When an early autumn walks the land and chills the breeze and touches with her hand the summer trees, perhaps you'll understand what memories I own.

i love my parent's garden!  it is so awesome to visit and leave with fresh, and free organic veggies.  the last time i ventured north i was blessed with a bounty of squash.  George picked me acorn, spaghetti and butternut from The Karpel Family Garden.  so my squash travelled about 80 miles from earth to table. yay!!
 i already baked an acorn squash the other night.  simple with a little olive oil, then seasoned with salt, pepper and of course a little brown sugar.  it was delicious and reminded me of mom.  but today it was the butternut squash's turn.
today was a cloudy, drizzly 43 degree day.  perfect to have the oven on and even more perfect for soup.  i perused the Internet for some inspiration.  i had some yummy organic gala apples in my fridge, along with some onions and celery.  all of those flavors sounded like they would go swimmingly with the butternut squash.  and yes, come to find out, they do!

roasted butternut squash and apple soup

1/2 butternut squash, seeded, peeled and chopped
1 organic gala apple, chopped
1 cup chopped onion, divided
1 cup chopped celery, divided
1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon No Chicken stock mixed with about 1 cup warm water
*spices (i eye-balled these, use your taste bud judgment!)
     Cajun seasoning (Emerils brand)
     cumin
     nutmeg
a pinch of rosemary and thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cube vegetable bouillon
fresh ground pepper
salt


preheat oven to 400 degrees.  in a deep baking dish, add the squash, apple, half of onion and celery.  season with spices, sprinkle with rosemary and thyme, place bay leaf on top.  pour water and stock mixture on top.  place in oven for 30-40 minutes, or until tender.

when squash is almost done, in a medium stock pot heat olive oil on medium heat, saute the remaining onions and celery until tender.  add vegetable bouillon with 2 cups water.  continue stirring until bouillon is dissolved.  spoon in the squash/apple mixture.  with a immersion blender, blend until soup is smooth. season with pepper, salt.

serve with 1 tablespoon of almond milk (or preferred choice of "cream') if you like.  i also garnished mine with a dash of cumin and a pinch of thyme.

this soup was filled with flavor and depth.  perfect for a crummy October day!

  

Oh sweet thing, sweet thing My, my, my, my, my sweet thing And I shall drive my chariot Down your streets and cry 'Hey, it's me, I'm dynamite

i really love this time of year.  it feels good to have football on TV.  the house is clean.  all of my clothes that have been in my "summer suitcase" are all put away.  my yankee fall festival candle has been burning all day.  i made that great stew with dumplings. and i have pumpkin in my cupboard again.  ah pumpkin! fall is here!!  and also it is time again to bake yummy treats in the oven.  

all year long i have been obsessed with cupcakes.  looking at pictures of them.  finding recipes. baking them. eating them.  so why not try a pumpkin cupcake....

i found a great recipe from the blog Hell Yeah It's Vegan.  I changed only a couple things. and instead of the icing recipe listed with it (which you can certainly use) i made a vegan "butter" creme instead.  i am an icing junky.

VEGAN PUMPKIN CUPCAKES WITH CINNAMON BUTTERCREME

1¼ c canned pumpkin
1 c sugar
¼ c oil
¼ c soy creamer

1¼ c flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp salt

preheat oven to 350 degrees. line a 12 muffin pan with cupcake liners.  

in large bowl mix together pumpkin, sugar, oil and creamer. in separate bowl sift together the rest of the dry ingredients.  and the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until moistened.  

fill cupcake liners (i used a 1/4 measuring cup and a spatula) and bake for 20-22 minutes.

let cool

CINNAMON BUTTER-CREME FROSTING

3/4 stick Earth Balance Buttery Stick

1-3 tablespoons soy creamer (silk brand)

3 cups approx powdered sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

in a mixer, blend the earth balance and 1 tablespoon creamer.  add powdered sugar and soy creamer ALTERNATELY until frosting has a fluffy consistency. add cinnamon and blend together.  i used a pastry bag and an icing tip to decorate the cupcakes but you can do that any way you like.  

Leaves are falling all around, It's time I was on my way. Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay. But now it's time for me to go. The autumn moon lights my way.

summer is officially over. gone. no where to be found.  it is feeling like autumn today on this college football Saturday.  and that means it is time to start using my kitchen again.  one of my favorite meals that mom always made on days like these was chicken and dumplings.  the thought of those fluffy Bisquick clouds simmering over a pot of savory stew warms my heart.  but now i have to give up this comfort food of past due to my new vegan outlook.... or do i??

one of the things i have discovered in the sacred natural food section at wegmans is the ""better than bouillon" line of various flavor bases.  they have vegetable, mushroom, and the life saving "no beef" and "no chicken" base that tastes like what it says its "not" yet made from vegetables.  i have used the beef flavor before, in my beef stroganoff recipe, and it was amazing.  so i decided to try the "no chicken" base.  i found a recipe for chicken and dumplings from the "vegan chicks rock" blog.  i switched out some of the ingredients it called for, simply because it was what i had on hand, and i also added some as well.  i just had two bowls of the stuff and it was awesome........

Emily's "no chicken" and dumplings

Dumplings:

1 Cup almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 Cups flour 
1 Tablespoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon salt 
3 teaspoons ground flax seed mixed with 4 teaspoons water (this is your "eggs")
Mix the almond milk and vinegar together and set aside for at least 5 minutes. Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, lightly beat the flax mixture and almond milk mixture together. Pour the liquid in the dry ingredients and stir gently. Mix just until combined.


No Chicken Stew

2 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery stick
1 tablespoon olive oil (i used a rosemary infused oil)
1/2 cup chopped each - onion, celery, carrots
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
teaspoon each dried rosemary and thyme
dash of Cajun seasoning (i have emeril's brand)
2 potatoes chopped
handful of sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon flour (i used half/half whole wheat and white)
2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base (you can use more if you want a bolder flavor, but it can become too salty)
4-6 cups water
1/4 cup soy creamer (silk brand)
salt, fresh ground pepper

melt earth balance and olive oil over medium heat. add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and Cajun seasoning. saute until veggies are tender.  add potatoes and mushrooms.  continue cooking 5-10 minutes.  stir in flour, 2 minutes until veggies are coated.  add no chicken base, then stir in water.  cook 15 minutes.  add soy creamer.  bring to a simmer.  drop dumpling batter by spoonfuls onto top of stew.  sprinkle with salt and pepper.  cook 15-20 minutes until dumplings are cooked through.
enjoy!!!

She comes in colors everywhere; She combs her hair She's like a rainbow Coming colors in the air Oh, everywhere She comes in colors

THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS I HAVE BEEN VERY BLAH FEELING - THE RAIN, THE DARKNESS OF THE SKY, MY OVER-ACTIVE PASTA CRAVINGS.  NEEDLESS TO SAY I HAVE BEEN VERY BAD LATELY WITH BEING A HEALTHY VEGAN.  YES - ONE CAN BE UNHEALTHY AND BE A VEGAN.
SO - THIS WEEK I STOCKED UP ON MY VEGGIES AND FRUITS.  I DON'T EVEN THINK I LEFT THE PRODUCE SECTION OF THE GROCERY STORE. WHICH I THINK IS A BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT.  THE OTHER NIGHT I MADE BEAN ENCHILADAS.  I HAD SOME OF THE FILLING LEFTOVER.  I DECIDED TO MAKE A FRESH SALSA WITH THE AWESOME PINEAPPLE, MANGO, SCALLIONS, AVOCADO, RED PEPPER AND FRESH LIME JUICE I HAD SURROUNDED MYSELF WITH.  SO TONIGHT I FEASTED ON BEAN BURRITOS WITH FRESH MANGO PINEAPPLE SALSA.  I AM GOING WITH THE "RAINBOW" DIET - TRYING TO EAT AN ARRAY OF BRIGHTLY COLORED FRUITS AND VEGGIES AT EVERY MEAL.  AND THIS ONE DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

BEAN BURRITOS WITH FRESH MANGO PINEAPPLE SALSA

VEGAN FRIENDLY TORTILLAS
VEGETARIAN RE FRIED BEANS
DICED TOMATOES W/ CHILI'S
BLACK BEANS
CORN
YOUR FAVORITE DAIRY-FREE CHEESE (OPTIONAL)

I MIXED A LITTLE OF EACH INGREDIENT TOGETHER ( NO MEASURING HERE) I PILED SOME "CHEESE" ON MY TORTILLA, SPREAD THE BEAN MIXTURE ON TOP AND WARMED UP IN THE MICROWAVE FOR 1-2 MINUTES.   I THEN TOPPED IT WITH MY MANGO PINEAPPLE SALSA AND MY FAVORITE HOT SAUCE, WRAPPED IT UP AND ENJOYED!

FRESH MANGO PINEAPPLE SALSA

HANDFUL OF EACH INGREDIENT -
CHOPPED PINEAPPLE
CHOPPED MANGO
CHOPPED SCALLIONS (I USED 2)
CHOPPED RED PEPPER

MIX TOGETHER IN A BOWL. I ADDED SOME CHILI POWDER AND A LITTLE CAJUN SEASONING,  DRENCH WITH SOME FRESH LIME JUICE.

PRETTY EASY AND AWESOMELY HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS! BEING VEGAN IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!!

hey kind friend....

(hint: pause the music on the player to the right -------->  before playing this video)
yesterday was beautiful and sad.  i find it odd it could be both.  but that is how it felt.   it marked the one year anniversary of losing a friend. i refused to go to that place in my mind that remembers how keith was taken from everyone.  i did not think it deserved my time and energy.  but the weather was warm, breezy.  it was a helpful remedy to ease through the day.  to help stay positive and think of the good stuff.  i did some yoga with the windows open.  the birds were alive and singing.  it refused to be a crummy day for me.  just wasn't happening.  and i dont think keith would have wanted anyone's day to be crummy.....


speaking of crummy.  i came home from work today with a headache.  nothing that an aleve and some brownies can't cure.  i was crrrraaaavvving chocolate.  need it. want it. got to have it.  i found a recipe for a vegan pan of the delish fudgy goodness that i thought looked interesting.  one thing i did change - it called for 1 cup of water.  you mixed this with 1/2 cup of flour over heat until it made a paste (odd i know, but it works).  instead of water i used coffee.  it enhances the chocolate flavor.  also, you really need to use muscle to mix this "batter'.  it was very much like a fudge texture the entire time, never runny or liquidy.  i was a bit nervous before it made it into the pan, but..... i am eating the baked product as i type (well, sort of) and i have to say, scream and shout "THESE ARE POSSIBLY THE BEST BROWNIES EVERRRRRRRR! well, maybe not ever. maryann from the clipper makes a kick ass batch.  but these are awesome.  fudgy - check.  moist - check.  chocolate - check.  i needed a huge glass of ice cold almond milk to balance the rich flavor.  i think that is a win!

So help me if you can I've got to get back To the House at Pooh Corner by one You'd be surprised There's so much to be done Count all the bees in the hive Chase all the clouds from the sky Back to the days of Christopher Robin and Pooh

yesterday catie and noah ventured to syracuse to stay "at emmy and billy's house" (in noah's words).  we decided to skip the chuckie cheese visit (thank you) and take noah to the rosamond gifford zoo.  it was the first beautiful day this spring.  a great day for walking outside!  we all really enjoyed the penguins!

we came home and had a great dinner.  i served the chicken soup and veggie lasagna i made the day before.  and to my surprise, catie enjoyed the veggie lasagna and even said the tofu riccotta tasted like cheese!  yay! success!!  billy and noah played boxing on the wii together.  i am pretty sure noah beat billy once or twice...
since we had house guests  i wanted to make something special for breakfast.  the tradition in my mom's house have always been cinnamon rolls.  so i thought it would be a great chance to try my first vegan version.  i found an easy recipe for quick mini cinnamon rolls at veganpandamonium.  i even made it all the night before and wrapped the roll tightly in plastic wrap and then just cut them in the morning and baked.  i do have to say that they could use a little less salt for my taste.  but other than that these were totally easy and great with our kuerig cinnamon roll coffee this beautiful sunday morning!!!

i can't believe that noah is going to be in school this fall.  he is growing up way too fast.  i find him calling me 'emily' these days way more than 'emmy'.  i am proud he can say his L's now but it makes me sad at the same time.  despite him waking me (and billy) up at 7 am, i enjoyed our time alone snuggling on the couch while catie and billy were sleeping.  all the weekends i have stayed at catie's house that is usually what we do in the mornings too.  his growing up makes me wonder how many mornings we have left.  but even though he is growing up, he did say that he would take care of me when i am old.  i hope he knows what he is getting himself into...

Go go go you mixed up Siciliano All you Calabrese do the mambo like-a crazy with the Hey mambo don't wanna tarantella Hey mambo no more mozzarella Hey mambo mambo Italiano

i just snapped out of a cooking trance.....
last month we frequented our local carrabba's about every sunday.  they have a couple great vegan options for me, and billy loves it there.  particularly the sicilian chicken soup.  i knew it was something i could try to create at home, and given my change in lifestyle, i find myself neglecting cooking anything for him.  since we eat two different diets now.  billy is perfectly content with that.  however, i enjoy cooking my husband a meal.  it translates into "i love you"....but i also wanted something for dinner...
a while ago, i made myself a veggie lasagna.  i used zucchini for the "noodles".  this was before the vegan days, so i used cheese of course.  since a lot of the same ingredients were going into billy's meaty soup, i decided to build myself another veggie lasagna, this time sans the cheese.  for the ricotta i made one out of tofu.  don't freak out please!  when it is combined with all of the awesome flavors i used it meshes well.  and you don't even know the difference.  i have yet to try the "cheese" substitutes out there, so this recipe only has the tofu ricotta in it.  you can certainly add the shredded soy cheese that you prefer.


veggie lasagna

3 zucchini - sliced thinly lengthwise (a mandolin slicer is handy for this)
1 jar of tomato sauce of your choice (i used wegman's brand - it's $.99 and the ingredients are pronounceable)
1/2 cup white onion, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
about 2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tomatoes - sliced thin
fresh basil leaves (about 12 or so - i like basil. a lot.)
Nutritional Yeast
fresh ground pepper and salt to taste
tofu ricotta - see recipe below

in a skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over med heat.  add onions, peppers and garlic.  saute for a few minutes until slightly tender.  add mushrooms.  continue cooking until mushrooms become tender. remove from heat and set aside.

in an 8x8 pan, coat bottom with a thin layer of sauce.  place zucchini slices - enough to cover pan, layer with tomatoes, a few basil leaves, the mushroom mixture, tofu ricotta, and a thin layer of sauce.  repeat this one more time.  then cover with remaining zucchini slices.  cover with remaining sauce.  sprinkle with nutritional yeast, pepper and salt.  cover with foil, place on a large cookie sheet and put into a 350 degree oven.  bake for 30-45 minutes, until veggies are tender.

WARNING : this recipe has a lot of veggies in it. so that means a lot of water.  this will be very watery when it is done.  but have no fear.  use a turkey baster to collect the excess liquid.  it will be delicious after that - promise!

tofu ricotta :

about half a block of extra firm tofu
3 cloves garlic, minced
chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
chopped fresh basil
dash of extra virgin olive oil
nutritional yeast (to taste)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

in a bowl, crumble tofu.  add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

cupcake craziness

i had good intentions for today. i was going to spring clean this joint.  i got as far as replenishing my swiffer supply.  instead, i have been on a cupcake high ever since my chocolate espresso concoctions were such a huge hit.  this time i wanted to try the vanilla side of the spectrum.  the only problem was i was out of cane sugar.  and i did not want to buy the 5 pound domino bag at bj's today.  i would rather get the organic deal. but i spared billy a visit to another grocery store today and let him get to his college basketball extravaganza.  i did, however, have a nice jug of agave nectar in my cupboard at home.  i have been squeezing a bit of it in my morning coffee here and there.  so i knew i had plenty.  all i needed to do was find a recipe to use.  enter the Internet.
i have been eyeing this book - "vegan cupcakes take over the world" on ebay for a week or so now.  and soon i am going to snag it.  but for now, i did find one of the recipes displayed on someones blog - for free.  and it just so happened to be a vanilla agave cupcake.  so i decided to give it a try.  and literally 30 minutes later, i had cupcakes lingering in my kitchen.  again.  agave nectar vegan cupcakes

for the frosting i decided to whip up some of that yummy butter cream.  this time, rather than use coffee and cocoa for a mocha flavor, i wanted to do a simple, springy flavor.  i had a lemon in my fridge that i had been using here and there for cooking.  so i squeezed about a tablespoon or two of the juice and reserved it in a small bowl.  i threw a quarter of a stick of Earth Balance Vegan "butter" in my kitchen aid mixer and blended about a tablespoon of almond milk with it.  i added the lemon juice and slowly incorporated about 2-3 cups of organic powdered sugar, and a dash of clear vanilla extract.  the end result was a creamy, mildly flavored lemon butter cream that was to die for.  definitly a keeper!!

i think this has started a quest for the greatest vegan cupcakes.  and i am definitly on to something here.....

my bucks have a new star......

no one can deny that i love starbucks.  it is the ultimate treat.  since we have lived in the eastwood neighborhood, i have noticed a small local coffee shop literally right around the corner - cafe kubal.  i have always wondered if it was any good but just never gave it a shot.  instead i would drive all the way to erie blvd to the starbucks inside the barnes and noble (that isn't even really a "starbucks" - they just "proudly serve" starbucks) or race to the starbucks down the street from the office in the morning.  and spend a large amount of my hard earned money on a delicious starbucks.  and even more money now that i have to pay extra to NOT have milk in my coffee.  but it is worth it.
so - i was surfing the net one day and i think it was an ad on facebook for cafe kubal that got my attention.  so i ventured there and discovered that they serve vegan baked goods - something that i have not yet tried.  and the cupcakes looked amazing - chocolate espresso to be exact.  so i decided to give them a try.  the first time i went there i just grabbed a coffee - and it was amazing.  their prices are similar to starbucks.  but i decided that if i could get a great coffee and give my money to support a local business then it was worth ditching the "bucks".  and when i finally did try the chocolate espresso cupcake, my mind was totally made up because it was flipping heaven.  the cafe mocha + espresso cupcake did indeed = heaven.  i wonder if it's affiliation with the Christian bookstore next door has anything to do with this equation??

so this new revelation got me searching for the perfect vegan chocolate cupcake recipe. i have spent the last couple of weeks searching the internet.  and have came up with a lot of options.  one night i happened to come across the show "cupcake wars" and saw the very end where a girl who owned a bakery named 'sticky fingers" won.  ironically a couple days later, the website vegnews that i visit almost daily featured her cupcake recipe for none other than chocolate cupcakes with coffee in them.  perfect!
so i made them this afternoon, complete with apron on, music kicking and the open kitchen window wafting in fresh air! what a great day!!

rather than post the recipe here, i am going to give you the link to vegnews - it is a great site anyways!
click here - chocolate seltzer cupcakes


                                            the dry ingredients chilling out together

coffee is my inspiration!

chocolate coffee goodness 

ready to bake!

waiting patiently!

beautiful bundles waiting to be frosted with love!

this one didn't make it......

for the frosting i found a very simple veganized version of butter cream.  and i added my own spin -

1 - quarter stick of Earth Balance vegan margarine - room temp

1/4 cup cold strong-brewed coffee

2 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

in a mixer, cream the room temp margarine and the coffee together.  in a separate bowl, combine the sugar and cocoa (this doesn't have to be completely mixed)

slowly incorporate the sugar into the margarine mixture until all the sugar is added, using low speed at first.  gradually scrape the sides of the mixer bowl.  

i used a pastry bag with a large tip to frost my cupcakes - you can frost them however you prefer!

these were by far the best cupcake, or baked good for that matter, that i have ever attempted to make from scratch.  they are super moist.  the addition of coffee to the batter enhances the chocolate flavor, yet the chocolate does not over power the essence of the coffee.  the frosting is the perfect blend of coffee and chocolate flavor that gives the feel of a mocha latte.  i will definitly be making these again in the very near future! yum!

throwing caution to the wind with some magical fruit

my husband hates beans.  not green beans. but beans. kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans.  i can understand why. i grew up with my brother hating them too.  he would literally have to run to the bathroom gagging.  not fun.  so needless to say, i have never made us a big pot of chili.  and i love chili.  but since i went down the vegan road, we have basically been eating totally different meals everyday.  and this has been fine so far.  in fact, billy has been completely supportive of my new lifestyle.  so hopefully when he comes home from work, he won't be entirely disgusted by the large pot filled with hundreds of beans that i find absolutely delicious.
one may say that i cheated with this recipe, since i used a "chili season" mix.  but this was my first time making chili. i wanted to make sure i got it right.  and it is sooooo yummy.


vegan veggie chili

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of fresh garlic - minced
1 green bell pepper - chopped
1/4 of a large red onion - chopped
1/2 zucchini - chopped
1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can seasoned chili beans
2 cups sweet corn
1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon beef flavor dissolved in 2 cups hot water
1 packet of Simply Organic vegetarian chili mix dissolved in 1/4 hot water

optional -
fresh cilantro - chopped
fresh lime juice
a few shakes of Franks red hot

heat olive oil in medium sized stock pot, add garlic, green pepper and onion. saute for about 5 minutes over medium heat. add zucchini.  continue cooking.  in a large bowl add tomatoes - poke all with knife and with your hands, break into pieces and add to the pot, add remaining tomato juice. drain the beans (EXCEPT THE SEASONED CHILI BEANS). add the bouillon mixture to the pot and stir.  add all of the beans and corn, stir. add the chili mix, stir.  lower the heat to low, continue cooking and stirring a few times.

at my Wegmans, i also found a bag of frozen black eyed peas, black beans, red peppers and onions.  i added this with the corn.  i just thought it would be a nice addition.
you can also add a chopped jalapeno pepper for added heat - i happened to forget one at the store.  but this chili has great heat to it already.  just depends on you!