Vegan Mochi Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp rice flour
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp Ener-G egg replacer + 3 tbsp water
3/4 cup soy milk http://www.marusanai.co.jp/lineuplist.php?cat=1
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 tbsp cooked sweet Azuki beans
Frosting:
5 tbsp Earth balance shortening
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp soy milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, mix egg replacer and water and set aside. With a mixer, incorporate flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Next add soy milk, egg replacer mixer, vanilla, and mix until smooth. With a mini ice cream scoop, place one scoop batter into cupcake tins, about 10 beans, and top with one more scoop of batter. Bake for 30 minutes. Makes 11 cupcakes.

With a mixer, beat shortening until smooth. Sift in powdered sugar in three portions, mixing between each. While mixing, add vanilla, soy milk, and beat until fluffy. Cut off tops of baked cupcakes. Place star tip into piping bag and open the bag in a tall cup. Place icing into piping bag, cut off tip, and lightly frost cupcakes. Enjoy!

To make Hinamatsuri version, use pink and yellow cupcake tins and top with pink, yellow, and green hina arare.

Recipe altered from http://justjennrecipes.com/mochiko-cupcakes/2009/01/04/ and http://chefchloe.com/sweets/chocolate-strawberry-shortcake-cupcakes.html

Vegan recipes from Food Network!

My all time biggest inspiration has to be Chloe Coscarelli who was the first vegan who won Cupcake Wars! Quite a few vegan bakeries actually compete but few win, and even fewer post the recipes they competed with online so I really appreciate Chloe's website! I have her first cookbook and am going to buy her dessert cookbook which just came out this month. Recipes and more at http://chefchloe.com/vegan-recipes.html and episode review and pic credit to http://archives.quarrygirl.com/2010/06/22/vegan-cupcakes-ftw-chloe-coscarellis-huge-food-network-victory/

Next up has to be Trisha Yearwood's Black Bean Lasagna. I'm not a big fan of Southern cooking, but I watch her show just in case, and I'm glad that I did because the whole entire episode was vegan! She won me over with making using tofu ricotta with nutritional yeast on national television. These are seemingly secret vegan cooking methods that hardly anyone knows about so I was really moved almost to tears that she showcased this alternative on her show. I'm so happy that families like hers have a Veggie Night every now and then and because of this episode I am hopeful that other families who don't have one yet will try it! Recipe here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/black-bean-lasagna-recipe/index.html

More dessert from guess who? Giada De Laurentiis! As a big fan of her show, I would recognize that clean, beautiful presentation anywhere, but little did I know one exciting fact. In the episode, she revealed that her mom is vegetarian. I wonder if she knows Chloe Coscarelli? With things like Italian sausage and pepperoni, Italian vegetarians is something I had not heard of until Chef Chloe. The only qualm I would have about this recipe is that I'm guessing it must be consumed within a couple of days or less otherwise I imagine the avocado would spoil fast like it usually does but when I feel like melting chocolate I definitely want to try this recipe. Thanks Giada! Recipe here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chocolate-avocado-mousse-recipe/index.html

One recipe I've been dying to try is these Pierogis. I was pretty moved when I saw them in Home Made in America with Sunny Anderson because they were made by a woman who is also named Kathleen. Even better, she said she uses them as payment to get heads to help on her horse rescue farm, and at the time I was really into a farming game on Nintendo 3DS, so I felt we were intensely related, though I was only farming in a game xD. Recipe here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pierogies-recipe/index.html

Lastly is this vegan chili also from horse rescue farm home cook Kathleen <3. I think about it every now and then because of how satisfying the meat eating farm helpers said it was in the episode. When I can gather the numerous amount of ingredients used to make this chili flavorful and hearty, I really look forward to putting it together. Two Kathleen's making vegan chili ftw! Recipe here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/veggie-chili-recipe/index.html

Vegan Peanut Butter Pudding

1 tetra box firm tofu
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup cane sugar
2 tablespoons soymilk

Blend tofu with soymilk till smooth. Add sugar, blend till super smooth. Add peanut butter. Blend till smooth. Useful as a coffee substitute as half a cup may wake you up. Served right away it is a sweet thick pudding. Rest will thicken a bit when refrigerated. Serves 4.

Slightly altered from http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Sinful-Tasting-Delicious-Peanut-Butter-Mousse-_Vegan_-Gluten-Fre-Food_com-150061

Vegan Purple Yam Pudding ( Ube Halaya)

1 package (3/4 cup) powdered purple yam
1/2 cup sugar
1 can (2 cups) coconut milk

Mix powdered yam and sugar in a pan till well combined. Add coconut milk and stir well. On medium heat, stir to a simmer and remove from heat when well thickened. Serve warm or chilled. Enjoy!

Altered from package directions

Vegan Soy Chorizo Taco Lasagna (Halloween Style)

9 lasagna ribbons, dash of salt and canola oil
1 can Trader Joe's vegetarian refried beans
1 package medium firm tofu, drained then cubed
1 package soy chorizo
1 cup onion, diced
1/3 cup orange bell peppers, diced
1/3 cup yellow bell peppers, diced
1/3 cup red bell peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups Chinese black rice
2 tbsp canola oil
3 cups vegetable stock
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin

Drain tofu, place on a plate and plate another plate on top of it. Place an object, such as a bottle of ketchup on top of the plate, and let water drain from tofu for at least 20 minutes.

In a large pot stir fry the onion, bell peppers, garlic and rice in oil for 3 minutes. Add the stock and diced tomatoes plus the juice. Bring to a boil, and stir in chili powder, oregano, and cumin. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until rice is done and liquid gone.

In a different large pot, fill 2/3 with water and bring to a boil. Add lasagna ribbons, salt, and oil. Cook three fourths of the way and remove from fire. Let sit in water for 5 minutes or until lasagna is desired size but still firm enough to grab. With tongs, remove lasagna ribbons onto plates to cool and set aside. While the lasagna ribbons are boiling, spread refried beans onto the bottom of an 11x13" pyrex.

While lasagna is cooling, use the same large pot to saute tofu for 1 minute to remove additional moisture that has not been removed from draining. Add soy chorizo, stir till well combined, let simmer for 5 minutes, and remove from fire.

To assemble the lasagna, lay down three ribbons, and top it with half of the soy chorizo and tofu mixture. Top it with three more ribbons, and the rest of the soy chorizo and tofu mixture. Lastly, top it with the three last ribbons and the black rice. If you have Halloween style cookie cutters and extra pieces of bell peppers left over, shape bell peppers with cookie cutters and arrange on top of rice as a cute decoration

Altered from http://vegweb.com/recipes/mexican-brown-rice

Vegan Schiacciata

2 lb fine semolina (durum) flour
1/2 cup warm water
3 envelopes of dry yeast
3 tablespoons of olive oil
½ teaspoon of sugar
pinch of salt
1 bag Daiya mozzarella shreds
Tofurky slices
Tofurky pepperoni

In a bowl mix the warm water and the yeast. Add the sugar, 1/2 cup of flour, mix until it is well blended and a soft dough is obtained. Should it be too dry add some water, if it is too watery add flour. Set aside covered in a warm place. After 45 minutes to 1 hour combine risen dough with remaining flour add some lukewarm water, the oil, pinch of salt and knead to obtain an elastic dough, similar to the bread dough. Make a ball, cut across the top to allow it to rise, cover and put in a warm place until it almost doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. On a floured surface roll dough out thinly. Top bottom half with daiya, tofurky slices, pepperoni, and more daiya. Fold top half of dough on top of the filling. In a 375 degree preheated oven, bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until light golden brown. Cut into four slices and finish each with grill marks in a panini press. Enjoy!

Vegan Spaghetti Nepolitan

1lb spaghetti
2 Tofurky hot dogs, cut into 1/4″ pieces
2 tbsp canola oil
2 medium onions, sliced
1 cup Japanese ketchup
1/2 cup okonomi sauce
1/3 cup unsweetened soy milk
4 tsp Japanese sugar
salt and pepper

Boil pasta until al dente.
While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a wok and fry the hot dog for 1 minute over medium heat.
Add onion and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat.
Add ketchup, okonomi sauce, soymilk, sugar, stir and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. Drain spaghetti and add to sauce, mixing until well incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Altered from http://www.japanfoodaddict.com/noodles/spaghetti-neapolitan/