Cornbread

serves 6

1C cornmeal
1C whole-wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1C non-dairy milk
1/4C unsweetened applesauce
1/4C maple syrup
1 tbsp sugar, optional
3/4C corn kernels, grilled in a pan until a side browns
zest of 1 lemon, optional but highly recommended

Whisk together dry ingredients. Add in all remaining ingredients and use a spatula to stir until just combined. Pour batter into a greased 9-inch skillet or pie dish, or 8×8″ square. Bake at 400*F for about 20 minute, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Serve with butter and cherry jam!

Credit: Happy Herbivore by Lindsay Nixon

Stuffing

Made this for Thanksgiving 2012. This framework recipe is like trail mix, in that it lends itself to personal preference. Use your favorite fruits and nuts, and omit and add as you see fit.

1 medium sized loaf of bread (I used When Pigs Fly brand whole wheat)
¼ C butter, divided
2 yellow onions, diced
6 stalks celery, diced
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
pepper, to taste
1/3 C raisins
2 apples (I used 1 yellow 1 green)
½ C walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/3 C hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1 C vegetable broth
2 tbsp olive oil
½ C apple juice (or cider)
¼ to ½ C orange juice
Optional: ½-1C vegan meat crumbles

Toast the bread slices lightly (unless using stale bread – then skip) before cutting into small cubes. Put half of the butter – 2 tbsp – into a massive oven safe SKILLET (?) and heat. Add the onions and celery to the pan and sauté until the onion is translucent – about 10-12 minutes. In the meantime, toast the nuts in the toaster or oven until lightly browned and fragrant. Combine the broth, oil, and fruit juices. Once the onion is translucent, add in all the other ingredients except meat crumbles, saving the liquid mix for last to pour over top. Toss well, taste for adjustments, and pat down lightly. Bake uncovered at 350* for about 30 minutes, or until browned. Sprinkle on the meat crumbles, if using, and broil for about 4 additional minutes to get a crisper top.

Pita Bread

This is very puffy, spongey pita bread. It has a great softness and yeasty smell. That said, it’s definitely a bit different than the pita you might expect to buy at the store. I have had great luck with this recipe puffing to make pita pockets. The trick to the puff is to spray the pitas with a clean, water-filled spray bottle two minutes before baking. Delicious filled with falafel burgers!

Makes 8 rounds.

3 cups plus a scant 1/4 cup  all-purpose flour, or bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup room temp water

Proof the yeast by combining it in a small bowl with 1/4 C warm water, and 1 tsp sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes. Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer and start by combining the wet and dry with the standard mixing blade. Once combined, switch to the bread hook and let the machine do the work for 10 minutes (level #3 on kitchenaide mixer). Transfer to a clean, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and put in fridge for at least four hours – preferably more – or even overnight. Press it down whenever you see it trying to rise.

Preheat the over to 475*, with a clay sheet or pizza stone inside. With something sharp, divide the dough into 8 equal chunks. Shape each piece into a ball, then smush it into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temp for 20 minutes. Set up a “factory line” to roll each disk out thin with a rolling pin, then mist with a spray bottle, and let sit for 2 minutes. Then pop them in the oven, two at a time, for 3-3.5 minutes – no more! Do not wait for these to brown – that is too long. They should all puff nicely, and if they don’t, knead and mist each dough again to moisten more. Or don’t sweat it! Non-pocket pitas are just as delicious. Remove from oven with a spatula, and let the oven collect heat for a few minutes between each batch.

 

Adapted from: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/03/pita-bread/

Naan

Makes 8 small, or 6 medium-sized, rounds.

1 tsp. active dry yeast (1/2 package)
1/2 cup warm water
1 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. soy milk
1 tsp. salt
1 3/4-2 cups bread flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil

•In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy.

•Stir in the sugar, soy milk, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough, between 1 3/4 to 2 cups.

•Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface or until smooth. Place in a well-oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

•Punch down the dough then roll into golf ball-size pieces and place on a baking sheet. Cover with a towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

•Preheat a pan to high heat and lightly oil. Roll each ball of dough into a thin circle then add to pan one at a time. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until bubbles begin to brown and brush the top side with additional oil. Flip the bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. Continue until all the bread is cooked.

Pizza Dough

Makes enough dough for four pizzas.

4 1/2 cups (20.25 ounces) unbleached high-gluten, bread, or all-purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 (.44 ounce) teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon (.11 ounce) instant yeast
1/4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil (optional)
1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) water, ice cold

Combine dry ingredients. Mix in water and oil. Knead for 5-7 minutes, and let rise for about 90 minutes. Place in oiled ziplock bag in fridge overnight. Remove from fridge about an hour before using.

Bagels

This was my first attempt at homemade bagels. Like tortillas or english muffins, bagels are rarely homemade – but there is no excuse! Makes 8 bagels.

1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

~1 1/4 C warm water, divided

3 1/2 C bread flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

toppings: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, minced garlic or onion, cinnamon sugar mixture, coarse salt, etc.

In 1/2 C of warm water, pour in the sugar and yeast. Do not stir. Just let it sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, stir to dissolve the sugar as best you can.

Mix the flour and salt. Create a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture along with an additional ~1/2 C warm water. Mix it up and add warm water bit by bit until you have a nice, moist, somewhat sticky dough.

Dump onto a clean surface and knead by hand for a full ten minutes.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for one hour (or two…I got side-tracked and gave it two hours. This could probably be an overnight rise if you wanted but I don’t know that for sure.) Punch the dough down and give it another 10 minutes to rest.

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (by halving 3 times) and roll well to make dough balls that are as smooth as possible. Using your finger, poke a hole in the middle of each. You should be able to fit your index and middle finger of both hands and work around the bagel to stretch the hole considerably. It will shrink as the bagel poofs up and I like my bagels to have holes, but that’s a personal preference.

Lay the bagels on a cookie sheet and cover with a moist paper towel. Let rest 10 minutes. During this time, boil a large pot of water.

Lower the temp so the water is simmering, but not a roaring boil. Boil about 3 bagels at a time using a slotted spoon of sorts to flip and remove bagels. The bagels need 2 minutes on each side in the boiling water. After boiled, lay on a paper towel for just a moment to remove excess water and then roll in desired toppings and set on a lightly greased cookie sheet. When all bagels have been boiled and topped, bake at 425*F for 20 minutes. Remove and enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

These muffins are reminiscent of my favorite dessert – carrot cake. They are really quite rich and indulgent, like a great chocolate cake; only much lower in fat and with the added kick of apple, banana, and zucchini. Made these when my California relatives were visiting and everyone was a fan.

Makes 12 muffins.

1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 very ripe banana, mashed

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (1 lunch-sized container)

1/2 to 1 cup sugar, depending on your taste (I typically use a generous 3/4 cup)

1/4 cup non-dairy milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup shredded zucchini (2 smalls or 1 large)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, combine the mashed banana with applesauce and sugar. Add the non-dairy milk, vanilla, zucchini, and chocolate chips. Stir to combine.

Add the dry mixture to the wet, in 3 batches, stirring until just combined.

Spoon into a greased muffin tin. Bake at 350* for 18 to 25 minutes (until it passes a tooth-pick test. Don’t mistake a gooey chip for an unbaked middle!)

Credit: The Happy Herbivore by Lindsay Nixon

Meryl’s Potato Focaccia

Meryl brought this over as an app. Addictive and amazing, the addition of potatoes is genius. I made a half-recipe of this which was a good size for my small oven. I would call a half-batch 4 good servings, and the entire thing is about 8.

She used this recipe: http://mybizzykitchen.com/2010/08/23/rosemary-focaccia-bread/ and said: “I topped it with lots of EVOO, sage, and thyme.”

Ingredients

2 red potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 1/2 cups water
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon rosemary
Directions

Peel and cut the potatoes in quarters. Add the water and cook until potatoes are tender – about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix together the flour, yeast, sugar and half the salt in a large bowl.
Using a stick blender, puree the potato mixture. Let it cool slightly (to 120 degrees) and add to flour mixture.
You will have a very sticky and wet dough – I was skeptical, but it turned out fine.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 2 hours.
Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Dump dough on counter and add just enough flour to manage the dough without it sticking to your hands – between 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup.
Put on parchment paper and using a rolling pin, roll into desired shape. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil all over the dough. Using your finger, push dimples all over the dough. Add the second tablespoon of olive oil and repeat, making sure the olive oil gets the sides of the dough too.
Sprinkle with rosemary and sea salt. Let sit for 45 more minutes.
Heat oven to 400. Bake for 30 minutes, until the top is evenly golden brown.

Savory Crepes

Makes 10 crepes

1 ½ C nondairy milk
¼ C water
¾ C all-purpose flour
¼ C chickpea flour
1 tbsp tapioca flour (cornstarch or arrowroot is fine)
½ tsp salt
Oil for pan

Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender. Blend for about 30 seconds, scraping the sides, until everything is smooth. The batter will be very thin. Refrigerate batter for about 1 hour.

Preheat a crepe pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. The pan is ready when a few drops of water sizzle when flicked onto it. Lightly coat the pan in oil. Ladle about 1/3-1/2 C batter in the center of the pan and spread it out in a circular motion. Cook until the top of the crepe is dry, the center is bubbling, and the edges are lightly browned and crinkly and pulling away from the sides of the pan, usually about 1 to 1 ½ minutes. Carefully flip and cook the other side for 30 seconds.

For Classic Crepes, add 2 tbsp agave or maple syrup to batter. Proceed as normal.

Credit: Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Basic Pastry Crust

Good for quiche and such.

1 ½ C all-purpose flour
Large pinch of sea salt
2 tbsp chilled or frozen margarine
2 tbsp chilled or frozen shortening
5-6 tbsp chilled water

This can be made in the food processor or a bowl. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, or food process-pulse it a few times.

Add the fats in small chunks to the flour. Use either a pastry knife, or the blades of the food processor, to cut in the fats until it resembles course crumbs.

Add the water by the tablespoonful until the pastry dough begins to hold together. Gather it into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about 45 minutes before using.