Chocolate-Caramel Sandwich Cookies

Going to a Halloween party and need to impress with your kitchen prowess? These look beautiful and taste wonderful, too.

Although Martha says they take about 40 minutes plus cooling time to make, I’d say it’s about 2 hours total. By the time you make the cookies, make the icing, let the cookies cool, ice them, yeah, about two hours. Most of that time is spent getting the cookies to be the right size and close to the same size, since you’re making little, bitty, teeny, cute-as-a-button sandwich cookies. Two hours that don’t even count getting your vegan butter to room temperature or making the caramel sauce. But if you’re willing to put in the effort, you will DEFINITELY impress! And what’s two hours when everyone will oooo, aaahhhh, and love you forever afterwards? Worth it!

Martha’s Ingredients
Makes 40

Cookies:
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 c. sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Frosting:
1/4 c. caramel sauce, cooled
3/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar

Scrumpdilly’s Veganized Chocolate-Caramel Sandwich Cookies
(adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food, October 2009)
Makes 35-40

Cookies:
1 Tbsp. ground flax seed
3 Tbsp. water
10 Tbsp. vegan butter, room temperature
1 1/3 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Frosting:
1/4 c. caramel sauce, cooled
3/4 c. vegan butter
1 1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar

Combine flax seed and water in microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 20 seconds until gooey. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl beat together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in flax seed mixture until fully combined.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until a dough forms (you may have to combine with your hands). Using a 1 tsp. measure, form level teaspoon-shaped half-balls and place on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.

Bake until cookies are puffed and cracked, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and smack the tops of each cookie with the back of a wooden spoon to flatten slightly. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Make the frosting by beating together caramel sauce and butter until smooth and creamy. gradually beat in confectioner’s sugar until smooth. Spread frosting on flat sides of half the cookies and top with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Pudding Cakes with Caramel Sauce

I guess it’s just as well that my camera’s battery ran out, and I had to take this picture with my phone, and it’s whacked out of focus. Because this picture ultimately represents your googley-eyes after taking one bite of this moist, rich, decadent, pudding-like, moist, rich cake. Googley eyes all rollin’ in the back of your head, I tell you!

When I saw two eggs, plus two egg yolks, I thought I was in deep, puddin’ trouble, but I went with my instincts, and googley-eyes!

It’s best to use ramekins for this, but I don’t own any (yet), so I just used my LARGE muffin tin. Worked just fine.

Martha’s Ingredients
Serves 4

6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus more room temperature for ramekins
1/3 c. sugar, plus more for ramekins
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
Caramel Sauce
Whipped Cream, for serving

Scrumpdilly’s Veganized Chocolate Pudding Cakes with Caramel Sauce
(adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food, October 2009)

6 Tbsp. vegan butter, plus more for ramekins
1/3 c. sugar, plus more for ramekins
1 c. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. silken tofu (in tetrapak, firm)
1/4 c. plain, sweetened almond milk
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Caramel Sauce
Vegan Whipped Cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter four ramekins (or large muffin tins), then coat lightly with sugar, tapping out excess. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine vegan butter and chocolate. Microwave until melted, about 1 minute. Stir until smooth.

In a blender, food processor, or in a large bowl, combine tofu and almond milk. Blend, process, or beat until combined and smooth, (about 3 minutes using a hand mixer). Add sugar, flour, and baking powder. Beat to combine. Fill each ramekin or muffin tin three-quarters full with batter and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Bake until center of cake is soft, but not wet when pressed, and edges look cracked, 27-30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. If using muffin tin, cool 10-15 minutes, then loosen edges and turn out of pan. Serve cakes warm topped with caramel sauce and whipped cream.

Caramel Sauce

Hee Hee. Veganizing Martha’s Muffin – Dessert Week has gotten off to a winning start! What I made tonight is a two-parter. Part One was super-easy to veganize – Caramel Sauce. I’ll be using this sauce in another dessert recipe later this week, so it’s a good thing it makes plenty. Even so, I bet you can think of a kajillion ways to use up some caramel sauce (over ice-cream, fruit, baked potatoes, just kidding).

Let’s get started, shall we?

Martha’s Ingredients
Makes 2 cups

1 cup sugar
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into large cubes
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 c. heavy cream

Scrumpdilly’s Veganized Caramel Sauce
(adapted from Everyday Food, October 2009)

1 cup sugar
6 Tbsp. vegan butter, cut into large cubes
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 c. soy creamer

In medium saucepan over medium-high, heat sugar until melted and brown at edges, about 3 minutes. With a heat-resistant spatula, pull melted sugar toward center until all sugar is melted and caramel is deep amber in color, roughly 3 minutes more. Immediately remove from heat and whisk in vegan butter and vanilla taking care that mixture is extremely hot and will bubble. Whisk in soy creamer. Transfer to a heatproof container and let cool. Once completely cool, whisk again, then transfer to an airtight container, stir, and cover to store. Refrigerate.

Leek, Fakin, and Pea Risotto

This week was supposed to be Veganizing Martha’s Muffin – Side Dish/Salad week. But you know what, I decided to keep going with entrees. I had plans and I wasn’t finished with them. Now, I’m off to visit friends, so the rest of my posts this week will be about what I eat during my visit. No side dishes. No salads. No regrets.

My final Martha entree to veganize turned out meh. Yep, just meh, despite what seemed to have so much potential from the title. I have ideas to improve the recipe, but I haven’t tried them out yet, and I doubt I will. Let me know if you do and how it turns out.

Fail #1: The fakin lost all its flavor when put to cook with the risotto. With the light flavor of leeks and the fakin return to regular tofu taste, this risotto wasn’t as flavorful as it should’ve been.
Remedy Idea: Add fakin at the very end. Almost as a crumbly topping when serving. I think that’ll help maintain its fakin-y flavor.

Fail #2: 12 cups of broth! Seriously? Can you tell I am now storing way too much unused broth in my fridge?
Remedy Idea: Start with 6 cups vegetable broth and use more if you need it.

Let’s cycle!

Martha’s Ingredients
Serves 8

2 leeks, white and light green parts only
12 c. low-sodium chicken broth
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into strips
2 1/2 c. Arborio rice
1 c. dry white wine
3/4 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. finely grated Parmesan
1-2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
coarse salt and ground pepper

Scrumpdilly’s Veganized Leek, Fakin, and Pea Risotto
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s, Everyday Food, October 2009

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts only
6 c. low-sodium vegetable broth
2 1/2 c. Arborio rice
1 c. dry white wine
3/4 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. nutritional yeast
1-2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 batch fakin’ (already made up into bits) or 4 slices pre-packaged fakin cooked and crumbled

Halve leeks lengthwise, rinse thoroughly, pat dry, and thinly slice. In a saucepan bring broth to a simmer over medium. Meanwhile in a large pot, heat olive oil on medium. Add leeks and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium high, add rice and cook, stirring, until translucent around edges, about 1 minute.

Add wine and stir until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup broth. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until broth is absorbed. Repeat process gradually adding broth until rice is al dente and risotto is creamy. Stir in peas after the final addition of broth.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in nutritional yeast. Cover and let stand 2 minutes. Season risotto with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve covered in fakin bits.

Ch-eitan Noodle Casserole

So using the chicken-style seitan cutlets from the last post, paired with Martha’s Béchamel sauce, we have a nice, down-home casserole to keep you warm on these getting-colder Fall nights. This is rich, so serve up with a salad so you get your veggies.

A couple of notes:

• I could not get my béchamel sauce to thicken with Martha’s suggested 1/4 cup flour. I doubled it. If you can make it work with 1/4 c., more power to you.
• The Béchamel Sauce recipe makes 4 cups. Seemed a bit much for the casserole, despite Martha’s call for the whole vat. I used about 2 1/2 cups worth.

Martha’s Ingredients for Tuna Noodle Casserole
Serves 6

coarse salt and ground pepper
10 oz. green beans, stem ends trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
1/2 lb. gemelli or other short pasta
Béchamel Sauce (see below)
2 cans (5 oz. each) solid white albacore tuna packed in water, drained
5 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into large pieces
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Scrumpdilly’s Veganized Ch-eitan Noodle Casserole
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s, Everyday Food, October 2009

10 oz. green beans, stem ends trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
1/2 lb. short pasta
2 1/2 c. Béchamel Sauce (see below)
salt and pepper
5-7 chicken-style seitan cutlets, cut into squares
5 slices bread, torn into large pieces
2 Tbsp. Earth Balance, melted

In a large saucepan of well-salted, boiling water, cook green beans until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer green beans to a colander and rinse with cold water, set aside. Return water in pan to a boil; add pasta and cook for about 3 minutes, short of al dente. Drain and rinse pasta.

Preheat oven to 350. In a 2 quart baking dish, combine pasta, green beans, and béchamel; season with salt and pepper. Gently fold in seitan pieces.

In a food processor, pulse bread until coarse crumbs form. Transfer to a bowl and stir in Earth Balance. Top casserole with breadcrumbs and bake until sauce is bubbling and breadcrumbs are golden brown, 25-30 minutes.

Scrumpdilly’s Veganized Béchamel Sauce
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food, October 2009
Makes 4 cups

3 Tbsp. Earth Balance
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1/2 c. flour
4 c. unsweetened almond milk

In medium saucepan, melt Earth Balance over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add flour. Cook stirring frequently, until mixture is pale golden, has a slightly nutty aroma, and is the texture of cooked oatmeal, about 3-4 minutes.

Whisking constantly, pour in 2 cups almond milk, whisk, then add remaining almond milk, whisk until smooth. Cook mixture, stirring constantly along the bottom of pan, until boiling, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and does not feel grainy when a very small amount is rubbed between two fingers, about 10 minutes.

Dinner is served

Cheeeze Flautas with Cilantro Pesto

No time for chit-chat. I’m on my lunch hour and I’ve teased you enough with my two previous posts, both of which were prep-posts for the ingredients in these wonderfully Fall Flautas. Veganizing Martha’s Muffin – Entree Week’s first completed entree is both satisfying and delicious. Pair with a nice salad, some guac, and/or a few beans and you’re set! Thanks to Gluten-Free Vegan Family for helping me soften my corn tortillas. Uh, yeah, much easier than Martha’s way, which I tried on tortilla-softening-FAIL night.

Martha’s Ingredients
Serves 4

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3/4 c. pepitas (green hulled pumpkin seeds)
1 c. loosely packed cilantro leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
8 corn tortillas (6″), softened by moistening and lightly toasting over a gas burner (turn with tongs)
2 c. grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1/4 peanut oil

Scrumpdilly’s Veganized Cheese Flautas with Pepita-Cilantro Pesto (adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine, Oct. 2009)

4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided into two, 2 Tbsp. batches
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. pepitas (green hulled pumpkin seeds)
1 c. loosely packed cilantro leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
8 corn tortillas, softened by placing several between two paper towels and microwaving for 30 seconds
2 c. grated (or crumbled) vegan Pepper Jack cheeeze (either pre-packaged or homemade)
2 Tbsp. peanut oil

Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a saute pan over medium-low. Cook garlic until golden, about 1 minute. Add pepitas; cook, tossing, until toasted, 2-3 minutes. Pulse to a paste in a food processor. Add cilantro, lime juice, and remaining olive oil (2 Tbsp.); pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread some pesto on a softened tortilla, top with cheese. Roll up tightly and place seam-side down until ready to cook. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Heat peanut oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Pan-fry flautas in 2 batches, seam sides down, 1 minute. Using tongs, roll to brown evenly, cooking 1 minute more. Drain on paper towels, dabbing tops to remove excess oil.

Pepita Cilantro Pesto

I knew when I started the flautas at 10:00pm I’d be in trouble. It’s getting late for my too-little-sleep-this-week body, I’ve been consumed with other projects, and I was in a hurry to get the flautas done, so I could photograph and write about them. Didn’t happen. It all went wrong in trying to soften up those damn corn tortillas. Impatience got the best of me, so I’ll try again another night when I don’t have a billion things going on.

For now, though, feast your eyes on part of the flauta stuffing – Pepita/Cilantro Pesto. That’s right, boys and girls, the pumpkin seed brings a fall twist to the world of pestos and those little, crispy “flutes”. Thank you and Goodnight.

Pepper Jack

I’m completely stoked about Veganizing Martha’s Muffin – Entree Week! Why? Because I get to hand-make some of the ingredients in each of the recipes. Ingredients that I’ve always wanted to make, even though they’re readily available all made up and packaged and stuff. But I want to make them, and I am.

So tonight, I present to you my first handmade block cheeeze, Pepper Jack. I made this batch last night using the recipe from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Joanne Stepaniak. Although mine looks like I used the optional tofu listed in the recipe, I did not. Despite its looks, it tastes damn cheeezy, which surprised me, although I’m not sure why that was shocking. The recipe has the requisite cashews and nutritional yeast, so cheeezy came easy. This block is too much for the Martha entree I’ll be veganizing, so I thought I’d use some of it in the salad I had for dinner tonight. Get ready y’all and Martha! Vegan entrees coming your way.

Salad with Pepper Jack

Corn Cakes tell the hush puppies to get lost

Move over hush puppies, there’s a new appetizer in town! Holy crimony! These suckers are good! Veganizing was super-easy, so I got these on the first try. Fresh corn totally makes these yummy-rific!

Martha urges us to serve with a Smoky Tomato Coulis (and sour cream), but I was serving chili tonight and thought that would go just as well. Altered from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, I give you a veganized version of corn cakes. Veganizing Martha’s Muffin – Appetizer Week ends on a high-five!

Martha’s Ingredients
Makes 20 2 1/2″ cakes

4 ears fresh yellow or white corn, kernels shaved from the cob
1/2 c. yellow or blue cornmeal
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 c. buttermilk
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped
Canola oil for frying

Scrumpdilly’s Veganized Corn Cakes
Makes about 20, depending on how many you eat while you’re cooking them

3 Tbsp. Earth Balance, melted and cooled
3/4 c. rice milk
3/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
4 ears fresh yellow or white corn, kernels shaved from the cob
1/2 c. yellow or blue cornmeal
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. corn starch
2 green onions, white and green parts, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. canola oil for frying

Melt Earth Balance and set aside to cool.

Add apple cider vinegar to rice milk and set aside to curdle.

Cover and bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Blanch the corn briefly, about 1 minute, and drain. Mash lightly with a fork to break up some of the kernels; set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, cayenne pepper, and corn starch.

Add cooled butter to curdled rice milk, then add rice milk mixture to dry ingredients. Stir just until mixed. Fold in the green onions and corn.

Heat the oil in a skillet or griddle (iron skillets work nicely) over medium heat. Place heaping tablespoons of the batter in the skillet/griddle and cook until golden, 1-2 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

Hush Puppies Lookin' Good

I ended up making two more batches of hush puppies last night, experimenting with sugar amounts, types of non-dairy milks, and different levels of spice. I think I got the recipe pretty close to down-pat. Close enough that I ate some hush puppies as leftovers today and exclaimed, “Wow!” So I share with you, my veganization and southernization of this Martha Stewart recipe for hush puppies from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook.

Martha’s Ingredients
Makes about 3 dozen

4 c. peanut oil
1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. yellow cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds/ribs removed, minced
2 large eggs
1 c. buttermilk

Scrumpdilly’s Hushpuppies (Veganized and Southernized)
Makes about 10-15

4 c. peanut oil (or 1/2 peanut; 1/2 another oil)
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. rice milk
1 c. yellow cornmeal
1/2 c. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds/ribs removed, minced or 1 Tbsp. green onion, green part only, minced
5-10 drops Tabasco (optional)

Set aside peanut oil or peanut oil combination until ready to heat for frying.

In a measuring cup, add the apple cider to the rice milk, set aside to curdle.

In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add minced jalapeño or green onion and mix until well distributed.

Add Tabasco to rice milk mixture, then add that to cornmeal mixture. Stir until well-combined and a ball of dough is formed. Roll into golf-ball sized balls.

Heat oil over medium-high heat (iron skillets work nicely) until oil is at about 370-375 degrees or until droplets of water sprinkled on top of the oil crackle and pop. Once oil is hot enough, gently roll balls off a spoon into the oil, being sure not to overcrowd the pan – about 5-6 at a time works well. After hush puppies are in skillet, fry for 2 minutes on one side. Gently turn puppies over. Once all turned, fry for 1 minute. Balls should be a dark gold-brown. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to “blot” oil and cool slightly.