Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Hello 'Mofo!



I seriously cannot believe it's already October. Well, those of us in the know, know what that means. It's 'mofo time!

(For those not in the know, Veganmofo is the Vegan Month of Food. Vegan bloggers around the universe post nearly every day in the month of October about vegan food! It was originally inspired by Nanowrimo, where writers attempt to write a novel in a month.)

The wonderful and amazing Kittee has taken on the mindblowing task of gettin' every participating 'mofo-er onto one HUGE bloglines feed to help you keep up with everyone.

I haven't quite decided on a theme for this year, so I'll probably just post random recipes, pictures, product and restaurant reviews.

Bring it on 'mofos!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Cake for Baby!

My bestest friend ever, Jennifer, is having a baby girl! I volunteered to make the cake and cupcakes for her shower yesterday!



The cake and half of the cupcakes are lemon with raspberry cream cheese frosting. The other half of the cupcakes are VCTOTW basic chocolate, with raspberry cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut with marzipan eggs.

Each tier was 3 layers of lemon cake (this recipe without the poppyseeds) with raspberry preserves and raspberry cream cheese frosting between the layers. The whole thing was coated with a crumb coat of the raspberry cream cheese frosting (Equal parts Tofutti cream cheese and Earth Balance, with a bit of vanilla extract and Flavorganics Raspberry Syrup, mixed with enough powdered sugar to get the right texture) then decorated with tinted vanilla fondant.

I was going to make my fondant from scratch, and did make a small batch, but it was a lot of work, and I needed a lot of fondant, so I bought Satin Ice brand fondant, which, as far as I could tell from the label and my internet research, is vegan.

My first time working with fondant. I am no Duff, but I think I did pretty good for my first go 'round. One thing I learned is that it is key to have ample flat working space to effectively pull this off. I was working on a folding card table, that wasn't level, so I had a bit of trouble rolling it out evenly. I know I could have done a much better job, if I just had a proper kitchen counter.



Sunday, September 20, 2009

Orange Chipotle Barbecue Sauce (from 500 Vegan Recipes)



Orange Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Soy Free & Gluten Free

Oh, so sweet! But wait, what's that kick? Ohhh, the smoky chipotle has emerged from the sweetness to leave your tongue warm...not burning. This recipe calls for a strange ingredient…grape jelly! Please, don't use jam, but jelly. This is my Gramma Jo's secret ingredient. She uses it in all of her barbecue sauces, even store-bought ones.

2 tablespoons (30 g) extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion (about 6 ounces, 170 g), roughly chopped
1 tablespoon (15 g) minced garlic
24 ounces (680 g) tomato sauce
6 ounces (170 g) tomato paste
1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh orange juice
1/2 cup (110 g) packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (80 g) grape jelly
2 tablespoons (12 g) ground chipotle powder
In a stock pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent and fragrant, and just beginning to brown. Add in remaining ingredients and stir. Bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and serve as you would any barbecue sauce. If not using right away, place in an airtight container and store in the fridge. Will last about a week in the fridge, or freeze for later use.


Yield: About 4 cups (940 ml)

2012 Copyright/Permissions/Disclaimers

All recipes written by me, Joni Marie Newman, unless otherwise noted. Please feel free to refer to or link back to any of my recipes, but please ask for permission, and remember to give credit when reprinting recipes in their entirety. I do provide links to affiliate programs (such as Amazon) in which I receive a small commission for items purchased. I do not provide paid reviews. All reviews done on products or books are of my own unsolicited opinion. On occasion I may receive a book or product to review. I will note when this is the case, but rest assured, it will not affect the authenticity of my review. Thanks!--Joni