Hazelnut biscotti

Just the name is enough to bring you visions of Italy, isn't it? Biscotti.....its got such a nice ring to it.   Though I haven't been lucky enough to visit Italy yet, like many, I have had a chance to appreciate how beautiful the land is thanks to the many wonderful shows centered on Italian cuisine. I was first introduced to biscotti at DH's cousin's house as an accompaniment to the morning coffee, and we've both been hooked ever since. Once I turned vegan though, I started missing them. Veganomicon, the great cookbook, to the rescue! This recipe uses flaxseed (in place of eggs) which lends a great nutty texture to the biscotti, while also adding Omega-3's to your diet.
These biscotti are as simple as they are elegant. Just the wonderful flavors of vanilla and hazelnut, mingling together to create a heady aroma that makes you want to inhale the biscotti before you devour it. They are crunchy, but not so crunchy as to warrant a visit to the dentist, if you know what I mean. They are a great treat to go with your morning coffee or your lunch box. Plus, since they are twice-baked, they will last longer than traditional cookies. So, bake these up on a weekend and they are yours to enjoy for the following week. That is, if they make it past the weekend!

Ingredients (for 18 biscotti) (recipe adapted from Veganomicon)
1 and 2/3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp flaxseed powder
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp baking powder
1tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup hazelnuts

Method
The first thing to do is toast the hazelnuts. To do this, preheat your oven to 350 F. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 min.. Watch carefully in the last few minutes, as they will quickly go from toasted to burnt. When they are done, set aside to cool. Once they are cool, you can rub them together to get the peels off. Then, place the hazelnuts in a zipper bag and pound the nuts with a rolling pin, to end up with finely chopped hazelnuts.
Prepare a cookie sheet by lining with silpat. In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond milk with flaxseed and whip with a fork for a minute. Then add the oil, sugar and vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, use a whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cornstarch. Now, add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just mixed. Add the hazelnuts and mix well into the dough. Now, shape the dough into a rectangle, about 3-4 inches wide by 10-11 inches long. Bake at 350 for 25-27 minutes, until the sides/bottom start to crisp up and the biscotti log puffs up a little. Now, set aside to cool for  30-40 min..  Meanwhile, increase the oven temperature to 375 F. Make sure to let the log cool. The cooler the log is, the easier to handle it will be. Once cool, use a long serrated knife (I used my bread knife) to make 1/2" wide slices. Lay the biscotti on the cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 min. until they crisp up to the desired level. Then, remove from oven and cool in the sheet for 5 min. Then, transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely and transfer to an air-tight container.

Apple pecan muffins and gobi (cauliflower) paranthas

Apple pecan muffins

You know how you feel when you've had a great night's sleep and you wake up all refreshed and ready to go?? That was me today. And what better way than to begin the day than with a sumptuous breakfast?  I started browsing my old standby, "The Joy of Vegan Baking", and these muffins caught my eye because it is after all, winter, and there are sweet, crunchy, juicy apples everywhere. And these muffins were right up my alley. They are packed with chopped apples, crunchy, buttery pecans and don'y use much oil and sugar. Talk about a healthy muffin! We all snacked on the muffins all day, and didn't have to feel guilty about eating something unhealthy. And to complement the muffins, we made soft and spicy gobi paranthas. I say we, beacuse, DH did half of the parantha-making. I know, I am a lucky gal :). I learnt this recipe from my mother-in-law who made us the most yummy paranthas when we were in India last time. These hot paranthas were really nice on a cold winter day like today. Just enough to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside and make you want to snuggle with your family on the couch. Ahhhh....On to the recipes, now.

Apple Pecan muffins (recipe adapted  from Joy of Vegan Baking)


Ingredients (for 12 muffins or 24 mini-muffins)
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp flaxseed powder + 6 tbsp water
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 to 3/4 cup water or non-dairy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups peeled and chopped apples ( 3 small or 2 large apples)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line muffin pan with baking cups or spray with non-stick spray (If you are new to baking muffins, believe me, this step is critical. When I had just started baking, I almost gave up because it was so hard to pry the muffins from the pan and needless to say, cleanup was really tough).

To a large mixing bowl, add the flaxseed powder with (the 6 tbsp) water, whip vigorously with a fork for a minute and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon using a whisk. Set this mixture aside. Now, add the oil, sugar, applesauce, vanilla extract and water/milk to the flaxseed mixture and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Now, add the apples and pecans and mix gently. Divide the batter equally among the twelve muffin cups and bake for 20-22 min or until a toothpick/fork inserted into the muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 min. and then let them cool completely on a cooling rack.

Cauliflower filling

Gobi (cauliflower) paranthas 
Ingredients( for 5-6 medium-size paranthas)
For the atta/dough
3 and 1/2 cups wheat flour (chapathi/roti flour, can use all-purpose and whole-wheat in equal measures)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
1 and 1/2 cups water

For the filling
1 cup grated cauliflower (1/2 medium cauliflower)
1 small onion, chopped as finely as possible
1 green chilli, chopped
1 and 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red chilli powder (optional, depending on spice level desired)
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp jeera/cumin powder
1/2 tsp amchur powder (optional, but adds great flavor, so try and use it)
1 tbsp grated ginger

Method
Combine the flour, salt and oil. Add 1 cup of the water and stir well. Now, add the rest of the water as you continue to knead. Knead the dough for 2-3 min. or until you get a soft, smooth dough. If its sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and continue to knead. Place in a large bowl, cover with a towel and set aside. (To make life easier, you can knead the dough the night before and refrigerate, if you plan to make paranthas the next morning).

Making a parantha

Combine all the filling ingredients and set aside (If the filling seems a little wet, use a paper towel to remove some moisture). Place a griddle/tava on medium-high heat. Now form a 1-inch ball of the dough and roll it out to a circle, about 6" in diameter. Repeat. Now, take 1/4 cup of the filling and spread it evenly on the rolled-out dough, leaving 1/4" or so around the edges.  Now, place the other dough circle on top of the filling and press down on the edges a bit. Roll this out a litle bit to make sure the filling is well-integrated with the dough. Now place this on the hot griddle and cook for 1 min., flip, and cook another min..Now, add 1 tsp of oil on each side and cook the parantha for another min. or so. Thats it! Your parantha is ready. Now place the parantha on a plate and cover tightly with foil while you cook the rest. Enjoy your paranthas with vegan butter/Indian pickle.

Hot parantha with vegan butter!

Chocolate chocolate chip-walnut cookies

The third post on this blog and its a chocolate-based dessert/sweet again! You now know that DH and I are certified chocoholics!! Joining us in this delicious obsession is our 16 month-old who loves everything that I bake and especially the chocolaty desserts. What more could I ask for? Anyway, not to worry if chocolate isn't your favorite thing in the world, since I will be posting other recipes soon.
But moving on to this cookie recipe, it is the ultimate choco-lovers' cookie. Its crisp on the outside, thanks to the cocoa and flax seed, and so soft in the center. Its intensely chocolaty and goes well with a glass of cold soy/almond milk, or if you are feeling indulgent, a scoop of vanilla soy ice cream. Heaven!!

The recipe I used is from "Veganomicon" by Isa Moskowitz and Terry Romero. I slightly adapted it to make it a tad healthier. This is a wonderful cookbook with many delicious and versatile recipes. This recipe is pretty simple and is ready from start to finish in about 30 min.

Ingredients (for 36 cookies)
2 and 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (use all-purpose flour if you don't have this)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup canola oil
1 and 1/4 cup sugar
4 tsp ground flaxseeds
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup chocolate chips (vegan)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Method
Preheat oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with silpat/parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and oil. Add the flax seeds, non-dairy milk and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredient mixture in batches and mix thoroughly to combine. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts. The dough will be quite stiff. Now, take about a tablespoon of the dough and roll it into a ball. Place on cookie sheet and flatten the ball slightly with your hand or a fork. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Bake for 10-12 min. Remove from oven and cool the cookies in the baking sheet for 5 min before transferring to a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool completely, then transfer them to an air-tight container.

Chocolate vanilla diamond cookies

'Tis the season for cookies. You can't go anywhere without seeing/smelling/hearing about cookies this time of year. So, I decided to give in to temptation and bake these chocolate and vanilla flavored beauties. The flavor combination is perfect and they just melt in your mouth. And they look so cute! Their unusual shape only adds to their charm. The other thing DH and I loved about them is that they weren't too sweet. Decorated with some powdered sugar on top, they have just the right amount of sweetness. This recipe uses some whole-wheat pastry flour, so all in all, its pretty healthy as far as cookies go!

This recipe is adapted from the sugar cookie recipe in "The Joy of Vegan Baking". It yields 45-50 cookies. You could easily cut the ingredients in half if you don't want to bake that many.

Ingredients
1 cup room temp. vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (If you don't have this, use AP flour. Don't use whole wheat flour)
3 tsp egg-replacer (available at Whole Foods/Sprouts Market)
4 tbsp water
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1-2 tbsp non-dairy milk, if needed

Method
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You could use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer for this. This should take 4-5 minutes. Once that is done, add the egg-replacer, water and vanilla extract and beat until everything is thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the flours and baking powder together until well-mixed. Now, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture, as you continue mixing. Form the dough into a ball and cut it into two equal-sized portions.

Cover one half in plastic wrap/put in a container and refrigerate. To the other half, add the cocoa powder and knead, adding the non-dairy milk if the dough starts to feel dry. Once the cocoa is incorporated, cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate. The dough should be chilled for at least 30 min. and upto an hour.

Once the dough has been chilled, take one portion out and put it onto a lightly floured surface/silpat. Roll the dough out until its about 1/4" thick. Put the rolled out dough in the fridge while you repeat with the other portion. Let the cookie dough chill for another 10-15 min. in the fridge. While the dough chills, preheat the over to 350 F.

Once this is done, lay the vanilla dough out first onto a lightly floured surface. Place the chocolate dough on top.  Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into pretty little diamond shapes or whatever beautiful shapes you prefer.

Place the cookies onto a cookie sheet lined with silpat/parchment paper. Bake for 12-16 min. The cookies are done when the edges start to brown. You can also flip a cookie to to make sure the bottom is browned, which also means the cookie is done. Cool the cookies in the pan for 2-3 min. and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. While they are cooling, dust powdered sugar on half the cookies.

I hope you enjoy baking and sharing these cookies with your loved ones. Happy holidays everyone!!

Vegan not weird is born

Hello, world! After months of fantasizing about starting a vegan blog, Vegan not weird is born today. Incidentally, it is DH's birthday today. So, I made him a chocolate cake. Let me start by saying that this recipe is foolproof. Its really super easy and quick. I baked the cake in my new Cusinart convection oven and it baked up in 15 min. flat! How fabulous is that!

The recipe for this cake is from "The Joy of Vegan Baking" by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Its a great book and a good starting point if you are just venturing into vegan baking.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour (I used a combination of whole-wheat pastry and all-purpose flour)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup cold water
1 tbsp white distilled vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a 9 "cake pan by greasing it and spreading about a tsp of flour on the bottom and sides of the pan. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, soda, salt) and mix well with a whisk to combine. Make a well in the center. Add the wet ingredients.  Mix until just combined. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 30 min. OR until the cake smells done (after baking a few cakes, this part will come easily to you). Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick/fork in the center. If the toothpick is dry, then your cake is done. After cake is done, set aside to cool in pan for 30 min., then transfer to the dish/platter on which you want to serve it.

One of my favorite chocolate frosting recipes is the Maple-chocolate frosting from Robin Robertson's book, "Vegan Planet".

Ingredients
1 16 oz. package silken tofu, drained
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup maple syrup/other liquid sweetener
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Method
Combine all ingredients in a blender/food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until well-chilled.

However, today, I didn't have silken tofu at home, so I tried this frosting recipe. I have to say, in all honesty, I wasn't pleased. It was way too sweet for my taste and the texture was not to my liking either. Try the maple chocolate frosting. You won't be disappointed.

When ready to frost, pour the frosting on top of the cake and spread with a regular, or even better, a cake icing spatula. Devour!