbled it up just like any old chocolate cake! However, I'm not saying this is a healthy cake, since it does have a lot of oil in it! I originally intended to use some applesauce in place of some oil, but I noticed it was already expired, (whoops). I also don't know what the nutritional value of the zucchini ends up being after it's baked into a cake.

Even after I mixed in the eggs and oil, I thought the batter looked a little stiff, almost cookie batter-like. However after I folded in the zucchini, it was fine and easily pour-able. I used my food processor to grate the zucchini, and I did not squeeze out any liquid.

I did change this from a bundt cake recipe to a layer cake one. I omitted the nuts since I didn't have any on hand. For the frosting, I reduced the amount of sugar by 1/4 cup from the original recipe.

*note: this is tagged as dairy free, as the cake itself is dairy free. For a dairy free/vegan chocolate frosting option, see this cupcake recipe.

---

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
cake adapted from allrecipes.com
frosting adapted from More from Magnolia

ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (or replace some with applesauce)
3 cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium)

9 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled to lukewarm
3 sticks (1.5 cups) unsalted butter, softened
2 TBSP milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

directions: 
bake the cake: 
Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C). Grease and flour two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs and oil, mix well. Fold in zucchini until it is evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks and cool cake completely before frosting.

prepare frosting: 
In a medium saucepan bring an inch of water to a boil. Reduce heat to low to simmer. Place chocolate in a glass or heat proof bowl over the simmering water and mix to melt the chocolate. Once all the chocolate is melted, remove from heat, set aside and let cool to room temperature, 5-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, on medium speed beat butter in an electric mixer for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.

Slowly pour in milk and continue to beat for 2 minutes. Add vanilla and beat for 3 more minutes. Add in powdered sugar in small increments and beat at low speed until it reaches the desired consistency.

Frost cake as desired.

Star Shaped Brownies with Coconut Milk Ganache

Happy 4th of July! What are your plans today? I'm spending time with my family and having a bbq.

If you're still looking for a dessert recipe, look no further! These cute brownie stars are easy to make and festive for the holiday. I came up with this when I was at a lost of what to make that was dairy free. I decided to go back to a tried and true recipe and snazz them up.



I coated the white and blue brownies with candy melts (added food coloring to make blue since I didn't have blue melts). I had red candy melts as well, but since the candy melts aren't dairy free, I made a coconut milk ganache and topped it with red sugar. I think they turned out pretty nice if I don't say so myself!

I didn't use up all the ganache, so I see truffles in the future!

---

Star Shaped Brownies with Coconut Milk Ganache
adapted from an existing recipe

ingredients:
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup canola oil, divided
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBSP espresso powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or carob chips)

recipe coconut ganache (below)

directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C). Line an 11x17 rimmed cookie sheet with foil. Spray with baking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the cocoa and baking soda. Add 1/3 cup vegetable oil and boiling water. Mix until well blended and thickened. Stir in the remaining 1/3 cup oil, sugar, then eggs one at a time. Add the flour, vanilla and salt; mix just until all of the flour is absorbed. Add in the espresso powder. Mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan.

Lift brownie out of pan using the foil. Cut into star shapes using a cookie cutter. You may need a knife in case the cookie cutter doesn't go all the way through.

decorations:
Melt candy melts per the package directions. Spread the coating on top of the brownie. Let harden in the fridge and store at room temp after hardening. I did this because my home is warm and it didn't set right at room temperature.

for the ganache:
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract

Bring 1 cup of coconut milk to a boil. Remove from heat once boiling.

Place chocolate chips in a medium heat proof bowl. Pour boiling milk over chocolate chips. Let sit for one minute, then whisk until smooth. Stir in vanilla.

Cover with saran wrap, making sure it touches the surface so a skin doesn't form. Allow to cool at room temperature.

Dip one side of the brownie into the ganache and add red sugar. Cool in fridge until set. Store at room temperature.

Makes about 16 brownies (depending on your cookie cutter size) with leftover scraps of brownies.

---

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Did you know today is Oatmeal Cookie Day? Well, now you do! It’s actually Lacy Oatmeal Cookie day. Oatmeal cookie day is actually 4/30, but the two always get interchanged. I still made oatmeal cookies none the less.

Gary has always had a soft spot for oatmeal raisin cookies. It may as well be both our favorite cookies (although I like most cookies). I was looking at the food section on Yahoo and saw this post come up. I thought it would be a great healthier cookie, and it just so happened that today would be oatmeal cookie day.

I saw that this recipe had milk in it, so I would probably sub the milk for soy. I would also use ghee for the butter, since Gary didn't have a reaction to it like he does milk and butter. Then I had the idea to use the coconut oil and coconut milk I had on hand in my pantry already. I suggested this to Gary, and he thought it sounded good as well. My other sub was making this with these huge plump raisins we had, since raisins ARE his favorite! My cookies didn’t quite spread like the original recipe, probably because my raisins were huge and didn’t allow it to spread too much.

It smelled absolute divine while baking, and Gary couldn’t wait to try one. Gary ate one and loved it, then proceeded to grab another one. He thought it had a nice coconut essence to it.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
adapted from: A Bicycle Built for Two

 printable recipe

ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup solid coconut  oil
1 large egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon coconut milk
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup raisins

directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a bowl, mix the whole-wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the brown sugar and granulated sugar together. Next, cream the sugar with the coconut oil until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, vanilla and milk and mix until smooth.

Mix the dry mixture into the wet until blended well. Once smooth, stir in the oats and the raisins.

Grease a cookie sheet. Using a tablespoon size cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the sheet and place 2 inches apart.

Bake in preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies (I got 26).

Peanut Brittle

After making the peanut butter chip brittle last month, my family suggested making a regular peanut brittle. I found Martha Stewart’s recipe and decided to use this because it looked so easy.

I’ve always been a fan of sweet and salty things, so this was right up my alley. My sister didn’t like how the original recipe called for whole peanuts. She didn’t want to bite into whole pieces as the original recipe showed, so she chopped them up. I think it actually made it taste better that way if that’s even possible.

While I was working with the sugar in the pan, the liquid didn’t really turn golden to me. It was bubbling a lot, but pretty much remained clearish throughout the whole time, until the last minute. First it was bubbly and boiling. Then after about 7 or 8 minutes, it looked like all the water evaporated and it became dry, grainy sugar again. I thought it was weird, but I kept on whisking away, and it eventually melted again and became amber colored.

The brittle didn’t fill the entire pan as it did last time, but after it was broken up, it was still a good amount of brittle.

In the end, I also had a little bit of dried sugar stuck to my pot. If running it under hot water doesn’t get it off, I recommend boiling a pot of water to loosen it up. It came right off for me that way!

Peanut Brittle
adapted from: Martha Stewart

 printable recipe

ingredients:
Unsalted butter, softened, for baking sheet (use margarine or spray for dairy free)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts, chopped (7 ounces)
Vegetable oil, for spatula

directions:
Butter a rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Measure out  1 1/2 cups peanuts and coarsely chop, set aside.

Stir together sugar, 1/2 cup water, and the salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over high heat, without stirring, until sugar begins to melt and turn golden, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar has melted and mixture turns golden amber, about 10 minutes. Keep stirring, and it will continue to melt the sugar. It will turn into sugar lumps before it liquefies into an amber color.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in peanuts. Immediately pour peanut mixture onto buttered baking sheet. Quickly spread mixture to 1/2 inch thick using an oiled metal spatula. Let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Break brittle into pieces. Brittle can be stored in an airtight container, up to 2 weeks.

Makes about a half sheet pan of brittle.

Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream

In an effort to use up a can of pumpkin, I decided to make this pumpkin ice cream. Pumpkin pie is one of my favorite pies. It was also requested by Gary during Thanksgiving. Usually I would suggest an ice cream flavor to Gary, and he wouldn’t be interested. I suggested pumpkin flavor, and I was surprised that he actually was ok with the suggestion!

The batter smelled great as I was mixing it. I used all coconut milk in it, but the original recipe called for soy creamer and non dairy milk. Since I’m able to find coconut milk in 8 oz packages at my local Chinese supermarket, I did it this way. I’m so glad I found this too! I hated opening large cans of coconut milk only to use half, and not having a recipe to use the other half. If I didn’t have this, I would use one cup of soy milk instead.

After leaving it in the fridge overnight, the batter was very thick, just like a baked pumpkin pie. I used the spatula to scrape the mixture into the ice cream maker. I’m not sure how thick it would have been if I only left it in the fridge for 3 hours. It seemed to get stuck on the ice cream paddle in the end, so keep a close eye on it after a little while.

Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream
adapted from: The Vegan Scoop

 printable recipe

ingredients:
1 (14-15 oz) can plus 1 cup coconut milk (about 2 3/4 cups total), divided
2 TBSP arrowroot powder
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 TBSP pumpkin pie spice
1 TBSP vanilla extract

directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup milk with the arrowroot. Set aside.

Mix the remaining milk, brown sugar, pumpkin, and spices in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat. Once mixture begins to boil, remove from heat and stir in arrowroot slurry. Stir in vanilla extract.

Refrigerate mixture until chilled. Freeze according to your ice cream manufacturer’s instructions.

Makes about 1 quart.

Chocolate Covered Cornflakes

Cornflakes, they’re not just for breakfast anymore!

Steps from where I work, there’s a store called Jacques Torres. They sell all kinds of confectionaries and chocolates. Their kitchen faces the street, and you can stand there and marvel at what they’re making. When you walk in, all things chocolate exists…(although I went in once with Erin, and they didn’t know what dutch process cocoa was. They tried to sell me hot cocoa mix instead).

One of the delectable treats they make and sell are these chocolate covered cornflakes. These little crunchy flakes are amongst one of the favorite picks from the folks in the office.

I don’t recall how the conversation started, but my coworker or I said something about it. I told her I could make that…whenever I get around to it…! I then searched for the recipe, although I could have easily winged it. Surprisingly, Jacques actually had how to videos and recipes online in various locations. The video made it seem so simple, so I told everybody I was making it that weekend.

Before I looked at the recipe, I had the idea to use the dark chocolate I had on hand, our favorite baking and eating dark chocolate from Trader Joes: the pound plus. Although the recipe used bittersweet, I went with my gut and used the dark chocolate. When I poured out the corn flakes, they seemed really large. I almost went ahead with crushing the flakes slightly, but stopped myself. I’m glad I went with my gut in both instances, because people thought I could give Jacques a run for his money! The dark chocolate went well with the larger crunchy flakes.

Chocolate Covered Cornflakes
inspired by: Jacques Torres

 printable recipe

ingredients:
1 lb  dark chocolate
4 cups corn flakes

directions:
Chop up chocolate into small even pieces. Place in a large dry glass or metal bowl.

In a medium pot, bring about an inch of water to a boil. Reduce heat to low to simmer. Place bowl over the simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.

Continue to stir the chocolate until melted. Remove from heat. Set aside to allow to cool slightly.

Line 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper, or silicone mats.

Pour corn flakes into the bowl of melted chocolate. Using a spatula, fold in the cornflakes and mix well to evenly coat. It’s ok if the flakes break slightly.

Using a tablespoon, scoop about half a spoon (or more if you want them bigger). Using another tablespoon, transfer the mound from the spoon to the parchment.

Transfer baking sheet to refrigerator and let set for 10-15 minutes.

Store at room temperature ok, but if your house is on the warm side, I suggest storing in a covered container in the fridge.

Makes a few dozen, depending on how big you make them.

S’mores Brownies

I’ve bookmarked this recipe for a long time, but never had a chance to make it. One of the reasons was the melting of the chocolate. I’ve had bad luck with melting chocolate before because I was doing it all wrong. It would seize up on me, and I would have lots of wasted chocolate. Since then, whenever anything calls for melting chocolate, I tend to skip over the recipe.

I’m glad I had a chance to try out this recipe because this brownie is so dense and fudgy, and just too good to pass up. I baked these up for a work fundraising bake sale for Go Red for Women. However, a nasty snow storm resulted in our office being closed this past Friday, so the bake sale didn’t happen.

Since a few of my coworkers and I ended up working on Sunday, I brought these in with the option to donate to the charity. Even though the bake sale didn’t happen, I was glad I was still able to get a nice donation.

Since I also wanted to make this dairy free so most people can enjoy it, I used Earth Balance butter instead of butter. Some other alterations was using light brown sugar instead of dark, using honey graham crackers, and using 15 marshmallows vs. 12 since I cut the brownies into 15 pieces. Although it didn’t taste too much like a s’more, this is definitely a decadent treat to try.

S’mores Brownies
adapted from: Joy the Baker, originally from Bon Appétit, October 1991

printable recipe

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Earth Balance buttery spread
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
5 large eggs
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup graham cracker, roughly crushed with your hands
15 big marshmallows

directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or spray with baking spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with 2-inch-high sides. In a small bowl; combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan bring about 1-2 inches of water to a boil, making sure it doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl you’ll be using. Reduce heat to low, and allow water to simmer. Stir butter and chocolate in a medium sized glass bowl over the simmering water.  Stir chocolate and butter in this double boiler until melted and smooth.

Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Stir in warm chocolate mixture, then dry ingredients. Fold in graham crackers.  Pour batter into prepared pan. Dot with large marshmallows, maintaining even spacing between each one.  Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30- 40 minutes minutes.

Marshmallows will be browned and puffy but will deflate as the brownies cool.  Cool for at least 20 minutes than slice with a sharp knife, cleaning the knife with hot water if it gets too messy and sticky.

I wrapped these up individually in plastic wrap and handed it off to coworkers.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons

One of the cookies I made over the weekend for Chinese New Year were these coconut macaroons. I originally wanted to try macaroons around Christmas time, but I didn’t get a chance to. I figured, this would be a good opportunity to make these since coconut is one of the candies in a traditional Chinese New Year candy tray.

I found these in Martha Stewart’s cookie book and it looked simple enough. It’s fairly easy for me to get unsweetened coconut flakes from the Asian supermarkets. However, Martha mentions that if you don’t have any, you can substitute sweetened coconut, but reduce the amount of sugar called for to 1 TBSP. The original recipe called for chocolate chunks, but I had lots of chocolate chips to use, so I used that instead.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons
adapted from: Martha Stewart’s Cookies

printable recipe

ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
2 large egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

directions:
Preheat oven to 375° F. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, set aside.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl except for the chocolate chips. Mix well to combine. Stir in chocolate chips to combine.

Dampen your hands with cold water (repeat as necessary while forming cookies). Using a TBSP sized cookie scoop, scoop mixture into hands and mound into small haystacks. Place on cookie sheet.

Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes, rotating the sheets 180° halfway through. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies (I got 22).