What Heaven Smells and Tastes Like

Cinnamon Rolls V. 2.0

So, while I was happy with my first batch of cinnamon rolls, there was definitely a lot to be desired.

I wasn’t completely thrilled with the texture of the dough,

And I needed to experiment before my work’s Christmas party (I’ve signed myself up to bake about 5 batches…. Yeah, I’m crazy like that)

So here we are!

I have some yummy smelling rolls in the oven, and I’m going to share my secrets with you.

Now, let me be clear,

These are not regular cinnamon rolls…

Technically, these are Chai cinnamon rolls,

But you can’t really tell,

And I think this will be my normal way of making them,

So for the sake of this argument,

Let’s just call these the normal way of making cinnamon rolls.

I also added 1 cup of plain mashed potatoes to the dough, along with 1/2 of a cup of cornstarch,

Both of which have been said to make the end product very moist and tender.

I also used whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour instead of just strict all purpose flour, because I wanted these to be somewhat nutritious.

I started the process just like I did last time (here’s the link to the original blog post) http://yummyyummyvegan.blogspot.com/search/label/Breakfast?updated-max=2010-09-12T12%3A53%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=20

And I added just about 2 tbs. of brewed black tea to the milk and butter mixture when I heated it on the stove.

I then added the mashed potatoes and cornstarch to the batter after I had combined the dry ingredients with the wet

Additionally, the recipe calls for 6 c. of flour. I did 2 c. whole wheat pastry flour, 1 c. whole wheat flour and then the remaining all purpose (including the flour used during the kneading)

I also kneaded my dough in a kitchen-aid and it worked wonderfully.

I also think that next time, I will use a greater ratio of wheat flour to all-purpose; I just wasn’t sure how it would turn out.

So for the filling I made a Chai spice mixture, that was:

1 c. sugar

2/3 tsp. ground cardamom

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. ground black pepper

About 3 tbs. of brewed black tea

Aprox. 1 1/2 tsp. Anise extract

And I creamed that with 1/2 c. Earth Balance

I then spread that on nice and thick,

Rolled it all up,

Sprinkled some additional cinnamon/sugar/cloves on top

Baked

Mixed the frosting (added in a swig of the black tea and about another teaspoon of the Anise)

Spooned it on

Sprinkled more C/S/N

And ate

Mhmm, mhhm, mhmm

Darn were these good

Should have made a double of the frosting though,

Ah well, always next time :)

The rolls were unbelievably soft and moist and delicious,

Who knew mashed potatoes and cornstarch could be so magical!

These weren’t really gooey, which could be attributed to how little butter I used, and that can easily be fixed.

All in all,

I am pleased with the end result of this experiment 

Magic Muffins

In Need of Some Magic

It’s a dreary November day

Kitties are being lazy

And it’s still the early morning, but already I just want to crawl back into bed,

Thus, we are in need of some magic to put a little pip in our step!

It’s time for magic muffins, woot!

These are so simple and super duper fast to make,

If you find yourself needing a boost,

Make them!

Your family deserves a warm, magical breakfast, don’t you think?

Here we gooooooo!

Mix all this together

You don’t even need to worry about keeping the dry stuff and the wet stuff separate,

Just throw it all into a bowl and mix-mix-mix like you’ve never mixed before!

(I’m using a lot of exclamation points today, hmmm)

1 1/4 cups. Whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cups Malt-O Meal, dry (the original, unflavored stuff)

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk alternative

1/4 vegetable oil

1 tbs. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Divvy out into your muffin cups,

Then on top sprinkle a mixture of

Cinnamon (about 2 tbs.)

Sugar (4 tbs.)

Ground cloves (about 1 tbs.)

Yum!

Since there’s nothing dangerously raw in them… it wouldn’t be improper to eat them right now… right?

Haha, just joshin’

Anywho,

Put in an oven at 400 degrees and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the middle is firm to the touch

Now it's time to watch cheesy movies while eating muffins :)

Toodles 

It's Autumn Ya'll

It is November 1

Which means it’s almost Thanksgiving,

Almost Christmas

And almost 2011

And fall is in full swing!

So what could be more perfect for the chilly fall mornings than a hearty bread that is comforting and so flavorful you’ll feel like you’re eating autumn itself.

There’s no time to loose, so let’s get to it

Mix together

1  3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Dash of nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

And set aside

Then, beat together

1/3 cup Earth Balance

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup brown sugar

Once nice and creamy, beat in 2 flaxseed eggs (2 tbs. ground flaxseeds whisked with 6 tbs. of water)

Then add in

1 whole can of pureed pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie gunk in a can!)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat well, then gradually add in the flour mixture

Next, dilute 1 tsp. baking soda in 1/4 cup of hot water (not boiling) and then beat into the batter

In separate bowl, mix together

1/2  cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 raisins

1 cup chocolate chips (Ghirardelli, duh!)

Stir the trail-mix (nuts/chocolate/raisins= trail mix) into the batter by hand

Pour into a greased bread pan

And if you want, you can mix some granola with about 1 tbs. of brown sugar and then scatter on top the batter before baking, but don’t feel obligated.

Place in a 325 preheated oven and bake for 55-60 minutes testing with toothpicks and such

Cool on a wire rack, and enjoy!

Welcome to autumn my friends

P.S. This goes great with a hot cup of Chai Tea :)

Cornbread Never Ceases to Make Me Smile :)

Codename: Cornbread

I am a cornbread freak!

I worked at Boston Market when I was 17, and after every shift, I would take a dozen cornbread home and eat them on the days I didn’t work. I was addicted…

Likewise, I love cornbread so much, that at one point, my nickname amongst my friends was indeed “cornbread”

So yeah…

Today felt like a good day to make some cornbread and eat it with some chili.

So let’s get to it!

First things first

I like pretty much everything in my life to be sweet enough to rot my teeth just by glancing in its general direction.

That being said, if you like your cornbread to be really corny (bad jokes and all) I don’t suggest you add sugar to the butter glaze at the end,

You might also want to just stick with regular kernel corn, not creamed corn.

However, you are able to appreciate the finer things in life (did you ever try cornbread topped with melted butter and honey? It  -was- to die for, and I was known to eat a whole pan of it by myself, in one sitting) then you will adore these yummylishious treats because they taste buttery and honey sweet

Mix together

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup sugar (you could actually do away with this altogether)

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Then add

2 flax eggs (2 tbs. of ground flax whisked with 6 tbs. of water)

1 cup milk alternative

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 medium can of creamed corn (or regular corn, or frozen corn, or fresh corn, you get the picture)

Mix altogether, but be sure not to over mix

And I like to make mine into cornbread muffins (because I’m obsessed with muffins too) but you could definitely do it the traditional way in an cast iron skillet or a normal baking pan)

Anywho, after you’ve nestled them in the baking contraption of your choice, melt together

1 tbs. Earth Balance

And 1-2 tbs. sugar (I used my ginger syrup since it reminds me of honey)

And pour spoonfuls of the mixture unto each muffin

Then bake in a 425 degree oven for about 13 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean when tested)

Let cool and then enjoy either by themselves, or with some chili…

Speaking of chili

Today’s lunch was so so so easy!

I popped some cornbread in the oven

Opened up a can of chili

Warmed it

And enjoyed!

I’m so domesticated :P

Best Breakfast Ever!

Yummmmmmy

Oatmeal and Quinoa hot cereal with pecans/dried cranberries/ground flax/sliced almonds/and hazelnut milk,

soy yogurt

my bread with black currant preserves

and a bannaner

I'm so full :)

Don't Eat These Muffins if You have a Scheduled Drug Test

Spotty Muffins

I love muffins,

Can you tell yet?

I also love Costco…

Yes, there is a point to me telling you that.

You see, Costco has a bakery, and it is amazing,

And they have COLLOSAL muffins that are sooo good

And my favorite, are their almond/poppy seed muffins.

I dislike lemon poppy seed muffins

But I adore those almond ones,

So, here we are!

These muffins are a pretty dang good comparison of the ones at Costco,

They’re unbelievably moist and taste surprisingly buttery (without the butter, duh)

The only thing you might have a hard time finding is the vegan sour cream (though I’ve found some at my local Kroger, and then of course health food stores like Sprouts.)

Anywho,

First, mix your dry ingredients

2 1/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

And set aside.

Then, cream together these

1/2  cup Earth Balance

1/4  cup vegetable oil

1  1/4  sugar

After its nice and creamy looking, add these

2 tbs. ground flax seeds whisked with 6 tbs. of water

(whisk in separate bowl then add to mixer)

1  1/2 cup sour cream (I used a whole 12 oz. package of Tofutti Sour Supreme)

3 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Blend really really well, then add

2 tbs. poppy seeds

And mix in well.

Then, gradually add in your dry ingredients and fold in until all blended. Do not over mix!

Mmmmmh, looks yummy already!

Then, spray or line your muffin cups,

Fill about 2/3 full

And if you’re like me,

Top with some slivered almonds

And bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

YUM!

These are prefect to grab when running out the door in the morning :)

Happy Eating!

MMMMMMMH.....Carbs

I *Heart* Bread

I love bread

Especially fresh bread,

Even better is homemade bread…

What’s better than that?

Healthy homemade bread so that you don’t have to feel guilty about all those carbs.

Anywho,

I’ve been making loaves of bread each week so that I can have sandwiches to take to school and work, and it makes me feel domesticated to make my own bread, haha.

I use a bread machine,

If you don’t have one… get one!

Just kidding, no reason for you to go spend upwards of $200 if you really don’t want it.

Seriously, though, bread machines rock, and while you could make this bread by hand, it would:

A.       Not be as fun

B.       Be a lot harder

C.      I don’t know how long you would have to knead it/bake it and what temp your oven should be at. So this is one project I don’t suggest you make DIY.

Here’s the list of ingredients

Pretty basic stuff.

You can find the wheat gluten at your local grocery store, next to the yeasts.

The Quinoa and seeds are optional and only add more nutrition to the bread. You can hardly tell the seeds are there at all, and my only complaint about the Quinoa (I used flakes) is that they’re rather chewy, so I’m going to grind them up first next time.

Alright,

Pour 13 oz. of warm water (I get my water from the tap and then heat it for around a minute or two to make sure it’s not cold)

3 tbs. molasses

3  5/8 cups whole wheat flour

5 tsp. vital wheat gluten

1 1/2  tsp. salt

2 tsp. yeast (make sure it hasn’t expired)

1/3 cup flax meal (ground up flax seeds)

1 cup Quinoa (again, it would be better to grind this up as well)

1/4 cup wheat berry seeds

4 oz. roasted/unsalted/hulled sunflower seeds

Here you can see all the yummyness before its mixed in

Then, simply turn on the bread machine,

Select the whole wheat cycle (or the closest thing to it)

“light” for baking preference

And press start! (if you have a bread machine, and will be making this recipe, you can let me know in the comments what kind of settings yours has and we can figure it out together… and if your bread turns out terrible, you can blame me)

Now, I’m going to tell you something rather endearingly embarrassing about myself:

I am easily entertained,

I love watching the bread machine do its thing…

And I even took pictures

(I’m just going to show you one, so that you don’t think I’m completely pathetic)

I also enjoy watching paint dry

And shampooing carpets…

Back to bread,

Once it’s done baking and cooling, take the bread out, remove the blade thingy, slice, and enjoy!

It makes the best toast (even better with black currant preserves, just sayin)

And an even better PB&J (I HATE peanut butter and jelly! HATE HATE HATE! But I love it when it’s on this bread)