Coffee Cake With Streusel

Adapted from Heirloom Baking.

For streusel
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold Earth Balance butter
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

For cake
1-1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup evaporated cane juice sugar
1/4 cup Earth Balance butter
1 banana, mashed
1/2 to 3/4 cup nondairy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of 8-inch cake pan or baking dish with aluminum foil, shiny side up. Coat with vegetable shortening. To make the streusel: Place brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl and lightly mix. Work in butter with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse sand. Add pecans and combine; set aside. To make the cake: Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender. In a small bowl, mix together banana, milk and vanilla; then combine with dry ingredients. Place half of the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel on top of the batter. Add the rest of the batter to the pan and sprinkle the remaining streusel on top. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool before cutting.

Zucchini Bread

Adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking.

3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/2 cup water
1 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 cups evaporated cane juice sugar
2 cups grated zucchini (about 3, depending on size)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease two 8 x 4 x 2 inch loaf pans. Place water in blender and add flaxseed; whip until thick and sticky creamy/gooey. In a large mixing bowl, add oil, vinegar and sugar, mixing to combine. Add the flaxseed mixture and mix. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until combined. Do not overmix. Divide between the two pans and bake for 60 to 70 minutes.

Danishes

5 teaspoons yeast
1-1/4 cups warm soy milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup evaporated cane juice sugar
3 cups flour

1-1/2 cups EarthBalance butter
1/4 cup flour

In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk; stir and let stand a few minutes to soften. Add salt and sugar; mix well. Pour in flour and mix briefly, just until it comes together. Set aside to prepare butter mixture: cut cold butter into small chunks onto work surface; sprinkle with flour and smear together with palm of hand; shape into rectangle 4 by five inches; place between wax paper or plastic wrap and roll to 7 x 9 inches; refrigerate.

Roll out dough to 10 x 14 rectangle. Place prepared butter at one end and fold over the top. Roll out again, then fold into thirds, wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes. Roll out and fold in thirds; wrap and refrigerate 45 minutes. Roll out and fold in thirds; wrap and refrigerate 60 minutes. Repeat one last time.

Divide dough in half. Roll one of the two halves into 12 by 16 rectancle. Cut lengthwise into three strips. Cut each strip into 4-inch squares. Fill and shape each dough as desired (e.g., make diagonal cuts at corners and fold over filling to make a pinwheel). Place on baking sheets and let rise about one hour. Brush with soy milk and bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 12 to 14 minutes. Brush with icing.

Apple Cobbler

Adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

Filling:
about 5 or 6 apples, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup evaporated cane juice sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water

Dough:
1-1/3 cups flour
3 tablespoons evaporated cane juice sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons EarthBalance butter, melted
1/2 cup soy milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For the filling: In a large bowl, combine the apples with the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, vanilla and water. Spread evenly in an ungreased 8- or 9-inch square dish.

For the topping, in another large bowl combine the flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, bakin gpowder and salt. Add the butter and milk. Stir just until combined.

Using a spoon, scoop the dough over the fruit. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the juices have thickened slightly.

Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Croissants

Adapted from Cooking A to Z.

1-1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons warm soy milk
2 teaspoons evaporated cane juice
1 package yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2-3/4 cups flour

1-1/4 cups EarthBalance butter (cold)
3-4 tablespoons flour

Place 1-1/4 cups soy milk in large bowl. Add sugar and mix. Sprinkle yeast over milk mixture and let sit a few minutes to dissolve. Then stir to mix. Add salt and flour to form a rough, sticky dough that holds together. Set aside. Sprinkle a clean work surface with flour; cut butter into tablespoons on top of floured work surface. Sprinkle with 3-4 tablespoons more flour and, using heel of hand, mash butter and flour together, smearing across work surface. Gather together and, on further floured surface, form a 6x8 inch rectangle; place between two pieces of wax paper and refrigerate. Wipe work surface clean, sprinkle with flour and turn out dough. Roll to 10 x 14 inches. Place cold butter on one end and fold over the other; seal edges. Roll to 9 x 17, continuing to add flour as necessary. Fold in thirds and roll to 9x17 again. Fold in thirds again and refrigerate 30 minutes. Roll to 9x17 and fold in thirds; refrigerate 45 minutes. Repeat one more time and refrigerate 60 minutes. Roll out dough to 10x20 inches. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut into four 5-inches squares; cut each square into triangles to form a total of 16 pieces. Working one triangle at a time, gentle stretch base points to 7 inches wide; then stretch top point 5 inches. Roll from base, like a crescent roll. Pull points down, toward each other, to form a crescent shape. Place croissants on baking sheet about 2 inches apart and cover with towel; let rise about 1-1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place on middle rack. Brush each with a little soy milk before baking until well browned and puffy, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Delicate Ginger Muffins

Adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking.

6 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1/4 cup finely minced fresh ginger

1 cup evaporated cane juice sugar

grated zest of one lemon

2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup EarthBalance butter

1 cup soy milk

juice from one lemon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 12-muffin tin with cupcake papers. Place water in food processor; add flaxseed and whip until thick. In a small saucepan, combine ginger and 1/2 cup of the sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the sugar melts and combines with the ginger -- just a few minuges. Set aside to cool; then add the lemon zest. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking soda. In a large bolw, beat the butter until smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until blended. Add the flax mixture and stir. Add the milk and lemon juice; mix well. Add the combined dry ingredients and ginger/sugar mixture -- stir just until blended. Spoon into muffin tin and bake at 375 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in tins for a minute or so before removing to a wire rack.

English Muffins

This recipe, adapted from the Urban Vegan, tasted good, but didn't seem to have any "nooks and crannies" associated with English muffins. But it's worth continued experimentation.

For the starter:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon yeast

In a medium bowl, mix and let sit overnight at room temperature--up to 12 hours.

For the dough:
2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter
3/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white flour
1 teaspoon yeast
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder

Heat the soy milk, water and Earth Balance just until butter is melted (warm, not hot). In a mixing large bowl, mix the starter dough, soy milk mixture and the remaining ingredients until very smooth--about 5 minutes in a stand mixer. Cover and let rise about 90 minutes. Using a 1/4-cup measure, drop onto dry medium-hot skillet. Cook about 4 minutes, flip, cook about another 2 minutes.

Turkey Benedict

Remember the 1 a.m. open-face turkey sandwiches at Perkins? This is not exactly the same, but a good substitute. Inspired by chezbettay.com's Bacon Benedict. Next time: try garnishing with fresh avocado slices.

Mashed Potatoes, freshly whipped with garlic omitted
Turkey Loaf, thinly sliced and warmed in the mic
Hollandaise Sauce, heated gently on the stovetop
Tempeh Bacon, fried up in a pan, then crumbled
a couple slices of tomato, chopped
dried parsley

Create a bed of mashed potatoes. Arrange slices of turkey loaf on top of mashed potatoes. Top with hollandaise sauce and then sprinkle over bacon, tomato and parsley.

Chocolate Chip Scones

Hearty yet sweet, this recipe (adapted from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's The Joy of Vegan Baking) is a great start to the day.

1-1/2 teaspoons egg replacer
2 tablespoons water
2-1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup evaporated cane juice sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Earth Balance butter, cold
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup plus 2-3 tablespoons soy milk
2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil a cookie or baking sheet. In a small bowl, whip together the egg replacer and water until thick and creamy. In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the cold butter. Add the egg replacer mixture and the 1/2 cup of soy milk, mixing as little as possible. Using your hands, bring the dough together, adding just a little more milk or flour as necessary. Turn onto lightly floured surface and pat or roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into triangles and transfer to baking sheet. Brush with remaining soy milk. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Bake about 12 to 15 minutes.

Fruit Cobbler

I never knew how wonderful a fruit cobbler could be until my partner started making variations on this recipe.

4 to 5 cups blueberries (or other fruit)
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons evaporated cane juice sugar
2 tablespoons + 1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons Earth Balance butter, melted
1/2 cup soy milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place blueberries in large bowl and combine with the 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of flour; toss and then place in 9-inch square baking dish at least two inches deep. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining flour, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix. Add the butter and milk. Stir just until it forms a thick, sticky dough. Scoop the dough over the fruit in spoonfuls. Brush top of dough with a little more soymlik and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is golden. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Cinnamon Blueberry Coffee Cake

Coffee cake makes a great breakfast: substantial without being overly complicated. Add some fruit, and it can be healthy enough, too. Or at least I can be convinced it is. This recipe is adapated from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup Earth Balance butter, melted

1 cup flour
1/2 cup evaporated cane juice sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup soymilk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vinegar

1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch baking dish. In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and walnuts. Pour in melted butter and mix into a crumble. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, blend the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and blend. Pour batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle with blueberries. Cover with layer of crumble topping. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Tempeh Bacon

We always seem to have some Fakin' Bacon on hand for quick weekend BLTs. This recipe, adapted from Smokey Tempeh Slices on the Your Vegan Mom blog, is better.

1/2 package tempeh, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

Blend liquid ingredients in a bowl. Place tempeh slices in a single layer in a large skillet over medium heat. Cover the tempeh slices with the liquid ingredients and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the tempeh is browned.

Churros

I have been thinking about vegan churros since forever. They're not that different than doughnuts, right? Well, today is the day I tried making a vegan version. This recipe is a hybrid, adapted from a variety of sources. Of course, they are best fresh. Fortunately they are super easy to make. Instead of the sugar and cinnamon mixture, you might try dipping them in a thick, melted chocolate. Or both. Yum.

1/2 cup evaporated cane juice sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

scant 2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons evaporated cane juice sugar

2 cups + 1 tablespoon soy milk

5 tablespoons olive oil

oil for frying

In a small, flat bowl, sift together the 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt and the 4 tablespoons sugar. In a pan, bring the water and oil to a boil; then remove from heat. Add the flour mixture to the water and oil mixture and beat with a wood spoon until it comes together as a dough. Let cool a couple minutes. Heat frying oil in a large pan to 330-350 degrees. Using a pastry bag, pipe out coils, S's or sticks (or if dough is thick enough, shape by hand). Fry churros until brown, about 2 minutes. (Be sure to cook all the way through). Drain on paper towl; then dip into the sugar/cinnamon mixture to coat. Repeat for remaining dough; serve immediately.

Banana Bread

Bananas turn ripe very fast in our house, but we hate to see any go to the compost bin. So whenever there are a couple laying around turning color too quickly, something like banana bread is the answer. Add a half-cup of chopped nuts and it's a healthy snack; throw in a half-cup of chocolate chips and it's dessert. Or fry up a slice or two French Toast-style for a gourmet breakfast.

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup Earth Balance butter, softened

Egg replacer, equivalent to 2 eggs

1 cup ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 medium-size bananas)

1/3 cup soy or nut milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter. Beat in egg replacer, bananas, milk and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and nuts or chocolate chips, if using. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn into prepared loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 50 to 60 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for a few minutes before turning out on wire rack to finish cooling. Wrap and store in refrigerator. Makes one loaf (about 16 slices, depending on thickness).

Waffles

Waffles are not only a wonderful weekend treat, but pretty versatile, too. This recipe, adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, yields hefty and filling waffles with a lightly crunchy exterior.

3 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1/2 cup water

6 tablespoons Earth Balance butter, melted

1-1/2 cups soy milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 banana, sliced

1-3/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon evaporated cane juice sugar

pinch of salt

Preheat waffle iron. In a blender, whip the flaxseed with the water a couple minutes until thick and creamy. Add melted butter, soy milk, vanilla extract and banana slices. Blend another minute or so until fully combined. In a large bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients. Fold liquid ingredients into dry ingredients just until combined. Spoon 1/2 cup of batter into hot waffle iron and cook. Yields 4 to 6 waffles.

Cinnamon Rolls

Sticky and sweet, these rolls are a breakfast in themselves. This recipe is adapted from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks' Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets.

DOUGH
4-1/2 teaspoons egg replacer
6 tablespoons water
4 to 5 cups flour
2-1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 cup soy milk (plus some for brushing)
1/3 cup EarthBalance butter
1/3 cup evaporated cane juice sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

FILLING
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup Earth Balance butter
1 cup chopped nuts

ICING
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons soy milk

In a blender, place water and egg replacer; process at highest speed until thick and creamy. In a mixing bowl, combine 2-1/4 cups flour and the yeast. In a small saucepan, heat the soy milk, butter, sugar and salt. Stir constantly until melted and blnded. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and mix on low speed. Add egg replacer mixture and beat on high speed for three minutes. Using dough hook or by hand, add as much remaining flour as necessary to make a moderately soft dough, kneading about 5 minutes. Shape into ball and placed in greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch down; let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile make filling by combining ingredients; set aside. Roll dough into 12-inch square. Spread filling evenly over dough. Carefully roll up into a log and seal edges. Slice into eight equal-sized pieces and arrange on greased cookie sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, leaving room for rolls to rise. Let rise in warm place until nearly doubled in size -- about one hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush dough lightly with soy milk. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Prepare icing by combining ingredients in a small bowl. When rolls are ready, remove from oven and let cool about 5 minutes. Then drizzle with icing.

Blueberry Muffins

An easy, homemade weekend breakfast. Depending on how big you like your muffins, this recipe could make 12 dainty delights or 6 jumbo giants. For additional variations, you could also substitute other types of flours or fruits.

2 cups flour (we used 1 cup all-purpose white flour, 1 cup whole-wheat flour)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons egg replacer

1 cup + 1 tablespoon soy milk

1/4 cup melted Earth Balance butter

1 cup or so blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper cupcake liners. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, blend the liquid ingredients. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just enough to moisten the flour; do not overmix. Spoon batter into muffin pan filling each cupcake liner about half full. Distribute blueberries evenly among cups and then top with remaining batter. You can reserve a couple blueberries for the top of each muffin, if desired; or sprinkle the tops of the muffins with some light brown sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Banana Crumble

There they were — three bananas, nearly black, perhaps one or two days away from the compost bin. The easiest thing to do? Crumble them! This super easy, especially tasty dessert (sometimes breakfast) is adapted from that favorite cookbook of mine: The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. In the photo, you'll see that we're serving it with vanilla ice cream.

3 to 4 bananas, sliced into rounds
1/4 cup sugar
splash of rum
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Earth Balance butter, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil 6 individual ramekins or a 9-inch pie pan. Mix bananas, sugar and rum. Arrange the mixture in the prepared pan(s), covering the bottom evenly. In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and sprinkle over the top of the bananas, covering them thoroughly. Bake 20 minutes.

Pancakes

I love pancakes, but it always seems the one thing I cannot perfect with any consistency. I feel good about my recipe, adapated from the griddlecakes recipe in an old Fannie Farmer Cookbook. But as you can see, the actual execution can vary considerably in appearance. Nowadays there are fewer instances of under- or overcooked, so that's progress. Here's my current variation (served with blueberries and maple syrup):

3/4 to 1 cup soy milk

2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter, melted

egg replacer, equivalent to 1 egg

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat frying pan or griddle to medium heat (if other than nonstick, lightly grease the pan with vegetable oil). In a mixing bowl, combine the liquids and mix lightly. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just enough to combine; do not over mix. Pour batter onto pan and bake until the cakes are full of bubbles, the edges are dry and the underside is browned. Flip and cook the other side until browned. Makes 4-5 pancakes.

Breakfast Hash

I know this combination of ingredients was inspired by one of my cookbooks, but I no longer consult a recipe and I'm sure it has devolved enough into my own version. It's a great way to clean out the fridge, too, since you can pretty much toss in whatever—which also means that it goes a long way. Here's today's variation:

2-3 tablespoons oil

1/2 pound soy sausage

2 potatoes, diced

1/2 onion, chopped roughly

2 stalks celery, chopped roughly

freshly ground salt

freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2-3 tablespoons maple syrup

fresh herbs (here I used about 5-6 leaves of sage from my garden, but parsley or rosemary would be nice, too)

Heat oil in saute pan. Crumble soy sausage into pan and begin browning over medium-high heat. About half-way through, add potatoes and toss. After a few more minutes, add onion and celery. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Continue to cook until golden brown and tender. Drizzle in soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Mix well. Plate and garnish with fresh herbs.

Variations are as wide open as your refrigerator door: bell peppers, garlic, fakin' bacon, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, etc.