Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

A good friend of ours was coming over for coffee this morning, so I wanted to bake something simple but yummy.  I've had a hankering for cornbread lately, but I haven't been baking at all lately, mostly because of the heat.  However,  it was a bit cooler this morning, so I thought I would make some muffins-- a-little-bit-sweet cornmeal muffins to go with the coffee and satisfy my craving at the same time. They turned out well-- just sweet enough, nice and moist, not high in fat, and with a bit of coconut crunch.

The whole wheat pastry flour, which is lower in gluten than regular whole wheat flour, and the wetter batter, results in a very tender and moist muffin, despite the smaller than usual amount of oil.


Printable Copy

BRYANNA'S SWEET & TENDER VEGAN CORNMEAL MUFFINS WITH COCONUT & RAISINS (WITH VARIATIONS)
18 large muffins
This is a variation on my favorite Yankee-style cornbread. It’s moist and corny, high-fiber and low in fat.

DRY MIX:
2 cup fine cornmeal
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup soy, chickpea or pea flour
1/2 cup granulated unbleached organic sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
WET MIX:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups + 6 tablespoons nondairy milk  
1/2 cup aquafaba (chickpea cooking broth) OR unsweetened smooth applesauce 
1/4 cup oil 
ADDITIONS:
1/2-2/3 cup fine shredded coconut
1/2-2/3 cup raisins or dried cranberries, or other chopped dried fruit  
VARIATIONS: 
If you like, use 2/3-1 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans instead of coconut; and/or use 1-2 c. fresh cranberries or blueberries instead of the dried fruit.
            
Turn oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease 18 muffin cups (preferably) with my Homemade Cake Release or oil.

Whisk the Dry Mix ingredients together well in a large bowl. Whisk or blend the Wet Mix ingredients together and add to the Dry Mix, along with the coconut and raisins or dried cranberries, etc.. Mix briefly. The batter will be wetter than most muffin batters, but don't worry! 

Ladle the batter into the greased muffin cups. The batter will be right up to the tops of the muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes. Test for doneness with a clean toothpick.

Place the muffin pans on racks and let sit for about 5 minutes, then release the muffins and serve warm.

Nutrition Facts (Made with aquafaba and  1/2 cup each coconut and raisins.)
Nutrition (per serving): 183 calories, 49 calories from fat, 5.6g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 253.7mg sodium, 256.9mg potassium, 30.9g carbohydrates, 3.3g fiber, 9.9g sugar, 4.4g protein, 5.3 points.

Enjoy!

Aquafaba, in case you somehow haven't heard of it by now, is the viscous broth from canned or cooked chickpeas and it makes an excellent egg substitute in baking.  (It is so-named because the terms "bean juice" and "brine" just didn't sound appetizing to most of the posters on the facebook page mentioned in the next paragraph.) Use about 3 tablespoons per average egg, or 1/4 cup for a large egg (you don't have to whip it for this use-- just use in its liquid form).  This use for aquafaba as an egg replacer in baking was first posted by author/blogger, vegan cook extraordinaire Somer McCowan here. I've used it successfully in cornbread, too.

If you are unfamiliar with aquafaba egg or egg white replacer, see the Facebook page Vegan Meringue- Hits and Misses! There are about 8,000 enthusiastic members, eagerly discussing the applications, possibilities and  limitations of this seemingly magic liquid that can be whipped into a meringue. There you will find recipes files for meringues, macaroons, pavlovas, nougat, whipped toppings, etc., a;; made with this miraculous elixir! And you will be amazed!

My humble contribution to the files on that Facebook page is how to make your own aquafaba that is viscous enough to whip up nicely like egg whites, or to use in liquid form as a whole egg substitute in baking, and how to store it in usable portions for recipes.


I have not really explored the meringue much yet, since we are not eating many desserts of late-- I'll wait until the next birthday or holiday to experiment!  However, I made some muffins for company earlier this week and worked from an egg-based recipe to devise a low-fat, whole grain vegan muffin that was not only delicious, but moist and tender. They didn't last very long!


Printable Copy

BRYANNA'S MOIST & TENDER LOWFAT WHOLE GRAIN VEGAN MAPLE OATMEAL MUFFINS (WITH AQUAFABA EGG REPLACER)
Yield: 12

Only 2 tablespoons of oil in this recipe for 12 good-sized muffins!

COOKING TIP: Pastry flour makes a more tender muffin, especially in a recipe like this, using very little fat.  You can use white whole wheat pastry flour, if you like-- it's made from white wheat.  But the color of this muffin is brown due to the maple syrup, so ordinary whole wheat pastry flour is just fine.

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat *pastry* flour (see Cooking tip above)
1 cup quick oats
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp (rounded)  ground nutmeg
Wet Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups unsweetened smooth applesauce
2/3 cup maple syrup (preferably Grade B-- it has more maple flavor)
1/4 cup (4 Tbs)  aquafaba (the broth from cooking chickpeas or drained from canned chickpeas-- see text above) NOTE: No need to whip the aquafaba for this type of recipe-- use in liquid form.
2 Tbs oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Additional Ingredients:
2/3 cup raisins, dried cranberries OR dairy-free chocolate chips
2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (Optional)
PS:  Feel free to add your own combinations of Additional Ingredients.

1. Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.  Oil  a 12-cup muffin pan (or use cake release-- here's my homemade palm oil-free, non-hydrogenated cake release recipe).

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the Dry Ingredients.

3. In a deep pitcher or bowl, mix together the Wet Ingredients and whisk by hand or blend with an immersion/stick blender for several minutes, or until bubbly.

4. Pour the Wet Ingredients into the Dry Ingredients and mix together just until the batter is moistened-- do not over-mix.  (A Danish dough whisk is excellent for this job and other batters which should not be stirred too much.)

5. Add any Additional Ingredients you are using and fold gently into the batter.

This batch was made with chocolate chips and walnuts

6. Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups (using a gently rounded 1/3 cup measure).  Bake for 20 minutes.

7. Place the muffin pan on a cooling rack and loosen the muffins with a table knife, setting them gently on their sides in the pan to cool.


8. Serve warm.

NOTE: The nutrition facts for this recipe were calculated (with Living Cookbook recipe software) using raisins and walnuts. If you use chocolate chips or dried cranberries instead of raisins, the calories and fat will be a bit higher. If you omit the nuts, you will save almost 50 calories and several grams of fat.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per muffin): 244 calories, 63 calories from fat, 7.4g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 201.6mg sodium, 344.4mg potassium, 42.8g carbohydrates, 4.3g fiber, 16.5g sugar, 5.2g protein.

This was definitely Brownie Day for me!  I posted three past brownie recipes from this blog on Facebook today (Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies, Chai-Almond Brownies with Double Ginger Gelato, and my Almost No-Fat Brownies), and a new post here on this blog with a recipe for S'more Brownies that I had previously developed for my now-defunct newsletter.  But I just had to make some, even though DH and I are on Weight Watchers again.  So, I decided to test out an idea I'd been thinking about for quite a while.  If it turned out, we'd taste-test a couple each and freeze the rest for our company who will be here over the holidays.

Those of you who read my blog may have read the entry about the black beans and brownie mix recipe that I tried from the Internet. I followed the directions and used canned black beans and their juice. The texture wasn't bad, but it tasted so "bean-y". But not "nice bean- was determined to make my own version, though, because it intrigued me to use black beans as part of the fat and instead of the eggs in a brownie. My omni friends had no idea there were beans in these brownies, and gobbled them up!  But they were quite rich for my style of cooking and I wanted to test out a fat-free version of the black bean brownies as well as for the okara brownie variation that I had also developed from that recipe.

So, below is the result of today's labors, the vegan butter replaced with applesauce to eliminate the fat (except in any nuts you care to add), and the method streamlined.  Another blogger had tried my original recipe but had forgotten to add the vegan butter-- but they still rated high with her and her tasters, so, I was confident that they would be acceptable without the fat.  But I was nervous that just leaving out the vegan butter would result in a dry brownie, so when I made them today I used a thick, smooth, unsweetened organic applesauce in place of the vegan butter, in both the black bean brownies and in the okara variation (yes, I made both!).  They both turned out to be amazingly rich-tasting and moist, without having that raw, over-gooey texture that I dislike. (And the nutrition stats are pretty good, too! In my original recipe, I cut it into 20 squares and the plain, no-options-added brownie contained 195 calories and almost 10 g fat. With the new recipe, you can cut it into 16 larger squares and each one [no nuts]contains only 159 calories and about 1.5 g fat.)

You will notice that there is only 1/2 cup flour to 1 1/4 cups cocoa powder-- this is one reason that the brownies are so chocolate-y despite containing no solid chocolate.  Also, you will notice that I bake the brownies at a low temperature (300°F) for fairly long time compared to other brownie recipes. This ensures the proper fudgy-ness without what I consider that distasteful raw texture and taste.

I'm going to use this version from now on-- who needs the fat?  A bonus-- I have goodies for my company in the freezer!

 This is going to be a very short blog post. I just returned from Seattle last night, worked at the library today, and I'm still playing catch-up with Christmas preparations, shopping, housework, invitations, and practical matters like making soymilk and writing blogs!

In a day or two I'll blog about my trip, etc... Today I'm just going to share a recipe for a delicious cake that goes well with coffee or tea and utilizes the zillions of apples that were harvested around here this year! If you have some unexpected guests, you can whip this up quickly and serve it hot, or you can have it ready and waiting and serve it cold or at room temperature-- it's yummy either way.

Don't be fooled by the simple ingredients-- you won't be able to have just one piece!

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA’S RUSTIC APPLE-ALMOND CAKE
makes 1/ 9x13" cake
PS:  Here's a fancier version of this cake: Apple Pecan Crumb Cake with Gianduia (Chocolate/Hazelnut) Drizzle

DRY MIX:
1 and 3/4 cups wholewheat pastry flour PLUS 1/4 c. oat bran
       OR use 2 cups wholewheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Additional:
2 cups chopped apples (I don't peel them if they are organic)

WET MIX:
1/3 cup smooth unsweetened applesauce
3 Tbs. oil
1 cup unbleached organic granulated sugar
7/8 cup nondairy milk (that's 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons)

TOPPING:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup slivered, blanched almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13" cake pan.

Whisk together the Dry Mix ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the apples. In a blender, blend the Wet Mix ingredients until smooth. Mix the Wet Mix into Dry Mix, stirring as briefly as possible. Spread into prepared pan. Mix the Topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the Topping evenly over the cake. Bake 35 minutes. Test for doneness. Cool on a rack and serve right out of the pan, cut into squares.

Enjoy, and I'll blog again soon!

This is a traditional pastry for savory pies in some parts of Italy, and I have used it for several years. I was always impressed with the crisp texture and ease of handling of this dough, considering how little oil there is in it (2 tablespoons)! Since olive oil is my primary oil for cooking (being a tasty, monosaturated oil), I have been wanting to try it in a fruit pie. But, since being on the WW Core Plan for the last 7 weeks, I haven't been making very many desserts.

Yesterday, however, we were invited by some friends to come over for coffee, I had some apples that needed using, and we had some extra WW points leftover, so I offered to bring an apple tart. I was impressed with the almost buttery taste of it and our hosts gobbled it up with groans of pleasure. This will now be my choice for pastry for any free-form pie! (I have yet to try it as a regular 2-crust covered pie.) I may try it with half whole wheat pastry flour next time-- I'll let you know how it works!

The apple filling is moderately sweetened with agave nectar and raisins plumped in sherry, but you can alter that as you like. Enjoy!



Printable Recipe for Pie and Pastry

Printable Recipe for Olive Oil Pastry only

BRYANNA'S RUSTIC APPLE-RAISIN TART WITH CRISPY, LOW-FAT OLIVE OIL PASTRY
Servings: 6
Yield: 1 freeform tart

This is a lovely, not-too-sweet treat. PS: If you would like a large tart, double the recipe, including the pastry and form the tart on a 14" pizza pan. Bake the large pie for 1 hour.


1 recipe Bryanna's Low-Fat, Crispy Olive Oil Pastry
(See recipe in Cooking Tips below)
Filling:
1/4 cup raisins (organic Thompson is what I used)
soaked in:
2-4 tablespoons medium sherry (enough to cover the raisins)
3 large apples, cored and thinly sliced (I don't peel them- it's up to you!)
(whichever variety you like-- I used what I had: 1 Cox's Orange Pippin, and 2 Galas)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup agave nectar
Spices:
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
a few gratings of nutmeg
1 pinch salt
3/4 tablespoon cornstarch
Optional:
You can add some grated lemon or orange zest, if you like
Finish:
soy milk or nut milk for brushing and a sprinkle of organic granulated sugar

Make the pastry as instructed in the recipe below. Place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the Fillling.

You need to soak the raisins and there are 2 ways to do this. 1.) place the raisins in a small microwave-proof bowl and cover with sherry. Cook in the microwave for 30 seconds, or as long as it takes to just come to a boil. Or, 2.) place the raisins and sherry in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil over high heat. Immediately remove from the heat. Either way, cover the bowl or pan and let sit while you go on to the next step.

Mix the sliced apples in a large bowl with the lemon juice, agave nectar, spices and salt. Add the plumped raisins and sherry, optional citrus zest (if using), and sprinkle with the cornstarch.

Combine well. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

On a lightly-floured piece of baking parchment, roll the pastry dough out into a 13-14" circle (it doesn't have to be perfect, but avoid having any holes or very thin spots). Carefully transfer the dough circle to a 9-10" pie pan or small pizza pan, lightly sprayed with oil from a pump sprayer. Pile the apple filling in the middle of the pastry and bring the edges up around the filling, to make a freeform pie. Pleat the edges of the dough over the filling, leaving a 5" open circle in the center.



Brush the pastry with soy or nut milk and sprinkle with a little organic granulated sugar.

Cover the fruit in the open circle (not the pastry) with a circle of foil cut to fit.



Place the pie in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350°F.

Bake the pie for about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and poke the apples with a fork to see if they are tender. If they are, remove the foil. If the pastry not golden yet, bake another 5-10 minutes, or until golden.

Cool on a rack until just warm. Serve warm, if possible. Cut into 6 wedges to serve.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/6th): 235.6 calories; 18% calories from fat; 4.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 285.0mg sodium; 204.6mg potassium; 47.9g carbohydrates; 3.6g fiber; 26.2g sugar; 44.3g net carbs; 2.7g protein; 4.4 points.

Cooking Tips
BRYANNA'S LOW-FAT, CRISPY OLIVE OIL PASTRY
This crispy pastry is very easy to handle and quite low in fat (about 1 tsp. of olive oil per serving). Perfect for rustic "freeform" tarts. If you want to make a larger tart, double the recipe and make it on a 14" pizza pan.

1 cup unbleached flour (NOT pastry flour)
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup ice-cold water

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the cold olive oil briefly. Add the water and mix with a fork until it hold together. Handle as little as possible. Lightly form it into a ball and refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

On a lightly-floured piece of baking parchment, roll the pastry dough out into a 13-14" circle (it doesn't have to be perfect, but avoid having any holes or very thin spots). Carefully transfer the dough circle to a 9-10" pie pan or small pizza pan, lightly sprayed with oil from a pump sprayer. Pile the filling in the middle of the pastry and bring the edges up around the filling, to make a freeform pie. Pleat the edges of the dough over the filling, leaving a 5" open circle in the center.

For a sweet pie, brush the pastry with soy or nut milk and sprinkle with a little organic granulated sugar. For a savory pie, brush or spray lightly with olive oil.

Cover the filling in the open circle (not the pastry) with a circle of foil cut to fit. Place the pie in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350°F.

Bake the pie for about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and poke the apples with a fork to see if they are tender. If they are, remove the foil. If the pastry not golden yet, bake another 5-10 minutes, or until golden.

Servings: 6
Yield: 1 crust

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/6th): 115.6 calories; 36% calories from fat; 4.7g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 235.8mg sodium; 22.3mg potassium; 15.9g carbohydrates; 0.6g fiber; 0.1g sugar; 15.3g net carbs; 2.2g protein; 2.6 points.

Enjoy!

An experiment we loved, made with some of the apple bounty from my last post.

Printable Recipe (includes "Amaretti Crumbs" recipe

BRYANNA'S ROASTED APPLESAUCE/AMARETTI VEGAN GELATO
Makes 8/ 1/2-cup servings.
This is really delicious. The brown rice syrup adds a faintly caramel-like flavor that makes the ice cream seem very rich.

2 1/3 cup plain soy milk, or almond milk (such as Almond Breeze Original) or So Delicious Coconut Beverage, Original
1/2 cup raw cashews or cashew pieces, soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes and drained
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste
1/2 cup light-colored granulated organic sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon Instant Clear-Jel (See about this product and where to get it at this post ) OR 1/4 teaspoon Xanthan gum or Guar gum

ADDITIONS:
1/2 cup Vegan Amaretti Crumbs (see recipe in Cooking Tips) OR, you can simply use chopped toasted almonds instead
1/2 cup Chunky Roasted Applesauce (pictures at end of post)

Place the milk into a blender along with the soaked, drained cashews, and blend until VERY smooth and frothy (make sure that it is not grainy at all).

Mix all of the remaining ingredients, EXCEPT the Additions, into this mixture and blend again until it is VERY smooth.

Chill the gelato mixture thoroughly, and then freeze according to directions for your ice cream machine. Add the Amaretti Crumbs 30 seconds before stopping the machine. Remove the dasher and add the applesauce to the center. Using a small spatula, swirl the applesauce roughly through the ice cream.

Scoop into a quart container, cover and freeze until hard before serving.

Servings: 8
Yield: 1 quart

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/2 cup): 273.7 calories; 18% calories from fat; 5.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 131.1mg sodium; 182.5mg potassium; 55.8g carbohydrates; 1.1g fiber; 45.0g sugar; 54.7g net carbs; 5.0g protein; 5.8 points.

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA’S "AMARETTI" CRUMBS (SOY-FREE)
Makes 2 and 1/2 cups
From my book "Nonna's Italian Kitchen".

Italians use crumbled amaretti cookies (almond macaroons) in many desserts (and even in a few savory dishes with Renaissance roots). Since macaroons are made with eggs, we can't use packaged cookies for this purpose.

You can use this easy recipe when you need amaretti crumbs, and do away with the need to have baked amaretti on hand.

Nuts and breadcrumbs can be quickly toasted in your microwave, if you like.. You can grind them easily and quickly in a small electric spice or coffee grinder, or mini-chopper.

1 c. lightly toasted ground almonds
1 c. toasted white or sweet bread crumbs
1/2 c. maple syrup
1 tsp. pure almond extract

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Mix all of the ingredients together well. Spread the mixture on 2 cookie sheets and place in the heated oven.

Toast the mixture for about 15 minutes or until it has dried out a bit, but is still slightly chewy. Cool the mixture, then freeze in rigid plastic containers.

Chunky Roasted Applesauce after 45 minutes in the oven:


Chunky Roasted Applesauce after broiling, before adding sugar:

Enjoy!!

 Organic apples from a friend's backyard

It has been a great apple year and the other day a friend gave me a huge bagful of them. I just got around to dealing with most of them today and only have that bowlful left to use up before the week is out.

Of course, I made a pie-- a freeform type with a few raisins added.

And I froze some extra pie fillings:

Just pile each portion of filling in a foil-lined cake or pie pan, freeze it solid, and then take away the pans and pop the foil packages into plastic bags. This way, you have just the right amount and shape to fit into your pie crust.

According to The Perfect Pie by Susan G. Purdy:

"To bake, line a pie plate with a layer of thawed frozen pastry (or fresh--BCG), brush with... fruit preserves. Unwrap the frozen fruit packet (do not thaw) and set it in the pastry. Cut steam vents in the rolled-out top crust. Moisten the edges of the lower crust, then cover the pie with its top crust. Fold the edges of the top crust over the lower one and pinch to seal. Mold the edge into a raised rim and flute... (Note from BCG: If you like a shiny crust, brush it with soy or nut milk-- sprinkle with sugar if desired.)

Bake in the lower third of a preheated 425 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F, raise the pie to the center of the oven, and cover the pastry edges with a foil if they seem to be browning too fast. Continue baking for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the fruit tender. Serve warm for best texture and flavor."

Then I made two kinds of applesauce:

I made a smooth pink applesauce (see how I make this without having to peel, pit or core the apples on this blog post). I made it pink by adding 2 cups of crabapple sauce that I had in the freezer to the cooked, pureed apples. I just added a little unbleached sugar to taste-- it's tangier than usual with the crabapple. Very refreshing and pretty!

The second type is a chunky roasted applesauce. I don't really have a recipe for this, but here's what you do:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Clean and core the apples and cut into chunks no bigger than 1". I don't peel them, since they are organic-- just cut out any bad spots. Get a large shallow roasting pan (or pans) and fill the bottom with about 1/4" of water. Add a splash of lemon juice and a little unbleached sugar. Pile in the apples no more than 2" deep. Toss with the liquid. Cover the pan(s) with foil and cook for about 45 minutes. Remove the foil. Place under the broiler (about 1 foot below the broiler element) in order to cook down the remaining liquid and char the apples a little. Watch them! Printable Recipe

Remove from the oven and add brown sugar to taste-- not too much! Delicious! (See pictures of roasting process at this post.)

MORE APPLE RECIPES FROM THIS BLOG (Updated Nov. 1, 2015):
(See more here:
http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.ca/2009/10/using-up-fall-bounty-apples-and-pears.html )

Massaged Kale Salad w/ Red Cabbage, Apples, Pecans & Pomegranate Molasses Dressing
Oat Groats w/ Chanterelle Mushrooms & Apples in Creamy Wine Sauce
Crispy Marinated Tofu/Breast of Tofu with Apples & Onions in Creamy White Wine Sauce Whole Grain Apple-Almond Cake
Rhubarb and Apple Crisp with Mint and Orange
Irish Apple Bread Pudding
Apple and Cranberry Oat Crisp
Sherried Autumnal Apple and Potato Stew

The Denman Is. Fall foliage on the road where we take our walks

Enjoy the fruits of Fall!