Chow Vegan

Vegan Chocolate Muffin, from Pamplemousse Pâtisserie et Café in downtown Redwood City. As their one and only vegan pastry item, it might as well be a chocolate muffin.

Nice chocolate flavor but it didn’t seem quite like a muffin. It was more like eating a little chocolate cake. Not that I’m complaining or anything. But it certainly made me think what’s the difference between a muffin and a cupcake (other than the lack of frosting and a muffin top).

I shared the muffin with my sister’s kids who could care less about whether it’s actually a muffin or a cake. Instead, through chocolate-muffin-covered-teeth, my niece declared, “You can’t even tell it’s vegan!”

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After a wayward trip crisscrossing the nation courtesy of the postal service, I finally received my order for Vegan Desserts by Hannah Kaminsky (she’s the brains and talent behind one of my favorite blogs, BitterSweet).

Being a non-baker of the highest order, I eased into the cookbook by trying a non-baking recipe, Watermelon Bombe. Not only does it not involve any baking, but I also used the “cheater” method. The recipe in the cookbook is for making each layer from scratch, with an alternative method of going with store-bought ice cream and sorbet. Naturally, I went to the store.

Fortunately, the flavors I wanted to get happened to be on sale. I picked up:

• Green tea soy ice cream for the rind
• Vanilla almond ice cream for the white part
• Mango coconut water sorbet for the yellow watermelon
• Strawberry sorbet for the red watermelon

I split the recipe in half and used two smaller bowls to make a red and a yellow watermelon. Guess which one I made first? Yup, the yellow one. I got the hang of it on the second one so the red melon came out a lot neater. I left out the chocolate chips, so they’re “seedless.”

I didn’t care for the green tea ice cream by itself but in this recipe, I like it. The slight bitterness goes well with the sweetness of the other layers. It was actually pretty easy to make and it looks fancy – great for a fun summertime treat, especially with the heat around here this week.

As for the rest of the cookbook, it starts off with an Ingredient and Kitchen Tools Glossary – not just a dry description what it is, but Hannah’s take on the item, where to find, substitutions etc. The next part, Troubleshooting is very helpful with trying to figure out what went wrong. The recipe section is broken down by season, covering everything from pies and cookies to ice cream and cakes. There’s even a doggie treat, Canine Cookies. And practically all of the recipes come with beautiful color photos.

Stay tune for a future post in which I actually attempt to bake something from Vegan Desserts. Should be interesting.

This post contains Amazon links, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on any of the links and make a purchase of anything.

How about a couple of cupcakes for dinner?

I haven’t made lasagna in ages but after seeing the oh-so-cute Petite Lasagnas at Can You Stay For Dinner?, I just had to make a vegan version. Super easy to make using wonton wrappers, the mini lasagnas bake in about ten minutes or so.

I didn’t bother to replace the meat in the sauce called for in the original recipe, I just went with vegetables – fresh shiitake mushrooms and baby zucchini from the farmers market. Baby veggies fit in easily without having to chop them into smaller pieces.

Once cool enough to handle, you can actually pick one up and eat it without a fork. Fun for a party or an easy dinner. Highly customizable too, just use your favorite sauce and fillings.

I only wish the Daiya cheese was a little more melted (I would have left it in the oven for a bit longer but the tips of the wontons were getting to be pretty brown and I have a very touchy smoke detector).

Vegetable Lasagna Cupcakes
Makes 12

24 wonton wrappers
1 cup pasta sauce or spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup of your favorite cheese

Vegetable Filling
2 ounces shiitake mushrooms, washed and thinly sliced
2-3 baby zucchini, peeled, washed and sliced crosswise
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Tofu Ricotta
8 ounces firm tofu with water squeezed out and crumbled
10 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

To make the vegetable filling, heat a wok or sauté pan to hot. Add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds, add the zucchini and cook for a minute or so then add the mushrooms and cook for another minute until the vegetables are tender. Place in a bowl and set aside.

Next, make the tofu ricotta. Crumble about 3/4 of the tofu in a bowl, add the basil, olive oil, nutmeg, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until smooth but still slightly lumpy. Crumble in the remaining 1/4 tofu, mix to combine and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly coat a 12 cup muffin pan with oil. Layer a wonton wrapper in each cup, gently pressing down on the bottom and up the sides of the cup.

Divide the tofu ricotta in half. Using the first half, distribute evenly on top of each wrapper. Layer the vegetables next using the same distribution method. Top with the tomato sauce then cheese.

Place a wonton wrapper on top but going in the opposite direction. Repeat the layers of the ricotta, vegetables, sauce and finally the cheese on the very top.

Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until the wonton wrappers are golden. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before serving.

I was down south for a day and stopped by New Frontiers Natural Marketplace in San Luis Obispo to check out their new store location on Los Osos Valley Road (the old Circuit City spot). It’s sooo much nicer compared to their old location on Foothill; it’s all shiny and new. And it’s huge! The feel and vibe now is very much like a Whole Foods.

The grocery section has many of the products that I’m used to getting including Daiya, bulk foods and what looks like a nice produce section. The pricing seems to be similar to Whole Foods, but there’s also sales that make some things a bit more affordable (at least on the day that I was there).

Since I was going to be in the area for such a short time, I only got prepared food from the deli/hot food section. There was a few vegan items including the Vegan Lentil Loaf for $7.49. I haven’t always been a fan of lentils but the loaf was savory and tasty. Well-seasoned, not too salty, and looks kinda like a slice of cake – I would totally get it again.

I didn’t get a chance to try anything else. Besides the deli, I skipped by a sushi bar, bakery, gelato bar, pizza station, a stir-fry station, and of course a salad bar. You would be skipping around the store too if you knew how deprived SLO had been of a store like this.