Halivegan

A lot of people hear “raw vegan” and think that just means “raw...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:26:10 -0400

pecan cheesecake

blueberry cheesecake

A lot of people hear “raw vegan” and think that just means “raw vegetables”. They are wrong.

While I haven’t been blogging I’ve been eating a lot of Fruition’s raw vegan cashew cheesecake to pass the time, and oh my goodness it is so good. So far I’ve tried the mocha, pecan, and blueberry. (Sorry I didn’t get a picture of the mocha! I was too busy eating it…)

The mocha and the pecan were great - there was a really good coffee/chocolate balance to the mocha, and I loved that the pecan had all the same flavours of a cooked pecan pie. Between these three though, I think the blueberry is my favorite. It has the creamiest texture and tastes a lot like their blueberry macaroons (which is to say absolutely delicious), besides the fact that I have a preference for fruit flavored cheesecake. I highly recommend you try some!

Fruition is upstairs at the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market on Fridays from 10:00-5:00, Saturday 7:00-4:00, and Sunday 8:00-4:00. Check out their Facebook page or website for more info!

Vegan “Crowberry” Cream Eggs! Crowbar Real Foods...

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 08:54:03 -0400

Vegan “Crowberry” Cream Eggs!

Crowbar Real Foods went all out again this year to make their vegan version of a Cadbury Cream Egg. Thankfully I asked if they could save me one, as they were totally sold out by 9am. After I tried it I knew why - it’s the perfect sweet treat, with just enough sugary goodness inside balanced with the chocolate shell. I’ve never had a “real” cream egg before, so I can’t compare it personally, but my girlfriend says there are better than the original. Get down to the market this weekend for your last chance to get them! Based on last week, I also recommend getting there early!

Crowbar Real Foods is at the Halifax Seaport Famers’ Market on Saturdays from 7am-4pm!

I just had the most delicious vegan and gluten free doughnut...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:42:00 -0400

I just had the most delicious vegan and gluten free doughnut from The Kind Cookie! I’m not generally the biggest fan of gluten free baking, but my goodness was this was a totally different story. It didn’t have any of the grainy mouth-feel that I usually get when I eat GF things, which I totally appreciate. The chocolate frosting was the perfect touch to make this one super chocolatey doughnut. Also: as far as I know this is the ONLY place in Halifax to get vegan doughnut(!!) The 2.00 price tag is a bit higher than Timmies, but I’ll take what I can get, especially when it tastes this good!

You can find The Kind Cookie at the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market on Saturdays from 7:00-4:00. You can also check them out on Facebook here!

Just in time for Valentine’s day, try Jitterbug Sodas’ new...

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 07:48:08 -0500

Just in time for Valentine’s day, try Jitterbug Sodas’ new Love Potion #9! This limited edition flavour is a mix of passion fruit, ginger, hibiscus, star anise, and vanilla. Try it at the market today until 4pm, or stop by next Saturday!

So I realize that I’ve been neglecting posting for no good...

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 19:22:09 -0500

So I realize that I’ve been neglecting posting for no good reason. Sorry everyone.

Here’s a photo of the amazing Berkley Vegan pizza from zpizza in the Houston Airport. A little too much daiya, and I wish there was a more even ratio of veggies to burger crumbles, but still delicious.

Need an excuse to go to the market today? - Crowbar has harvest moonfire pear muffins. They’re...

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 14:10:30 -0400

Need an excuse to go to the market today?
- Crowbar has harvest moonfire pear muffins. They’re incredible!
- Fruition has moved into its new space on the upper level. Go show them some support!
- Jitterbug has pumpkin spice soda. Pumpkin. Spice. Soda.
- So many pumpkins!
- It’s the market - who needs an excuse?

Hi I was considering becoming a vegan and would love some helpful tips to help me in my process.

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 10:33:00 -0400

Sorry this took me so long to get to! Life gets in the way sometimes.

Going vegan is different for everyone. For me, it was helpful to slowly cut things out. First I stopped eating cheese and “obvious” dairy products like ice cream or cheesecake (I never liked eating eggs or drinking milk, so I didn’t have to worry about those two that much). After that, I started cutting back on things that had “hidden” dairy or eggs like mashed potatoes, cake, pancakes, etc. Eventually I got to the point where I wasn’t really eating anything non-vegan anymore, and I just stuck with it.

For me, going slowly was fine. Some people try to go slowly and keep giving up though, and it’s better to just finish any animal products you have and stop buying any more. I’ve heard people say to just throw everything non-vegan away, but I never consider wasting food unnecessarily to be a good thing. If you can give stuff to friends, or unopened things to a food bank, feel free to do so.

I think the most important thing is to ask yourself why you want to go vegan. Because you don’t like the way you feel physically when you eat animal products? Because you think it’s the ethical or moral thing to do? Because you think it’s cool? All of those reasons are valid*, but I think you can guess which one is going to be less motivating in the long run. Figure out why you want to go vegan, and if you have enough conviction, you’ll make it happen =] Good luck! Feel free to message me if you have any more questions (and I promise to get to it faster next time!)

*Fun story: I went vegan the first time when I was 14 because I had a big crush on Davey Havok, the lead singer of the band AFI, and he was vegan. I ended up going to vegetarianism after about a week, and stuck with it for five years before finally going vegan again. Therefore, I can’t really say that going vegan because you think it’s cool isn’t valid. I think that if you stick with it your reasoning will eventually evolve though!

Caribbean Black Bean Soup

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 10:21:00 -0400

I absolutely love black beans. I like them in soup, I like them in burritos, I like them in salads, I like them plain with rice. This soup is probably my favourite way to eat them though. My mom started making it before I went vegan (or vegetarian for that matter) and I’ve always enjoyed it! If you need a hearty soup to please both vegans and omnivores and all in between, this is it.

The secret to what makes this soup so awesome is a lot of things, but mostly the spice sachet and the roasted corn. Letting the beans cook with the sachet is what makes this Caribbean style. If you don’t have whole spices, you can sprinkle in a little bit of the ground versions, though if you’re in Halifax you should be able to get all of these in the bulk spice section at Planet Organic to the best of my knowledge. Roasting the corn rather than just steaming or boiling it also adds a nice smoky sweet flavour, though even a bit of frozen corn kernels would work if that’s all you’ve got. If you have fresh corn and no grill, I recommend cooking it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350˚F. Just put the cobs on the rack, no pan, in the husk. Now, onto the recipes!

Spice Mix
Ingredients
1/2 tsp whole allspice
1/2 tsp peppercorns
Small stick of cinnamon
Scotch bonnet pepper

Directions
- Use a mortar and pestle, a mallet, or a hammer (my favourite) to gently crush the allspice and pepper corns. You could probably even put them in a plastic baggy and use a heavy textbook and some pressure to crush them a bit. Get creative!
- Put all the ingredients in a tea ball. If you don’t have a tea ball, put them in a piece of cheese cloth or a coffee filter and tie with clean string.

Caribbean Black Bean Soup
(makes about 8 cups)

Ingredients
16 oz bag dried black beans
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 14oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4-1/2 can Rotel diced tomatoes with chiles
1 scotch bonnet
1-2 cups vegetable broth
3-5 cups water
(you want somewhere between 5/6 cups of broth and water combined, maybe a little more or less depending on how thick you like it)
1/2 tbsp dried basil
1 cob roasted corn
Spice sachet

Directions
- Soak beans over night according to package directions, or for at least eight hours. Drain and rinse beans.
- In a large pot, combine four cups of water, one cup of vegetable broth, soaked beans, onion, garlic, and the spice sachet. Bring to a boil, stir, and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and let cook for about an hour.
- Add the tomatoes and about a quarter of a can of Rotel. Add up to half of the can depending on your taste. Cook for another one to two hours or until the beans are tender and the soup has thickened, stirring and checking every half hour.
- If the soup is too thick, add more broth or water to taste. After the beans are done, remove the spice sachet and blend about a third the soup. You can use an immersion blender or a regular blender. I don’t recommended a magic bullet because the heat makes it hard to open once you get it shut, but it’s possible.
- Cut the kernels off of one cob of roasted corn, break them apart if too many stick together, and then stir into the soup. If you’d like, serve with a little salsa or Tofutti Sour Supreme on top!
- Eat a lot. Enjoy :)

Restaurant Review: Brasserie

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 18:00:29 -0400

One of my favourite food memories is eating a chocolate fondant (more often called a molten chocolate lava cake) for the first time. A friend of my mom’s brought me one, and from the first bite it was like I’d died and gone to heaven. It had slightly crisp edges, a super soft interior, and a middle of melty chocolate goodness. In the years following I’d try many different molten chocolate cakes, but none would ever compare to that first one from Brasserie. Because of how strong that memory is for me, I knew that I wanted Brasserie to be one of the restaurants I reviewed while visiting Cayman this summer. Being vegan, I knew it would be a challenge, but I decided to put my faith in the chef and try their tasting menu.

The description drew me in right away: “Have Chef Niven prepare a 5 or 8 course tasting menu from items fresh from the garden, the Brasserie Catch, and our ever-changing a la carte menu. This will be a blind menu, all that is required from you is an open mind and a passion for food.” Having both of these things, I decided I needed to give the tasting menu a try. I went with three other people (two omnivores and a vegetarian) and we chose to do the 5 course tasting menu. Usually Chef Niven prepares the same meal for everyone in the group, but because of the diverse diets, he prepared vegan meals for the vegetarian and I and separate meals for the omnivores.

Note: Sorry in advance for the not awesome pictures. The lighting in the restaurant wasn’t the best for picture taking, and sometimes my flash was less than helpful! Onto the review!

—————

Even though it’s been a few years since I’ve been to Brasserie, the atmosphere is exactly as I remember it. The restaurant is a little dark, but inviting and beautiful as ever. We’re seated in the back corner, and get an amazing view of their wine collection. To drink, I go for a garden rosemary, ginger, and vanilla soda. The flavours aren’t very strong, but it’s still a nice way to start the night.

Before the tasting menu even begins, we receive small “pre-appetizers” as I like to think of them: crostini with mushy peas and crispy onion. The concept of “mushy peas” has never appealed to me, but this dish makes me change my mind. It’s light, fresh, and the mix of different textures works perfectly together. It definitely sets my expectations high for the rest of the meal.

The first official course is Rasam, an Indian spiced tomato based soup with local long beans, Israeli couscous, bok choy, corn, and cilantro. It’s spicy and warm and incredibly delicious. The long beans and corn are still crisp, and the couscous have absorbed the broth really well, making them extremely flavorful.

The next course is a watermelon arugula salad with balsamic vinegar, Kalamata olives, tomato, roasted yellow pepper, golden beets, and red beet purée. Watermelon tomato salad is actually one of my favorites, so I’m very excited to try this dish - and it doesn’t disappoint! I hadn’t had a variation of a watermelon tomato salad with any sort of greens, but I really like the addition of arugula. The beets are an unexpected touch, but work very well in the salad.

Next, we’re served beluga lentils, local long beans, garden carrots, broccolini, and pickled eggplant. When I see the eggplant I shudder a little, because in the past it’s always been one of my least favourite things to eat. Somehow Chef Niven manages to turn a food that I usually wish wasn’t there to one of my favourite things on the plate. The pickling process changes the eggplant completely, and the tanginess really rounds out the dish. The lentils are seasoned perfectly as well, and the vegetables are cooked so that they’re just tender and not too crunchy or overcooked.

Chef Niven’s take on a veggie burger slider is served next, with a patty made of black beans, potatoes, corn, and carrots on a toasted sourdough bun, topped with portobello mushroom and caramelized onion. On the side is a watercress salad dressed with citrus, a swipe of Cayman pepper jelly, and roasted potatoes. If I could get a full size version of this burger at a fast food place, I would actually go into one again. The outside of the burger is crisp without the inside becoming dry, and the mushroom and caramelized onion make the perfect topping. The pepper jelly is amazing with all of the components of the dish, but especially the salad. The roast potatoes are a little too crisp for me, but still tasty.

For dessert, I receive a mango slushie, mango with cinnamon, strawberry blueberry rhubarb compote, and mango puree (it’s mango season in Cayman if you didn’t know!) Everything on the plate is delicious, though I do wish I’d gotten something more than fruit - my dinner mates received mango sorbet, a mini slice of lemon meringue pie, and a small bread pudding. A cake of some sort or a vegan bread pudding would have been very much appreciated. Still, the berry compote is perfect with the cinnamon mangoes, and the slushy is both tasty and adorable.

Overall, the meal is a massive success. The only thing that could have made it better in my mind would be having anything chocolate or cake-like on my dessert plate. Even so, Chef Niven manages to not only create a unique vegan meal, but a delicious five course one at that, which is more than I would usually hope for from any restaurant. I can’t wait for the next time I’m in Cayman to see what he creates next.

The restaurant is closed for August, but make sure to check them out in September if you have a chance! For more information on Brasserie restaurant, check out their Facebook page or website!

Biscoff Cupcakes

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:28:00 -0400

I know I’ve been gone for a while, and I’m sorry. Vacation managed to get the best of me. I’m back now with some awesome reviews of restaurants I went to in Cayman, and some new recipes! I figured the best way to start off again is to dive right in with one of my favourite new recipes - Biscoff cupcakes.

Biscoff cookies, very similar to speculoos cookies, used to be served on airplanes back when airlines gave you free food. I was very excited to see a vegan cookie being served on an airplane (if you read my post about traveling while vegan, you know how hard it can be to find anything vegan, let alone something delicious, in an airplane or airport), and I was even more excited to find them at Bay Market while I was in Cayman! These cookies are quite possibly one of the most addictive foods I’ve ever eaten. They’re buttery, and sugary, and full of holiday spiced melt in your mouth deliciousness. Recently, I learned that they make a Biscoff spread. Right away I knew it would be perfect to make a Biscoff cupcake.

(Image from Google)

These cupcakes are dense and buttery and perfect. You can use another type of frosting if you must, but the Biscoff buttercream is magical - possibly even better than the cupcake itself. When making the cake, I decided to include molasses, but I don’t think it’s necessary, so feel free to leave it out or replace with agave if you’d like. I’d say more about the cupcakes, but all I can think is “YUMMM! MUST MAKE MORE!”

Note: If you think these look delicious, and you want to help me win a contest, go to The Middle Spoon’s Facebook page and like my submission!

Biscoff Cupcakes
(makes 6 cupcakes)

Ingredients
3/8 cup nondairy milk (1/4 cup + 2 tbsp)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Biscoff spread (crunchy or smooth will work here)
1/6 cup oil (2 tbsp+2 tsp)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp molasses (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground flax seeds
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

Directios
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with 6 liners.
- Mix together the nondairy milk and the apple cider vinegar and set aside.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and set aside.
- Using a wooden spoon or plastic spatula (not the kind used to flip pancakes), mix together the Biscoff spread, sugar, oil, vanilla, molasses if you’re using it, and ground flax. Once well combined, add the nondairy milk and vinegar mixture and mix again.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into cupcake liners and bake 20-25 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Biscoff Buttercream
(makes enough to cover 6 cupcakes with a little extra for you to eat off your fingers)

Ingredients
1/8 cup non-dairy margarine, like Earth Balance
1 tbsp vegetable shortening, like Crisco
1/6 cup Biscoff spread (use the smooth here)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 + 1/8 cups powdered sugar
About 1 tbsp nondairy milk

Directions
- Sift the powdered sugar so there are no lumps, and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, blend together the margarine, shortening, biscoff spread, and vanilla with a hand mixer.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar to the margarine mixture until it’s all combined. Add a little more sugar or the nondairy milk until the frosting is the right consistency.

Assembling the cupcakes
- Once the cupcakes are cool, pipe frosting onto cupcakes or spread on with a knife or icing spatula. Top with a Biscoff cookie. Eat three. Make some more.

Enjoy :)

Pancakes!

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 17:05:00 -0400

My parents were never big on eating breakfast during the week when I was growing up (really, they still aren’t - I think they run on coffee). Even so, I have some great memories of family breakfasts when I was a kid. When we did have breakfast on the weekend, I always loved my mom’s buttermilk pancakes. Now that I’m vegan those aren’t an option, but I love making these fluffy vegan pancakes instead!

Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
(makes about nine)

Ingredients
1 cup flour (for gluten free, use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour)
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax, 3 tbsp water)
3/4-1 cup nondairy milk, depending on how thin you like your pancakes (Use 2/3-3/4 if using gluten free flour)
2 tbsp oil or melted margarine
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
scant 1/4 tsp salt

Directions
- Mix up the flax egg in a small bowl and set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, and wet ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup.
- Form a well in the dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients in. Whisk to combine.
- Spoon batter into a pan over medium heat. Flip the pancakes when the edges are dry and bubbles pop on the surface of the pancake.
- Eat with syrup and fresh fruit. Enjoy!

Notes: You can store any uneaten pancakes in the freezer. The best way to reheat them is to put them in a dry pan over medium heat or in a toaster; the microwave will leave them floppy. Also try mixing things into the batter - I like to add blueberries or chopped bananas and nuts!

Nutritional info is for one pancake if you make nine, using 3/4 cups soy milk and all purpose flour.

Rice and Peas [50th Post!]

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 11:23:23 -0400

When I first started this blog, I was determined that I would stick to it, and not give up after a few posts like I usually do. Hitting 50 posts is a big sign of success in my opinion! Hopefully I’ll be at 100 posts in no time.

Now, onto today’s recipe - rice and peas.

Rice and peas is a really common Caribbean side dish, and one of my favourite things to eat when I miss Cayman. It’s also called rice and beans, or peas and rice depending on where you are. A lot of the flavour in this dish comes from the scotch bonnet or habañero peppers. They’re super spicy, so handle them with care and make sure to keep them whole until the very last minute! If you live in Halifax, you can buy them at Pete’s.

Ingredients
3 scallions
1-2 cloves garlic
3 cups canned kidney beans (save the cans and don’t rinse them yet!)*
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 cups uncooked rice
2 whole habañero/scotch bonnet peppers
salt to taste

*You don’t have to use canned beans; it’s just easier. If you use dried beans, soak overnight, rinse and drain the beans, then cook until tender and reserve cooking water.

Directions
- Bruise the scallions with the back of a knife, and smash the garlic cloves with the flat part of the knife. Don’t chop either one of them though; they’re only being added for flavour and will be removed before serving.
- Measure the kidney beans and set aside. Rinse the cans, but pour the liquid into a large measuring cup (at least four cups). Add the coconut milk, then fill with water until the contents of the cup reaches four cups.
- Add the scallions, garlic, beans, four cups of liquid, and one whole scotch bonnet to a large pot over medium high heat. Taste the liquid and see if it needs any salt or more coconut milk. Bring to a boil and add the rice. Stir together, let the pot come back to a boil, then cover and turn down to low heat.
- After ten minutes,add the other scotch bonnet and stir. Let cook for about 10-15 more minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through.
- If you like things really spicy, you can pop one of the scotch bonnets. Poke one with a fork (just a bit, definitely don’t rip it apart or it’ll be too spicy to eat!), toss the rice lightly with a spoon, then carefully remove the pepper. Take out the scallions, any large garlic pieces, and the peppers before serving. Enjoy!

Makes about 7 cups. Nutritional information is for one half cup serving.

Berry Lime Cupcakes: vanilla cake with mixed berry filling and lime buttercream

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 20:53:27 -0400

I was finally successful in making my berry lime cupcakes! These turned out great, with just the right about of sweetness. Non-vegans didn’t believe these were vegan, which I consider to be some of the highest praise from people who think vegan means “I eat tofu and grass”.

Also, I finally have a buttercream recipe for you! Yay! And there’s a recipe for the berry filling! More yays! And assembly instructions!! … can you tell that I’m a little excited about these?

Lime Buttercream
(adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)

Ingredients
1/4 cup Earth Balance
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
zest and juice of two small limes, like key limes, or one regular lime

Directions
- Mix together Earth Balance and shortening in a medium bowl with a hand mixer until well combined.
- Add powdered sugar to the margarine shortening blend in 4-6 additions (1/3-1/2 cup at a time), adding a bit of the lime juice after every sugar addition.
- Once all the sugar and juice have been added, blend for 3-5 more minutes.
- Fold in zest and use or refrigerate immediately.

Berry Filling
Ingredients
1.5 cups frozen berries
1-2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp corn starch mixed with 1 tbsp cold water (optional)

Directions
- Add frozen berries to a small pot over medium high heat, then stir and toss until completely thawed. Mix with a wooden spoon that you don’t mind having a permanent purple-y hew.
- Turn stove down to medium low. Add 1 tbps sugar, stir until dissolved, and taste for sweetness. The cake and the buttercream are pretty sweet, so don’t worry if the filling is a little bit on the tart side, but not too tart.
- If using, drizzle in the cornstarch mixture while stirring constantly. The corn starch will cut down on some of the cooking time, but that’s about it. Stir mixture until it coats a spoon and doesn’t drip or run together when you drag a finger through it (meaning the filling on the back of the spoon; keep your fingers out of the pot!)
- Let cool slightly then use in the cupcake, or cool completely and store in a glass container in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

Berry Lime Cupcakes
You will need:
12 vanilla cupcakes
~1/4 cup berry filling
~2/3 of the lime butter cream
small, sharp knife (I like a grapefruit knife)
piping bag with a star tip OR frosting spatula OR a butter knife

Assembly
- Let cupcakes cool. Using a small, sharp knife, cut a small circle in the top of each cupcake, about half an inch into the cake. Remove the piece from the center of each cake, cut in half, and save the top. After adding the filling, you’ll use this piece to cover the hole, so try to keep it by the cupcake you cut it off of.
- Add about 1 tsp of berry filling to each of the cupcakes using a spoon or piping bag if you’d like to be fancy (just make sure you have a large tip on if you use a piping bag to the berry seeds and skins don’t get stuck). Cover with the cake top.
- Time for frosting! Generally, I just spread some frosting on top with a butter knife, or you could use a special frosting spatula. For fancier cupcakes, put some of the lime buttercream into a piping bag with a medium star tip. Starting at the outside, pipe a spiral of frosting onto the top of each cupcake.

[Raw] Mango Cheesecake

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 23:18:53 -0400

Cheesecake was one of my favourite deserts before becoming vegan. While I know I don’t miss dairy cheesecake, I do still love a good vegan cheesecake (see my post about Sweet Hereafter for proof!) During my raw week, I decided I was finally going to try making my own vegan cheesecake, and I’ve been wanting to try a recipe that uses cashews for creaminess for awhile now. I based my recipe on the “raw cashew dreamcake” at My New Roots. I was a little skeptical about how the cashews would work, but vegans (meaning just me) and non-vegans alike thought this was awesome.

The original recipe called for raspberries in the top layer, but I decided to go with what was local and chose mangoes instead. The little green flecks in there are lime zest, which I definitely recommend adding if you make this with mangoes. The flavours work together REALLY well!

This is the first recipe I’m posting that requires any specialized equipment, and I’m sorry about that - I try to make my recipes as accessible as possible. You can try it without a high powered blender, but I’m not positive that the filling will be as creamy. If you use a normal blender, make sure to soak the cashews overnight. This cheesecake is incredible, and definitely worth the extra effort. It might not be the “healthiest” recipe in terms of percent calories from fat, but that doesn’t always matter, especially when it’s all from healthy fats. And really, look at how beautiful it is! It tastes just as good.

Mango Cheesecake [raw vegan]
makes one eight inch cake (12 servings), recipe adapted from My New Roots

Ingredients
Crust:
1/2 cup raw pecans (other raw nuts would work as well)
1/2 cup soft Medjool dates (I used 5)
2 pinches of sea salt

Filling:
1 ½ cups raw cashews (soaked for at least 5 hours, longer if using a normal blender)
juice and zest of 2 limes
1 tsp. alcohol-free vanilla extract, or the seeds of a vanilla bean if you’re feeling fancy
1/3 cup raw coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon coconut milk (optional)
1 cup soft fruit (I used mango)

Directions
Crust:
- Pit dates. Blend in a food processor with the pecans and salt until the mixture is in relatively uniform pieces.
- Press into the dish you’ll be using. If not a spring form or silicone pan, line it with plastic wrap before adding the crust mixture.

Filling:
- Drain and rinse the soaked cashews.
- Add all the filling ingredients besides the fruit into a high powered blender (like a Vitamix). Blend until completely smooth.
- Pour about 1/2 to 2/3 of the filling on top of the crust and smooth out with a spatula.
- Blend the fruit and the remaining filling until completely smooth again.
- Pour fruit filling on top of the plain filling, smooth out again, and freeze until firm.
- Remove from freezer about half an hour before serving. Top with sliced berries, raw chocolate sauce, pureed fruit, or coulis. Enjoy!

Nutritional information is for 1/12 of the recipe.

Trying out raw veganism

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 22:59:00 -0400

For the past four days, I’ve been eating “raw vegan”, which is really just what it sounds like - eating all uncooked vegan food. This means that on top of not eating animal products, I haven’t had any cooked foods, grains, or legumes either. I guess what I’ve been doing is a modified raw vegan, because I’ve still had balsamic vinegar and olive oil, but that’s it*.

So, I’ve been eating a ton of fruit, a fair amount of vegetables, and raw nuts and seeds. I’ve also been having some type of raw food bar for the past three days. Here are some of the things I’ve eaten (for those who follow my personal blog as well, sorry for the repeat pictures!):

Raw ice creams - a banana and other fruit blended and put in an ice cream maker
The first was strawberry banana. This had an awesome texture and was supper delicious!

The second was mango mixed berry banana. It wasn’t as amazing as the strawberry banana, and I didn’t leave it in long enough, but it was still pretty fantastic!

Food bars
“Raw Revolution” Chocolate Raspberry and Cashew Agave. The chocolate raspberry was waaaaay better, but I forgot to take a picture. The Cashew Agave wasn’t too bad though.

“Pure” Wild Blueberry and Walnut Brownie. The Wild Blueberry was incredible, but the Walnut brownie had to much of a fake health food brownie taste to me.

Salads
I had to go out to a restaurant yesterday, so I had a mixed greens salad with tomatoes, cucumber, and bell peppers and balsamic vinaigrette. It wasn’t really photo worthy. I also made myself a bruschetta salad on Tuesday though, with roma tomatoes, rosemary, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Juices
My parents have an awesome juicer, and I’ve made a few cool juices since starting this.
One was watermelon, apple and lime.

My favourite though was carrots, apples, spinach, berries, and half a lime. It tasted like a berry limeade!

That’s about all of the exciting things so far. Hopefully I’ll be making a raw cheesecake in the next few days, so I’ll be sure to tell you all about it!

*With one other possible exception - is tea considered raw vegan?

Tips for Flying While Vegan

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:47:54 -0400

Hello Internet people!

As you know, I was traveling this Wednesday. I spent about fourteen hours in airports and airplanes all together. Because my family has always been pretty spread out across North America, I’ve done trips like this at least twice a year, often three times, for the past six years, as well as flying a fair amount before that.

When you’re an omnivore, airports and airplanes have a wide variety of options for food. There are less as a lacto-ovo vegetarian, but generally still a fair amount. When you get to veganism though, it can be pretty difficult. Because of the vast amount of time I’ve spent in airports, I’ve worked out a bit of a system to get me through them - here are my tips!

First: pack for your destination, but pack for the flight and airports too!

Pack food. More and more often, airports will have decent vegan snacks like Luna bars, Kind bars, dried fruits and nuts, etc. This is great if you’re caught without anything, but if you’re a college student like me, or on any sort of budget, the $6 price tag on that single serving bag of trail mix can be a little hard to swallow. When I’m going to be spending all day in transit I like to pack protein bars like a Simply bar to keep me full, as well as granola bars and almonds for snacks.

Pack Drinks.”But Katrina,” you may ask, “How can I pack drinks when I can’t take more than three ounces of fluid through security?” You might not be able to take though a travel mug full of tea, but you can take through a travel mug and tea bags, which is just as good. In my experience, anywhere that has hot water will fill up your mug for free. They’ll also give you cold tap water, so make sure to bring an empty water bottle too, as well as some water flavouring packets if you like those. Just as above, you can buy these things inside, but it’s nice to save the $3 you’d have to pay for a plastic bottle of water.

Plan Ahead. For example, on the trip to Cayman I knew I was going to have a four hour layover in the Miami airport, from 5:00 to 9:00. Since I was flying internationally I couldn’t pack any real food with me, and I was going to need dinner. I went on the airport website and figured out which terminal I was coming in at, which I’d be leaving through, and what options there were for food between them. (For those interested, the best option I found in the Miami airport was Au Bon Pain, for vegetable soup and a garden salad)

I love wandering around airports, but not when I’m super hungry and craving something more substantial than a granola bar or a piece of fruit. It also really sucks when you settle on a sad looking side salad and fries from a fast food place only to find a restaurant that makes custom sandwiches and salads around the corner.

Flight food.Sometimes longer flights will have a meal service. If yours does, make sure to specify that you need a vegan meal either when booking your flight or by calling the airline. If your flight has snack boxes and other food for purchase and you want to buy something other than Pringles, try to get a seat closer to the front of the plane. Often the veggie sandwich or salad will be sold out by the time they reach the back of the plane, and then you’re stuck with those Pringles.

Also beware that what seems vegan from the description might not be, so ask if you can read the package before you buy something if you’re able too. Snack boxes often don’t have the nutritional information for what’s inside in them, and it can be really hit or miss. This Christmas when I was flying on United, I bought the savory snack box (Tortilla Chips, Mild Salsa, Granola Bar, Fruit & Nut Mix, Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzel), thinking that at least half of the things would be vegan. Only the tortilla chips were completely vegan. I picked the yogurt covered raisins out of the fruit and nut mix, but I know that doesn’t work for some people. The salsa, granola bar, and pretzel all had non-removeable milk ingredients though. Ick.

Explore! My final tip is less vegan specific, but possibly more rewarding for vegans if you’re like me and get super excited when you find a new vegan treat. If you have some times between your flights, explore the little souvenir shops and specialty boutiques around the airport. My first flight stopped in Chicago, which is quite possibly my new favourite airport, and I found a Vosges chocolate outlet! You never know what cool things you’ll stumble upon.

Those are my tips! Do you have any tips for traveling while vegan?

Surprise Muffins

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:18:14 -0400

I guess I’m on a bit of a muffin kick right now.

One of my favourite muffins has always been the “surprise muffin”. It looks innocent enough on the outside, but there’s a surprise on the inside - delicious fruit jam! My mom used to make these when I was younger, but I haven’t had them in years. I decided to make some the other day, and they were just as good as I remembered!

While my first go at the recipe was pretty awesome, I might make some alterations next time. First, as cute as these liners are, don’t bother with them - this muffin is pretty dense, almost like a biscuit or shortening bread, and gets super stuck to the liner. If you like you muffins on the lighter side, I would recommend adding a few more tablespoons of milk. Finally, the original recipe called for two teaspoons of jam, and while one teaspoon is enough, I’ll probably go for two next time. For some reason I was worried about the muffins being too full and the jam leaking out, but I don’t really know why I thought that would be a problem at the time. In my opinion, more jam is almost always better.

Surprise Muffins
makes six muffins, based on this recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1.5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup Earth Balance
1/2 tablespoon ground flax combined with 1.5 tablespoons water
1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used soy)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2-4 tablespoons of jam, divided (I used 2 tablespoons of low sugar double fruit jam)

Directions
- Preheat oven to 425˚F, and grease six spaces in a muffin tin (don’t use liners unless you don’t mind pulling half of your muffin off of it).
- Mix together the flax egg in a small bowl and set aside.
- Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Cut in Earth Balance with a pastry cutter or two knives until the margarine is evenly combined with the flour mixture.
- Mix together the non-dairy milk and the flax egg. Form a well in the dry mixture and add in the wet mixture to the well. Stir until just combined; the batter will be a little lumpy.
- Fill each of the six spaces in the muffin tin about one third of the way full. Form a little indent in the center of the batter, drop in 1-2 teaspoons of jam, and cover with more batter to about two thirds of the way full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve with even more jam, and maybe some nut/seed butter if you’re feeling adventurous. Enjoy!

Nutritional information is for one muffin with one teaspoon of low sugar jam if you make six.

Hey out there!

Wed, 30 May 2012 17:53:10 -0400

May has been a pretty good month for me and the blog. I’ve finally gotten into what I think is a decent posting routine, I’ve cooked up some yummy things, and I’ve gotten a lot of new followers! (Thanks by the way!)

Tomorrow I’m leaving Halifax for six weeks to visit my parents in the Cayman Islands. I’ll definitely still be blogging, though it might be a little less frequently. Still, there will be a lot of new recipes and reviews. While I’m there I’m going to be doing a week of raw veganism, making some yummy ice creams and sorbets, telling you about some of the coolest vegan friendly places in Cayman, and eating a lot of delicious island food. Get excited people =]

sorry if this is obvious, but i just want to check: that carrot cake muffin recipe makes 6 muffins, right? thank you!! (definitely gonna try that recipe. it looks awesome! thanks for sharing it!)

Sun, 27 May 2012 21:27:45 -0400

Haha don’t worry about it. Yes, it makes six. No problem; I hope you enjoy it!

As a child, I thought I didn’t like carrot cake. I really...

Sun, 27 May 2012 21:05:42 -0400

with oil

with apple sauce instead of oil

As a child, I thought I didn’t like carrot cake. I really loved the PJ Funny Bunny books though, so not liking something with carrots in it made me a little sad. It took me a long time to realize that what I didn’t like was the cream cheese frosting people tend to put on it. Many people seem to enjoy it, and I’ve seen quite a few vegan recipe for it made with Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese, but I’m happy to eat these muffins without any of that.

I’ve included the nutritional information for the muffins made with oil or with extra apple sauce if you’re looking for something lower in fat. These muffins are only good for about three days at room temperature, so make sure to eat them quickly! You could also try freezing them, but I haven’t gotten a chance to try that yet.

Ingredients
1/2 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2+1/8 cup nondairy milk (5 oz)
1/8 cup applesauce
1.5 tbsp oil (or additional applesauce)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup shredded carrots

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F, and grease six spaces in a muffin tin.
- Peel and grate carrots.
- Blend the oats in a food processor or blender until they turn mostly into flour. A few unblended pieces aren’t a big deal.
- Mix together the oats, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl (I just used the measuring cup I’d measured the milk in) combine nondairy milk, apple sauce, oil, and vanilla. Pour the wet mix into the dry, stir to combine, and then fold in the carrots.
- Pour the batter into the greased spaces in the muffin tin and bake for about twenty five minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean.

Nutritional information is for one muffin if you make six. Enjoy!