Holy Molé! Iron Cupcakes!

For my first-ever Iron Cupcake: Earth Challenge, I created Holy Molé Vegan Chocolate-Chili Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream:


In case you don't know about Iron Cupcake: Earth, it's an awesome monthly cupcake challenge/contest in which bakers create a cupcake recipe based around a specified ingredient. As you can tell from my Mexican-molé-inspired cupcakes, this first challenge was chili pepper.

These cuppies are based on the traditional molé sauce, but unlike the common savory version, my molé doesn't contain nasty stuff like chicken broth, garlic, or onions (nothing against garlic and onions, but um, not in my cupcakes please). Instead, I tossed some melted dark chocolate, vegan margarine, soymilk, cinnamon, ground almonds, raisins, and of course, three tablespoons of homemade ground ancho chili powder into the food processor.

The result was DEE-LI-CIOUS!!! I know cause I licked the bowl. Then I mixed that sauce with whole-wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar and Holy Molé cupcakes were born!

I topped them with the cinnamon buttercream to really bring out the cinnamon flavor in the cupcakes. And I garnished with a cut-out pepper flower and extra ancho powder.

This was my first time ever creating my own cake recipe from scratch! And now I feel so proud of myself. I didn't even know I could do that! I can't wait to see what the next challenge will be.

By the way, this is a contest so you can totally vote for me (or whichever cupcake you think sounds/looks the best) if you feel so inclined. Voting opens Sunday at No One Puts Cupcake In a Corner and runs through September 4th.

We're competing to win some awesome prizes, like cupcake art by Cakespy, vintage aprons by Jessie Steele Aprons, super-handy cupcake trays from The Cupcake Courier, and stuff from Taste of Home.

Also, if you want in on the action next month, head to No One Puts Cupcake In a Corner and sign up! The next ingredient will be announced September 5th! Happy Cupcaking!

Anarchy in the USA

I haven't changed much in the ten years since high school. I'm still vegetarian. Still a feminist. Still into punk rock, and although I vote Democrat (go Barack Obama!), I've always been an anarchist at heart.

In high school, I checked out a history handbook book on anarchy from the public library. The text gave a thorough history of the anarchist movement in America, including a profile of anarchist pioneer Emma Goldman.

Emma (1869-1940) is awesome! She fought for women's access to birth control, and was jailed for encouraging people not to enlist for the draft in 1917. She even wrote essays about homosexuality, which back then, was totally cutting edge. She's also responsible for inserting gender politics into modern anarchist philosophy. I immediately made her a hero!

So where does the food come in, you ask? Right here in Kittee Kake's
All Hail Emma Goldman Oatmeal Chocolate Cherry Cookies:


When I ordered Kittee's zine Papa Tofu awhile back, I was immediately drawn to these ... mainly because of the name. But honestly, you can't go wrong with a combo of oatmeal, chocolate, and cherries. These were super chewy, my favorite cookie texture! Thanks Kittee!

BTW, you guys should totally order Papa Tofu here. It's filled with Kittee's famous desserts (cakes, pies, cookies), as well as New Orleans food and African cuisine.

My next post will be (drum roll, please) my cupcake creation for this month's Iron Cupcake challenge, so stay tuned. I'll leave you guys with my favorite Emma Goldman quote:

"If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution."

— Emma Goldman

Smores Meet Moon Pies!

People joke that Southerners sit around their trailers barefoot, sippin' on RC Colas and munchin' Moon Pies. And while I did spend my first few years in a trailer, I always wore shoes and wasn't a fan of RC Cola. I did, however, love chocolate Moon Pies in my pre-vegan days ... especially heated in the microwave for a few seconds.

I also loved smores. Something about a gooey campfire-roasted marshmallow smeared between a crunchy graham cracker and a melty chunk of Hershey's chocolate still makes my mouth water. So imagine my excitement when I heard about Sweet & Sara's vegan smore pies!


They're like a cross between a smore (with the fluffy vegan marshmallow layer, the chocolate shell, and the graham cookie), but they look and taste a lot like classic Moon Pies.


My dad threw one in my recent Vegan Essentials order, and though I intended to eat only half at a time (lest I get fat!), I couldn't stop at half. Microwaved for 15 seconds (would be less in a normal microwave ... mine sucks), the chocolate layer got just melty enough to require a fork and the marshmallow layer went all soft and gooey. How could I not eat it all in one setting?

Cornbread Pizza

I've been wanting to create a Southern-style veggie pizza for my cookbook, loaded high with greens, summer squash, peppers, and Vidalia onions. And I'd planned on using a traditional pizza crust, but one night last week, inspiration struck. Why not create a cornbread crust? What's more Southern than cornbread? So ladies and gentlemen, I give you Southern Veggie Cornbread Pizza:

For the crust, I halved my recipe for cast-iron cornbread (also in the cookbook). I didn't want to use the whole amount because it would be way too thick. I topped the uncooked crust with homemade pizza sauce, some TVP that I rehydrated in a "beefy" broth, and sauteed turnip greens, squash, red bell pepper, and Vidalia onions. Then I baked it all in my cast-iron skillet.


Wow! I'm proud of this creation. It was super good! The crust was just the right thickness, about the size of a deep dish pizza crust, and the combination of TVP "beef," sauce, and veggies was both hearty and healthy.

I will probably use kale next time though, instead of turnip greens. Turnip greens really need to be cooked down for about 45 minutes to get rid of their bitter taste, so the milder taste of kale works better when sauteéd. Since the turnip greens were sauteéd and then baked, they weren't terribly bitter on the pizza. But I think kale would be the best green for this recipe.

Chickpea Cutlets Revisited

I've been eating leftover Chickpea Cutlets for days, and though I'm not tired them, I've been trying to find new ways to use them. Last night, I added the last cutlet to this yummy Curried Pattypan Squash and "Chicken" Sauté over Quinoa:


I'd been sitting on a lovely white pattypan squash from the farmer's market for a few weeks, and it needed to be consumed. So I cut off the thick winter squash skin and stir-fried it up with garlic. I chopped the cutlet up and added it and the raisins in the last few minutes of cooking. Wow! This was super tasty. I love any combination of veggies and curry.

Curried Pattypan Squash and "Chicken" Sauté over Quinoa
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1 cup quinoa, cooked
1 pattypan squash, cubed (or any winter squash)
1 Chickpea Cutlet (from the Veganomicon) or another chicken substitute, diced
1/4 cup raisins
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. safflower oil
Curry powder
Cumin
Cayenne Pepper
Veggie Broth
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in a skillet, and add garlic. Cook one minute, and then add squash. As squash begins to soften, add curry powder, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper (all to taste). Cook about 10 to 15 minutes or until squash becomes very soft.

If squash begins to stick to the pan, deglaze pan with a splash of veggie broth. Add cutlets and raisins. Continue adding veggie broth as needed to prevent sticking (this allows you to not use so much oil).

When raisin have plumped, squash is soft, and all liquid is absorbed, remove from heat and serve over quinoa.

Easy Cheezy

I've never visited the East Coast, so I'm not sure what makes this lasagna "East Coast Lasagna." But that's what Rory Freedman and Kim Bourdain call it in Skinny Bitch in the Kitch.


East coast, west coast, whatever. This stuff was incredible! And super simple.

That melty goodness all over the top is Teese, of course. Under that is the Skinny Bitch Basic Red Sauce, made with crushed tomatoes, fresh herbs, garlic, red wine, hot sauce, and agave nectar.

In true Skinny Bitch fashion, I used brown rice pasta lasagna noodles (because white pasta is nasty). The noodles were covered in alternating layers of red sauce, Teese, homemade tofu ricotta, and Morningstar Farms veggie burger crumbles.


As you can see, I have a problem "plating" lasagna, but I swear it tasted way better than it looks. I believe this was the first time I've made lasagna with burger crumbles. I usually use eggplant or spinach or something veggie-ish. But this was a nice stand-in for the old meat lasagna I used to love as a kid. Only way healthier. And minus the cruelty.

Mail Order Food!

My super awesome dad LOVES to surprise me with mail order vegan goodies! He actually picks out the products on his own, though occasionally he'll call me when he's placing an order to ask for input. Now, my dad is not vegan. But he has good taste. Here's what he ordered last week from Vegan Essentials:


From left to right: Primal Strips Seitan Teriyaki Jerky, Fantastic Foods New England Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup Mix, Fantastic Foods Vegetarian Nature's Burger Mix, Primal Strips Seitan Thai Peanut Jerky, a Sweet & Sara Smore Pie, a log of Teese, and a Primal Strips Smoked Primal Stick.

See what I mean? Good taste. He ALWAYS orders a log of Teese. He's kept me stocked in the stuff since I first tried it months ago. And the Sweet & Sara Pie was my idea! I've been dying to try one. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Tonight, I opened the Nature's Burger mix, and made this monster veggie burger:


Served on a massive Ezekial sprouted grain bun with Teese, local tomato, romaine lettuce, Granny's homemade pickles, and mustard, this was super filling and tasty. The patty is made by combining the dry burger mix with with water and then frying in a skillet until brown. It wasn't as firm as a typical frozen patty, but it tasted really yummy ... almost like falafel.

Thanks daddy! And yes, he reads my blog...