Vegan Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

Hi Guys, Amy here!

If you have a sweet tooth, but haven't yet encountered the book 'Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World' by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero, now's the time to introduce yourself. I don't think I've ever been so excited about a cookbook. I have borrowed this recipe from the book, just to give you a taste test.

An unfortunate side effect of veganism can be a very serious condition called Cake Deprivation. Jo suffers from this, and so does my darling Conrad. It is caused by going to your average cafe, and staring longingly into the cake cabinet - only to realise that there's nothing in there that fits into your lifestyle. Take heart, friends! There is a cure, and it's listed below. Prepare to directions, then administer generously as required.

Stuff cafe cake, you can do it better!

I baked the cupcakes, left them to cool completely, then iced with Rich Ganache Chocolate Topping. I put them in the fridge for a while so the ganache could set, then piped on the Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. Some got a cherry on top, others were graced with a chocolate - covered coffee bean.

Basic Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup soy milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used fine raw sugar)

1/3 cup canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup plain flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda (bicarb if you're Aussie)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• Whisk together soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract, to the soy milk mixture and beat till foamy.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredient and beat till no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are okay).
• Pour into liners, filling three quarters of the way. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Rich Chocolate Ganache Topping

1/4 cup soy milk

1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate (I used Whittakers Dark)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

• Bring the soy milk to a gentle boil in a small saucepan. Immediately remove from the heat and add the chocolate and maple syrup. Use a wooden spoon to mix the chocolate until it is fully melted and smooth. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use.

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, softened (eg. Nuttelex)

1/4 cup vegan cream cheese, softened (eg. Tofutti)

2 cups icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Cream together margarine and cream cheese until just combined.
• Use a handheld mixer to whip while adding the icing sugar in 1/2 cup batches. (May get a bit messy, use a bowl with high sides).
• Mix until smooth and creamy, then mix in the vanilla. Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to use.
• This is a great icing for piping, it holds shape really well.

Shiitake Udon Noodles

Becoming vegan has improved my life in some pretty surprising ways. I expected to feel happier and healthier - but I didn't expect all the other little bonuses. My wallet is as happy as I am, and debts are diminishing as quickly as good karma is going up! Turns out it's both cheaper and more cheerful loving your fellow animal. My cholesterol is at an all time low, while my iron is at a personal best. Who knew!

One other tangible benefit, and perhaps the best, is making a bunch of new like-minded friends! Chances are, if they're keen to treat animals that they've never met in the right way, they're going to have a similar attitude to other people. The lovely lady at our local Buddhist supermarket (for Perthies: it's next to Sri Melaka vegetarian restaurant on James St Northbridge) gave me a big bag of fresh shiitake mushrooms, a rarity in sunny, dry Perth.

You can make this recipe at home using the dried ones, I'm sure it will work just as well.

If you're in Perth and would like some freshies - stop by Innaloo Fresh to pick some up.

Shiitake Udon Noodles

Serves

4

Ingredients

1 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms (or dried ones, covered in hot water until soft)

1 bunch chinese greens (kailan, choy sum or bok choy)

1 red onion, sliced

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 massel 'chicken' stock cube, mixed with 3 tbsp boiling water

2 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tsp sesame oil

2 whole star anise (optional)

2 tbsp canola oil

1 cup green beans, ends cut off and cut in half

1 1/2 cups vegan mock meat and / or firm tofu

1 packet dried udon noodles OR 2-3 cups fresh udon noodles ( I used Hakubaku Organic Udon, sold at Woolworths supermarkets in Australia)

Method

• Bring a pot of water to the boil.
• Add dried udon noodles. Boil noodles until just cooked. Drain. (Skip this step if you're using fresh udon).
• Meanwhile, heat sesame oil in a large frypan or wok.
• Add sesame seeds and toast until fragrant. Remove sesame seeds and set aside.
• Add canola oil.
• Fry onion, garlic and star anise.
• Add green beans and mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes over high heat, stirring.
• Take star anise out of wok and discard.
• Add stock mixture.
• Add asian greens and cook, stirring, for a minute or two, until leaves start to wilt.
• Add noodles, hoisin, and soy sauce, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.
• Serve sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

Winter Lentil Soup

Here in the southern hemisphere, winter is getting into full swing. There's nothing like a hot bowl of soup to scare those cold weather sniffles away. Brown lentils have a really rich, meaty taste, and are packed with essential amino acids and protein - with a hefty side serve of fibre. They also provide excellent bang for your buck... if only we could run our cars on lentils as well as our bodies!

This recipe passed the man test with flying colours - his bowlful was devoured in record time, and he was into seconds before I'd finished firsts! Make this dish more man-friendly with some hot rolls or garlic bread (vegan of course) on the side.

Winter Lentil Soup

Serves

4 for a main, 6 for a starter

Ingredients

1 Lt Vegan stock (I used Massel ‘beef’)

1 cup dried brown lentils

1 carrot, diced

1 sweet potato, cubed

1 large red onion, diced

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp cumin

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and stir.

Leave for 8 hours or so, until lentils are soft. Extra time will only improve the texture.

Serve with crisp rolls, warmed in the oven.

A great one to prepare ahead of time – tastes even better the next day!

Weeknight Fried Rice

Hi guys, little sister Amy here!

Conrad, my significant other, is a talented eater. I remember being awed when we first met, that he could put away 4 Whoppers in one sitting, or two footlong Subs and still have room for dessert. Cows and chickens everywhere breathed a sigh of relief the day he went vegan... but now vegetables and fruits should be quaking in their leaves. The man still takes some serious feeding!

He loves this fried rice - and especially loves that it makes such a big batch as he always gets leftovers the next day for lunch.

Ingredients

3 cups cooked rice (slightly undercooked is best)

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup mushrooms, finely chopped

2/3 cup green beans, finely chopped

1 large head bok choy, well washed and sliced horizontally

1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped (about 2 cloves)

1 Massel chicken stock cube

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp canola oil

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 cups fried tofu pieces, firm tofu or vegan mock meats, chopped into 1 inch pieces

(I used fried tofu, Crispy-G chicken pieces & vegan king prawns)*.

Lemon wedges to serve

• Heat sesame oil and 1 tbsp of canola oil in a large non-stick wok or frying pan.
• Add garlic and fry until sizzling.
• Add all vegetables except bok choy, and fry until just starting to soften.
• Crumble stock cube over vegetables.
• Add tofu / vegan mock meat and fry over high heat, stirring constantly.
• Add remaining oil.
• Add rice, 1 cup at a time, stirring quickly until all rice is added.
• Add bok choy
• Add all remaining ingredients except lemon wedges (soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sweet chilli sauce and lemon juice)
• Stir over hot stove, until well combined.
• Serve with lemon wedges and hot chilli sauce.

*Mock meats can be found at most Asian grocers. Check the ingredients, as some can contain whey protein, which comes from dairy.

Sweet Potato Pastries

Greetings fellow foodies =)

Entertaining is great fun, but being a vegan host can be a bit of a challenge at times. Gone are the days where you could just grab some party pies from the shop and throw them in the oven - the vegan miniature pastry selection at my local supermarket is pretty light on. Fortunately, it's much cheaper and very easy to make your own.

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 Massel chicken stock cube (or other vegan stock cube)

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp tomato paste

3 tbsp Orgran No Egg Replacer

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp sesame seeds

3-4 puff pastry sheets (Borgs & Coles brands are both vegan)

salt and pepper to taste

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. HINT: I have a fan forced oven, and turn the fan off to cook pastries as otherwise the tops can burn before the pastries are cooked inside.
• Remove 2 pastry sheets from the freezer and set aside to defrost on a flat surface.
• Combine all ingredients except puff pastry and sesame seeds into a mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.
• Cut pastry sheets into 9 equally sized squares by cutting the sheets twice horizontally and vertically.
• Using a teaspoon, spoon 1- 2tsp of potato mixture onto each square. Don't put more filling than you fit on to half the square.
• Brush edges of pastry square with water, and fold over pastry to seal.
• Brush top of pastry with water and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
• Place onto tray lined with good quality baking paper.
• When tray is full, bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, until pastry is a puffy pale golden brown.
• Repeat until all sweet potato mixture is used up.
• Serve hot with your favourite relish, onion jam or BBQ sauce.
• These freeze beautifully for when you have unexpected guests drop by!

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

Jo was saying yesterday as we were driving to Fremantle, how she wishes there was more cake in her life. Who doesn't?!

These delicious little angels are perfect for special occasions.They taste just like the ones Mum used to make for birthday parties. But don’t let that stop you from making a batch just because!

Ingredients

200g (7/8 cup) Nuttelex dairy free margarine*
1 3/4 cups (370g) raw sugar^
1 large vanilla pod OR 2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp Orgran No Egg Replacer
8 tbsp water
2 3/4 cups (405g) plain flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1 cup (250ml) soy milk
Paper patty cases

For the frosting:
½ cup Nuttlex dairy free margarine
500g icing mixture (1 small packet)
2 tbsp soy milk
2 tsp lemon juice
Food colouring
Decorations eg. Sugar flowers, sprinkles etc.

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
• In a muffin tray, spread out patty pans.
• Mix the water and Orgran No Egg Replacer together until smooth.
• In a large mixing bowl, add raw sugar and thoroughly scrape vanilla seeds from pod into sugar (or add vanilla extract). Add Nuttelex.
• Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer.
• In a separate bowl, mix baking powder and flour together.
• Gradually add flour and soy milk to creamed butter mixture, mixing until just combined.
• Spoon mixture into patty cases until about half full.
• Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, until cakes are lightly browned and spring back to the touch.
• Leave cakes to cool on wire rack.

Frosting and decorating:

• In a bowl, place icing mixture and Nuttelex.
• Mix in lemon juice and beat until it forms stiff frosting. Add soy milk ½ tbsp at a time, stir until you reach your desired consistency.
• If you want different coloured icing, separate into different bowls before adding food colouring.
• Pipe frosting onto cakes using a piping bag, or simply spread with the back of a spoon.
• Decorate with sugar flowers, sprinkles etc.

*This is not product placement – I’ve found this is the best dairy free vegan spread to bake with, the firmer texture replicates a butter-like consistency better than some of the softer blends.

^Generally, caster sugar is used in cakes, especially cupcakes. I prefer not to use caster sugar as raw sugar has a richer flavour and is a bit healthier. Caster will probably give a more homogenous cake result if that’s what you’re after.. it’s a matter of preference.

Vegan Minestrone

Hi Guys!

You might think I'm Jo - but I'm not! I'm Amy, Jo's sister, and she's given me the keys to her blogging kingdom! Mwahaha! We thought the only thing better than one of our heads was both our heads together, dreaming up recipes. When you think about food as much as we do, you've got a lot of time to create!

If you're a new vegan, you might have cruised the shelves of your local supermarket, looking for canned food to get you out of trouble when you need a quick fix or are just too tired to cook. I was surprised by how many of the supermarket 'vegetable' soups are actually laden with dairy and meat products. This soup freezes really well and can be kept for those times when you need a 'get out of the kitchen free card'.

Just take however much you want to freeze out of the slow cooker before you add the risoni, as pasta can be a bit dodgy in the freezer.

I served it up with Garlic Ciabatta - which makes it seem a bit fancier than just soup for dinner.

Hearty Minestrone

Ingredients

1 onion

1 carrot

1 small zucchini

2 cups chopped pumpkin

handful of green beans

1 440gm tin of crushed tomatoes

1 litre Massel brand (vegan) chicken stock

4 tbsp tomato paste

½ cup risoni, or other small pasta shape (alternately you can use spaghetti broken into approx 3 cm pieces)

2 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp garlic

2 tsp paprika

1 tbsp chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

• Chop all vegetables into 1cm pieces
• Add all ingredients to slow cooker
• Cook on high for at least 6 hours (or while you’re at work. Extra time won’t hurt).
• 15 minutes before serving, add risoni and stir thoroughly.
• Serve with warm bread or Garlic Ciabatta.

·

Garlic Ciabatta

Ingredients

1 ciabatta loaf or similar crusty bread

¾ cup dairy free spread (eg. Nuttelex, Olive Grove)

½ tsp salt

black pepper to taste

2 tbsp chopped herbs (oregano & parsley both work)

OR

1 tbsp dried herbs

2 cloves of garlic

OR

2 tsp crushed garlic

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees
• Cut the ciabatta into thick slices
• Mix all other ingredients in a bowl
• Place the ciabatta on a tray with aluminium foil underneath the loaf (enough to wrap the loaf completely)
• Spread both sides of each bread slice with the garlic butter, keeping loaf in its original shape
• Wrap loaf with foil and bake for 20 minutes, until butter has melted and edges are crispy
• Serve hot