{VeganMoFo} Perfect Pumpkin Muffins

There's a distinct possibility that I'm sitting on my kitchen floor, eating these pumpkin muffins in the dark right now, seeking cover from the "Frankenstorm" that's likely to hit NYC.  If so, thank heavens for auto-posting, otherwise I might not have been able to hold up my end of the MoFo bargain.  My fingers are crossed that that's not the case, but if so, let's just say these muffins are so amazing, they'll even get you through a hurricane.

 

Oh, pumpkin!  Why must you entice me so?

I mean, I know it's that time of year and everything, but seriously - pumpkin's in the air, and in our food, in a major way right now.  According to New York Magazine (my source for all important information), pumpkin drink offerings, alone, have increased 400% during the past 5 years.  Talk about an upswing!

The odd part is, many of the so-called "pumpkin" items on offer at restaurants and in coffee shops don't even contain actual pumpkin.  The secret of Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte, for example, is that it's "just a latte spruced up with pumpkin-flavored syrup - connoisseurs cite cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove" as integral flavors, per NY Mag.

{VeganMoFo} Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins

Bananas are a staple in our house (ahem... very small apartment).  If we don't have them, it's a pretty safe bet that something crazy has happened.  Yet, because they're always around, they sometimes get passed by for more novel fruit, which means that overly-ripe bananas occasionally plague my kitchen counter.

Whenever I notice said offender(s), my mind instantly flashes to an episode of 'The Simpsons,' where Marge says to Lisa, "We have black bananas, and you know what that means!"  To which Lisa gleefully shouts, "Banana bread!"

Blizzard-Style Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Here, as was the case in much of the Midwest, blizzard conditions have created an almost unprecedented amount of snow, wind, and even thunder and lightning. (Umm... "thunder snow" anyone?)

As a result, nearly every single business, school, courthouse, library, and grocery store is closed.   

VeganMoFo: Orecchiette Con Broccoli

It's official. I am completely in LOVE (or maybe obsessed is a better word) with broccoli! And it's all thanks to rain-covered basil leaves... and a phenomenal recipe by the Urban Vegan.

A few nights ago I was all set to make my famous pesto pasta recipe for dinner.  A Bulls game was about to come on TV, CH and I had both suffered through very, very long days, and all I wanted to do was sit down to a quick, easy, reliably-delicious pesto dinner.  Instead, what I got was a total recipe upset.

Top 10 Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes, Featuring Pumpkin Cheesecake with Candied Cranberries

Ah, yes, Thanksgiving... perhaps the most anxiety-filled holiday for vegans (and turkeys!) alike. It's one of those days when your vegan/vegetarian values will likely end up on display, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. However, it's up to you to handle things in a civil, kind-hearted way - especially if you want to save the family arguments for topics like politics or Adam Lambert's recent AMA performance.

Vegan Goddess: Colleen Patrick-Goudreau!

I know, I know, it's somewhat unseemly to gush about a person who you don't even know, but I just can't help it...

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is a genius!

(If you don't know who she is by now, stop reading this second and go take a listen to one of her fantastic Food for Thought podcast episodes. Go ahead, I'll wait...)

Holy Michael Phelps, It's Been a Long Time!

It's official: my nearly 3-month-long hiatus from Veggie Terrain (coupled with a recent 4-day "complete blog shutdown") has finally ended!

But as much as I've truly missed blogging, I'm proud to say that I accomplished a lot during my absence. During the past few months, I graduated from law school, completed an undeniably hellish Bar-prep program, and ultimately sat for the Bar Exam, itself. And although I won't know whether I passed until the 2nd week of October (talk about traumatic), I'm trying to be as positive as possible, and to take comfort in the fact that I've never worked so hard at anything in my life...

So, with that little bit of Bar Exam talk out of the way, let's get to the new - and hopefully improved - Veggie Terrain!

Spicoli Burgers, Potato Squashers, & Thyme Roasted Tomatoes

Sorry for the gap in posting! Lately, the days seem to be running together... Mondays quickly give way to Fridays, while Saturday AMs covertly turn into Sunday PMs in the blink of an eye. I suppose it doesn't help that my schedule is jam-packed with a disproportionate amount of law school annoyances, but really - where has the time gone?!

Between classes, work, and weekend-long Bar review courses, I'm practically ready to invoke the insanity defense, myself. Not only do I have a major (mock) trial to prepare for my final Trial Advocacy class, but I'm also attempting to plan my graduation festivities, which is turning out to be a bit harder than expected. On top of that, people are failing the Bar and dropping dead left and right in my practice Bar Exam questions, which isn't exactly a morale booster...

Lemon Garlic Pasta

Pasta and I have been good friends for a very, very long time. (See Exhibit A: my ever-expanding waistline). In fact, I'm so in love with pasta that one of my uncles has been calling me "Noodles" since I was around 11 or 12 years old. (Back then, my favorite meal to make was a gigantic tower of spinach-flavored spaghetti, slathered with butter and garlic salt - eh.)

Despite my remaining affection for the nickname Noodles, I do like to think that my pasta tastes have matured a bit since I was little. These days, I tend to stick to a handful of my favorite sauces (aglio e olio & pesto) and types of pasta (penne & spaghetti). However, I do like to throw something new into the mix occasionally, just to keep things interesting.

There's a Hummus Among Us!

I'll tell you one thing: hummus doesn't survive for very long at our apartment. CH and I are completely and utterly obsessed with it. (We don't even flinch at the nearly 30 minutes it takes drive to our favorite Middle Eastern restaurant just to achieve hummus nirvana!)

And although we often buy big tubs of it from Costco, I also like to make my own whenever the mood strikes. That's why I was so excited to discover all of ED&BV's hummus recipes when I first got my copy several months ago. (FYI: The cookbook's hummus ingredients involve everything from sun-dried tomatoes to roasted red peppers and almonds. Cool.)

Pink Lemonade Birthday Tartlets

"You know how I remember what day your birthday is?" my uncle asked me, fourteen years ago today.

"No, how?" I inquired, curious and excited about the fact that my uncle cared so much about my special day that he had actually developed a method for remembering it.

"You were born on the same day as Elvis," he announced. "So, when it's his birthday, that means it's yours, too."

Yea, it was a bit of a let-down - especially from the perspective of a slightly self-involved, 13-year-old girl.

O' Chocolate Cupcakes

Well, so much for being on a roll re: frequent posting!

Like many of you, I've been visiting family and friends for the holidays, which has caused my posts to slow down a bit. However, although I haven't been posting much lately, it actually feels like I've been cooking more than ever...

Golden Vanilla Cupcakes

Pictured here are the other cupcakes that I made for my aunt's b-day. And, just like the chocolate cupcakes in the previous post, these are also from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (of course!).

So, I chose these particular cupcakes because I wanted to make something that non-chocolate lovers could enjoy, as well as something that wouldn't visually compete with the O' Chocolate Cupcakes too much.

Samosa Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Well, what can I say about the great "Veganomicon" that hasn't already been said? Calling it a fantastic cookbook is clearly an understatement, so I guess I'll just have to let this picture speak for itself.

Above, you'll find a shot of my very first V-con recipe. It's the Samosa Stuffed Baked Potatoes, which are really quite delicious! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find coriander seed (as opposed to ground coriander) when I made them, so I had to settle for the ground up stuff that I had on hand. Regardless of that minor setback, these turned out so well that I definitely can't complain.

So, when you don't have time to make samosas - and who does, by the way? - feel free to give these potatoes a whirl. I promise, you won't regret it.

And as for the recipe, I have so much faith in the good taste of my fellow bloggers, I won't even bother to post it. I'm sure page 60 is already tabbed in your copy of V-con anyway...

twice-baked potatoes

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I bake things when I'm stressed, that's just the way it goes. For some reason, the scientific, uber-exactness that's typically involved with baking helps calm my nerves.

The truth is, it actually gives me something different to focus on - somewhere else to direct my energy - as opposed to focusing on whatever happens to be bothering me at the moment.

Peanut Butter Cookies

As promised in my accompanying post, I'm going to keep this short and sweet.

Below is an excellent vegan peanut butter cookie recipe. My only tip is to make sure that you actually sift the flour, as called for in the recipe. Unfortunately, I underestimated the sifter's importance (and didn't have one) so I attempted to "sift" the flour by using a mesh wire strainer.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies

Well, I guess I should have seen this one coming...

Ever since I purchased "The Joy of Vegan Baking" cookbook, I've had an indescribable desire to bake! As mentioned in a previous post, although I do enjoy something sweet now and then, I'm certainly not what you'd call a "dessert person." That's why it's even more crazy that cookies keep running through my head. (Chocolate chip, & peanut butter, & oatmeal, oh my!)

*Warning: clicking on this picture will encourage screen licking.

Basically, it appears that a previously latent compulsion is suddenly driving me to bake every recipe in this entire cookbook, without regard for the fact that my name is neither Cookie Monster, nor Martha Stewart.

So, what's a girl to do? How can I stop this madness? I clearly can't allow cookies/other baked goods to take over my already crowded apartment, can I? And I obviously can't devour everything myself, right? And it would certainly be unfair to force CH to eat 100s of delicious baked goods, wouldn't it?

Chickpeas with Potatoes + Tomatoes

Wow. Seriously, wow. This is the first recipe that I've made from my new Deborah Madison Cookbook, and if they're all this good, I'm in big, BIG trouble.

This beautiful dish is deceptively delicious, especially considering how few ingredients it has. I had a feeling that I'd like it, specifically because it contains two of my favorite ingredients: chickpeas and potatoes. 

However, I had no idea I'd love it so much that I'd eat it twice in one day!