Trying Veganism
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Peanut Butter Invasion
First off here’s a pic I meant to post in the beginning of March, but totally forgot in the mess that is my images folder 
Anyway, I pretty much had the same breakfast today: a pear, Blueberry Raspberry Pancakes with applesauce, blueberry sauce and maple syrup.
And now onto the birthday baking. I apologize because we were in a hurry and when we arrived at his place I honestly just didn’t think of taking more food pictures although there was A LOT of food. His mom made many turkish dishes. I had the vegetarian ones: couscous and hummus. And even though her hummus was perfectly prepared I still don’t get why so many seem to go nuts over it.
But now I present you the best chocolate cookies! I am not kidding. If you’re into the combination of banana, peanut butter and chocolate you will love these! If you’re not into the banana taste simply use another egg-replacer.
They were actually supposed to have a PB core inside, but we were out of peanut butter and made only the chocolate cookies. I’ll post the full recipe though, they are totally worth it!
Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Munchies
Ingredients (makes 32 cookies)
Chocolate Cookies
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup vegan margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)
1/2 banana, mashed (or egg-replacer for 1 egg of choice)
1 Tbsp. soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1. stir together flour, cocoa, and baking soda, set aside
2. in a separate bowl, mix margarine, sugar, brown sugar, and peanut butter
3. add mashed banana, soy milk, and vanilla, beating well
4. beat in as much flour mixture as possible using a mixer, stir in the remaining flour mixture
5. form into 32 balls, about 1 & 1/4 inches in diameter, set aside
Peanut Butter Filling
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp.s granulated sugar
1. beat together powdered sugar and peanut butter until smooth (knead by hand if necessary) and shape into 32 balls
2. preheat oven to 350°
3. slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter filling ball, shape the chocolate dough completely around the peanut butter dough, roll into a ball and repeat with remaining dough
4. place cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking pan
5. bake for about 8 minutes or just until set
The cookie surfaces should be slightly cracked. Cool on pan for about a minute. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Can be frozen for up to 3 months!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cake.
You were right Jennifer, this crunchy but soft cake was fantastic!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Crispy Bars from Have Cake, Will Travel!
The Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls which my friend liked the most.
They looked pretty much like those, but we didn’t have time left for icing but had already mixed powdered sugar, cinnamon and vanilla sugar together and just put that on top which lead to the picture – lots of sugar, but where are the rolls?
And not very photogenic, but damn tasty! Crunchy, sweet and perfect with the raspberry jam in the middle: Peanut Butter Cupcakes from VwaV. We just added jam and 71% chocolate pieces.
All in all this was a huge success, everything was very well recieved and I was called the MacGyver of baking because everyone was like „I’ll call you when I want to bake and am missing an egg so you can tell me what to use instead!“ Ha ha =p
I wanted to make a pie with silken tofu, too. But the stores were closed on Friday and when I wanted to buy it on Saturday I looked at the recipe again to read that it was supposed to cool in the fridge overnight. So no pie, but there was wayyy to much food anyway.
Talking about way too much food, I just came back from my best friend who’s polish and her mom made Pierogies & Borscht, roasted rosemary potatoes, red beet salad and lamb’s lettucce with oranges… SUCH a filling and wonderful dinner!
Cinnamon Rolls, Berry Crisp, Pizza and Spinach Chickpea Curry
So here we go: food from the last days!
CINNAMON ROLLS! Mhh, they were so good! My boyfriend loved them and it’s extremly hard to get him to say something like „Wow, they are delicious!“
Success!!! I used Bjorkedoffs recipe!
Spelt pizza crust with Barilla Basil Sauce, spinach, broccoli, yellow bell pepper, tomatoes, shredded zucchini and vegan mozzarella.
Chickpea Spinach Curry from VwaV. It was a little bland and sure did not look very pretty, but after adding more spices it was really good! Too many chickpeas for my taste, but other than that this was quite a success.
Happy Herbivores Blueberry Crisp. Such a quick and berrylicious dessert!!!
With ice cream – my dad’s plate.
And the raspberry version, because I was out of blueberries.
And then I got fresh blueberries, yumm!
Vcon’s Quinoa, Black Bean, Mango Salad
First off I want to thank Ashasarala a thousand times for giving me the recipe for this salad as I am not yet an owner of this apparently amazing cookbook.
It probably tastes even more amazing than it did last night because I had neither red wine vinegar, grape seed oil, nor fresh cilantro. So I used a tsp. olive oil, bianco and balsamic vinegar and about 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley (didn’t have any more).
It still tasted awesome!
My parents were still at work so I placed the bowl on the dinner table and when they came home later my mom called „I see there’s something on the table. Can we have that?“ I was like „Sure, it’s all yours. I already had a big bowl!“
Five minutes later I got a text message from my mom saying nothing but „M m m m h“! Ha ha, she’s so awesome! When I saw her again she apologized that there weren’t any leftovers. She and my dad really enjoyed this. To quote my mother „Not only did it taste fantastic, it looked so pretty and colorful! A joy for the eyes and the tastebuds!“
Yup, I will definitely start making more „real“ dishes(less baking as my jeans are getting tight and I can not afford new pants at the moment).
Not only do I get to try various dishes I have always wanted to try, my parents are also open people who will definitely try new things and be honest about how they like it and a big plus – my parents will get to eat healthier!
So I guess I know who I’m going to ask for Vcon
Quinoa with Asparagus, Bell Pepper and Soy Sprouts & Whole Wheat Raspberry Corn Pancakes
Yesterday I rediscovered the Asian Supermarket that’s only 2 minutes away from my apartment.
I didn’t like to go there(weird sickening smell, rude employees) and hadn’t gone inside for at least 4 years.
But last night I needed soy sprouts so I went in.
Surprise: the bad smell is now mostly gone and the employees have become more or less friendly.
I went in with 2 € and came out with a bag of fresh soy sprouts and fresh green asparagus, each for 90 cents. How awesome is that? Everything there is so cheap(Tofu costs 2 € less than the one I used to buy) and fresh. I could slap myself for not going there earlier. Ah well, at least I know where I’ll go shopping from now on =)
I made Wok Veggies with peanut butter and coconut sauce with my mom last night and tried quinoa for the first time (yes, I love it, too). Sadly I didn’t take a picture. And when I came home at 5 in the morning and wanted to heat up the left overs and then photograph them, I discovered that my dad had already eaten them(this morning he mentioned how much he enjoyed the quinoa). So I cooked myself a quick night snack and went to bed.
And this morning I had Whole Wheat Raspberry Corn Pancakes for breakfast. An adapted version of the recipe found in How it all Vegan!
Looking ugly, but tasting so so so damn good! Cornmeal gives pancakes such a fantastic texture. Yumm!
Vegan with a Vengeance arrived!
Woohooo, I was so excited to unwrap it last night!
This book is awesome, loaded with useful tips for a vegan newbie like me. I can’t wait to try something out!!!
I’ll definitely try the Scrambled Tofu soon. And the Banana Chocolate Pudding Brownies are also on my things-to-try-asap-list.
And my parents came back from vacation yesterday. Finally I have someone to feed my creations to. Don’t get me wrong, my boyfriend does eat some of the things I make. He just can’t get over the fact that I’m veganizing everything. So he still prefers to go to Mc Donald’s or Burger King and complain about stomach ache later. Guys…
I also had a discussion with him about it again. He can’t really make a point as to why he is „against“ veganism. He says he’s just worried about me getting malnourished. So I told him that by eating beans and Tofu and whatnot I am getting enough protein for example. He hit back that you can’t replace animal-protein. I was like „Dude, do all vegetarians you know are sick or somehow seem like they are about to die because they don’t eat meat?“ Jeez. Seriously, this is going back and forth and he just can’t admit that veganism is a possible healthy way to live. SIGH!
I made some more Chili last night, because my mom didn’t feel like cooking and they both loved it. Yeah, I’m always proud when someone compliments me on my food =D
Even the boyfriend did. But that’s probably because I made us a salad(forgot to take a picture, it was so wonderfully colorful). A simple salad mix with cucumber, red, yellow and orange bell peppers, tomatoes and corn.
Oh, I ordered my first vegan Pizza yesterday. Ha ha, you should have seen the waiter all confused asking „No salami? No cheese? Just broccoli and bell pepper? Is that correct now?“ Because I had to tell him several times that I do not want the regular kid’s pizza with salami and cheese. It was good, but they could have loaded up more veggies and a bit more tomato sauce.
Dulche Sin Leche & Simple Vanilla Agave Nectar Cupcakes and the first HIAV tryout
The first thing I tried from How It All Vegan was the onion cream cheese. I added some dried basil to it. I’ll have to add a little more pepper or maybe a bit garlic the next time.
And now to the Dulche Sin Leche Cupcakes…
Oh my God, they are incredible, the caramel glaze is to die for!!! I already ate two, but I still want to cook a decent dinner so I have to stop myself (easier said than done).
I made a batch of Simple Vanilla and Agave Nectar Cupcakes, too. Along with the Blueberry Mousse that I’m going to try out tomorrow.
Also, I made raspberry sauce for the next batch of Pancakes I surely will have again very soon.
And then I made sour cream after the recipe Jennifer recommended.
Oh and the sniff test… I’m actually not sure whether the silken Tofu passed it or not. It didn’t smell very bad, just a little dusty and like wet carton. I didn’t eat anything of the stuff I used it in yet, so I would really appreciate some advice from the ones of you who have used silken Tofu before. Please? You can get cupcakes for it, I have enough
And now I’ll leave you with a close-up picture of frozen blueberries, because I’m a macro-whore and drool over pictures like that
Raspberry Apple Pear Pancakes & Spaghetti with Pesto Rosso marinated vegetables and crumbled Tofu
Yesterday, as I was looking though my kitchen repertoire, the pears and apples laughed at me and so here we go again with some more delicious filling Pancakes.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. apple saue
1 cup soy milk
2 Tbsp. Agave syrup
1 apple, diced
1 pear, diced
1/2 cup raspberries
But even after this fruity snack, I didn’t feel satisfied and craved something hearty so I threw together a bunch of stuff. And I know I said I didn’t like Tofu too much, but I bought some a few days ago and I was very pleased this time.
Spaghetti with Pesto Rosso marinated vegetables and crumbled Tofu
Ingredients
Spaghetti (for 1-2 servings)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup brussel sprouts
1/2 zucchini, sliced
1 cup cauliflower
1 cup broccoli
1/2 cup bell pepper
1 cup spinach
1/2-1 cup Tofu, crumbled
2 Tbsp. Pesto Rosso
thyme, basil, rosemary, chili, oregano, salt, pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1-2 Tbsp. soy sauce
pine, pumpkin and sunflower seeds (optional)
1. cook the pasta
2. cut brussel sprouts in half, cut the bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini
2. in a sauce pan heat up olive oil, add onions, stirr on medium heat until golden
3. add garlic
4. add vegetables, season with desired spices to taste, cover up and cook on low for about 15 min.
5. when pasta is done, add the spinach (I used frozen spinach)
6. in a bowl, crumble Tofu and add 2 Tbsp. Pesto Rosso, mix well
7. add 1/2 of the Tofu mixture to the vegetables cooking, mixing well
8. add the rest of the marinated Tofu to the Spaghetti, mix well
9. when vegetables are done, add balsamic vinegar and soy sauce
10. add vegetables to the Spaghetti, stir well and serve with sunflower, pine and pumpkin seeds
I’m eating the left-overs as I am writing this. It’s good, but it’s definitely missing some red ingredients(red bell pepper, tomato…). But that’s only because I didn’t have anything else left here.
Anyway, the most exciting thing: How It All Vegan and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World arrived yesterday!!!
I’ll definitely make something today, but there are sooo many many great recipes in there. Picking one is going to be tough!
Vegan Cookbooks
I ordered my first vegan cookbooks.
How it all Vegan
Vegan with a Vengeance
Vegan Cupcakes take over the World
I can’t wait!!!
