Bread Pudding Bliss

Last Sunday it was a dreary, yucky day in London. Cloudy, grey, cold- living up to its reputation. And it perfectly complimented the mood I was in. Having gotten little sleep the night before and not waking up until nearly noon, I was in no mood to face the day. And what does one do on a day like that? Make comfort food, of course. I had a loaf of bread that I had bought at a local bakery the day before, some dried fruit, soy milk, agave nectar and few other surprises that I found in the cabinet at the apartment I was looking after (shout out to Alex and her amazing pantry!). Basically, bread pudding was begging to be made.

I'm not sure if the bread I used was vegan or not, but if you are strictly vegan, that is the only concern you should have when making this recipe. The rest is pure and simple vegan ingredients that come together and make a panful of magical goodness. Maybe it's all the Indian food I've been eating, but I was compelled to put in a dash of rosewater extract and a couple of teaspoons of cardamom. Very subtle flavors that make every bite mysteriously delicious.

My pudding turned out more soggy than I think bread pudding is supposed to be because my bread was very fresh and I could not be bothered to let it get slightly stale or even to put it in the oven for a few minutes. That would be my only complaint with the batch I made, so I recommend using stale bread or toasting it for a couple of minutes so it can hold its own in a panful of milk. Other than that, this recipe comes together in a snap and creates minimal dirty dishes. Which is good on a day when you have lots of laying around on the couch to do.

This recipe is made up of what I thought would make a good bread pudding but this is just a base for tons of things you could do. The next time I make one I can see maybe adding sliced apples and pears, perhaps some peaches and plums, different flavoring such as rum or brandy, different dried fruits, nuts, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, cinnamon raisin bread, hearty whole wheat bread (I used white- I know- shame on me), banana bread.....the list goes on and on. Let this be a base for you and let me know what kind of amazing creations you come up with in your kitchen!

what you will need:

a baking pan that holds approximately 3 cups of liquid
mixing bowl
whisk

ingredients:

4-5 C stale or toasted bread
2 1/2 C soy milk
1/2 C agave nectar
1 C dried fruit (I used a mixture of raisins and dried citrus- but go for whatever, just make sure it's chopped small)
1 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
1 tsp rosewater extract
2 tsp cardamom
earth balance butter or coconut butter to grease the pan

how to assemble:

-preheat oven to 350 degrees

-grease the baking dish

-chop or tear bread into small pieces. think one inch by one inch and place in baking dish

-whisk together soy milk, agave nectar, extracts and cardamom until well combined

-pour the soy milk mixture over the bread and sprinkle the dried fruit over the entire thing- pushing everything down a bit so the bread is immersed and the fruit sinks a bit

-let it sit for about 15-20 minutes so the bread can really soak up the flavors

-bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top is brown and the whole thing is bubbly

-let it sit for at least 15 minutes before digging in....if you can stand it

this will probably keep in the fridge for several days, but i doubt that it will last that long. enjoy!

Indian Food Therapy

This past Friday I was having a particularly good day in London. My teacher at school gave me some great compliments and I was able to finally open a bank account. These might not seem like reasons for a 'particularly god day in London' but receiving a compliment from my teacher was just what I needed after a week of feeling like I was falling behind but trying my hardest to keep up. And have you tried to open a British bank account if you are a foreigner recently? It's perhaps the single most frustrating thing I've been through in the past year. Someday, I will write a book about all the stuff people don't tell you about moving to London....then I will write a book about all the stuff people don't tell you about what's next after graduating from college...then I will write a book about all the stuff people don't tell you about living in the 'real world'. I digress.

I might seem a bit jaded from the last few sentences above but it's nothing a little spicy curry can't take care of. I was on my way home from getting the bank account when it dawned on me that I had nothing to eat for dinner and when I thought of the grocery store, I knew immediately I was not going to cook. So, in celebration of good remarks at school, conquering the British banks and the simple but amazing fact that it was Friday was all the evidence I needed to be convinced to take the tube an extra stop away from home and get some fantastic curry.

The stop is Tooting Broadway and when you come out of the tube station you are surrounded by ethnic eateries, all of which look and smell amazing. I started walking along the busy street past all the fruit and vegetable stands and open markets just waiting to see the perfect place to get dinner to-go. I finally found 'Al Mirage' and quickly decided that was my place. They advertised healthy Indian food along with fresh juices. I went inside and ordered everything I wanted. Vegetable samosa, 2 curries (hey, they were 3-4 pounds each....wouldn't you?) and garlic naan. All for 8 pounds. They even included a little side salad and some magical dressing to go with. When I unpacked it all in pure delight I realized that rice was not complimentary with my order, therefore leaving my hot delicious curries all by their lonesome. Reluctantly I made some brown rice and paced the kitchen, cheap red wine in hand, while my curry taunted me. I eventually ate. And ate. And ate some more. And went back for seconds. The healthy brown rice was actually what made the meal perfect because it had a nice crunchy, nutty quality that basmati does not possess, and it paired nicely with my dahl and palack paneer. The food I ordered would have easily fed me three good sized dinners if I had not been so greedy the first time around....and, as with most complex spicy foods it was much better the next day. So, will I go back to Al Mirage? Of course. Only after I try all the other places first.





Skip to the following Tuesday when I traveled back to Tooting Broadway to take some photos for you. How could I have missed all the Indian bakeries? Just how? Anyway, I made up for lost time to say the least. I went into Pooja and with my clear American accent said, "I've never had any of this before. Tell me what's good." The woman smiled and proceeded to serve up mango, peanut butter, chocolate mint, cashew and pistachio nut "pure butter ghee sweets". Holy cow. I've just walked in the door to type this and have already been distracted by them about 10 times. American fudge can eat it's heart out. It's not as chalky and cloyingly sweet as the fudge I grew up with. The flavors shine a bit more and there is a creamier texture to these little bits of heaven. I will surely do much research on how to make these little nuggets of gold and report back with a recipe- and a freezer full of the stuff.







So, who wants to meet me in Tooting for delicious food?

Hop, skip and a jump...

So, welcome to my new-ish blog. Instead of just writing recipes about vegan baked goods, I've decided to explore my new home, London, with tales of the food I eat or cook. As I'm adjusting to my new life I will also be adjusting to my new take on this blog. Talking about just vegan baking while living in Tennessee is so 2008. Looking forward to sharing many tales of eating with you in the new future! Also, this lady with a shit ton of 'chips' is not me, but I really wish it was.

Love,
Sweet-tempered

Best Birthday Cake Ever

This cake was created specifically for my dear friend Chris Doyle. You might remember from last year I made him the maple cake for his birthday. The cake is like a giant peanut butter cup but like the good ones with lots of extra peanut goodness on the inside. I was inspired to make this flavor cake for him because we both love milkshakes, especially homemade chocolate peanut-butter milkshakes.

I think it would be a miracle, a sign of the end of the world maybe, if I actually remembered Chris's birthday on time. Chris is one of my dearest friends and we go waaayyy back to the days when he was a greasy haired skater punk and I was a bright-eyed prep-of-sorts. Chris and I met officially in high school in our art and design tech class. He would sit in the corner and sketch these really amazing pictures while I was busy slacking off as much as possible. One day, I said across the table to him, "Those drawings are really great." To which he replied a painful, "Thanks." Hmmm. I tried once more saying, "You are really good at that, can see it?" To which he replied another forced "Thanks" and slowly slid his sketch pad my way. Thus began a friendship that will last a lifetime!

He got over his pretences about me perhaps being an uptight prep, I perhaps became less of an uptight prep and before we knew it we were linked arm in arm skipping to our cars after school. Literally, Chris and I brought back skipping. We have been through a lot together and we've leaned on each other during good and the bad times. He knows I love him dearly, and that is why it is OK that I inevitably forget his birthday every year. This year I wished him a happy birthday (at least 2 weeks late) at his first feature length movie premiere at the Belcourt Theatre here in Nashville. I managed to corner him for a hug and congratulations when I blurted out of nowhere, "Oh! I missed your birthday....ummm, sorry. Happy Birthday!"
Check out his awesome movie! http://makeoutwithviolence.com/

Chris came over last Saturday and sat at my kitchen table while I made us lunch and cake. It was the perfect day to just relax and catch-up and eat good food. I made us tempeh rueben’s with sweet potato fries for lunch.
















Then I got to work on the cake.


First- homemade peanut butter. To do this, simply roast a skillet full of raw peanuts until nice and toasty and fragrant. In a food processor or high powered blender whiz them for several minutes until a creamy butter is formed.

















for the cake-

you will need:
2 medium mixing bowls
mixing spoon or electric mixer
2- 8 inch cake pans
microwavable bowl or double boiler for the icing


dry ingredients:

1 1/2 C all-purpose unbleached flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C cane sugar

liquid ingredients:

1 C peanut butter
1/2 C agave nectar
3/4 C soy milk
1/4 C neutral tasting vegetable oil

icing:

6-7 ounces of very lovely dark chocolate
dash of coffee flavored liquor (optional)

to assemble:

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 cake pans

-make peanut butter if doing it from scratch, if not, skip to next step

sift together dry ingredients (minus the cane sugar) in a mixing bowl and set aside

cream the liquid ingredients, plus cane sugar, together until completely consistent in texture

pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and mix until just combined





















bake for approximately 20 minutes

take out and cool for about 20 minutes before frosting

for the frosting:

melt chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler (or a make-shift double boiler like this....)


















until completely smooth and free of lumps. add the liquor if using

set one cake on the plate or serving dish you wish to serve the cake on and poke little holes in the cake with a fork

pour half of the chocolate on the first layer spreading it thin

put the second cake on top and pour the rest of the chocolate on the top and let it drizzle down the sides

pop open a bottle of champagne, cut a piece of cake and enjoy!

coney island muffins

Two weeks ago I found myself padding around New York with my good friend Julie B. We survived some epic adventures like: standing in the long line at the Shake Shack for 'sroom burgers and fries, being mistaken for prostitutes while waiting for our 'spa castle' shuttle in Queens, and trying to find wireless internet at the main Public Library (shame on them, by the way). We traveled to Boston (from Manhattan) in a luxurious Peter Pan Bus, then a Greyhound bus. While in Boston we walked miles and miles to find the best raw food restaurant, the best clam chowder, and then found ourselves sickened by the combination of the two cuisines in our stomachs.

One of my last nights there Julie and I decided to go to Coney Island. It's one of those things I've always heard and read about, but never really imagined myself going. Why?, you may ask. Why not? Is what you should be asking yourself.

After a 30 minute train ride we had officially scared ourselves shitless of the Cyclone on Coney Island. We had read the death toll, the thousands of horrible and scary reviews, and I had to listen to Julie's first hand experience of this truly painful rollercoaster. I am scared of heights, not fond of amusement park rides- but mainly scared of riding an old wooden roller coaster that is missing half of its tracks and doesn't have a waiting line. After opting not to get the $3 pina coladas served from large plastic vats by a woman with 2 teeth and what seemed like a permanent cigarette in her mouth, we went straight for the cyclone. By the time I paid my $8 ($8 dollars!!!) to ride this monstrosity, and walked up the rickety ramp I realized the deathly situation I was putting myself in. There was no line- a scary wonk-eyed man hustled us into our seats, and then a boy at least half our age eagerly pulled the lever with a dark, evil laugh- and we were off with a thud and a shove. Julie and I ducked our heads together and immediately stared involuntarily sputtering curse words. After two minutes of pure exhilaration/hell, we were done and had survived the cyclone! It took several beers and a couple of awkward encounters with some Turkish men to forget the unmentionable hell we had been through. By that time, the Cyclone seemed like a dream.



Upon my return home to my humble abode my dear friend Chris (pictured above) surprised me with a welcome home gift! One of those gifts included sprinkles from the impulse dollar bin at Target. I was immediately reminded of all the bright colors at Coney Island and knew right away that I had to make a worthy dessert to commemorate this beautiful memory. Of course, I realize that a true tribute to Coney Island would probably not be vegan, contain whole wheat flour and would most likely involve hot dogs in ways I don't want to imagine. But here in sweet-tempered land we like to keep things nice and hot dog free.....so here is a super easy recipe that even a Coney Island employee could make!



(In case you can't see the picture clearly, in the corner it says, "Bump your ass off")









Coney Island Muffins. Adapted from "Vegan Feasts" by Rose Elliot, using the vegan sponge (layer) cake.

you will need:
2 mixing bowls
2 muffin tins
mixer/wooden spoon

dry ingredients:
2 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 C organic cane sugar

liquid ingredients:
1 C neutral vegetable oil (i used light olive oil and it worked great)
2/3 C tonic water or orange juice
2/3 C soy milk or water
1 tsp vanilla extract or the seeds from one vanilla bean

the most necessary ingredient:
brightly colored sprinkles!

-pre-heat oven to 325

-grease muffin tins

-sift together the first 5 dry ingredients until combined. add sugar and set aside

-in a separate bowl whisk together the liquid ingredients until well combined

-pour liquid mixture into dry mixture until just combined- add sprinkles and give another stir, restraining from over mixing, please

-divide into muffin tins and bake for 25-30 minutes

-makes 2 dozen absolutely fabulous muffins!

mexican chocolate cake

Even though chocolate cake is not a traditional Mexican pastry, somehow over time, the addition of cinnamon, perhaps orange zest and maybe a little cayenne pepper seems to give a whole new cultural aspect to just plain old chocolate cake, thus deeming it, Mexican chocolate cake. I'm completely fine with this evolution of chocolate cake and intend to go with the flow on this one. However, I will hold true to the tradition of adding less sugar and incorporating more whole, unbleached, grains like in traditional Mexican baking. Speaking of Mexican pastries- if you live in Nashville I suggest taking a trip to the South side and having coffee and dessert in Aurora bakery on Nolensville Rd. There is not a crumb of chocolate cake, but their tres leches (with rum) will knock your socks off. Get their early for the best selection of freshest and finest treats.

Chocolate cake has made many appearances in my life over the past few weeks. Given my most recent sugar fast- I don't always indulge, or can only eat a small amount, but nevertheless chocolate cake and I are turning into inseparable entities. So when a Mexican themed party arose, I didn't have to think twice about my contribution to the pot-luck. Chocolate cake is just one of those things that almost everyone loves- and looks as though you went to tons of trouble to make it from scratch, when in reality it's extremely easy. I recently hosted a pot-luck themed, 'last supper', meaning, bring what you would want your last meal to be. Hush, it's not morbid or religious, it's fun. We had chocolate cake, brownies and chocolate chocolate chip cookies. This was neither pre-determined nor assigned; this is what people truly wanted to eat as their last meal. Chocolate beat out cheese, potatoes, crab cakes, pasta, bread and many other indulgent foods. There is something extremely decadent about chocolate cake- is it the color, perhaps? Its repuation and stereotype? For me it's the association factor; the fact that chocolate cake is linked to so many fond memories and simply making a chocolate cake can evoke the senses to take me to that moment or can create a new, wonderful moment in time. Yeah, that's how much of a nerd, I mean, chocolate lover I am.

This cake is so easy you can throw it together for breakfast! I'm not kidding. It comes together like a muffin batter and comes out in a cute little 8- 9 inch pan of goodness. I followed a recipe I found vegcooking.com and also on yeahthatveganshit.blogspot.com. They are the same recipes however I used less oil, a real vanilla bean in place of extract, more spices (and a pinch of salt) and substituted almond milk in place of the water and agave nectar for cane sugar. But let's get real, it's just chocolate cake with some spices thrown in- and a little love if you’ve got it. And, it's healthier than most chocolate cakes on the block so it seems extravagant and indulgent but is somewhat kind to your body. So you can....ummm, must. not…... say.....have your cake and eat it too?? Sorry. Had to.

What you will need:
2 mixing bowls
8-9 inch cake pan
Whisk
Wooden spoon

Dry Ingredients:
1 ½ C unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
4 T coco powder
1 (very generous) tsp cinnamon
1 (not so generous) tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Liquid Ingredients:
1 C agave nectar
1 C water or vegan milk of choice
3 T neutral tasting vegetable oil
1 T white or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extra or seeds of 1 vanilla bean

To assemble:

Pre-head oven to 350 degrees and grease your cake pan with a bit of oil

Completely combine the dry ingredients in one bowl

Thoroughly whisk all the wet ingredients together in the other bowl

Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix until just combined. Over mixing will make your cake chewy and tough so resist the urge to make all those little flour pockets disappear. I promise they will go away while it’s baking

Bake for 30-35 minutes and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan and at least a couple of hours on a baking rack.
*I got impatient and put mine on a plate well before it had cooled and it fell a bit in the middle, which I don’t mind, but you might. It’s a delicate cake because it does not have the ever so lovely binders and leaveners (eggs and such) to make all those little molecules stick together- thus, leaving you with a slightly crumbly, lighter textured cake.

Top with powdered sugar, fruit, (edible) flowers or your favorite chocolate sauce

Serves 8-10

lemon poppyseed cake

Over the past few weeks I've learned a lot about life and about myself. Who knew I could give a great buzz hair cut? My first experience using a shaver with a #3 guard and I proved to be quite the queen of shaving heads (not my own, mind you). Any takers? I also learned that in order to find the perfect bra, take one of your best gay boyfriends to the Target lingerie section and let him loose; he will come out with just the right thing every time. Guanteed. And when searching for something delicious to bake, ask your good friend who lives with a vegan chef who works at a high end gourmet vegan restaurant in Manhattan. And what did this wonderful friend say when I complained of lack of creativity and inspiration in the kitchen? Simple. "Why don't you make lemon poppy seed cake" Julie said without hesitation. Thanks Julie! Lemon poppy seed is one of those flavor combinations I love but always forget about because chocolate flavored things usually get in the way. When a lemon poppy seed muffin is placed next to a chocolate mocha muffin, the later always wins. When lemon poppy seed pancakes are next to chocolate chip pancakes on a menu, again, the later will always win. However, this is completely absurd seeing as lemon poppy seed baked and fried good are so unbelievably delicious. Maybe you don't have such a hard time with these dilemmas; maybe your taste buds are not so close minded.

Last post I mentioned that I am fasting from sugar for a month. Well, it's over and I'm feeling good. No, I'm not lying to you. There were times when I accidentally (no! not lying again!) consumed sugar and it tasted awful. It made my teeth hurt and tasted like chemicals instead of sweet sugary goodness. Instead, things that don't normally seem sweet to me actually are sweet now. Like certain coffee roasts, tea and vegetable and fruit juices are becoming to be just the right amount of sweet without added sugars. I have consulted my fasting partner (note: DO NOT fast from sugar by yourself; you've been warned) Carrie, and we both decided we like the sugar-free life much better. That's not to say I won't throw in a 1/2C turbinado sugar in a muffin recipe here and there, or indulge in a piece of birthday cake now and then, but I have been set straight of my sugar eating ways and hope to not stray down the path of refined sugar again. Amen.

I could not find a recipe to follow for this cake that I liked, so I took my chances with adding flour and liquids and zest and hoped for the best. My luck with this whimsical baking has been getting better and better and when the golden, sweet-lemony cake came out of the oven I knew immediately it was a winner. It's very dense like a rich brownie, however the taste is light and palate cleansing. I had very good intentions of frosting it, but after eating 2 pieces straight from the warm pan I decided this was rich enough on its own and needed no help. This would be perfect to make for a brunch, to celebrate a new haircut, new underwear, a sugar-fast...or just an ordinary day that needed a bit of sunshine.

you will need these:
2 mixing bowls
8-9 inch cake pan
wooden mixing spoon

dry mixture:
1 3/4 C unbleached self-rising flour
pinch of salt

liquid mixture:
juice of lemons and zest of 1
1/2 C rice milk (or any other vegan milk) +1 T apple cider vinegar (whisked together with a fork)
1/4 C neutral vegetable oil
1 C agave nectar
seeds of 1 vanilla bean or 2 tsp non-alcohol vanilla extract

3 T poppy seeds

pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

grease and flour the cake pan then line with a piece of parchment paper

whisk the flour and salt together in one bowl

mix the rest of the liquid ingredients in the other bowl and beat until completely combined

pour the liquid mixture into the flour and add the poppy seeds. mix until just combined and bake right away for 30-40 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown

let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then let it cool out of its pan on a cooling rack for about 30 before eating....

it is wonderful when eaten straight from the pan, but the flavor is much better when it's room temperature.