June 2009 Archives

A Saturday morning a week ago Katie and I and our friend Jamie went to Boxx Berry Farms and picked strawberries. Wind over fields of ripe berries is deliciously full and fragrant.
Katie has been filling jars with jam, but I'd been waiting for a chance to try out Vegan with a Vengeance's strawberry shortcake recipe. The macadamia crème more than makes up for the missing whip cream in this vegan dessert. You can also put the crème on lemon corn waffles with blueberry sauce or chocolate pudding.

If you'd like to sit down with a good book while eating your scones and berries, I suggest Austen's Emma, which I always associate with strawberries. And also gruel. But I dare say you'd prefer the strawberries.
Strawberries, and only strawberries, could now be thought or spoken of. "The best fruit in England--everybody's favourite--always wholesome...Delightful to gather for one's self--the only way of really enjoying them. Morning decidedly the best time--"

The strawberry sauce and macadamia crème should both be made in advance, the strawberries at least an hour, and the crème a few hours or preferably the day before. If you love this crème as much as I do, making a batch and a half is a good idea, because you don't want to short yourself.

Macadamia Crème

1/2 c. roasted unsalted macadamia nuts
1/4 c. soy milk
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. canola oil

Turn the nuts into a fine powder in a food processor or strong blender. Add the soy milk and blend to a paste. Add sugar and vanilla; blend. Add the oil in a steady stream while blending (this part can be a bit messy). Put in a container with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Strawberry Sauce

2 lbs. strawberries, hulled and sliced (about 7 cups)
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbs. pure maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate.

Scones

3 c. flour
2 tbs. baking powder
1/4 c. Sucanat
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. soy creamer; rice or soy milk can be substituted
3/4 c. rice or soy milk plus 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar (The vinegar curdles it like buttermilk.)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a baking sheet.
In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, lumps encouraged. Drop 1/4 cupfuls onto the baking sheet. Pat the tops a little to round them out. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.

Cut open the scones and pour strawberry sauce over. Liberally dollop with macadamia crème.



 

It's been a while since we've posted, but now that summer vacation is here I have time to try out lots of tasty recipes. A while back in May Chris and I had a picnic featuring marinated tempeh sandwiches and apple pie.

Marinated Tempeh
This marinated tempeh recipe was a treasure to find. Lunch became the most exciting meal of the day. You should marinate the tempeh for at least an hour. I stick some tempeh in marinade in the fridge and just leave it for whenever I need a quick sandwich.  The recipe says to grill the marinated tempeh but I don't.
You can deck out your sandwich with your favorite fillings; I put mashed avocado, onions, tomatoes, and veganaise with my tempeh. Toasting the bread with margarine is great. I like a hearty bread, like honey wheat with sunflower seeds.

 

Ingredients
1/2 cup white cooking wine
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, smashed

Combine ingredients. Cut one pound of tempeh into slices the desired size for your sandwich, and add to the marinade. Turn the tempeh over once while marinating.

Apple Pie

When I read in Vegan with a Vengeance that you don't have to roll out the pie crust for this recipe, I knew I'd found a winner.



Crust Ingredients
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1.4 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. nonhydrogenated margarine, softened
1 tbsp. molasses or honey
2 tbsp. cold water

Filling Ingredients
2 lbs. Granny Smith apples (about 8), peeled*, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. ginger
Pinch ground cloves
1/4 c. pure maple syrup
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. tapioca starch or arrowroot

*I didn't peel my apples, due to a possibly-mistaken belief that a good portion of the nutrients are in the skin.

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Combine dry crust ingredients. Add the margarine a tablespoonful at a time and cut in with a pastry cutter, knife, or your hands. Drizzle molasses and water over it, mixing with your hands until the dough clings together. Set aside 1/2 cup of the dough. Knead the rest of the dough into a ball and press it evenly into the bottom and sides of a pie pan. Bake for ten minutes.
3. Combine all the filling ingredients minus the tapioca starch. Sprinkle the tapioca over and mix until it's dissolved.
4. Put the filling in the crust. Crumble the remaining dough over it. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes. The apples will be tender when it's done.