Blondies

I never made these before. I tried the Divvies recipe last night and I got this huge chunck of goodness and gooyiness which is simply delish but a bit too rich and sweet for my taste. Ella loved it though! (The bumps on top are mini marshmallows!)

I did find another recipe at http://allergickid.blogspot.com/ and I will try this next time! The quantities for pretty much all the ingredients are smaller (which makes me super happy especially when it comes to sugar, yuppy!)

Dry Ingredients:

2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients:
1/2 C plain or vanilla soy milk
2/3 C brown sugar
1/3 C granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbs (1/2 stick) melted dairy free margarine

Additional:
1 C chocolate chunks or chips

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8" by 8" pan with aluminum foil. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl, whisk together and set aside. Mix soy milk, sugars and vanilla extract in a small bowl or large measuring cup. Melt margarine, then stir it into the wet ingredients, too. (Mix margarine in last to keep it from clumping up.) Stir wet ingredients into dry, then mix chocolate chunks into cookie dough.
Spread the resulting sticky dough into aluminum lined pan. Bake for 33 to 35 minutes and until the edges are slightly browned. Allow to cool completely, then slice into 16 squares.

Romanian/European Doughnuts

It's Romanian "slash" European because it turns out there are quite a few very close variations of recipes for these delicious goodies. These are a beloved childhood treat both my maternal and paternal grandmothers used to make. I found this recipe at http://www.speedbumpkitchen.com/2011/03/paczi-for-all.html, a pretty great blog with other good allergen free recipes. I adapted slightly here and there.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup soy milk (the original recipes calles for coconut milk)
1/3 cup sugar
2 heaping teaspoons yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
Preparation:1. Mix all the ingredients except for the flour together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Add enough flour to get a sticky dough. Add a bit more if it's a gloppy mess. Don't add too much flour or these guys will be tough.
3. Knead only enough to bring the dough together.
4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let raise until doubled, about 2 hours.
5. Gently dump the dough on to a generously floured surface.  Roll out to 1/2 inch thick and cut into rounds.
6. Place the donuts on a floured and parchment-lined cookie sheet. Cover the the plastic wrap again and let raise for another hour or so.
8. Heat some vegetable or canola oil up in your deep fryer or in a dutch oven to 350 degrees.
9. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side and allow to cool and drain on paper towel before filling.
10. Fill with jam or custard using a pastry bag and piping tip, roll around in powdered or granulated sugar. Enjoy!

Vanilla Custard Filling (embarrassingly easy)
3/4 cup soy milk or soy creamer
1 package instant Jello vanilla pudding mix

1. Mix it. Chill it. Fill them. Eat them.vegan paczki recipe, vegan yeast raised donut recipe, vegan custard filling recipe, dairy-free egg-free yeast raised donut recipe, dairy-free custard filling recipe.

Roasted eggplant spread (Salata de Vinete)

Love, love, love this simple dish!

Ingredients:-1 medium eggplant

-1/4 cup thinly chopped red onion
-1 TBP extra virgin olive oil
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1/4 avocado (optional)
-1 tsp olive oil reduced fat mayo (optional)
-Salt & pepper to taste.
-sliced tomatos and green peppers for garnish

Preparation:

Roast eggplant on open flame (ideally) or in a 450 F preheated oven until its outter skin is soft and starting to crack. Peel off skin carefully and place eggplant pulp into a strainer and let it drain well for a few minutes. Once drained, season well and place in blender with olive oil, may, garlic powder, avocado. Blend on high until the mixture is nice and homogenous. Garnish with your favorite tomatoes (we like campari)  and/or sliced green peppers and serve with pita chips or bread. Yum!

Apple pastries (pateuri cu mere)

I love pastries! And I especially love that I don't have to make the dough from scratch! Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets are just perfect! While this is a desert recipe, keep in mind that you can get as creative as you want with these,: change up the filling (for a different desert) or just turn them into appetizers altogether with a spinach and (soy or cow) cheese, ground meat filling, or anything your heart desires!

Ingredients:

-1 package Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets
(2 sheets)

-5-6 medium freshly grated apples

-1/2 cup raisins

-1 tsp vanilla essence

-1/3 cup margarine (or butter if you prefer)

-1/2 cup dark brown sugar

-1 lightly beaten egg (or egg beaters)

Preparation:

Follow thawing instructions for the pastry sheets. Cook grated apples in margarine and brown sugar on medium heat until soft (about 10 mins or less), then add raisins and vanilla, mix well and set to cool.  Preheat oven to 400F.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry sheets. Brush the sheet with the egg wash and gently spread the apple mixture  to cover the whole surface of the sheet. Carefully roll the sheet and cut 1/2-1 in slices. Place slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 30 mins or so until the pastries are flaky and golden.

Meatloaf

I never knew that meatloaf can have a bad reputation... so when a friend posted a recipe on her blog and praised it as the best meatloaf she'd every had (while emphasizing that meatloaf can be such a bland and ordinary dish (?)) I jumped at the opportunity to try it. I first made it a couple of years ago and since then only a couple of more times for easy-to-guess reasons: we try to avoid fatty meats/foods. But hey, once in a while it's ok to indulge, especially with how I've adapted the recipe (I think.)

Ingredients:-2 lb (quantity varies based on the how many servings you need to make) of lean ground beef. **Warning: IF YOU WANT TO BE REALLY GOOD AND ENJOY THE SAME YUMMY TASTE AND WORRY LESS ABOUT THE FAT CONTENT OF THIS DISH, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE GROUND TURKEY!**
-1 cup of bread crumb (ordinary or panko) or crashed saltine crackers (I use the latter)
-1 TBP of Worcestershire sauce
-1/2 cup of ketchup
-1 cup of Newman's marinara sauce
-1/4 cup BBQ sauce
-1/2 cup diced red onion or green onion if you prefer
-1 cup of cut-up fresh spinach
-1/4 bunch of fresh cilantro
-1/4 bunch of fresh parsley (you can stick to either the cilantro or parsley if you're not a big fan of herbs, but we are so we went for both)
-1/2 cup brown sugar.
- 1egg (or egg beaters)
- salt, pepper,  paprika, and garlic poweder for seasoning.
-1 TBP olive oil

Preparation:
Dice up the red/green onion finely and sautee for a few minutes in the oil. Cut up the fresh herbs and spinach and mix along with the sauteed onion into the beef. Add bread crumbs or crushed saltines, and egg. Season mixture with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika (you can really add your favorite seasonings.)
Mix the brown sugar, ketchup, marinara, and bbq sauce (and some water) to make the sauce and then pour only 1/3 on the bottom of the pan. Mold the mixture into the "mighty" meatloaf shape and put it to rest in the pan. Cover with remaining sauce. Place the pan in a 350F pre-heated oven and let it cook for about 45-50 mins, checking with a meat thermoter until the meat reaches the proper temp (170F for beef.) Obviously it can take less or longer based on the quantity you're making. I just check with the thermometer and look for when there's only clear liquid coming out of the meatloaf. Serve with your favorite side dish. We serve it with mashed potatoes, roasted veggies, or rice. Bon Appetite!

Hrishi's Yummy Banana Bread

Another all-time favorite around here and a recipe only Hrishi has found a long time ago and kept adapting to perfection.

Ingredients:

-1 3/4 cup unbleached or whole wheat flour (he uses half unbleached and half whole wheat)

-1 1/2 cup sugar

-1 tsp baking soda

-1 tsp salt

-2 eggs

-1 cup mashed banana (1 or 2 bananas)

-1/2 cup vegetable oil

-1/3 cup water
-1/2 tsp flax seeds milled (optional, when I make it I add the flax)
-1 tsp vanilla essence
-1/2 cup (non-dairy) chocolate chips or shaved baking chocolate  (optional)

Preparation:
Easy, peasy: mix all the ingredients in your CuisineArt or KitchenAid mixer and bake at 350 F for 30-40 mins.

Fresh corn & tomato soup

We love tomato soup around here. Ella is crazy about it! This is a very simple recipe and you can make it with fresh tomatoes or use Campbell condensed tomato soup which works just as well and of course is quicker.

Ingredients:-2 cans Campbell condensed tomato soup

-1/2 cup soy creamer or soymilk (or regular milk)
-1/2 red onion
-2 large corn ears (you can also use frozen corn)
-1 1/2 cup chicken broth
-1 TBP olive oil
-3 garlic cloves
-fresh parsley
-fresh or dry basil (fresh is better)
-Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Grate corn off the cob. Place in blender along with broth and parsley. Blend until liquid. Sautee finely chopped onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add corn/broth liquid and cook for a 10 mins on medium-low heat. Add canned soup and soy and mix well. If you don't like it too thick, you can add 1/2 cup water or more until you get it to the consistency you prefer. Bring to a boil and then simmer for a few mins. Add basil towards the end. Serve plain or with some toast or crackers. Bon apetite!!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

These are so yummy, a bit crunchy but still moist and surprisingly very healthy! This is inspired by Divvies' after trying a couple of my own variations on their recipe. You can add pretty much anything you want: chocolate chips, coconut flakes, any kind of dried fruit, or freshly grated apple. I may even try grated carrots and zuchinni.



Ingredients:
-1 cup all-purpose non-bleached flour
-1/2 cup whole wheat unbleached flour
-1/2 quick or traditional oats
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 egg
-1 cup dairy-free margarine
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-3/4 cup packed, dark brown sugar (we used light brown)
-1/4 cup silken tofu, pureéd
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-2 cups  semisweet Chocolate Chips (non-dairy) or if you have no food allergies, you can use any chocolate chips.

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line three cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat margarine, egg, piureed tofu and sugars with an electric mixer on high speed until just fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and continue to mix. Add vanilla.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Fold in 1-3/4 cups of the chocolate chips by hand, and be certain not to over-mix the dough.
Scoop the cookie dough with a tablespoon and place the scoops 2 inches apart on the parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Flatten each scoop slightly with your hand.
Bake the cookies in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through the baking time, until the edges begin to turn golden. Depending on your oven you may need to bake them longer.  Cool the cookies directly on the baking sheets.

Here's the Valentine's Day version to which we added red food coloring and heart-shaped the dough.

Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon

Ingredients:- 3 4 oz frozen or fresh salmon fillets

- garlic salt
- pepper
- dill
- freshly squeezed lemon juice (1-2 TBP)
- 1 red cedar wood plank

Preparation:
Thaw fillets and season with salt, pepper, and dill, and lemon juice. You can add other condiments to your liking (i.e. red chilli powder, if you like it hotter.)
Place red cedar plank under cold running water for a few minutes until properly soaked. Then place the salmon fillets on it.
Fire up your grill and cook the fish on the cedar plank on medium heat for 12 mins with no need to turn the fish.
Serve with your favorite veggies (we love it with steamed brocolli, green beans, or peas & carrots), and a starch if you wish.