Cookbook Review: Whole Grain Vegan Baking

The wonderful people at Fair Winds Press sent me a copy of Whole Grain Vegan Baking to review for this very blog, and I have to say I am having a blast with the recipes. Counting the Chocolate Ganache, I have made six of the recipes so far, and they have all come out great.

This is not a gluten-free cookbook although a lot of g-f flours are used in conjunction with the wheat-based ones. I am always a bit nervous modifying a recipe to be g-f since I have had some less than great results in the past. So, I decided to make some as written and modify others to see how flexible the recipes actually are. Since some g-f ingredients were already used, the recipes only required partial substitutions.

The introduction gives a fairly thorough introduction to vegan baking and the different flours and other ingredients used in the book. There are many pictures for inspiration and motivation. The only thing missing is nutritional information, but these are baked goods, so knowing the calories would probably not be a good thing!

My daughter loves pancakes and waffles for any meal, so I made the Fill-You-Up Oat Flapjacks for supper one night last week. This I did modify, so I could have them too, and I did add a bit more flour to make the batter thicker–as mentioned in the recipe notes. My daughter insisted on some chocolate chips in hers, and the recipe made enough to feed all of us–two adults and a child. You could probably stretch it to feed four; I am just opposed to leaving just a few pancakes to be leftovers!

Fill-You-Up Oat Flapjacks

The Blackberry Allspice Muffins I made pretty much as written, so I had to depend on my tasters for the verdict. My husband thought they could have been sweeter, and there is an option to add more sugar. But that was the only thing, and they are almost gone, so I am guessing they were otherwise OK!

Blackberry Allspice Muffins

We went on a car trip Sunday, and I wanted to bring a snack, so I made the Kicked-Up Chocolate Cookies. This I did make gluten-free. I am not going to miss out on chocolate! I scooped instead of rolling and cutting, and I got 16 cookies. Since this was a family trip, I did leave out the cayenne to make the cookies more kid friendly. Next time I make the Chocolate Ganache that tops them, I will use about half the espresso powder–the coffee taste was a little too evident.

Kicked-Up Chocolate Cookies

I just finished making the Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies to serve at my daughter’s book group meeting on Friday. I was out of peanut butter, having taken a spoon to what was left in the jar last night, so I used almond butter. And, since they are for kids, I left out the Siracha sauce. I did tweak these so I could have at least one to try, and the half I just ate was quite good. My daughter ate the other half and she concurs. I used a smaller cookie scoop and got 15 cookies.

Almond Butter Surprise Cookies

This weekend we are going to a retirement party, and the food is potluck, so I made the Onion Caraway Whole Wheat Loaf to bring along. I made it as muffins to make it easier to serve. I got 13 that way, which left an extra for my husband and daughter to try last night–I did not modify these. Thumbs up from both of them, so we’ll see how the rest of the party goers like them!

Onion Caraway Whole Wheat Muffins

There are many other recipes in the book I want to try, but I wanted to get the review posted, so I will talk about those another time. Modifying the recipes was definitely not a problem. If you like to bake and are looking for healthier options, do check this book out!

Restaurant Review: FLOW From the Garden

Last Friday our daughter had a sleepover with a friend, so my husband and I were able to arrange a date night–something we do far too rarely–like never. Anyway, we went to the movies and then to dinner. After much web searching and menu perusing, we decided to go to FLOW From the Garden, on Lark St. in Albany. I will state up front that part of the reason we went here was because I had purchased a Living Social voucher for them, and I wanted to use it before it expired. But it was a great choice!

FLOW stands for “For the Love of Wine,” which was the name of the wine store the owners used to have at a local mall. And the focus of the restaurant is still very much about the wine that accompanies the various courses. We had their five-course tasting menu, which consists of three first courses, an entree, and a dessert–plus wine to go with all the courses. It is $40 per person, which seems like a lot, but for “adult” dining, it was probably just right. The tasting menu does seem to be their most popular item–although you can order courses individually, and there are cheese and fruit platters available if you just want to go there and have wine. I think everyone else dining there with us ordered the tasting menu as well, and by the time we left, the place was crowded.

Their menu changes every couple of weeks, so even regular diners get something new. Our menu focused on the American Southwest. The firsts included Black Bean Bisque and two Salads, one focusing on greens and the other on corn and tomatoes. The entree was Rice and Beans with Greens, Potatoes, and Mushrooms. A Fruit Salad finished everything off.

Every course was delicious and just the right size considering all the courses we were getting. I have read some reviews that complained the portions were small. If you are used to The Olive Garden, then yes, but I found the courses perfectly portioned. We were full at the end of it, but we also didn’t feel stuffed. Even my husband, who isn’t a huge fan of Southwestern cuisine, liked everything.

And there was wine. Having owned a wine store, these people know their stuff. Every course was accompanied by a new wine, and we were given a full explanation of where it came from, how it should taste, and why it was chosen to go with the dish we were eating. The wine was served in tasting glasses, but that doesn’t mean they were skimpy. For me, it was just enough. We also had water on the table.

Everything on the menu, I was delighted to discover, was already vegan, and the only change that had to be made to make everything also gluten-free was croutons held back from one salad. There is a meat option for the entree for those who wish it–this time it was chicken. Like their name indicates, they get much of their produce from local farms, and what is in season helps shape the menu.

The pace of the restaurant is leisurely, but it isn’t slow. We were there for about an hour and a half. You can’t rush a meal like this, not if you want to enjoy the courses and enjoy the wine. Everyone was friendly and willing to chat. There is one large community table and then several smaller tables–so you can dine alone or make some new acquaintances. Quite honestly, it was nice to just sit back and not have to worry about going anywhere. If you go there with post-dinner plans, just schedule accordingly.

Downsides? Really, I can only come up with two. The restaurant is in downtown Albany, which is not parking friendly. My husband actually dropped me off so we wouldn’t risk losing our reservation, and it was about fifteen minutes before he came back. However, we also went the weekend of the Tulip Festival, so that affected the parking in that particular area. You just need to factor that into your time.

The other thing missing was a piece of chocolate at the end. When we got home, we were both full, but we also both had a taste for a piece of chocolate–something about cleansing the palate and tying the experience up with a bow, perhaps. Luckily I had some in the pantry!

I look forward to going back and trying another menu if we ever get another date night. They have wine class dinners on Wednesday and Sunday that are reservation only (they are limited to 17-20 people)  and sound fun–I would like to try one of those. Just need to wait for another sleepover!

Twice the Muffins!

A little slow again this week! I started a couple of part-time/freelance jobs, and I am still working out a system!

So, yes, double the muffin wonderfulness. My daughter had her pictures taken a little over a week ago (at Picture People–great experience), and my stylist was nice enough to squeeze her in for a pre-photo haircut. As an extra thank you, I made a batch of Double Chocolate Muffins from Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats. There were enough to keep some at home, and they were enjoyed by all! The last one went in as a school snack today.

Double Chocolate Muffins–Topped with Walnuts

But one shouldn’t have chocolate muffins every day, or at least that is what I hear, so made a batch of Strawberry Shortcake Muffins a few days later. The recipe was in the same book. I added some blueberries to the recipe, and I was able to make full-size and mini muffins.  The mini ones were saved for my daughter’s book club meeting, and the kids enjoyed them with raspberry sorbet and vanilla coconut milk ice cream.

Strawberry-Blueberry Shortcake Muffin

Since my husband had been away on a business trip, I got treated to a lunch out on Sunday–not sure of the connection, but I’ll go with it! So that meant less cooking this week. I did make a batch of Buffalo Tofu on Tuesday and my usual baked tofu on Sunday, but that was about it. I think I need to start making a triple batch of baked tofu instead of a double one–it is all gone as of today, and there is still a day left to the week!

BBQ and Brownies!

Not together, mind you, but I liked the alliteration. My daughter and I had a girls’ day last Saturday, and part of that consisted of making Dark Chocolate Cherry Brownies. I found the recipe in a recent issue of Self, and it looked too good not to try to tweak for my diet. It was easy to make gluten-free since oat flour makes up the bulk of the dry ingredients, and I have g-f oat flour on hand. Then I just subbed some of my g-f all-purpose flour mix for what the recipe called for. A flaxseed mush went in place of the eggs, and we were good to go! I also used oil instead of vegan margarine–simply because I was feeling lazy and didn’t want to wait for it to soften.   I used frozen cherries.

The results were quite yummy. They are soft, chocolatey, and moist. The cherries give them a nice Black Forest Cake vibe. Since we tend to get lots of cherries in our CSA box, I will be keeping this recipe!

Dark Chocolate Cherry Brownies

Sunday actually turned out to be a light cooking day for me. There were Banana Bread Scones leftover from the week before, so they came out of the freezer for school snacks–not to mention we had the brownies. I had a celery root that I needed to do something with, so I chopped and boiled it, then mashed it and mixed it in with some mashed potatoes. Personally, I love Edward & Sons Organic Mashed Potatoes. I may completely destroy my cooking cred, but I don’t see why I need to spend all sorts of time cooking and mashing potatoes when there is a perfectly wonderful option out there that avoids all this. My husband gets to have them whenever he wants, and I get to focus my energy on other cooking projects! And, hey, I mashed the celery root!

So husband and daughter had mashed potatoes and celery root, mixed veggies, and veggie burgers, and I had the last piece of the Breakfast Casserole I made the week before. After I got the weekly batch of baked tofu in the oven, I was free to knit for the rest of the day!

The only drawback to all this was that I didn’t have anything made for dinners during the week. So Monday I made Tamarind BBQ Tempeh and Sweet Potatoes from Appetite for Reduction. It took me forever to get the Tamarind concentrate, but I eventually got some through Amazon to make the recipe. Another great recipe from the book, although the rest of the family aren’t huge barbeque fans. I thought it was really tasty. Monday we had it with some of the leftover mashed potato/celery root, and yesterday I had some in a tortilla with lettuce as a sandwich.

Tamarind BBQ Tempeh and Sweet Potatoes

And, as an update of sorts, my weight is holding steady, so this continues to work!

What I Made This Week

I was still in a brunchy mood this past Sunday. After making the Tofu Scramble from Vegan Brunch the week before, I saw another recipe for Mom’s Breakfast Casserole and decided to give it a try this weekend. It is layers of potatoes, tempeh, tofu, and Daiya cheese, and was really good–I have been eating the leftovers for dinner all week! Sunday I cooked up some asparagus to go with it, but since then I have been sauteing baby kale to have with it.

Mom’s Breakfast Casserole

I needed a break from making muffins, so I found a recipe for Banana Bread Scones in Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats and made them. My daughter wanted to replace some of the walnuts with chocolate chips, so we did. Can’t say no to chocolate, right?

Banana Bread Scones

Of course, I still made a batch of baked tofu–otherwise we wouldn’t have anything for lunch this week! Just the Basic Baked Tofu recipe from Appetite for Reduction. It is a great go to option!

Guest Post: Tricia Ackner Designs

I enjoyed doing the interview with the Vegan Bake Sale folks, so I decided to try a few more. This post started out as an interview, but I decided it worked better as a narrative, so I reworked it so the answered flowed together. Tricia Ackner designs fabulous jewelry to hold eyeglasses–though the pieces look great simply as necklaces as well. Most of her designs are for women, but there are some that are unisex. You can check out her website, Facebook page, or Etsy store. If you live in the Capital Region of New York, she is also a wonderful Zumba instructor!

So, here is Tricia’s story–enjoy!

My interest in fashion goes back at least as far as high school. As a student with a limited budget, I learned early on about the importance of mixing and matching my wardrobe to create different outfits. I also learned how simple accessories, like jewelry, put a different spin on the way I looked. Through trial and error, I learned the art of color, textures, and fashion trends.

While I was in high school, I also had the opportunity to serve on Macy’s teen board, which was a group of young women who worked with merchandisers on looks that we liked and what we thought would translate to the high school audience. We also modeled for in-store fashion shows. This made me realize that my interest could become a career path.

After graduation from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, I went to work for Montgomery Ward coordinating fashions within the store through displays and educating the employees in the women’s clothing department on fashion trends and coordination. From there, I entered the manufacturing end of fashion and became a sales representative for major clothing lines, traveling within a territory selling to boutiques and major department stores.

When I moved back home to upstate New York, I decided to take my interests in a new direction by working for Canyon Ranch. I had always been interested in health and wellness, so it seemed like a natural progression.

Much of the clientele at Canyon Ranch were baby boomers, as I was. Working with them and seeing myself mature, I began to realize how people change in so many ways, and the changes in our vision are one of the most apparent. Although reading glasses was inevitable, the transition of using them, finding them, and looking hip and fashionable at the same time was a challenge.

We don’t think of getting older in the same way that our parents and grandparents did. Once upon a time, when a woman turned fifty, she was expected to trade her heels for orthopedic shoes. That’s no longer the case. Fifty is the new forty; some say it is the new thirty. We are being defined less by our age and more by our accomplishments. So why should we give up on fashion?

So, in 2010, I tapped into my experience with fashion and decided to create my own line of fashionable and functional eyeglass holders. I like to call it “Jewelry with a Function.” Wanting to steer away from the granny eyeglass holder look, I developed a simple and classy design. I took basic materials like leather, semi precious stones, and silver and came up with a design. My eyeglass holders can be layered with other jewelry and, most importantly, the various styles can be interchanged with the ring, giving you a different look without having to purchase a full necklace every time.

Tricia’s Dream Catcher Design–Silver and Leather

Restaurant Review: Slice/Wild

This past Saturday we were all feeling well enough to take a ride down to New York City. I had a Groupon for parking, and I wasn’t going to let it expire!

It was actually a pretty low-key trip with no major sightseeing. However, I have to find a new vegan restaurant to try whenever we go down, and this time I wanted pizza.

Some browsing online led me to a pizza place called Slice in Greenwich Village (535 Hudson St.). We had to walk a ways to get there, and I was hoping the food would be worth it! We got to the address, but there was nothing called Slice. For a moment, I was horrified, then my husband noticed a sandwich board outside a place advertising gluten-free pizza. Then I noticed the menu I had seen online in the window. Horray!

Turns out, the place had made some changes a few weeks before and one of them was a new name–it is now called Wild. But the old website still works, at least for now; it just brings up the current menu. A little weird, but whatever. We were just hungry!

The place was small, and the menu isn’t 100% vegan, but all their pizza is made with vegan and gluten-free dough, so I was happy. It is rare for all of us to be able to order pizza out. My husband and daughter each ordered the Local Mozzarella, hers with vegan cheese, and I got the Roasted Vegetable, which had pesto for the base. I also got a Ginger Lemonade to drink.

The drink was great, and the pizzas were delicious as well. They come to the table on the pans they are baked on, which is a great way to reduce dishes and water use. You can order personal or share sizes–we each got a personal. It is free form pizza, and my daughter had leftovers to bring with her.

The only downside is that they charge extra for the soy cheese, and that isn’t on the menu. But I would go back again next time I am in the area!