Recipe: Vanilla White Cake with Tahini Frosting

Tahini gives an interesting texture to this frosting.

I just discovered another great use for tahini (sesame seed paste), which usually makes an appearance in hummus.

But because tahini also is an ingredient in the delicious dessert, halva, I thought it would make an excellent frosting for my Vanilla White Cake. 

Tahini Frosting

Ingredients:

• 12-15 oz container of tahini
• Organic powdered sugar *
• Unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

Blend a tub of tahini in a food processor for about a minute until it’s creamy (The texture gets light and fluffy when mixed in a food processor). Empty the contents into a bowl, and stir in 1 T of powdered sugar at a time until you get the level of sweetness you like. Thin out the frosting with 1 T of non-dairy milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency (For my cake, I had the frosting reach an icing-like consistency -- like what you'd pour over cinnamon rolls). Whatever spread is leftover you can eat ... it tastes like halva!

*You can use a liquid sweetener if you prefer.

Sweet White Cake

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 c. of unsweetened dairy-free milk (if it’s sweetened, your cake will be slightly sweeter)
• 1 T of apple cider vinegar
• 1-1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour (alternatively, you can use whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 c. organic sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 c. oil or vegan mayo (I have used Just Mayo) **
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 1 T butter extract (it’s vegan)
• 1 T almond extract

** You might be able to swap the oil with 1/3 c. of applesauce (I haven't tried that yet)

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch pan.

Combine milk and vinegar and set aside (this acts like buttermilk).

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

Whisk mayo, water, and extracts into buttermilk mixture until well combined. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until lump-free. Pour batter into the pan.

Bake for 35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Once cool, spread on your frosting. 

As a topping, I’ve also blended frozen berries and added a little sugar. I poke holes in the cake so the fruity syrup seeps throughout.

Review: Viana Organic Creamy Spreads

Viana's tasty spreads, which are found for around $4 a jar at veganessentials.com.

I love crafting and eating sandwiches, but just working with mayo, ketchup, and mustard can get boring -- even if the contents between the bread change. I was curious to try Viana's various creamy spreads, most of which are comprised of ground sunflower seeds. 

All the spreads were well-seasoned and had their own distinct flavors. I used most as a spread on bread, but toward the end I used spoonfuls in various sauces to add another dimension to the flavor profile. My latest pumpkin pasta dish was exquisite thanks to the spoonfuls of Papaya Curry and Italian Vegetables. Both spreads added tartness, fruity notes, and hints of herb flavors.

Here's my take on the various spreads:

• Onion butter: What’s not to love about this seasoned spread – it’s buttery, salty, and has onion pieces in it that taste like the fried onions that get tossed on green bean casseroles. I’ve spread it on toast, but I absolutely loved adding a spoon of it to my baked sweet potato.

• Papaya Curry: This creamy sunflower spread has a very subtle curry taste. It has a fruity flavor and is just plain wonderful. I’ve added a spoon to my savory dishes, and it adds a lovely tang.

• Horseradish: This creamy sunflower spread is one of my favorites. Your tongue is bombarded with a strong horseradish flavor, but there’s absolutely no heat. Don’t expect the usual stabbing pain in your sinus when you eat horseradish. I added a spoon of this to my portion of creamy cauliflower and it elevated the dish with its tang and horseradish flavor.

• Red Pepper: This creamy sunflower spread tastes like a sweet pizza sauce. It’s a pretty pink and is thick like the other spreads. It’s wonderful on a flat bread and then topped with fresh veggies (like a pizza, but without the actual pizza sauce). It’s great as a dip for crackers and tortilla chips.

• Italian Vegetables: You can taste the oregano and basil in this creamy sunflower spread. It’s similar to the red pepper spread, but it has a fresh-herb taste. This would be great as a dip, spread, or as an ingredient in pasta or casserole recipe.

• Eggplant: This creamy sunflower spread had the consistency of stage 2 baby food. It was one of my least favorites. It definitely tastes like pureed eggplant and herbs. It would be fine as a dip for crackers and chips. I would use this as a filling inside eggplant rollatini.

• Lentil Curry: This creamy lentil spread is very thick and tastes like cooked lentils that have been ground into a paste. There is a slight curry flavor and a tang that comes from the mango and apple puree, and other juices added to the product. It’s tasty and would probably be good spread on a strong cracker or even as a sandwich spread.

Most of the spreads have a thick consistency. Eggplant was a tad bit runnier.

I would highly recommend these spreads if you're looking to take your sandwiches to another level. 

Review: Treeline Aged Artisanal Hard-Style Treenut Cheese

Treeline's Cracked Pepper hard cheese, at left, and Original flavor.

Recently, I purchased Treeline’s new hard cheeses fromVeganEssentials. I ordered the Original and Cracked Pepper flavors. I have never tried Treeline’s soft cheeses, but I’ve read fairly good reviews on that product.

The hard cheeses, which can fit in the palm of your hand, resemble Parmigiano-Reggiano on the outside and on the inside when you make a wedge. That’s where the similarities end. The taste is a pleasant, sharp tang, like feta.

Because of the hard texture, I shredded the cheese on a microplane over a piece of bread. I made a grilled cheese sandwich. I also shredded a little of the cheese over a bowl of tomato soup. The shredded cheese feels softer in your mouth. The cheese doesn't really melt; it actually browns if exposed to heat. It also gives off a strong cashew aftertaste, which didn’t bother me.

I wouldn’t order this cheese again, and it’s not just because it’s $10.50. I don’t need this type of cheese in the type of dishes I cook. It was nice having a grilled cheese, but I think shoppers can use cheaper vegan shredded cheese and add a few spices to hide the nasty flavors (I don’t like most vegan cheeses). 

The black pepper flavor tasted the same as the original, but the edge was crusted in cracked peppercorns – a nice touch. But, for the same reasons I mentioned above, I would not order this flavor again, either.

Quickie Product Reviews

I ordered a New York for the Holidays Care Package from Vegan Cuts back in December, and most of the products in the package were gross. There page says "Start spreading the news..." It's more like: Start spreading the boos!

Here’s why:

• Black + Blanco Marzipan Toasted Almond Cookies: The cookies tasted like rancid coconut oil.
• One Lucky Duck Raw Vanilla Crispies: Tasted like Frosted Flakes – oh wait, no it didn’t. This had no flavor.
• Better Off Spread Dark Chocolate Rosemary Peanut Butter: Tastes like rosemary packed in mud.
• Z Crackers Garlic & Basil Crackers: These were rock-hard crackers with just a teeny bit of salt.

Better Off Spread's rosemary dark chocolate peanut butter has a salty, nutty, and chocolate aftertaste, but the initial taste is like you walked up to a garden and took a bite of the earth.

The one product in the box that was OK:

• Right Tasty Ramp Vinaigrette: You have to refrigerate after opening, so it becomes solid in the fridge, which makes it a pain to use. It tasted like any other vinaigrette. 

The one product in the box that was yummy:

• Raaka Coconut Milk Chocolate Bar: Sweet, silky, and everything you want chocolate to be like. 

So if you ever see these items (other than the Raaka chocolate) for sale, hold on to your money.

Review: Vegan Smoked Salmon by Sophie's Kitchen

Vegan Smoked Salmon by Sophie's Kitchen is a milder, cruelty-free version of the original.

One of my favorite breakfast items prior to going plant-based was a bagel, lox, and cream cheese. Finding vegan bagels and cream cheese isn’t tough, but finding vegan smoked salmon is!

I was excited to try the Vegan Smoked Salmon by Sophie’sKitchen to experience that creamy, chewy texture of a protein atop tangy cream cheese and a toasted everything bagel.

The package is lovely, and the smoked salmon was equally beautiful. The slices were thin and spongy when taken out of the fridge. It’s best to let the salmon come to room texture so it becomes less spongy. The product smelled exactly like smoked salmon.

After placing the slices on a plate, I covered with a paper towel and put a plate on top to press out any extra liquid.

After 45 minutes, I toasted my bagel and got my cream cheese spread ready.

Cream Cheese Spread with Chives and Water Chestnuts

• 8 oz. tub of dairy-free cream cheese (I used Tofutti cream cheese)
• 1/4 c. of diced water chestnuts
• 1-2 T of dillweed
• Pinch of salt

Empty all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Add dillweed and/or salt to your taste.

I find that adding chopped water chestnuts to the cream cheese gives a crisp crunch to every bite.

I assembled my sandwich and dug right in … Yum!

While the smell of the smoked salmon is strong, the flavor is more subdued. I put two slices per sandwich, but if you want a stronger salmon flavor, you might need 3-4 slices per sandwich. When I took bites that had less cream cheese, I could easily identify that wonderful smoked fish flavor.

This product is a definite winner. 

Review: Dandies Mini Marshmallows and Tasty Baked Sweet Potatoes

A large sweet potato makes a wonderful lunch or dinner.

For lunch today I made my favorite – baked sweet potato. I sometimes eat only this for dinner, but it’s sweet, salty, and extremely filling.

If you use your toaster oven, like I do, preheat it to 350. Wash and dry the sweet potato and slice it in half. Bake the potato -- cut-side down -- for 45-60 minutes. Stop cooking it when you see bubbling liquid around the edges of the sweet potato. 

I then put the sweet potato on a plate and score the flesh with a knife or fork. I then sprinkle a generous pinch of salt over both halves, followed by another generous pinch of coconut palm sugar, and 1-2 tsp of vegan buttery spread. I then microwave the sweet potato for 30 seconds. The potato is sweet, salty and has a little creaminess from the buttery spread. The skin gets salty and buttery, too, and tastes delicious at the end.

I recently purchased a bag of delicious Dandies Minis, which are vegan marshmallows. These marshmallows are sweet and gooey when slightly melted on my sweet potato (I omit the palm sugar when I use marshmallows). I've never been a marshmallow fan, but Dandies have a great bite and slightly powdery exterior that feels excellent in your mouth. I've never had the large Dandies, but I know I love the mini ones. 

Dandies Minis are not as chewy as non-vegan marshmallows. They have a better texture and are not overly sweet.

Recipe: Cheesecake with Silken Tofu, a Nut Crust, and Homemade Caramel Sauce

The zest and fresh juice from one lemon gives this cheesecake a delicate, tangy flavor. A drizzle of homemade caramel sauce provides a burst of sweetness, and the nut and coconut crust provides a hearty chew.

This crust recipe comes from: Hungry hungry hippie

The homemade caramel sauce comes for the entertaining VeganZombie (part of Butterbeer recipe)

Lemon Cheesecake

Crust:

1 c. of nuts (I had a mix of almonds and Brazil nuts) 

2 T liquid sweetener (I used agave)

1 c. coconut flakes

1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions: 

Soak the nuts for four hours and then drain and empty into a food processor. Add the rest of the crust ingredients and pulse for 1-2 minutes until mixed thoroughly. Press the crust into a pie dish. (I didn’t grease the pan and my crust came out fine)

The blended nut crust is sweet and chewy.

The tofu in the cheesecake recipe

 Filling:

1 12oz package of silken tofu

1 tsp of almond extract

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

¼ c. of sugar

½ c. of vegan cream cheese (I used Tofutti)

Tiny pinch of salt

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350. Wash the food processor after making the crust and place all the filling ingredients inside. Blend until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed.

Empty filling into crust and bake for 15 minutes. Turn down heat to 250 and bake another 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Cool and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Ready to bake

Caramel sauce from the Vegan Zombie:

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup almond milk

In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar and water up to a boil. Add lemon juice (to prevent crystallization) and swirl pan around without stirring (but you can scrape the sides to keep sugar from sticking to the sides of the pot). Once it turns a dark amber color, remove the sauce from heat. Add the almond milk and stir it all together.

My contribution to this recipe is that I add a pinch of salt and 1 tsp. of vanilla extract at the end. 

The cheesecake filling is tangy and creamy and goes well with the sweet caramel sauce. 

Review: Hilary's Eat Well Original Veggie Burger

Hilary's Eat Well Original Veggie Burger is mild in flavor, which is perfect if you want to taste condiments and other toppings. I enjoyed my veggie burger with Follow Your Heart's Chipotle Spread, three onion rings (under the patty), and sliced avocado.

It can be dreadful trying veggie burgers because some are too mushy, some taste too much like one particular vegetable (too much carrot flavor, too much broccoli flavor, etc.), and some are very dry. Like Goldilocks, I'm looking for something that's just right.

Hilary's Eat Well Original Veggie Burger definitely would be the missing food item in the three bear's cottage because the patty is delicious. It's interesting that I find it tasty because, honestly, it lacks any strong flavors.

You can taste hints of the organic garlic and organic onion, but what makes this burger a winner is the texture: slightly crispy, yet soft on the inside. The mouth feel was similar to that of the breading on a perfectly executed onion ring.

The first ingredient is listed as "Love." 

It's also a pretty patty. The burger looks like a golden hash brown, with flecks of spinach throughout.

If you want substance to your veggie burger and want to taste the other toppings, such as peppers, onions, and condiments, then this is the burger for you. There are two patties in each package ($4.29 on VeganEssentials.com), and I find the price to be worth it for the quality.