Spinach-Feta Fatayer

I used this recipe Spinach Fatayer and I made mine with a half of a (large) bag of frozen chopped spinach, 1.5 small chopped onion, sauteed on medium low until soft, then cook the spinach in with this, add salt and pepper and I threw in about 1/2 tbsp. of sumac and I also doubled the recipe. After I let this cool I added maybe 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (or you can leave it out). You can make them small like the recipe states or make them larger. They were really good, I will try them with a different dough recipe next time and maybe some vinegar instead of the lemon juice, but overall the filling is great. They are really good, but not like the ones I am used to buying at the Mediterranean Deli, the dough is more like pastry dough in this recipe, stay tuned as I try out different recipes :)

Ingredients:

• For the Dough:
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• For the Spinach Filling:
• 1/2 pound fresh spinach, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon ground sumac

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Add oil and begin to knead dough. Once oil is absorbed, add warm water. Knead into an elastic dough.

Shape dough into 2 inch diameter balls. Cover and set aside.

Preheat over to 425 degrees.

Wash spinach and soak spinach in salted water while you chop vegetables. Rinse spinach and dry thoroughly with paper towel.

Combine and toss filling ingredients.

Place 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each ball of dough. Cover filling with dough and form into triangular shape.

Bake for 10-15 on greased baking sheet, until golden brown.

Allow to cool 5 minutes and serve immediately.

Olivia's "To Die For" Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Olivia's "To Die For" Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup Smart Balance Light (or regular Earth Balance will work fine too)
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 heaping Tbsp. flax meal
1 heaping Tbsp. Ener-G egg replacer powder
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups vegan chocolate chips (Guittard is my favorite)

1.) Preheat oven to 375 F.

2.) In a small bowl, mix soy milk VERY WELL (until creamy) with Ener-G egg replacer and flax meal using an electric mixer or hand (immersion) blender. Set aside.

3.) In another bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Set Aside.

4.) In a large bowl, cream together coconut oil, Smart Balance and sugars. Add soy/flax mixture and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer until smooth.

5.) Gradually add flour mixture to liquids. Stir in chocolate chips.

6.) Drop by well rounded teaspoonfulls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 - 10 min. until lightly golden. (Can also be made into bar cookies in 9 X 12 pan)

I found this from an old post on www.veggieboards.com from Tofu and Sprouts, her daughter made these up for her with ingredients they had on hand! They are some of the best vegan cookies I have ever tasted, not oily at all and soft, they don't stick to the pan and the dough is the right consistency, they are perfect and I am thinking about trying these made into PB cookies also. I made mine with 1/2 tbsp. milled flax seed, I made mine with 1 cup chocolate chips and baked at 350 degrees F but those are the only things I did different. Olivia, you rock! The family all loved these, BTW.

Maple Wheat Rolls

Made these for the family, we are having a get together tomorrow evening, here is the recipe, but I make mine with 1/4 maple syrup and I used olive oil instead of canola and I cook them at 350 degrees F. Don't put them in a small pan, roll up and place on a greased cookie sheet or pizza pan with plenty of room to rise. They are not completely whole wheat, but they are the softest, best bread I have ever tasted and I always make these for special occasions.

Maple Wheat Rolls

1 1/2 cups warm water
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 pkg. dry yeast
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups white flour
Oil for brushing
• Combine the water and maple syrup in a large bowl. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Cover with a towel and let sit until bubbly.
• Add the canola oil, whole wheat flour, and salt, mixing well. Knead on a well-floured surface and gradually incorporate the white flour. The dough will be slightly sticky.
• Cover with a bowl until doubled in size, about 30 to 60 minutes. Roll into 12 to 16 biscuits. Place on an oiled pan and brush the tops with oil. Let rise.
• Bake at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Tofu Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)

I used this recipe to make these wonderful cookies...chewy and soft, just like bakery cookies and vegan also :)I was trying to find a recipe that was like a local bakery's recipe (Ellwood Thompson's) and this comes very close. Now I will give the rest of the cookies a good home with my neighbors. It calls for silken tofu, or you could also use soft tofu.

Also I wanted to share with you my recipe for calzones, while not vegan, tastes just as good without the added feta or can of course be made with vegan mozzarella.

Dough

1 cup warm water
1 pkg instant yeast
1 tsp. sugar or 1 tbsp corn syrup, molasses, king syrup or honey
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour or AP flour

Place water, yeast and sweetener of choice in large mixing bowl, let sit for 5 minutes for yeast to bloom. Add 1 cup wheat flour, stir. Stir in one cup AP or bread flour, stir to combine, mixing with hands if necessary. Turn out onto floured board, kneading in additional flour as needed, until elastic about 5 minutes. Set aside and cover with bowl until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes-1 hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Filling

1 pkg. (14 oz.) soft tofu or 12 ounces silken tofu, mashed
12 ounces thawed and drained frozen chopped spinach
garlic and onion powder to taste
Italian Seasonings to taste
1/2 diced onion, cooked in a little olive oil until tender
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese or shredded mozzarella
Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl.


Divide dough into 4 equal portions, roll out into 1/4" thickness, divide filling into 4 equal portions, seal each calzone and bake 25-30 minutes, until browned.

sauce
1 8 ounce can Hunt's Basil and Garlic sauce, warmed
1-2 tsp. sugar to cut acidity


One final recipe to share to today is a Chai Latte Recipe from Chef Deborah Wolfe of Vegsource. Delicious!

Chai Latte
3-4 chai tea bags cooked over very low heat in 1 cup soy milk (or other "milk" of choice)for about 5 minutes
1/4 cup powdered soy milk beverage
1-3 ice cubes
1-3 tbsp. sugar or other sweetener

Top off milk to come back up to one cup. Cool in fridge overnight. Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. ENJOY!!!!

Greek Pizza

I am surprised that I haven't posted this recipe before because it is something that I love to make and it is my best pizza. This dough also makes a very nice slicing bread. To make into slicing bread, follow directions, let rise for the 1-1.5 hours, punch down, fit into oiled bread loaf pan, cover and let rise for about another 1-1.5 hours until doubled in bulk. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and cook around 30-45 minutes until golden and dough sounds hollow when tapped.

For the crust
1 cup warm water (105-110 degrees F)
1 pkg. instant yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. molasses, honey, corn syrup or golden syrup OR 1 tsp. sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2-2 cups bread flour

Place water in large mixing bowl, add sweetener of choice and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes, then add oil and salt. Stir. Add 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup bread flour. Stir to mix and turn out onto floured board, adding the remaining flour as needed. Knead for about 2-5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with mixing bowl for 1-1.5 hours or until doubled in bulk. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Roll out dough to fit an oiled pan, use a cookie sheet or pizza pan. If you use a small cookie sheet the dough will be really puffy and stay very soft. Cover with a tea towel for about 20-30 to rise one more time.

For the toppings (I never measure anything for this pizza beyond the crust recipe so use to taste or to cover crust)
1/4-1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
Italian seasonings, onion and garlic powder, parsley and red pepper flakes to taste
sliced or shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
sliced red onions, Roma tomatoes, red onions and sliced button mushrooms
crumbled feta or goat cheese
defrosted and drained spinach
pitted Kalmata olives or canned pitted black olives

Layer toppings as listed and cook 10-15 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheeses melted.

Chai Cake

This is my very favorite cake recipe and it comes from Chef Deborah Wolfe who has a recipe board at www.vegweb.com

Chai Cake

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup natural sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup soy milk
8 chai tea bags (or Bengal Spice)
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup oil
Ener-G Egg Substitute for 1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grease an 8" cake pan.
In a saucepan, put soy milk gently on low heat.
Add tea bags, and simmer 15 minutes, pressing tea bags gently to extract flavor.

Wring out tea bags into soy milk. Top up with more soy milk back to 3/4 cup. Put
this flavored soy milk in fridge to cool.
In large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Combine remaining ingredients, including flavored soymilk, and add to flour
mixture.
Beat for 2 minutes. If too stiff, add a bit more soy milk.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out
dry.
Makes one 8" cake.

Here is the glaze that I use with the cake.

Chai Cake Glaze

2 tbsp/30 mL butter or margarine
1 ½ cups/375 mL powdered sugar
1 tsp/5 mL Vanilla
¼ tsp/1.2 mL Cinnamon
Reserved 2 tbsp/30mL prepared Chai Latte from cake recipe

Melt butter in 1-quart/liter saucepan over medium heat. Stir in remaining ingredients until smooth. Drizzle glaze on cake.

Orange Cranberry Pancakes with Orange Sauce (Vegan)

I made this recipe and changed a few things to make it vegan. Try them, they are vegan, taste like fall and are so good.

Sauce

1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar (I prefer less sweet)
2 tablespoons dried cranberries (optional)
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 dash ground ginger
1 1/2-2 cups plain or vanilla silk
1/4 cup applesauce
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon finely shredded orange peel

For orange sauce, combine the water and corn starch in a small bowl until it forms a slurry. Combine slurry in a small saucepan with 1 teaspoon orange peel, the orange juice, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons snipped dried cranberries (if desired), and cornstarch. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.

For pancakes, in a large bowl combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and finely chopped cranberries.

In another bowl combine 1 1/2 soy milk, applesauce, vegetable oil, vanilla, and orange zest. Add more soy milk if batter is too thick.

Add all at once, add the wet ingredients to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy). Preheat griddle to 300-325 degrees, until water "dances" on surface. For each pancake, pour about 2 tablespoons batter onto hot griddle or skillet. Use more batter for bigger pancakes. Spread batter into a circle about 2 - 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Cook over medium heat about 1-2 minutes on each side or until pancakes are golden brown, turning to cook second sides when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry. Serve with sauce.