Vegan Cooking with TLC

Confession: I used to hate pumpkin cake, but I've come to realize it wasn't so much the cake as the cream cheese frosting that topped it.  So when I first started thinking about making a pumpkin cake, I wasn't sure why. I kept thinking back to the few times I ate it when I was younger and cringing, but I decided to move forward anyway. I came up with this recipe for a vegan pumpkin cake. I really like it. It's not super sweet. The spices don't overwhelm the pumpkin. The texture might be a bit denser than many are used to, but I prefer the slightly denser texture. It's particularly good paired with a cup of coffee or a cup of black tea. Pumpkin Cake ½ cup maple syrup* 1 avocado 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 can pumpkin puree 1 ½ cups spelt flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup chopped pecans Preheat oven to 350 d...

I've been experimenting with using avocados to cream an ice cream like dessert. This version turned out really good. I'm still playing with some other versions, so there will be more of these recipes coming. I like desserts that are healthy but give one the impression of being decadent.   Blueberry Chocolate Chip Avocado Cream 2 ripe avocados 2 frozen bananas 2 cups frozen blueberries 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons yacon syrup * ¼ cup chocolate chips** Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Spoon avocado into a food processor.  Cut bananas into chunks and add to food processor .  Add blueberries, vanilla, cinnamon and yacon syrup. Process until smooth. Spoon into a bowl. Stir in chocolate chips.  Will resemble a soft serve ice cream and can be served right away if desired. Cover and place in the freezer to firm up.*** Store in the freezer. *Yacon syrup is quite sweet, so it only takes a little bit. According to How Not to Diet  by Michael Gr...

Last fall I started thinking about the ice cream alternatives I saw in groceries stores designed for vegans. I usually just avoid that section because eating a small bowl of frozen mango and/or cherries satisfies the same need for a frozen dessert, at least for me. As I thought about it I started to wonder how hard it would be to make my own ice cream alternative. So I bought several varieties to taste. Most were far too sweet for me, but they had some interesting textures and ingredients. I started to experiment with some ideas. This was the first one we really liked. Chocolate Chip Cherry Avocado Cream 2 ripe avocados 2 frozen bananas* 2 cups frozen cherries* 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons maple syrup ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips** Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Spoon avocado into a food processor.  Cut bananas into chunks and add to food processor. Add cherries, vanilla, and maple syrup. Process until smooth. Spoon into a bowl. Stir in...

This banana bread makes a great breakfast while being just sweet enough to also serve as a dessert. I served it toasted with a fruit salad for breakfast and with tea for dessert after dinner. It is also good for an afternoon snack.  The chocolate chips will make it a bit more decadent and dessert-like. Omit them if you want a less sweet version Banana Mango Hazelnut Spelt Bread 2 cup spelt flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 tablespoon ground flax seeds 2 tablespoons hot water 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup mashed banana (approximately 3) ½ cup date sugar 2 cups unsweetened hazelnut milk* ½ cup hazelnut pulp 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ cup dried mango ½ cup hazelnuts** ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips (optional) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place flax seeds and hot water in a small b...

I always forget that biscotti is relatively easy to make if time consuming. I either forget to set aside enough time or I convince myself it's going to be difficult. Then once I start, I really enjoy the process and wonder why I don't make biscotti more often. That said, given the sweetener in these, they are definitely a treat and not something I'd want to make a regular part of my diet. Cherry Cardamom Biscotti ½ cup oat bran ½ cup thick rolled oats 1 ¾ spelt flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cardamom ½ cup maple syrup* ¼ cup molasses* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon double espresso liqueur** ½ cup hazelnut pulp or hazelnut butter*** ¼ cup dried cherries Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper . Cut dried cherries into small pieces.**** Combine oat bran, oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cardamom in large bowl . Whisk together the maple...

I decided I wanted Cherry Upside Down Cake for my birthday cake this year. I don't know why because I can't remember ever eating Cherry Upside Down Cake in my life. But, I wanted it, so I started to research recipes. I garnered what I could from a variety of recipes, then sat down and wrote my own recipe. It turned out better than I expected, so I decided to share it. It does take a little time to make, but it's worth it. Cherry Upside Down Cake 20 ounces frozen cherries 2 Tablespoons date sugar ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom 2 teaspoons cashew butter 2 tablespoons ground flax seed 2 tablespoons hot water 2 cups spelt flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom 1 cup date sugar ½ cup sourdough starter * 1 cup cashew milk ½ cup of orange juice ½ cup cashew butter Add the date sugar, orange juice, cardamom, and cashew butter to a small bowl . Whisk togethe...

I have created so many variations of banana bread, I've lost count. Banana bread feels like a basic to me, so I tend to build off it to create other recipes. I do this with many recipes. Start with a basic, traditional recipe and then start experimenting with little tweaks and big changes combining ideas from multiple sources and looking for ways to make it as healthy as possible. Chocolate Banana Bread is quite sweet and definitely dessert-like. Adding the spices to this recipe elevated its flavor profile nicely adding a bit of interest without the spice overwhelming the other flavors. Chocolate Banana Bread 2 cups spelt flour* 1 cup whole wheat flour* 2 tablespoons ground flax seed 2 tablespoons hot water 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup mashed banana (approximately 3) ½ cup date sugar ½ cup hazelnut pulp 1 ½ cup unsweetene...

We enjoy this Pumpkin Custard during the Fall and Winter as a fairly easy to make dessert that also is quite healthy. The ingredients are simple and easy to find, for the most part. It tastes, unsurprisingly, a bit like pumpkin pie without the crust. Pumpkin Custard 1 can pumpkin* 2 ripe bananas ¼ cup date sugar** 1 teaspoons cinnamon ½ teaspoon ginger ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon cloves 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg ½ cup pecans Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients except pecans in food processor. Blend until smooth. Break pecans into small pieces. Spread pecans evenly over the bottoms of 4 large ramekins or 8 small ramekins.  Spoon pumpkin mixture on top of pecans. Spread evenly. Bake 20-25 minutes.*** Remove from oven. Cool on counter until easy to handle.  Further cool in refrigerator for 2-3 hours to set into a custard-like texture. * I use canned pumpkin for this recipe because it saves ...