Hasty Tasty Pasta with Broccoli, Olives, and "Chicken"

Yesterday was a long day. My daughter E. had her birthday party (two weeks late because of her hectic soccer schedule) at a local amusement facility. There were arcade games and ice skating as well as the ritual cake and birthday presents. I found out something the hard way: it's almost impossible to get kids out of those places once you've allowed them in. Between the game tokens that absolutely must be used up that day and the standing in line to redeem game points for prizes, the party lasted a lot longer than we intended.

And, when we got home, we had one extra child with us: E. had invited her best friend to eat dinner and spend the night. The only problem was I had no idea what was for dinner and no energy for cooking. Fortunately, I had a package of the new Morningstar Farms Chick'n Strips* in the freezer for just such a situation. I'd never tried them before, and faux meats are not something I recommend eating frequently, but on this occasion, they really came in handy and turned out to be pretty tasty.

In this recipe I used a little more olive oil than I usually do, but it can be prepared with as little or as much as you want. The dish also contains black olives and pine nuts, so it's fairly rich even without the oil.



Hasty Tasty Pasta with Broccoli, Olives, and "Chicken"

1 pound pasta (I recommend rotini;I used spaghetti because that's all I had)
1 large bunch broccoli, cut into florets, stems peeled and sliced
1 package fake chicken strips (optional)
1 tsp. to 2 tbsp. good olive oil (to taste)
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup pine nuts
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
small black olives, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta and salt (if desired). Cook until the pasta is almost done (with about 2 minutes of cooking time left). Add the broccoli to the pasta and cover. Cook for 2 minutes, until broccoli and pasta are just barely tender (al dente) and broccoli is bright green. Remove 1 cup of the cooking water and reserve it; drain the pasta and put it into a large serving bowl. Toss with a teaspoon of olive oil, if desired.

While the pasta is cooking, sauté the chick'n strips in a non-stick skillet sprayed with olive oil until brown. Remove them to the serving bowl. Add as much olive oil to the skillet as you want to use, heat it and add the garlic and pine nuts. Stir and cook until the pine nuts just start to brown. Remove from the heat and add the reserved cup of pasta cooking water--carefully to avoid spattering. Return to the heat, add the basil, red pepper, black pepper, and salt, and stir and cook until slightly thickened. Pour it over the pasta and chick'n strips, add the black olives, toss well, and serve.

This was very kid-friendly, and this time I have two kids' opinions: Both of them ate two heaping plates apiece (and fought over the olives). The "chicken" was a pretty big hit and added an interesting texture to the dish. I thought that it was much softer than real chicken and didn't really taste like chicken, but what do I know--I've been a vegetarian for 18 years, so it's amazing that I even remember chicken! It was tasty, however, and picked up the garlicky flavor of the sauce just fine.

*The Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chick'n and Steak Strips are two of the very few vegan products that Morningstar offers. Other "chicken"-type products can be used in this recipe, and, truthfully, I advocate buying products from a more vegan-friendly (and less multi-national) company, if you can.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Chickpeas and Barley in Red Lentil and Eggplant Sauce

Today's recipe is based on a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian,Anatolian Red Lentil Stew with Wheat Berries and Chickpeas, which I wound up adapting more than I meant to.

The first adaptation was out of necessity: I didn't have wheat berries so I used barley instead, and I served it over rice (jasmine rice) because I felt it could use more grain. The second adaptation was out of ignorance: I assumed that one regular-sized eggplant could substitute for 2 small ones, but only after making the recipe did I read the introduction to it in which Ms. Jaffrey states that "you may use a 4-ounce portion" of a larger eggplant. Oops! I used a lot more than 4 ounces. (But perhaps I would have anyway; I'm all about getting as much vegetables into a dish as possible.) And of course I left out the 1/4 cup of olive oil the recipe called for; I'm so used to leaving out oil that I hardly think of that as an adaptation anymore. The next change came mid-way through the recipe when I saw that the "stew" was much more like a soup, so I added a second can of chickpeas. (I would have added more barley too, if I had had any more cooked.) Finally, the most important change came at the end, when I tasted the stew: It was so bland that I had to add some spices or else risk not being able to eat it. The original was seasoned only with dried mint (I used fresh), but I added cumin and red pepper flakes--and it still could have used more seasoning. After so many changes, I didn't feel it was right to call this "Anatolian" or Turkish or even stew.

On the positive side, my daughter E. liked it and didn't even realize she was eating eggplant (it's blended into the sauce). Sometimes bland food has its benefits! I invite you, however, to take this recipe and add to it whatever you think will make it less bland.

Chickpeas and Barley in Red Lentil and Eggplant Sauce

1/4 cup barley
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium-large eggplant, finely chopped
olive oil spray
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dried red lentils (masoor dal)
5 cups vegetable broth (may use cooking liquid from home-cooked chickpeas for part of this)
4 tbsp. fresh mint, minced (or 2 tbsp. dried)
1 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

Cook the barley in water until it's tender. I used a rice cooker to do this and wound up adding 3 or more cups of water as it all boiled out. On the stove-top, it will probably take a little less water. (Feel free to do this ahead of time; I did it the day before.)

Spray a non-stick dutch oven or large saucepan with a light coating of olive oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the eggplant and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring. Turn the heat to medium-low and add the tomato paste and the lentils; stir to combine and add 4 cups of the vegetable broth and the mint. Reduce the heat and cook until the lentils are tender (20 minutes on my stove, 40 minutes according to the original recipe).

When the lentils are tender, use a hand blender to blend the sauce right in the pot. If you don't have a hand blender, transfer in batches to a regular blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return it to the pot and add the extra cup of broth (if you used a regular blender, use the water to rinse the sauce residue back into the pot). Taste and add as much salt as you like. Add the cumin and red pepper and stir in the drained barley and chickpeas. Simmer for 15 minutes and add lemon juice and additional salt (if needed) just before serving with parsley sprinkled on top. Serve over rice, if desired.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Red Lentil and Rice Patties with Coconut-Mint Sauce

Have you ever played Telephone? You know, the children's game where one person whispers a story to another, who whispers it to another, and so on, until the last person retells the story and it has lost all semblance to the original? I've been thinking that food blogging is a lot like that: Someone posts a recipe that looks so good that other food bloggers just have to try it; only, when we make it, we inevitably change it, maybe because we don't have the same ingredients or because we don't like one of the ingredients (damn cilantro! ) or just because we have a complete inability to follow a recipe as written (guilty on all three counts). So one person blogs about a recipe, which is often an adaptation of a published recipe, another adapts the adaptation, and still others adapt the adaptation of the adaptation. I'd love to be able to track a recipe all the way from its first publication to its last adaptation, but I'm afraid there is no such thing as a last adaptation: Each person who cooks a recipe is likely to change it in one way or another.

Which brings me to today's recipe. When I first saw Red Lentil & Rice Patties with Cilantro Sauce on Catherine's blog, Albion Cooks, I knew it was something I had to try. Her description of its "sophisticated combination of flavors" grabbed my attention right away, though I was worried that I wouldn't get the full experience because I absolutely cannot eat cilantro: it tastes like soap and leaves me, literally, foaming at the mouth. So I was prepared to make the sauce with mint instead until, mid-recipe, I ran into a little problem: I didn't have any coconut milk in the house, or even enough coconut to make coconut milk. I had about 1/4 cup of dried coconut in the fridge, and that was it. So I decided to make the burgers pretty much as Catherine had but replace the sauce with an adaptation of my Miang Kum sauce. So in the process of adapting Catherine's recipe, I wound up adapting my own recipe (which is actually an adaptation of another recipe), too!

Whatever the process, the end result was, as my husband kept repeating, out of this world. The mellow taste of cumin in the patties is an unexpected surprise beneath the sweet, coconut-mint flavored sauce. Sophisticated indeed!

Red Lentil and Rice Patties with Coconut-Mint Sauce
(click for printer-friendly version)

1 cup Red Bhutanese rice (brown rice should work too)
1/2 cup red lentils
3 1/2 cups water
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely diced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp. cornstarch
1-2 tsp sesame oil
Coconut-Mint Sauce (recipe follows)

I simplified the recipe by putting the first 7 ingredients into the rice cooker and cooking them until it shut off. If you don't have a rice cooker, you may be able to cook it over low heat in a covered pan, as you would rice. Or, follow the instructions in the original recipe.

When the rice mixture is done (and the rice is completely tender), let it cool until it's easy to handle. Add the cornstarch and mix gently. Shape into patties and fry in the sesame oil until browned on each side, about 3-4 minutes. Serve with sauce, below.

Coconut-Mint Sauce

1/4 cup toasted coconut
1 tablespoon ginger paste or 1 tsp. minced ginger
2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons agave nectar (or other sweetener)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic

Puree all sauce ingredients in a blender until smooth.

I'm happy to report that this was kid-friendly but also a little embarrassed to note that E. ate it with (close your eyes, foodies) ketchup! She loved it, though, and wants me to make it again. I'll try to get her to eat it with the sauce next time, but I'm not making any promises.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Fingerling Potatoes and Fennel

Fennel and fingerling potatoes have finally come to the deep South! Well, maybe the fennel was here all along and I just wasn't looking for it, but I'm pretty sure that I grabbed up one of the first bags of fingerlings to hit the Jackson, Mississippi, grocery stores. And since I found them around the same time, it's only right that I use them in the same dish. (Good thing I didn't find fennel and something like blood oranges, huh? Although now that I think about it....)

Anyway, this is an adaptation of a recipe I found at epicurious.com, Braised Fennel and Potatoes. It called for sliced red potatoes, but I just couldn't bring myself to slice the fingerlings. After all, they wouldn't keep their distinctive shape if I sliced them. And they are distinctive. I don't think they look so much like fingers as like....well, you be the judge:



Fingerling Potatoes and Fennel

1 lb fingerling potatoes, scrubbed (I bought a bag with 3 different types of fingerlings; any type will do)
2 medium fennel bulbs (sometimes called anise) with fronds
1 large onion, halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
generous grating of fresh black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable broth

In a medium-sized pot, cover the fingerlings with water and bring to a boil. Cook, covered, until the potatoes are just tender--a fork can pierce the potato with gentle effort--about 15 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, chop enough of the fennel fronds (leaves) to measure 2 tablespoons; set aside. Then cut the stalks off the bulbs, take a thin slice off the bottom, and quarter them. Remove the hard core from the quarters and then cut the quarters lengthwise into 1/4 slices.

Lightly brush or spray a large, non-stick skillet with olive oil. Cook the fennel and onion over medium-high heat until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes (add a tablespoon of water if necessary to prevent the onions from drying out). Drain the potatoes and add them to the skillet along with the pepper, salt, and vegetable broth. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook for 5 more minutes. Stir in reserved fennel fronds before serving.

We all liked this, even my husband who admitted that he was a little worried about mixing fennel (which he described as "licorice tasting") with potatoes. E. said to tell you that it was kid-friendly; she ate plenty of the potatoes and tried to eat the fennel while avoiding the onion--not an easy task because they look so much alike once they're cooked.

I served this with a recipe that I got from another blogger, one that turned out to be a huge hit with all of us (D. kept saying "this is out of this world," his highest praise). You will have to tune in tomorrow to find out what that recipe was and how I slightly adapted it. There's only so much typing I can do in one day!

And don't forget to check out Sweetnicks' round-up tonight of bunches of great, antioxidant-rich recipes, ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Tropical Fruit Salad with Vanilla-Scented Yogurt Sauce

That title is a mouthful. Try saying it three times fast!

This is the simple breakfast that I made yesterday. The fruit is based on what I had in the house at the time, so feel free to use whatever you have on-hand. This makes approximately 2 servings (or one big serving).

Tropical Fruit Salad with Vanilla-Scented Yogurt Sauce

2 tbsp. plain soy yogurt
1 inch vanilla bean
1 1/2 tsp. agave nectar (or liquid sweetener of choice)
1 mango
1 tangelo
1/4 pineapple
1 apple
2 tbsp. lime juice

In a small bowl, mix the soy yogurt with the agave nectar. Cut 1 inch off a vanilla bean and slice it open. Use a spoon to scrape the sticky seeds out of the bean, and then mash the bean pod into the yogurt to get more out. Leave the pod in the yogurt while you prepare the fruit--more vanilla flavor will soak into the sauce.

Peel and cut all fruit into bite-sized pieces. Toss with lime juice. Serve with yogurt topping spooned over the top.

You could, of course, use vanilla-flavored yogurt or vanilla extract instead of the vanilla bean, but I have to tell you that it just won't taste as good. The vanilla bean gives a complexity and delicacy of flavor to the sauce that extract just doesn't have. And besides, those little vanilla seeds look so cute!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Shiny Happy Hummus

When it comes to hummus, there truly are 32 flavors and then some. While hummus is always on the menu in my house, I like to shake things up often and try new variations. Recently, I was intrigued by the Moroccan Carrot Hummus served up over on 28 Cooks; I didn't have enough baby carrots to give that recipe a try, but it did lead me to the idea of substituting cooked carrots for part of the chickpeas in my hummus.

The result was a lighter, sweeter hummus which didn't need much in the way of spices to embellish it. In fact, I tasted it after the garlic, carrots, chickpeas, and lemon juice were blended together, and I almost stopped right there: it was so fresh-tasting and delicious that I didn't want to risk muddying up the flavor with too much seasoning. But I chose to add a few flavors that, I think, complement the carrots; you're welcome to try the light, unadulterated version first and decide yourself whether it needs any extra seasonings.



Shiny Happy Carrot Hummus

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup water
2-3 cloves garlic
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tbsps. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/2 tbsp. tahini
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ginger paste (or 1/4 tsp. finely minced ginger)
pinch cayenne
1/4 tsp. paprika

On the stove or in the microwave, cook the carrots in the water, covered, until the carrots are just tender. (I nuked 'em for 2 1/2 minutes.) Put the carrots, water, and garlic into the food processor and puree.

Add the chickpeas, lemon juice, and salt to the processor and puree until smooth. At this point, you can stop and have a very simple, very light hummus. Or add the remaining ingredients and blend well. Serve as a dip, a sandwich filling, or a salad dressing.

---

Wondering about the other 31 flavors of hummus? Well, I don't really have that many on this blog, but here's the current list of the ones I DO have:

Green Olive Hummus
Almost-Instant Hummus Ghanoush
Spicy Red Pepper Hummus and a Movie
Chipotle Chickpea Dip
and, of course, my regular Low-Fat Hummus

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Yellow Mung Beans with Summer Squash

I need to have a list of recipes that didn't come out as well as I hoped they would. This one would be at the top, but I think that's my fault, not the writer of the original recipe, Neelam Batra's. This may just be one of those recipes that doesn't work well without fat.

The problem is that most of the spices in this dish are added at the end in the form of a tarka, which Ms. Batra explains is a special flavor-enhancing oil that is added just before serving the dal or lentils. Her original recipe called for the onion to be cooked in 3 tablespoons of peanut oil or clarified butter. I chose to use 1/8 teaspoon of oil and a little water. Consequently, the spices didn't seem to cook--they tasted a little bitter. I think the recipe would have come out much better if I'd just given up the idea of a tarka completely and added the onion, cumin, and coriander directly to the mung beans. If any of you Indian food bloggers or cooks out there have any suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them!

Yellow Mung Beans with Summer Squash

2 cups dried yellow mung beans, picked over and washed
5 small yellow squash, cut into 1-inch pieces (original recipe suggests zucchini)
5 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tbsp. salt
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced (original recipe suggests 5, optional)
2 tbsp. peeled and minced fresh ginger
3 tbsp. minced parsley (original states 1/2 cup cilantro)

For the Tarka Topping:

1/8 tsp. canola oil (original calls for 3 tbsp. oil)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 tbsp. cumin seeds
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. paprika

Place the bean, squash, water, turmeric, salt, and jalapeños in a pressure cooker. Cover and bring to high pressure. As soon as it reaches high pressure, remove from the heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally. (If you don't have a pressure cooker, cook it uncovered over high heat with an extra 1/2 cup water until it boils; reduce the eat to low, cover partially, and cook until creamy, 20-25 minutes). When the pressure is released, gently stir in the ginger and parsley and keep warm.

While the pressure comes down, begin making the tarka. Heat the oil in a small saucepan, and cook the onion until medium brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin seeds and cook for another minute. Add 2 tbsp. water (if using the full amount of oil, skip this) and stir in the ground cumin and coriander. Remove the pot from the heat and add the paprika.

Immediately pour the tarka over the hot dal and stir lightly. Serve garnished with cilantro, if you wish.

Adapted from The Indian Vegetarian.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Creamy Herbed Coleslaw with Grape Tomatoes

Rather than have my usual lettuce and spinach salad for lunch today, I decided to enjoy a nice big bowl of coleslaw. And since there's a 2-pound package of grape tomatoes on my counter (my daughter pleaded with me to buy them, saying she'd have them for snacks, but that's a lot of snacking) I decided to throw a few of them in too. The combination was a good one, though I have to advise you that I used way too much dressing for this amount of coleslaw. If you decide to make this, start with less dressing and add more to your taste. It turned out a little too rich for mine!

Creamy Herbed Coleslaw with Grape Tomatoes

1/4 - 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (I used Nayonnaise, but you can make it yourself)
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (or vinegar of choice)
1 tsp. agave nectar (or sweetener of choice)
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
8 ounces coleslaw (shredded cabbage and carrots) --or more, as needed
6 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes

Mix all ingredients except the coleslaw and tomatoes together in a small bowl. Pour over the coleslaw and mix well. Add the tomatoes and combine gently. Refrigerate and allow flavors to blend until ready to serve.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Spinach and Artichoke Pie

I rarely rave about a recipe, or at least I don't think I do. But I have to rave about this one because it was quite simply the best thing I've eaten in a long time. (And that is including decadent deserts, too!)

This was something that was both long in the planning and thrown together at the last minute. I'd been planning to make a spinach pie for days; I'd gotten the phyllo dough out of the freezer on Wednesday, but then I got all bogged down looking at other people's recipes. I couldn't decide if I wanted to make something similar to the spinach pie we get at our local Middle Eastern restaurant (just spinach, no tofu or feta cheese) or more like a spanakopita, with tofu instead of feta. I looked at several recipes on-line and consulted Vegan with a Vengeance. I even toyed with the idea of using chickpeas instead of tofu (and I may yet try that). After days of indecisiveness, I decided on Saturday to throw away all recipes and just do it--trust my instincts and go it alone.

My instincts told me to add artichoke hearts and Kalamata olives, and I'm glad I did. They, along with the lemon juice, give a salty tang to the filling. My instincts also told me to add pinenuts, but unfortunately I was out of them; the sliced almonds I substituted may have actually been better, with their more substantial crunch.

I used to be worried about working with phyllo dough, but I've found the secret is to have everything in position on my workspace before I even get the dough out of the fridge. I spread it out on a moist towel and cover it with another damp towel. I put the 9X13-inch baking dish right in front of the dough, between me and the phyllo, so it's a short distance to lift the delicate pastry into the baking dish. I have a spray bottle of olive oil ready, and as soon as the the phyllo is in the dish, I spritz it very lightly. I move so quickly on to the next sheet that there's hardly time, or need, to re-cover the dough.

This turned out to be so good that even E., our resident hater-of-anything-new, loved it. She named it "a different kind of lasagna." And if E. equates something to lasagna, you know it's good!

Spinach and Artichoke Pie
(printer-friendly version)

1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
12-16 ounces baby spinach (I used the pre-washed, bagged kind)
1 pound extra-firm tofu
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. minced Kalamata olives
pinch cayenne
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
black pepper, to taste
1 14-ounce can quartered artichokes, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds, slightly crushed (or toasted pinenuts)
12 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
olive oil in spray bottle

Sauté the onion and garlic in a large, deep non-stick skillet for 3 minutes. Add the spinach and 2 tablespoons water, stir, and cover the skillet. (If you couldn't fit all of the spinach in, wait a minute for the spinach to shrink and add more.) Cook until the spinach is completely wilted and shrunken. Set aside.

While the spinach is cooking, mash the tofu and stir in the nutritional yeast and all the seasonings, including the olives. Add the artichokes, almonds, and the spinach mixture, and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 375 F and lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Unwrap the phyllo dough and arrange it beside the baking dish as described above. Lay a sheet of phyllo over the bottom of the pan, spray it lightly with olive oil, and repeat the process until you have 6 sheets in the bottom of the pan. Make sure the remaining phyllo is covered with a damp cloth, and pour the spinach-tofu filling into the pan, spreading it to completely cover the phyllo. Repeat the phyllo process, covering the filling with six more sheets, spraying each one lightly. Make sure to spray the top sheet thoroughly, so that there are no un-oiled spots.

With a sharp knife, cut through the top layer of phyllo to form 9-12 equal pieces. (This helps to keep the phyllo from breaking when you cut it after baking).

Put it in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. Enjoy!

Per serving: 187 Calories (kcal); 5g Total Fat; (24% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 531mg Sodium; 6g Fiber. Weight Watchers: 3 Flex Points.

This healthy yet delicious dish is my contribution to Sweetnicks' weekly round-up of antioxidant-rich recipes, ARF/5-a-Day. Check out the other entries later tonight.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Raspberry Chocolate Cake

Sorry I didn't get the recipe posted yesterday. It's been a busy weekend, and I never found the time. Thanks for waiting! Now, to continue where I left off. . . .

First a warning: This is not a fat-free or even low-fat recipe. It's possible to make the cake lower in fat, but the frosting won't work without the margarine. Still, I'm sure it's better for you than all those recipes filled with eggs, cream, and butter. Special occasions like your daughter's 9th birthday deserve a little decadence.

And there is something very decadent about the combination of chocolate and raspberries. With raspberries in the chocolate batter and a filling of raspberries and creamy chocolate frosting, every bite of this cake brings you a little decadence. In keeping with the theme of decadence, E. had this cake for breakfast. We had a small, family-only party outside on the patio, where the spring flowers matched the flowers on her cake:

Raspberry Chocolate Cake

3 cups flour (cake flour works best)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup raspberry "all-fruit" preserves (reserve the remainder of the jar for the filling)
1 tsp. vanilla
4 ounces unsweetened apple sauce
2 tbsp. vinegar mixed with 2 cups water

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 8-inch pans.

Mix the first 5 dry ingredients together. Then add the wet ones. Beat with a mixer for 1-2 minutes, until all indredients are thoroughly blended. Pour into the prepared pans and bake on the middle rack until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes; then invert onto wire racks and allow to completely cool. Place one cake onto the serving plate and top it with about 1/2 cup of raspberry fruit spread. Spread one side of the other cake with frosting (recipe below) and put the two sides, raspberry and frosting, together. Frost the cake with the remaining frosting.

Chocolate "Buttercream" Frosting (from veganchef.com)

1/2 cup soy margarine (use only Earth Balance, for best flavor), softened
1/4 cup soy milk
3 cups Veganized Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips, melted

Cream the margarine and soy milk together in a large bowl. Add half the powdered sugar and blend well. Add the remaining ingredients, and beat well with an electric mixture until light and fluffy.

Tips:

Increase the decadence by eliminating the apple sauce and using 3/4 cup of oil. This makes a lighter, richer cake.

Decrease the fat by eliminating the oil and using another 1/4 cup of apple sauce. This lightens the calories but makes the cake heavier.

Thank you all for the birthday wishes. E. had a wonderful day!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Stay Tuned...

Raspberry Chocolate Cake. . . full photos and recipe coming soon.

Fatfree Baking Tip #1

Normally I don't do a lot of baking, but this week I found myself baking banana bread in addition to the most important thing I bake all year--my daughter's birthday cake, which is in the oven even as I type. This year, I decided to reduce the fat in my traditional recipe a little by using the time-honored technique of substituting apple sauce for some of the oil. If you've looked at or made any of my bread or cake recipes, I'm sure you've noticed it. What I haven't let on is a little secret that makes adding apple sauce to recipes very easy:

Individual serving packages. I used to buy those big jars of natural apple sauce, use a half-cup or so, put the rest in the fridge, and then a month later find green fur growing in the jar. After throwing away a few jars of barely-used apple sauce, I found myself reaching for the little snack-sized containers that my daughter takes for lunch. These come in 6-packs, and each holds 4 ounces, which is a little more than 1/3 cup and not quite 1/2 cup. When you see me indicating 4 ounces of unsweetened apple sauce, that's what I'm using. Now you know my trick.

The birthday cake is now out of the oven, and the whole house smells like . . . . oops, can't tell you the flavor. It's a surprise, you know! Check back later tomorrow night for all the details, photos, and possibly even a recipe.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Cherry-Walnut Banana Bread

What do you do when the bananas are so over-ripe that they're practically inedible? In my house, there are basically two choices: freeze them for smoothies or make banana bread. So I put it to a family vote, and the response was unanimous: Banana Bread!

I've been making the same banana bread for years. The recipe comes from my dog-eared, much loved copy of Laurel's Kitchen, the very first vegetarian cookbook I ever bought. I've adapted the recipe over the years, and the book's margins show it. There are notes giving the nutritional values with oil and with butter (from before I was vegan) and with reduced amounts of oil, butter, and light margarine. But there are no notes about completely eliminating the fat; I usually make the recipe for guests, and I tend to allow a little oil or margarine when cooking for others. I wanted to make it fat-free this time, so I looked for guidance in another old, but new to me, book that I picked up last week at an antique store: the 1994 edition of Fat-Free Baking by Sandra Woodruff, RD. It's not a vegan cookbook, but its recipes really are fat-free and many look to be low in sugar, too. So I looked at what I like about the Laurel's Kitchen recipe and I looked at Ms. Woodruff's recipe, and I sort of combined the two.

And then I threw in my own twist: dried cherries. This was a last minute decision on my part. I was trying to decide whether or not to include dates when I remembered that I had a package of dried cherries I'd bought to make Pop-Ems. So I threw them in. Feel free to throw them out, but be warned--you'll be missing a treat if you do. The cherries add a wonderful sweet-tart taste to the bread that you might not want to miss.

Cherry-Walnut Banana Bread

3 over-ripe bananas
2 tbsp. lemon juice
4 ounces unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup dark sugar (brown sugar, if you have it; I used demerara sugar)
2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dried cherries (optional, though leaving them out will require a name change)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (ditto)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas and add the lemon juice, apple sauce, and sugar. Stir well to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture, and stir just until the mixture is well-combined.

Spray or wipe a loaf pan with oil (I used non-stick spray on a silicon loaf pan). Spread the mixture evenly in the pan and bake until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Note: Fat-free quickbreads like this really benefit from being allowed to cool completely, which is why they often taste better the next day. The crust, which is chewier than breads with oil, will gather moisture and softness over time. Ignore the tempting aroma; pleasure delayed will be pleasure multiplied.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Fennel and White Bean Stew

Last night's dinner was a simple stew built around the lovely, anise-like flavor of fennel. I began by sautéing fennel and garlic and added only minimal seasonings in order to play up the fennel taste, not distract from it. I added zucchini and mushrooms near the end, but you can substitute any vegetable you like--spinach, kale, and carrots would all be welcome here (put carrots in with the fennel to give them time to cook). Served with an equally simple salad of baby spinach, tomatoes, red bell pepper, and tangerine slices, this was a quick yet satisfying meal.

Fennel and White Bean Stew

1 large bulb fennel
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large (28-ounce) can great northern or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegetable broth, divided
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 small zucchini, cubed
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced

Prepare the fennel by removing the stalks and leaves (save them for another use). Slice about 1/4 inch off the bottom of the bulb, and cut the bulb in half, down through the middle (top to bottom). Cut each half into thin wedges, top to bottom.

Brush or spray a large pot with olive oil. Heat it, and add the fennel. Sauté for about 3 minutes and then add the garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the beans, 1 cup of vegetable broth, and all seasonings. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the other cup of vegetable broth, the zucchini, and the mushrooms. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender but not overcooked. Serve in bowls alone or over brown rice or other grain.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Tofu and Broccoli with Pineapple Sauce

I was really excited about the meal I was preparing last night, until I got a call from my husband, in New York on a business trip. He was just sitting down to a meal at Sacred Chow, an all-vegan restaurant in Greenwich Village. He'd ordered three tapas--Orange Blackstrap BBQ Seitan, Mama’s Soy Meatballs, and the greens of the day, brussels sprouts--but there was so much to choose from that he wanted to order much more. (As it turned out, he was too full to order dessert and, he reports, the seitan was out of this world. If you live in NYC--go!) I had to take a break from cooking dinner just to check out the menu (impressive) and reviews (glowing) posted on their website.

Though I was suffering pangs of envy, I got back to work on the recipe I was adapting from Cafe Chimes Cookbook (a wonderfully inventive cookbook that deserves to be more widely known). I'd decided to make "Baked Tofu with 'The Sauce'" but to change the seasonings in "The Sauce" just slightly. I also decided to add chunks of pineapple and steamed broccoli and to serve it over rice, an all-foodgroups-in-one-dish meal.

The recipe turned out well, but not exactly as I'd hoped it would. The sauce was delicious, if a little bland. I began to wish I hadn't substituted sesame oil and ginger for the cinnamon and coriander of the original recipe. And it might have been better to double the sauce and thicken it at the end. But I'm picky, and I was suffering from restaurant-envy. E. totally enjoyed it, even eating a couple of chunks of pineapple, which she doesn't usually like mixed in with her food. The whole dish was a big hit with her.



Tofu and Broccoli with Pineapple Sauce

Sauce (put all sauce ingredients into blender and puree until smooth):

1/2 cup crushed pineapple with juice or 3/4 cup pineapple chunks in juice
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. white miso
1 tsp. ginger paste
1 tsp. sesame oil

1 pound extra-firm tofu, lightly pressed to remove water and cut into 8 slices
1/2 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
pineapple chunks (I used what was left of a 16-ounce can after removing enough for the sauce)
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets and lightly steamed
sliced green onions and black sesame seeds for garnish
rice to serve

Preheat the oven to 375. Lay the tofu in an oiled baking dish, sprinkle the onion over it, and pour the prepared sauce on top. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the cover and add the pineapple chunks and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes. (If you want, you can turn the broiler on for part of this time to brown the pineapple slightly.)

Serve by placing the tofu and broccoli over a bed of rice and spooning sauce and pineapple pieces over all. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

My notes for next time: Try it with the cinnamon and coriander and freeze the tofu first, as the cookbook recommends. I may also try doubling the sauce so that there's more to cover the broccoli and pan-cooking th tofu rather than baking. I'll consider this one another work in progress.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Fettuccine No-Fredo with Broccoli and Sautéed Mushrooms

Subtitle: Adventures in Cauliflower Sauce!

I was describing the Chickpeas, Potatoes and Green Beans in Cauliflower Sauce to some friends when it hit me that Cauliflower Sauce could be the best thing to happen to fatfree cooking since the invention of non-stick pans. A sauce made from cauliflower could be flavored in any number of ways, not just with Indian seasonings. And a good, creamy sauce with no fat, no soy, no gluten, no "bad carbs," and all cruciferous vegetable could be a very handy and healthy addition to many different types of recipes.

I decided to test out this theory last night. I cooked the cauliflower as I had before, but this time I used less water (the potatoes in the last recipe provided substantial thickening that I needed to compensate for) and instead of curry leaves, coriander, ginger, and garam masala, I cooked the cauliflower with garlic, oregano, and basil. After the sauce was blended and seasoned to my liking, I tossed it with some fettuccine and broccoli and topped the whole thing with some sautéed mushrooms.

Folks, we have a winner! At least to my family. My daughter E. was heading out the door to a friend's house, but she couldn't resist the sight of pasta simmering on the stove. I dished her up a plate, and she wolfed it down in record time. I had to promise her that there would be plenty of leftovers when she got back--and that I would add it to her Kid-Friendly list.

Fettuccine No-Fredo with Broccoli and Sautéed Mushrooms

Sauce:
1 head cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
4 cups water
4-6 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp. basil
1/2-2 tsp. oregano
pinch cayenne pepper
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
pinch nutmeg
1 1/2 tbsp. nutritional yeast

2 large Portabella mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 cloves garlic
1/8 cup wine (I used white, but red will do)
salt to taste

1 pound fettuccine
1 head broccoli, cut into florets

Sauce:
Using the lesser amounts of each seasoning, place all the sauce ingredients except nutritional yeast into a large saucepan and cook, covered, until the cauliflower is very soft, about 15 minutes. When it's completely tender, use a blender to puree the cauliflower to a smooth sauce. (If you have a good hand blender, I recommend you do this in the pot.)

Check the seasoning of the sauce, and add more to taste; add the nutritional yeast. Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken while you prepare the mushrooms and pasta.

Sautéed Mushrooms:
Heat a non-stick skillet brushed or sprayed with a little olive oil. Add the garlic and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms begin to exude their juices. You can prevent them from drying out by keeping the skillet covered between stirrings. When the mushrooms get juicy, add the wine and salt to taste. Cook just until the wine is absorbed and then set aside, covered, until ready to serve.

Pasta:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the fettuccine and salt, if desired, and set a timer for 3 minutes less than the amount of time indicated on the package. When the timer goes off, add the broccoli and cook for three minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. (For my fettuccine, this meant I cooked it for 9 minutes, added the broccoli, and cooked it for 3 more.) Drain the pasta and broccoli and return it to the pan. Stir in the cauliflower sauce and serve topped with sautéed mushrooms.

The pureed cauliflower forms a light yet creamy sauce that moistens the pasta and broccoli, while the sautéed mushrooms add chewy texture and earthy flavor. Besides being a great way to sneak a vegetable into a meal, this just tastes good. Try it with your favorite blend of spices and let me know your results.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Provençal Soupe au Pistou (Bean and Vegetable Soup with Pinenut Pesto)

I'm a kid when it comes to new toys, so prepare to see quite a few recipes that feature my newest toy, a Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker, in the next few days. The good news is that you don't need a pressure cooker to prepare any of these recipes; the pc just saves some time, particularly when it comes to cooking dried beans. It took exactly 8 minutes at high pressure to completely cook the cranberry beans in the following recipe, but if you don't have a pressure cooker, prepare to let them cook for around 45 minutes. (I'll put a couple of suggestions for regular stove-top cooking at the end of the recipe.)

This is a hearty soup, filled with beans and vegetables. If you're looking for a delicate soup to start a meal, this isn't the one! This is more like a meal in a bowl. Add a green salad and perhaps some whole-grain bread, and you've got a whole meal. While the soup is flavorful on its own, adding the pistou--a pesto-like blend of basil, garlic, and pinenuts--gives it added layers of flavor. (I shouldn't tell you this, but my husband preferred the soup without the pistou; he chose to spread his share of the pistou on the bread, and I have to admit, it makes a delicious topping for warm bread.)

You'll need to start this recipe with soaked beans; I chose cranberry beans (also known as borlotti beans) but you could use pintos or cannellini or virtually any bean you'd like. You have three options for the soaking. 1) Overnight soaking is exactly what it sounds like; just rinse and check the beans for impurities (small rocks, discolored beans), cover with at least 2 inches of water, and let them soak for 8 hours or so. 2) Hour-long soaking means you cover the beans with water, at least 1-inch higher than the level of the beans, bring them to a boil for one minute, remove them from the heat, and let them soak for at least one hour. 3) A pressure cooker quick-soak involves covering the beans with water, bringing them up to high pressure for about 2 minutes (more for larger beans), removing from heat and allowing the pressure to come down naturally, which takes 10-15 minutes. Whichever soaking method you choose, be sure to drain the soaking liquid and, perhaps, rinse the beans before cooking. (I never bother to rinse, but if beans are hard for you to digest, rinsing may help.)

I chose to do the hour-long soak with my beans, mostly because I had plenty of time. I soaked the beans in the morning, and cooked them right afterward. I didn't proceed with the rest of the recipe (adding the zucchini, green beans, etc.) until close to dinner time. This is one of those soups that tastes better with standing, though, so you can cook it early in the day and simply reheat it just before serving. But be sure to serve it hot, and don't make the pistou until right before you're ready to eat.

Provençal Soupe au Pistou
(Bean and Vegetable Soup with Pinenut Pesto)

1 pound cranberry beans (or other medium-sized bean), soaked and drained
10 cups water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound potatoes, cut in large chunks
3 large carrots, thickly slices
1 tsp. thyme
4 bay leaves
generous grating black pepper

1 pound zucchini, cut into large cubes
1 pound green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (may use frozen)
2 onions, chopped
1 15-ounce can diced plum tomatoes
3 tbsp. tomato paste
salt and pepper, to taste
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme

Pistou:

3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/3 cup pinenuts, lightly toasted
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp. water

Spray the bottom of the pressure cooker with olive oil, and sauté the garlic for just a minute or two. Add the beans, water, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves and 1 tsp. thyme. Seal the cooker and bring to high pressure. Cook at high pressure for 8 minutes; remove from heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally.

Add the second group of ingredients, zucchini through thyme, and cook until vegetables are done and soup is thick and flavorful. This could be in as little as 25 minutes or as long as an hour. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Use a food processor to make the pistou. Drop the garlic into the running processor, and process until minced. Add the toasted pinenuts (you can toast them in a small skillet or toaster oven until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute) and process until they form a thick paste. Add the basil leaves and process, scraping down the sides, until it is all incorporated. Add water as the processor is running to thin out the mixture a little.

Serve the soup and pass the pistou at the table. Enjoy!

Stove-top directions: Using a large stockpot, you can cook this all in one step. I would sauté the onion with the garlic at the beginning of the recipe and add the remaining ingredients (except the pistou) all at once. Use more or less water as needed and cook until the beans are tender, probably at least an hour.

If you don't want to bother with the pistou, you can add fresh or dried basil directly to the soup when you add the zucchini and other vegetables. I suggest at least 1 tablespoon of dried basil.

P.S.--This makes a lot, probably about 12 servings.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free food provencal

Coconut Black Rice Pudding

Before I get to the recipe, let me share with you my new arrival:


A Kuhn Rikon Pressure Cooker! A few weeks ago, I killed my pressure cooker by over-cooking some lentils, forcing them through the pressure valve. I thought I could fix it by taking the cooker completely apart and cleaning each piece thoroughly, but that didn't work. So I saw my opportunity to upgrade to the pressure cooker I've always wanted, the Kuhn Rikon. It arrived yesterday, and I put it to the test this morning. It worked wonderfully--and quietly. While my Fagor hissed loudly while at high pressure, the Kuhn is practically silent. That's a great feature when your kitchen opens onto your family room and quiet is hard to come by.

Now on to the recipe.

I've been craving the coconut sticky rice with mangoes from the Thai restaurant in my hometown. I've also had a bag of black rice in my freezer for weeks, just waiting to be used. And I wanted to use the new pressure cooker, so I put the three search terms together and found this recipe for Black Rice Pudding, made in the p.c. But it didn't contain coconut, other than a mention of coconut cream, so I knew I'd have to adapt it to fit my craving.

Thanks to the persistent pestering...er, I mean pleading...of my daughter E., I bought a fresh coconut a few days ago. Little did I know that she didn't want to eat it--she envisions drinking out of it like on Gilligan's Island! I'm afraid she's going to be disappointed to find that I had to break apart the coconut shell, but I think her disappointment is going to be short-lived when she tastes this dessert. It is unbelievably delicious! It's sweet, but not too sweet; it's lightly spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom; and there's just the faintest taste of coconut and the slight crunch of fresh coconut. It really is heaven on a plate (or bowl).



Coconut Black Rice Pudding

2 cups black rice (black glutinous rice or forbidden rice)
3/4 cups sugar
6 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cinnamon sticks, broken
5 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
3 cloves
1/2 cup grated fresh coconut (or dried flaked coconut)

Rinse the rice a couple of times, and check it for pebbles or other impurities. Put the water, rice, and salt in the pressure cooker, and begin heating it. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.

Place the cinnamon, cardamom pods, and cloves into a bag formed of cheesecloth, tie it, and place it into the pot.

Over high heat, bring the cooker to high pressure; lower heat to maintain high pressure and cook for 35 minutes.

Allow the pressure to come down naturally. Open the cooker and stir the rice. Add the coconut, and continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring regularly, until rice is completely cooked and the liquid has become a thick syrup. How long this takes may depend on your rice. (Mine took a lot longer than I expected, about 45 minutes.) The longer you cook, the thicker this will become, so cook it as long as you can.

Remove the spice bag, and spoon the rice into serving dishes. You may serve this warm, at room temperature, or, how I like it, cold. This is particularly good topped with fresh mango. Serves 6-8 (unless the cook is home alone with it all day; then anyone else is lucky to get any!)

According to the original recipe, you can make this without a pressure cooker. Soak the rice for 24 hours before cooking. Simmer in a heavy pot, adding water as needed, for at least 90 minutes or until the rice is done and the pudding is thick.

Time consuming? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Santa Fe Spaghetti Squash Casserole

A spaghetti squash has been sitting on my counter for about a week now while I've tried to decide what to do with it. It seems that most recipes for spaghetti squash treat it as spaghetti, with a marinara or other tomato-based sauce and lots of garlic, basil, and oregano. I was looking to do something a little different, and I only needed to look as far as the Fatfree Vegan Recipes website, where my friend Karina, Gluten-Free Blogger Extraordinaire and author of the wonderful Cooking by the Seasons, had posted her recipe for Santa Fe Spaghetti Squash Casserole.

I liked the heartiness of Karina's recipe, with its black beans and corn as well as its use of southwestern rather than Italian seasonings. I took a few liberties with the recipe but tried to keep its basic character. Since I was running short on time, I steamed the squash in the microwave instead of baking it; I doubled the amount of bell pepper, using half green and half red; I used fresh baby spinach rather than frozen; I omitted the cilantro; and I changed the bread crumb topping to a corn meal crust. The results were very good and very different from any spaghetti squash dish I've ever had.

Here's my take on Karina's recipe; to see how it's supposed to be done, be sure to take a look at the original.

Santa Fe Spaghetti Squash Casserole

1 medium spaghetti squash (mine weighed 2 pounds)
olive oil spray
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 (14-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies
2/3 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 packed cup chopped fresh spinach
1-1/4 tsp. chili powder, or to taste
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. sea salt

Crust:
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp. hot water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. agave nectar (or other sweetener)

Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and place it in a microwave-safe casserole dish, cut sides up. Add 1/4 cup water and cover tightly (use plastic wrap if necessary). Microwave on high power until the squash is tender, 10-12 minutes. Allow the squash to sit in the dish for at least 5 minutes after cooking.

When it's cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape out the strands of squash into a bowl. (If you don't want to wait, you will need to use potholders to hold it while you scrape out the flesh.)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Spray a large skillet with the olive oil spray, and sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper until tender. Add the black beans, chilies, corn, spinach, and chili powder, stir, and allow to heat through. Remove from heat and add the squash, lime juice, and salt. Pour the mixture into an oiled casserole dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the crust ingredients. Spread the batter smoothly over the top of the spaghetti squash mixture and sprinkle with a little chili powder, if you like. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, until crust is firm and beginning to brown around the edges. Serves 4.

I served this with a green salad, and it made for a very light meal. For hearty appetites, I suggest you follow Karina's recommendation and serve it with Spanish rice. Thanks, Karina, for sharing this and all your wonderful recipes and observations with us!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Sugar-Free Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake

I've been very surprised that my most popular recipe is one which I just threw together on a whim: Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake. The recipe is actually a complete overhaul of a coffee cake recipe that included (you guessed it) coffee. I didn't want to use coffee; though I drink it, I don't allow my daughter to, and I know that a lot of people who try to eat healthy don't do coffee, so I came up with the idea of using chai instead and making it more of a spice cake (the original had a chocolaty taste). So that's how the recipe was born, if you were wondering.

Today, in the comments for the recipe, someone asked about making the cake with stevia instead of sugar. I use stevia in moderation (in the aforementioned coffee) and have dabbled in using it in recipes, but I've never completely removed the sugar from a cake recipe and replaced it with stevia. So, in order to give an informed answer to this question, I went back to the kitchen this morning and performed an experiment: I made the recipe exactly the same, but I left out the sugar. After the liquid and dry ingredients were mixed, I began adding stevia, tasting after each 1/8 tsp., until it tasted sweet enough to me. It seemed a little dry, so I added a little more apple sauce. And then I baked it in these cute daisy-shaped silicone molds:

Silly me: I forgot that when they were unmolded, the bottom, with its fancy design, would be on the top, so the sprinkle of coconut gets hidden on the bottom. So to make up for that, I ground up some more coconut in the blender and dusted it on the top of the inverted cake:

But the big question on everyone's mind is not how it looked but how it tasted. In a word, okay. It was less sweet than the original because I was very careful with the stevia, not wanting to make it taste artificial or bitter. The good news is that I completely succeeded in that--it doesn't taste fake-sweet, just a little less sweet than most people would like. I will post below exactly how I made the recipe, but you may opt to add more stevia if you like things sweeter. I used KAL brand Pure Stevia Extract Powder, which contains 80% steviosides; if you are using another brand or form of stevia, your best bet is to do as I did and add it to taste at the end of the recipe. I found that it tastes less sweet after it's baked, so add a little more (like 1/16th of a teaspoon) once it's reached the desired sweetness.

Sugar-Free Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake

1 cup strong chai tea
1/3 cup uncooked quick (not instant) oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger (use more for a spicier cake)
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup flaked coconut, 2 tbsp reserved
3/4 tsp pure stevia extract (adjust to taste)*

*I used KAL Pure Stevia Extract Powder, but you can use whatever brand you like, as long as you taste the batter as you add it.

Prepare the chai ahead of time by steeping two teabags (I used decaffeinated Tazo Chai) in one cup of boiling water until cool.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

Combine the dry ingredients (oatmeal through ginger) in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the chai, applesauce, vinegar, extracts, and all but 2 tablespoons of the coconut. Mix well and add the stevia, adjusting it to taste.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the reserved coconut and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cut into 9 pieces, each piece has the follow (amazing, if I do say so) nutritional breakdown: 106 Calories; 2g Total Fat; (16% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 260mg Sodium; 3g Fiber; 1.5 Weight Watchers Points.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go enjoy a piece of cake with my afternoon coffee.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free