Dining In - New York-Style Crumb Cake

New York-Style Crumb Cake - Chloe's Vegan Desserts

In honor of the place I now call home, I made this recipe for New York-Style Crumb Cake. It was very simple to prepare, in fact more time was spent baking it than making it! The smell that filled my kitchen was an intoxicating buttery, cinnamon scent and if this had been a batch of cookies you can be sure they'd have been gobbled up. Sadly I had to leave the cake untouched so my boyfriend could bring it to his office for a potluck. Verdict from the group was the now common disbelief that it was vegan, meant as a compliment of course! I made this once before with the help of my mom for a Sunday breakfast and it was delicious; sweet with a balance of salt throughout, a moist cake layer covered with a divine buttery crunch. This beats anything premade sitting on a grocery store shelf and I bet it could hold its own against a traditional New York Style-Crumb Cake! You can find the full recipe from Chloe's Vegan Desserts (buy your copy here). 

Crumb Topping:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup vegan margarine, melted

Cake:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar, for garnish



To Prepare the Crumb Topping:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 8-inch square pan.

In a medium bowl, prepare crumble by first combining flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon. Then pour on the melted margarine and use two forks to toss the mixture together. You don't want to stir and combine it too much so the tossing method helps to keep it a crumble. 

This...

turns into this!

To Prepare the Cake:

In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together almond milk, canola oil, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar.

Pour wet mixture over dry and stir together to combine, but don't overmix the batter. 

Pour batter into the pan evenly. Sprinkle crumb topping over the batter to cover completely. 

Bake for about 40 minutes. I checked mine a couple of minutes early using a toothpick and noticed it was done. 


Allow to cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar (now doesn't that look like something from an Entenmann's box!?) then cut into squares to serve!

Freshly Baked Crumb Cake

Dining In - Cinnamon Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cinnamon Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies - Chloe's Kitchen

'Tis the season for cookies! Here is another delicious, easy recipe. It's a little more indulgent and gourmet than your basic chocolate chip cookie and won't please most kids, nor is it recommended you give them to youngsters, given the heaping tablespoons of espresso powder blended into them. These don't include some of the common baked good ingredients like oil or vanilla or even much white sugar, but they have a richness from the margarine and generous amount of chocolate chips, and if you flatten them they are crispy, reminding me of Tate's Cookies (not vegan, but famous for that thin, crisp texture). 

This recipe comes from the vegan baking queen Chloe Coscarelli and was included in her first cookbook, Chloe's Kitchen. I made these a few years ago when I started cooking my way through that book (posts of those cooking experiences here). She shared this recipe with a handful of online publications so you can also find it here, here, and here. I was excited to see that this cookie recipe has come to life in Chloe's new restaurant in NYC called by CHLOE (my post on that here), where she displays stacks of these huge, flattened crispy delights next to the registers. 


Makes about 24 medium-large cookies

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
3 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet diary-free chocolate chips (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1/4 cup granulated sugar for coating

To Prepare Cinnamon Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Prepare two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.


In a separate larger bowl, use a stand or hand mixer to beat the margarine and espresso powder together. Next add in powdered sugar slowly, then add brown sugar and continue to blend with mixer until well combined. Add flour mixture to this about 1/2 cup at a time. Batter will be on the drier side and thick. If batter seems too dry and hard to stir add 1 tablespoon of water. 



Using large spoon or spatula fold in chocolate chips. 

Scoop about two tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets leaving at least one inch between cookies, as they will expand. Press down on each one to flatten the cookie for a crispier finish. Sprinkle granulated sugar on top. 

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges start to turn a golden brown. Let cookies cool completely (otherwise they will fall apart!) and then remove from sheet and serve!

Dining In - Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies - Post Punk Kitchen

I love the fall! I enjoy the change of the season into more mild weather with crisp, cool air and brightly colored leaves...whenever I can find them in the concrete jungle, that is! It's also the return of one of my favorite fruits, pumpkin. Feeling festive for the week leading up to Halloween, I decided to make these Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies to bring into work. I did a quick search online to find a vegan recipe and recognized the credible source PPK (or Post Punk Kitchen, an online vegan cooking and baking community), so I went with the first recipe I looked at. This was made by Isa Chandra, posted back in 2008! You can see the full recipe here, as well. It's a versatile recipe that you can change to your liking (gluten-free, chocolate chips instead of raisins, add ginger, etc.), as demonstrated by the many comments below it.

Sadly I couldn't get the baking times quite right so my first batch was slightly dark and the final batch was a little too soft, but those that I gave a chance to rest to cook more on the baking sheet came out just right. I preferred these over traditional Oatmeal Raisin cookies! They had the subtle sweet pumpkin flavor and a nice chewy texture with some of the sugar caramelizing in the cooking process. The chopped walnuts gave a light nutty, buttery taste to the cookies that balanced out the sweetness and brought in some healthy fats and fiber. 


Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons molasses
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup raisins

Dry Ingredients for Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

To Prepare Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies:

Grease two large baking sheets with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a medium bowl sift together flour, rolled oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.


In a separate large bowl, mix together sugar, oil, molasses, pumpkin, vanilla extract and flaxseed. Stir until well combined. Add dry ingredient mixture in 1/3 of it at a time, by folding into the batter. Finally, fold in raisins and walnuts. 

Use a tablespoon or large spoon to scoop out batter onto baking sheet. Leave about an inch between cookies. Flatten cookies with a fork (this got a little too sticky for me to do easily) or use your palm to gently flatten each cookie. 

Bake cookies for 15 minutes and if using both levels of your oven at the same time, switch the sheets halfway through baking time. 

Batter Without Walnuts & Raisins

Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool completely. I even put them in the fridge to firm them up quickly. 

Share with friends and family and enjoy the fall flavors!

Dining In - Curry Mustard Seitan with Yellow Rice (Vegan Version of Chicken Kitchen Chop-Chop® and Pollo Tropical TropiChops®)

Curry Mustard Seitan with Yellow Rice

This is a first for this blog, but I am finally posting a recipe that was not prepared by me! My loving and skilled non-vegan boyfriend did all the cooking on this one. It's also an original recipe, handcrafted by him! The photo doesn't do it any justice - it was a knockout.

The inspiration for this dish came from a homemade dinner he cooked just a couple of nights earlier, a non-vegan copycat version of his favorite meal in Miami, where he lived for many years...Chicken Kitchen's Chop Chop dish. The original dish consists of chopped chicken breast, yellow rice, and an addictive curry mustard sauce (you could drink this stuff it's so good). He was so proud of his work in recreating a dish he never thought he would get to enjoy up north so he wanted me to enjoy it, too!

It was adapted from the non-vegan version he created for himself - recipes for that can be found here.  I totally gorged on this, it was tasty!

Serves 2 (really hungry people!) to 4

Yellow Rice
1 cup yellow rice
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable broth (we used, organic, low sodium)
2 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine 
1/2 packet of Goya Sazón with Azafrán seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt (or skip if trying to keep the sodium down)

Curry Mustard Sauce
4 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise (we used Whole Foods brand)
1 tablespoon non-dairy creamer (try Silk or So Delicious brands)
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons yellow mustard

Vegan "Chicken"
Seitan strips or Chickenless Strips (from Trader Joe's)
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Seitan, Vegan Mayo & Vegetable Broth

To Prepare Yellow Rice:

In a medium pot, bring water, broth, seasoning, margarine, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. 

Add rice and stir. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Remove from heat and leave covered when the rice is tender.

To Prepare Curry Mustard Sauce:
 
Combine all ingredients in medium bowl and use a whisk to blend. Stir vigorously until well combined. Add more or less water depending on how thick you want your sauce.


To Prepare Vegan Chicken:

In a medium frying pan, heat oil on medium-low heat and then add your choice of vegan protein.

Sprinkle on salt and pepper and allow to warm for approximately 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure the vegan protein heats evenly and does not burn.

To Prepare Dish:

Start with a portion of yellow rice,  layer on a helping of vegan protein (in this case chopped seitan), and pour a generous amount of curry mustard sauce on top. Serve and enjoy a Miami tradition!

Vegan Chicken Kitchen Chop Chop!

Dining In - Kale Salad with Chickpeas & Spicy Tempeh Crumbles

Kale Salad with Chickpeas & Spicy Tempeh Crumbles

I was looking for a quick, healthy dinner recipe that I could make for my boyfriend and that wouldn't require buying a ton of new ingredients at the grocery store. I also wanted to find something that would fill us up with more protein than say a vegan pasta dish, that we often feel the need to eat 2-3 servings of! I found this on a list from Buzzfeed, "23 Vegan Meals With Tons Of Protein." The full recipe can be found here.

It had a few more steps involved than a regular tossed salad, but I loved the crunchy tempeh bits and the kale was very tender after being blanched in boiling water. This has a lot of fiber-filled ingredients, I mean a lot, so just a warning! :)

Serves 3-4 (or in my case 2!)


Tempeh Bits:
8 oz. package of tempeh (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sea salt

Salad: 
1 pound of kale, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
15.5 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Dressing: 
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger


To Prepare Salad:

Boil a large pot of salted water and blanch kale for 30 seconds. Run under cold water and drain, squeeze out excess water, and set aside.

Blanched Kale

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mixed Spices for Tempeh Bits

(Optional step: To reduce bitterness of tempeh, you can steam it, by using a small pot and steamer basket for about 20 minutes, while prepping the salad). 

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl for tempeh bits. Pour vegetable oil in a separate, small bowl. Cut tempeh into thin strips then dip into oil and arrange strips on the baking sheet. Sprinkle each piece with the mixed spices, flip if desired and coat both sides, though not necessary.


Bake for 20  minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Tip: check on them around 15 minutes in, I noticed some pieces started to burn. 

Baking Seasoned Tempeh Slices

In a glass jar or a bowl with a whisk, combine all dressing ingredients and blend or shake well. 

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss together. Top it with the tempeh bits broken into crumbles. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. 


Enjoy!

Dining In - Kate Middleton's Pasta Alfredo

Kate Middleton's Pasta Alfredo - Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen

I first made this dish last December for Christmas. I had just gotten Chloe Coscarelli's new cookbook Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen (buy yourself a copy here to fully enjoy!) and was rapidly making my way through it. My mom helped a lot with this one! It makes a huge batch when using one pound of pasta so get ready for leftovers, or feed to a large group.

I just made this again for dinner for my boyfriend and I. With a reminder on the taste, I can say it's on the sweeter side because of the caramelization of the vegetables. It's not your traditional alfredo sauce and without any soaked nuts to add fat it left me wanting a slightly creamier, more satiating sauce. Regardless it's still a good dish and with the added homemade vegan Parmesan (a little on the sweet side, as well) it was enjoyable. I don't know if it lives up to the adorable name, but for how easy it was to prepare it's worth a try!






Pasta Alfredo

12 oz. cauliflower florets, fresh (use a kitchen scale to measure)
5 garlic cloves, whole
1 onion, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 pound fusili pasta (I used Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Brown Rice Fusilli)
2 cups almond milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Ground black pepper
Italian parsley, fresh, for garnish


Parmesan Topping
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon maple syrup


To Prepare Pasta Alfredo:

Cauliflower, Onion, and Garlic Cooking

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix cauliflower, garlic, and onion with olive oil in a large baking pan, season with sea salt. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring a few times, and remove from oven when vegetables are fork tender.

While vegetables are cooking, prepare the pasta according to package in salted water. Drain and rinse, particularly if using gluten-free pasta as the water gets cloudy.

In a blender, add in cooked vegetables, almond milk, lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Blend until smooth. Toss sauce with the cooked pasta and add pepper to taste. Top with parsley garnish and Parmesan topping.

To Prepare Parmesan Topping:

Making Blanched Almonds

In a food processor, combine blanched almonds, nutritional yeast and sea salt. Pulse until it forms a crumble. Add in maple syrup and pulse again. Use this to top each serving of the pasta alfredo. 

Parmesan Topping - Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen

Leftover Parmesan Topping!

Dining In - Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Coffee Frosting (Gluten-Free)

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Coffee Frosting - Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen

When my boyfriend's birthday rolls around it's time to jump in the kitchen and bake! In previous years I've made full cakes, including last year's ambitious duo of German Chocolate Cake and a Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cheesecake (divine!), but this year I hate to say I was pressed for time so cupcakes were the pick. I wanted to incorporate my boyfriend's favorite flavors and Chloe delivered with her new cookbook for a recipe that included coffee, banana, and chocolate. The recipe is in Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen (buy yourself a copy here to fully enjoy!). I chose to make these gluten-free like my last baking experiment, because it came out so well! I used Trader Joe's gluten-free flour and Bob's Red Mill Xanthan Gum. These were a delicious batch of cupcakes. I loved the chocolate chunks in the subtle banana-flavored cake, and of course coffee frosting is taking things to the next level of yumminess. The banana cake included similar spices that you would use in a banana bread, like ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, so it smelled great when baking! I did notice that the cupcakes got a little tough and chewier than normal ones, so my lesson learned was to bake for a little bit less time.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
2 cups gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Mashed Banana

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 ripened bananas mashed (equals about 1 cup)

1 cup canned coconut milk (I use Trader Joe's Light Coconut Milk, canned)

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups dairy-free chocolate chips

Coffee Frosting
1 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder mixed with 2 tablespoons of water

To Prepare Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake tins for about 16-18 cupcakes.

In a large bowl sift together all dry ingredients up until the bananas in above list. In a separate bowl, combine bananas, coconut milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.

Pour wet ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients and stir together without over-mixing. Next add in chocolate chips and stir so they are evenly distributed.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. In my baking experience these would have been best baked for about 18 minutes then removed from pan to stop from cooking. Let cool.


To Prepare Coffee Frosting:

Use a stand mixer or handheld mixture to smooth out shortening for one minute. 

Slowly add in powdered sugar and vanilla, while beating on slow speed. Add one tablespoon at a time of the espresso liquid, blend in completely and continue adding tablespoon by tablespoon until you reach the proper consistency for frosting. Continue to blend on high speed for two minutes until frosting is fluffy. Set aside.

Once cupcakes are fully cooled, use a frosting bag and tip to frost or a frosting knife. 

* I went a step further to make these visually appealing by mixing up some chocolate ganache to drizzle on top. I heated up about 1/4 cup chocolate chips and a couple teaspoons of coconut milk to blend into a nice sauce that I then poured over the cupcakes and cooled in the refrigerator.