Dining In - Hot-Fudge-on-the-Bottom Cake

Hot-Fudge-on-the-Bottom Cake - Chloe's Vegan Desserts

This was a fun cake to make, especially since I had no idea what to expect and was making it out of boredom and a sweet tooth craving. No pressure to impress a bunch of guests for this one! I'm glad I gave it a test run, because it was one of the rare occasions that one of Chloe's recipes wasn't amazing, it was...well, just okay. 

The texture of the cake was moist and yummy per usual, and the bottom was just as the name suggests - hot fudge. Therefore it was difficult to serve like regular cake, because you'd leave behind all the ooey gooey hot fudge! A spoon comes in handy. What threw this one off was the chocolate flavor. Using unsweetened cocoa powder gave it a mild chocolate flavor, but by the looks of it you'd expect a rich chocolate taste, and that it was lacking. Possibly swapping the powder for dark cocoa powder or using melted chocolate chips would do the trick. I've read comments from other bakers that enjoyed this, so I'll leave it up to you to make the decision. Luckily it's an easy one to prepare. You can find the full recipe in Chloe's Vegan Desserts (buy your copy here). 


Chocolate Cake
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almond milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Hot Chocolate Fudge
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups boiling water

To Prepare Chocolate Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8x8 inch square pan. 

In a large bowl sift together dry ingredients - flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate medium bowl, stir together milk, oil, and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry and stir until combined, without overmixing. Pour batter into pan.

To Prepare Hot Chocolate Fudge:

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, sugar, and cocoa powder. Sprinkle over the cake batter. Slowly pour boiling water over batter - do not mix!

Carefully move into oven and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for about 20-25 minutes before serving (tip: cut into squares, but use a spoon to serve to get the fudge).

Ready for the Boiling Water!

Dining In - Tiramisu Pancakes

Tiramisu Pancakes - Chloe's Vegan Desserts

I made these as a special surprise breakfast for my boyfriend. Pancakes are his most common choice when we go out for brunch so I was excited to test this gourmet vegan version on him. I'm not a big fan of tiramisu, but making a unique pancake flavor intrigued me. This was as easy as making regular pancakes. With a hint of rum and strong coffee flavor these were a more adult version. The added chocolate chips and whipped cream made them look even more mouthwatering and taste much sweeter. My only complaint is that they were a tad bit on the dry side, but that's where the syrup comes in! You can find the full recipe in Chloe's Vegan Desserts (buy your copy here). 

1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
Canola oil, for cooking
Powdered sugar, for garnish
Coconut whipped cream (I used store-bought "Rice Whip" by Soyatoo! found at Whole Foods)

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt. 

Pancake Batter

In a separate small bowl, stir together water, syrup, and rum. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until combined but do not overmix.

Heat canola oil in a large skillet or griddle on medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto pan. You can make as many as will fit on the pan or griddle. Watch carefully and flip pancakes when you see bubbles start to form in the center. Let other side cook for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from pan and stack pancakes on a plate. 

Serve with powdered sugar and whipped topping, with maple syrup on the side!

Dining Out on Cape Cod - Green Lotus Café

RAWCO - Green Lotus Café

I was so excited to learn that a new vegan-friendly restaurant was opening on Cape Cod. With very limited options for vegan dining, it was a smart move for the owner to open up shop. Nate grew up on the Cape and spent time in the Marines. Living in San Diego he learned of the health benefits with the vegan diet. He moved back to the Cape and opened Green Lotus Café in Hyannis in March 2013. You can read more on his background here.

RAWCO Sandwich

The menu is entirely vegetarian, with vegan, gluten-free, and raw options available. All sandwiches can be made vegan with Daiya cheese and non-dairy mayo substitutions. With so many options it's difficult to make a decision, but I asked the staff what the popular sandwiches were and settled on the RAWCO. Raw foods usually come at a premium since the ingredients are more expensive, but I felt pretty good about paying $9.49 for this all raw sandwich - it's seasoned ground walnuts (that resembles ground beef like a taco filling), raw cashew cheese sauce, avocado, tomato, lettuce, and red onion served on crispy organic corn tortilla bread. It was delicious and very filling. If you've never had raw bread before, it's thin like a cracker and chewy, but it does its job at holding a sandwich together. The sandwich was a little too salty, but overall the taste and texture were pleasing, and I would be quick to order it again. My non-vegan boyfriend got the Roast Seitan, which comes with real cheese, but can be substituted to make it vegan. He admitted that it was really good. Soups and smoothies are also on the menu, along with a vegan-friendly breakfast menu. They also offer vegan desserts, which vary by day. There were two types of cookies when I was there.

I have a lot of sandwiches to get through to try them all, but I'm happy to report that my first visit was a success and I will be back for sure!

Sandwich Menu - Green Lotus Café

Sandwich Menu Continued! - Green Lotus Café

Visit their very active Facebook page for updates on daily specials and what's cooking (or not, if it's raw!) in the kitchen. 

  

Green Lotus Café

349 Main Street

Hyannis, MA 02601

Green Lotus Café Website

Dining In - Raw Kale Salad with Simple Sweet Tahini Dressing

Raw Kale Salad with Simple Sweet Tahini Dressing - Happy. Healthy. Life.

I found this simple and healthy "5-step raw kale salad" recipe on Pinterest. It's from a popular vegan food website I've visited before called Happy. Healthy. Life. You can find the full recipe here. Although I've tried to incorporate more kale into my diet, I have to admit I had not yet had it raw. It's much tougher than lettuce, with a slightly bitter taste, so I had my doubts on this one. Luckily I was mistaken. This salad is delicious! The dressing is the best part (as it often is) and I'm sure I'll be making it again to use on other salads. It was creamy, rich and tangy and still so good for you! This was a very quick recipe with little clean up, since you can easily make the dressing without a blender. The one note I will add is to make sure you have a breath mint around for after! Raw onions have a way of lingering on your breath. 

Kale Salad
4 cups raw kale, stems removed, chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup carrots, shredded
1 small avocado, diced (I used half and it worked just fine)
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (or pepitas)

Simple Sweet Tahini Dressing
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 pinches of cayenne
Salt and ground black pepper, for seasoning

To Prepare Kale Salad:

Prep veggies by chopping, as much or as little as desired. Toss together in a large bowl. 

To Prepare Simple Sweet Tahini Dressing:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

Make salad by pouring dressing over veggies and toss together. If you are patient, chill the salad for an hour in the refrigerator to allow the dressing to set and marinate veggies. Enjoy!

Dining Out on Cape Cod - Earthly Delights

Fakin' Bacon Tempeh Sandwich - Earthly Delights

Tofu Scramble - Earthly Delights

I've been summering on the Cape my whole life. It's got a special place in my heart for it's natural beauty and fond memories of many fun summers. I'm lucky to still have a place to visit to escape the city on weekends and spend time at the beach. 

When I became vegan last year I "rediscovered" a great little natural foods eatery right next to my house called Earthly Delights. I knew it existed years ago, but never visited until last year because it seemed a little too healthy and too hippie (think sprouts and granola). I now go multiple times in the course of a weekend! It's very small and usually very busy during the summer, but it's worth the wait. You'll be entertained looking around at the enormous collection of quirky, humorous magnets, signs, and cards covering every inch. The owners, Tom and Mary are awesome! They work their butts off running that place all by themselves and I give them credit. You can tell that many people are fond of them by the Yelp reviews. I even ran into Tom at Trader Joe's stocking up after a long day and he recognized me right away, very good memory!

Menu at Earthly Delights

In addition to breakfast and lunch items they also sell some packaged natural foods. Though not 100% vegan, it is very vegan-friendly and many items on the menu can be made vegan in addition to the handful that already are (for instance, they only use non-dairy mayo). A couple of my favorites: Fakin' Bacon Tempeh, best when served in a wrap in my opinion, comes with tempeh lightly brushed with olive oil and cooked to golden brown, served with lettuce, tomato, and dairy-free mayo. Another is the Tofu Scramble, which isn't actually on the menu! My boyfriend went out and picked up breakfast early one morning while I was busy sleeping and came back with a delicious breakfast wrap filled with marinated tofu, tempeh bacon, tomatoes, spinach, and Daiya cheese in a whole wheat wrap. I ordered it again just a day later :) He also brought me back a yummy vegan Oatmeal Raisin cookie. It fell apart right away, but it didn't stop me from wolfing it down. I've also tried their smoothies, which are quite popular. The mango smoothie is so refreshing on a hot summer day! They also offer fresh juices and shots of wheatgrass, if you're into that sort of a thing. 

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie - Earthly Delights

It's very difficult to find vegan-friendly restaurants on Cape Cod, so I'm thankful to be right next to this gem! I recommend you give it a try and get to know Osterville a little bit better.

Earthly Delights

15 West Bay Road

Osterville, MA 02655

Earthly Delights Website