Vegan MoFo - Ruby Rose's Macarena Muffin Pie

This summer, I went PPKamping in Dorset with MessyVeggie, holylopez, baps, hana, and jojo.  We met up with Ruby Rose at Monkey World (!), and naturally the conversation turned to odd foods.  It turns out that Ruby Rose (aka Amy) had a dream about making a pie with a shortcrust base, apple filling, and cinnamon muffin topping.  She then sold it at a bake sale while doing the Macarena.  I think that was how the dream went.

Well, as soon as she said this, I thought, I must make that pie.  Then someone else mentioned using Lotus biscuits (out of which Speculoos spread is made) to make a cookie crust (completely unrelated to the previously mentioned pie).  My thoughts then turned to, I must make that pie with Speculoos crust!

I finally got around to making it today.  One thing I have to say - I forgot just how much I dislike making apple pie.  The coring, the peeling, the slicing - it takes SO. LONG.  But I soldiered on for the good of humanity (or so I assumed). 

The crust recipe is a variation on this cookie crust.  The apple filling is a variation on the filling for the Gingerbread Apple Pie in Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz*.  And the muffin top is my own cinnamon muffin recipe (minus the chocolate chips).  I now give you...

Macarena Muffin Pie

Crust:

• about 20 Lotus/Biscoff biscuits
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 6 tbsp margarine, melted

Preheat the oven to 350F/175C.

Crush the biscuits into small pieces (or whiz them in a food processor).  Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined.  Press into a pie plate and bake for 5-7 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool as you make the other elements of the pie, but leave the oven on.

Apple Filling:

• 1 pound apples (I used Pink Lady), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tbsp arrowroot

Combine everything but the arrowroot in a large bowl.  Sprinkle the arrowroot over the mixture and stir until the starch is dissolved.

Assemble:

Have ready one recipe of cinnamon muffins without chocolate chips.  Pour the apple mixture into the prepared crust, then top with the muffin batter**.  Smooth the batter over the apples so that they're completely covered.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the muffin top is brown and slightly cracked and a toothpick inserted in the middle (but not too far down!) comes out clean.

The Verdict - OMG it's so good!  I have to say, though, that the crust as written isn't perfect.  It doesn't actually stay together, so it's more like one of those cakes with a pudding bottom.  Still, it's freaking delicious.  And I'm glad I left the 1/4 c of maple syrup out of the apple filling because it would've been way too much sugar, as it's a bit of sugar overload as is.  In fact, I forgot to take pictures of the first piece and had to have a second, and I think I might go into a diabetic coma soon.  I might try it again with the shortcrust (or shortbread crust, which was another variation I thought of trying before the mention of Speculoos crust).  I might also just put cinnamon in the apple filling as it felt a little overwhelmed with spices.



And in case you didn't notice, I got a new camera.  Naturally, the first photos I post from it are brown and messy.  Awesome.


*Many thanks to Isa for letting me print my variation.
**You won't use all the batter, so throw some chocolate chips into the remainder and bake in muffin cups after you've baked this.

Vegan MoFo - Restaurant Review: Bonsai

I'm late writing this because I had a horrible allergy attack this afternoon and had to take some pills (and then a 5-hour nap).

We went to Bonsai Bar Bistro (caution:  non-vegan stuff on the home page, and it plays music!) for lunch this afternoon.  We've been going to Bonsai for a few years now.  We're pretty sure it's the first place we ever had a meal out.  We were with the uni sci-fi society, which actually had some vegans in it, so it was pretty easy to learn what was OK for us to eat (though Mike wasn't yet vegan at the time).  We've been going somewhat regularly ever since.

I'm the type of person who is very set in her ways.  I like to establish patterns and stick to them.  Yeah, we'll check out a new place, and we'll try a few things if we decide we like it.  But once I've tried all the vegan stuff on the menu, I pretty much stick to ordering the same thing every time.  So, every time we go to Bonsai, I order the same things - yakisoba (fried noodles with veg), inari (sushi rice wrapped in fried bean curd sheets), and agedashi tofu (breaded tofu in a soupy sauce).  Mike tends to order miso soup, takuan maki (pickled radish), and either plain or seasoned rice.  And it's not necessarily for a lack of options - we just prefer those things.

So, as per usual, I got what I always get.  I tend to eat the agedashi tofu with the yakisoba.  Both were good, but there was something not quite right about the tofu.  I couldn't really put my finger on it - it was still good, but not as good as usual.  The yakisoba was still great, though.  I tend to eat my inari last because it has a bit of sweetness from the sushi rice.  I love the combination of sweet and salty, so I always dip my inari in a bit of soy sauce.  It's like a relatively healthy dessert (if fried bean curd sheets count as healthy).  I can't really comment on Mike's food because I didn't try it, but he liked it.

As I said, those aren't the only vegan options.  They actually have quite a few, but mine are limited because they use avocado in most of the sushi.  They also serve French fries, which seems incongruous for a Japanese restaurant, but they're actually really good.  They're sprinkled with coarse sea salt and served with a sauce that definitely has soy sauce in it, but other than that I can't place the flavours.  It's amazingly good, though.

Oh, I should also mention that they do a reward scheme - a stamp for every £10 spent, and after 5 stamps you get 20% off.  The prices are pretty good, so we usually manage to eat pretty well for around £20, and then we get 2 stamps, so we get 20% off about every 3 meals, which is a damn good deal.  It's obviously a place I'd recommend.  The only person we've taken there who hasn't liked it was my grandpa.  There's something there for everyone ... except my grandpa.

I apologise once again for the lack of photos.  I hope to go camera shopping tomorrow (would've done it today if not for the bloody allergies) and be back in the photo-taking game soon.

Vegan MoFo - Homesick

As you know, I'm American, and I live in Edinburgh.  I love Edinburgh, I love living here, and I have no intention of ever leaving.  But I haven't been back to the US since 2008, and I haven't been back to Texas since 2006.  I have friends, family, and cats that I haven't seen in 5 or more years.  Overall, I don't like Texas, and I never want to live there again, but sometimes I get homesick.  I miss my friends, I miss my family, I REALLY miss my cat, and I miss the food.

This afternoon I was reheating my lunch when I realised that I'd bought one of those new fridge packs of baked beans (which really are quite genius) and forgot about it after eating one serving.  It says to use within 5 days, and it's been 7.  But I smelled them and they seemed fine, so I brought them home.

So, what does the one have to do with the other?  When I first started experimenting with veganism, my friend Joy let me borrow a copy of How It All Vegan by Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard.  Being a shitty vegetarian (I pretty much just replaced meats with mock meats and still didn't eat any veg), I gravitated towards the recipes that most closely resembled my regular diet.  I think the Bean and Cheese Casserole was the first recipe I made from that book.

It turned out that my mom really liked it.  I mean, what's not to like - beans, potatoes, and cheese layered in a casserole.  But my mom liked it enough to request it multiple times and even make it herself (though with hot dogs and dairy cheese, completely defeating the purpose) when she visited family in New York.  I haven't made this recipe in years.  I honestly can't even remember the last time I made it.  But it always reminds me of my mom.  So, tonight, I'll be using up my beans and potatoes in this casserole, and maybe I'll call my mom.

Since this recipe was first written (over 10 years ago!), we've come on leaps and bounds in vegan cheese.  You can now get vegan cheese that melts, which I'm sure would make this recipe even better.  I'll be using smoked cheddar Sheese tonight, but those of you in the US could use Teese or Daiya, and it would probably be amazing.

BTW, this recipe is already online and has been for ages (here), but the direct link is a bit dodgy.  I'd cut and paste, but the formatting is all jacked up.  And I think I can maybe make the directions make a little more sense, so I'll just rewrite that bit.

Bean and Cheese Casserole
How It All Vegan

Ingredients:

5-6 small potatoes, sliced
1 can baked beans
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp pepper
2 c grated vegan cheese

Directions:

Boil or steam the potatoes until soft enough to pierce with a fork.  While the potatoes are cooking, mix the beans, mustard, and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400F/200C and lightly grease a casserole dish.  Place half the potatoes in the bottom of the casserole, then layer half the bean mixture, half the cheese, then another layer of each, topping with cheese.  Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes.


For those far away from home, what recipes remind you of home?

Vegan MoFo - Review: David Bann

My friend Mary had a birthday today, so a large group of her friends went to David Bann, Edinburgh's schmancy vegetarian restaurant.  I've been to David Bann before and wasn't terribly impressed.  I almost didn't go because of it, but then they suddenly changed their menu.  They now actually have more than two vegan options, so I didn't have to have Asian spaghetti this time!

We went with the three-course menu, since I could actually get something from all three courses.  I started with the Thai fritters - smoked tofu, broccoli, peas, ginger, herbs and spices.  They were served with a banana chutney and plum dressing.  The fritters and plum dressing were pretty good.  I didn't try the banana chutney because I'm not fond of bananas.  I washed it and my main down with Sam Smith's organic cider.

My main was the chilli crepe (vegan option, natch).  I liked it - the chocolate sauce was interesting, but not bad.  It just gave it a little bit of sweetness and depth.  The printed menu had the wrong description, so I was expecting potato in there somewhere, so the lack of it was a little disappointing (since I decided on it because of the potato).  Overall, though, I liked it.

Dessert, however, was another story.  I don't know what it is about vegan desserts that most restaurants seem to not be able to get right.  There was only one vegan dessert option - raspberries in jelly, orange drizzle cake, and coconut rum sorbet.  The jelly was atop the cake, which was about the size of a hockey puck, and they honestly put about 1/2 tablespoon of sorbet on top of the jelly.  I took a bite of the jelly and thought, oh sweet Jesus, what did I do to deserve this?  I don't know what they made it from, but it wasn't the stuff that mimics gelatin.  I can't really describe it, but it was wrong, and this was verified by someone else.  The cake was nice, but insubstantial, as was the sorbet.  I would've preferred twice as much of those and none of the jelly, but what can you do?

Everyone else loved their food, though the person who got the risotto said it wasn't enough.  It's a good place to take people you want to impress, especially if they're vegetarian.  Now that they have the new menu, I would probably go back to David Bann, but I sure as hell won't get dessert again if they only have that option. 

Vegan MoFo - On freezers and freezing

I was about to have to miss a day out because we were both too hungry to wait for me to cook, so I had a Freenut Butter and jam sammich and Mike had cereal for dinner.  I couldn't think of anything to talk about until, about 30 minutes ago, I realised that I was still pretty hungry and needed a snack.  And that's when I realised, I haven't talked about my freezer!


When we moved into this flat, it had a TV but no freezer.  We asked them to get rid of the TV (we didn't want to pay for the license) and put in a freezer.  They did neither.  So I lived with a dusty TV and no freezer for over 2 years.  If we ever got frozen food, we had to eat it all within the day (or 2 days, depending on what it was), so we were eating entire tubs of ice cream between the two of us in one go.

I finally decided I couldn't stand for it any longer.  In all seriousness, not having a freezer was contributing to my weight gain, and we were wasting food (and therefore money) on food we could've frozen before it went off.  So, for my birthday this year, I demanded gratefully received a freezer.

I love having a freezer.  It's actually helped me eat better because we now have veg on demand without having to buy it the same day.  I can eat a small amount of ice cream and put the rest back.  And I can eat an actual portion size of tots rather than half a bag one day and the other half the next (though I never actually had a problem with that).  I can now make things one night and save them for a meal weeks later (in fact, I made some beans a few days after I got the freezer and still haven't used them).  I MADE MY OWN JELL-O PUDDING POPS!!!

And then, during the PPKamping trip, someone told me about Fry's Vegetarian chicken-style burgers.  I bought them pretty much immediately after I got back.  They are truly delightful.  I ate one tonight, pan-fried with just a spray of oil, between two pieces of wholemeal bread with the cheesy mustard mayo from American Vegan Kitchen.  It was one of the nicest things I've ever eaten - quick, easy, delicious, a little greasy.  So good.

BTW, when I looked for the link to the burgers, I discovered that Fry's are coming out with new products, including "Louisiana Tenders" - vegan chicken strips!  And popcorn "chicken"!  I can't wait for those.

So, talk to me about frozen convenience foods - what's your favourite?

N.B. - Apologies for any possible typos.  I'm super tired and can't be bothered proofreading right now.

Vegan MoFo - Irn Bru Cupcakes

Another in my irregular series on Scottish-ish foods, I have made Irn Bru Cupcakes.  And what a bloody saga!  But more of that coming up.  I should say right at the top that, when I went to document said saga, I discovered that my camera was dead (I put in brand new batteries and it told me to change the batteries and then went black), so I apologise for the lack of pictures pretty much for the rest of MoFo (unless I manage to replace the camera).

Photo from the Barr site

For those who don't know, Irn Bru (pronounced like iron brew) is an orange soda that isn't orange flavoured (though Wikipedia claims it's vaguely citrus).  I think it kinda tastes like Big Red, the cream soda that doesn't taste like cream soda, except a little milder - maybe because it's orange instead of red.  It's native to Scotland, and in fact is the best-selling soda in Scotland, ahead even of Coke.  Though it's difficult to verify and there are a lot of differing views, Googling every listed ingredient has made me 99% sure it's vegan.

I was inspired to make Irn Bru cupcakes by Panda With Cookie's delicious Cheerwine cookies (unfortunately currently unavailable since she's recently moved and hasn't set up her baking again yet).  I thought about sending her some Irn Bru cookies that were similar to her Cheerwine cookies, but I decided to experiment with cupcakes first because they're easier (I'm really not much of a cookie baker).

I started out trying to combine concepts from the Golden Vanilla Cupcakes in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and this non-vegan recipe for Irn Bru cupcakes from London Baking.  I basically tried to veganize the second recipe based on the first.  I replaced the margarine with oil and the buttermilk with soy milk curdled with apple cider vinegar.  It didn't work.  At. All.  The batter was WAY too runny, but I baked it anyway, and my cupcakes came out concave and gooey.  I gave it another try, decreasing the liquid and increasing the dry ingredients, and the cakes worked fine.

Then I moved on to the frosting.  My idea was to reduce the remaining soda to syrup and make a buttercream a la the raspberry buttercream in VCTOTW.  I cooked it down for a good hour or more, and it didn't seem to get any thicker, so I bunged in some sugar.  It still didn't look thick enough, so I bunged in some more sugar.  Then it started to really thicken.  I took it off the heat to let it cool, and within 5 minutes, I had Irn Bru candy.  It was not gonna become frosting.

In the end, I poured some soda in a bowl and left it out overnight to flatten and just replaced the milk in the Vegan Fluffy Buttercream recipe.  But that recipe doesn't really require a lot of milk, so the flavour was really subtle.  Overall, the cupcakes didn't have a very strong Irn Bru flavour, but they were good, and you could tell they weren't plain vanilla.

Irn Bru Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c milk
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 c sugar
• 1/2 c oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 c plain flour
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 c Irn Bru

Preheat the oven to 350F/175C and line a muffin tin with liners.

In a large bowl, combine the milk and acv and let sit for about 5 minutes to curdle.  Add in the sugar, oil, and vanilla and mix well.  Combine all dry ingredients and sift into the wet ingredients, then mix to combine.  Add in the Irn Bru (it'll get really fizzy!) and mix to combine.

Pour the batter evenly into the muffin cups and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

When the muffins are completely cool, frost with Vegan Fluffy Buttercream with the milk replaced by Irn Bru.

If I try this (or the cookies) again and manage to get the frosting right, I'll write it up in another post.

Vegan MoFo - Summer's Last Hurrah

This was meant to be yesterday's post, but I changed it up a bit.

The past couple of summers have been excessively, unbearably hot, but this one was actually pretty mild.  We had a couple of weeks where it was relatively hot, but the majority of the summer was what feels like spring in Texas.  As September crawled to a close, each passing day felt nearer to autumn.  The leaves turned into glorious reds, oranges and yellows, fell from the trees to blanket the streets like snow, and the temperature got lower by the day.

Then, suddenly, during the last week of September, seemingly the whole of the UK felt as if it had been engulfed in flames.  It was as hot as it had been during the warmest part of summer.  Even when it rained, it was still sticky and warm.   It didn't get cool again until Sunday.

And, of course, the only thing to do when it's unbearably hot is make ice cream.  Personally, I can eat ice cream in the depths of winter, but I understand most people only like it when it's warm out.

I usually make a variation of the recipe in Veganomicon, but this time, since we're doing the cookbook challenge again, I used the recipe from American Vegan Kitchen (linked in my last post) for Mocha Vegan Ice Cream (no pics because, really, it's just a pile of brown).

Pros:  It was tasty, especially with some butterscotch syrup, and it makes a lot more than most other recipes.

Cons:  It took a long time - it has to be cooked, then chilled for at least 4 hours.  I'm used to the V'con recipe, which takes about 5-10 minutes to make, then about an hour to chill before putting it in the ice cream maker.

I may or may not use this again.  I don't know how adaptable it would be, and, as mentioned, it takes a long time.  But at least there's more of it, so I don't have to make ice cream for a while.